"The Ballad Of Dwight And Irena" Was Almost Camp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                Girls, I am telling you, when I saw the promo for this episode, I thought it bore a strong resemblance to the John Grisham book  I read recently, "A Time For Mercy," in which a teenaged boy kills his  mother's abusive boyfriend.  I call that justifiable homicide,  because the scum deserved  to die,  even if  he  was killed, and  so  did Dwight, in this episode.

                                  I was afraid some lazy writer had  read the Grisham book, and  decided to do  their own  riff on it.  Fortunately,  there was more to it than that, but,  while  filled with fascinating  tidbits, it did  not add up  to much.

                                  Let's start with  Riki  Lindhome's performance as Irena Nowak.   I did  not have much sympathy for her,  at first.  And what was with her channeling  Joni Mitchell,  by copying the singer's look,  back  in the day?  As for Dwight, played  briefly by Christopher Cassarino; well,  he turned  out to be not  only an abuser, but a trucker drug addict, gets  Irena Nowak, a single mother trying  to raise two kids--Lee Ann, by Dwight,  and  Will, by policeman  Marc Vargas, played by Elliot Villar--hooked and submissive, so what chance does she have to get out from  her situation?  And what is she  doing associating  with  some piece  of White Trash, from  rural  Virginia?  No, I did  not  feel  a bit  sorry for Irena, at this point.  I wanted  to  step  in, or  have someone else  do so, like Crusading  Olivia,  and call Children's Services?  Why didn't she?

                                  The best moment was Rollins  and  Dwight confronting one  another.  Two White Trash forces clashing with  each  other.  Except  Amanda, wonderfully  played  by Kelli Giddish,  has successfully pulled herself up  from  that Southern muck,  but not Dwight, who is  still mired in  it,  especially  when into the picture  enters Amanda  Jane Cooper, as Sherry Wagner,  Dwight's pregnant,  and  definitely White Trash, wife.  I really don't know if she  was even necessary to have her in the story;  maybe it was to make the homicide justifiable.  Which it was.  It would have been more  interesting if  Will had actually done it,  but  it turns out  Irena had a spine, after all.

                                    During an interim during court  proceedings,  there  is a  scene  between  Irena and  Olivia, where Irena  mentions  having grown  up in an abusive  home, where someone  was beaten every day.   Now I  felt  sorry for her; it explains  her behavior early in the  episode, as well  as her poor track  record with  men.  All men seem abusive to her; even Carisi,  a side of  him which I was shocked  to see.

                                       Irena is the killer, while  Will  was trying to protect  his mother.  The killing  was not shown,  but what happened  was Lee Ann had to use  the bathroom, and Dwight was in the tub.  Probably jerking  off.  Irena  goes  in with Lee Ann,--which I question, bringing a small child  into  a  room  with  an  adult naked man,  as  if  this was normal?--and an argument ensues.  Irena  spots  her hair dryer on  a  nearby shelf, and  plugs it  in.  Dwight says she hasn't the guts to throw it  in the tub, and once he gets  out,  he  will  take care of she and Will.  He  is partial  to  Lee Ann,  who is  his own daughter.

                                       But guess  what?  Irena does  have the guts, so "plop,  plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief  it  is."  I really wish we could  have seen Dwight fry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         For a change,  Finn,  not  Olivia, gets  the last shot,  thanks  to  the subplot of his lawsuit from last season.  But the  main plot resolution is not satisfactory,  leaving too many questions unanswered.  Irena will  go  to prison; who will take  care of  the children?   Sherry Wagner is  trash,  but she does have  a  point--what kind of  justice  is  this for her,  a pregnant woman,  and what  is  she supposed  to do?  These  threads  were just left hanging.

                                           It was nice to  see Jessica Phillips return as Pippa Cox, whose husband  is  in prison  on child  porn charges.  I think Josh Pais wanted out of the show and role, so this was concocted for him.  Because, in all the years he played the role, the character never displayed any signs of a sexual  interest in  children.   Oh, I know, many of  these types are covert,  but, from a written standpoint,  it  just did not make any sense.

                                             And how about examining class distinctions,  via Irena, Amanda, Dwight, and Sherry. Proof that White Trash  does not  belong in New  York.

                                           Let me tell you something, dolls--"The Ballad Of John And Yoko" is  more  satisfying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!