I loved this episode. In my head, the story was a study in contrast between the different types of families we find ourselves in. There is our family of origin, which is always a rich source of storytelling material; there is our found family, like a sports team or a gang, and our work family, like the police family Det. Vincent Riley is part of. In "Big Brother," all three types of families get stress tested. Let's see which family situation breaks…
Coach Walsh has turned up dead. Detectives Shaw and Riley are investigating when Riley is hastened away to deal with a family situation. The situation – Riley's brother - is locked up for illegally selling guns. Ryan Eggold, no stranger to NBC (New Amsterdam and the Blacklist), is arresting (pun intended) as a wanna-be-gangster. At one point, his brother Vincent describes him as “95% good, recounting how he stepped up without complaint to care for their dying father, and 5% bad.” He tells the cop who arrested Matty that Matty could be turned into a criminal informant (CI) because he hangs out with bad guys. This would get him off the gun charge he was arrested for. Vincent is doing everything he can as a police officer to support his brother.
"Big Brother"" – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: Ryan Eggold as Matt Riley. Photo by: Ralph Bavaro/NBC4 ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
As the investigation progresses, video surfaces showing Matty had contact with the victim the day he died. This turn in the plot puts the brothers on a collision course of sorts. Because of Matty's twisted sense of honor among thieves, Vincent works hard to convince him to help with the investigation. To make the gun charge go away, Matty wears a wire to try and pry information out of the main suspect, a bar owner named Jackie Costa.
There were some tense moments when Costa, a man with a substantial criminal record in racketeering, gambling, etc., insisted on searching Matty for the wire hidden in a button. Not finding the wire, Costa begins to talk. He explained why the victim, Coach Walsh, encountered him to settle a gambling debt for a former player. Suddenly, the feed goes silent. When Vincent and Shaw demand to know what happened, Matty says, "I'm not a snitch," effectively prioritizing his street family over his own family, and over what is morally right.
"Big Brother"" – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (l-r) Reid Scott as Det. Vincent Riley, Maura Tierney as Lt. Jessica Brady, Mehcad Brooks as Det. Jalen Shaw. Photo by: Ralph Bavaro/NBC ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Back at the station, Lt. Brady asked Vincent what happened with his brother and the wire. He tried to play it off as a simple malfunction. Det. Shaw looked on uncomfortably. In her bloodhound fashion, Lt. Brady continued to press him until he confessed that his brother destroyed the wire. Brady told Vincent, "Next time, lead with the truth, and we'll get along better." Thankfully, what his brother did allow the police to record was enough to get a search warrant.
The search of Costa's bar turned up a Rolex watch the Coach was known to wear. A kid shows up with the murder weapon a few days later, and he tells the DA that he saw a white dude toss it. Again, CCTV shows Costa in the vicinity of where the kid said he found the gun. The case is a strong circumstantial one. DA Price presses the police for more. Det. Riley goes back to make an impassioned plea to his brother. He emphasized that this was not some Scorsese movie, but a murder case with real consequences. Matty doesn't budge. He doesn't want to get involved. His refusal forces his brother to focus on the transactional nature of their relationship, reminding Matty that his testimony is the only way to make the gun charges go away. In disbelief, Matty tells Vincent, "There must be hundreds of ways to make the gun charge disappear.” Vincent deadpans, “There isn’t.”
More out of self-preservation than doing the right thing, Matty tells DA Price everything that would lead to Costa's conviction. Price tells Matt, "You just have to say everything you told me on the stand." Cut to Matt in the witness box. His brother and Det. Shaw in the courtroom. Frequently glancing at the defendant, Costa, Matt denies every question DA Price asks. The court takes a short recess. Vincent asks Matt what he’s doing. Almost smugly, Matt says, “I guess I changed my mind.” Matt's antics as a witness led Price to treat him as a hostile witness because his direct testimony contradicted his previous sworn statement. To impeach Matt's testimony, Price accuses Matt, "Your refusal to cooperate is because you feel that being a snitch is an unforgivable betrayal. Because of this, you are willing to let a killer go free rather than testify!” Matt leans forward, grabs the rail of the witness box, looks the DA in the eye, and says: “You’re damn right.” I’m paraphrasing the whole scene, but you get it, right?
"Big Brother"" – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: Ryan Eggold as Matt Riley. Photo by: Ralph Bavaro/NBC ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The editing in this courtroom scene was masterful. There were close-ups of Det. Shaw dying of shame. You saw Det. Shaw looking disgusted. You saw Price's frustration. But you also saw, because of Matt’s refusal to cooperate, the jury slowly becoming convinced of Costa's guilt. You also saw a foreshadowing of guilt on the faces of Costa and his attorney. Cut to the judge asking for the verdict: "We find the defendant guilty." Det. Shaw says to Vincent, "Shaw, you’re a great cop. People respect you, but if Costa had been acquitted…”
"Big Brother"” – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (l-r) Katie Sackhoff as Attorney Gallo, Chris Bauer as Jack Costa. Photo by: Scott Gries/NBC ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Later, Vincent shows up at his brother’s house. He says, “We gotta take a ride to the precinct. They’re gonna charge you." Matt protested, "I thought you were going to handle that." "Yeah,” Vincent says, “I guess I changed my mind.” Boom! What comes around goes around, Matty.
In procedurals like Law & Order, the best episodes are the ones that reveal the personal backgrounds of the characters. This story was all about the bonds of family. What families, criminal gangs, and police seem to have in common is the high-stakes, high-stress nature of their relationship. Being part of a family always comes down to who you can trust, who you can rely on, and who's got your back. The Riley brothers seemed irretrievably broken, as neither, at the end of the day, had the other's back. Both's loyalty lay outside their family of origin. While heartbreaking because you want brothers by blood to get along, it all made sense when Vincent arrested Matt.
Again, I loved this episode. I thought it was well-plotted and wonderfully acted, especially Reid Scott’s portrayal of Det. Vincent. What did you think? Did you like Ryan Eggold’s sleazy depiction of Matt Riley? Did you enjoy the courtroom scenes as much as I did? Drop me a line and let me know your thoughts. Cheers!
Lynette Jones
