Law & Order LA “Big Rock Mesa” Advance Photos

Here are some advance photos for Law & Order LA “Big Rock Mesa” . (The air date for this episode is yet to be determined.) The photos feature Alfred Molina and Corey Stoll.

Photos by: Justin Lubin/NBC © NBCUniversal, Inc.

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

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

Law & Order SVU “Delinquent” Advance Photos

Here are several advance photos from Law & Order SVU “Delinquent” which will air on Wednesday, May 11, 2011 at 10 PM ET on NBC. The photos feature Chris Meloni and guest stars Rita Wilson (as Bree Mazelon), Francie Swift (as ADA Sherri West), Sterling Beaumon (as Hunter Mazelon), and Ned Eisenberg (as Roger Kessler).

Photos by: Will Hart/NBC © NBCUniversal, Inc.

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

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

Law & Order SVU “Smoked” Episode Information

Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order SVU, “Smoked”:

Law & Order SVU “Smoked” Air Date May 18, 2011 (10 PM ET/9C Wednesday NBC)

DETECTIVES BENSON (MARISKA HARGITAY) AND STABLER (CHRIS MELONI) NEVER EXPECT THAT THEIR INVESTIGATION OF AN ACCUSED RAPIST WILL PUT EVERYONE IN DANGER WHEN IT LEADS TO A DEADLY SHOOTOUT IN THE PRECINCT

When a woman is murdered during an afternoon shopping trip with her daughter, Detectives Benson (Hargitay) and Stabler (Meloni) are called in because she was scheduled to testify in their high-profile rape case. As the detectives continue to investigate the correlation between the murder and their case, they discover unlikely friendships that will lead them to the truth.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Smoked" can be found at this link.





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

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

Law & Order LA “Hayden Tract” Episode Information

Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order LA, “Hayden Tract”:

Law & Order LA “Hayden Tract” Air Date May 16, 2011 (10PM ET/9C Monday NBC)

DETECTIVES MORALES (ALFRED MOLINA) AND JARUSZALSKI (COREY STOLL) INVESTIGATE A SHOOTING RAMPAGE AT A RALLY

When a crazed gunman open fires during a rally with State Senator Celeste Kelman (guest star Jennifer Riker), seven innocent people are killed including the Senator. With the help of modern technology, the detectives identify a solid lead and possible motive for the shooting. At the DDA's office, tensions are running high when Dekker (Terrence Howard) and Rubirosa (Alana de la Garza) disagree on how to handle the case. Meanwhile, TJ gets himself into a sticky situation as he continues his quest to find his dead partner's killer.




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

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

Law & Order LA “Runyon Canyon” Episode Information

Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order LA, “Runyon Canyon”. (Please note that the episode "Big Rock Mesa” was originally set to air on this date.)

Law & Order LA “Runyon Canyon” Air Date May 9, 2011 (10PM ET/9C Monday NBC)

DETECTIVES MORALES (ALFRED MOLINA) AND JARUSZALSKI (COREY STOLL) INVESTIGATE THE MURDER OF A COLLEGE CO-ED

When pre-med freshman Beth Garrett (guest star Jillian Nelson) is found strangled to death, a mysterious text leads the detectives to a potential suspect. After some investigating at her sorority, the detectives learn that there is more to this mild mannered bookworm than initially meets the eye. Meanwhile, DDA's Dekker (Terrence Howard) and Rubirosa (Alana de la Garza) are forced to change their strategy when game-changing evidence is discovered at the last minute. Rachel Ticotin also stars.

My recap and review of Law & Order LA "Runyon Canyon" can be found at this link.



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

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

Law & Order SVU “Bang” Cast Interviews & Behind the Scenes

Here is a behind the scenes video plus cast interviews from Law & Order SVU “Bang” . The behind the scenes video features Chris Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, and guest stars John Stamos and Lori Singer. The interviews are with John Stamos and Lori Singer. The episode airs on Wednesday, May 4. 2011 at 10PM ET on NBC.

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Bang" can be found at this link.









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

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

Law & Order SVU “Bang” Preview Clips

Here are several preview clips from Law & Order SVU “Bang” which feature Chris Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, and Ice-T, plus guest stars John Stamos and Lori Singer. The episode airs on Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at 10PM ET on NBC.

Please be aware that I am only permitted to keep the episode video clips up for one week after the episode originally airs, so please catch them while you can!


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Bang" can be found at this link.













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

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

April 28, 2011
Law & Order SVU “Bang” Cast Interviews & Behind the Scenes

Here is a behind the scnes video plus cast interview from Law & Order SVU “Bang” . The behind the scenes video features Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay, and the interviews are with guest stars John Stamos and Lori Singer. The episode airs on Wednesday, May 4. 2011 at 10PM ET on NBC.






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

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

Follow All Things Law and Order/These Are Their Stories on Twitter
All Things Law and Order/These Are Their Stories are on Facebook

Law & Order LA “Reseda” Previews, Interviews, & Behind The Scenes

Here are a few preview clips, cast interviews, and behind the scenes videos from Law & Order LA “Reseda” which will air on Monday, May 2. 2011 at 10PM ET on NBC. The videos feature Corey Stoll and Alfred Molina.

Please be aware that I am only permitted to keep the episode video clips up for one week after the episode originally airs, so please catch them while you can!



















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

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

Law & Order CI “Rispetto” Advance Pictures

Here are a few “unofficial and double-secret" advance photos from Law & Order Criminal Intent “Rispetto" which will premiere on Sunday, May 1, 20111 at 9 PM ET on USA Network. It’s nice to see Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) back at their desks at the Major Case Squad - with Jay O. Sanders playing their new Captain. This is a great episode and fans will not want to miss it!








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

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

Law & Order LA “Reseda” Advance Photos

Here are a several advance photos for Law & Order LA “Reseda”which feature Alfred Molina, Corey Stoll, and Alana De La Garza The episode airs on Monday, May 2. 2011 at 10PM ET on NBC.

Photos by: Justin Lubin/NBC © NBCUniversal, Inc.

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

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

Law & Order SVU “Bang” Advance Photos

Here are a few advance photos for Law & Order SVU “Bang” which feature Chris Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, and guest star John Stamos (as Ken Turner). The episode airs on Wednesday, May 4. 2011 at 10PM ET on NBC.

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Bang" can be found at this link.

Photos by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC © NBCUniversal, Inc.

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

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

Law & Order CI: Vincent D'Onofrio, Dick Wolf Interview (Transcript) April 21, 2011

On Friday, April 21, 2011, Vincent D’Onofrio, star of Law & Order Criminal Intent, and Dick Wolf, Executive Producer of the Law & Order brand shows, made themselves available for questions from various media sources to discuss the new season of L&O CI. Due to a prior commitment, I was unable to participate, but I was given a copy of the transcript to share with everyone. Fans of Law & Order CI and all the shows in the Law & Order brand should enjoy reading it, as it touches on many topics. And please do not forget to watch the Law & Order Criminal Intent season 10 premiere on May 1, 2011 on USA Network with the episode “Rispetto."

