Friday, May 29, 2009

Law & Order CI “Astoria Helen” Preview Clip


Here is a preview clip of Sunday night’s episode of Law & Order Criminal Intent, “Astoria Helen” which stars Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Nicholson.

My recap and review of Law & Order Criminal Intent “Astoria Helen" can be found here.






Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Law & Order “The Drowned and the Saved” Photos and Video Clip

One would think it impossible, but NBC has actually made available a video clip and some pictures for the season finale of Law & Order, “The Drowned and the Saved.” Here are the photos and the video clip!

My recap and review of Law & Order " The Drowned and the Saved " can be found here.














Video Clip "The Drowned and the Saved"




Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU Zebras Sneak Peek

Law & Order SVU producer Neal Baer has provided a “sneak peek” of the Law & Order SVU finale, “Zebras.” A link is below which will direct you to the clip on “bubble tweet” which opens up the clip in a little video bubble.

In case you can’t view it, the clip shows Stabler and Fin trying to catch up with Pete Harrison, thinking they have him cornered. They find themselves getting metal shelving dumped on them. Pete tells them that the judge told them to leave him alone, but Stabler says “not before you killed that girl on Coney Island.” Pete dumps what looks like a barrel with some sort of liquid chemical on the detectives, and a cloud of gas forms. Stabler helps Fin get out.

Here is the link to the super secret Law & Order “Zebras” sneak peek Enjoy!

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Zebras" can be found here.


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Law & Order Episode Information Week of 5/31/09

It’s season finale week in the Law & Order Universe for two of the shows in the franchise. We’ve been told someone dies in SVU, and all we know from the preview of Law & Order is that Jack McCoy is suddenly struck speechless. (Let’s hope there is more to the latter than that.) There is also a new episode of Law & Order Criminal Intent this week.

Photo from NBC

An excerpt from an NBC press release also provides this information on the SVU finale:

CAROL KANE, NICK STAHL TO GUEST STAR ON NBC'S 'LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT' Kane to Reprise Role as Detective Munch's Ex-Wife in Season Finale Episode to Air Tuesday, June 2

NEW YORK – May 26, 2009 – Two-time Emmy Award-winning actress Carol Kane will guest-star in the season finale of NBC'S "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," executive producer Neal Baer announced today. Kane reprises her role as Gwen Munch, the ex-wife of Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer), who last appeared with him in an episode of NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street" in 1997. "Zebras," SVU's season finale, will be telecast on NBC Tuesday, June 2 (10-11 p.m. ET/PT).

In "Zebras," a young woman is killed in Central Park, and when a clerical error ruins the case, the police rush to find more evidence before the killer takes revenge on the squad.

"We're thrilled to have Gwen Munch return to her true love, Detective John Munch, to help lead him to a deranged killer (Nick Stahl) who is after a member of the SVU family," said Baer.
In addition, Nick Stahl guest-stars as Peter Harrison, a once promising young artist who is now lost in the paranoia of mental illness. Fearing SVU Detectives are persecuting him, he turns on them after he may have murdered an innocent young mother.


Here is the information for all three episodes.

Photo from USA Network
Law & Order Criminal Intent “Astoria Helen” Air Date May 31, 2009
A charming con man targets a lonely, single mother to try to hit an armored truck carrying millions of dollars; Nichols (Jeff Goldblum) and Wheeler (Julianne Nicholson) investigate when one of the con man's partners dies weeks later. (Preview clip and promo videos below.)

My recap and review of Law & Order Criminal Intent “Astoria Helen" can be found here.



Photo from NBC

Law & Order SVU “Zebras” Season Finale Air Date June 2, 2009
WHEN AN ERROR JEOPARDIZES A MURDER CASE, THE DETECTIVES RUSH TO FIND MORE EVIDENCE BEFORE THE KILLER TAKES REVENGE ON THE SQUAD


When a tourist is found dead in Central Park with the word “guilty” written across her forehead, Detectives Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) recover photos from the victim’s camera. With the help of crime scene unit technician Dale Stuckey (Guest Star Noel Fisher), they discover that former artist Peter Harrison (Guest Star Nick Stahl) was at the park during the crime. After arresting Harrison for questioning, the detectives leave Detectives John Munch (Richard Belzer) and Fin Tutuola (Ice-T) to keep Harrison under close surveillance. But when Harrison suddenly escapes, Detective Munch (Belzer) must turn to his ex-wife Gwen (Guest Star Carol Kane) for help. Also starring: Richard Belzer (Detective John Much), Dann Florek (Captain Donald Cragen), Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Stephanie March (ADA Alexandra Cabot), Tamara Tunie (Dr. Melinda Warner), and B.D. Wong (Dr. George Huang).

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Zebras" can be found here.


Law & Order “The Drowned and the Saved” Season Finale Air Date June 3, 2009
THE MURDER OF A CHARITY EXECUTIVE LEADS DETECTIVES ON A TRAIL OF POLITICAL INTRIGUE


The murder of a prominent charity executive leads Detectives Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) and Bernard (Anthony Anderson) down a twisted path of political intrigue. The detectives discover a connection between the murdered executive's secretary, her ex-boyfriend and a top politician's wife. The investigation takes a turn when claims of stalking and blackmail surface, revealing a secret desire for a newly vacated seat in the State Senate. Also stars S. Epatha Merkerson, Sam Waterston, Linus Roache and Alana de la Garza.

My recap and review of Law & Order " The Drowned and the Saved " can be found here.



USA Promo Law & Order CI “Astoria Helen”



Preview Clip Law & Order CI “Astoria Helen”






Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order UK On Canada’s Citytv This Summer

Bamber, Walters, Walsh
Lucky Canadians. Season 1 of Law & Order UK will be airing this summer on Canada’s Citytv beginning on Thursday, June 11 at 10pm ET/PT. Of course, you can already get full recaps of all these episodes here on All Things Law And Order (the links are below for each episode).

By the way, there hasn’t been any news on whether we will see a season 2 of the series. I certainly hope so, as I thought season 1 was very well done. The series stars Jamie Bamber, Bradley Walsh, Harriet Walter, Freema Agyeman, Bill Paterson, and Ben Daniels.

Here is the episode list and links to the recaps of the episodes that have already aired in the UK:


Law And Order UK “Care”

Law And Order UK “Unloved”

Law And Order UK “Vice”

Law And Order UK “Unsafe”

Law And Order UK “Buried”

Law And Order UK “Paradise”

Law And Order UK “Alesha”


Daniels, Paterson, Agyeman

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Law & Order SVU "Zebras" Finale Video Clips

Here is a video excerpt from the season finale of Law & Order SVU – “Zebras” – plus two “behind the scenes” videos from that episode.

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Zebras" can be found here.


Excerpt from Law & Order SVU “Zebras”





Behind the Scenes – Chris Meloni


Behind the Scenes – Ice-T and Richard Belzer





Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Law & Order “Skate or Die” Recap & Review

All photos NBC


This episode of Law & Order “Skate or Die” kept it relatively simple and as a result, the case was interesting and very enjoyable. But here we are again with another case where Cutter had to try underhanded trickery to advance his case. In this instance, he gets a man who he knows is psychotic into a rage that causes Cutter to get injured. Sure, Cutter gets what he wants when the man must be drugged in order to calm him, making him rational so he could testify. But the ends don’t always justify the means. Personally, if I found out that a prosecutor or lawyer provoked someone I cared for into a rage in order to force a scenario where they would be medicated, I would call that abuse and try to have them disbarred. I think what Cutter did was very wrong and McCoy should have gone a lot harder on Cutter. I find myself wondering, though, are we being set up for Linus Roache to not return next season? Are they making Cutter out to be someone who would win at any cost so we would not like him and therefore not miss him if Jack had to fire him?

Everyone had a piece in making this a great episode. Lupo and Bernard actually having to run after a suspect – finally, some action! – gave it a spark. Sisto and Anderson have much better chemistry than when they first began working together. The McCoy-Cutter-Rubirosa team also seems very comfortable and as a result their dialog comes across as very real and natural. The ending dialog where McCoy and Rubirosa seem to have differing opinions on whose name would go first if they decided to “go private” was classic, and the fact that they commented about leaving Cutter out made me think that many times, there is truth in humor.

Since Jack was having his last campaign fundraiser, I wonder if this means we will find out his status at the close of the season? I suspect that since Law & Order has been renewed for its 20th season they may not be in a hurry to tell us.

It looks like we will get to see something rare in next week's episode. Based on the tease they showed, Jack McCoy may actually be - gasp - speechless!



