Law & Order “Black And Blue” Recap, Review, Discussion - Season 21 Finale

As season finales go, Law & Order “Black And Blue” had no big shocking reveal, no cliffhanger, and nothing bad happened on the courthouse steps.   But it did offer an interesting case that seemed to unite people who may have been at odds at times during this short season – Bernard and Cosgrove, and Price and Maroun.   The only two who I suspect will be butting heads in the future may be Cosgrove and Price; Cosgrove is a natural born hot-head and Price sometimes gives the impression that he cares for nothing but his case.   

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I’ve come to like Cosgrove because he is unfiltered.  His oppositional behavior could get tiresome if used too much, but I think his behavior in this episode was perfectly understandable.  And I also liked that Bernard seemed to understand where Cosgrove was coming from this time, and actually defended him to Price

Lt.  Dixon is properly authoritative and also knows how to work the system. She knows enough that she can tell Maroun that she won’t tolerate her hard line about the policy, and smart enough to offer Jack McCoy whatever he needs to get the job done.  I’m hoping to see her get involved in more complex controversies next season.

I do have some issues with the case, however.  I’m not sure that Price did a good enough job in showing that Kendra shot Detective Jimmy Doyle in cold blood. Her defense seemed to be solely based on her claiming Doyle was a racist.   There was testimony from one person (Scott Gleacher) who said she had the gun out already,  and then she made a possibly racist comment to him that she’d put his “white ass” into the ground.  But that comment was never revealed during testimony.  Maybe Price wanted to draw the case away from racism and deal only with the facts of the shooting?  Sadly, they didn’t have too many facts because there were no witnesses except for Kendra and the man she shot.   I do understand that there is a lack of trust of police, but after all,  Kendra did go to confront Scott Gleacher armed with a gun  and apparently ready to use it.  If anything, the detective may have been in greater danger than Kendra because of her gun. I also wonder how the defense got their hands on the video made by Doyle to his girlfriend, who seemed to be in Doyle's corner and loved him. Why would she give this to anyone, and if she didn’t,  how did the defense get it?  I would have been interested in seeing how this evidence came about.  The IAB witness should not have been a surprise;  don’t they share witness  lists?  I know that at times for rebuttal witnesses they don’t, but the IAB detective was not a rebuttal witness.  

Price was right – the judge’s opinion on the defense using Jimmy’s IAB investigation was probably politically motivated. 

Mariska Hargitay (Benson) and Terry Serpico (Chief McGrath) were not much more than window dressing; although with the killing of a detective,  having Chief McGrath appear made more sense.  The scene with Mariska didn’t really add much and could have been handled by a few lines saying the detectives checked with SVU about Kendra’s sister.  While I can understand they’d want to bring in someone in like Mariska to pull in SVU viewers,  I would have rather had the time be used to flush out more of the legal issues in this episode OR to show closing arguments. 

Here’s looking forward to season 22 of Law & Order! 

Here is the recap: 

A woman walking down the street to the subway, getting harassed by a guy following her, hears gunshots.  She runs in the direction of the shots and finds a man dead from a gunshot in a nearby street. She calls 911.

Later, Bernard and Cosgrove are on the scene. There were no witnesses. The dead man is Detective First Grade Jimmy Doyle, and Cosgrove knows him. Cosgrove says, over the body, that he will see him on the other side, and Bernard puts a consoling hand on Cosgrove’s shoulder. 

Later, Chief McGrath is giving a press conference explaining Jimmy’s commendations. Jimmy was off duty.   Lt. Dixon watches.  Bernard and Cosgrove speak with a potential witness who saw nothing, but Cosgrove finds this hard to believe and gets agitated.  Bernard tries to calm him  but Cosgrove says they need to talk to Jimmy’s wife. 

Later, they are a Heather Doyle’s home who doesn’t know who would do this.  They find that she and Jimmy split up three years ago.  They were still close and she talked to him every day. He was her best friend.  Cosgrove asks if she has any idea why Jimmy was there. 

On Amsterdam Avenue in Washington Heights NY on Thursday, April 21,  Bernard and Cosgrove speak with a woman who has been dating Jimmy almost three years. They had dinner last night and he said he was going to sleep at his apartment. They discuss what they did that night and walking home she didn’t notice anything.  She is clearly devastated by this, saying Jimmy was special, he loved being a cop despite the protests and police hate. A lot of her friends didn’t understand her (a black woman) dating a white cop. They ask if anyone has harassed her. 

