Law & Order Episodes Week of March 9. 2008

NBC re-airs many SVU and Criminal Intent episodes this week on Sunday March 9, Tuesday March 11, Wednesday March 13, and Saturday, March 15. Law & Order is also running a current season episode re-run on March 15. But don't dispair, the “mothership” Law & Order is thankfully running a new episode this week in its normal Wednesday night time slot. Here’s the episode synopsis:


Law & Order “Submission” Air Date March 12, 2008
DOG FIGHTING; A WINE DEALERSHIP AND AN OVERZEALOUS REPORTER:LARA FLYNN BOYLE GUEST STARS - The police break up a dog-fighting ring, and discover a woman’s finger inside one of the dead animals. The finger is identified as belonging to Lauren Vance, soon-to-be ex-wife of Marty Vance (guest star Adam Rothenberg), after her body turns up near a dog breeder. Since Lauren and her husband were in the process of divorce proceedings, Detectives Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin) and Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) initially suspect Marty as the brutal murderer. Marty was involved in the dog-fighting ring with friend and business partner Jay Carlin (guest star David Harbour), an extremely wealthy wine dealer. As the investigation unfolds, the detectives plot to trick an ambitious reporter, Dawn Talley (guest star Lara Flynn Boyle), who uses her sexuality to try to break the case. Turns out Jay’s business is a scam, which leads prosecutors Michael Cutter (Linus Roache) and Connie Rubirosa (Alana De La Garza) to a new suspect. Also starring: Sam Waterston and S. Epatha Merkerson.


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

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

Law & Order “Betrayal”: The Betrayers Are Betrayed

This Law & Order episode had everyone turning on each other. The only exception may have been the murder victim.

A minor annoyance with the new season of Law & Order has the show starting with a more Criminal Intent feel to it. Mind you, I like Criminal Intent just fine, but always felt that for the original Law & Order, it’s always been better not seeing up front information on the victim. I always liked the way the show had people finding the murder victims in often-accidental ways.

We see the murder victim, psychiatrist Isaac Waxman (L&O repeat offender John Shea) talking into a tape recorder… and then he’s found dead in a spray of bullets. The detectives perform their usual inspection of the crime scene, the usual questioning of witnesses, family, etc, and the usual discussion of the evidence. It was all a little too patterned. The first half of Law & Order still seems to be inconsistent in its delivery. Green (Jesse L. Martin) and Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) work well together, but maybe it’s become a little to routine. And they seemed to have left Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) behind in this episode, giving her very little face time. My wish is that they could add a spark to this half of the show.

The detectives initially suspect the murderer is one of the psychiatrist’s young patients, who said the doctor always told him to repeat the phrase to “be a rock in a sea of chaos.” (For some reason, I kept thinking of the Seinfeld episode where George’s father keeps shouting "Serenity now!”) The problems with this young patient gives them an excuse to bring in their shrink on call, Dr. Olivet (Carolyn McCormick). Personally, I always preferred Dr. Skoda because he always seemed more in tune with his role with the DA’s office, yet still remained objective. It seems like Dr. Olivet has always been a little unpredictable, unreliable, and self-absorbed. Of course, she lived up to my expectations in this episode.

But, more evidence points to the doctor’s wife Catherine Waxman (Moira Kelly), coming from a wrinkle in her alibi based on comments from her daughter. She is arrested and the DA's office gets involved. This is when the show picks up a bit and got a lot more interesting. And, during the second half of the show, Michael Cutter (Linus Roache) suffers a few times from accent reversal and says “Emmer” for Emma, “lawr” for law, and “sawr” for saw. Not a big deal, I just found it funny.

Back to the case. Waxman gets her daughter to change her story, and this precipitates Cutter to go back and question the daughter about her statement. As he was questioning her, with Lupo present, I found myself wondering how people can get away with questioning minors without their parent’s permission. It seems to happen on Law & Order frequently and it always seems to be a problem when it’s discovered, so I wonder if it’s legal for them to do it. Cutter gets the daughter to tell the accurate story, but not before Lupo attempts to cut him off. Outside, Cutter and Lupo have an exchange, when Lupo accuses Cutter of roughing her up:

Cutter: Would you feel better if I offered her a lollipop?
Lupo: I’d feel better if you hadn’t roughed her up.
Cutter: How’d you think her mother got her to lie? I'm playing to win detective. Winning means putting Catherine Waxman in jail.
Lupo: Is this some kind of sport to you?
Cutter: Stick with your law books detective. On the page the law is a much purer thing.

