Law & Order Criminal Intent: Really, Most Sincerely Dead

Matt Mitovich of TVLine.com reports that fans should not expect Law & Order Criminal Intent to be resurrected by USA Network. Mitovich states, “Asked if there was any chance for a semi-miraculous save and Season 11 order, given the warm welcome that returning regulars Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe received, USA co-president Jeff Wachtel answered, “No — and this is said with respect for the show, respect for Dick [Wolf], and most significantly with respect to the audience.” "   Read the full story here at TVLine.com: No Reprieve for Law & Order: CI: 'It Was a Good Series Finale,' Says USA Network Boss




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Law & Order UK Bradley Walsh & Jamie Bamber Blooper

Here’s a outtake from Law & Order UK “Skeletons” with Bradley Walsh and Jamie Bamber. Bradley breaks into dance, and Jamie breaks out laughing. It’s very funny how Bradley continues to deliver his lines while dancing – enjoy!



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Mariska Hargitay Nominated for Best Actress Emmy

Hand it over!

Congratulations to Mariska Hargitay, who has been nominated for an Emmy for best actress in a drama for her role on Law & Order SVU. The 63rd Primetime Emmy® Awards will be airing Sunday, September 18, on FOX.


The competition:

Connie Britton - "Friday Night Lights"

Kathy Bates - "Harry's Law"

Julianna Margulies - "The Good Wife"

Mireille Enos - "The Killing"

Elizabeth Moss - "Mad Man"

Best of luck to Mariska!

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Law & Order UK “Safe” Episode Information

Here are the details for the next new episode of Law & Order UK, “Safe”:


Law & Order UK “Safe” Air Date July 17, 2011 (9PM Sunday ITV1)

When two year old Ryan Stark goes missing from a high street merry-go-round, his distraught mother, Kayla (Amy Strange) reports him kidnapped and a massive police hunt is launched to find the missing toddler. In spite of public appeals and additional police manpower, the search throws up more questions than answers.


The legal case uncovers a history of dealings with the social services before Ryan went missing, something which alerts our heroes to the possibility that his mother isn’t being entirely truthful. With more than one suspect and little physical evidence, will Ryan’s family ever learn the truth of what happened to their baby boy? Starring Bradley Walsh, Jamie Bamber,Harriet Walter, Dominic Rowan, Freema Agyeman, Peter Davison, and guest starring Patricia Potter.

My recap and review of Law & Order UK "Safe" can be found at this link.


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

Law & Order LA “Westwood” Recap & Review

It was a sad ending for Law & Order LA – sad in that they finished with such an uninteresting episode. In “Westwood,” a man is killed, and hours after recapping the episode, I still can’t quite remember why. Maybe it was because it was one of those “spur of the moment” murders that happened without premeditation, or maybe it was because the characters all seemed wooden, but I just wasn’t drawn in to the story enough to care about the outcome.

One thing is for sure – Alfred Molina is the only person on Law & Order LA who could take a lackluster story and bring life to it. This season, every time he was on screen he made Ricardo Morales into a force to be reckoned with. I found myself caring about what Ricardo was going through, the actions that he took, and his thoughts behind his actions. He was decisive, he was determined, yet he was not without feeling. My opinion is Alfred Molina is one of the few actors in Law & Order brand history that took a character and made him come alive from day 1.

The rest of the episode had everyone going through the motions. Usually Corey Stoll is enough to keep me interested in the first half of the episode, but even he could not save “Westwood.” While this episode was the last episode aired for Law & Order LA, it wasn’t the last episode filmed. Had they continued to air episodes during the show’s retooling, viewers wouldn’t be left feeling that the series is limping into oblivion. I still have hopes that someday Law & Order LA, or better yet, Law & Order The Mothership will make a triumphant return. But I’m not holding my breath.

