Law & Order Season 22 Episode 22 Review: Open Wounds

The season finale, Law & Order Season 22 Episode 22, “Open Wounds,” reminds viewers of Price’s trauma while trying to justify the actions of a traumatized shooter.

It’s a bold move for the show that plays on our heartstrings, but choosing to have a tough-on-crime attitude ends up being a downfall for DA Jack McCoy. It doesn’t win him or the episode any favors.

This is one of those cases where viewers want to see a killer punished for his actions but also empathize with him because of the trauma he’s endured. The writers do a great job of displaying that conflict through Nolan Price.

The Price of Compassion

From the start of Law & Order Season 21, Nolan Price has been a force to reckon with in the courtroom. The law can sometimes cloud his compassion, but we can always count on him to be just and fair.

That is until DA Jack McCoy makes a call that Nolan disagrees with but can’t publicly argue against. The conflict in his eyes is much louder than the words he tries to pass off as the best choice.

We don’t often get to see Price present himself in a way that shows he’s lost faith in his position in the state of New York’s justice system. “Open Wounds” serves as a reminder that Nolan has a huge heart and his own traumas that he’s never dealt with.

An excellent way for Season 23 to build upon his character would be to bring back his experience from the subway. Show him finally seeking psychiatric help for the trauma he still holds onto from that day.

McCoy’s daughter sees this and knows he’s vulnerable to manipulation on her part. She doubles down and uses his trauma to convince him to do more for her client, despite this move being completely against the code of ethics amongst lawyers.

It’s an exciting interaction that brings the urgency of this case to the forefront of our minds. She reminds us that this man has done a horrific thing, but he’s also lived through an unimaginable trauma that completely altered his brain chemistry.

What is disappointing is that the case doesn’t end up in a plea deal or at least a sentence to be carried out in a psychiatric facility. One of the significant issues within America is the lack of care our justice system gives those suffering from mental disorders.

It is the perfect opportunity for the show to take a firm stance on gun control, and it doesn’t.

This man killed a senator, but that doesn’t mean his traumas shouldn’t be accounted for when deciding his consequence. 

McCoy Loses Favor — With His Daughter And Us

Jack McCoy has been a TV mainstay within the legal realm for decades. His ability to make tough decisions has garnered him much praise and admiration.

However, it’s clear from this case that his attitude regarding the law and having little leniency isn’t always the best route. If only his conversation with his daughter and Price could’ve convinced him to move his stance slightly for this case.

He should have been able to see the impact of the killer’s trauma when Nolan Price left court mid-cross and asked for a next day recess. This is not something Nolan ever does; therefore, anyone with a heart can see his hands shouldn’t remain tied behind his back.

McCoy and his daughter don’t have the best relationship, and she does cross a line when she asks him to step in for her client’s plea deal. However, that doesn’t excuse how adamant he is about pressuring Price to throw the book at this guy.

Sometimes I criticize Law & Order for being too lenient on the outcome of a case, but in this case, it went too harsh. It’s as if the show doesn’t know how to land in the middle.

Perhaps this is the writing on the wall that Jack McCoy has reached his limit with the DA’s office. Perhaps there will be a changing of the guard soon.

Giving us this insight into McCoy’s relationships further intensifies the wrongness of his stance. There is being wholly ethical and not letting your personal life affect your decisions, and then there is pigheadedness for the sake of pigheadedness.

Either way, this case not only leaves us with a lot to think about but Price and McCoy as well. 

 

What did you think of this episode of Law & Order? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Law & Order airs Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC.

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