Law & Order “Filtered Life” Recap, Review, Discussion

Law & Order “Filtered Life” was perplexing to me.  There. Was. No. Case.  There was no body.  There wasn’t really any solid evidence.  How they got a guilty verdict when there was nothing substantial showing there was a murder is beyond me.  

I also didn’t understand why, as part of the initial investigation, that they never appeared to check for any security cameras near or around Amanda’s van to see what transpired there. They only found out the blood was from a robbery by a DNA database hit,  not by seeing any activity on a security video.  It’s hard to imagine there were none in the area. 

I’m also shocked that Jack McCoy was willing to risk a trial when they had such flimsy evidence.   Maroun seems to be the only one with a level head here.  With the trial already underway, Jack is correct in that  the shoe, obtained by a private citizen via break in, would likely be considered valid.  I would have felt better if there was something like her blood, or his DNA, or simply Amanda’s DNA,  on that shoe.  Yet it doesn’t seem like anyone even checked for that.  Price seems like a cold fish in this episode,  empathizing with the parents, but saying he can’t let their grieving and emotions drive the train.   If that’s how he felt, why did he even bring it up with them? If he legally must inform other parties of offers, then he should give the opinions of those other parties some significant weight.  Price didn’t really seem to care. 

It’s obvious that Cosgrove has anger issues.  I don’t want him to be Stabler 2.0, so I hope they bring the reason for his anger out quick and have him move on.    Cosgrove did say that some aspects of social  media is a “predator’s dream” – not implying this is the victim’s fault, he was  just making an observation. I agree with him on this; some people over-share personal details. 

The funniest line I’ve heard on any of the Law & Order shows as of late was when Dixon says about a suspect: “His rap sheet looks like a receipt from CVS.”  Yes, I’ve had a few of those that were over 6 feet long. 

Note: The episode was directed by Milena Govich, who played Detective Nina Cassidy on Law & Order in season 17.  Judge Dreben was played by Milica Govich, Nina’s aunt. 

Here is the recap: 

A couple  finds blood on a van parked on the street.  There’s no one there but the van is registered to Amanda Larson from Columbus Ohio.  She’s one of those social media “influencers” who covers her travels in her “Van Life” blog.  The detectives go through the usual motions, questioning  her friends, family, anyone who  may have been in contact with her. This includes two other people, Toby and Megan, who run a vegan lifestyle blog,  who were with her. They are clearly lying about their interaction with her so they bring them down to the interrogation room at the 2-7.  Clearly they’re worried because they’re not really together anymore and this could ruin their ‘brand.”

But the blood at the scene isn’t Amanda’s.  It belongs to Joseph Denzig, and they track him down.   It was  robbery where he cut himself in the process. But he did spot someone who grabbed her, and his vehicle.  Using Amanda’s own videos she’s posted, plus speaking with a few women at the vigil for Amanda, they  identify him. He’s  been on a dating app. His name is Daniel Garrett, and he’s been all over dating sites with 12 different aliases and resumes.  They also find that his car went through the Lincoln Tunnel and got off  near the Wharton State Park forest. 

Later, the detectives, with police, are in the forest and they find a truck  parked there, and a tent is nearby. A person exits the tent and flees but is quickly apprehended by Cosgrove and he angrily cuffs him and starts yelling at  him.  It's Daniel. 

Back at in interrogation, they question Daniel as he had, in his pickup truck, a shovel with dirt on it and  bag of lye.  They believe he buried her.  When Cosgrove gets overly angry, Daniel lawyers up.  Dixon tells Maroun they want him charged with felony murder and Maroun will check with Price and McCoy. 

Jack, Price, and Maroun discuss if they have enough as they have no body.  Jack tells them to try the murder case with what they have. Price  asks why. as they can’t tell  how, when or even if the victim was  killed, and Jack says it’s a hell of a lot better than the alternative. 

Daniel Garrett is arraigned, he pleads not guilty,  The point that they don’t have a body is argued but the judge remands Daniel.

Price and Maroun discuss  the influence on social media on the jury. They decide to check out other victims duped by Daniel in his fake persona.  They later meet with the judge and review that they found women who dealt with Garrett with the dating apps. When rejected, Daniel got angry with these women and physically assaulted some of the women. Price wants to show Daniel is capable of violence but the motion is denied. 