Here is the recap:

A man is dancing on skates in the city street. Two men come up and taunt him. He asks them if they know who he is, and they say no man, just a guy on skates. They walk off and she continues to skate and dance. Later, Detectives Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) and Bernard (Anthony Anderson) arrive in an area under a bridge where 3 bodies are laying, a pair of skates with the Olympics rings on them nearby. A piece of rebar with cement on the end is also there. Bernard notice a symbol painted on the wall and wonders what it means. Lupo tells him it means don’t sleep here if you don’t want to get your head bashed in.

At the ME’s, Rodgers (Leslie Hendrix) puts the time of death at 2 AM. The guy with the backpack took two minutes to go, the other two we instantaneous. There were markings carved into two of the bodies postmortem – it looks like 377. The blade used to make the marks was sharp. There was no marking on the third body, Bernard concludes that person was not the target, he may have happened on the scene. With the markings on the body, they wonder if a serial killer did this.

At the 2-7, Lt. Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) says the FBI calls the killer the “Boxcar Basher.” He rides the rails, hope off when he gets the itch, and always kills where there is a freight line. He has already killed 9 people. He targets the homeless one or two at a time, they have no prints or DNA. The 377 is the year emperor Gratian declared heretics as enemies of the Roman Catholic Church. Lupo says Mickey Flynn from Tulsa is the ID of the guy in the sleeping bag; the other two are still John Does. They decide to hear over to a nearby homeless shelter.

At St. Aiden’s Shelter on Ward’s Island, a man who works there identifies one of the men as Chip Hudson. He and his girlfriend were staying there. He saw Mary at breakfast alone that morning. He tells them where Mary hangs out and says she doesn’t like cops.


At a diner, they buy Mary (Annie Giobbe) a meal and she asks if it is a bribe. She said she and Chip were supposed to go to the movies. They got back to the shelter after it closed so they went to the camp. They saw a man leaning over two bodies drawing something on them. They thought he was stealing so they went over to stop him. She says the man’s hand glowed and lit his face, he had something in his hand which made him glow, a blue light. The man hit Chip and Chip told her to run. Bernard shows her his phone and asked her if the thing in his hand looked like this. She didn’t know, but he covers the phone partway with his coat, and she says yes.

Back at the 2-7, they suspect the killer was using a picture on his cell phone to get the drawing right. The killer may be a copycat. Lupo adds that the carvings are out of order on the wrong body parts as what the serial killer had been marking. Van Buren says this reminds her of a song “Dem Bones” which talks about how the bones of the body are connected, and it is based on the bible passage Ezekiel 37 verse 7. The copycat was not aware of that so he carved the wrong places. Mickey just arrived there last night, and Chip arrived on the scene when the killings were dead so they would have no motive for the killing. This leaves the body with the skates as being the target, and he had no prints in the system and not enough face to recognize. But the skates with the Olympic rings may help.

At City Skates, they show a worker a picture of the skates. He says the skates run about $500 and most people can’t afford them. They wonder how the man could have afforded them, and decide to check out the story about the person who was buying scotch and steaks at Moran’s. At Moran’s they find that the guy was a regular and he was called the “bipolar roller”. They set up a table in the storeroom for him. He had money from somewhere but chose to live on the street. He skated at 72nd and Broadway.

A man at the newsstands confirms the man is the “bipolar roller” and says he is there every day. The detective tells the man the “bipolar roller” is dead, and as some music gets louder, the newsstand man says, “pretty lively corpse” as the “bipolar roller” skates over and begins his routine.

At the 2-7, they have the “bipolar roller” (Brian Gant) in the interrogation room. His name is Jonah Applebaum, he had a bottle of expired Haldol on him that he said he didn’t need anymore. He doesn’t want to be called the “bipolar roller” anymore because it’s trademarked. They show him pictures of the skates and he says he now has new ones. He says someone in the picture is Paco, who had his old skates. He gave his skates to him on Monday for his birthday. The roller stayed in Manhattan last night and didn’t go to the camp. They wonder if someone was trying to really kill the roller and the bipolar roller thinks it was Vladimir Putin from the KGB. They ask him where he gets his money, and he says from his clothing line.

Later, at Bipolar Roller Designs, and Grant (Jamie Harrold) and Bob Carpenter (Joseph Parks), who run the place tell the detectives that Jonah is harmless. They said they saw Jonah had a following and they came up with the clothing line. Jonah gets 6% of the gross, and he is the brand. His heir is his cousin Jen. The detectives head over and speak with Jen (Kelly Hutchinson) who says she is the only family Jonah has or who cares about him. He has a brother in California who he hasn’t seen in years. Jonah used to stay with her until her boyfriend moved in. When Jonah was 23 he was training as a pole-vaulter for the Olympics and he still holds a record. One day when he was self-medicating he got into a car accident and broke his left arm and his career was over, He was convinced the Russians slipped him bad drugs. Jen’s boyfriend Cal (Will Janowitz) enters with a few 6 packs of beer and she tells him someone tried to kill Jonah. They ask him if he has any theories and he said maybe Jonah skated over someone’s foot again. When Cal walks off, Jen said that Jonah came by yesterday asking for some of his money – she holds it for him – and he was upset because Paco had stolen his skates and he had to buy new ones.

Back at the 2-7 with Jonah, and they are calling him on his lie. He says he was afraid they would think he killed them. He said somebody was following him – the Russians. Paco said he would take his skates for one night so they wouldn’t know where Jonah was at but then Paco would not give them back. Lt. Van Buren enters with Grant Carpenter, who says he is Jonah’s attorney, and he tells Jonah to stop talking and says they are leaving. They decide to check out his stuff at the warehouse to see if Jonah had a cell phone.

At the warehouse with a search warrant, they find a knife with dried blood in Jonah’s things. As the go to arrest him, Jonah flees on his skates, much to Bernard’s dismay. They both chase after him, with Bernard urging Lupo to get him. Bur it’s Bernard who tackles him, and they arrest him.

At arraignment, Jonah says he wants to plead not guilty but his lawyer asks for a 730 exam. Jonah says he is not guilty because he is crazy, he is not guilty because he didn’t do it. ADA Rubirosa (Alana De La Garza) requests remand as Jonah has no fixed address and is possibly schizophrenic. The judge remands him to Rikers where he can be evaluated. Outside the courtroom, Grant and Bob Carpenter stop Rubirosa and tell her this is a mistake. They tell Rubirosa that the stuff in the boxes, up until a few weeks ago, had been in his cousin Jen’s place. The morning after the murder, Jen’s boyfriend Cal brought the boxes over and he doesn’t like Jonah.

At EADA Cutter’s (Linus Roache) office, Jen tells him and Rubirosa that Cal had takes some of Jonah’s things over to make room for a drum set. She doesn’t know if the knife was in the box. She then admits it is Jonah’s but she says Jonah would not do it. They indicate that someone who had access to those boxes could have killed those people, like Cal. She is not sure if Cal knows she would inherit Jonah’s royalties. She asks them what they want her to do.

Back in Jen’s apartment, the detectives are searching and Cal seems rattled. He admits he took boxes over to the warehouses after the murders because there was more room there. He says Jonah was there, he was waiting for Grant and Bob for a big photo shoot but his partners and the photographers never showed up. Bernard pulls out something and asks Cal what it is, and Cal says it is a knife sheath, and the pile is junk. It’s ripped. Jen said Jonah left it and she was meaning to throw the whole pile out.


At DA Jack McCoy’s (Sam Waterston) office, he is on the phone complaining that why someone didn’t run something by him and it is something he should know about. He hands up the phone and say his final campaign fundraiser is at Barona’s, which the organizers just discovered is owned by a man who did 20 years for racketeering. He asks about their psychotic roller skater. As Cutter begins to describe the case, and who had access to the knife used to mutilate the bodies, McCoy’s phone rings and he tells them to hold on, and he answers it. He asks, “Aren’t half the restaurants in town going out of business? Just check.” He hangs up. Cutter asks if maybe they should come back after the election, but McCoy shows he was listening when he tells Cutter that he left out the partners, that the knife was found in their warehouse. Rubirosa says they were the ones that pointed them in the direction of the cousin, and the cousin’s boyfriend told them about the partners showing up late for a photo shoot. McCoy says maybe they didn’t bother getting out of bed because they thought they had killed him. McCoy’s phone rings again. He answers is and says “What…Yes. (smiling) Chinese food is fine.” He hangs up.

Later, Rubirosa and Cutter talk about the case and Rubirosa says that two days before the photo shoot the partners tried to shut down a China shipment of Bipolar Roller clothing but it was already on the boat. It was their big expansion, so why would the partner have wanted out of the Jonah Applebaum business? They decide to talk with Jonah. At Rikers with Jonah and his lawyer, they ask about Jonah’s partners, and if they had access to his storage area in the warehouse. They ask if he knew they tried to shut down the entire clothing business a few days before the murder. Jonah says they wouldn’t do that, they need it but won’t say why, saying that it is “operational” implying there is some secret government thing going on and they are not “cleared.” Cutter comments to Jonah that Grant and Bob Carpenter work for Jonah’s part of the government so they have clearance, and know his storage locker combination and where he sleeps at night.

