Law & Order CI “Icarus” Recap & Review

All photos by NBCUniversal

It begged to be done – it HAD to be done – a ripped from the headlines episode which paralleled the news stories of Broadway's disaster-ridden production of “Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark.”  And it could only be done against the backdrop of New York City.  Using the metaphor of Icarus flying too close to the sun and ultimately to his death, along with repeated references to hubris, casual viewers may think that the episode was simply trying to make a statement about the reasons behind the real life disaster of “Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark.”

I think it’s deeper than that. Maybe it’s Goren himself who is the Icarus character. Possibly his own hubris is what is preventing him from seeing the truth about himself. He may be a genius at solving crimes, but his overconfidence in this ability may be clouding his judgment on solving why he is filled with anger, or why he thinks he doesn’t need the help of the shrink. In a way, Goren is in a labyrinth of his own making, and one that is more like a puzzle or maze than one with an easy exit. We can only hope he will make it through his pilgrimage of discovery, and get out of his maze before the final episode of the series.

Here is the recap:

Marc Landry (Billy Magnussen) arrives late to prepare for the opening of “Icarus” to find his understudy, Bryce Calder, in costume and the director. Amanda Rollins (Cynthia Nixon) gushing over Bryce. They make the quick change over to get Bryce out and Marc in the rigging. Amanda seems worried about Marc’s performance but he blows her off. Roger Porter (Michael Panes),  the dramaturge, offers Amanda a salad but she wants a drink. Afterwards, Amanda gets on the phone with producer Evan Korman (Christopher McDonald) and complains about Marc’s performance. He complains back that she ripped out 200 seats to build a labyrinth and it’s cost him money in ticket sales.

Adam Winter (Eion Bailey) brings in a bouquet of flowers that someone sent to Marc, which include peacock feathers. Adam says Amanda complained about the Minotaur number, and they sing it together.

As the play goes on, Amanda and Adam talk about the performance, and Amanda is being overly critical. Marc, as Icarus, is in his rigging and approaching the prop of the sun, and the rigging breaks and he falls to his death,

Detectives Bobby Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Alex Eames  (Kathryn Erbe) are called to the scene to investigate. Goren makes an adjustment in the labyrinth as he walks through it. They were called in as the rigging was sabotaged. They speak with the stage manager, and she tells them the aerial rigger, Donald Cogan, was responsible for the rigging and he checked it. The cut in the rope may have been subtle enough so as not to be obvious. Marc wanted the final check.

The detectives speak with Donald who denies that he or his team did anything wrong. He says Amanda is a perfectionist and safety is a priority. Eames mentions all the accidents that have plagued the production. He says there were kinks. Goren sees a photo of Donald with his sons and they find out Donald is divorced.

Roger Porter, the dramaturge – the director’s assistant - enters and tells the detectives that he helps Amanda shape the vision. He adds that Amanda says she will cooperate fully and he also offers his help. Goren asks where the last place Marc would have been before his performance. Roger shows him the dressing room and he says Amanda is a genius. Goren notices the flower arrangements with the peacock feathers and mentions that the peacock feathers are bad luck in the theatre, and he wonders if someone was trying to jinx Marc. Roger has no idea who sent it.

The detectives speak with Amanda who says the incident was like a terrible dream. She says they are like family as they have been working on this for two years. Goren notices that Greek mythology is a recurring theme in her work and she comments she is drawn to the classic stories and how human nature endures. He mentions the labyrinth as how Daedalus built the labyrinth to imprison the Minotaur. He complements her presentation of it on stage, and she says it represents a pilgrimage to discovery and a journey for the truth. Eames says this is their job in a nutshell.

Back at Major Case, Eames speaks with Captain Hannah (Jay O. Sanders) about the show, and he says ticket sales have doubled. They are now looking at financials and anyone with a sheet. He tells them to re-interview everyone. Eames is reading Marc’s tweets and he seemed to be very upset about the other accidents, particularly one with a cast member named Gwendolyn.

Back at the theatre, Amanda is upset over the lights in the sun and barks orders to Roger. Evan and Adam approach and Roger says he wanted to make sure they had clearance from OSHA. Evan wants them to focus on the memorial but she wants to focus on her work.

At the Erlanger Theatre Aerial Riggers Workshop, the detectives speak again with Donald and after the press him on the previous accidents and issues with his divorce and child custody, he admits that he was paid $50,000 by Evan Korman for the previous accident as he wanted a spectacular screw up. He never asked him to sabotage Marc's rig but he knew when Marc fell that Evan would cash in.

Later, in Evan’s office with his attorney, th detectives confront Evan and he calls the accusations insane. They tell him about Donald’s affidavit with the previous accident with Gwendolyn. He continues to deny any involvement. Goren continues to press saying that the accidents boost ticket sales. He says all he has is his reputation but there is not enough money in the world to shame the Korman name.

Back at Major Case, the detectives speak with Hannah who thinks the producer killing off a cast member is a little melodramatic. Goren says the DA’s office is looking into the place’s insurance agreements. Korman was in his office from 6 to 9:45 that night. They have nothing to tie Cogan to Korman. They get word that the bouquet with peacock feathers was ordered by Bryce Calder – the understudy.

The detectives speak with Bryce who said he sent the peacock feathers as a joke but said Marc probably didn’t get it because he is a moron. Goren thinks Bryce resented that Marc got the role over him. Bryce says they wanted a name. He tells them that Marc was late and when Marc showed up, he left and went to Sardi’s.

Goren and Eames speak with a server at Sardi’s who said Bryce was there that night and many from the audience came in after the show and were freaking out about what happened. Marc was bitching that he was supposed to go on that night and a critic was showing up, and that could have been Bryce in that rigging. Michael DeWitt from the Times was in Sardi’s 3 nights ago cozying up with Amanda and a waitress overhead Amanda say that a big cast change was in the works.