Price and Maroun discover that there was a photo just posted on line from Amanda showing she is in Cancun.  But Price tells reporters he is not dropping charges.  

The trial commences and Amanda’s mother says Amanda did not post this.  She was also going to be at a party for her grandfather and would never have missed it.  But under cross, the defense attorney,  Miss Knight, made it sound like this is all a publicity stunt. It also came out that early on Amanda faked some of the photos and that it helped generate revenue. Amanda’s mom breaks down on the stand.  Afterwards, Price and Maroun try to console the parents, and they tell them they are still searching for her.  Maroun then hears Daniel is going to take the stand. 

Later, Daniel testifies and admits he did meet with Amanda but said Amanda is the kind of woman who is always looking for the next party.  Under cross, Price brings up all Daniel’s aliases in the dating profiles and all the lies he told on those sites.  Daniel says he was playing around and it was like a social experiment, a joke.  Price brings up the zip ties, plastic tarp, a shovel, and lye, and Daniel said it was for camping and keeping the animals out.  Price outlines what he think happened, saying Amanda lost a shoe in the struggle.  As they adjourn, Price gets a call and then tells Maroun it was Bernard; someone found Amanda’s missing shoe. 

Bernard and Cosgrove, with Price and Maroun, meet with Lisa, who has been obsessively following the case. She explains she went to high school with Daniel and he was loser then too. She recalled his cousin had a cabin near the Wharton forest and when she was there in the past for a party she realized was non-existent, racing from there in fear at the time. She went there now, broke in, and found the shoe inside the house.  

Later, Price and Maroun explain this to Jack, saying the owners of the cabin don’t want to press charges.  They discuss the issue of the break in and Jack says the Fourth Amendment doesn’t apply to private citizens.  Price worries the shoe may have been manipulated and the jury won’t buy it. Jack says the shoe is the next best thing to having Amanda’s body and tells them to put the witness on the stand. 

Lisa is on the witness stand and explains where she found the shoe. The judge accepts the shoe as evidence.  Under cross, Miss Knight brings up Lisa's high school past with Daniel, saying Daniel turned her down for the prom.  Lisa says she never asked him.  Knight brings up that she started a podcast before she started the shoe and possible media attention.  Knight says Lisa is fabricating stories to help her brand.   Price has no additional witnesses, but Knight asks for time to confer with the prosecution. 

Afterwards,  Knight, speaking hypothetically, asks if her client could lead her to the location of Amanda’s body, would they cut a deal for Man 1,  15 years.  Otherwise Amanda’s  parents would never find her. 

Price and Maroun confers with the parents and the parents want closure, saying the a conviction gives Price closure, not them.  Price and Maroun try to convince them but the parents ask them to make the deal. 

Later, Price and Maroun speak with Jack and Maroun wants the deal but while Price empathizes with the parents, he says they can’t let their grieving and emotions drive the train.  He thinks they can’t give a predator a sweetheart deal to make the family feel better about a horrible situation. Maroun worries there is a chance they could lose and they’ll never find Amanda and Daniel Garrett will be back on the street.  Jack asks how old is he and Maroun replies 27, and Jack says if they take the deal he’ll serve about 12-1/2 years and he will be 39 years old when  he’s released and he can victimize a whole new group of women. He asks Price if he can bring this one home, and Price does.  Jack tells him to pass on the deal – and bury the son of a bitch. 

In supreme court, Price makes his closing argument, taking about true crime stories being fodder for entertainment, and truth and fiction gets blurred.  He says Daniel Garrett created a false narrative and that’s what the defense is trying to do. He says the evidence shows Amanda is dead and Daniel killed her.  Price says the word verdict comes from the Latin veredictim, which means speak the truth. He says he asks them to do what Daniel is incapable of doing – speak the truth. 

Later, the jury’s verdict is guilty.  Amanda’s mother sobs.   Price tells Maroun they did the right thing,  and she states she is not sure Amanda’s parents would agree.  Price looks back into the gallery where Amanda’s mother sobs and he father glares at him and then begins to cry as well as we fade to black.