Law & Order “The Great Pretender” Recap, Review, Discussion

Law & Order “The Great Pretender” was what I call a “bait and switch episode” – when you start watching you think you’ll be seeing the usual murder case and trial, but then it takes a left turn.  That left turn: putting a big pharma CEO on trial for manslaughter for someone other than the first victim and for someone the man never met nor directly gave him any drugs. 

Price appears to be the kind of prosecutor who is always looking to up the ante and feels he is invincible.  I can see how he'd feel that way, as he keeps winning cases with flimsy evidence, as in this case. Even when the direct evidence is thrown out, he still gets a guilty verdict, based on the testimony of just two people (excluding the defendant).  Maybe it’s just me, but if I was on a jury, I’d want more than what Price offered before I handed someone a guilty verdict for manslaughter.  During the trial, we find that Price’s brother died of an overdose 9 years before, which explains why he was so focused on getting justice, despite him saying he's just following the law. 

Maroun also behaves questionably when she makes sure that her key witness has the drugs he needs to get through the testimony.  I understand she wanted to support Price but why on earth she’d risk her own career is beyond me.  It was also strange to see her look surprised that the defense had a pretty good idea of what happened here.  She’s naïve if she didn’t think the defense would be watching anyone involved in this case. 

The detective work was crisp and efficient and Bernard and Cosgrove seemed to really click here. 

Here is the recap: 

Ella Whitlock, who is starting up her own nightclub, is found murdered.  Bernard and Cosgrove do their usual investigating, and while doing so, find that the murder victim is not a rich heiress but a scam artist, Mary Costello, who has cheated more than one person out of thousands of dollars.  Even the parents are clueless to her scam, and  they explain someone just gave her a diamond necklace worth $200,000.  The detectives later find she is up to her eyeballs in debt and owes a lot of people a lot of money.  The detectives get a photo of her wearing that necklace that night but it was not on the body.  Mary also used a “matchmaker" who connected her with Wyatt Ackman, who denies any involvement.  They continue to track down others who Mary scammed.  Matthew Dooley made some threats to her after she scammed him out of $48,000, and there were others.   Eventually they end back with Wyatt Ackman, who lawyers up right away.  He also gave her that expensive necklace. 

Wyatt, heir to a $200 billion pharmaceutical fortune, is arraigned and despite arguing that that he’s battling a severe opioid addiction, gets remanded to Rikers.  Later, Maroun and Price explain to Jack that Wyatt is using a “settled insanity” defense, which is  variation of a not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.  It claims the defendant's drug addiction is so severe he/she can’t form the requisite intent to commit murder.  Maroun investigates Wyatt’s addition; she speaks to  a treatment counselor who worked where Wyatt had gotten treatment –  Eric Howe,  a former addict himself.  He explains Wyatt was going to propose to Ella/Mary.   

The judge denies any motion for the defense to use the settled insanity defense, which pushes Wyatt’s attorney to a plea deal of Man 1, 15 years. The defense has a recording which implicates Wyatt’s uncle Charles Ackman,  the founder and CEO of Northwestern Pharma, indicating Charles is getting rich by getting people addicted to his drugs and this is his whole marketing strategy.  They want to trade this information for a deal.  Price and Maroun hear that Wyatt’s treatment counselor who Maroun had just spoke to had relapsed the night before and died that morning of an overdose.  Wyatt wants to hold his uncle accountable. 

Later, Price and Maroun have differing opinions on how to proceed; Maroun wants to reject the plea abut Price wants to forge ahead, and manages to convince Jack to give Wyatt the plea and let him pursue a case of manslaughter against the Charles Ackman. 

Problems ensue for Price when the audio recording Wyatt had of Charles gets thrown out as evidence.  Price seems very driven on this case and when Maroun presses him on why, he deflects by telling Maroun to find out who Eric Howe was, before he got addicted to the drugs. 

Later, they have Eric’s doctor on the stand who was taking the Oxy made by Northwestern Pharma and the defense makes is evident that Charles never directly offered the doctor any money and the doctor wrote the prescriptions himself.  The doctor also got immunity. 

Maroun preps Wyatt for his testimony  but when he seems off, he admits he’s got back on the drug in Rikers and is in withdrawal as his hookup just got released. He can’t testify in this condition so he asks Maroun to go to his house, and pick up a package from his housekeeper and bring it to court in the morning. 

The next day, Wyatt testifies and seems lucid.  He explains his uncle knew about how the drug was being used and abused and that he knew some doctors were selling prescriptions. He said Charles knew this and aggressively marketed the drug anyway,  and that Charles says addicts make the choice to do drugs, they are not victims, they are victimizers.   The defense brings up the reduction in charges for Wyatt for killing his girlfriend.  They also bring  up that Wyatt is an addict and asks if he is high right now.  Wyatt says no.  But the defense attorney said a private investigator spoke to Wyatt’s housekeeper last night and that someone came to his home and picked up a prescription for him – and the judge sustains Price’s objections on this matter. 

Outside the courthouse, Price knows what Maroun did and she argued that Price told her to make sure Wyatt was an effective witness and that he was a mess last night.  Price said he could have overdosed and Maroun says he didn’t.  She know the case is important to Price which mean it is important to her and she did what she had to do. 

Charles Ackerman testifies in his own defense and that he never met Eric  Howe.   Price cross examines him about his marketing strategy and that the drug is dangerous and he withheld information.  Charles says the drug is legal and Price says so are handguns but you can’t shoot someone and get away with it.  The defense wants to be heard in chambers. 

In chambers, Price's potential bias about the drug comes out as he must explain his brother died of an Oxy overdose 9 years ago.  Price insists that he has been following the facts and the law and the judge finds the defense’s bias allegations troubling but does not agree to a mistrial. 

Price makes an impassioned closing argument – and later gets a guilty verdict for manslaughter.  The judge adjourns and Price looks relieved as we fade to black.