While Cutter’s comments were somewhat dismissive and condescending, he was probably right to explain the real world to Lupo. Somehow, though, I sense Cutter is a little too big for his britches.

One segment of the show that seemed a little too contrived was the playing of the voice mail from Waxman to her mother, which conveniently had the sound of a cruise ship in the background. Of course, it points them to a specific dock where divers conveniently find the murder weapon. How does that work, exactly? Can a ship’s horns be only loud enough to be heard in a specific area? I would think that sound in the Law & Order universe would follow the same laws of nature and be able to travel outside the confines of one area or dock. Maybe it’s just me, or my unfamiliarity with the area in question, but I would think that the sound of a ship’s horn couldn’t be that precise.

Later, when Cutter retracts his plea offer, we hear the defendant offer up her story of being abused as a teen by her doctor/husband, and then proceeds to fire her attorney. Later, when Cutter decides to bring in a controversial expert witness, Jack has a bit of a cow but allows Cutter to go forward. And that’s when things get interesting.

The expert testifies that contrary to popular belief, it’s not true that in all cases of willing sexual encounters between adolescents and adults, it does not cause psychological harm or trauma. The defendant (now acting as her own attorney) attempts to discredit her credentials by saying the doctor was condemned by congress, which was to be expected.

Dr. Olivet, however, makes this all about herself, getting upset with the DA's office as she drops the bomb that the defense called her to testify. “She studies studies. I counsel victims” Olivet moans to McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Cutter. Cutter tells Olivet that Waxman is using her to support a bogus defense. Olivet whines that the expert’s position “devalues what I do, who I am….I’m going to set the record straight.” Jack retorts “ You understand you’re working for the other side now. That means the gloves have to come off. “ Of couse Liz, we know this is all about YOU.

Jack offers his help to Cutter with the problem with Olivet, and Cutter assumes it’s because Olivet was a rape victim herself and it may affect her credibility. Jack says, “No, not that.” Uh-oh!

Olivet gets the surprise of her life when her relationship with a detective who she counseled after the detective lost a partner is outed. I assume that this was in reference to a long speculated - but never actually proven on an Law & Order episode (as far as I know) - relationship that Olivet had with our one and only Detective Mike Logan (Chris Noth)? I could see Olivet just seething. I enjoyed ever second of Ms. High-and-Mighty getting her comeuppance.

This brings me to the best dialog of the episode, in the parking garage where Jack is getting ready to leave on his motorcycle:

Olivet: That hurt, Jack.
McCoy: I warned you.
Olivet: You betrayed a confidence
McCoy: You went to bat for a woman who shot her husband in cold blood, and who would have killed anybody else she found in his office. If I had to betray a confidence to ensure she goes to jail, so be it. These are the rules we live by.
Olivet: This isn’t your finest hour, Jack.
McCoy: Nor yours.

Olivet can sure dish it out, but she can’t take it. I am so glad that Jack put her in her place one and for all. And maybe also added fuel to the Logan/Olivet rumors. It was worth sitting through a flat first half to get to this gem.


After that, things wrap up quickly. As expected, the defendant crumples during cross examination when the realization that the “Meredith” her husband was talking about on the tape recording was not another woman. It was the town to where the doctor drove the defendant to the psychiatric hospital as a teen and also the name of a memoir that her husband was writing about this time. Of course, this rattles the defendant and she starts repeating the phrase “ I am a rock in a sea of chaos.”

Later in Cutter’s office, Rubirosa (Alana De La Garza) tells Cutter that the next time she says it’s a slam dunk to “drop that on my foot”, looking at a large piece of concrete marked as evidence on Cutter’s file cabinet. Maybe that was the rock in the sea of chaos we heard so much about in this episode? I have to say, they are trying a little too hard to bring out some of the stuff Cutter keeps in his office.

