User Reviews

What is the Boy Scout motto, 'be prepared'. I suppose the ultimate in preparation for those who believe in the Bible literally is to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus. Some say it's going to happen any year from now and soon. And if people believe it they will act accordingly, using technology that was not available even a generation ago.

Which is what the subject of this Law And Order episode was about. A man who was a believer was murdered and his e-mail to be sent out in case he was raptured out of this dimension got sent. Which sets off a chain of events for detectives Jeremy Sisto and Anthony Anderson involving one guy working within this organization who is making money hand over fist from these gullible people. I won't say what his racket is, but trust me, it's a pip.

You can't say that John Sharian doesn't think fast on his feet though. When corned by the cops he runs into the Iranian embassy for protection claiming asylum. Again I can't reveal, but a very neat trick is pulled to get him to face US justice.

Good episode and I will say that the true believers were not treated harshly in this story.

"Rapture's" premise sounded intriguing, though it's one of those that could go either way in execution. There are times in the 'Law and Order' franchise where the idea of influencing others is done very powerfully and hard hittingly. There are other times where it can be preachy and one sided. Was not sure on first glance which side "Rapture" would be on, because it definitely sounded like it could go either way with what the person involved is influencing.

Luckily, it is on the whole in the former category, though with occasional shades of the latter. Is "Rapture" a great episode or among the best episodes of Season 19? No. Is it good? To me, yes it is and it is not deserving of being one of the season's lower rated episodes. That it is rated lower than one of the worst episodes of the Lupo and Bernard period is inexplicable. If the synopsis puts you off, and that's understandable, don't let it, "Rapture" is a lot more tasteful than is indicated.

Not everything worked for me. The first quarter is somewhat ordinary and routine from not doing an awful lot new with not so novel territory.

Did think that the conclusion was on the rushed side, which was not uncommon for the show or of this season, and lays its point a little too thickly perhaps. And that the supporting characters could have been written with more subtlety, John Sharian's came close to being over the top.

On the other hand, "Rapture" succeeds more than it doesn't. The production values are solid and the intimacy of the photography doesn't get static or too filmed play-like. The music when used is not too over-emphatic and has a melancholic edge that is quite haunting. The direction is sympathetic enough without being leaden and the script is tight and always intriguing, have always been left thinking hard for a while after as it is a subject worth pondering on.

While the story doesn't start off exceptionally, it is riveting and really thought provoking without being heavy handed in the second half and while the execution is unyielding and extremely disturbing it didn't feel too much of one side in its tackling of this heavy going yet still very relevant topic. The acting is very good from all the regulars and Sharian plays his role with charisma and creepiness.

In summary, good but not great. 7/10.