Greetings,
Welcome back as we continue to countdown my Top 100 episodes of Law & Order, today, taking care of Numbers 50 through 41.
#50. "Can I Get a Witness?" (Season 14) - If you're trying to convince someone to do the right thing, don't show them this episode. Apparently, doing the right thing can cause you some serious problems. In this case, the right thing was testifying in a murder trial. And said problems I mentioned can range from death to getting threatened by an annoying defense attorney. I'm pretty sure that is frowned upon in the courtroom. I guess this guy won't be one of the man defense attorneys to become a judge later.
#49. "Burn Card" (Season 18) - Can no one ever leave this show/the NYPD because of something good happening to them? Like, I don't know, they win the lottery or something. Nope, it's always them getting fired or getting killed or, God forbid, getting transferred to Staten Island. In this episode, Det. Green gets accused of shooting a guy he used to know. Spoilers, he doesn't get convicted or anything, not for lack of trying on Cutter's part, but the stuff that comes out of the woodwork is insane. I mean, we all knew that Green was a gambler, and that is a central point here. But then, there's this woman who he is really close to and she's all messed up in this, and this other guy he used to know. Seriously, I thought I knew Ed Green. Maybe not. Although, this did give us a great transition into our time with Det. Bernard. Well done.
#48. "Born Again" (Season 12) - Relax, my fellow Christian soldiers. Despite the title, this episode is not an attack on us. Which means Stephen King didn't write the script. This is more of an indictment of psychologists or psychiatrists (I still don't know the difference) who use some severely alternative methods. I'm all for trying new things, but not when they result in dead bodies. Also, this has a guest appearance by Wendy Makkena, the little ginger nun with a great big voice from Sister Act. Which raises the question of why did she go to a shrink? Didn't she remember that all problems can be solved by starting a choir?
#47. "Animal Instinct" (Season 3) - When a person has an issue with being delusional in real life, it is a very unfortunate thing, even sad, to see someone so out of touch with the world. When it happens in a show like Law & Order, it's intriguing and entertaining like you wouldn't believe. At least, it can be if you get someone like Frances Fisher to play that woman. Yes, I do give her complete credit as to why this makes the list. I don't even know the last time I uttered the words "Holy crap, she's crazy" more times than I did during the last few moments of this episode.
#46. "Violence of Summer" (Season 1) - In this episode, Stone questions the credibility of a rape victim, causing him to dismiss charges against the three men accused. Later, the cops realize that there may have even been a fourth person involved. Seems like a good plot, but why exactly do I enjoy this episode so much? Samuel L. Jackson and Philip Seymour Hoffman, my friends. That's some good early career acting.
#45. "Murder Book" (Season 17) - So, this former athlete went on trial for killing his ex-wife and got acquitted and then wrote a book about what it would have been like if he had actually killed her. Wow, Show, you are not messing around with this one, are you? Anyway, within the confines of this episode, Bobby Cannavale plays that former athlete, only now he's on trial for another murder, and he thinks McCoy has a vendetta because he couldn't convict him last time. Yeah, he might be right about that one. You be the judge.
#44. "Shangri-La" (Season 13) - After a female teacher is murdered, the cops start to investigate a fellow male teacher who, shocker, has been sleeping with a student. But there's good news for him on two counts. First, he didn't kill the other teacher, and, second, the student with whom he was involved was not underage. Like REALLY not underage. She's actually a grown woman who keeps going to different places with a new identity, so she can go back to high school. Um, what? Who the heck would want to go through that again? To this day, I have no idea if this character really had these multiple personalities or if she just liked messing with people. Watch it and let me know.
#43. "Blaze" (Season 14) - A fire breaks out at a small club where an aging rock band is playing, killing 23 people in the process. Several suspects, mostly those involved with the band, are investigated, but the cops are lead to how a young woman who was attending may have been involved. This character is played quite well by Aleksa Palladino, and when you get to the "twist" I guess, the whole story ends up being even more heartbreaking.
#42. "For Love or Money" (Season 12) - Holy smokes, I love Cathy Moriarty in this episode. She is fantastic as this gold-digger woman who is on trial for the murder of a hit man whom she may or may not have hired to kill her husband. That is cold as heck, lady, but she seriously did an amazing job. And I don't want to undermine the subtle yet wonderful performance by Katherine Moennig who played her daughter. They worked so well with each other, and their last scene together is a classic.
#41. "Ain't No Love" (Season 15) - When a legendary rap artist is murdered, everything points to a young protege being guilty. And, then, shenanigans. There are quite a few twists and turns in this plot, and we do get to enjoy Fontana's reaction to the rap music. It's exactly what you think it is. But, arguably, the most memorable part of this episode happens in the last few minutes. Throughout the episode, Serena is helping the young defendant, as she believes him to be innocent. So, Branch calls her into his office to tell her that, despite her good work as a prosecutor, she would be better suited to being a defense attorney. Basically, he fires her. And then she responds with what may be the biggest "Whaaaat?" moment of the entire series. I'll talk about that detail when I talk more about Serena. But, as for now, I'm not going to spoil this one. You just need to see it for yourself.
Join me next time.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