Back at the Carpenter warehouse while Lupo and Bernard search. Grant is complaining about harassment. Rubirosa tells him Jonah was surprised they were trying to cancel the business and Bob says they found another supplier in Cambodia. When Rubirosa asks him where in Cambodia, he says “South Cambodia.” Bernard says he forgot to call his wife and asks to borrow Bob’s cell phone, and Bob hands it to him. He asks him if he can get the Internet on it and Bob says yes. Bernard finds a link to a serial killer fan site and finds the page on the Boxcar Basher. Bob asks for a lawyer – a real lawyer.

Back at the DA’s office walking to Cutter’s office, Rubirosa and Cutter tell McCoy that the homeless woman with Chip picked out Bob from a photo array. McCoy reminds them she is the insane girlfriend who was 50 feet away in the dark. Grant Carpenter used the GPS in his car to get to Randall’s Island, which was the murder site a half hour before the murders. They figure that once they realized that had not killed Jonah they framed him for the murder. Maybe one of them changed his mind when they pointed the detectives to Jen’s boyfriend. Grant pointed them to Cal, and Rubirosa says Bob is dumb, citing the “South Cambodia” comment. They dropped their opposition to bail for Jonah and his brother in California is posting bond. Someone handed McCoy a document, which he says is from forensics for Cutter. McCoy asks that the skater posted bond and he’s out? Rubirosa nods yes, and Cutter says a couple of house ago – why? McCoy says the old knife sheath that the police found, it had no connection to the current murders but it had DNA inside that matches five of the serial killer’s previous victims. Cutter leaps form his seat and grabs the paper. McCoy tells them they just put an insane serial killer back on the street. But Rubirosa reminds him that Jonah does not know they know that and they cam still pick him up. McCoy says this could be Willie Horton all over again. Cutter says, “Willie Horton? You’re not worried about the election, are you?" McCoy responds, ‘I’m worried about everything. About him killing someone else. About the way this office is run. A serial killer, in our hands and then released. Am I being too picky?” and he walks off.


Later, Lupo is on the street with other police, waiting for Jonah to show up. He arrives and puts down his boom box as he sees Lupo. Another officer tells them to move in. They make chase as Jonah takes off. Again, Bernard cuts him off and tackles Jonah, saying, ‘That’s the last time I wanna do that.”

Back in court, Rubirosa says they want to dismiss the charges against Jonah for the murders there but have other murders in Buffalo in 2006 and he is also the suspect in 8 other murders. The judge dismisses the one charge but keeps him in a mental health unit. Next up for arraignment are Grant and Bob Carpenter for the original three murders, saying the defendants copied Jonah’s pattern from the other murders and Jonah will be their witness. The judge looks at Rubirosa and says, “Good luck, lady.”

At the Rikers Island examination room, Dr. Olivet (Carolyn McCormick) talks with Jonah. She talks about the fact that he thinks the KGB tried to kill him and they did not want him in the Olympics. She reads back a bible passage to him, which talks about bones being put back together. He says it is not about his arm, it’s about putting the country back together. She asks if Bob and Grant knew about his missions, and he says of course, they were his handlers, he thought they were.

In McCoy’s office, Dr. Olivet tells McCoy, Cutter, and Rubirosa that Jonah is a paranoid schizophrenic and he has incorporated Bob and Grant into his delusions of killing Russian spies to protect the country. Every time he killed he carved in the biblical verse number so they know who did it. She says Grant and Bob approached him about the clothing business, which he thought was ridiculous. McCoy quips, “So he’s not completely crazy.” Olivet goes on to say that Jonah believed Bob and Grant were a cover originally to protect him but now Jonah thinks they want to kill him. McCoy says the jury won’t buy any of this if he starts ranting about the KGB. Jonah refuses to take anti-psychotic drugs, but Cutter says they need him to take the stand. McCoy asks, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” to which Cutter responds, “No.”

At trial, Jonah is on the stand, Jonah says Bob and Grant tricked him and they thought they were on his side. Cutter asks if his missions involved killing people, and he said yes, enemies of this country. He thought Grant and Bob tried to help him, he told them about his missions., They pretended to be surprised and upset and he thought they were just playing the cover but now realize they wanted him to stop but he couldn’t. He says Grant and Bob followed him to the campsite and he realizes they were getting ready to kill him. The defense questions Jonah about him being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia when he was 25, but Jonah says it was a lie. He said they had a Russian doctor there. When the defense asks why Bob and Grant would want to stop his missions, Cutter objects, saying that Jonah’s theories are not relevant, only what he saw and heard. But the judge overrules him. Jonah says they are agents of the KGB. Jonah faces the jury and rants about them being trained in a secret town, and he begins to go off the deep end. When the judge says they are done for the day, Cutter says he wants to redirect, but the judge says he can do it on Monday morning. Jonah stands up and yells out that they are finished and that he knew about them and they are dead men.

Outside the courtroom, Rubirosa says the only way to rehabilitate Jonah is to get some anti-psychotics into him but they can’t do that unless he is a threat to himself and others. Cutter says, “Ok” and walks on, Rubirosa looking perplexed.

At the psych hospital, Olivet asks Cutter and Rubirosa if Jonah’s attorney should be present, and Cutter says they won’t be using anything he says against him. Olivet asks what they want her to ask him, and Cutter says nothing, just watch. They enter a cell where Jonah is being held. Cutter tells him that it was their plan for Jonah to tell all so they could neutralize him and the rest of their enemies. Cutter begins to play on Jonah’s delusions, implying that Cutter is part of the KGB, saying they met in that “secret town.” Olivet tells Cutter to stop but Cutter does not, saying the trial was a show and they are way smarter than he was. He says it was way too easy to break his arm, they should have broken his neck. Cutter leans over and whispers something Russian in Jonah’ ear. Jonah head butts Cutter, knocking him on to the floor. Guards come in and restrain Jonah while he says he will kill Cutter. As Cutter holds a handkerchief to the cut on his eye, he tells Olivet Jonah is a danger to himself and to others as he and Rubirosa leave.

At Cutter’s office, McCoy stands in his doorway and says Dr. Olivet called and she wants Cutter suspended or charged with assault. Cutter asks if she gave him the drugs, and McCoy said she had to, he was trying to break out of his cell with his bare hands but she doesn’t want to send him back to court. We get this exchange:

Cutter: Well, it’s not up to her.
McCoy: No, it’s up to me.
Cutter: Because of what I did, a sick man is getting medication he needs.
McCoy: But that’s not why you did it. You did it for your case.
Cutter: Win-win ( and with his coat on, he leaves his office)

Back at trial, Jonah is on the stand again. He seems more calm, and says that Bob and Grant are not Russian spies Now he remembers things, really terrible things. He killed 9 people because he thought they caused his accident and it wasn’t true. He was so sorry. He did not murder Paco and the other. When Cutter asks why they should believe him, he said Paco was his friend and he never thought Paco was a Russian. He never went to the campsite because he thought they were spying on him there – Grant and Bob. They said they were protecting him but they weren’t. After he told them about his missions and killing people he said they were afraid to be around him. He then heard Grant telling Bob this would ruin the business and they would have to find a way out. He saw them take something out of his locker that looked like his knife as they had his combination – 37, 7. He tells Grant and Bob he wished they would have just killed him for what he had done. He can feel the thoughts coming back already, but it is hard to explain. He wishes someone could help him because he does not know what to do.

Later, in McCoy’s office, Cutter tells him that Grant and Bob Carpenter are asking for a deal. McCoy asked how Applebaum is doing and Rubirosa says fine as long as he stays on the drugs but they make him too lethargic to roller skate. McCoy’s phone rings and he answers it, saying yes he is on his way. He says, “Final fundraiser. Chinese seafood restaurant, with a kosher section. Mock shrimp.” Rubirosa says, “You don’t win Jack I’m outta here, into private practice.” He responds, ‘I’ll join you. McCoy and Rubirosa. No client too guilty.” She corrects him, “Rubirosa and McCoy.” Cutter asks, “Can I come too?” McCoy shakes his head, and says, “Someone has to watch the store” and walks out. Rubirosa looks at Cutter and shrugs her shoulders, giggles, and walks out, leaving him standing there by himself looking at McCoy’s messy desk as we fade to black.


