One thing I think we can all be confident about: Jalen Brunson is not going to channel 1966 Jim Brown, who decided to retire from football rather than curtail his time playing Robert Jefferson in “The Dirty Dozen.”
Brown probably had a few more years in him if he wanted. But he was ready to make a move from Cleveland to Hollywood. And he did wind up appearing in 55 movie and television roles over the next 57 years, to varying degrees of acclaim/derision.
But I’ll say this: Brunson didn’t embarrass himself with his 59-second cameo in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” on Thursday night. He was fine as Det. Madison, and the episode’s writer, Justine Ferrara, made sure to include a few campy in-jokes that should have been apparent to Knicks fans who tuned in.
First off, before we even see Jalen, we see his old man, Rick, wander into the bar where Det. Madison is enjoying a pizza. It so happens Brunson the Elder shares the same name of a suspect Capt. Benson has asked Madison to inquire about. So we got this hilarious exchange, with extra meaning for everyone who saw the ancient Rick/Jalen videos that went viral all summer.