Goren and Eames speak with DeWitt. He tells them - off the record - Marc Landry was dreadful and getting killed was the best thing that happened to his Broadway career. He adds out of respect, he is not going to review that performance. Amanda said the show was ready and she would get a better review if Bryce was in the lead. He assumed that night Amanda was overruled on the cast change. He mentions that Adam Winter was also insecure about his transition to Broadway and he doubts Amanda could make the change without Adam on board.

The detectives speak with Adam who admits he wondered why DeWitt was in the audience. He says Amanda sees what she wants. She also wanted to replace Marc but Evan would never had let that happen. Amanda also had problems with the sound. Adam lights up a special cigarette and Goren grabs it and sniffs it, saying it is pleasant. It is clove. Adam says Amanda is on a downward spiral, she has no husband, kids, or life outside work and that night, he smelled alcohol on her breath, even though she has been in AA for 20 years. He says she is giving the eulogy for Marc this afternoon and they should watch out. After Adam leaves, Goren speculates that Amanda must have thought she would get Bryce on the stage that night and instead Marc shows up. Eames wonders if Amanda cut the rigging. Goren thinks Amanda has a lot riding on “Icarus” and Eames suggest they visit the memorial to see how heartbroken Amanda really is.

At the memorial in Times Square, Bryce and another cast member sing the song about “hubris” while Amanda mouths along. When Amanda gets up to speak, she appears drunk and emotional. Evan cuts her off and Amanda fights back, saying she was not finished. Eames says they should have sold tickets to this.

With Amanda in interrogation in Major Case, drunk,  the detectives press her about Bryce. She says she doesn’t understand, and mentions the labyrinth and that someone must have given him a “clue.” She tells her attorney she has nothing to hide. Goren accuses her of staging the accident to avoid DeWitt’s review but she denies it, saying the actors are like her children. She admit that Marc didn’t listen to her as he did not trust her. The attorney stops the interview.

When Goren and Eames leave the room, Roger is there and says he is going to take Amanda home. Goren asks what put her over the edge, and he says it was the egomaniacs in the business. Goren tells him he is a very loyal assistant and Roger corrects him, saying he is the dramaturge. Roger says Marc was screwing someone and he kept it on the QT. The production was putting him up at the 4 Seasons and a month into rehearsal, Marc requested another apartment at the Premiere Club for his mother but she never showed up. Amanda comes out of the room and orders Roger to come on. As Amanda and Roger walk off, Eames asks about the comment about Marc getting a clue and Goren says he has a thought but wants to test the theory first with an old friend who teaches mythology at Columbia.

Goren speaks with Cleo Andrews (Patti Smith) who says Icarus is her favorite metaphor for failed ambition - hubris. She mentions a “clew” which is a ball of thread or yarn and Goren says it was a ball of yarn that Daedalus gave to Theseus to help him escape from the labyrinth which angered King Minos who then imprisoned Daedalus and Icarus in the same labyrinth. She asks if he is sure she needs his help, and he says he needs her help on the labyrinth he saw in Amanda’s office. It goes in a circle with one path, not difficult to navigate. Cleo adds some versions it is more of a maze or puzzle, with choices of direction. Goren said the killer thought they had no choice. Cleo says she knows whoever it is, he will find them.

At Dr. Paula Gyson’s (Julia Ormond) office, Goren is there for his session. He is talking about a dream where he thought he was in England and there were men on a bridge with him and they were wearing military uniforms and they were walking the other way. He is hoping she can tell him what it means. He tells her the water the bridge was crossing was turbulent. He thinks she will tell him it means he is at a difficult crossing and that the guys in uniform are NYPD. She says she is struck by the fact he wanted to discuss the dream today and that he wants her to know her opinion matters and she asks now who is asking questions he knows the answer to – instead of discussing what happened at the end of the last session. As he stares at her, she reminds him a week ago he walked out of the session, furious, and today she is not sure what is on his mind or why he came back. He says it is on his mind, and he apologized for losing his temper. She thanks him, and says it is fine to apologize but they should try to reconstruct what happened. He said he overreacted, and she says the something powerful came up, something important, and asks why he turned so quickly. He said they got their wires crossed. She asks if that has happened to him before, and he seems annoyed that she’s implying this never happened to her. She says he became enraged because he thought she suggested he was hitting on her. Goren says he does not know what her angle is with her, is she trying to get him to fail or to fall for her. He doesn’t know if she is trying to get her to behave crazy so she can call the NYPD. She says he does not know the rules of engagement and says they should talk about that. He says he feels anger. She replies that last week he was flooded with it, fight or flight. She asks what is underneath the anger – and he says, “More anger.” She says underneath that is fear, fear that she will betray him and humiliate him and she must be up to something more than to get him to know his own mind and that’s why he runs. She says deep down if they do this work, he is justifiable terrified of what they might discover.

Elsewhere, Amanda speaks with Evan and tells them the police think she killed Marc. He does not think she did it. She needs to know when the performance will be back up. He says they might not be, Roger comes in and apologizes, saying he gave her an Ambien and thought she would be asleep. She is upset that Evan called Roger. She walks off.

Goren and Eames are at the Premiere Club checking on Marc’s apartment. He was not there often. Goren detects a smell and Eames sees a few matchbooks. Goren finds cigarette butts from Adam Winter’s clove cigarettes,

With Adam Winter and his attorney in Major Case interrogation with Goren and Eames, the detectives question him about a possible intimate relationship with Marc. Adam denies it but Eames says they have security footage of him in the elevator kissing Marc. Goren sarcastically suggests Adam cold have been giving Marc mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Adam admits he was up to Marc's apartment to work on his performance. He said he was the peacemaker between Marc and Amanda. He says actors are people pleasers. Adam did see Marc the night he died and they shared the limo to the theatre and it must have been a new driver as he drove around the same block three times. Goren hones in on the three times and Adam says he had to yell at the guy to get him back on 10th Avenue.

The detectives speak with the driver who said the actor distracted him. He then admits that Amanda convinced him to drive Marc around in return for tickets, but then she called him and told him to get Marc to the theatre right away.