So let me get down all the betrayals here. The wife thinks the husband betrayed her so she kills him. Lupo thinks Cutter is betraying the law. Olivet thinks the DA’s office betrayed her by cutting her out, so she betrays them and testifies for the defense. McCoy betrays a confidence to counter Olivet’s betrayal. And it turns out Olivet betrayed her oath by having an affair with a patient. But wait, the husband really didn’t betray the wife after all, so she killed him for nothing.

I think I got it.


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

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

Law & Order CI: D’Onofrio Cameo on SNL

Vincent D’Onofrio (or was it Bobby Goren?) makes a cameo appearance on Saturday Night Live during the spoof of the Clinton/Obama debate. The clip is 9 minutes long, and he appears about 5 minutes into it. Criminal Intent – and D’Onofrio fans, will appreciate it. The debate spoof itself is also well done.

I am not sure how long this clip will be available, so view it while you can!



Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

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

Law & Order Spoof: “Really Special Victims Unit”

The web site “funnyordie.com” is featuring a Law & Order spoof, called “Really Special Victims.” It stars Gregory Itzin, of “24” fame. (He's no Sam Waterston, but he does a good job here.) The detectives are in search of the Law & Order sound – we know it as the doink-doink, of course. It has a funny twist at the end that you’ll enjoy, especially if you’re a 24 fan.





Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

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

Law & Order Episode Summaries, Week of March 2

NBC goes from being the Peacock Network to being the Law & Order Franchise Network for the week of March 2.

Law & Order is running a new episode this week, with SVU and Criminal Intent rerunning episodes previously aired this season. NBC is also showing an episode of Special Victims Unit on Sunday, March 2, and Criminal Intent is being aired at 8:00 PM (instead of 9:00) on Wednesday. NBC is also airing Criminal Intent, SVU and L&O reruns on Saturday night.

Sunday March 2
Law & Order SVU: “Alternate”
A woman (Guest Star Cynthia Nixon) with multiple personalities may have harmed her infant daughter. As Stabler (Chris Meloni) and Benson (Mariska Hargitay) investigate the case, they discover the woman herself may have been abused as a child, resulting in her fractured psyche. Meanwhile, Munch is put in charge of the department after the captain is temporarily removed from duty. Bronson Pinchot also guest stars.

Tuesday, March 4
Law & Order SVU “Blinded”
While working the case of a kidnapped girl found in the trunk of a stolen car, Stabler is injured by a suspect (Guest Star Arye Gross), a schizophrenic artist believed to be a serial rapist. The trial brings up a dark moment in Novak's past, which seems to affect her judgment.

Wednesday, March 5
Law & Order Criminal Intent “Depths”
The case of a dead diver causes tension to surface between the department and the FBI over possible terrorist connections. Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Eames' (Kathryn Erbe) probe, however, leads them to the treacherous world of deep-sea treasure hunters.

Law & Order (NEW EPISODE) “Betrayal”
WHEN A PSYCHIATRIST WHO TREATS DISTURBED TEENS IS FOUND MURDERED HIS TROUBLED PATIENTS AND JEALOUS WIFE ARE THE PRIME SUSPECTS - A psychiatrist is found shot to death in his office, and Detectives Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin) and Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) initially suspect one of his young patients. Clues lead the detectives to the doctor’s jealous and much younger wife, Catherine (guest star Moira Kelly). The pressures of the case drive Catherine to admit her troubled past leading to his murder. The prosecuting team, Michael Cutter (Linus Roache) and Connie Rubirosa (Alana De La Garza) are then faced with the daunting task of convincing the jury that Catherine’s troubled youth is no excuse for murder. Also starring: Sam Waterston, S. Epatha Merkerson, Linus Roache, and Alana De La Garza.

Saturday March 8
Criminal Intent “Untethered”
Episode summary andmy review.

SVU: “Unorthodox”
My review

Law & Order: "Quit Claim"
Episode summary and my review.