INTERVIEW
LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: DICK WOLF
SERIES STAR: VINCENT D'ONOFRIO

** Law & Order Criminal Intent premieres Sunday, May 1 at 9 ET/8C on USA Network **

TRANSCRIPT:

Our first question from the line of Pattye Grippo with Pizzazz Entertainment Network. You may proceed.

Pattye Grippo: Hi, Vincent and Dick, thank you for talking with us today.

Vincent D'Onofrio: Sure.

Dick Wolf: Our pleasure.

Pattye Grippo: I guess the first thing I wanted to know is Vincent, how did returning to the show even come about?

Vincent D'Onofrio: I got a call from the other guy on the line here.

Pattye Grippo: Well, okay, Dick, what made you guys decide to bring these two characters back?

Dick Wolf: Well, first of all, it was never a decision, basically, to have them disappear into the wilderness. I mean this was - you never know as this show now proves what’s going to happen in television, which is a constantly changing landscape. And I really have to credit (Bonnie) and (Jeff Watell) for being able to make the phone call because they came or (Jeff) specifically called me and said, what would you think of one final season of Criminal Intent with, you know, bringing back the way it was originally, just Vincent and Katie.

And I said, fine, I hate to think of anything being the last season but, yes, absolutely. And being the sort of unbridled optimist that I am I still have a hope that this is a victory lap and not a swan song where I think that based on the work that’s being done and has been done so far I think the audience is going to be very happy, relieved, and welcoming.

And, you know, I hope that as I said, if this is a final season that it’s one that is enormously satisfying for the fans and hopefully enough of them will come out so that the powers that be reconsider the decision because I have to tell you, I don’t think Vincent and Katie have been any better ever in the series. I think it’s back to the real power of the first two seasons.

There is a very, very interesting add-on this season beginning in the second episode, which is Vincent has part of getting back on the major case squad and getting back in the good graces of the police department. Part of that agreement was for him to go into psychological counseling. And there is one scene - an episode of a session with his therapist who is Julia Ormond. And those scenes answer some questions that have been hanging out there since the first season.

It - I think over the course of the eight episodes you’re going to see something of the redemptive power of psychotherapy as well as there has been a conscious attempt to move Vincent over these eight episodes back to the psychologically complete or more wholesomely complete detective that he was in the first season of the show. And I think that as a sub textual theme throughout these episodes it’s really interesting.

I mean this has been a great experience no matter what happens but being, as I said, the optimist that I am I think that there is a real power in seeing a show come back at full octane, full fire power, and with stories that I think are really interesting. I think that the first one is sort of in the great tradition of the show and the brand at large that, you know, we deal with what is in the popular psych guys and it’s a real pleasure. And that’s a very long-winded answer but it’s exciting to be back.

Pattye Grippo: Sounds it, and real quickly, Vincent, let me ask you, after all of these seasons, even though you had a little bit of time off, but after all these seasons what makes playing Goren still a challenge for you?

Vincent D'Onofrio: Well, it starts with the scripts because, you know, the - when the scripts are good and these that we’ve done in this batch are just - everyone’s just - you know, Dick always told me he can’t knock it out of the park every time but in this eight here, so far I mean, we’re knocking it out.

Each one, you know, starts with the story and then, you know, if the story’s good, you know, I have the opportunity on this show and I have for a very long time to, you know, take it off the page and mix it up a little bit and kind of do stuff that people won’t expect. And that’s when I’m having the most fun. And so that’s what keeps it interesting.

Pattye Grippo: Well, great. Thank you both very much.

Operator: Our next question from the line of Sammi Turano with TV Grapevine. You may proceed.

Sammi Turano: Hi, how are you?

Vincent D'Onofrio: Hi.

Dick Wolf: Great.

Sammi Turano: Good, my first question for you is did you ever expect the Law and Order franchise to last so long?

Dick Wolf: That to who?

Vincent D'Onofrio: That’s to you.

Sammi Turano: That’s to both of you, to both of you.

Dick Wolf: Well, yes - no, 22 years ago I was hopeful that we’d get 20 episodes if, you know - Law and Order did not start out with a bang. It was very different and an acquired taste and no, I certainly had no idea that we would be here.

Vincent D'Onofrio: I mean the (unintelligible) so the fact that Criminal Intent has been on this long is an amazing thing to me. I, you know - it’s - every time I leave my house to get some milk or something from the store I’m reminded two or three times by the time I get back about how much people love the show by the people on the street here in New York. And it just never - it never gets old and it’s never not surprising how much people really like, you know...

Sammi Turano: And why do you think it lasted so long? What do you think makes the series work so well?

Vincent D'Onofrio: Good story telling would be my answer.

Dick Wolf: It always - I think even as Vincent sort of just said, you know, you can have great actors - if you give them lousy words it’s not going to be a great show. The - it’s just Shakespeare is still Shakespeare 450 years later. You know, when it’s right and it’s working it’s much better for the actors and it’s much better for the show. So it is - it always starts with a blank page.

Sammi Turano: Okay, and my last question is for Vincent, what’s one thing your fans will be surprised to know about you?

Vincent D'Onofrio: About the character?

Sammi Turano: Or you, yourself.

Dick Wolf: He’s four foot, eleven.

Sammi Turano: Me too, actually.

Vincent D'Onofrio: I don’t know. I think - I don’t know how to answer that question. There’s lots of surprises when you get to know someone for real so, you know, it could be lots of things that they would be surprised about. As far as - that’s as far as me personally. As far as the character, Dick was talking earlier about these new psych evaluations that are going on with Julia Ormond where it’s just her character and mine in a room. And she’s getting to the bottom of Goren.

And I think you’re going to learn things, like Dick said, that have been hanging out there for a long time. And, you know, I don’t want to give any of them away, it’s - but some of it will be - it definitely entertaining and surprising I think.

Sammi Turano: Wonderful, well, thank you so much. Have a good day and good luck.

Dick Wolf: Thank you.

Vincent D'Onofrio: Thank you.

Operator: Our next question is from the line of Troy Rogers with TheDeadBolt.com. You may proceed.

Troy Rogers: Hi Vincent, hi, Dick.

Vincent D'Onofrio: Hi.

Dick Wolf: Hi.

Troy Rogers: Now Vincent, with what Dick was saying about Goren, when you came back for this season did you have to tackle him with a different headspace?

Vincent D'Onofrio: No, you know, I was really ready after the time off to go back to the feeling, the tone that we had in the first four seasons. You know, I was really ready to do it and, you know, on the first day, you know, they think the first couple of scenes and interrogations. It wasn’t - you know, I just kind of - it was like I put the suit back on and I was rocking, you know. It just felt right. And, you know, the ideas keep coming, suddenly again, and - no, it wasn’t tough. It wasn’t hard.