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Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Law & Order SVU “Liberties” Recap & Review

All photos from NBC





Law & Order SVU “Liberties” certainly had many twists and turns. What started out as a case of rape turned into a hunt for a body hidden by a serial killer. Apparently the writers did not think a “SVU trifecta” would be enough to build one episode. Still, the case did take an interesting turn, and showed us the ugly side of Elliot Stabler, who in this episode seemed to be talking a cue from Jack Bauer from “24.” I wonder why, when any prisoner is questioned, that someone isn’t watching just to make sure something like what Stabler did would not happen. I would think that anyone who abuses another human being to further his or her own agenda is a crime and Stabler should be charged with something.

While I thought this episode was very well done, I have to admit I laughed when the judge actually said out loud to imagine the astronomical odds of this whole scenario happening. Yes judge, I did do just that as the story was playing out. I suppose that in the world of SVU, it takes the astronomical to get a good story.

I do have a question about the hair sample that the judge kept all along. I always thought that one had to have the follicle on the hair in order to get proper DNA results. It looks like what the judge had was a lock of cut hair, which would have no follicles. Maybe even in this astronomical story they could get DNA from cut hair?

Still, this was a decent story that kept me interested the entire time. I really hope that Stephanie March stays on for next season because she really is the best ADA that SVU has had - maybe in the entire L&O franchise too. A shame that the original victim’s case was just thrown out the window, though. Will the kidnapping of Marshall and his eventual abuse by the man who abducted him get him off the hook? I surely feel bad for the rape victim if that is a case. I think that in itself would have been a story with exploring.

NOTE: A preview clip is available for the Law & Order SVU “Zebras” Season Finale at this link. Can you guess who is dead and who is the killer? I have my ideas

Here is the recap:

A woman – Pam Galliano (Sprague Grayden) - calls 911, telling them a man broke into her apartment and raped her, but he is the one who needs an ambulance. Later in Pam’s’ apartment, Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), tells Pam that they need to get her to the hospital. Pam looks up at the skylight where it is being dusted for prints and says that every rain, she would tell her landlord it wasn’t safe. Benson said the seal was broken and he slipped the pane out, he then dropped to the fridge and then onto the counter. Pam says she guesses the self defense call at the Y finally paid off.

In a hospital bed, Owen Walters (Silas Weir Mitchell) says tells Detective Elliot Stabler (Chris Meloni) that it feels like someone put his balls in a wood chipper. He asks Stabler what happened. Stabler tells him that defenseless lady he targeted was not so defenseless. Flash to Pam, who says she was terrified and when she woke up with him on top of her, all she could do was scream and Benson says that is good, a lot of times it is enough to scare them away. But she says not him. Back to Walters, who says he doesn’t understand, and Stabler quips that in five to ten, he will figure it out. He asks if he is under arrest, and Stabler says let me guess, you have no memory of raping Pam Galliano. Walters says he remembers that. Back to Pam, who said he slapped his hand over her mouth and said “not so loud Pammy, want someone to call the police?” She remembered her instructor saying that a guy’s throat and testicles are always in reach and to bite, kick, scratch, whatever it takes. But back to Walters, who wants Pam arrested for assault. Stabler asks, “Are you kidding me?” Walters asks what he calls what did to him, and he says for a rapist, an occupational hazard. But Walters says she wanted him to. Back to Pam, who says when he knocked over a lamp he said, “Yeah, fight me bitch, that’s so hot.” Benson said he needed her to resist to become aroused. Pam adds he grabbed her ankle and pulled her down, she saw the dumbbell under the bed. Benson said she heard Pam gave him a concussion, and Pam adds she also gave him a few extra kicks between the legs and asks if that was OK. Benson says yes.

Back with Walters, Stabler states that he broke into her apartment and forced her to have sex and asks how do you not call that rape. But Walters say no, he tells Stabler to look in his pants in the pocket, he met her on a fantasy rape site. She sent him detailed instructions – when, where, exactly what she wanted her to do to her. She wanted him to rape her.

Back at her apartment, Pam says she knows nothing about the fantasy rape site and Wham Bam Pam is not her screen name. Benson says they are getting a warrant for Owen’s computer. But Stabler finds something on her computer – sexually explicit pictures including of kids and videos. Someone downloaded the pictures and videos.

Back at the SVU squad, Detective Fin (Ice-T) and Detective Munch (Richard Belzer) and Captain Cragen (Dann Florek) that both Pam Galliano and Owen Walters claim the other set them up. Owen frequently trolls fantasy rape web sites. Pam has explicit photos on her computer. But a computer tech woman enters and tells them that someone downloaded the porn remotely. There may be another person involved. Cragen still says they can get Own for rape but Munch tells him in the fantasy lexicon, no means yes. Cragen says in sex crimes, no means felony rape. Cragen wonders who set whom up.

Later, while Pam is looking to get a dog, she tells Benson and Stabler she suspects it was her ex, Tyler Brunson, who is a computer consultant, they broke up two years ago. She tells them that he stalked her for a year and a half. She moved here 6 months ago from Rhode Island and thinks he tracked her down. She thinks because he knows the details of
Her apartment he must have been in there.

Back at the squad, Benson says orchestrating a rape, disseminating child porn and stalking that the guy is an SVU trifecta. Stabler says if it was Tyler who did this, if he did if from Rhode Island the case belongs to the Feds, Benson counters “Unless he followed her here.” Munch says, “You are correct, oh wise one.” He adds that Tyler still has a valid license in Rhode Island where he is registered to vote, but why commute when you can stalk up close and personal? He called Con Edison and found Tyler had the electricity turned on in his new apartment in Manhattan last month. It appears he moved in right across the street from Pam. Benson tells Stabler to get Cabot on a warrant and she goes to Pam’s to give her a heads up.

At Pam’s, she freaks when Benson gives her the news. She says Tyler had too many issues, but he never hurt her. Every time he broke the retraining order he’d convince the judge that it was coincidence he showed up in the same places as she. No one can stop him and he will never leave her alone until one of them is dead. Benson asks her about the restraining order from Rhode Island, and Pam tells her she does know if it is in effect. She was supposed to give them her address if she ever moved so he knew where to stay away from. Benson says the will get her another restraining order, here.

At the courthouse, ADA Cabot (Stephanie March) speaks with Judge Koehler (Alan Dale), and she tells him she has two applications. He says he needs a guest speaker for a civics class at a juvenile detention center, and Ales agrees. She gives him the warrant, but he says he can’t help her with it. He says in 30 years he has never let his son’s murder sway his actions. But she explains the existing restraining order, and he grants only a temporary order of protection, which he has the right to appeal.

At the home of Tyler Brunson (Jon Patrick Walker), Stabler and Fin are talking with Tyler who acts surprised Pam lives there, and said that he dumped her. He says she thinks he lied to make him look like a stalker. He followed the work there as jobs dried up back home. Stabler says they need to look at his computer, but one of them is classified for his work and they will need clearance to get it. Stabler tells him to get counseling and move on and don’t bother Pam again.

Back at the squad, Munch argues with someone on the phone and hangs up. He gives them the bad news, Tyler’s D.O.D. job is legit and he has a lap top that does not leave the department and they won’t release it because of matters of national security. Benson gets a call from someone, asks what is the name of the hospital and that she is on her way.

At Tribeca Emergency Animal Hospital, Pam is there and said she ran into Tyler and he tried to hug her but grabbed her throat. She tried to scream but he was squeezing so tight nothing came out. Her dog kept barking, and was riding Tyler’s pant leg and would not let go despite the fact Tyler kept kicking him. He let go only after Tyler stopped.

At the SVU interrogation, the detectives are questioning Tyler. He says they just bumped into each other and the dog attacked him. He says he should be in a hospital being checked for rabies, and Benson quips she doubts he gave the dog rabies. He insists he was defending himself. He says he does no lose control. But Benson brings out information from a past employer wasn’t planning on renewing his contract so he had a slip and fall and won a fat worker’s comp claim. She says he has an obsessive need for payback to anyone who rejects him. They accuse him of photoshopping the photo as Pam recognized the bedroom in the picture and they sent it to Providence PD to verify, and the information will be back any minute. Benson adds with a sly smile, “The anticipation is killing me.” Meanwhile, Cabot, who is looking on from behind the glass, tells Cragen he didn’t tell her they got anything off the enhancement, and Cragen says they didn’t. Stabler continues to press Tyler and tells him if he comes clean before the photo gets back they will talk to the DA. Cabot does not think he will fall for it. Tyler says Pam conned him into believing she loved him and he was going to marry her, but this time he is done. He says they are even now. Cabot says, “Not by a long shot, buddy” and Cragen says, “I love the dumb ones.”

In the chambers of Judge Koehler, he defense attorney Mr. Horowitz (Joe Grifasi) argues that the detectives did not tell Brunson of his right to remain silent. But Cabot argues against this saying they are allowed to deceive a suspect. Horowitz says statements were coerced, which is not allowed. saying the promised Brunson leniency. Cabot says no promises were made, she was there and the defendant incorrectly inferred it. But the judge grants the defenses request for a Huntley hearing to clear up the matter.