Later, in the 2-7 interrogation, they question a man who was her ex-boyfriend and he was in the area. He admits he gets obsessive but denies killing anyone.  They continue to press him and he says he saw her and Jimmy kiss and walk away, but adds that he didn’t see the shooting. He saw a white man running down the street scared as hell.

At the 2-7, Dani finds a street cam which shows the white man and she ran an reverse image search.  The man is Scott Gleacher and he works at an investment firm in midtown. 

Bernard and Cosgrove speak with Scott and show him the video of him running from the scene.   He lawyers up. 

Back at the 2-7 they find Scott has no priors and there is no connection to Jimmy. They wonder why he was there. Dani finds a photo of him at a charity even for TeamGirl Inc., a non-profit dedicated to empowering at-risk teenage girls. It’s in Washington Heights. 

At TeamGirl Inc, on Thursday April 21,  they speak with someone who works there about Scott.  They show her a photo of Jimmy and  he doesn’t look familiar. She explains that there have been a lot of rumors about  Scott.

At her home,  they speak with Regina Daniels about Scott and she admits to being “sort of” involved with Scott.  She was not at the party. Her sister Kendra walks in and when Bernard asks about the stitches and bruises that Regina has, Kendra shuts him down and  says she won’t answer any more questions. 

 

Near the courthouse, Bernard and Cosgrove speak with Olivia Benson about Regina’s injuries and the hospital had contacted SVU about possible domestic abuse.  Benson recalls that she said she hit her head on a table and they didn’t buy it.  She never said anything about Jimmy.  They mention her boyfriend running away from the crime scene. Benson says she was planning on calling her to see how she was doing and she will do some digging.  Cosgrove says they will pretend that conversation happened which will leverage the Gleacher to cooperate.  She wishes them luck and says it’s hard enough being a cop these days; the last thing they needed was losing one of their own. 

At Newman & Palmer Investments on Thursday, April 21,  they speak with Scott  and his lawyer about Jimmy Doyle’s murder. They want immunity and says Regina is nuts and she gets emotional and irrational.  Bernard and Cosgrove continue to press and Scott and Scott says he knows who was involved in the murder.  He won’t say unless he gets immunity. 

At the 2-7, in Dixon’s office, she and Cosgrove speak with Maroun about the immunity. Bernard walks in and says Benson said Regina knows nothing about the shooting and is not interested in pursuing a criminal case against Scott.   Maroun scoffs that Regina just fell into the table and Dixon says no one wants to give an abuser a free pass but says they need to make a deal with his guy. Maroun starts talking about their policy and Dixon stops her and angrily says a cop just got murdered,  she doesn’t really care about her policy and they need to make a deal with this prick now. She tells Maroun to call whoever she’s got to call - Price,  McCoy, the Pope.  She says to just do whatever she has to do to make this deal.  Maroun looks angry, says nothing,  and leaves. 

At the 27th precinct interrogation room on Friday, April 22,  Maroun, there with Bernard and Cosgrove,  questions Scott with his lawyer an outlines the terms of getting immunity. Scott explains after the event he met with Regina but her sister Kendra confronted her and told her to stay away from Regina. She had just gotten back from Miami and saw the cut in her sister’s eye and she went crazy. She never liked him or approved of the relationship and she went crazy and made all kinds of accusations.  He said she was wrong but she was going nuts. He tried to walk away but she pulled a gun and said if he ever got near Regina she would put his white ass into the ground.  Then out of nowhere he heard someone yell NYPD so they both took off running and about 15 seconds later he heard gunshots. 

Later, Bernard and Cosgrove talk with Kendra who admits talking with Scott that night.  She did not want Regina to know she confronted him and says he was playing Regina like a toy. She denies encountering Jimmy or hearing any gunshots.  But they says he is lying as they searched her place while he was at work and found blood on her jacket and her shoes. Cosgrove cuffs her and reads her rights.

At a later time, Dixon addresses a panel of police, with McGrath and Jack McCoy present, and they discuss the situation.  Dixons says she will support Jack.  McGrath outlines how important this is, talking about the pressure on police.  He says Jack needs to send a message – you shoot a cop, you spend the rest of your damn life in prison. 