Here is the recap:

After a UCLA soccer practice, Javier Gomez (Stevin Espinoza) is found dead under the bleachers. Later, Detectives Rex Winters and “TJ” Jaruszalski (Corey Stoll) are at the scene, it appears the body was driven there and then dumped. There is no ID or wallet but there are keys to a Honda. He has a tattoo that indicates he is a Latino home body, and his fingerprints reveal it is Javier Gomez, who has a record. He also was a high school dropout.

The detectives speak with Javier’s parents Jorge and Inez Gomez (Tony Plana and Marlene Forte) to find that “Javy” had a job and was a loving son. Their daughter Malia is a student at UCLA and is there on a soccer scholarship. Javy worked so she could practice.

The detectives head to campus to tell Malia (Alyssa Diaz) of Javy’s death and she does not know why he would be on campus. Malia’s boyfriend Eric (Taylor Handley ) enters the room and consoles her. Eric speaks highly of Javy. Eric grew up in Brentwood and his dad made coat hangers. Rex notices it appears something had been thrown at Malia's window. She tells them someone threw a rock at the window last week.

The detectives speak with Malia’s RA who says she reported the broken window last week. She also had graffiti written on her door with words like slut and whore. They find she is being cyber bullied. There is a web site called “big sluts on campus” and campus security is investigating.

Back at RHD, TJ tells Rex that Javy’s car showed up parked two blocks from campus and there is not much in it – food wrappers, a photo of Javy and Malia,  and a parking receipt for the day he was killed from a garage on Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica. Rex tells him the autopsy report puts the time of death between 8 and 11 PM and there were splinters in Javy’s wounds from white ash. Their computer tech checks out the web site which appears to contain photoshopped images of Malia. They search the news for the girls names and find that Malia and 3 other girls signed a petition to challenge the university’s compliance with Title 9 which claimed women’s sports are not getting their fair share of the athletic budget, which could take money from the men’s sports.

The detectives speak with Eric who tells them that Malia was getting threats because she signed the petition. He thinks Javy knew about the threats He tells them that the sport most affected by the Title 9 challenge would be baseball. After Eric leaves, the detectives agree that the white ash in Javy’s wounds was likely from a baseball bat.

Later, the detectives are searching the baseball frat house. They speak with Gus about the web site and tell him if he doesn’t help them, Title 9 will be the least of his problems. He says the web site was a joke and he knows nothing of the murder. He said he told that to the other guy – a black guy about 6’ who looked like a cop who come to the bar where he worked asking questions about Malia and maybe trying to dig up dirt on her. The guy did complain about traffic and getting back to Santa Monica, Rex thinks this was a private investigator, and TJ recalls Javy being in Santa Monica he day he was killed.

At Davies Investigations in Santa Monica, they speak with Mr. Davies who says they have the wrong man, he does corporate work. He tells them to get a warrant. Afterwards, they speak with an office security guard who identifies Javy from a photo and said he tried to get in to see Davies but he would not be allowed up and Javy had a fit. They think a PI was checking up on Malia, but Javy was checking up on the PI and it may have gotten him killed.

The detectives speak again with Javy’s and Malia’s parents and their mother said the coach said someone came by asking questions about Malia – about how she grew up and when she started playing soccer.

Rex and TJ speak with the soccer coach who identifies Davies but said he was someone from UCLA. He seemed interested in a job that Malia got over the summer in Mexico and she bought her parents a car with the money she saved. Afterwards, Rex speculates the money may have come from a drug cartel.

At the Zapata Community Center, they speak to a manager there and find it was a legit job but they don’t have records of paychecks. She played soccer there professionally. Javy told him to keep quiet about it – her playing pro would violate NCAA rules - an Javy freaked when he heard someone was asking about it. The guy said he told Javy that Davies was cool as he saw the UWU was a supporter of the community center and did work for the union.

They speak with the man in charge of the community center who has nothing nice to say about Davies. Davies is a hired gun for manufactures, and they find Davies has a connection to Kentner Hangers and Racks, Eric’s father’s company. They also find that Kentner came through a picket line once using a baseball bat.