Troy Rogers: Okay, and Dick, I noticed that Jay Moore is guest staring in this one. Now we know him usually as a comedic actor. What can we expect from him in this?

Dick Wolf: Drama and a very - look, his - again, we don’t want to - you know that there’s - it’s a situation where you don’t want to give away the show on the telephone but it is - he is extraordinarily entertaining in this episode. It’s not outright comedy but it is a larger-than-life character. And he’s really good.

I don’t - you know, it’s kind of odd because he is known as a comic and this is a highly dramatic role that a lot of dramatic actors, I think, would have had a very hard time eschewing. He does a great job. I mean it’s such a pleasure - and we’ve been extraordinarily lucky over the years when you get great guest stars and I think Vincent would agree.

You know, it’s like if you’re playing tennis against a club champion or, you know, number 27 on the tour you’re game should go up against the touring pro. I mean the better the competition the better the game. And I think Jay really, A, came to play and, B, he had a real take on the character.

Vincent D'Onofrio: Yes, there’s also a - he was very, very good in it. And there’s also a new up and coming actor named Neal Huff in it in the show as well that just does outstanding work. It’s a very good show this first show they’re putting up. I mean that’s my opinion, I think it is.

Troy Rogers: Thanks, Vince. Can’t wait to check it out. Thanks guys.

Operator: Our next question from the line of (Girorgio Baracco) from (Telefin) Magazine. You may proceed.

(Giorgio): Hi Vincent, hi, Dick. How are you? Thank you for your time. And first of all, for Dick, since I’m calling from Italy, can you talk about the first episode which has an Italian word as a title so I’m a little bit curious?

Dick Wolf: Well, it’s a - well, the use of Italian is fortunately or unfortunately not really germane to the story. It turns out - and this doesn’t give away too much, the name that inspires a designer for a new line of very expensive dresses. And it’s a play off of the fact that essentially he hadn’t gotten any respect for many years. So...

(Giorgio): All right.

Dick Wolf: It’s not an Italian-ade story, let me put it that way. It’s - but the title fits perfectly.

(Giorgio): Okay. And again for Dick, which one of the European version of Law and Order you like most?

Dick Wolf: Well, it’s hard to say because they’re all so different and that’s not a copout. I can give you absolutely my two favorites were Enquetes Criminelles which was CI in France with Vincent Perez and Law and Order UK, which I think is really, really good. I mean it’s just - but it is totally different animals. The Enquetes Criminelles I thought was extraordinary but it was, again, the proof that the greatest television actors are character actors.

And it’s been that way since time and memorial, whether you go back and think of, you know, from just rolling off the top of my head and I hadn’t thought about this, from Angela Landsbury to Telly Savalas to Monk, what’s - name just went out of my head, to Vincent, to, you know, the list goes on and on. And Vincent Perez is a great French character actor. And I think he had a ball playing the part.

Law and Order UK I love because it is the proof, again, of the storytelling that they’ve been using the same way the French did. They’ve been using our episodes and then adapting them the local laws, local customs, and local storytelling. I mean the scripts change but they are essentially versions but not translations of the originals.

So for me it’s - I’m just - I was very disappointed when TF1 didn’t bring Enquetes Criminelles back. I’m thrilled that Law and Order UK has turned into a major hit. And, you know, the Russian shows are great fun for me to watch but I don’t speak Russian so I can’t tell you how good they are. But I can tell you that the guy who plays Vincent looks like James Bond and seems to be acting that way so that’s kind of fun - you know, feeling like an immigrant in your living room.

(Giorgio): I see, and Vincent, one question for you, I mean you - after nine or ten years playing the same character, right, what an actor in your experience is supposed to do to make it interesting for himself first of all and then for the audience?

Vincent D'Onofrio: Yes, I think it’s just all what I can - you know, I take the scripts that they write and - which I mean that’s where the ideas spawn from, the scripts. And then I - then hopefully, you know, ideas come, things that I can do to make it more interesting for myself to play the character and then, hence, the audience enjoying that. You know, it’s - you just have to hope that, you know, ideas come. And that’s the - that’s how you keep it interesting.

Dick Wolf: I will tell you - I think it’s fascinating as both a producer and a fan of drama. I - one of the reasons, again, that I hoped this isn’t the last season and I hope that people react to this the way I reacted to it, which is wow, these are the best shows in a long time. That it’s great fun for an audience to watch a great actor and a specific character get older.

Never heard anybody objecting to Peter Faulk after 18 years on Columbo. That Angela Landsbury got better the longer the show was on, that there is a - and I think it’s fun for the audience because it’s somebody you really know and they’ve gone through - you know, when a show’s been on for ten years people change, everybody changes.

And you’re looking and you see some of the early episodes in reruns and you go, wow, this is a life. It’s more than just a collection of episodes. And I think the longer a show like this runs the better. Obviously, I’m very self interested but, you know, this is a naked plea. I’d love to keep doing what we did this season, I think, that this - eight episodes a year would be fabulous for everybody but, you know, I don’t run the network.

(Giorgio): Thank you very much.

Operator: Our next question from the line of Amy Amatangelo with the Boston Herald. You may proceed.

Amy Amatangelo: Hi, thanks so much for talking to us today.

Vincent D'Onofrio: Hi.

Dick Wolf: Great.

Amy Amatangelo: You know, Vincent, I know you just said you got a call from Dick and that’s when you knew you were coming back but was it an easy decision? Were you like, absolutely? Or did you have to think about it when you got the call from him?

Vincent D'Onofrio: I didn’t have to think about it. My wife thought about it for me. No, it wasn’t - it’s not - it wasn’t difficult. You know, the - you know, I’ll just talk about Dick for a second. He - you know, Dick has supported me and my feelings about how to do the show and doing this show and how much I should do this show for a long time now, you know, nine, ten years.

And, you know, it’s business. And when you trust somebody on the other end and he gives you a call and says, this is what we’re thinking then you, you know, consider it. You take it very seriously. And, you know, you trust his - you know, I trust his intuition with things. You know, he’s been in this business for a very long time. You know, he’s one of the most successful guys doing this stuff. And you have to say yes to something like that.

Amy Amatangelo: And to that end, when you think about this being the final season, even though Dick’s hoping it’s not, but if this is the final season, do you think about how you want to say goodbye to Detective Goren or what note you want to leave him on? Or, you know, did you think about, you know, this being the final season and what that would mean for how you’d want to say goodbye to this character?

Vincent D'Onofrio: Honestly, honestly no. Yes, I get what you’re saying. Honestly no. It’s - you know, it’s very difficult from my perspective to imagine Criminal Intent not existing. So to have those kinds of thoughts is - they’re not entering my head. It’s a difficult thing because of the fan base and how good we’re doing right now for that kind of realization to happen. I don’t think it will. I haven’t put one fragment of thought into it actually to be totally honest.