Goren and Eames go to Amanda’s and she is enraged because Evan is closing the show. She tells them they should leave. They tell her they know she told the driver to make Marc late. She says she’s thrown herself into her work to the exclusion of all else. The day before Marc died, she had it. He would not take direction and she stormed out of the theatre and drank her lunch. Roger had to pick her up. Goren mentions she changed her mind, and tell her that her assistant called to tell the limo driver to be on time. She says she did not tell him to. She tells them she needs a drink – a diet soda - and she storms off. Eames wonders if Amanda is lying or if her assistant – the dramaturge – Roger made the call, and wonders why. Goren wonders if he wanted to fix it for Amanda or for someone else in the production that had the most to lose.

Back at Major Case, Goren and Eames speak with Hannah to suggest Marc was killed to kill the show. They got the DA’s report back on the insurance and found there was a force majeure clause specifically linked to Marc Landry. In an injury or death to the lead actor, there is a full payout to all the investors, and no one would lose a dime. Two days before Marc was killed Evan was on a half hour conference call with insurance agents going over all the details. Goren said it was the only way to stop the bleeding and he had someone on the inside to do the job. When Hannah asks how they can prove it. Eames says with the help of a lot of egomaniacs with inferiority complexes.

Later, Goren suggests to Evan that Roger looks up to him and they thought if they put them in a room together that Evan can get Roger to confess. Eames enters with Roger, who says that the police said they have new evidence about Marc’s death. Goren looks at Evan and confirms that they do. Goren tells Roger they found his fingerprints on the rig. Evan says he told the police there must be a good explanation and asks if there is anything Roger wants to tell them. Roger says he may have touched the rigging at the stunt rehearsal. Eames tells him Roger did call Evan’s office several times and when Evan says he is sure Roger only meant to heart Marc, not kill him, Roger gets upset and says that is not true. Goren says they think Marc’s fall was only to injure him and sideline the production, and asks Evan if those were the instructions he have Roger, and mentions the clause in the insurance policy. Eames mentions the rider which allows the investors to recoup all their money. Goren presses Evan on the production being a disaster, a money suck catastrophe, and a career ender. Goren then brings up Evan's father and what an embarrassment that would be. Even says all production have problems, but Eames counters those are is not front page news, and that he is the laughingstock of Broadway. Evan  blows it off and they turns to Roger for an explanation, and when Roger says he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to tell, Goren says Evan wants him to back his play because Evan is his boss. But Evan corrects him, saying Roger works for Amanda. Goren says that is a lie, that Roger was hired by Amanda.

Amanda appears and says that is not true. Eames tells them they doubled back with Amanda after hearing about the force majeure clause and that Evan insisted she hire Roger. Evan tells her to go to a meeting and dry out. She says she is sober. She says her choice for dramaturge was expensive and if she wanted to take out the theatre seats for the labyrinth she would have to make sacrifices so she agreed to hire Roger. Even admits that he referred Roger but if Roger killed Evan that had nothing to do with him. Goren turns to Roger and says they though he may have killed to support Amanda’s vision but now they know he did it for Evan. They googled him and show he has 6 shows credited with Evan as producer. Goren also taunts Roger that he is a Yale graduate – a dramaturge. Gore brings up the profit angle but says Roger is an artist who lives in a world of make believe, but this is real, this time someone is dead and Roger’s fear of failure got them there. Evan begins to clap for Goren’s performance, but Goren goes on to say that Evan killed to save his reputation and Roger killed because he wanted to be a producer and share a marquee with Evan. But Even scoffs at that, saying that Roger is no producer as he has no balls. Roger glares at him and then says it was Evan’s idea to stage the accident and it would be best if it just end and the investors get their money. Roger says there is no proof and says he is calling his attorney. But Roger tells him he recorded all their conversations and he has all the instructions. He wanted to make sure he got it right and yells he wanted to do a good job for him. Evan calls him a little prick and makes a move to Roger but Goren holds him off. Evan calls him a lying cheating criminal. Roger says he learned from the best. Goren asks what made the two of them think they could get away with murder, and he cuffs Evan as Eames cuffs Roger. Amanda looks on and answers Goren, saying, “Hubris.” Goren tells Evan, “Show's over “ and as Roger and Evan are taken away, we focus on the image of Icarus as we fade to black.

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Law & Order Criminal Intent “Cadaver” Recap & Review

All photos from NBCUniversal

I hate to keep repeating myself, but this season of Law & Order Criminal Intent has been the best in several years and I am really sorry to see the series end. “Cadaver” was an excellent episode that had me guessing as to who had the motive to kill;  it seemed everyone connected to Ben Langston certainly had one. This was one of those cases where there wasn’t a lot of hard evidence to play with. There was no obvious crime scene and certainly no body – at least not the one they needed – to give them any clues about the killer. It was solid detective work, plain and simple, that brought Goren and Eames to the person who felt that they had the most to lose.

The last segment with Goren in his therapy session was excellent, with Goren finally getting fed up with his sessions and even more so with his therapist, who he thinks is toying with him. While Goren reaching this point wasn’t really too much of a surprise, I was impressed with the way that Vincent D’Onofrio handled the scene where Goren quickly goes from calm and collected to literally getting in the doctor’s face. Goren likes to solve a mystery by challenging others for the truth and I can understand why he wouldn’t take kindly to someone who seems to be evasive when he wants a direct answer. The door slamming at the end and the abrupt black screen said it all – Goren’s mind may now be closed for business as far as these therapy sessions. We can only wait and see in the final episodes if there is any hope of opening him back up again.

Here is the recap:
Ben Langston (Steven Weber), philanthropist and head of Langston pharmaceuticals,  watches as a robotic surgical procedure takes place on a cadaver. As he tests the controls, Theo Kendall (Clayton Apgar) asks him if he read a proposal that he made on spinal cord regeneration. Later, Theo speaks with 2 of his colleagues, Maya Zhuang (Camille Chen) and Sam Harris (Charlie Barnett), about who will win Langston’s grant that night. Maya says she is going to the event with her mother. Later at home, Langston speaks with his wife Lauren (Jenna Stern) about the new equipment. She says she isn’t going to the event as she feels a migraine coming on. His daughter Stella comes in with a drawing for him.