The detectives head back to UCLA and Rex speaks with Eric while TJ speaks with Malia. Eric says his dad was with him and Malia and makes an excuse to get to class. As they leave, the detectives agree the Eric and Malia are holding out.

They speak with Bob Kentner at his company who says he used Davies for business.  He says he loves his son and wants him to be happy. He knows about the web site and said he does not recall meeting Javy. He said that night he and his son and Malia went out for pizza in Westwood. TJ notices Kentner has a class ring from UCLA and Kentner says that is not a crime.

Later, TJ tells Rex that Kentner is also a UCLA athletic booster and was on campus Friday night for a meeting. As Javy was dumped from a car, they wonder if Kentner has a UCLA parking pass.

At the campus parking structure, they find Kentner’s parking pass was swiped in at 7:45 PM and out at 10:08. Pass holders can drive anywhere on campus. CSU finds a tooth near the parking spot. Later, as he is being arrested, Bob Kentner says he want to talk to his son and Rex says after he is booked.

Bob Kentner is being arraigned for murder and DDA Evelyn Price (Regina Hall) asks for an gets bail set at $5 million.

Later, at the DA’s office, the detectives tells Price and DDA Ricardo Morales (Alfred Molina) that they have no evidence from his car or residence to connect Bob Kentner to Javy. Eric does not believe his father hired a PI to check out his girlfriend and Morales says it is time to open Eric’s eyes.

Rex and Morales breaks the news to Eric, while TJ and Price outline to Malia about the issue with her playing soccer professionally. She says Javy cleared it with the school but they tell her this is not the case. Rex puts pressure on Eric and he wants to talk to his dad’s lawyer. Malia says they were with his father. But Eric says Javy thought his dad insulted his parents at a soccer game and that Javy was all worked up. His dad thought Javy reached into his pocket for a gun and his dad hit Javy with a baseball bat to protect himself and killed Javy. He said his dad panicked when he realized Javy did not have a gun and he put the body in the trunk and dumped it. Eric tries to leave but Rex puts his hand on his arm to get him to sit back down. Morales looks angry and then gets up and goes in to speak with Malia, telling her that Eric told the truth about his father and she can stop protecting him. She says she loves Eric and can’t hurt his dad. Morales says they know he killed Javy and it was not self defense. She says she did not know what to believe and she loves Eric and thought if they stuck together, everything would be OK.

Later, Morales and Price speak with Bob Kentner and his attorney who says Kentner was in fear of his life. Morales brings up the baseball bat. Bob says Eric is all he has since his wife died, and Morales says Eric will testify against Bob on the stand. The attorney comments – if they get the testimony in.

In Superior Court, Eric is on the stand and he said he wanted to talk to his dad’s lawyer but they would not let him and that the detective said he had to stay where he was. Morales questions him and Eric says Rex put his hand on him and he felt he could not leave. After his testimony, the attorney says Eric felt he was in custody and he was denied his right to counsel. Morales said Eric asked to speak with his father’s lawyer, he was also there as an alibi witness, and that Eric is not a suspect. But the judge does not agree and grants the defense motion and suppresses Eric’s testimony.

Afterwards, Eric races out to speak with Malia but she says she can’t talk to him. Malia’s parents are worried that Kentner will go free but Morales assures a conviction.

Back in Morales’ office, Price tries to reassure him this was not his fault. But Morales says he was in the room there with the kid and without Eric’s statement they may not get past reasonable doubt. Morales gets a phone call and his look becomes serious.

At Bob Kentner’s home, the detectives are there and Bob Kentner is laying on the ground, dead from two shots to the chest. A .22 was found in the hedges and Eric heard yelling then the shots and saw a car drive off. An officer says they picked up a suspect running a red light, and they see that it is Malia and Janie’s father.