At the Huntley hearing, Stabler is on the stand, and is question about Tyler’s complaints about needing treatment for the “wound.” Brunson never even saw the doctor afterwards, and when the judge asks him about it, Brunson says he won’t participate in this “travesty.” The judge seems rather annoyed at Brunson. Stabler continues testify, and Brunson gets up to leave, telling him he is not going to sit there and be insulted. As Brunson moves to leave, the judge orders the court officer to restrain him but he runs out of the court room. As Stabler moves to leave, the judge tells him no one dismissed him from the stand.

In the main area of the courthouse, Benson calls out to Brunson as he runs off and says he is not getting past him. The police catch up to him and restrain him, and Benson taunts him, saying it’s not much fun to be hunted down.

Back in the courtroom, Cabot requests Branson be remanded until trial. The defense attorney argues that he was overwrought. The judge rules that his bail is revoked and his bail is remanded. Brunson is angered and calls the judge a corrupt piece of garbage. The judge tells him while he is incarcerated he needs to think how his conduct will appear to a jury. But Brunson tells the judge to consider his own, he is a tyrant who will always find a pretext for his tyranny. The judge asks, “ What did you say to me?” Brunson continues to hurl accusations at the judge as he is taken away.

Back at the squad, Munch wants to leave early for a long weekend so he can get a jump on traffic. But Cragen tells him no, that Benson and Stabler are still on call for court. While Stabler gets a call, Munch asks Benson if there is any chance for an 11th hour plea deal. She says no and agues that a trial is the only way these stalking issues get attention. After Stabler tells the caller he will be right over, he wonders out loud, “What did I do now?” Judge Koehler apparently asked Stabler to stop by.

Stabler is at the judge’s chambers, the judge telling him that he pulled is jacket and says he has crossed the lines in the past. But Stabler says those were situations where he had to make decision and he made them. He tells Stabler he wants to hire him. He tells Stabler that 30 years ago they took their three year old Marshall on a picnic. While he was reading legal briefs, Marshall ran off to play with other children and was never seen again. The killer was Roy Lee Dotson was caught 7 years later, disposing of his 12th victim, his son was his fourth. This was before they had DNA and no one had made out the patter. Roy was a trucker and when they caught him, he spared no details except the victims’ locations. Every few years, one lucky couple is led to their child’s remain in exchange for a few :creature comforts.” The judge is still waiting, and he is the last one to hear. It seems Roy has a prejudice against judges. Stabler says he will get it out of him, but the judge tells him he is not asking him to break the rule of law. Roy is at Ossining, dying of emphysema. The judge says he can’t go to his grave without burying his son, and Stabler says he understands.

In court, Judge Koehler is hearing the case of Tyler Brunson. The judge lays out some change and rearranges it. Horowitz asks for a sidebar, and he is concerned about Brunson’s health, he hasn’t eaten since remand and is on a hunger strike in protest. Cabot objects, but the judge says the defendant must be fit to participate in his own defense, and he will speak to Brunson on the lunch break. But before the opening arguments can start, the judge checks his cell phone and asks for a brief recess.

As the judge leaves, he makes a call and asks the person on the other end if he has spoke to him yet. It’s Stabler, and he says he is in the middle of something right now and he will call him as soon as he has something. Roy says, “Nice try, that was Marshall’s daddy, wasn’t it?” He makes comments about what he would say to Koehler if Stabler let him talk to him, about his boy, describing him as a “big. Squishy squeaky toy.” He calls Stabler a tough cookie as those comments got no rise from him. Stabler reminds Ron that he is dying and he should make it right. But Roy won’t say anything, he says he is not afraid of hell – all those unchristened babies. Stabler reminds him that is limbo. But Stabler continues to press.

Back in court, the judge seems distracted while Walters is on the stand and reminds Walters he is not on trial. The judge continues to look at Brunson. Cabot asks Walters to read back the information from the fantasy rape line as the judge continues to look at his cell phone. Meanwhile, back at prison, Stabler is still talking with Stabler, who reminds him how isolated Roy is in prison. While Stabler talks to him, he squeezes and crimps the air line from Roy’s oxygen tank. Roy asks him to let go as Stabler asks where Roy dumped the boy’s body. But he reminds Stabler he can’t tell him if he’s dead, and Stabler doesn’t care, continuing to shut off Roy’s oxygen supply. AS Roy struggles for air, he tells Stabler he can’t breathe, and finally says he will tell Stabler. Stabler opens the line, and Roy says he was about to tell him before he cut his air off, but now Stabler will have to wait until he catches his breath. Stabler says he doesn’t think so, and closes off the oxygen supply again.

Back at trial, the judge looks at Brunson and is deep in thought, the sounds of the trial fading away. Meanwhile, leaving the prison, Stabler calls Benson and tells her he needs her to call Warner and meet him at the pool outside the Bedford Rec Center. We see a new message from Stabler on the judge’s cell phone. The judge apologizes, saying on of his biggest pet peeves is a cell phone in court. But Cabot notices the judge is clearly distracted. The text message from Stabler says , “HE TALKED.” Cabot objects to something Horowitz has said, and looks at the judge. He says, What?” and then overrules. He then stops the testimony.

The judge arrives at the Bedford Recreation Center, Benson greets him and says Roy lied, Marshall is not there. The judge says one should always be wary of information obtained by force. She says they did find something. ME Warner (Tamara Tunie) tells the judge that Marshall may have left the body there for a few months, the moved him before the pool opened that summer. She adds that post mortem body fats break down. and when combined with an acidic based cleanser it leaves a distinctive white stain. The judge looks over and sees a white “shadow’ of what he thinks is his sons body, saying it looks like an angel.

Back at the SVU squad, Pam Galliano has arrived, and tells Benson something is wrong. She says Cabot called and says they may not get to her today. She thinks Brunson is pulling a trick. Benson goes with Cabot to find out what is the holdup, and Cabot tells her Koehler has not shown up yet which is very unlike him. No one has talked to him on Friday, and Benson thinks she knows where he is. Fin is back at the squad with Benson on the phone, and tells her that there is no record of the judge at Sing-Sing but the last person on the log to visit Roy was Elliott. Benson asks Cabot about Branson, who tells her he was safely locked up over the weekend. He is still in holding. Brunson says that the judge met with him ex parte of the weekend, and Cabot knows this is odd behavior for the judge. Horowitz asked him if the judge asked him about the case, and Brunson says no, he wanted to hear his life story. The judge refused to leave until he ate something. Cabot says this does not make sense, why would he jeopardize the case? Cabot also says she knew something was wrong, the judge was distracted the whole trial. Benson calls Fin and asks him to check Koehler’s residence. Fin and Munch break in and call out, and the judge comes out, his shirt all bloody. He says he was not attacked, but his is not OK. He tells them to get in there, and a man is there, restrained, beaten and unconscious. Fin calls for a bus. Munch asks the judge who the man is, and he says he is the scourge of the earth. Fin finds that the man’s name is Gregory Brunson, the same last name as the man the judge currently has on trial.

Back at jail, Benson asks Tyler Brunson what he told hi about his father Gregory. He hadn’t talked to him since he was 16. He prefers not to talk about his father. Benson asked if her father abused him, and she says that is what the judge kept asking him. He said he told the judge that his father had, his entire childhood. He doesn’t know what Koehler got so emotional about, he was the one that got abused, not the judge.

At the ME’s office, Warner says the body found by the pool was not that of his son, it belong to a different victim. Roy told the real victim’s parents where he buried the body, not where he stored it first. She told the judge this on Saturday, and when they asked why she did not tell them, she said besides a tour bus massacre, she was uncomfortable with what the judge asked her to do. He asked if Tyler Brunson’s DNA was taken at the time of his arrest, and asked gave her a short lock of hair.

Later, Stabler asks the judge why he gave Warner a lock of his hair. He said he wanted to confirm it was his. But Benson says Tyler doesn’t recall giving him the sample. The judge says it’s because it was taken when he was so young, it is from Marshall’s baby book. The detectives look stunned. Benson says, “Tyler is Marshall. Tyler’s your son.” The judge says he will have to recuse himself from the trial, but Stabler wonders why Roy let Marshall live. The judge says it had nothing to do with Roy, he got decade of pleasure tormenting him. It was Gregory Brunson is who took his son and destroyed his little boy. He thinks Tyler would not have been the man he is now had the Koehlers raised him. He said he should have saved him. He says Marshall was a bright kid, he used to count out the change in the judge’s pocket when he was only three; two quarters, three dimes, one nickel, two pennies. He kept ht exact amount as they day he went missing, hoping he would come home to count it. He couldn’t imagine functioning without having that change in his pocket. He suspected something when Tyler ranted a line to him at his bail hearing, “A tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny.” It is a moral from an Aesop fable he used to read to him, the wolf and the lamb – Marshall remembered. This is when he had him check out Roy to make sure there was a body. The judge is amazed at the astronomical odds of this. He said when Alex first was trying to get another judge for the case, and had he not walked by at that exact time, and if Marshall had not remembered that fable….fate brought the together. He adds, “Well almost.” Stabler thinks that the judge may be able to claim temporary insanity of get jury nullification, but the judge shakes his head. H says there won’t be a trail, he betrayed everything he stood for and will take his punishment. Benson tells him to let the legal system work for him. But the judge stands firm. He found the truth and he is free. He has one request.

