The Ledger

15.13 Ain't No Love: Serena Southerlyn Gets Fired (Thank God!)

Branch: "You're fired." Southerlyn: "Is this because I'm a lesbian?" America: "WHAT???!!!!" [mp3] Many fans have waited a long time for Serena's departure, but I don't think anyone expected it to go quite like this. The moment was shocking, but, after even slight reflection, seems incredibly cheap and hollow. Subtlety has been lacking from the show's scripts for the last several years, and this is, certainly, the most ham-fisted bit of writing I've seen yet. Contrast it with way the departures of other characters have been handled: often with some "organic" dramatic build-up, and always with integrity -- Cerreta and Greevey getting shot, Curtis leaving to take care of his wife, Ross's session with the disciplinary committee, and of course...

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4.4 Great Barrier: The Viewer's Choice Episode

In this Criminal Intent episode (4.4), our favorite arch-villain Nicole Wallace/Elizabeth Hitchens re-emerges and may or may not be dead at the end of the episode. NBC allowed viewers to vote (via its website) on whether to allow Wallace to die or not. The episode begins with a white man and an Asian-American woman discussing the how to make the woman sound and look more convincingly Japanese. They visit a clothing store and the woman tries on some outfits and some wigs. You get the impression they are trying to prepare her for an elaborate disguise. We soon learn why: they visit a jewelry store and, applying the gestures and speech she we saw her practice, they dupe the jeweler...

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15.1 Paradigm: Joe Fontana's First Episode

Well, here we go again. Intro Multimedia Plot Summary Analysis Extras Introduction In this episode (15.1), an Iraqi-American woman kills a US soldier who recently returned from working as a guard at Abu Ghraib. Meanwhile, Detective Joe Fontana replaces Lennie Briscoe as Ed Green's partner, and the two of them work to solve the case. McCoy and Southerlyn attempt to set aside their political differences and build a prosecution. Multimedia Screenshot of Bloomberg, with cast membersScreenshot of Bloomberg, close upScreenshot of Bloomberg press conferencemp3 of BloombergScreenshot of Fontana's first appearanceMore Plot Summary The episode begins rather provocatively, with a professional couple sneaking off to a remote portion of their office building as they discuss another employee's eating habits. They...

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First and Last Episodes

Here are the first and last episodes of various characters that I have documented so far. I will update this post as I am able. These links are broken right now...sorry. But go to the Notable Episodes category, and you should be able to find them all. First Episodes First Episode Ever. (Greevey/Logan/Cragen/Stone/Brooks/Schiff) Paul Sorvino/Phil Cerreta's first episode. Jerry Orbach/Lennie Briscoe's first episode. Sam Waterston/Jack McCoy's first episode. Angie Harmon/Abbie Carmichael's first episode. Carey Lowell/Jamie Ross's first episode. Benjamin Bratt/Rey Curtis' first episode. Dianne Wiest/Nora Lewin's first episode. Jesse L. Martin/Ed Green's first episode. Fred Thompson/Arthur Branch's first episode. Dennis Farina/Joe Fontana's first episode. Last Episodes George Dzundza/Max Greevey's last episode. (A body double appears for him in the next...

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6.12 Trophy: Battle of McCoy's Lovers!

In this terrific, densely packed episode (6.12), a serial killer is killing black boys and leaving behind ominous notes. The crimes closely parallel the work of a previous serial killer who was caught and convicted 5 years eaerli...or was he? Evidence begins to suggest that McCoy convicted the wrong man, and his assistant and girlfriend from that time period, Diana Hawthorne, may be to blame for the miscarriage of justice. Briscoe and Curtis investigate the killings, and McCoy and Kincaid figure out to do with their suspects and Hawthorne The episode begins with two city workers picking up garbage in the park, discussing the Mets. One of them discovers the body of a young black boy, found alongside his school...