Amy Amatangelo: No, that’s great. And just wanted to ask you a little bit about getting to work with Kathryn again and what that’s been like to have a chance to work together again?

Vincent D'Onofrio: She’s great. She’s great. You know, we work very well together and, you know, I’m on set - well, I’m in my dressing room but in the studio right now we’ve been working together since this morning and, you know, just we’re - you know, truly at ease with each other, been doing it for a very long time. I knew her before we started doing the show together.

And, you know, her work is exceptional. You know, it’s - I couldn’t imagine anybody else playing that part. And, you know, it just works. It just works, hands down. It works. It never fails.

Amy Amatangelo: And this is actually a question for Dick, I wanted to ask you if - we see a lot of times crossovers in characters from different Law and Order shows visiting other Law and Order shows. And just didn’t know, if is the last season for Criminal Intent do you have thoughts about working these characters into some of your other shows?

Dick Wolf: This may sound strange but it’s exactly - never entered my head. I don’t think - you know, and this is - I accepted the - you know, we accepted the gig on this - on the spaces and I don’t in anyway to sound ungrateful. I think that what (Bonnie) and (Jeff) have done is probably one of the best creative gestures - certainly the best creative gesture that has ever been extended to me by any network in 30 years in the business.

I mean this was - you talk about a class move. But that having been said, it’s just not the way I’m constructed. I’m exactly the same place that Vincent is. I can’t imagine that this actually going to be the end of this show because it ain’t out of steam. I mean this is something that’s operating better now in my humble opinion than any time in the last four or five years, six.

I mean everybody came to play. Everybody’s playing at the top of their game. I mean the first episode is as good as episodic television gets. I mean Jay Morris performance is quite amazing.

And Vincent and Katie, there is not a missed stitch. I mean it just feels like, oh, thank God they’re back. So I can’t - no, there are no plans. Everything else is on their episode. Next season we’ll see but this is not - you know, it’s not part of my thinking.

It’s just not because I - again, I’m a cockeyed optimist. I think that a lot of our old audience is going to sample this when it comes back and if they do they’re not going to be disappointed.

Amy Amatangelo: I like the way you guys think. This is great. Thank you so much for your time, I really appreciate it.

Dick Wolf: Okay.

Operator: Our next question from the line of Mark Rivera from the (unintelligible) Online.net. You may proceed.

Mark Rivera: Hi, to me it seems like ten years flew by overnight. I still remember when the show first premiered and I can’t believe ten years have passed so fast. I have a - Mr. D’Onofrio, I had no idea you were from Bensonhurst Brooklyn. I’m from the neighborhood next door, Bayridge.

So I’ve always been a fan of - yes. And I have been a fan of your work since even before I knew your name, since I saw you in, obviously, I think everybody has seen you in Stanley Kubrick’s, Full Metal Jacket. My question - I have a couple of quick questions. One is, as an actor, Mr. D’Onofrio, I’d like to know how you - one time I interviewed Bruce Campbell and he said to me, he’s a character actor stuck in a leading man’s body.

And you’ve done a lot of character work, especially in genre films like The Thirteenth Floor and, you know, gosh - I apologize if I’m a little - you know, Men in Black, that sort of thing. And essentially the crime genre, you know, like both the Law and Order franchise is in itself a huge genre.

And I wanted to know if when - if you see yourself as a leading actor on both film and television or as a quasi character actor, you know, that sort of thing? And if you are still attracted to genre films outside of Law and Order and, you know - because I understand you have some features and some other projects that you’re working on. If you could speak about any of it I’d really appreciate it.

Vincent D'Onofrio: Sure, I’m a character stuck in a character actor’s body. And, yes, I love film. I love all the genres. You know, as long as the script is good and there’s something challenging in it for me to do I love it. You know, it’s just what I do.

And the - as far as projects I have coming up I think the announcement goes out today about the next film that I’m producing called Mall. It’s an adaptation from an Eric Bogosian novel. We - the announcement today will have - announcing that Chelsea Handler is doing it, Eric, myself, and a guy named Joe Hahn is directing it. I’m producing it with Erika Hampson and (Sam Madu) of the Collective.

I have a film that I directed as well that I wrote and directed, slasher/musical which was bought by Tribeca Films, which is going to be released this coming - around Christmas, this Christmas coming. That’s what I’ve been doing, I’ve been writing and producing and directing and acting. I have a film out now called Kill the Irishman that I’m in with Ray Stevenson and Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken, that’s what I’ve been up to.

Mark Rivera: Okay, Mr. Wolf, I wanted to ask you, what attracts you to the crime - to crime drama genre if you don’t mind me asking? And is there a difference between working on Law and Order on, say, network television and then a difference between what you can get away with and what you can do with the storytelling on basic cable television like USA?

Dick Wolf: I’m sorry, the last part of that question I missed.

Mark Rivera: Okay, I would like to know first off what attracts you because you have a...

Dick Wolf: I got that part.

Mark Rivera: Okay, the second part is in crafting a show like Law and Order: Criminal Intent, I would like to know is there a difference in terms of the types of stories you can tell between - on broadcast, you know, free TV that anyone with rabbit ears can get and cable television on a network like USA, which, you know, has commercials but, you know, also has its own original programming including Law and Order franchise?

Dick Wolf: To go backwards, there is no - there is really on difference between basic cable and network in terms of language or content anymore. Premium cable, HBO, sure, you can, you know, use four-letter words and have frontal nudity but that’s really about it.

There aren’t the same content restrictions because, A, there’s too much to monitor and, B, there is a natural system in place with advertisers. So it’s not really an issue except with, you know, people who want to write about it. It’s just not an issue at a creative level anymore.

The reason that I love cop shows, very simple, it’s I’m essentially at core a writer and the form of writing that I’ve been doing for 35 years is dramatic screen writing of one sort or another. And the bottom line is that drama works best when the stakes are highest and cop shows, the stakes are oftentimes literally life and death. So you’re starting out with the bar at a level that if you get over it there are going to be people who want to see it.

Mark Rivera: I have a - one more question for both of you because you both - in looking up your backgrounds and stuff, I see that you both have no artisans besides being famous to yourselves. You’re both so, like - you’re both in history, let’s put it to you that way.

You’re - historical figures so forgive me if this is a little bit off topic but for Mr. D’Onofrio, if you don’t mind, however - if you want to answer or not, if you don’t mind my asking, after all these years, like, what was it like to work with a director like Stanley Kubrick?

And Mr. Wolf, what I wanted to ask you is I saw that you went to High School with George W. Bush. Tell me now that he’s no longer the President of the United States, like, I don’t know if lack for a better expression, did you ever expect him to become the President? Or did you ever see his mannerisms and say, yes, you know, I remember how he used to be in high school and he used to do the same thing or something like that?