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

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

Law & Order “Tango”: Rubirosa Learns the Dance, The Hard Way

Law & Order’s “Tango” seemed more like a Special Victims Unit episode, as the detectives and the DA’s office worked on a case dealing with rape and murder. It seemed like there were hard lessons to be learned about how things work for detectives and prosecutors, with all parties using deception and whatever edge they can find to work and win a case. It seems although Connie Rubirosa (Alana De La Garza) has worked in the DA’s office for a while, she’s just now learning how things work. Let’s just say it may have not only left her disappointed in the inner workings of criminal prosecution, but the viewers as well.

The case begins with two drunken high-school girls whose car is impounded. One girl walks off and goes missing, and is later found raped and dead in a dumpster. Upon finding the body, Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) deadpans, “See? We find ‘em,” a reference to a dialog earlier in the show where Green (Jesse L, Martin) indicate to the girl’s parents they will find her, and of course doesn’t indicate they often find them dead. Lupo and Green work to track down the suspects, a drug-addicted prostitute (who came from a rich family), known as “Sugar”/Melinda (Maria Dizzia) and her partner Tito (Pedro Pascal). Lupo uses a fake note to trap Sugar into bringing Tito out, and both are arrested. Later, Lupo’s note would be used to sideline the trial. This was predictable. Even though Cutter (Linus Roache) indicates that the police can use deception, Lupo’s note made it sound more like a threat on Sugar’s life, causing her information on Tito to be considered worthless.

During this whole process, though, I found myself wondering why, since the girl was found raped, that it wasn’t an SVU case. I was even wondering why the detectives were looking for the girl in the first place, seeing that she wasn’t missing all that long. Sometimes how detectives get assigned cases, and which group gets them, seems muddy in the Law & Order universe.

While investigating the case, a potential witness, “Timmy,” surfaces. Timmy, by the way, was played by Scott William Winters, the brother of Dean Winters, who did a stunt on SVU as Detective Brian Cassidy. While questioning Timmy in lockup (he was there for another crime), Rubirosa picks up on a signal from Timmy that he wants Cutter to get lost. Connie tells Cutter to leave, and then when Timmy plays coy, she says, “this isn’t a date, Timmy.” After he asks for special consideration for another crime in order to get him to talk, McCoy (Sam Waterston) gets involved.

As McCoy is talking to the Bronx DA Juan Delgado (Nestor Serrano) in order to get his support, Delgado says “You know Jack, I’m a little surprised you were even able to find your way up here, on that white horse of yours.” Despite the sarcasm, Jack seemingly agrees to fix some parking tickets as a favor to Delgado, in order to get some charges dropped to get information from Timmy. I suppose even Jack has learned he has to do some favors to get his way.

As the case goes to trial, during jury selection, both Connie and Cutter (independent of each other) notice a juror paying close attention to Connie. Neither says anything to the other about it. But later, Cutter asks Connie to do the cross examination of Tito, and while Connie agrees, she really doesn’t seem to have a clue as to the real reason Cutter is having her do it.

Connie later seems weirdly happy about an anonymous email she received, which says, “Amazing performance today. Great legs and smart. You’re the total package.” Connie is smiling and seems almost tickled by the letter, I found it immediately creepy and thought it should have been suspect. But, she’s even happier when Cutter’s response to the letter is a sheepish “I completely agree” and he then adds “Are you ready to cross Melinda?” She responds, “No. You know, uh, Mike, you’ve got great legs too.” It seemed to me like it was a throwback to the Jack McCoy EADA years where he reportedly had relationships with a few of his ADAs. Personally, I think I’d rather keep a relationship with Mike and Connie under wraps. I don’t want the show to become a soap opera.

Still, there doesn’t seem to be a chance for Cutter and Rubirosa in the future, as Connie learns the hard way that everybody can be used to get an edge in a case. When the stalker-juror confronts Connie on the street, and she tells him it’s inappropriate, she confesses the encounter to Cutter. A bit of an argument ensues, under the watchful, somewhat eavesdropping eyes of McCoy. Connie is stunned to learn that Cutter was well aware of the juror’s eye for Connie. When she becomes indignant that Cutter would use her in this way, he calls her on it, saying that she used her sexuality to get Timmy’s cooperation in the jail. Connie clearly didn’t get that she was holding Cutter to a double standard, but Jack settles it all and figuratively slaps Coonie back to reality by saying, “We use what we have.” I guess Connie learned the hard way that not everything seems on the up and up in the DA’s office.