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7.23 Terminal: Schiff Takes on the Governor

In this intricately structured episode (7.23), the finale of season 7, a gunman shoots at a crowd of Jewish people as they exit a social cruise. The state Attorney General's office wants Schiff to seek Murder 1 and the death penalty against the defendant, but he refuses, so they take the case away from him. He fights the decision in court, even as he's dealing with another difficulty in his life: his wife suffers a stroke and dies at the end of the episode. Briscoe and Curtis investigate the shooting, and McCoy and Ross have to choose between ambition and loyalty. The episode begins with a crowd of people disembarking a small ship. Two women are discussing their social...

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3.9 Point of View: Lennie Briscoe's First Episode, Phil Cerreta's Last Episode

Lennie Briscoe makes his first appearance in this episode (3.9) about a woman who apparentl killed a man because feared she was going to be raped. Phil Cerreta (Paul Sorvino, in what is essentially a guest-starring appearance) also makes his final appearance in the series. The episode begins (as many early episodes do) with two cops on patrol, talking about something benign. They drive by a couple walking down the street. There appears to be some tension between the couple, but they keep driving. Soon enough, they get a call to a shooting. The victim is the man from the couple they just drove by. Logan is already on the scene, and before you see him, you can hear Briscoe...

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6.14 Custody: The Return of Paul Robinette

In this episode (6.14), former Assistant District Attorney Paul Robinette returns to defend a former crack addict accused of kidnapping the baby she lost to foster care, and killing a social worker in the process. Curtis and Briscoe investigate, while McCoy and Kincaid take on Robinette. The episode begins at the murder scene, where Curtis and Briscoe have already arrived. A uniformed officers tells them that a film crew shooting a video discovered the body of Lawrence Bellow in a playground. Nearby, they find his briefcase and a contractor-grade screwdriver that was apparently used to open the briefcase. They learn that Bellow was a social worker who placed kids into foster care. From the contents of his briefcase, they begin...

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5.5 White Rabbit

In this episode (5.5), an investigation into the robbery of a safe deposit company leads to the search for a fugitive from a Vietnam-era payroll robbery that resulted in the death of a police officer and was committed to divert funds from the war effort. Briscoe and Logan try to track down the fugitive, and McCoy and Kincaid try to figure out how to prosecute a 23-year-old crime. Famed attorney William Kunstler guest stars as himself [screen cap]. He died the next year. The episode begins with a security guard and a manager opening a vault at a safe deposit company. Inside, they find another security guard who has been hit over the head, a bunch of empty safe deposit...

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14.24 C.O.D.: Lennie Briscoe's Last Episode

Detective Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) makes his last appearance in this episode (14.24), the finale of season 14.ExtrasHere are some screen captures from the episode: Lennie says he's retiring. Green's reaction. The caricature Green gives Lennie. Lennie's last scene. Episode's closing shot: Lennie's nameplate. Plot SummaryThe episode begins with a woman and her teenaged daughter talking as a delivery man delivers an envelope. The woman opens the envelope, which is empty. Just as she does so, they hear shots outside, and she walks out to find the deliveryman shot dead. Briscoe and Green arrive to investigate. The woman says she never heard of the person on the return address of the envelope ("Mary Johnson"). The victim's name is John Byrne....

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6.23 Aftershock: The Death of Claire Kincaid

In this extremely unusual episode (6.23), Briscoe, Curtis, McCoy and Kincaid witness the execution of a rapist/murderer, and then have an emotionally volatile day. The episode follows each character through his or her day as they meet new characters and sometimes intersect with each other. The episode ends with Kincaid being killed in a traffic accident as she drives Briscoe home.ExtrasHere are some pictures from the episode.Plot SummaryThe episode begins with a doctor and a man on a hospital bed (of sorts) discussing a meal. As they continue talking, we learn from the conversation, what the camera reveals to us, and an additional character that we are watching the preparation for an execution. When a man who is apparently the...

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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....

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1.11 Out of the Half-Light: Best Episode Ever?

In this amazingly well-written episode (1.11), Logan and Greevey investigate the apparent abduction, rape, and assault of a young black woman, but their efforts are hindered by a leading black politician who says he is trying to protect her rights. Stone and Robinette must confront, and then work around, the politician to uncover the truth.The episode closely mirrors the famous case of Tawana Brawley, whose interests were represented by Al Sharpton during the controversy following her allegations that she was raped by a group of men, including a white cop.Plot SummaryThe episode begins in the parking lot of a housing project, where a few passers-by move on, and an older woman walking her dog discovers a young woman, Astria Crawford,...