Back at the SVU squad, Tyler Branson is being let in, wearing his prison clothes, asking what is going on. Benson tells him there is someone he needs to see, and Stabler tells him to just hear the man out. When Brunson asks who, we see the judge sitting in the SVU jail cell. Brunson walks up to the judge and says, “Well how do you like that? Turnabout being fair play.” The judge asks him how he was holding up, and says he was doing OK until the judge caused a mistrial. Thanks to him, he has to live through the nightmare all over again. The judge apologizes for what “than man” did to him and what he turned him into, it’s not who he is. Brunson questions this, asking the judge what about you and why did he attack his father? Koehler repeats the “tyrant” line, and asks him where he was when he first heard that. He said he looked it up a few years ago, it was a moral to a story he guesses his father read to him as a kid. Koehler says that is right, but Brunson said it wasn’t like his father, he can’t recall him doing anything nice for him. Koehler asks him to try to remember the voice, and as Brunson turns the words over in his head, he gets a look of realization and turns to look at Koehler. He shakes is head and says, “No it’s…it’s not possible.” He realizes it was Koehler, and Koehler reaches out and touches Brunson’s face as Brunson cries, as we fade to black.



All Text Content (Recaps, Review, Commentary) © allthingslawandorder.blogspot.com unless otherwise noted


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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

NBC Renews Law & Order; Official Press Release with Show Schedule

As I mentioned earlier today, NBC renewed Law & Order for its 20th season. NBC also released their new 2009-2010 schedule. Law & Order will air on Friday at 8:00 PM, and Law & Order SVU will move to Wednesday at 9:00 PM. Here is the official press release from NBC with the full fall schedule.


Official NBC Press Release:

NBC ANNOUNCES 2009-2010 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE BOLSTERED BY MORE ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING THAN EVER BEFORE
Published: May 19, 2009


NEW YORK - May 19, 2009 – NBC announced today its 2009-2010 schedule featuring more original programming than ever before and a shared time-period strategy around NBC’s Olympics platform that, along with "The Jay Leno Show" (Mondays-Fridays 10-11 p.m. ET), allows the network to broadcast all-new content year-round.

In addition, NBC issued renewals to "Law & Order" and "Chuck" (see accompanying release) as part of its strong slate of new and returning shows announced recently at the network’s highly successful Infront.

"NBC has picked up more scripted shows than last season even with 'The Jay Leno Show' at 10 p.m.," said Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. "We’re incredibly excited about our new and returning series and have more comedy programming than anyone else, as well as two of the most buzzed about new shows, 'Community’ and ‘Parenthood.’ We can’t wait for the fall."

"We are extremely proud to introduce these strong new series to NBC's schedule next season in strategic timeslots that position them for success," said Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios. "They join some of the highest quality returning shows on television, which will serve as a strong foundation to the new schedule. I think viewers are going to be happy to see this lineup of great new shows that will truly fit the NBC legacy of quality, culturally defining shows."

NBC’s shared time period strategy will kick off this fall on Mondays with the premiere of "Heroes" (8-9 p.m. ET) continuing with all originals before "Chuck" assumes the time period after the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, which will be a powerful launching platform with its broad, female appeal and strong ratings as the most-watched event of the year. Using "NBC Sunday Night Football's" potent promotional platform, the new high-octane drama "Trauma" will debut Mondays (9-10 p.m. ET) with the epic event series "Day One" taking over the time period following the Olympics.

NBC’s successful "The Biggest Loser" series continues Tuesdays (8-10 p.m.) and will help launch the new Wednesday lineup this fall, with the new family drama "Parenthood" debuting (8-9 p.m. ET) and the new hospital drama "Mercy" assuming the time period post-Olympics. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" will air 9-10 p.m. ET following ‘Parenthood.’

NBC’s Thursday marquee comedy night will begin with the only live comedy between 8-10 p.m. on any network, "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" (8-8:30 p.m. ET), followed by "Parks and Recreation" (8:30-9 p.m. ET), "The Office" (9-9:30 p.m. ET) and the new comedy "Community" (9:30-10 p.m. ET). After "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" completes its multi-week run, "Community" will move to 8 p.m. and "30 Rock" will debut at 9:30 p.m., enabling NBC to feature more original comedy than ever before.

On Fridays in the fall, the enduring drama "Law & Order" will return for its record 20th season (tying "Gunsmoke" as the longest running drama series in primetime) and will lead off at 8-9 p.m. (ET) while "Southland" follows at 9-10 p.m. (ET), building a great crime block.

Saturdays will be a showcase for "Dateline NBC" (8-9 p.m. ET) and encore episodes of "Trauma" (9-10 p.m. ET) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10-11 p.m. ET).

"Football Night in America" (7-8:20 p.m. ET) and "NBC Sunday Night Football" (8:20-11 p.m. ET) – the number one show of the fall -- will return on Sundays in the fall with a fan-pleasing schedule of games to round out the fall season.

Utilizing the compatible demographics provided by the Olympics, NBC will launch the premieres of "The Marriage Ref" from executive producers Jerry Seinfeld and Ellen Rakieten ("Oprah") on Sundays (8-9 p.m. ET) and the third season premiere of "The Celebrity Apprentice" on Sundays with two-hour editions (9-11 p.m. ET). In addition, the new comedy "100 Questions" will debut on Tuesdays (9:30-10 p.m. ET) following a 90-minute edition of "The Biggest Loser" (8-9:30 p.m. ET).

And coming in the summer, NBC will telecast all original episodes of “The Jay Leno Show,” "Friday Night Lights," "America's Got Talent," "Breakthrough with Tony Robbins," "Dateline NBC," with additional programs to be announced later.

To catch up on season finales, watch new "Heroes" and "The Office" web series, and more, please log onto NBC.com.


NBC FALL 2009 SCHEDULE
*New programs in UPPER CASE

MONDAY
8-9 p.m. – "Heroes"
9-10 p.m. - "TRAUMA"
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. – "The Biggest Loser" (two-hour edition)
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. – "PARENTHOOD"
9-10 p.m. – "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

THURSDAY
8- 8:30 p.m. – "SNL WEEKEND UPDATE THURSDAY" (multi-episode run)
8:30-9 p.m. – "Parks and Recreation"
9- 9:30 p.m. – "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m. – "COMMUNITY" (moves to Thursdays 8-8:30 p.m. after multi-episode run "30 Rock" returns)
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. – "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m. – "Southland"
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

SATURDAY
8-9 p.m. – "Dateline NBC"
9-10 p.m. – "TRAUMA" (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. – "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (encore broadcast)

SUNDAY
7- 8:20 p.m. "Football Night in America"
8:20-11 p.m. "NBC Sunday Night Football"

NBC MID-SEASON 2010 SCHEDULE
(2010 WINTER OLYMPICS preempt regularly scheduled programming from February 12-28, 2010)

*New programs in UPPER CASE

MONDAY
8-9 p.m. – "Chuck" (season premiere)
9-10 p.m. - "DAY ONE"
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

TUESDAY
8-9:30 p.m. – "The Biggest Loser" (90-minute edition)
9:30-10 p.m. – "100 QUESTIONS"
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. – "MERCY"
9-10 p.m. – "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

THURSDAY
8- 8:30 p.m. – "COMMUNITY"
8:30-9 p.m. – "Parks and Recreation"
9- 9:30 p.m. – "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m. – "30 Rock"
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. – "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m. – "Southland"
10-11 p.m. – "THE JAY LENO SHOW"

SATURDAY
8-9 p.m. – "Dateline NBC"
9-10 p.m. – "Southland" (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. – "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (encore broadcast)

SUNDAY
7-8 p.m. – "Dateline NBC"
8-9 p.m. – THE MARRIAGE REF
9-11 p.m. – "The Celebrity Apprentice" (season premiere; two-hour edition)






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Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

NBC Renews Law & Order For Season 20


The Hollywood Reporter states that NBC has renewed Law & Order for its 20th season. This would tie the record currently held by “Gunsmoke” for the longest running drama on TV. They also reported that 16 episodes have been ordered. But, they did not give any information at this time on what date the show will actually begin its 20th season, or if there will be any cast changes. (The current cast is Jeremy Sisto, Anthony Anderson, Sam Waterston, S. Epatha Merkerson, Alana De La Garza and Linus Roache.