Later, Winters and Morales question Mr. Gomez who said it was self defense. At first he wanted revenge. The gun was in his hand and said Kentner should pray to god for his son. But Kentner told him since his wife died, he never prays. He put the gun in his pocket and walked away but Kentner picked up a shovel and hit him. He shows them the bruise, and adds he crawled back to his car but Kentner kept coming and Kentner said he would kill him so Gomez shot him. Gomez shows him how it happened. He knew what Kentner did to his son and did not want to die.

Meanwhile, Eric tells TJ and Price what happened. He said he did not recognize Gomez’s voice at first. He wishes none of this happened.

At RHD, Rex says some of the evidence supports Gomez’s story, but TJ says the angle of the gunshot wounds indicates the shots were fired from a standing position. Morales thinks Gomez lied about what happened and tells Price that Gomez being hit with the shovel is mitigating circumstances. Morales says they should charge him. Price says a murdered son can get a lot of sympathy from the jury, and Morales agrees.

Morales and Price attempt to cut a deal with Gomez’s lawyer. Morales tells him that Javy’s death does not give him the right. Morales says he went to the gun to demand self respect so he should take it, and not claim self defense. Gomez refuses. After Gomez and his attorney leave, Morales tells Price he had to try. He tells Price there was only one person his father would listen to when he was in a mood – his mother.

Morales and Price visit Mrs. Gomez to enlist her help in getting a deal. She says he won’t listen to her and he wants everyone to know he shot Kentner to defend her son. Malia says he wanted to be a hero. Mrs. Gomez tells Morales he does not know what it is like, but he says he grew up 5 blocks from there in Boyle Heights. She says all she can do now is pray.

Afterwards, as Morales and Price return to their car, they are stopped by two men who make a comment about Price and Morales gets in their face, asking if they need a lesson on respect. Morales is intimidating and the neb walk off.

In Superior Court, Eric testifies what happened when his father was shot. He says he saw his dad in the driveway with a shovel saying “I’ll kill you, you spic” and he wound up to swing and hit a tree branch. Morales stops him and asks if Eric saw his father swing a shovel, and Eric says yes but he hit a branch. He did not mention this to the police or at the preliminary hearing as he did not think it was important and he forgot. Morales angrily asks if there is anything else he forgot, and when Eric continues to talk, Morales cuts him off and says no more questions.

The defense attorney cross examines and Eric says he only saw his father, and mention his father has a history of anger issues. He says his dad also had the anger in him and believes his father Javy. Morales asks for a recess and gets it, Morales tells Price to call the detectives.

At the Kentner home, Morales and the detectives realize Eric could not have seen his dad from where he said he was in the house, but they also see a mark in the tree that could be from the shovel and there was sap on the shovel blade. They wonder if Gomez saw it and Eric or Malia heard this from Gomez, but Gomez was also not in the right position. Gomez did test positive for gunshot residue, but just on his hands.

Later, Gomez is on the stand explaining what happened. Morales cross examines him and mentions that Gomez crawled away on his knees and asks how he saw Kentner hit the tree. Gomez says he heard it. He says Eric saw it from the staircase landing. Morales brings up a photo of the landing showing that Eric could not have seen it happen from there, and asks if anyone else was there. Gomez says no. Morales says the Gomez says he shot Kentner over his shoulder but shows there was no gunshot residue on his shirt. He asks if someone else shot the gun and when Morales continues to press, Gomez insists it was only him. When Morales says he wants to call an additional witness, Gomez stands up and says he now wants to take the deal and insists he killed Kentner. The judge tells him to step down.

In the conference room, Gomez’s attorney tells Morales that against his advice, Gomez will take the 15 to life in exchange for a guilty plea. Morales asks if he is sure and he says he is. Morales says he invited his family there so they would understand but it is his decision. He agrees. Morales says with this plea there is no chance of parole and he could die in prison. Malia says he does not have to do this but he says no more trial. Morales tells Mrs. Gomez that she will be without a husband for the rest of her life and Malia will go on with her life, and she will be alone every night. But when Mrs. Gomez expresses her dissatisfaction with her husband, Finally Malia breaks down and says she can’t let him go to prison for her. She says not to blame Eric, she asked him to lie. She said she was there and saw Bob Kentner hit the tree.