In Jack’s office, Maroun and Price discuss the case with Jack.  They don’t know why Kendra pulled the trigger and Jack says they have to work with the evidence they have.  They discuss Kendra’s lack of a record and a good job and reputation.  Jack thinks she should have called the police and Maroun brings up the lack of trust in police.  Jack says she has to pay the consequences.  But Price says that Kendra states Jimmy used a racial invective while apprehending her and further escalating her heightened emotional state.  There is no doubt she should pay the consequences but Price wonders about the charge. He explains it is like a Rorschach test, you can see what you want to see. Jack firmly says he doesn’t care what anyone wants to see,  he cares about the evidence.  He tells him to base his decision on the facts and the law, nothing else. 

At arraignment court part 24 on Monday, April 25,  Kendra is arraigned for aggravated manslaughter in the first degree.  The police in the gallery are upset at this charge.  The judge orders quiet. Kendra’s lawyer Brian Harris pleads not guilty.  The judge sets bail at $3 million.  Two officers stand up and one calls Price a coward and the other says he is giving her a free pass.  The judge says that is enough and Price storms off. 

As Price walk into the hallway, Cosgrove confronts him: 

Cosgrove:  Price. What the hell was that? Aggravated manslaughter? 

Price: The best I could do based on the facts. Good news is it's winnable, it's still 20 years in prison. 

Cosgrove:  She shot a cop. 

Price: I know you're upset, but this case isn't as straightforward as you think. There's no witnesses, no video. The only two people who know what really happened are Doyle and the defendant. 

Cosgrove:  Don't give me that crap. Kendra Daniels pumped two shiny ones into his chest, and that's murder one all day long. 

Price:  With all due respect... 

Cosgrove:  Don't "all due respect" me. 

Price: Fine. You can preach all day long, but it doesn't actually mean anything. You can't prove what actually happened. You can only guess. That's the issue. We don't know what happened. And in this political climate, there's no way a jury is going to convict a woman for murder one based on these facts. 

Cosgrove:  You mean there's no way they're ever going to convict a Black woman for shooting a white cop. That's what you're really saying, isn't it? Because if Kendra Daniels was white... 

Price: But she's not. She's Black. There's a certain reality to that fact that if you don't understand that, or you can't appreciate that, that's on you. I'm doing the best I can with the facts and the evidence I have. I'm sorry you don't approve, but don't you dare question my integrity. 

Cosgrove:  Or what? [moving in closer to Price’s face]

Bernard: Hey! That's enough. The man's just doing his job. 

Cosgrove:  His job is to prosecute Kendra Daniels to the fullest extent of the law, not make excuses for her just because she's Black. 

Bernard [stepping  in] Hey, give me a second, Price.  [to Cosgrove]  Hey, man. You gotta back down. 

Cosgrove:  That woman shot and killed Jimmy Doyle, Kev. And she knew he was a police officer. That's it. That's all that matters. 

Bernard: That's what you believe, Frank? Hmm? You believe it's that simple? A Black woman and a white cop? Hmm? [Cosgrove walks off] 

Bernard : Hey, Price. 

Price: Yeah. 

Bernard: Frank is a good man. Says what he feels, and right now he's feeling a lot of pain. And for the record... I respect what you're doing. Takes a lot of guts to stare down NYPD on a case like this. 

Price nods to Bernard at his comments and turns and walks off. 

At a later time, Scott Gleacher testifies about what happened with him and Kendra and when Jimmy Doyle came up and identified himself as NYPD.  Under cross examination, the fact that he received immunity is mentioned. Scott confirms he and Kendra both ran off and that Jimmy chased after Kendra.  Harris asks if Doyle could see their skin color and Price objects but is overruled.  Scott thinks Doyle could see their skin color.  On rebuttal, Price brings out that Scott had no firearm but that Kendra was brandishing one. 

When the prosecution rests, the defense calls Detective Michelle Pierce. Price and Maroun look surprised and Maroun quickly looks her up and finds she is from Internal Affairs.  Price asks her to pull up any complaints involving Doyle right away and he asks the judge to speak in chambers. 

