Law & Order (TV Series) Doubles (1994) User Reviews

Snoozer

[Better_TV · 6/10 · 3 May 2018]

Maybe I missed it, but I never quite understood why homicide detectives Briscoe and Logan were interested in the case of a tennis prodigy whose hand gets broken... a la the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding scandal.

This is a forgettable episode, one that involves more soapy twists than legal or dramatic ones. Even though it's just a TV show, I couldn't help but feel like the fictional prosecutor's office would be better serving the city by expending their resources elsewhere.

Even Steven Hill's closing lines at the end of the show seem to reinforce the triviality of this episode.

Keep an eye out for the typically serious EADA Ben Stone (Michael Moriarty) cracking a genuine smile right before the closing credits - that's something unique, at least!

Ripped From The Headlines!

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 22 November 2010]

In January, 1994, figure skater Tonya Harding hired one or two goons to kneecap her chief rival, Nancy Kerrigan. In May of that year, this episode appeared, in which a budding tennis star hires a good to break her wrist in order for her to get out of professional tennis without losing any money or any of her father's love.

The "ripped from the headlines" episodes don't always follow the historical script too closely. This one certainly doesn't. But they hew closely enough to the original scenario that the signals are clearly received by the viewers.

As usual, this one is pretty well done. John Heard is the name guest star.

Love Means Nothing In Tennis

[safenoe · 6/10 · 20 November 2023]

Love Means Nothing In Tennis could have been the unofficial title to this penultimate episode of season four, Doubles. Another title could have been Mean Girls, because here we see what is apparently rivalry amongst the female pro-tennis circuit with the aspirations to be number one. Anyway, it's more than that and one thing we know is (and I don't even need to log into TV Tropes) is that the first suspect, even if obvious, will be cleared before no time.

Anyway, the "crime" in Doubles is really a forced error (yes pardon the pun) and really what could have been an intriguing episode pretty much petered out to a straights set loss.

Double rivalry

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 21 October 2020]

You know something is not right when from the outset before watching you are not particularly sold on the premise. While appreciating tennis and noting its resemblance (as has been said already) to the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan story, the story never sounded that interesting. Saw it anyway as a fan of 'Law and Order' and of the franchise in its prime, and it was an episode that left me rather cold on first viewing and not an awful lot better than the premise.

Of the various 'Law and Order' episodes rewatched recently, "Doubles" still doesn't do much for me and my feelings are similar to before. On re-watches, some episodes were just as good/great as the first time, even better or a little less good, but there were very few episodes that fitted in the never cared for it that much category and "Doubles" is sadly one of them in my view. Season 4 on the whole was a good, if not consistent, season and "Doubles" is easily my least favourite of the twenty two episodes that make up the season.

"Doubles" does have good things. It looks typically slick especially in the typically intimate photography and the editing has come on a good deal. The music is used appropriately and didn't come over as overbearing. The episode does get a little better and more intriguing when things become not so obvious in the latter stages.

The performances are all fine, lead and supporting, and the character interaction likewise. John Heard and Allison Dunbar are both very good in their roles and yes it was great and quite refreshing to see Michael Moriarty smile.

Sadly, the case for "Doubles" fails to completely engage let alone excite. Far from unwatchable, but on first watch it struck me as rather dull and bland and that's still the case. There could have been more energy, all competently done but in a safe and workmanlike way, and there is a lack of tension or anything to be emotionally invested by. Much of it is too easy to figure out and quite predictable from doing little new with familiar ground and when things are not as obvious it is not easy to get one's head round at first.

Usually the dialogue is tight and thought probing, there are moments of the latter in "Doubles" but most of it is on the soapy and limp side. The early portions are too routine for my tastes. The direction is far from amateurish but never does it feel that inspired at the same time.

Concluding, disappointingly average. 5/10

No I Tonya

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 28 October 2018]

Only last year the story of Tonya Harding became a film that received many awards including Oscars. This L&O episode isn't anything close to what happened in that saga when Tonya's boyfriend and friends of his beat her rival Nancy Kerrigan with an iron bar. The episode though based on it is a far different story.

Stacy Moseley tennis champion is assaulted with her sustaining a broken hand and knocking her out of competition. The investigation by Jerry Orbach and Chris Noth traces back to her rival, the Tonya Harding character played by Allison Dunbar. Doing the deed was her very shady boyfriend Holt McCallany.

But that's where the similarities end. It's quite a twisted story and it also peripherally involves John Heard who is Moseley's coach and father. It might get a little too convoluted for the episode's own good.

As for similarities and I won't say more is that Nancy Kerrigan in real life came from almost as hardscrabble a background as Tonya Harding.