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14.19 Nowhere Man: The Mayor Bloomberg Episode

Mayor Bloomberg guest-stars in this episode (14.19) about a talented Assistant District Attorney who is found murdered in Central Park. The attorney was a close colleague of Jack McCoy's, but McCoy soon realizes he didn't know the victim as well as he thought he did.PicturesHere's the fun stuff:Screenshot of Bloomberg at first press conference. Notice L&O DA Arthur Branch standing behind him.Screen shot of Lt. Van Buren watching Bloomberg on TV. A pretty post-modern image, if you think about it: we're watching TV and seeing a fake character watch our real mayor on TV.Bloomberg's second press conference, at the end of the episode. Branch is behind him again, and that looks like Serena Southerlyn's blonde hair and Jack McCoy's gray...

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11.24 Deep Vote: Abbie Carmichael's Last Episode

In this episode (11.24), the finale of season 11 and Abbie Carmichael/Angie Harmon's last episode, a state senator seems to be connected to the murder of a woman, but the relationship between the two is unclear. Briscoe and Green investigate.The episode begins with a kid and his grandfather discussing the old days vs. the modern era of baseball. Suddenly, there's a loud car accident between a woman in a Volvo and a pick-up truck. Briscoe and Green are called to the scene because the woman is found with small-caliber bullet hole in her skull. A bag lady says she saw an SUV leave a spot, and then the two other cars crashed. The immediate theory of the crime was that...

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13.1 American Jihad: First Appearance of Arthur Branch

In this episode (13.1), the murder of a couple is traced to a young, white, middle-class convert to Islam who hates women. The suspect closely resembles John Walker Lindh, known as "the American Taliban."The episode begins with a man walking his dog who hears gun shots coming from an apartment and sees a Hispanic male running from the scene. The police find a dead couple inside the apartment. Initally, they focus their investigation on a former assistant of the male victim, who was a researcher of Parkinson's disease. The assistant, now a cab driver, is an arrogant bastard, and calls Green a "primate" and refuses to cooperate until Green threatens to kick his ass. Doesn't matter, though: he isn't the...

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4.22 Old Friends: Ben Stone's Last Episode

In this episode (4.22), an executive at a baby food company is apparently killed by being pushed into the path of an oncoming truck by a homeless man, but Briscoe and Logan eventually learn his connections to the Russian mob may be to blame. The episode also marks the final appearance of Michael Moriarty as Ben Stone.The episode begins with a homeless man shouting abuse at people waiting at a bus stop because they won't give him money. We then see a businessman stumble in front of an oncoming truck and get run over. Briscoe and Logan track down the homeless man (by a coffee cup he was carrying), but it's clear he didn't actually push the man. Fibers found...

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8.24 Monster: Jamie Ross's Last Episode

A lot goes on in this episode (8.24), the finale of season 8: McCoy prepares to face the disciplinary committee, to answer charges brought against him by the judge running against Schiff for the office of District Attorney, Briscoe considers doing something unethical that might lead to the murder of his daughter's killer, Cheekbones (aka Jamie Ross) announces her resignation, and Van Buren confronts department brass about apparent racism and their desire to see her quit.The episode begins with the discovery of a 10-year-old comatose black girl in the basement of a housing project. Briscoe and Curtis investigate, retracing the girl's steps and eventually coming up with enough information to release a sketch of the suspect. The detectives ask Van...

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Damaged: Briscoe's Daughter Gets Killed

This episode (8.22), contains an event that will be referred to in countless future episodes: Det. Briscoe's daughter is killed, apparently by the drug dealers she testifies against earlier in the episode. The main storyline of the episode deals with a semi-retarded girl (with an IQ of 65) who is raped by three young men at her high school, but she denies that the incident happened against her will.The episode begins with a shooting at the high school in which a two teachers are shot at, and one of them is severely injured. Briscoe and Green cross-check students at the school with those whose parents had gun licenses, and they wind up talking to a young girl whose father own...