Later, Malia is allocating as to what happened. She knew her father had a gun and he begged him but he would not listen. He father turned away and gave her the gun, but then Kentner hit her father with the shovel and then Kentner looked at her and said she does not deserve his son and that Eric was too good for her. Kentner did not seem afraid and she wanted him to feel afraid as Javy did. She had the gun and she hot him. He father took the gun from her and told her to run away and he would protect him// She knows she is giving up everything but could not let that man get away with what he’d done to her family. Morales states he is satisfied with her statement. The judge says pursuant to the agreement to the charge of manslaughter, he sentences Malia to 11 years. As they take Malia away, her parents cry.

Afterwards, as Morales and Price leave the courthouse, Price asks Morales if he wants to grab a drink, but he says no. He thought he would go have dinner with his father. As he walks off alone, we fade to black.



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Law & Order UK “The Wrong Man” Recap & Review

Law & Order UK “The Wrong Man” was based on the original Law & Order episode “Prescription for Death” which was the first episode aired of the mothership. (This is not to be confused with the first Law & Order episode filmed  -  that was “Everybody’s Favorite Bagman,” the pilot episode, which was the 6th episode aired. But I digress…) It introduces two new cast members, Peter Davison as CPS Director Henry Sharpe, and Dominic Rowan as Senior Crown Prosecutor Jacob “Jake” Thorne. We know why Thorne is there, as CPS James Steel (Ben Daniels) resigned in the episode “Skeletons”. But we don’t get an explanation as to why Henry Sharpe is there, and frankly I don’t recall if anything was said during "Skeletons" about the status of CPS Director George Castle (Bill Paterson). Henry Sharpe seems much more calm, collected, and charming than the always cranky George Castle, and in a way, I like Castle’s bristling approach better. Jacob Thorne also seems less of a commanding presence than Ben Steel. I do like both Davison and Rowan  and I suspect that as the season goes along, both actors will have the opportunity to bring more depth to their characters.

As always, Bradley Walsh (as DS Ronnie Brooks) and Jamie Bamber (as DS Matt Devlin) are perfectly matched. The case itself, though, was somewhat dull. The scene in the train station added some much needed excitement to the first half of the episode. After the surprise wears off that the man they have in custody is not who he says he is and the case focuses on Dr. Austen (James Fox), the suspense slipped away. My expectations were much higher for this first case with two new cast members. Still, this was a decent episode that featured great acting and writing, and was an hour well spent.

Here is the recap:
A woman, Suzanne Martin, who was brought into the hospital with what appeared to have a sore throat or flu symptoms,  dies while being treated, much to the horror of her father who watches helplessly. Later, Sister Logan (Frances Tomelty) is in DI Harriet Chandler’s (Harriet Walter) office and expresses worry that this is the third unexplained death in her ward in the past 6 months, and each time it is swept under the carpet by hospital administration. She thinks someone on the ward is killing patients.

DS Ronnie Brooks (Bradley Walsh) and DS Matt Devlin (Jamie Bamber) speak with the coroner who says if they want a cause of death they will have to wait, and he stalls them, saying this is the NHS, not CSI. They decide to talk to the head of the hospital emergency department, Dr. Edward Austen.

At the hospital, they speak with Dr. Austen (James Fox) who said he was not there at the time. He said the crash team responded immediately and Christine Mills is a very responsible registrar. He is not sure what they expect to find, saying it is regrettable but not a crime. When Ronnie mentions that a source said there have been other reports like this, Austen says unless Ronnie’s source makes the claims public he hesitates to believe them. He adds a Dr. Simonson admitted Suzanne.

The detectives speak with Simonson (Donald Slack ) who said Suzanne had a chest infection and he ordered a chest x-ray before he left for the day. He is shocked to hear she is dead and said she was not that sick. He worries they think this is his fault, and Ronnie says they were asked to look into it. Simonson tells them after he left, one of the registrars would have taken her chart and as the detectives walk off, he calls out for them to talk to Dr. Mills.