At the Bedford Institute at the dedication of the DaVinci surgical training suite, Langston announces that the winner of the Langston research grant is Maya Zhuang. Later, Maya’s mother Joanne Zhuang (Rosalind Chao) tells Maya to thank Langston again, and they overhear Dr. Harris arguing with Langston. Later, when Langston’s wife comes home she finds that Langston is not there.

The next morning, a jogger find a body in the park – a body with no hair and huge surgical incision on his head.

Detectives Bobby Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Alex Eames (Kathryn Erbe) are at the home of Lauren Langston who has reported her husband missing for the weekend. His car is also missing. She tells them Ben dreamed of being a doctor.

Back at Major Case, Eames and Goren speak with Captain Hannah (Jay O. Sanders) about Langston’s disappearance. It does not appear to be a kidnapping. Langston’s Bentley was found in a parking structure at Pier 92 – a cruise ship terminal.

Goren and Eames head to the location to check out the car. Langston’s name was not on any of the lists for the cruise ships that left that weekend. The car entered the area at 2:40 AM Saturday but the driver was obscured.. Goren notices that the driver’s seat is set for a much shorter person than Langston. They open the trunk and Eames notices the smell of formaldehyde. Goren thinks there was a body in the trunk that was already embalmed. Goren recalls a John Doe that appeared in Riverside park with unusual cuts like a dissection.

Back at the lab, Theo speaks with Maya about Langston and tells her she should get out of the lab more. She says she would rather hang out with the rats. Harris also speaks with her about the other night and said what they said was between them. She tells him she has a lot of work to do.

At the morgue, ME Rodgers (Leslie Hendrix) tells the detectives that the body has already been dissected and has been dead for over a year. Eames thinks the Bedford Institute must use cadavers for their medical school. The body was propped up in the park wearing a suit. Goren notices that the clothes seem to resemble what Langston was last seen in.

At the institute, Goren and Eames speak with a man who work there who identified the body as “Popeye”, real name Joe Slobotnik a man who was in the navy and died of meningitis and his body was donated by the family. The guy thinks it may have been a prank. Slobotnik’s body was scheduled to be cremated that day and the coffin was picked up at 6 that morning.

At the funeral home, there is a service going on for Slobotnik. Goren and Eames tell the funeral director (Geoffrey Cantor ) the body that was cremated may not have been Slobotnik and ask for the remains.

Back at Major Case, Eames tells Hannah that there was a titanium pin in the remains that belongs to Langston. They think the killer dressed the cadaver in Langston’s clothes to buy time so Langston’s body can be cremated. Hannah wonders if one of the losers of the grant took offense.

The detectives, at the Bedford Institute Research Lab, speak with Dr. Harris who says he met Maya after the event. The detectives later speak with Maya about her meeting with Harris and she says she was him from about midnight until past one for a few drinks. Maya’s mother approaches and mentions an incident last year where one of the researchers, Theo Kendall, made a joke at the benefit last year and was reprimanded by Dean Johnson.

The detectives speak with Theo Kendall and the detectives bring up a harassment complaint Maya made against him. They also discuss a prank he played where he dressed up a cadaver as Lauren Langston and still has the photo on his Facebook page and this was the photo he slipped into a fundraising reel. He blows it off as a joke. Goren brings up that Kendall was passed over twice for the grant, and that Kendall has problems with authority, Goren notices a nice antique microscope and mentions that Langston collected them.

Back at the Langston home, the detectives ask Lauren about the antique microscope who says it may have been a gift from her husband. She thought the prank was funny. She does not think Theo Kendall killed Ben as he doesn’t seem the type. Eames asks to use her bathroom and uses that as excuse to talk to Stella. She asks about Stella calling her father that Friday night, and Stella said she saw her parent’s bed empty and when her mom came home, she knew her mom had a play date because she seemed fuzzy. She was always talking to Theo on the phone.

In the Major Case interrogation room, Theo is being questioned by Eames with his lawyer present who admits Theo was with Lauren. He says sex is fun but not killing someone. Meanwhile, Goren questions Lauren who says Theo did not do it, he was with her at a hotel. Her attorney says he can provide evidence. She says she is guilty of infidelity but not murder. Goren cynically says it’s another marriage built on true love, and adds they get a lot of that around here. Goren presses her on the relationship, and Lauren says Theo made her laugh. Eames continues to press Theo who says he last saw Ben with Sam Harris.

Goren and Eames speak with Harris who admits he argued with Langston but says he did not kill him. Later, Eames mentions to Goren that Harris and Langston have some history, Harris was arrested for trespassing at Langston Pharmaceuticals 6 years ago. It was a protest against animal testing. A woman, Clair Morton, was arrested with him. The charges were dropped.

They speak with Clair who said Sam was against animal testing and that they picketed the entrance. Langston never showed up and Harris would not leave, saying Langston could not treat them like that. She comments that Harris’ mother, who had died, used to work with Langston.

Back at Major Case, they find that Sam’s mother, Regina Harris, worked at a lab at the same time as Langston and they both left about the same time. Sam Harris was born 9 months later. They speak again with Sam and says that Langston was only a “sperm donor” and he mother was abandoned by Langston and that  Langston denied them both. Sam says he is better than him and moves to leave but Goren tells him to sit down. Sam says he didn’t want his precious grant and that Langston was spewing lies. They tell him that his mother never made requests for child support, but Sam says Langston was a monster who used him and ran off and married someone else, and he hates Langston. Goren asks Sam why his mother never tried to get anything from Langston but she poisoned Sam against Ben.

Afterwards, the detectives discuss this with Cpt. Hannah who tells them to talk to Lauren Langston to see if she can shed some light. She is surprised at the revelation that Ben had a son. She does not think Ben knew. She adds Ben would have done anything for a boy, they tried. She thinks if Ben knew he had a son that was a doctor he would have given him grant money.