The official announcement from NBC is due today. Stay tuned!




Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Law & Order Criminal Intent “Faithfully” Recap & Review

All photos from USA Network

This episode of Law & Order Criminal Intent (USA) seemed the most like the “old style” episodes of the past, with more coverage of the criminals themselves. Despite the guest stars Janel Moloney and Leland Orser, the episode falls a little flat, being very predictable. For some reason, Leland Orser will be forever imprinted on my brain as the schizophrenic man in the episode of Law & Order SVU “Coerced.”

If I recall correctly, this episode was supposed to be the season opener when the season was originally supposed to start in the fall of 2008. It seemed to make more sense that it would have remained the first, seeing that Bobby seemed to have been visiting family, maybe trying to reconnect after all the traumatic events that happened in last season’s finale of Criminal Intent, ”Frame.” Goren and Eames seemed to be on very good footing in this episode, almost as if they started with a clean slate.

We got a few snippets of Bobby’s personal life when we find that he has a 9-year-old niece, Molly. I know Goren had a brother Frank but I admit I can’t recall if Frank had any other children besides the one we already met, or if Goren has another sibling which would account for this other niece. I guess I have either missed something about Goren’s family in the past, or this is some new information that we are getting. Fans will now be happy to know that Robert Goren’s address is 210 Mather Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY 11222 – of course not a real address as far as I can tell. But, they botched it badly on the return address for his niece Molly, placing her at the Fry residence, 793 Penn Brook Rd., Lebanon MI , 97091 – which happens to be an Oregon zip code. I suppose if they were going to give a fake address they could have at least gotten the zip code a little closer?


Here’s the recap:

As the episode opens, we see Detective Bobby Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) sitting down at the dinner table for a meal with relatives. Elsewhere, in various places, many other things are going on. A football player, Cleon Lewis (Rob Riley), threatens his team doctor Ryan Conlon (Robert Farrior), as he believes the doctor leaked information about the player’s drug addiction to the New York Ledger in exchange for money, an accusation the doctor denies. In a bedroom, a man and a woman are engaging in sex. At a church, Reverend Wyler (Leland Orser) is giving a sermon, his wife Allison (Janel Moloney) looking on. In an alley, a man on a motorcycle arrives and puts on a black mask. He breaks into the woman’s home who was just having sex with another man, and restrains her, covers her mouth with duct tape, and knocks her out. Back at St. Edgar’s church, the reverend is telling a churchgoer that his wife wrote the sermon. The doctor we saw earlier is talking to the minister about his service, and a woman comes up and says the doctor’s wife Carrie called for him and asked him to come home as she made him a special lunch. But, when he gets home, he is surprised by presumably the same intruder who attacked his wife, and he kills the doctor, then races away from the alley in his motorcycle, being spotted by a woman dropping off her trash. The minister and his wife return home; the minister checks the answering machine and there is a message from Carrie apologizing for not attending the service, and she wishes the reverend a happy birthday. Meanwhile, Carrie (Katheryn Winnick) is at home, now conscious but her mouth still covered with duct tape, and she sees her husband dead on the floor.

Later. on a boat in the river off New York City, Detective Alex Eames (Kathryn Erbe) is on the phone with Capt. Ross, saying she is just coming in to the city. She asks for the location of the crime scene. She asks that a car meet her. At the entrance to the Staten Island Ferry, Goren is there waiting for her. She says, “You were supposed to be there another week.” He says he got back last night, he went and saw family. She tells him he looks good, and he says thanks and they should get going.

At the crime scene, they are told it is a B&E gone bad. The window was smashed, the intruder tied up the wife and tossed the place. He took jewelry and a coin collection but left $400 in the handbag, it appears the victim surprised him. Eames says - if I’m a burglar and I get caught, the first instinct is to flee – and Goren adds maybe disable the victim, not finish him off. The victim is Dr. Ryan Conlon, 35, and Eames knows the name from the sports section, he was the doctor from the Cougars who got fired a few months ago. The electronics in the home are all high-end, and Eames adds - not stolen. He did his rounds and then caught the 11:00 services at St. Edgar’s and got home by 12:40-12:45. Goren points out another bloody footprint, and Eames speculates the killer wore boots. Goren thinks the tread looks like motorcycle boots.

Upstairs the detectives talk with Carrie Conlon, who says she could not get to the phone; she tried, but she couldn’t. Eames asks if she can describe him. She says he was wearing a ski mask, but he was tall, maybe 6 feet, and his eyes – she was looking right into them when he hit her, she thought he was going to kill her - they were blue gray. Goren asks if she was expecting someone, and she says no, she was alone all morning. Eames tells her they will talk to her after they check her at the hospital. As Carrie leave to go to the hospital, Goren notes she is dressed in a lace teddy and is wearing makeup, and Eames comments about her perfume. She suspects that either she was planning a matinee with the doctor, or “entertaining, as my mom would say.” Eames later instructs the CSU people to check the bedding for semen. Goren picks up a large purse or shoulder bag and pulls out what look like a tabloid, one saying about a star player being addicted to painkillers. Eames adds that a lot of medical clinics are dishing the dirt these days. Goren wonders that the guy gets fired, maybe he is supplementing his income.

Back at Major Case, Captain Ross (Eric Bogosian) welcomes Goren back to work. They explain the murder was staged to look like a home invasion. They wonder if it is a payback killing for the Ledger article. They also mention they had a witness who was taking out the trash who saw someone flee the scene on a motorcycle, who was wearing a black mask and gloves. Ross quips, “Great. Batman.” Goren responds, “Actually, Batman was a vigilante sir.” They head over to talk to Cleon, he did say he got in the doctor’s face but the doctor denied leaking the information. He tells them that he was planning to sue the doctor for leaking the information, so why would he want to kill him? Outside, Goren and Eames decide to check out the church where the doctor was last seen, possibly spreading “his particular brand of joy.” They speak to the woman who gave the doctor the message to the doctor, and when she gets a phone call, Allison Wyler , the reverends’ wife, approaches them. She is glad they are handling the case and appreciates their need for discretion. They ask her about speaking to the doctor, and the other woman tells them about the phone message she gave him from his wife. Eames wonders why his wife didn’t call him on his cell phone, and Allison says cell phones are not allowed in the church. Goren says “course they are.” The woman tells Goren she logged the call in at 12:15, and Allison asks if the call is important.

They go back and speak with Carrie, who denies calling him at the church at 12:15 or any other time. But the detectives aren’t buying it, and question who she was with, Eames telling her DNA will put someone else in Carrie’s bed. Carrie denies having a lover. Goren says killers usually don’t leave witnesses. She says she was alone, but Eames continues to hammer on her. Carrie gets irate and tells them she is going to get a lawyer and she refuses to talk to them any more.

At the funeral service for Ryan Conlon, Carries puts Ryan’s prayer book into the casket and then starts to talk to Reverend Wyler aside, and she seems to be regretful. He tells her to continue to pray, as Allison Wyler looks on from the church pew. He tells them they can’t be in contact now, and no more messages. She seems confused, and asks, ‘Messages?”

Later, at the wake, Goren and Eames arrive, much to the dismay or Allison Wyler. Goren notices a man sitting near the wall, wearing motorcycle boots. Outside, they check out a motorcycle with a blue design on it, which is sticky, they think from being covered with black electrical tape. When the man approaches and says it is his bike, Goren complements him on the blue flame. The Reverend Wyler and Allison approach as Allison asks what is going on. Goren says he would like their acolyte to account for his time Sunday morning at around 11:00, and the reverend says Kevin (Will Rogers) was in a service with them. Goren sees a bruise on Kevin when he makes a move to touch him Kevin pulls back, telling Goren he doesn’t get to touch him. Eames says they will just talk downtown and take him off, as Reverend Wyler calls out saying not to speak to them and they will get him a lawyer.

At Major Case, Eames and Goren are interrogating Kevin Paxton, who’s legal last name was Mickler, the name of his foster parents. Kevin says they didn’t deserve the grief he gave them and didn’t deserve their name. He apparently has a record of drug arrests, and his juvie probation report says he has made a lot of bad choices, but Kevin’s attorney says Kevin has been clean for three years. When they question him about being at the 11:00 service, he admits he switched with someone else as he had to drop some old clothes off at homeless shelter. When they confront him about the bloody boot prints, he gets a little rattled and seems to begin to talk funny, like he is trying hard to collect his words. Goren thinks he went there after the killing to get rid of the clothes and boots. Eames accuses him of sleeping with his wife, and also mentions the defensive wound on his neck. The lawyer says they don’t have much and Goren tells him to make sure Kevin remains available in the morning for a lineup. Eames tells him the woman who saw him fleeing in the alley wants to take a look at his big blue eyes.