Dick Wolf: No.

Mark Rivera: Okay, sorry.

Dick Wolf: That was just, you know - that’s just not - I don’t think anybody knows in high school who’s going to succeed. I think that the biggest danger in high school is speaking too soon but that’s probably based on my academic experience.

Mark Rivera: Mr. D’Onofrio? What would you, like, if you don’t mind...

Vincent D'Onofrio: Kubrick was amazing. You know, I’m talking to you on the phone right now because of Stanley Kubrick.

Mark Rivera: I got you.

Vincent D'Onofrio: It’s something that - in my heart and in my mind will - it’s a feeling that will never change. It’s something that is imprinted in my and my emotional life. And it’s - he was a great guy to work for and I was - I worked with him for 13 months and it was like going to film school. The things that I learned in that 13 months have stuck with me to this day.

Mark Rivera: Okay, well, thank you so much, both of you, for your time and for answering my questions. It’s a pleasure to speak to both of you.

Vincent D'Onofrio: Sure.

Operator: Our next question is from the line of Joel Hummel, Pop Culture Madness. You may proceed.

Joel Hummel: Hi, thank you guys for talking to me.

Vincent D'Onofrio: Sure.

Joel Hummel: Dick, I think you’re the guy for me to ask this question to, how do you approach this season to a TV show? You - I imagine you kind of, like, a character development outline and then work out the episodes. How do you approach, you know, when you find out I have a season, how am I going to fill it?

Dick Wolf: Look, when it’s an existing show the only thing that’s comparable to television is being a farmer. The - you throw the seeds in the ground in the spring, they come up over the summer, and you sell them in the fall and winter and then plant more seeds. It’s just a constant - literally a constant rotation.

And when a show’s working you don’t worry about what the next season’s going to be. You’re just worried about getting great story ideas because it’s - you know, depending on the size of the order it’s a lot of stories to tell. And that’s - I would go so far as to say that part of the problem with dramas on network television now is that in reality 22 episodes is probably too many to do and do well.

And I’ve been doing it for a long time. I mean I used to tell show runners that if you have 22 episodes and you get through a season and you’ve got four that you think are Emmy quality and four that you never want to see again, and 14 that are sort of inside the hash marks, pretty good season.

And I sort of - I don’t want to break my arm patting myself on the back but for a lot of years on the shows in the brand I think we’ve exceeded that proportion. I think that there are - there have been an enormous number of very, very good episodes on all three shows. I just don’t know if the most - the best way to get that percentage up to a really high level is to do 22, 18, 16.

There are economic reasons that 22 is almost mandatory in the first three or four years so that there is enough to sell to cable to get the deficit back. There are always business reasons for this but creatively - you know, this is - I can’t over estimate the debt I feel to (Bonnie) and (Jeff) but this is - I mean doing these eight episodes is truly a luxury in terms of a way to do a show.

Basically because as opposed to a normal season everybody is not staggering from exhaustion and you’re not even halfway through the season. Anyway, that’s the answer. There is no - unless a show is in trouble there is no real need to examine what the course of the season is going to be, just come up with great stories. If it’s not working then there are many discussions that take place.

Joel Hummel: Well, I do agree with you. I saw the upcoming episode and it is fantastic.

Dick Wolf: Thanks.

Joel Hummel: My next question’s for Vincent and will be quick. Robert Goren is one of my favorite all-time characters in television. He’s interesting. You portray him - he’s just such a believable character. In your mind, if he makes it to 75 or 80, what would you imagine he would be doing?

Vincent D'Onofrio: I think it’d be Law and Order: Ironside.

Dick Wolf: I don’t know. I think it might be a little bit of Gran Torino.

Vincent D'Onofrio: Maybe, yes. Exactly, could be, yes. I don’t know. Is that a serious question?

Joel Hummel: Yes, it is. I - just in your mind, like, where is he going to be?

Vincent D'Onofrio: Well, you know, I’ll answer it in this way. I think that Dick is - what Dick said earlier about a character aging in front of audiences, you know, slash the actor aging in front of audiences. I think just - you know, I think it is - what I think happens is as the actor gets older and has new experiences in life what the actor puts across in his performances are influenced by his or hers own life.

And so there are these changes that take place right in front of the audience, right when the story - as the story’s being told. And I think that’s a really cool thing. I think - so I guess the answer to your question is more. You end up getting more and different stuff, different things, that’s the only answer I can give you.

Joel Hummel: Okay, all right, I can appreciate that. Thank you guys very much and good luck with the season.

Dick Wolf: Thanks.

Operator: Our next question is from the line of (Lena Lamore) from the (LenaLamore.com). You may proceed.

(Lena): Hi, Vincent and Dick.

Dick Wolf: Hi.

Vincent D'Onofrio: Hi.

(Lena): Now Vincent, you’re such an incredible and diverse actor and you transition perfectly from playing a serial killer and even a bug into the best detective on TV. What is it like to play him? And Goren is such an intriguing character, how would you compare present-day Goren to the Goren that we were introduced in Season 1?

Vincent D'Onofrio: Well, you know, it’s great to play Goren. It’s a really good character. He’s a - you know, we always talked about him, Dick and I and the original show runner, Rene Balcer as a Sherlock Holmes - a contemporary Sherlock Holmes. And, you know, that’s what it’s like, that’s a great character to play, just that alone. Compare these that we’re doing now, I can’t compare them very much to the first few seasons or even four seasons of Criminal Intent.

They’re fast paced, good storytelling, high stake stuff going on with Goren being his usual self that he was back in the day when we started doing this show. He’s thinking on the fly. He’s a bit quirkier than you would expect a major case squad detective to be but he’s coming up with the answers and it’s - so it’s, you know, highly dramatic in that way again.

So I would say it’s - what we’re doing is very similar. I think that the only thing that’s different - and one of the things that’s different in these eight is that you’re getting him in - he’s getting some shrinkage. You’re getting to see time with him with the shrink and that’s very interesting.

We were - you know, we’ve shot two of the shrink scenes already with Julia Ormond who’s just amazing in them. And her - I mean I was just floored by what she was doing. She showed up and did this stuff. And you’re getting something - you’re getting an insight into his - into Goren that you would have never gotten unless we did this so it’s very, very interesting stuff.

(Lena): Thanks, now can you fill us in on a couple of your favorite scenes on the upcoming episodes and on what we have to look forward to from Goren?

Vincent D'Onofrio: In Respeto there is - I think the aria is really, really good because it’s really, really well acted by the guest star. There are scenes - there’s a couple of interrogation scenes that are very good that reach back to how good or the best ones have been in the Criminal Intent’s history. Yes, I do have favorites in the ones, the first one coming up.

(Lena): Now Dick, do you have a favorite?