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Skin Deep: Claire Danes, Murder Suspect

In this snappily-written episode (3.1), the first episode of season 3, a 13-year-old Claire Danes turns in a great performance as the daughter of a former model suspected of killing a fashion photographer. After Cerreta and Logan investigate, they learn that the photographer also served as a pimp to struggling models, particularly those who had fallen on hard times as they got older, including Danes's mother. Despite her shifting alibi, it doesn't take long for the detectives to settle on the mother as their prime suspect. They come up with some underwear found in the woman's apartment that is an 80% DNA match on material found at the crime scene, but an overly cautious judge throws it out. Stone and...

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Endurance: First Appearance of Nora Lewin and Rudy Giuliani

What an episode! This episode (11.1), the season premiere of season 11, features the first appearance of Dianne Wiest as DA Nora Lewin, a guest appearance by Mayor Giuliani, and a twist ending that is actually surprising.The episode begins with a woman running out of a burning apartment building and grabbing the cell phone away from a passer-by so she can report the fire to the FDNY. But it's too late: the woman's son dies in the fire. The fire investigators quickly determine that paint thinner was used as an accelerant in the fire. Briscoe and Green initially focus their investigation on a store owner who had a failing business on the first floor, but then move on to the...

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9.1 Cherished: Abbie Carmichael's First Episode

Abbie Carmichael (Angie Harmon) makes her first appearance in this dead baby episode (9.1) in which it appears an adopted sociopathic 7-year-old appears to be responsible for the death of an infant, thought to be 13 months old. After many twists and turns, investigators learn that the infant was (a) actually 2.5 years old and malnourished and (b) dead before the 7-year-old attacked him. McCoy and especially Carmichael trace the history of the infant back to a lawyer who appears to have illegally gotten the child from Russia. The lawyer and a Russian intermediary are arrested for Murder 2, showing depraved indifference toward the baby's medical conditions.This is the first appearance of Abbie Carmichael (Angie Harmon). She pursues her case...

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10.24 Vaya Con Dios: McCoy at the Supreme Court, Adam Schiff's Last Episode

This improbable, but fantastic season finale (10.24) keeps getting better as it goes on. Green and Briscoe investigate the death of an elderly man who was found in an apartment building he had no apparent connection to. It turns out the the man was investigating the murder of his son, who was in Chile during the Pinochet revolution. As Briscoe and Green gather more details, they learn that the man's killer has a connection the the killer of the man's son. This connection leads them to a Chilean general who commanded death squads during the time of the revolution and who happens to be in NYC for medical treatment. McCoy decides to pursue murder charges against the general, even though...

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Empire: The Julia Roberts Episode

In this episode (9.20), Julia Roberts plays a femme fatale involved in a Viagra-induced murder. The episode pits the wealthy upper crust of Manhattan, including a Donald Trump-like figure, against the hard-scrabble cops and prosecutors determined to solve a murder. Roberts sets her heart on Detective Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) who soon finds himself in a perilous situation reminiscent of Body Heat: he skirts the edges of a romantic involvement with a possible suspect. The chemistry between the two is palpable, so it's no wonder they became romantically involved in real life. Roberts' performance is among the more captivating the series has offered as she shifts from a fearful witness to a manipulative vamp. Her clothing is more transparent than she...

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10.5 Justice: The First Return of Jamie Ross

This is a great episode (10.5) in which Carey Lowell ("Jamie Ross", aka Cheekbones) returns to defend a suspect in a murder someone else has already been convicted of. (In Carey's first episode, Causa Mortis, we learned that she was a defense attorney at a private practice owned by her husband. This is her first appearance since the finale of Season 8.) Early on, she's introduced to Angie Harmon and the atmosphere is cordial until she and McCoy start butting heads over a possible ethics violation. Jack even goes after a judge for attempted murder, since the judge (while still an ADA) purposely convicted an innocent man and sent him to death row. (Coincidentally, the judge (Richard Masur) has also...

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