Personally, I believe that what Connie did with Timmy and what Cutter did with the juror were in fact two totally different situations. Yes, Connie may have used herself to get what she needed from Timmy. After all, they too are allowed to use things like deception to get information or to get people to confess. It was her own decision to use herself in that way. But, she did not agree to be used to sway a juror, which to me is a totally different ball game. It would have been OK had the juror not approached her or emailed her, because there would never have been any indication or proof that the juror’s had definite feelings for Connie. But once he approached her – again, I still think the email should have been suspect even before this – all bets should have been off. They should have reported it immediately. So, I’m disappointed in McCoy, Cutter, and even Connie for going along with it.

Seeing Connie look so conflicted during the verdict, I think it’s unlikely that she and Cutter will be doing a Tango – or any dancing - in the near future.


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

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

Law & Order: Meet Forensics Expert "Beck"

OK, admit it. You enjoy Law & Order’s resident techno-geek, Julian Beck. You’ve seen him in many episodes and laughed at his quirkiness and his down-to-earth portrayal of criminal forensics. He’s nothing like the overly pompous forensics people of the CSI franchise, who are always perfectly groomed and dressed just so, with sets and lighting almost cartoon-like. Beck is a real geek and one man forensics lab.

But who is the guy that plays Beck? His name is John Cariani, and according to imdb.com, he’s appeared on Law & Order 26 times, and, as other characters, on Criminal Intent 2 times. He’s also a Tony-nominated actor and playright!

The website for The Colony Theatre in Burbank, California posted
an interview with John about his play “Almost, Maine” that I thought I would share with you. You'll find John Cariani even more interesting than Beck.

"THE COLONY CHATS WITH JOHN CARIANI

The Almost, Maine playwright and Tony-nominated
actor explains the appeal of Maine, the inspiration to write, and the recognition from Law & Order.

Q: What was the inspiration for Almost, Maine?

A: When I moved to New York, there were no plays about rural areas, like Maine. There were no plays about places other than cities, and I grew up in a very rural, very dramatic place.

Q: Dramatic?

A: New York is all about people and the things people make. But growing up in a place like Maine, you’re aware of all of the things that people don’t make – like the sky and the woods and wide open space. The weather is so harsh, it’s wild, the sky is enormous, you can see for miles.

Q: Are the characters in the play based on real people?

A: They’re mythical composites of real people. There’s a humility to the people in northern Maine, an openness. I think that other people think New Englanders are cold and closed off, but they’re really not. Northern Mainers are aware of how small they are in the world, but most people in cities -- and I'm one of them now! -- just aren’t.

Q: Is it true that one of these stories is based on a real incident?

A: Loosely based. But I can’t tell you which one.

Q: You’re primarily known as an actor. What inspired you to start writing?

A: I couldn’t find good monologues to perform as an actor, so I started writing monologues for myself which became stories, which then became this play. I have to make a living, so once I get money together from acting gigs, that’s when I start writing again. But -- I just got commissioned to write my next play.

Q: Congratulations.

A: Thank you. Also, I think there’s a lot of drama in joy, and people don’t dramatize joy right now. There’s a lot of sturm und drang in plays right now.

Q: Why do you think that is?

A: I feel like we’re going through a period where cynical and sad and dark is considered classier than joy right now. Writing about sadness is pretty easy – we’re all sad – so I think it’s more interesting to write about the flip side. I think hope and joy are very dramatic.

Q: What do you think Los Angeles audiences will take away from seeing this play about people in Maine?

A: I think it’ll make people think about how most of life is either loving or leaving, living or dying. And I think we forget to let ourselves feel deeply. Most people protect themselves by covering themselves so much. Theatre is a place where you can uncover a bit.

Q: Do you get recognized much from your role on Law & Order?

A: Yeah, it’s funny. I get recognized on the subway a lot and in airports! A few weeks ago, while I was visiting by brother, a guy at a restaurant in North Carolina said to me, “You look just like that guy from Law & Order.” "



Also, here’s an interesting piece about him from the LA Times:

"John Cariani's shocking crusade
The actor from TV's "Law & Order" is on a mission as a playwright: "I am interested in making people across the country gasp."