Dick Wolf: I think the aria, and to those of you that don’t - the aria is what we call the sort of make or break interrogation scene in the fourth act. And the most memorable episodes, and I can, you know - going back to the first season with Vincent putting his shoe up on the interrogation...

Vincent D'Onofrio: With Griffin Dune.

Dick Wolf: Yes, and saying, I wear a size 13, what are you, about a nine?

Vincent D'Onofrio: Nine.

Dick Wolf: Maybe an eight, you know, it was - that is the key to the memorability of episodes. And the aria in Respeto is, I think, as good as we’ve gotten because they’re - it’s very hard to get twists in the aria. And there, you know, are - there’s really a big one in this one.

(Lena): Thanks, thank you so much.

Dick Wolf: Yes.

Operator: Our next question from the line of Darlene Long with the Voice of TV. You may proceed.

Darlene Long: Hello from snowy Canada.

Dick Wolf: Did you say snowy? Is it snowing there?

Darlene Long: Yes, honest to goodness it’s snowing here.

Dick Wolf: On my God.

Darlene Long: Listen, you’re talking like this is, you know, not really a done deal that this is the last season.

Dick Wolf: No, it is.

Darlene Long: That inspires us with great, great hope. And so I’m asking you what do we tell our fans and our viewers and your fans and your viewers about the prospects for another season? And is there anything that they can do?

Vincent D'Onofrio: You can tell them that we have the same hope that they have.

Dick Wolf: It’s even simpler. You don’t tune in it won’t be back. This is - it’s very simple. If you want to see it watch it.

Darlene Long: We call that the firefly mantra.

Dick Wolf: No, it’s very simple. You know, this is going to be no taking no laundry here. People have got to show up or it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Look, again, I am incredibly grateful to (Bonnie) and (Jeff) for doing this. This is not - I don’t in any way want to be construed as biting the hand that feeds us. It is the last season unless they see a reason not for it to be the last season. And the way they will see that is if they get people tuning in and this kind of numbers they were tuning in, you know, three and four years ago, five years. Then it’s a very simple choice for them. But in their mind, you know, we - they’ve announced it as the last season.

It’s the last season unless kind of lightening strikes but as I said, I’m a cockeyed optimist and I believe in how good the show is that anybody who has - likes or has liked Vincent in the past, you tune into this first episode, you’re going to keep coming back. It’s very easy to sell when you’ve got the goods. This isn’t - you know, and in reality this is kind of like selling ice to Eskimos even though it’s freezing up in Canada now. It’s a really good product. If I was an Eskimo I’d buy it.

Darlene Long: Yes, so really is it just a numbers game then right now? Everybody signed on to do it again, you know, if they give you the go ahead? So really it’s really a numbers game?

Dick Wolf: No, no, this is - look, they’re not (unintelligible). Nobody has - there is no deal. There is nothing - nobody, you know, this was a one shot as far as USA is concerned. They have announced this is the last season of the show. It’s the last season of the show. I can tell you that having done this for this long it’s very hard to come up with shows that have this kind of - these kind of lengths and this kind of staying power.

And I know that if it comes in and outperforms what they think the last season was going to do they’re going to want more of them, that’s - it’s that simple. But people have got to show up, you know.

Darlene Long: True.

Dick Wolf: TiVo does not count, please watch.

Darlene Long: Okay, we don’t have TiVo here in Canada by the way.

Dick Wolf: Well, good.

Darlene Long: We all watch. Okay, so basically what are the kind of expectations that the network has? Do you have any idea as to the numbers?

Dick Wolf: I have no idea. You have to understand that every show in the history of television has been born under that sentence. They usually don’t give you the date of execution. We have a date of execution but it could be stayed.

Darlene Long: All right, we’ll let’s hope.

Vincent D'Onofrio: But USA, like any other network, wants a good job.

Dick Wolf: Yes.

Vincent D'Onofrio: And so we’re trying to give them one.

Darlene Long: Okay. All right, well, I hope that the numbers are going to ensure a long, long continuation of the show. Thank you very much for taking my call.

Dick Wolf: Okay, thanks.

Vincent D'Onofrio: Thank you.

Farrah Hersh: Hi, we have time for one more question.

Operator: All right, our final question is from the line of Molly Willow from (Fadcast).

Molly Willow: Hi there, really quickly, Mr. D’Onofrio, I just wanted to ask if you watched the show at all when you weren’t on it? And if not why not? And if so what’d you think?

Vincent D'Onofrio: No, I watched Jeff a couple of times, yes. I, you know - I told Dick this, I thought that Jeff was a great replacement for me, you know. I’ve been a fan of Jeff’s, you know, from, you know, when he started working as an actor. And I just think he’s a really fine actor and I thought, you know - so it was great. You know, yes, I liked it.

Molly Willow: Was it weird to see somebody walking around with your, you know, clothes on, that sort of thing?

Vincent D'Onofrio: Well, he wasn’t playing Goren, you know.

Molly Willow: No, but in your space.

Vincent D'Onofrio: No.

Molly Willow: At least that’s how the audience thought of it even if you didn’t.

Vincent D'Onofrio: No, it wasn’t weird. It wasn’t weird.

Molly Willow: Okay.

Vincent D'Onofrio: Yes.

Molly Willow: All right, well, thanks very much guys.

Dick Wolf: Okay, thank you.

Vincent D'Onofrio: Thanks, bye.

Operator: Ms. Hersh, back to you for closing remarks.

Farrah Hersh: Yes, thank you everybody. Again, the season premier is Sunday, May 1 at 9 pm. And thank you to Dick and Vincent for taking the time.

Dick Wolf: Thanks for coming guys.

Vincent D'Onofrio: Yes, thank you, thanks, bye.

Dick Wolf: Thanks, Vince.

Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, that does conclude the conference call for today. We thank you all for your participation and kindly ask that you please disconnect your lines. Have a great day everyone.


**********************************END****************************************************




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

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

Law & Order LA “Benedict Canyon” Recap & Review

All photos from NBCUniversal

Law & Order LA “Benedict Canyon” was a fine episode, with the exception of the last few minutes in a clumsy close to the case. I’m very impressed with the writing in this episode, which gave the lead characters dialog that is comfortable and natural. This added dimension to the characters, and right now Alfred Molina and Corey Stoll are benefiting most. Morales and TJ are well balanced together, both getting their share of both the dramatic and the witty comebacks. Guest star Khloé Kardashian Odom is the butt (no pun intended) of one of TJ’s comments - when she mentions that she was in a dress that made her butt look like a pancake, and TJ comments that he finds that hard to believe. Her appearance received a lot of press for this episode and I hope it translated into drawing some much needed eyeballs to this show.