In chambers,   Harris argues they will prove Doyle was racist and he confronted Kendra because of his racism and provoked his own death. Price says this has nothing to do with the shooting;  Doyle saw the gun and thought it was an armed robbery. He thinks this is prejudicial and not probative,  Harris continues to argue racism is why Doyle pursued Kendra and he didn’t trust what she was saying and she was forced to shoot him.   Price thinks Harris is trying to divert from the actual facts and is putting Doyle on trial for two prior unsubstantiated internal affair complaints. Price argues “And for God's sake, haven't we all learned a lesson from the OJ Simpson debacle? Do we really want to go down that path again?” The judge says she doesn’t need a lecture, and agrees with the defense. She adds the victim's relationship with race is integral to their case, stating the two prior Internal Affairs investigations are relevant and provide context for the confrontation between Detective Doyle and the defendant. But Price challenges how two Internal Affairs investigations from over ten years ago could possibly provide context to this murder.  The judge says she is allowing it., and Price, irritated, say it must be an election year.  The judge threatens to hold Price in contempt if he continues. 

Detective Michelle Pierce testifies for the defense and discusses the investigations - 2 - of Doyle. They review the complaints and in one of the, Doyle said the “N” word and in the other it was racial slurs and also the “N” word. Under cross, Price brings out that the investigations were over 10 years ago and there was no disciplinary action, and he was essentially found innocent.  Price brings out information about the men who filed the complaints – one of them was charged with aggravated rape, the other with the murder of a seven year old girl.  Price says the men who accused Doyle were degenerate criminals.  Harris objects and the judge sustains it.  Price has nothing further. 

Afterwards, in the courthouse hall, Price complains to Maroun about the judge and she is losing sight of the facts and the law. Maroun thinks he offset damage on cross and the jury is not stupid.  Jimmy’s wife walks  up to Price and yells at him about what they are doing to him and that crap will follow him until the day his kids die.  She storms off. Maroun agrees is not fair but Price says they need to rebut the idea he is racist.  She suggests calling Doyle’s Black girlfriend that may prove there was one Black woman he loved and admired.  Price thinks it might not be enough but it is something. 

In Supreme Court part 11 on Thursday May 19,  Miss Gates testifies about their relationship and that he was not a racist.  Under cross, Harris brings up a video of Doyle making a comment about  her and referring to her as “brown sugar” as in the Rolling Stones song. 

Kendra is on the stand and talks about her experience with what cops and that she doesn’t trust the police.  She explains that she panicked and tried to tell him no crimes were being committed but he told her to get her Black ass on the ground.  She did not comply as she’s seen what happens even when Black people comply. He explains a situation with her cousin.  She tried to calm Doyle down and that she was just trying to protect her sister. She recalls she had the gun in her jacket and didn’t want him to be surprised. So she told him and he kept coming at her and he had this look in his eyes. She thought he was going to shoot him. She didn’t want to end up like George Floyd and the others and she did what she did as she didn’t want to die.  Under cross, Price says the gun was in her hand not her jacket, and when she says it was in her jacket, he brings up that while Doyle had his gun trained on her she was able to get her gun out of her jacket and shoot him twice.  She replies that’s what happened. Price says after she short Doyle, she didn’t call 911 or attempt to render aid. She admits that is correct and was scared and started running. He says se just left him on the pavement, bleeding, dying.  She is crying, and says yes.  Price has nothing further. 

Later, the verdict is in – they find her not guilty of aggravated manslaughter in the first degree.  The police in the gallery are outraged and yell out.  The judge calls for order.  But the jury finds Kendra guilty of aggravated manslaughter in the second degree.  Kendra’s supporter are also outraged,  Kendra is cuffed and taken away.

Outside the courthouse,  as Price and Maroun are leaving, Maroun tells Price he tried a hell of a case. He says with sarcasm everyone seemed to be so happy with the outcome. Maroun thinks it’s sort of the point, adding when both sides are outraged, it probably means it was a good result. Price comments it doesn't feel so good. Maroun tells him that a really smart prosecutor once told her, “if you try a good case, if you do it the right way, whatever the jury decides is right, whether or not it feels good.’ He raises  his eyebrows and she smiles at him. He smiles back and nods. As they walk off, we look at the frieze on the front of the courthouse which says “The true administration of justice is the firmest pillar of good government" as we fade to black.