The detectives speak with Dr. Mills (Nadia Cameron-Blakely) who says Suzanne had pneumonia and the chest x-rays confirmed it. She says Simonson did nothing wrong. She adds Suzanne's illness was complicated by a chemical pneumenitis when the lungs becomes inflamed by a chemical irritant. She says Dr. Grant was treating her. After she leaves, Ronnie comments that this is starting to feel like pass the parcel.

They speak with Dr. Grant (Hugh Skinner), who admit he was treating her but only briefly, they were still waiting for x-rays. They did not know what they were dealing with at the time. He makes a quick exit.

Back at M.I.U. headquarters, Ronnie and Matt discuss what they know, and Ronnie, looking at the medical file, thinks half the doctors are serial killers anyway. Matt replies to give him a shooting in the alley any day, at least knows how to spot a smoking gun. Ronnie notices a word crossed out on the chart that looks like “code name.” Ronnie suggest a rendezvous with “deep throat” - and when Matt gives Ronnie the look, Ronnie quickly adds not the film.

They speak with Sister Logan about the item crossed off in the chart, and she says it is illegal to tamper with hospital records. She tells them the word crossed out was codeine and it was replaced with another drug. The prescribing doctor may have changed their mind. There are cases where codeine is contraindicated but that would have been noted down when admitted. She also notices there is a page missing in the chart.

Later, the detectives tell Chandler what they found out. She wants to know what was missing to make sure this is a cover-up and not just a coincidence. They see Suzanne's father there and Chandler tells them he has been in every day.

At Ladbroke Grove Medical Centre, the detectives speak with Dr. Rosa Lignell (Glynis Brooks) who tells them Suzanne had depression and was on medication and as a last result, they put Suzanne on phenelzine sulfate. This drug cannot be used with an opiate like codeine as it can be fatal.

The detectives speak again with the coroner who did not test for those other drugs. They ask him to test again for codeine and phenelzine and for a rush but he gets flip about it, citing budget issues and tells them they are wasting their time. He adds you’d have to be an idiot to take codeine with phenelzine as it could kill you. He glares at Matt and Ronnie tells Matt to take deep breaths as they leave.

The detectives speak with Dr. Grant who says it was a busy night and he wrote codeine without thinking, but he gave her something else. They tell him some of the patient notes went missing, and he says they go missing all the time. When Matt mentions the phenelzine sulfate, Grant seems surprised. He said this was not on the history. But they tell him the triage nurse said it was there. He writes it off as a mistake, but Ronnie tells him when Grant makes mistakes, people end up dying, They also tell Grant they are digging deeper into her death and doing another tox screen.

Back at M.I.U., the detectives confer with Chandler about Grant’s reaction to their questioning and their theories. Angela (Jessica Gunning) hands Matt the tox screen results which is positive for phenelzine and codeine. Chandler says this is not a coincidence and to bring Grant in.

When the detectives head to hospital to get Grant, they speak with Sister Logan  and hear that Grant is not in and he has also not been seen since yesterday morning.

Back at headquarters, the detectives tell Chandler that Grant is not in his flat but his car is there. He has not been seen at the hospital. Angie tells them they got a hit on Grant’s credit card; he just bought a ticket to Bruges and the next train is in 45 minutes.

At St. Pancras International Station, the detectives, along with other officers, race around to locate Grant before he gets on a train. Matt checks the men’s restroom and finds Grant hiding in one of the stalls, and he arrests him and reads Grant his rights. Ronnie picks up Grant’s bag and quips to Matt that he hopes he let him wash his hands first.

Later, at M.I.U., the detectives question Grant, with his lawyer present. He said he panicked and thinks he is being set up by others at the hospital. He says Austen gave the injection, he just filled in the chart. He never changed the chart, Christine Mills changed it and she told him to keep quiet about it. He had to go along with it, they gave him no choice. He says Austen is erratic sometime and everyone knew Austen is a drinker and that Mills has had a thing for Austen for years. They stick together and swear he is telling the truth.

