The investigation into the death of a controversial artist reveals that he was involved in twisted sex games with two powerful figures.The investigation into the death of a controversial artist reveals that he was involved in twisted sex games with two powerful figures.The investigation into the death of a controversial artist reveals that he was involved in twisted sex games with two powerful figures.
Don McManus
- Jordan
- (as Don R. McManus)
Eyde Byrde
- Johnson
- (as Edye Byrde)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode appears to be based on several separate cases/incidents:
- The 1984 Andrew Crispo (a.k.a. "The Death Mask Murder") case. In New York in 1985, 26-year-old Norwegian fashion student Eigil Vesti was lured away from a bar, drugged, sodomized, and shot twice in the back of the head. His burned body was found in a Rockland County smokehouse, clad only in a leather hood and mask that preserved his face and allowed for his identification using DNA. The investigation led police to the S&M clubs that thrived in the old Meatpacking District, where the murder weapon was discovered in Crispo's 57th Street gallery. Bernard LeGeros, Crispo's assistant, claimed Crispo forced the victim to kneel and be shot, and that he was drugged and under Crispo's control. While Crispo had picked the victim up in a bar and provided the cocaine, Crispo was not charged in the murder, while LeGeros was convicted and sent to prison instead.
- The 1968 death of Albert Dekker. On May 5, 1968, Dekker was found dead in his Hollywood home by his fiancée, fashion model and future The Love Boat (1977) creator Jeraldine Saunders. He was naked, kneeling in the bathtub, with a noose tightly wrapped around his neck and looped around the shower curtain rod. He was blindfolded, his wrists were handcuffed, there was a ball gag in his mouth, and two hypodermic needles were inserted in one arm. His body was covered in explicit words and drawings in red lipstick. Money and camera equipment were missing, but there was no sign of forced entry. Police, calling it "quite an unusual case", originally said it was suicide but the deputy coroner found no evidence of foul play nor any indication that he planned to take his life and ruled his death accidental, the result of autoerotic asphyxiation. Dekker was cremated, and his remains interred at the Garden State Crematory in North Bergen, New Jersey. Dekker has a star, in the motion picture category, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6620 Hollywood Boulevard.
- The 1978 death of Bob Crane. Crane was an American actor, drummer, radio personality, and disc jockey known for starring in the CBS sitcom Hogan's Heroes (1965). Crane was brutally murdered in his rented apartment room. He was beaten to death, while he slept, and strangled with an electrical cord. He was 49 years old. His murder remains unsolved.
- The life of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.
- GoofsWhen Henry Rothman was testifying in the grand jury hearing he had his lawyer present. Grand jury proceedings are secret, the only person that is allowed to have a lawyer present is the defendant if they are testifying in the hearing, though it is unusual for a defendant to testify before a grand jury (or even be present) seeking to possibly indict them as their lawyer cannot make any objections or cross-examine their client. Since Mr. Rothman had already pled guilty to manslaughter he wasn't a target of the grand jury hearing, only a witness.
- Quotes
Detective Mike Logan: Died of?
Hoexter: Asphyxiation during a state of sexual arousal. You ever hear of anything so damned stupid? Something must have gone wrong.
Max Greevey: Yeah. He died.
Featured review
Dominant love
All the previous 'Law and Order' episodes ranged from pretty good ("Everybody's Favourite Bagman") to brilliant ("Indifference"), with most being very good. Which is a good position to be in for so early on, even with an understandable finding feet feel. It is very easy to overlook the very early seasons of the show, with the Briscoe and post-Briscoe episodes being aired much more, but they are well worth the watch and should be seen more.
"Prisoner of Love" is one of the pretty good episodes of the first season, though far from being amongst the season's best episodes. It has a lot of great things, which is true for all the early seasons episode and for a vast majority of 'Law and Order', but it feels a little on the bland side as well, with the previous covering more challenging subjects and with more depth. It is also a bit of a let down after the brilliant previous episode "Indifference", a season high-point. Again, this is not disparaging it, just in comparison to before.
Do prefer 'Law and Order' episodes where there is more of characters having conflicts and moral dilemmas. Also ones that tackle difficult themes, subjects and social issues and the "taking influence from a real life case" ones, those kinds of episodes provoked more thought and connected with me more emotionally.
The case here is interesting and twisty enough, with both the procedural and law aspects being well handled (even if other episodes balanced them a little more equally), but fairly standard. If you've seen the later 'Law and Order' before seeing, it may feel a little on the familiar side.
However, it has always been of great fascination seeing how the detectives work and solve their cases and what work goes into preparing defence and especially prosecution. The script entertains and provokes thought, with some nice hard-boiled dialogue for both Greevey and Logan. Stone's dryness has not lost its juice.
Production values are suitably slick and gritty and the music is a good fit tonally and in placement. The acting is good, though it did get much better later when everybody became more comfortable. George Dzundza and Chris Noth are solid leads, with their chemistry gelling enough, and Michael Moriarty again makes the most out of Stone.
Overall, pretty good but not great. 7/10
"Prisoner of Love" is one of the pretty good episodes of the first season, though far from being amongst the season's best episodes. It has a lot of great things, which is true for all the early seasons episode and for a vast majority of 'Law and Order', but it feels a little on the bland side as well, with the previous covering more challenging subjects and with more depth. It is also a bit of a let down after the brilliant previous episode "Indifference", a season high-point. Again, this is not disparaging it, just in comparison to before.
Do prefer 'Law and Order' episodes where there is more of characters having conflicts and moral dilemmas. Also ones that tackle difficult themes, subjects and social issues and the "taking influence from a real life case" ones, those kinds of episodes provoked more thought and connected with me more emotionally.
The case here is interesting and twisty enough, with both the procedural and law aspects being well handled (even if other episodes balanced them a little more equally), but fairly standard. If you've seen the later 'Law and Order' before seeing, it may feel a little on the familiar side.
However, it has always been of great fascination seeing how the detectives work and solve their cases and what work goes into preparing defence and especially prosecution. The script entertains and provokes thought, with some nice hard-boiled dialogue for both Greevey and Logan. Stone's dryness has not lost its juice.
Production values are suitably slick and gritty and the music is a good fit tonally and in placement. The acting is good, though it did get much better later when everybody became more comfortable. George Dzundza and Chris Noth are solid leads, with their chemistry gelling enough, and Michael Moriarty again makes the most out of Stone.
Overall, pretty good but not great. 7/10
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- TheLittleSongbird
- Sep 4, 2019
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