User Reviews

Season 9 was not one of 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent's' best seasons, actually consider it one of the weaker ones. There are great episodes, such as the two parter "Loyalty", "Love on Ice" and "True Legacy". There are also disappointments, such as "Gods and Insects" and especially "Palimpsest" (the latter of which made the mistake of not feeling like 'Criminal Intent'). It is hard though to not expect a lot from "Three in One" when it's a season finale.

And a very good one it is too. "Three in One" doesn't quite end Season 9 on a bang (not in the way the original 'Law and Order's' Season 9 finale "Refuge" did), but it doesn't end on a whimper at the same time like 'Special Victims Unit's' Season 9 finale "Cold". While "Three in One" is not a 'Criminal Intent' high point, it is in the better half of the season and shows that the season was at its best with the dark character studies type of episodes.

"Three in One" is not flawless. There could have been a little more tension in the earlier parts.

Did think too that the ending was on the rushed side and was slightly anti-climactic, this was the final appearance of all three leads and it didn't feel like it.

Having said that, "Three in One" does a lot right. It is elevated to a greater level by the guest turns, what Season 9 had in common was that many episodes had the guest stars making more of an impression than the leads. Both F. Murray Abraham and Tom Lipinski give inspired performances, with Lipinski being genuinely creepy in a difficult role that could easily have been overacted. Abraham does dignity and pomposity effortlessly. Another thing that was special was the relationship between Abraham and Jeff Goldblum (also on fine form), which was beautifully done.

Furthermore, it is a visually slick episode, typical for 'Criminal Intent' and the 'Law and Order' franchise, and one with the right amount of muted grit, the photography doesn't try to do anything too fancy or gimmicky while not being claustrophobic and keeping things simple. The music doesn't overbear with the theme tune still memorable and the direction is accommodating yet tight enough. The script is intelligent and tight, as well as entertaining while the story is absorbing and darkly twisty.

Overall, very good if not amazing season finale. 8/10.

THIS is a RAPPROCHEMENT of the Writers, Directors, Producers, Executive Producers, Station Chiefs, and even Network Brass. GO F YOURSELF. Episodes 10-16 Only Got BETTER! I Am a Goren fan to the core. True. HOWever, Goldblum's Nichol's Is MAGNIFICENT!!! He is So Unassuming Yet, so Deep And Spot ON it is mind-numbing. Each of these last 7 only topped the other. (14 & 16 as Favorites with 16 #1) What he and Goren Could have done Together........ Anyway, to have kept the Pair System would have Continued to work had SOMEONE Had FORESIGHT to realize that Most of what is on Network TV SUXX. These Groups Make you THINK. They Don't NUMB. REMEMBER, I Am writing all this 10yrs later, STARVED for this Type of Acto/Tele/Drama! PS - toss in the F Murray Abraham dynamic, occasionally, (who was Stupendous in 16) and L&E CI WOULD have had NO PROBLEM OUTliving that "Made-for-T-V SUV BS". SHAME On You Law and Order Criminal Intent Brass. You P#SSED away a MAGNIFICENT Opportunity!!!!☠☠☠

A Realtor (Joanne Baron) was remodeling a fancy apartment for a new tenant. She was angry at the painter because they were running out of time, but when she got in to let off some steam he attacked her, he tied her up and took her to a basement where he killed her, painting a strange portrait in the wall with her blood. The perp had multiple personalities: Dr. Curtis, Andy, Tommy. This subject had been addressed several times in movies: I remember Norman Bates in Pshyco, Aaron (or Roy) in Primal Fear, Mort Rainey in Secret Window and so on. Nothing new to be frank. Anyway I'd better not be cured by a doctor who got his degree in Grenada! Why not in Mogadishu? It seemed strange to me someone would leave his health in the hand of such an incompetent crook.

The only thing that matter in this episode is that we make acquaintance of Nichols' father: the detective called him because he need a psychologist and besides helping him he's willing to reunite the family again after all this years.

Despite the appearance of F. Murray Abraham as Jeff Goldblum's psychiatrist father, this was a CI story that made very little sense to me. Of course it's a good thing he's around because they are racing against time to find a woman that the killer has kidnapped.

But that's before the police learn he's got another victim. The current case that Goldblum and Saffron Burrows has involves the murder and dismemberment of a woman. The killer they find is a suffering from multiple personality disorders. The city brings in one psychiatric consultant and it's then we learn that Goldblum has his own psychiatric consultant.

It seemed like CI was jumping the gun. His diagnosis was something for the District Attorney to handle. In fact where was Dr. Skoda, or Dr. Olivet, or Dr. Huang?

Still the scenes with Abraham and Goldblum are special.

Jeff Goldblum wraps up his stint in the "Law & Order" universe with a gimmicky story of split-personalities. In this one Tom Limpinski gets to do the overacting honors as three disparate characters, a gimmick not conducive to the creation of a police procedural where evidence hunting to be fair to the audience generally plays fairer than this sort of connection, very quickly figured out by Jeff -who's read the script.

Lipinsky doesn't impress me at all, especially wen compared to the talented actresses like Joanne Woodwrd who have tackled this challenging assignment. Yet another gimmick is Jeff calling in his dad to help him on the cae, no less than Oscar-winner F. Murray Abraham. Two stunts in the casting department do not make it right.