By Cara Joy David, Special to The Times

John Cariani takes his work seriously. Sure, he's familiar to television viewers as the dedicated forensic expert Julian Beck in "Law & Order." And he's also known as that exuberant New York stage actor who earned a Tony nod for his role in "Fiddler on the Roof." But Los Angeles audiences who catch his first play, "Almost, Maine," opening Wednesday at Burbank's Colony Theatre, will probably be surprised by the actor-turned-playwright's passion for preserving the integrity of theater.

"Every time I see Shakespeare, I notice people sit up for the love story and the fantastical elements," says Cariani, 38. "The politics, the big ideas, have some impact, but they're not what matters most. Contemporary plays have too many big ideas and not enough happening. We need to make theater less boring. I am interested in making people across the country gasp."

Those are lofty aspirations for someone who often projects an "Aw, shucks" modesty. But Cariani does believe his words can have that effect. Perhaps his confidence in the ability of tiny things -- such as the romantic vignettes that make up "Almost, Maine" -- to have a substantial impact comes from his background. Born in Brockton, Mass., Cariani was 8 when his family moved to Presque Isle, Maine, a remote town of under 10,000. He planned to be a teacher until three lines in a high school production of "Annie Get Your Gun" changed his life. "I made the audience laugh really hard," recalled Cariani. "I thought: 'My gosh, this is cool.' "

After graduating from Amherst College and interning at Massachusetts' now-defunct Stage West, he moved to New York to pursue acting. He made a living through commercials and regional stage stints. Then, a little over a decade ago, Cariani ran out of audition material -- he simply couldn't find a contemporary comedic monologue that wasn't tired.

And just like that, a writing career was born.

"I wrote a monologue for an audition, and they said: 'What's that from again?' I said, 'It's from a new play,' " Cariani recalls. "I called it 'Joe's Shoes.' I used my brother's best friend's name as the name of the guy who wrote it. I started always using my own monologues, and pretty soon the monologues became stories and the stories became plays."

In the late 1990s, he began performing his short compositions at NBC's New York comedy venue, Performance Space NBC. Director Gabriel Barre caught one of Cariani's shows and approached the performer about creating a play from these tales. The result of their labor is "Almost, Maine."

The play's stories focus on the romantic lives of residents of a small, northern town. Among the colorful characters is a man who cannot feel pain and a woman who carries her heart in a bag.

While refining the script, Cariani continued acting. In 2002, he got his big break, landing a recurring role on "Law & Order." Two years later, he made his Broadway debut in "Fiddler on the Roof" as the tailor Motel.

"John Cariani is an open, authentic performer," Harvey Fierstein said of his "Fiddler" costar. "He's a wonderful writer because he is so authentic and interested in people and how they feel."

While Cariani was still singing "Miracle of Miracles" eight times a week, "Almost, Maine" had its world premiere in 2004 at Maine's Portland Stage Company. Because of his Broadway gig, Cariani could not spend many hours working in the Pine Tree State. By the time the show transferred to New York in December 2005, many choices had been made without input from the scribe.

"The production in New York wasn't what I had hoped," Cariani admits. "I hated it." Reviews were mixed (some good, some flat-out dismissive) and the show lasted only 37 regular performances. "The reviews read like it was fluff," he says. "I hate fluff. I can't stand romantic comedies. There is a lot of ache in this play -- but none of it played off-Broadway."

Despite its short NYC run, the Dramatist's Play Service still published "Almost, Maine." Now, productions are springing up all over the world. "They told me it would only be done in the North, and the only places that are doing it are in the South," he says. "Then they are doing it in Korea. I don't understand -- I thought a lot of the phrases were specifically English. I have no idea why it's happening."

The Colony was ahead of the game. A Time Out New York review of "Almost, Maine" caught the attention of Artistic Director Barbara Beckley with its reference to the "magic-realist" elements and description of the play as the "dramatic equivalent of a hot cup of cocoa, with plenty of little marshmallows." Beckley sought out "Almost, Maine" while it was running in Gotham and developed an e-mail friendship with Cariani. "He's so friendly and so completely guileless," she said.

