The best Law & Order stories always involve a personal connection to one of the main characters. On this episode, Lieutenant Brady takes center stage when her son, Leo, is a potential suspect.

Brady faces several obstacles as she navigates her role as Leo’s mother and as the lieutenant on the case.

Brady is not often in the limelight. Maura Tierney’s performances are always great, but her character usually exists to further the episode’s investigation and help steer the narrative in the right direction.

It is a welcoming change to see Brady become a more central character as she struggles to connect with her son, all while remaining objective as the lieutenant on this case.

Law & Order tends to concentrate on adding depth to its lawyer characters, while the detective characters build a riveting storyline.

This episode proves that the detectives can be just as compelling when properly explored.

Brady’s struggle to remain objective during Zina Worth’s murder investigation also impacts the other characters, creating a fascinating conflict between Brady and her peers.

While Riley wholeheartedly trusts her, Walker has a much harder time getting on board with simply believing Leo’s story, illustrating how different the dynamics are.

Riley and Brady have worked together for quite some time, whereas Walker only just joined their department. In this scenario, Walker is more likely to be objective, creating a bit of tension between him and Brady.

For the most part, Brady remains unbiased against her son, but proving that Leo has nothing to do with Zina’s murder in court is a different story.

Nolan has to eliminate Leo as a suspect, and his journey to do so maintains an engaging narrative while the State tries Sean Chase.

This conflict raises the stakes of the episode as the team races to rule out Leo as a suspect altogether.

Nolan Price: I think we just have to trust in the facts.
Nick Baxter: No, we need to control how the jury perceives the facts.

Law & Order puts both the detectives and the prosecution team through the wringer on “Dream On,” because of Brady’s connection.

Not only does it establish a conflict between Brady and her peers, but it also creates a rift between the detectives and the district attorneys.

This is a bold narrative choice that ultimately pays off in a thrilling conclusion when Brady finally finds a way to exonerate her son as a suspect.

Brady is put to the ultimate test when she must make tough decisions as Leo’s mother, which unfortunately shows how strained the dynamic is between mother and son.

However, depicting Brady and Leo’s flawed relationship highlights Brady’s imperfections, something Law & Order rarely explores, making it a real treat to see on screen.

It does not appear that Brady and Leo will make up anytime soon, especially once she refuses to testify on his behalf.

Brady understands the expectations, demands, and sacrifices parenthood involves. Parental decisions can have severe repercussions, something that Leo, a man recovering from an addiction, cannot deal with at the moment.

Brady has made many mistakes with Leo, but refusing to testify on his behalf for the custody hearing is definitely not one of them.

Brady and Leo’s dynamic is quite compelling, and Law & Order should definitely revisit this complicated mother-son relationship.

Leo Brady: And unlike some people, I don’t give up on the people I love.

The only downside of “Dream On” is the lack of ADA Samantha Maroun yet again.

Samantha is absent from a handful of Season 25 episodes, and each absence is notable. It is difficult to pretend like an episode is complete without her emotionally intelligent perspective and headstrong opinions.

She always keeps her peers on their toes, which makes her absence feel like a missing piece in the narrative. Law & Order must use Samantha’s character more effectively and more frequently to create a more rounded episode.

Otherwise, “Dream On” is an engaging outing that explores new angles of Brady’s character that Law & Order has not yet portrayed.

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