Detective Goren is at the end of the road

Det. Robert Goren (D'Onofrio) has, umm, been away -- talking to shrinks that he doesn't think he needs, and far from the casework that keeps his mind focused. "They used to think you were crazy upstairs," says Major Case Squad captain Joseph Hannah (Jay O. Sanders.)

But what do they know? Hannah has salvaged his old friend's career, and maybe sanity, and to help him on re-entry is his longtime former partner, Det. Alexandra Eames (Erbe). First case up, a young woman is found dead in her apartment, and cops suspect suicide. Goren, of course, does not. He and Eames follow their leads to a monsignor (Neal McDonough), and two close friends of the woman.

MY SAY D'Onofrio and Goren are interesting cats -- intense, coiled, smart and talented. It's tempting to wonder where the character ends and the real live Brooklyn native begins. A decade ago, D'Onofrio launched this spinoff, made it a success, then promptly mused about leaving. He stuck around, but NBC's financial commitment wasn't quite so steadfast, and "CI" finally drifted over to USA. New cast members (Chris Noth, Jeff Goldblum) came and went, but none could ever hope to replicate that strange-edgy-explosive temperament of the original guy (nor did they try).

With D'Onofrio back, the original spirit of the show has returned as well. Goren remains humor-free and slightly bent -- brilliant, sure, but his personality almost falls within the autism spectrum. He acutely understands psychology -- just not his own -- and, as usual, he's not one to engage in small talk. What's intriguing about this last round is that Goren is supposed to finally figure out what makes him tick through the help of a police psychologist. Will he?

BOTTOM LINE A final parting gift to true-blue fans, who probably won't be disappointed.

GRADE B+