The Ledger

5.1 Second Opinion: Jack McCoy's First Episode

In this episode (5.1), a woman releases toxic fumes when she dies, and it seems like an alternative treatment for breast cancer may be to blame. The episode is McCoy's first. Here are some screenshots.

The episode begins with the woman being worked on in an emergency room. As they work on her, a nurse asks, "What's that smell?" and passes out. The patient dies, and her body is treated as a bio-hazard. Briscoe and Logan investigate, and discover that there were traces of cyanide in her system.

The medical examiner is not able to examine the body fully because her office is not equipped to deal with it, so while they're waiting, the detectives poke around the victim's life and try and find out where the cyanide came from. When they talk to her husband, they learn that she had breast cancer, and he's frustrated that a murder investigation is occurring: he believes she died of cancer, and wants to leave it at that.

Soon enough, the detectives learn that the woman was seeing a "doctor" who gave her advice on how to treat her breast cancer. The doctor, actually a woman with a Ph. D. in Biochemistry, gave her a "natural" solution containing various fruits and vitamins. The solution contained apricot seeds, which contains trace amounts of a substance similar to cyanide. McCoy wants to prosecute, but can't really find evidence of a major crime, since she was selling an "alternative" and not a "cure."

In the midst of all this, we (and Claire Kincaid) meet Jack McCoy for the first time. His first line of dialogue is spoken as Claire knocks and enters his office, "Yeah!...Claire Kincaid..." Kincaid immediately asks about rumors that McCoy has had affairs with three of his female assistants. He confirms this, but adds that it was only 3 affairs in 24 years and says that one of them went on to become his ex-wife. She tells him that she just wants to be clear that she's not interested in extra-curricular activities. She also says that McCoy specifically requested her immediately after Ben Stone resigned. Later in the episode, Claire brings up a feminist angle on an issue of privacy, and McCoy says he doesn't think feminism enters into the debate. Later -- and this is a moment that never made sense to me -- he actually CHANGES HIS PANTS in front of her, while only partially obscured by a door. Why does this happen? Is it supposed to make a point about what a free-wheeling character McCoy is? It's just offensive, in my opinion. Who would change his pants in front of his new female assistant? Only a skeezbag. Is McCoy that skeezy?

Anyway, back on the case, despite Kincaid's initial reluctance, McCoy continues pursuing the case against the doctor, trying to show that she knew her cure didn't work or contained cyanide or was fraudulent or something. It doesn't go very well, until, of course, he gets the initial victim's husband to stop protecting the doctor and admit that he pressured his wife into going to this doctor because he wanted her to avoid a mastectomy because he wanted her "whole." The woman pleads to Man 1, and Kincaid says she wants her to serve the maximum sentence.

Quick casting note: The husband is played by Woody Allen-favorite Tony Roberts, who has appeared in several other eps of the series.

The episode raises some interesting points of tension between McCoy and Kincaid, and shows their differing views about gender, but it seems heavy handed at times. And I just can't get over the ridiculous moment with the pants-changing.

The opening moments of the episode obviously borrow from the case of the toxic woman in California.

Posted by adm at March 24, 2004 01:53 AM

Comments

Post a comment

validate