Later, the detectives confer with Alesha Phillips (Freema Agyeman) who is observing the questioning. She thinks they may not have enough to charge him. Chandler walks in and says there is someone they should meet. She turns on another monitor to show another man who Chandler said flew in from Milan and he wants to know why they are looking for him. Matt asks if they are looking for him, and Chandler says she believes they are. He is Dr. Adrian Grant (Ben Righton). The detectives wonder if that is Adrian Grant, then who is the guy they have been questioning?

The detectives speak with the real Adrian Grant, who has been in Haiti for the last year. He identifies the photo of the other man as Ian Naylor, they were roommates for a few months. He is a chiropodist.

The detectives pass along with new information to Alesha and Senior Crown Prosecutor Jacob “Jake” Thorne (Dominic Rowan). Naylor took on Grant’s identity and got a job using Grant’s qualifications. Matt comments that you put on a white coat and stethoscope, that people will believe anything you say. Ronnie quips that it is a bit like a wig and a gown. Jake says that’s too right, he’s been getting away with it for years.

While walking down the street, Jake and Alesha confer with CPS Director Henry Sharpe (Peter Davison). They have Naylor on at least 10 counts, and he expects a straight guilty plea on the fraud. Sharpe tells them they will nail him on the deaths later but for now focus on the fraud, it’s not like Naylor has a foot to stand on.

Later, Jake speaks with Naylor and his brief about the guilty plea. The brief says Naylor has been suffering from emotional trauma as a med student. Naylor insists Austen is responsible and says they should talk to Simonson, he nearly lost a patient because of Austen.

Jake and Alesha speak with Dr. Simonson who explains that Austen also incorrectly gave morphine to a man who had meningitis but Dr. Mills caught the error in time. Simonson says people make mistakes and Austen is getting older and gets tired, since his accident.

Back at CPS, Alesha and Jake speak with Ronnie and Matt about what they found out about Austen. Matt tells them they found 5 other problem cases where Austen treated people. Ronnie says Austen was caught drunk driving in the late 1980s and disqualified from driving in the 1990s and his blood alcohol level was off the charts. They wonder if he fell off the wagon. Alesha comments there was another car crash 3 years ago and Austen was on pain killers – and they speculate he may now be addicted to pain killers, which is a lot easier to hide.

Jake speaks with Dr. Malcolm Chester (Roland Oliver) about the car accident and the pain killers and question why Chester would give an alcoholic pain meds. Chester thought that Austen was long ago over that problem, and adds that it would have been legal for Austen to prescribe more painkillers for himself.

Afterwards, Jake and Alesha talk about this and he asks if she checked with the hospital pharmacy, and she says he is not getting the drugs from there. The staff clams up when she asked about medical errors. Jake thinks one person will talk.

Jake later tries to question Naylor but his brief is reluctant to allow him and tried to cut a deal. Jake says he is not there to bargain and outlines that if his statement about Dr. Austen is withdrawn, Naylor is now the prime suspect in the murder. He adds that Naylor may enjoy the extra time in prison.

In Henry Sharpe’s office, where it appears he is settling in and choosing paint colors for his office walls, Alesha tells him they don’t think Naylor is guilty, and Jake thinks Naylor is telling the truth about Austen. Jake gets notification that Naylor is pleading guilty to all counts related to the fraud.

Back at M.I.U. Alesha, with Jake in tow, breaks the latest news to Ronnie and Matt. Matt tells them they found that Austen is getting prescriptions filled at 13 different places, all for codeine and all in his own name. He does it on a rotation and it has ramped up in the last months and he is popping them like Smarties.