In interrogation, they question Harris again who insists his mother begged Langston to help them. He says his mother was not happy when he applied to Bedford. Goren thinks his mother was afraid Langston would take him away. Harris admits he told Langston that night he was his son, and Langston tried to hug him and would find all his research as a top priority, Harris called him a son of a bitch and left but did not kill him, and he tells them to ask Maya if they don’t believe him – he told Maya, just Maya - when he met her at the bar. She seemed to become affectionate to him but he thinks he misread the signals as a few days later they were back to being just friends.

Later, Goren and Eames wonder why Sam would confess to Maya that Langston was his father if he had killed him. Maybe he thought Maya was his alibi – but Goren recalls that Maya called him.

The detectives speak with Maya’s mother at her home, and Maya comes out of her room. She said she called Sam because things had been tense. She says was shocked when Sam told her Sam was Langston’s son. She went to a few more bars after leaving Sam and went to a few more bars to celebrate, and she shows them some photos she took. Goren also sees a photo of Maya’s sister and she says her mother took the photos down after her sister moved out.

Afterwards, Eames comments that Maya’s bedroom was a shrine to achievement, and Goren adds that Maya grew up in a house where failure was not an option. Goren wonders if Maya was afraid that Langston was going to change his mind.

The detectives speak with Maya’s sister who works at a bar. She says there is no way Maya did anything wrong and that Maya never flinched and never cried. They had a strict upbringing. Maya was living her mother’s life and was the classic good girl. She wanted to be an artist.

Back at the lab, Goren speaks with Maya about her medical research and the need to relax and have fun. He questions her going to 4 bars in one night and thinks the photos are phony and she overcompensated. The call to Sam was just an alibi. He says she knew Langston was Sam’s father before Sam told her because she overheard them arguing. Maya’s mother enters with Eames and tells Maya to stop talking and says they are leaving. Eames tells them they spoke with Maya’s sister and how her mother was and that her standards were unachievable. Goren says Maya is not a killer, she took the oath to do no harm, but her mother did not. Eames accuses Maya’s mother of killing Langston and then Maya switched the body with the cadaver to fix it. Goren also says Maya’s mother also overheard about Sam being Langston’s son, and that she heard Sam would get research money and she panicked that Langston would favor him. Maya blurts out that she killed him but Goren knows that is not true. Her mother admits that she did it and that Maya had no idea. She hit Langston with a centrifuge but that Maya would get rid of the body and switch it. Eames goes on about how Maya handled the cover up, and Maya says they can’t prove any of that. But Goren says she made a mistake by dressing the cadaver in Langston’s clothes. Goren thinks Maya wanted to be caught, because she is a doctor and she saves lives. Her mother says she will sign a full confession but Eames is not willing to let Maya off the hook. Her mother again says she will sign a full confession and will not contest the sentence. When she moves to hug Maya, Goren stops her. She adds her daughter is not going to prison because she is going to cure cancer. Goren cuffs her.

In Dr. Gyson’s (Julia Ormond) office for his therapy session, Goren talks about it being a beautiful day and asks to take the session outside She thinks there is more privacy in there and asks if this is why he wants to go out. He asks her if she always does that, to think that everything is about something else. She was just thinking about the lest session. He brings up that she had asked him if he ever felt lonely or if he had feelings for someone – she adds romantic feelings – and he goes on to say for someone he respects. He said she did not answer his question if it was too late. She asks if he is worried that he missed the boat. He says they don’t have a lot of sessions left and he is a big boy and a grown man. He said she told him his emotional drawbridge is up and he can take it. He asks her to tell him if she thinks he can have what other people have – a home and a relationship. She replies that if he wants to work towards those goals then yes. He asks what that means - no? or is it shrink speak? She asks where this is coming from, and he says he looks in the mirror every day and he sees what she sees. He says this is not working, he asks for her professional judgment and she turns it back on him. He says she is smart and she is someone he respects. She says he wants to know if she sees him as someone being capable of being in a relationship. He seems annoyed and asks if she thinks he is hitting on her. She says no, but he gets up and says he knows what she does, she seems open and empathic and she is beautiful so she gets her patients to trust her and then she pulls back and she toys with them.That is her game, and he gets very upset and says this is not working for him. She says she knows she has inadvertently told him…but he cuts her off and says she should call his captain or One PP or whoever that she reports back to and tell them he is not a good candidate for therapy, getting in her face as he says it. She says he needs to help her understand what she did wrong. As he opens the office door, he says if they want to take his badge away again they can. She says right when he feels the need to run...and he cuts her off to say this isn’t working, it’s not helping, and he slams the door behind him - we abruptly go 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.

Law & Order CI “Getting Personal” Final Season Promo

Here’s a new Law & Order Criminal Intent promo from USA Network which features Vincent D'Onofrio and Julia Ormond.




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Law & Order CI “The Last Street In Manhattan” Recap & Review

All photos from NBCUnversal

Law & Order Criminal Intent continues its string of excellent episodes. ”The Last Street In Manhattan” had it all – an interesting story, compelling characters, fantastic writing, and great acting on everyone’s part. It is so obvious that Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe are enjoying themselves,  and this makes the show fun to watch. The best part is that the writers have such a great feel for Goren and Eames that we are getting dialog that seems very natural for both characters. I laughed out loud at one of Eames lines at the dating service when she referenced the process of finding a soul mate as “soulless.” (They gave Eames some fantastic lines in this episode.) I also enjoyed the brief session with Goren and Dr. Gyson;   it was well written and provided a peek into what makes Goren tick as far as trust issues.

Law & Order Criminal Intent may very well be the best of the Law & Order brand this year, and I can’t imagine this really being its last season.

Here is the recap:

A wall street hot shot David Kellen (David Alan Basche) who has been dating women through a upscale dating service, is on an arranged date. Meanwhile, Frank Driscoll (Nick Chinlund) beats up on bar owner, Sean (Jack McGee) for ratting him out to someone, calling him a snitch. Later, the man talks to his daughter Vanessa (Alexandra Silber) and denies being a snitch.

