The Ledger

1.2 Subterranean Homeboy Blues

Cynthia Nixon of Sex and the City guest-stars in this episode (1.2), the second of the series. She plays a woman who shoots two young black men on the subway, apparently because she thought she was about to be attacked. Greevey and Logan investigate while Stone and Robinette try to figure out how aggressively they should prosecute her.

The episode begins with a rather long sequence down in the subway, following Nixon's character, Laura Di Biasi, as she transfers from the 6 to the A train where shots ring out off camera. She encounters a coupel of young black mem, one of whom is carrying a large boom box playing by music from Ice-T or someone who sounds like him. As the train stops at 8th Avenue and 23rd Street, all passengers flee the train, and only the two victims -- both in serious condition -- are left behind. (Oddly, when the detectives show up to investigate, the A train has mysteriously turned into a C train.)

The detectives speak to witnesses, one of whom says that the shooter looked like a ballerina. (We had seen Di Biasi carrying a bag that said "Manhattan Dance Company." The victims are in the hospital. During surgery, the surgeons recover a slug from one of the boys. Back at the precinct, Cragen and the detectives are concerned about headlines and public perception. She's already being called the "Avenging Angel," and Logan is reading headlines out of the tabloid newspaper, "The New York Ledger" (the namesake of this website), which is probably making its first appearance in the series. They continue to talk to witnesses, who can't seem to decide whether they saw Di Biasi threatened with an ice pick or a screwdriver or what. Regardless, each witness says Di Biasi acted in self-defense. They visit the dance company and the head instructor tells them it sounds like the person they are looking for is Ms. Di Biasi. Logan shouts at the phone company when they won't give him the information he wants, but Greevey takes care of it, and they visit her apartment. She's not there, so they go to the hospital where she works, and strong arm a supervisor until he reveals where she is.

They meet Di Biasia (16 mins) and interrogate her. Greevey seems out to get her, but Logan thinks she deserves a break. There is a lot of discussion about equality under the law. Shortly thereafter, we learn that one of the victims, Michael Jones, has died from his injuries. They visit the other victim, Darnell, and pressure him to tell the truth about the incident. Stone order Di Biasi to be arrested on charges of Murder 2. As they leave to pick her up, Greevey has a long phone conversation with his wife during which he learns that his daughter has been beat up by some kids at school. After this, he is more aggressive in his approach to Di Biasi.

They arrest her (26 mins), but she refuses to talk without a laywer. And guess who her lawyer is...That's right, our old friend Shambala Green (in her first appearance). Schiff and Stone meet to discuss the case. Schiff wants to back off the prosecution, but Stone wants to move forward. Robinette investigates Di Biasi and learns that she was previously attacked by black kids on the subway and has been jimpy ever since. The nurse seems to be a little bit apprehensive about black kids herself, and when Robinette questions her about her possible racism, she turns on him and asks him whether he, too, is afraid of black kids on the subway. (Robinette himself is black.) Stone tells Robinette they must follow the letter of the law, regardless of their personal feelings. Robinette talks to Darnell (now in a wheelchair) and Darnell finally admits they had screwdrivers to rob the lockers at a station. He says that she purposely sat next to them.

Robinette visits the New York Herald (which he refers to as "the paper of record") to get some old files about Di Biasi's first attack. Meanwhile, Stone and Shambala discuss the fear of rape that Di Biasi may or may not have had. Paul finds a letter to the Herald editors from Di Biasi in which she endorses vigilante justice.

The prosecutors meet with Greevey and Logan who is not as gung ho about the prosecution as he used to be. Greevey reveals that the victim, Michael Jones, was using a false name, and it turns out that he is actually a boy who had a manslaughter conviction from when he was 14-years-old. Obviously, this complicates the arguments about judging people based on appearances. Stone, Greevey, and Robinette all argue various points about the case, and Stone worries that they better come up with a strategy before "Miss Shambala Green hands us our asses on a platter." Stone feels alone in his pursuit of justice.

At trial (41 mins), Stone makes an opening statement in which he argues that if Ms. Di Biasi is fearful, she should stay of the subway. This causes quite a kerfuffle among the media. Meanwhile, Robinette executes a search at Di Biasi's apartment (they're just getting around to this now?). She walks in, and there is tension as she detects that he sides with her on a personal level, but must do his job. The scene is a bit overwrought and not particularly well-acted by either of them. The prosecutors meet with Schiff to discuss strategy (during which Paul addresses to Schiff as "DA Schiff," an uncharacterist bit of formality for the show which suggests the original writers did not plan for Paul to be so familiar with his boss.

Back at the trial, Shambala doesn't really bother asking her witnesses any questions and just makes a lot of speeches. Then, in a bit of highly improbable writing, she gets permission to stage a "re-enactment" of the supposed attack. The re-enactment is comprised of a couple of thuggish black guys coming in and standing around her while she's on the stand. It's a very silly, pointless, theatrical scene.

Anyway, none of it matters, as a woman comes in to the DA's office and says that the surviving victim, Darnell, once tried to rape her. Stone realizes that this will kill his chances of winning the case, so he makes a deal with Di Biasi in which she pleads guilty to gun charges and reckless endangerment.

The episode is notable because of the appearance of a young Cynthia Nixon, and because the show was still trying to find its tone. The trial scene is noisy and in a dingy courtroom, not the nice room we are used to seeing. The audio is muffled, and the lawyers are shot from a distance and seem hardly able to hear each other, plus the gallery is filled with noisy onlookers. The episode is also notable because it is "ripped from the headlines" of the Bernard Goetz case.

Here's another pic of Cynthia from the episode.

Posted by adm at May 11, 2004 12:31 AM

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