Jake and Alesha speak with Christine Mills who says Austen is not an addict. But Alesha explains the proof they have which indicate it is otherwise. Jake tells Mills she needs to start thinking about herself and they know Austen persuaded her to lie. She says she was not called in until Suzanne arrested. She confronted Naylor about it and found that Austen was the one who gave Suzanne the codeine. She said Austen was on call and was groggy when she woke him and he had no idea he had done anything wrong. She could not see Austen hung out to dry for one mistake so she altered the chart. He did not tell her to lie, she wanted to help, but she did not know about the addiction.

Later, as they walk down the street, Alesha tells Jake when they searched Austen’s house they found pills everywhere. His wife was oblivious. Dr. Austen’s defense, Phillip Nevins (Pip Torrens) tries to outline Austen’s career and his accomplishments and insists Austen is a good man and dedicated doctor. Jake outlines all the charges they have against Austen and Nevins says he guesses he knows where they stand.

At Crown v Austen, Naylor testifies about the night Suzanne died and that Austen gave Suzanne the codeine. But Nevins outlines Naylor’s fraud, and the fact that he is not a doctor and says he was a liability and wonders how many mistakes he may have made. Naylor says it was frustrating as he was just as good as the other registrars. Jake then asks what was frustrating, and Naylor says he knew he could treat the patients just as well as they could but unlike them, he knew he could not make a mistake, This is why he pages Austen and this is why he only did what he was told, if he messed up, he would have lost everything.

Dr. Mills is questioned by the defense about the patient’s history, and she says she did not ask that question, and admits it is possible that Naylor may have given the information to Austen verbally and failed to mention the anti-depressants Suzanne was taking. She also says he had no reason to believe Austen was suffering from an addiction, and he is the best doctor she has ever worked with and is an inspiration.

Afterwards, walking down the street, Jake comments to Alesha that they were worried about the wrong witness. Alesha said Austen was still negligent as he was impaired by his addiction. As they talk, they see Suzanne's father having some words with Austen and his attorney and he is clearly distraught. Austen says it was not his fault and there were contributing factors. As Austen drives off, Suzanne’s father says Austen killed her and says he is a murderer.

Back at CPS, Jake tells Alesha that when talking to Suzanne’s father that it was obvious that Austen knew he was to blame. He wonders about the last drunk driving incident and if Austen went into rehab. Jake speculates that Austen knew he was an addict when he started taking codeine, then he knew the risks and he knew what it could mean for his patients. This means the crime happened before he even stepped onto the ward.

With Dr. Austen testifying, Jake brings up the time that Austen spent in the clinic for drug and alcohol rehab for medical professionals with addiction. Jake brings up the dangers of prescribing codeine to addicts, and saying that Austen knew he had an addiction when she started taking the drug. Austen said the benefits outweighed the risks, but Jake reminds him three years later Austen is still taking the drug. Jake brings up the high doses Austen is taking. Jake speaks of the side effects of long term codeine use and claims this affected his judgment. Jake then begins to fire off questions about which drugs to prescribe in certain circumstances, and Austen fumbles.  Jake says Austen can’t think clearly under pressure any more, but Austen says it is a mistake. Austen says he is not an addict and hasn't taken any medication in months. Jake then asks Austen to empty his pockets, and the judge allows it. Austen empties his pockets and, pausing, pulls out a bottle of codeine pills. Austen is unable to state how many of the codeine pills he has taken that day. He says he never meant to harm anyone.

Jake is back in his office with Alesha when Sharpe opens the door and comments about them getting a guilty verdict after only 20 minutes and the must have done something right. Austen got 2 years suspended, and Sharpe says it was an elderly judge and it was hardly surprising. Sharpe says Jake could appeal the sentence, but Jake says he doesn’t think so. Sharpe asks if Jake is getting soft in his old age. Jake says no, he just doesn’t think he will win. Sharpe smiles and leaves the office, and Jake looks at Alesha and says “what?” She comments that she though she saw a glimmer of humanity , “but no, my mistake.” She smiles at him and he smirks back, as we fade to black.



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Law & Order UK Series 5 Opening Credits

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