Later, David is confronted by ex-girlfriend Nikki (America Olivo) in front of his date Andrea and also in the men’s room. After his date with Andrea is over, he is shot twice and left for dead on the street.

Detectives Bobby Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Alex Eames (Kathryn Erbe) are called to investigate the scene as Davis is a CEO of an investment company (Eames refers to him as “another master of the universe” to explain why Major Case was called). As he was shot twice in the chest, Goren thinks this is personal and not done by a pro. Goren notices David is wearing a cheap watch and the round face does not match the square tan lines on his arm. Goren thinks David was ambushed.

They speak with a woman at David’s office who tells them he had a date at Le Chat Blanc last night. Aston Skinner was David’s #2 but Aston has been out of the office. She says David has been acting different lately. Goren notices David has been reading Proust.

The detectives head to Le Chat Blanc and speak with a manager who remembers him being with a woman who said something in French which Goren recognizes as Proust. Eames gets a message that Aston Skinner in back in town.

They speak with Skinner and ask him about David’s last call to him. He said David was upset and called him a dead man. David thought Aston was in Southampton with their top client to take him away from David, which he admits he was. He and David respected each other and just completed a huge deal for Salton Foods. Now that David is dead, Aston is the new CEO.

Back at Major Case, another detective got a warrant and as a result, has David’s high priced square-faced watch. As it still works,  they think David made a choice to wear the cheap watch. Captain Hannah (Jay O. Sanders) tells them some think this is a calculated attack on bankers but Eames thinks this is unlikely. They think the woman he is with, who was referred to as “Doctor,” is a doctor of education because of her knowledge of Proust.

Later, they track down his date Andrea, who David met through a dating consultant, The Swan Club. She tells them about David’s ex-girlfriend confronting David and following him into the men’s room.

At the office of Stephanie Miller (Julie White) at the Swan Club, she explains the service. She said David said he didn’t feel it with the women. His longest relationship was with Nikki Vanson, for 3 months. When Miller offers to put Goren in her database, Eames says she is sorry but he can’t afford her “meat market.”

Meanwhile, as Frank Driscoll is arguing with someone, Vanessa storms in and yells at him for beating up her dad as he had nothing to do with it. She admits it was her. He swears he had nothing to do with the the beating.

The detectives speak with Nikki who admits confronting David, only after Goren confronts her with her lie about it. She says afterwards she was home with her new boyfriend - Aston Skinner.

They speak with Aston about this, and he denies killing David. Goren confronts Aston about David trying to fire him over the Salton Foods merger over possible insider trading. Aston denied being the leak and the board agreed. He said David was disliked and liked to talk tough.

Afterwards, Goren says he will have their forensic accountant check out the trading information. Eames wondered how he got set up with Nikki. They go back again to Stephanie Miller and find that Aston met Nikki while dating David. She add that David was not interested in Nikki, he dumped her for someone else - some teacher in Inwood.

Goren and Eames head to P.S. 121 where Eames also went to school. They speak with Vanessa who talks about how she met David. She lives in Inwood on 218th street – the last street in Manhattan, where the Hudson meets the East River. They dated two months and last saw him a week or two before he died. She is sad he’s dead. The night he was killed she was working at her father’s bar and suggests they check the cameras.

The detectives check the bar and speak with Vanessa’s dad Sean who has big plans for the bar. They see he is running book. As they check the surveillance video,  Vanessa’s father said Vanessa was devastated that David was killed.

Back at Major Case, the detectives tell Hannah that Vanessa was at the bar until late and that her dad also has big plans for the bar. Another detective enters and tell them they have someone who said he saw David’s killer. They later speak with Michael Connelly who picks out Nikki from a photo array.

Later, Eames speaks with Nikki in interrogation who denies it and does not even own a gun. But she admit she lied, she was embarrassed that she went to the restaurant but did not kill him. She points the finger at Vanessa because Vanessa is white trash and David dumped her too. Goren and Hannah are listen in and Goren does not think Nikki killed David. He also wonders about the witness, Connelly.

Eames gets info on Connelly, who seems clean as a whistle. His brother Greg lives in Inwood and has many drug busts. Goren wonders if Connelly is doing someone a favor.

Back at the bar, Vanessa is upset and her father comes in. She says she never wanted him to die. He tells her to stick to home with guys so she won’t get hurt.

Back in Inwood, Eames reminisces about living there when she was young. They speak with Vanessa about the Connelly boys who denies knowing them. They talk about David dumping her and when Eames mentions her being white trash from Inwood, Vanessa says she has to go. When Eames continues to press, Vanessa says clearly Eames has been hurt by men. She says David was a good man and she will not crap on his memory.

When the detectives leave, they discuss that Vanessa defended David. Goren thinks she knows more than she is letting on. Eames gets a call – they found Michael Connelly. They head to the morgue where Connelly lay dead. ME Rodgers (Leslie Hendrix) said that Connelly was shot execution style and dumped in the river. He appeared to have been chained but his body slipped loose and he floated.

Back at Major Case, the detectives review what they know with Hannah. Greg Connelly worked for Jack Driscoll who has been a suspect for being involved in crimes such as extortion, loan sharking and murder. Hannah tells them to bring him in.

With Driscoll in interrogation, he denies knowing David Kellen. He knows Sean who runs the bar and runs book on the side. Driscoll says Sean settled up with his loan. They tell him Sean’s daughter Vanessa was dating David and Driscoll acts surprised. Driscoll refers to David as the merger king, saying he learned that name from the papers. Goren confronts him on the criminal accusations made against him and then accuses him of betting on stock like Salton Foods. He tells them forensic accountants are looking in to allegations of insider trading. Driscoll says he wants his lawyer.

Watching from the observation room, Hannah says Driscoll breathes “douche bag.” The detectives think that Driscoll used Connelly as a alibi and then knocked him off when he thought Connelly would admit to being a false witness. They need Driscoll’s motive for killing David.