A hands-on approach

Once the Colony was set to present the work, Beckley asked the Manhattan-based author to sit in on rehearsals. Cariani spent a week in Los Angeles in mid-January watching the newest production of "Almost, Maine" take shape while also slipping in some auditions for commercials and films.

The extent of Cariani's input included ensuring the set's doors were swinging in the correct direction. Despite the flood of questions about how certain things should be played, he offered little criticism of the staging or performances.

"I've seen people make the choice that is obvious -- and that is too bad; they should have thought a little deeper," Cariani says of various other productions. "Here they are making a lot of the right choices."

Making the right choices is important to the playwright. He not only regrets the off-Broadway "Almost, Maine" but also believes he erred in giving the green light to a production of his second work, "cul-de-sac," which premiered in New York in spring 2006, before he was finished with it. So now he's spending a lot of time trying to remedy mistakes made on these projects. This summer, he may direct a regional staging of "Almost, Maine" and is revising "cul-de-sac" to make it "a real play."

Like other actors, he is auditioning. And like some writers, he is working on a commission -- currently one from the Cape Cod Playhouse that will result in a play incorporating baseball's Boston Red Sox.

Cariani wants to remain in both worlds -- making people laugh and gasp through his performances as well as his scripts. Undoubtedly, he'll have issues with whatever he creates. After all, he's a stickler for quality entertainment.

"I think it is important that playwrights think about writing plays that people can do," he said. "There are plenty of smart people who aren't theater savvy. These people should be able to appreciate, understand and enjoy plays. There are so many forms of media for storytelling now, the story has to be so damn good to ask people to pay for it. I never write my story until I know the end. Life doesn't end, but plays should. We owe that, and so much more, to the audience." “


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

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

Law & Order Episode Summaries for the Week of February 24

Law & Order is running a new episode this week, with Criminal Intent rerunning episodes previously aired this season. In addition to the Wednesday night Criminal Intent episode, NBC is showing four episodes on Sunday Night, starting at 7:00 PM ET. There will be no episode of SVU airing this week. All are on NBC.

Law & Order Criminal Intent, Sunday, February 24, 2008

Amends
When her late husband's partner is killed on the job, Det. Eames (Kathryn Erbe) is forced to re-examine her husband's murder, and the life she thought she'd left behind.

Seeds
A fertility doctor is murdered, and his body is staged to appear as if the crime was a political statement. Logan (Chris Noth) and Falacci (Alicia Witt) follow clues that show the case has a more personal motive, and family of the victim may be involved.. Guest Star Michael O’Keefe

Self Made
A writer is found tortured and murdered, and clues lead Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Eames to suspects in her lavish literary circle and the gritty urban society she called her roots.

Senseless
The investigation into an execution-style shooting of three college freshmen takes an emotional toll on Logan and Falacci.


Wednesday
Law & Order Criminal Intent “Lonelyville” re-air Date February 27, 2008
A woman is found strangled in Japanese bondage ropes, and the only clue to her identity is a pair of emerald earrings she was wearing.

Law & Order “Tango” Episode 18-10 Airdate February 27, 2008
A HIGH SCHOOL GIRL IS KILLED AND THE TWO UNLIKELY SUSPECTS INCLUDE A PROSTITUTE AND PIMP Two inebriated high-school girls, Kelly Daugherty (guest star Lisa Joyce) and Anne-Marie Liscomb (guest star Molly Ephraim), are agitated after their car is towed at a party. Liscomb walks off to make a phone call in an attempt to call a ride, and is found dead in a dumpster days later. After tracking down the cab driver that picked up Liscomb, new information leads the detectives to a drug-addicted prostitute with an affluent past, known as “Sugar” (guest star Maria Dizzia) and her partner Tito Cabassa (guest star Pedro Pascal). A war of words unfold as the detectives pit the prostitute and pimp against each other to see who will talk first. When the case goes up for trial, ADA Connie Rubirosa (Alana De La Garza) appears to have an unrelenting admirer in the jury pool. Also Starring: Sam Waterston, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Linus Roache.


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