The case itself was interesting, giving viewers a foot-chase scene, a suicide, a love sick killer for hire, family secrets, a disgruntled and crazy sister, and another suicide by jailhouse fight. It sounds like a lot to cram into one hour, but it worked well. Predictable was the judge adjourning for the day right before a key witness is to be cross examined – those witnesses usually don’t set foot in the courtroom ever again. (I have lost count of how many people in the Law & Order Universe have been killed while in jail.)

It seemed odd that Mrs. Walker never noticed the resemblance of her daughter’s friend Jill to her own daughter, yet when Jill’s real name is revealed, suddenly she has a epiphany. The issue with both girls being related as they had similar back problems seemed to be a remote connection at best. Also, I don’t think there is any such thing as “spondyliosis” or even “spondylyosis” (as they pronounced it), the back ailment the two women supposedly shared. I believe the correct term is spondylosis, and it’s a common back ailment and very easy for two people to have it even when they aren’t related. Maybe someone out there can clear this up for me?

All in all, Benedict Canyon was a fine episode. I wish, though, that the powers that be would reconsider naming the episodes after a location. The name “Benedict Canyon” brings nothing to describing this episode and, in my opinion, does nothing to entice viewers to watch. Maybe a combination of the location and a descriptive word would work better to highlight the location and the case. For example, something like "Revenge in Benedict Canyon" sounds more like a mystery than simply "Benedict Canyon".


Here is the recap:
Hollywood celebrity stylist Lily Walker (Jaime Taite) is gunned down while in her car while stopped at an intersection. Detectives Ricardo Morales (Alfred Molina) and TJ Jaruszalski (Corey Stoll) later arrive on the scene. A witness saw a white male on a bicycle. The shot came in from the passenger side and it appears the shooter left a handprint on the car. The print came back to Harry Rice, on parole, last address in Venice.

Soon afterwards, the detective locate Harry at a motel and he also spots them and runs. The detectives chase after him, guns drawn. They catch up with him and he says he is not going back in. He pulls out a gun and kills himself. Morales notice Harry just got stitches on his hand, which did not show up on the print on the car. He thinks Harry is not the shooter and that someone is playing games.

They check out Harry’s room and there is a bike there. The print on the car was Harry’s and the gun he shot himself with is the same make. There is fingerprint powder on the wall and someone has already dusted for prints. Someone may have lifted the print and transferred it to the car. This spears to be a professional hit.

At RHD, they speak to Lily’s husband Douglas (Jonathan Scarfe) who said Lily was coming back from a party at Robbie Nathan’s, a publicist. Only Robbie, Greta, who is Lily’s assistant, knew she would be at the party.

At Rondo, the detectives speak with Robbie, who tells them that one of their mutual clients was having an issue with Lily - Khloé Kardashian – and Robbie thought a dinner party would help Lily would out their differences.

The detectives speak with Khloé Kardashian (playing herself) who insists she loved Lily. She said for the Golden Globes Lily had her in an Alexander Emery dress that made her ass look like a pancake. TJ quips that he finds that hard to believe. Khloé didn’t know why Lily put her in that dress. She said Lily denied being paid to put Khloé in Emery’s clothes.

The detectives speak with Emery who says his business was with Greta, not Lily. He paid Greta $10K. They later speak with Greta who is flip about it, and said Lily is the only stylist who wasn’t taking money. She denies hurting Lily and adds that she thought Lily was going out of business. Lily stopped spending money as she had been and she even fired the live in nanny. She tells them to talk to Lily’s business manager.

The detectives speak with Marty Fox (Robin Thomas), who tells them Lily’s business was great. Lily was cutting back on vacations to spend time with her kid. Morales notices the company name of Lily Walker Styles, and he said the partnership was now a corporation. TJ notices that the shares in the new corporation are in Lily’s name. He said he husband did not mind and he had waived his marital rights to all her assets. Afterwards, the detectives wonder if a divorce was looming, and Morales recalls that Lily’s husband said the nanny quit, but Lily’s assistant said she was fired. TJ says nanny is Swedish for “daddy gets lucky” and maybe she caught him cheating.

Later, they speak with Douglas who said the nanny was let go because their daughter was getting too attached to her. He said all the money is in a trust for their daughter and he mother is trustee - he gets nothing.
At Lily’s home, they speak with Lily’s mother (JoBeth Williams) and she says she is trustee for Katie’s trust. She said Lily and Douglas has a good marriage. She said Lily helped the nanny get a new job with the people next door. Afterwards, the detectives still think Douglas was cheating and there is a jilted lover involved.

Back at RHD, they further speculate that Douglas’ fling was with one of her clients – like Khloé Kardashian. They also wonder about the fashion switch and also Lily and Jill Jennings, and there seemed to have been a falling out between them.

At Jill Jennings Fashion, Jill (Paula Malcomson) said she has moved on. She says now she can design he clothes she likes, not what a stylist thinks. She said there is no relationship with Douglas. She said Lily was the one that was likely unfaithful.

Afterwards, Morales tells TJ when he was in college he made money driving a town car, and passengers quickly forgot they weren’t alone. They think whoever was driving Jill six months ago would know if she was having an affair.

They speak with the limo service who said Lily always requested Terry Briggs as a driver. Morales knows Briggs – he’s a ex cop. Morales knows where to find Briggs (Jeff Fahey) – at Pedro’s Bar, where Morales chats with Briggs. When Morales returns to RHD, he tells TJ that Briggs spent his last 3 years on the force working vice in Venice, and Harry Rice was his confidential informant. He thinks Briggs killed Lily.
Later, with Briggs in RHD interrogation, they question him about Lily’s murder and that they think Harry was framed. Briggs says Jill did not pay him, not in money. He said when he started driving Jill, Lily’s husband Douglas kept hitting on her and taking advantage of her. He said they had an affair and Lily found out about it and when Doug said Jill was hitting on him, Lily blackballed her all over town. Jill begged him to do something. When TJ leaves the room, Morales asks Briggs to spell it out. He says Jill asked him to kill Lily and asks if there is something they can do for him. Morales says only if he does something for them.

Later, Briggs meets Jill at a restaurant and he is wired, the detectives watching and listening. She gets suspicions and when he says she know he killed Lily for her, she screams at him, throws her drink at him, and tells him to stay away from her. She points at him and says he is a murderer, but the detectives come in and arrest her anyway. As the officers take Jill and Briggs away, Morales tells TJ that Lily must have figured Brigss was wired and she played them. TJ thinks Briggs played Morales.
Later, DDA Connie Rubirosa (Alana De La Garza) and DDA Joe Dekker (Terrence Howard) speak with Jill and her attorney, Max Steinberg (Adam James). She said she ended her relationship with Briggs a few weeks ago and thinks he felt sorry for her because Lily ruined her. She said Douglas got her drunk and then into bed. She hated Lily but never asked Briggs to kill Lily.
In Superior Court at the preliminary hearing, Briggs is on the stand. He admits what he did and that he loves Jill and did what she asked him. Max cross examines him and asks him about Morales and questions Briggs spending 4 hours drinking with Morales 3 days before Briggs was wired. Dekker looks back at Morales as the defense attorney implies that Morales helped him cook up this scheme to entrap Jill. Briggs denies it. The defense uses this as an excuse to dismiss the charges. The judge agrees and dismisses the charges.
Afterwards, Dekker laces into Morales about the “4 hour pub crawl” and Morales said the case never came up during that time. Dekker said to let him decide what is material. Morales asks why Dekker didn’t call him for rebuttal, and Dekker hotly asks him if Morales would have called himself to the stand? Rubirosa comments to Dekker that he was hard on Morales, and Dekker says that considering he used to work across the hall, he wasn’t hard enough. Rubirosa says she is not buying revenge as the motive –and Dekker wonders if maybe the affair with Lily’s husband meant more to Jill than she let on.