Back at the bar, they speak with Sean about Driscoll and ask how much he owes Driscoll. When Goren pushes him,. Sean admits he is in to Driscoll for $70K. Goren said Driscoll told them he settled up. Sean says he is not a snitch and is saying nothing.

Later, in his analysis session with Dr. Gyson (Julia Ormond) Goren talks about his father. He has a flash of his encounters with his father. His father asked Goren to lie about some of the things his father did when Goren was with him as a child. He says his father taught him that everybody lies all the time, and this is one of the early survival skills and it serves him well in his work. She tells him work is not the only place he applies this lesson. Goren asks if she ever gets tired of asking questions she knows the answer to. When she says she is sure they both do, he says “then say what you mean.” She says he is letting her know that he can’t trust her and that she lies to him and he is putting a distance between them and this is not the first time he has used this rule in an intimate relationship.

At the home of Johnny Eames (Raymond J. Barry) Alex tends to her father with Goren present, and her dad clearly drinks a lot and smokes a lot. They talk about Driscoll. As they leave, Eames tells Goren her father has Irish Alzheimer’s, he forgets everything but the grudges. Goren has an idea – he thinks he knows how the Salton Foods information got leaked and they need to move before someone else gets killed.

When Vanessa arrives at her father’s bar, crime scene tape is up. She races in and Eames tells her they think Jack Driscoll killed her dad. They question her at the bar about David and Goren brings up the $80 watch on David’s body. Goren says he was wearing the one she got him. Goren presses her on the breakup and why she bought him the watch. She says when he was young he sold seeds door to door so he could buy a watch. He got the watch and lost it a year later. She loved the story so she got him a new one. Goren brings up her father and his grand plans and that it took money which he borrowed from Driscoll. Goren and Eames press and she admits that she tipped off Driscoll to the stock trade that she overheard David talking about. She says Driscoll saw David as the golden goose. She admits she told David about what happened not her father, and that when David talked tough to Driscoll about it, Driscoll killed him. She asks what they need her to do.

Later, as Driscoll is being led in to Major Case in cuffs, Vanessa watches. Eames says there is something they have to tell her, and she is apologetic about it. Eames said she is from Inwood too and knew there was only one way to get Vanessa to tell the truth. They lead her into a room where her father is alive, sitting in a cell. She is overjoyed and her father consoles her. As Goren and Eames leave the room, Eames comments that Vanessa tried to save her father’s life and it cost David his. Goren says, “show me a hero and I’ll write you a tragedy….Fitzgerald.” As they walk off, we fade to black.



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

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

Law & Order CI “Boots on the Ground” Recap & Review

Law & Order Criminal Intent “Boots on the Ground” is the third episode of season 10, and I’m still impressed with the overall quality. Having Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe back is a big part of it, but the storytelling and dialog has also greatly improved. The other welcome change is that the show is literally brighter and more colorful, the color saturation pumped up. Despite the liberal use of intense color and lighting, the show still retains an edgy feeling, possibly because the quirky Bobby Goren we all know and love is back doing what he does best. While Goren still has to work through his inner demons, the splashes of color give the feeling that there is hope for him.

I was relieved when they placed his session with the shrink at the end of the episode.  It seems to fit much better and, unlike last week’s episode, it didn’t ruin the momentum of the case. Although there were a lot of key players in this murder, the story did not seem overly complicated, something that Criminal Intent had been guilty of in the past.

Here is the recap:
Detectives Robert Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Alex Eames (Kathryn Erbe) are called to investigate when Ian Masefield - who works for Ascalon Security in the cyber warfare division – falls to his death on top of a taxi. They quickly determine he was pushed and that someone scaled onto the deck from below, and the killer was smaller than the victim. There was also a negligee at the scene.

Captain Hannah (Jay O. Sanders) thinks that Ian’s talents with cyber warfare was am asset. The detectives check with his employer Terrence Brooks (Michael Kelly) at Ascalon who doesn’t seem to know Ian. They then find Ian was using Elise Clark’s (Michele Pawk) home as his mailing address.  She said her son Matt is a friend and Ian uses Matt’s mailing address as Ian traveled. Goren also notices that Matt’ s mother home schooled him. She says she doesn’t know where Matt is.

At Matt Clark’s apartment they find Matt has a sophisticated hacking operation. They also find that Matt Clark IS Ian Masefield. When the detectives head back to Elise Clark’s home, she appears to be on the run.

The detectives wonder why Matt was working at Ascalon under another name and think Elise knew what Matt was up to. One of the apartments in Matt’s building was owned by Sun Tech Industries, and Matt also worked there recently.

The detectives speak with Naomi Halloran (Jeri Ryan) and tell her Matt fell to his death from the company’s corporate penthouse. Halloran’s husband was killed in Afghanistan. Eames tells her it is odd Matt was up in the Sun Tech penthouse when he worked for Ascalon, and that they found a slinky nightie up there. They accuse her of having Matt work for the competitor as a mole. She admits that is true.

The detectives check back with Terrence who recognizes the photo of Matt as Ian Masefield. He didn’t kill Matt, and he will be looking into whatever Matt stole.

Back at Sun Tech, they have the data that Matt stole and Halloran seems happy that the police will likely subpoena it.

The detectives check with the shop that sold the negligee and they find Matt had two bodyguards with him. He also had a black negligee delivered later. (Goren states he loves the place.)

At the apartment of Rebecca Landon (Tala Ashe), where the negligee was delivered, they find that Landon teaches Israeli self defense. She also has a similar tattoo to Matt’s.

They bring her to Major Case to discuss all the confidential documents in her apartment and the hacking gear, the same equipment as Matt. They accuse her of climbing the building and killing Matt. She denies it, saying they had the same goals, to destroy the contractors like Ascalon and Sun Tech – all the warmongers.

Later, they tell Hannah about Matt and Rebecca’s plan to steal data to make their secrets public. Matt had his own agenda and was trying to bring both companies down. They also think Elise Clark is a person of interest as she fled. They want to know what data was taken is this may be the motive, so Hannah tells them to throw a subpoena at Sun Tech.

