Vincent D'Onofrio, the character of Goren and his wonderfully unorthodox methods and way of thinking, his chemistry with Eames, the compelling cases, the thought-provoking and entertaining writing are just some of the reasons as to why 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent' is as good as it is and it is sad that it didn't last longer. Especially when the original 'Law and Order' and 'Special Victims Unit' lasted longer and to me its prime period is as good as the prime years of those.
"Phantom" may not be one of the best episodes of 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent' and is not even one of the best of the first season ("The Faithful", "Jones" and "Homo Homini Lupus" in my view). It is still a very good episode though in a season where there is not a bad episode in the lot and where the weakest "The Third Horseman" is still pretty good. It is just missing the extra something that the show has at its very best.
Some of the story may require some suspension of disbelief, like Rankin keeping that big a secret for so long without anybody, even those closest to him, suspecting a thing.
There is such a lot that "Phantom" has going in its favour though. The production values are not too elaborate and never static, having a slickness without being too simple. The theme tune may be my least favourite of those for the three most popular and longest-lasting 'Law and Order' shows but is memorable, while the music doesn't get melodramatic even in when the truth is revealed.
As with all the previous episodes, there is plenty of momentum and intelligent terseness in the script, how Goren is written is one of the show's greatest pleasures and "Phantom" doesn't change that. Despite the premise not being the easiest to swallow, the story still absorbs and provides plenty of suspense. Particularly in the final act where there is a real sense of urgency and Goren's moment of revelation is one of his best individual moments, thrilling stuff that. Rankin is a very interesting character too. D'Onofrio is on top form as usual and Michael Emerson gives Rankin surprising complexity in a powerful way.
In a nutshell, very well done. 8/10