Rubirosa speaks with Douglas who talks about the affair. He said he was going to end it and Lily found out. When Lily ran into them at a restaurant, he said Jill was thrilled that Lily’s client was wearing a sweater of her design. Douglas said Lily chose the restaurant.

Later, over pizza at Rubirosa’s desk, they talk about this latest development. They still have no evidence that Briggs killed Lily. Rubirosa sees that both Lily and Jill wrote checks weekly to Barry Baitos. She also wondered if Jill was on the outs with the in crowd, how did she know about that party that night?

At Barry Baitos Massage Studio, he says Lily had a standing appointment with him every Monday night for a back problem due to "spondyliosis." She was mentally in a good place. He also works on Jill on Tuesday – she also has back problems from a car accident. He admits he told Jill about the party. He also said Lily was looking forward to going to the party that night with Douglas.

Rubirosa speaks with Lily’s mother who said she was supposed to babysit Katie that night but that afternoon she got an invitation to a private showing at Van Cleef and they even sent a car for her. She though Lily arranged it but Lily said it wasn’t her.

Later, Rubirosa tells Dekker that she checked on the Van Cleef event and they said Jill called and begged them to add Lily’s mother to the list at the last minute. This meant Lily had to go alone and made her an easy target for Briggs. He tells her to have the charges re-filed.

Later, Morales and TJ arrest Jill. Morales says they have a new design for her – orange jumpsuit.

Morales and TJ speak with Briggs as he waits in jail. He screams at Morales to help him, and Morales says he is ashamed he ever knew him. He tells him it’s time to cowboy up.

In Superior Court, Lily’s mother testifies about what happened that night. Under cross examination, Steinberg implies that the trust was the motive to kill and that Douglas was unhappy about how the marital assets were distributed. He implies that she would help him to plunder Katie’s trust. He also accuses her of abusing Lily as a child by locking her in a closet so she could go out and party, and she admit she had a drug problem a long time ago and she made mistakes and has been clean for 28 years.

Briggs testifies about how he killed Lily and then he called Jill when it was done, and she thanked him. They decided it would be best that they did not see each other until everything blew over. He says he has no one to blame but him. Before Steinberg can cross, the judge adjourns until the next day.


As they walk in the parking garage, Rubirosa comments that everyone wanted Lily dead as an alternate theory, and Dekker thinks it is a bold move. They get to Rubirosa’s car (a Mustang?), and she said the car was her stepfather’s and after he died her mom couldn’t bear to sell it. Rubirosa gets a phone call and expresses shock.
At the jail, TJ tells her that the guards found Briggs with a shank in his neck, Briggs picked a fight and did not try to defend himself. Morales sits outside the room where Brigg’s body is laying, and Morales looks crestfallen.

Later, in the judge’s chambers, Steinberg and DDAs Dekker and Rubirosa argue about what should happen with the case now that Briggs is dead. Dekker said that Steinberg cross examined Briggs at the preliminary hearing and that can be read into evidence. Steinberg wants a mistrial, but Dekker thinks Briggs engineered a suicide for Jill and she cannot profit from that act. The judge will take it under advisement.

Back at the office, Rubirosa and Dekker, and he wonders how Steinberg knew that Lily's mother locked her in a closet. Dekker says Lily’s husband didn’t even know about it. He wonders if they knew each other as kids. Rubirosa sees that Lily grew up in Glendale and Jill in Simi Valley. He wonders if Jill’s parents were at any court proceedings.

At the home of David and Ellie Jennings, Rubirosa finds that Jill was a foster child and her real name was Gwen Coulter and she was trouble. She ran away at 17. Gwen had a doll she called sister and Ellie said she caught Jill one day sticking one of her knitting needles into one of the dolls eyes.

Back at the office, Jill and Steinberg are there, and Dekker and Rubirosa make them an offer of 15 years. Dekker says they have enough without Briggs to go to trial. Rubirosa brings in Mrs. Walker to the room to represent the victim’s family. Rubirosa asks Jill if she can get her a pillow as she thinks it will help her back, mentioning the "spondyliosis." Jill said it was from a car accident. Dekker asks what are the chances of both Jill and Lily having spondyliosis. Rubirosa tells them she spoke with her parents and they never mentioned a car accidence. As Rubirosa mentions that Jill was 9 when she was first placed in the Jennings home, Mrs. Walker seems shocked and then says “Gwennie? Gwennie.” Rubirosa mentions her name was Gwen Coulter, and Walker says Henry Coulter was Lily and Gwennie’s dad. Rubirosa says that when Mrs. Walker was doing crack years ago she lost custody of her girls and went into court ordered rehab. Gwen and Lily went into foster care. When Walker was clean, she only took custody of one daughter - Lily, and she left Gwen in foster care. Walker said she could only take care of one kid. Dekker questions why, and Walker said Lily was just a baby. Dekker harps on Jill about it, saying that Jill was angry over it and would have stabbed out Jill’s eyes with a knitting needle right then and there. But she had to wait 25 years. By then Lily had the perfect life and Jill did not. They accuse Jill of having the perfect plan to ruin Lily’s life, including sleeping with her husband and having Lily find out. Dekker said the venom must have been boiling in her veins when their marriage survived, and then accused her of turning to Briggs. When Walker asks how she could do this to her own sister, she screams. “How could I? How could YOU!” She talks about the bad foster home they were first in, and how she protected Lily and how she said mom would be better soon and she would come get them. When the big day came, they thought they were both going home. She asks why she did not take her. Walter apologizes and Jill cries.
Later, Dekker walks into the bar where Morales and TJ are having a drink. He tells them Jill took 15 to life. Dekker says the drinks are on him, and Morales asks if that is an apology. Dekker nods his head but says nothing. Morales says his dad said an apology is the best way to get the last word and then adds if that what this is, screw you. He glares at Dekker and TJ sits there and an uncomfortable silence follows. The Morales and TJ break out in a laugh, and Dekker joins in the laughter and calls for another round. They enjoy their drinks as we fade to black.

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

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

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