At Sun Tech, they tell Naomi that Matt and Rebecca were providing data to Wikileaks. Naomi says Matt found Terrence’s poison pill – documents Terrence could use against his enemies.

Later, as Terrence moves to his car with a group of people, there is an explosion nearby which throws them all to the ground.

Afterwards, at Major Case, AFT shows Goren and Eames what was collected at the site of the explosion. Goren says the parts are “old school.”

The detectives speak again with Terrence to talk about Matt taking his “poison pill” data and saying this gave Terrence a motive. Goren adds that Naomi’s husband may have a grudge because of a suicide bomber that got into a building that Ascalon was supposed to be protecting. Terrence said her husband was lousy and Naomi had problems with him. But Naomi later tells them the opposite, saying Terrence is a liar. She also says they have never had a document leak and also said she hired bodyguards to watch Matt. She thinks Matt sent them home that night.

While walking down the street, Naomi is confronted by Terrence. They accuse each other and Naomi tells him maybe someone else is looking at him for payback.

At Major Case, their tech guy has been unable to find a poison pill, but they find the tattoo are a the hallmark of the Peoples Liberation Brigade. Hannah said those are the people that tried to blow up the bull statue on Wall Street years ago. Goren asks to see the mug shots of the fugitives from that group, and Matt’s mom’s photo is one of them.

Later, they have Elise Clark in custody and confront her about running and the new bomb and that it was the same style as the one used to blow up the bull in 1976. She thinks Terrence killed Matt. Goren sees she also has a tattoo and accuses her of teaching Matt how to be a revolutionary. She also thinks Naomi would not have killed Matt as Matt and Naomi were lovers.

The detectives confront Rebecca with this information and also that they searched her apartment and found shoes that match the shoeprints on the rooftop. She calmly denies killing Matt. Goren presses her on what happened, but she blankly says her friend is dead.

Afterwards, Goren tells Hannah they are digging themselves a hole and that Rebecca’s answers have been coached. Even if Rebecca did it, Hannah thinks someone ordered her to do it. The tech guy Stan also says he has not been able to find anything incriminating. Goren thinks the document analysis was designed to waste their time.

Goren goes back to Elise who is in the detention cell, and confronts her that she did not flinch when they told her that Matt had died and that she has kept it together. He asks her what she did after they left, did she cry then? She asks him if he believe in anything beyond his badge. He says he believes that victims need an advocate. He asks her if what she has done over the years was worth it. He reminds her all she has done and her son is still gone and was her revolution worth his life? He says if she wants justice for Matt, he needs her help. She asks how.

Later, in Hannah’s office at Major Case, Terrence enters with his attorneys. Goren begins to question him and Terrence says he knows Goren’s techniques. Goren accuses him of killing Matt and having help.

Eames enters with Naomi and her attorney and she is surprised to see Terrence there. Goren tells both of them that they found hard drives with data stolen by Matt, and Matt belonged to a group of computer thieves – and that Naomi gave them the data. Goren also thinks Terrence gave the data to Naomi. Goren also said that Matt gave the files to Wikileaks who sent it everywhere. He adds that Naomi gave them the documents and said they were Terrence’s poison pill. Goren takes the cart full of files and pushes it out the office door. He said that was just thousands of pages of useless documents designed to waste their time and to expose nothing. He accused both of them of teaming up. He also adds that Naomi was in love with Matt, and then adds that Terrence told Naomi that Matt was cheating on her and that must have made her crazy. As Terrence moves to leave,  Hannah shows a video of Elise, saying that Rebecca has a husband who is like Matt - he infiltrates. She adds that Matt loved Naomi. Goren brings up the negligee and that someone else - not Matt – ordered the second negligee to be sent to Rebecca. Eames said Terrence was setting her up. Naomi lunges at Terrence and she admits that Terrence told her Matt was sleeping around and she lost it. All she did was call off the bodyguards. Goren tells her Matt’s love for her cost him his life and that she should mull that over for her next 25 years in prison for murder conspiracy.

As they take Naomi away in cuffs, Goren turns to Terrence. Goren reminds Terrence his slogan is boots on the ground, and shows the boots matched to shoeprints at the murder scenes and they were Rebecca’s and that he sent her. Eames starts up a video showing Rebecca under questioning. Rebecca admits that Terrence called her and said her 12 year old cousin had died in a hit and run and the next time he called she did what he asked. She admits that she met Matt on the roof and she was there and he tried to fight back. She said it was him or his family. Goren tells Terrence that Matt was in the business to put Terrence out of business so he needed to die. He adds that Terrence had an innocent 12 year old killed to force Rebecca to kill Matt, and that Rebecca will testify against him. Goren gives a half hearted salute and then cuffs Terrence.

As they take Naomi and Terrence off, Hannah comments about both of them and Elise and Rebecca - and Eames adds that everybody goes to jail.

Later, Goren is in therapy with Dr. Paula Gyson (Julia Ormond) and he tells her he thought about what she said. He admits his world is treacherous. He says he had a friend Louis who works on cars who told him the biggest mistake people make is they have an old car that stalls out all the time so they flush the transmission and clear out the gunk. They kill it. Al the gunk that was there was plugging up all the holes and the car never runs again. Gyson thinks Goren is afraid the analysis that he will stop functioning. Goren comments she thinks this will not happen because he can trust her. She replies she would not presume to tell him who to trust. She is interested that he compared himself to an old car, and cars can’t feel and they don’t stop and reflect, they are made to work. He comments that his mother did her best to take care of him but she was schizophrenic. Goren has a memory of Nicole Wallace talking about his mother not being like other mothers. He comes back to the present and tells Gyson he spoke to someone about this before, in interrogation. He says he betrayed and pimped out his family to get a confession. She says he did what he had to – he always has – and he did not betray his mother. She asks, “but what have you done for her son?” As Goren reflects on this comment, 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.