Meanwhile, Carrie Conlon is in her bedroom talking with Reverend Wyler. She is upset, and saying she may have wanted it but now it feel weird. He tells her they may have to face what they did was very wrong. She says she needs him, and when she kisses him, he pulls away and says not now, they have to wait, so they don’t make any mistakes. As he leaves, he tells her no more calls.


In Ross’ office, they talk about the case. They talk about the acolyte, and they think something was going on with Carrie and Kevin.. Eames said they checked out the doctor and he was a total “gland” and he hit on everyone. They wonder if Carrie turned to Kevin.

Elsewhere, Kevin is talking with Allison, and he is worried. She tells him not to use police terms as it seems so common. He is worried he will be arrested, and she says he is showing no faith in her. But he says he has faith in her and no one else. They kiss. She then says she is so disappointed, she took him to be someone special. She says she thinks he should go to another church. He says he is nothing without this place, gets upset and storms out, while Reverend Wyler is walking in. Allison tells him that the police think Kevin killed Ryan Conlon. She says they don’t have to worry, Kevin hasn’t told the police anything yet. When he seems confused about that statement, she asks him if he means how long has she known? He realizes she knows about him and Carrie, and he sits down on the couch and says, “Oh God.” She walks out.

Later, at the liquor store, Kevin buys some liquor and runs out without getting his change, saying he won’t be needing it. Later, Allison is at a church group meeting when the detectives arrive. They tell her that Kevin Paxton was dead from a drug overdose. She seems shocked, and says he tried once before but they saved him. She asks why they couldn’t have left him alone, and storms off.

Later, at the morgue, ME Rodgers (Leslie Hendrix) tells them he died from a combination of methadone and alcohol. They didn’t know he was on a methadone program. When Goren says a suicide is a hard choice for someone truly devout, Rodgers says she has nothing to show it was anything else but suicide.

Back at major case, they go over Wyler’s sermons, but Goren notices that his sermon on adultery didn’t include personal references and seemed to be highlighting forgiveness. They wonder if the sermons were a big influence on Kevin.

At the church office, Goren speaks with Reverend Wyler about his sermons. He says Wyler has a methodical approach and hits every one of the 7 deadly sins but keeps it fresh. He brings out the sermon on adultery, and asks if it is a lesser sin. Wyler says a sin is a sin and he is not up to a theological debate with him. He asks what made Kevin suicidal, and Wyler says that is a question he should ask himself. Goren says, ‘I have, now I’m asking you.” Wyler says they all had a hand in failing him. Goren says he thinks Kevin was having sex with Mrs. Conlon and Wyler says no Kevin wasn’t, he’s wrong about that. Goren says someone was. He asks Wyler if he would mind giving him a sample of his DNA to prove he didn’t have sex with Mrs. Conlon, and Wyler refuses, saying he will comply with his request when he has a court order.

Back at home, Allison asks he if he returned the bishop’s call and he says no. She says his avoidance is a good move. He says if she is so full of advice she should just handle it and tell the bishop they knew about Kevin’s rap sheet and made him an acolyte anyway because he was a bright shining example of the power of faith. She says they both know he is not blameless in this and walks out. Wyler gets a call, and it is from Carrie. He tells her to stop it, he can’t do this anymore.

Back at Major Case, Goren is looking at a photo of his 9-year-old niece on his computer when Eames approaches, and Eames says she is cute. Eames tells Goren that Allison Wyler’s academic degree is in speech therapist, with a Masters in the field. Goren remembers odd speech characteristic in the interview, and decide to read over Kevin’s statement. Later, Goren takes Kevin’s statement to Ross, and tells him that Kevin used a phrase – a stop – to keep him from stuttering. He would have learned that in speech therapy, and tells Ross that Allison Wyler was a speech therapist. Eames finds that Allison mentored Kevin when he was at the Lincoln Youth Center when he was 14 and helped him to get rid of the stutter. Kevin may have felt loyal to Allison when she brought him into the church family and the affair that the Reverend had with Carrie threatened to tear it apart. Ross tells them to take the Reverend out of his comfort zone and see what jogs loose.

Later, the detectives have Reverend Wyler in interrogation. They tell him Kevin killed to protect him from a sex scandal that would ruin his ministry. Wyler continues to deny it, but when they continue to press him, he finally admits he didn’t think Conlon’s death was connected to their affair. She had some to him months ago for marriage counseling and at the time he thought they were good for each other and didn’t hurt anybody. He adds he got a voice mail from Carrie last night and plays it back for them. It’s Carrie, who says she made the “ultimate sacrifice” for them and he’s pulling away and it is not fair. We then see Carrie listening to the same call, and she vehemently denies he made it. She said it is her voice but it is not her. Eames mentions the other phone calls, like the one made to the church secretary. She says it is not her, and she wants to hear all of them.

While Carrie remains pacing in the interrogation room, the detectives tell Ross that the calls do not match Carrie’s personality, and she uses her sexually for leverage, not guilt. They think Allison Wyler – the trained speech therapist who can imitate voices – made those calls. Ross says a spectrographic analysis can eliminate Carrie but how will they get Allison? Eames adds that conveniently for Allison, Kevin is dead. Goren thinks she could get away with it.

Later, the detectives speak with a previous employer of Allison, who says style didn’t fit with theirs and she became too attached to the boys and they became too attached to her. She said it became a personality cult and they idolized her. Some of the foster parents complained that she was undermining their authority. Goren said she was like a fantasy girlfriend.

Back at the church, Reverend Wyler is memorializing Kevin. He says need, not love, led him to sin and they can only pray that God forgives him. Allison wipes a tear from here eye.

At Major Case, Ross wonders what prompted her to solicit murder. Eames thinks that the adultery of her husband coming out could be the reason. Ross says that is motive but how does Allison pay Kevin for murder – sex? Ross says they have decent conjecture but no evidence.

Later, they brought in Allison to pick up Kevin’s things. Goren gets a chair and they sit Allison down next to his and Eames’ desks. Goren says they haven’t found evidence that Carrie solicited Kevin to commit murder. Allison brings up the phone message, and they tell her she never made the call. When Allison sees them bringing Carrie into another room, she reminds them they have the phone call. But Eames says it isn’t enough, she never mentioned Kevin. Goren says sleeping with Carrie may have been his dream, but Allison says Kevin wasn’t taken with her, it would be someone different. Eames says of course – he would have had feelings for Allison as she was his mentor. But Allison says they were not sexual feelings, he was attracted to something more profound. Goren asks, “a teenage boy?” and chuckles. They mentioned that the other boys she mentored were in love with her. Goren says he looked through his daily prayers and reads where Kevin used the words “ultimate sacrifice” the same words in Carrie’s alleged message and Allison says there is their link. But Eames says that won’t work, it’s not Carrie on that voice mail – it’s Allison's. She says that’s absurd. But Goren says she is a good mimic, and brings out the voice mail graph, saying that the tone and pitch was there but that the “breath” is different,saying that where you breath when you speak can’t be altered. They play both Carrie reading the message and the fake message. Eames says they have the same graphic signature can make a voice print ID, and they can prove it was Allison. She says all they can prove is that it wasn’t Carrie, and she’s a trained speech therapist, she can read a voiceprint. Eames asks if she is willing to bet her life on it. Allison says they have gone to great lengths to hurt her ministry, and she is not the first. She says her husband was blinded by Carrie. She says Conlon could have turned her parishioners against them. She says she cared about Kevin, but says his death is on their conscience, not on hers. She says they will never convict them in court, but Goren says her final judgment won’t take place in court. He looks behind Carrie, and she turns around, seeing her husband standing there. She stands up, and says what she did was for them. He asks her if she can hear herself. She said they brought the word of God to the most important people in the city and she preserved his good work. She asks him to tell her hat he understands. He says yes, he understands, they're through. He says he doesn’t know her and he doesn’t want to know her. She says they have to fight together, they love each other, they built something together and not to let them destroy it. He says she destroyed all of it. He says he will start over, and she asks, “Without me?” He responds, “With God, if he’ll forgive me.” He walks off as they cuff Allison.

Later, Goren arrives back at his apartment with his mail. He sees a large envelope with a return address “Fry, 793 Penn Brook Rd., Lebanon, MI 97071” with a note inside that says, “It was nice having you at our home. I hope you can us visit soon. I’m sending you some pictures. Love, Molly” He takes the pictures and sits down, looking over them carefully, and we see Goren looking somewhat happy as we fade to black.





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