Law & Order: CI

In this last episode of 2007 we start off in flashbacks in 1995 of two young boys in a Barber shop. As we flash forward through the years we see two boys and a girl in a playground throughout the years. When we get to present day; things are not looking good for the now teenage year friends. They are gunned down in the park by three suspecting gang members, but why?

Major Case sends Logan and Falacci to try and make sense of this truly senseless crime of three bright college freshmen. The two boys did not make it, the twin sister of one of the boys, Naomi, is barely hanging on after being shot in the stomach. After 48 hours on the case, the detectives still have nothing much to report, but they catch a break when Naomi wakes up in the hospital and is able to give a description of the three boys that were involved.

The police sketches bring the case back to the two boys from the Barber Shop – Hector and Paco. Paco, the younger brother who is an honor student, is the first one brought in for questioning. When the name Felix is brought up – Paco is so scared by it he confesses to the three killings and is put in a holding cell.

Logan and Falacci know he is not the killer, but hope this will get a confession out of his older brother. Hector, also unnerved by the name Felix, after some deal talking from Logan decides to write down what really happened – naming Felix as the shooter of Naomi but his brother , under threats by Felix, as the shooter of the boys.

But who is the mystery Felix that everyone is afraid of? Falacci soon finds out when she finds herself being used as a hostage with a knife to her throat – when they track Felix down in the park. But our little spit-fire Falacci didn’t last a minute before she got out of his hold and Logan fired off a shot – she did however injure her arm in the process. Side note: I thought the show wasted a good opportunity for more drama if they let this scene play out longer then having Falacci quickly get out of the hold.

This couldn’t have all been for an iphone right? Once in questioning, Felix proclaims he did it because she [Naomi] wanted him to – that she was acting better than him. In the end I think those voices in his head just got to Felix – he needs some help.

Mentionables:
Logan asking about the cab driver.

Falacci saying “gangsta style,” and we also learn she speaks Spanish.

Logan finally getting heated and yelling at Capt. Ross.

Logan interrogating Felix, “ Hector said he made you his bitch?”

Has Daphne Rubin-Vega acted well in anything since RENT?

What a sad ending – and story overall- for the last new episode this year. I hope everyone has a lovely holiday and I will see you back here for the fresh episodes in 2008! In the meantime don’t forget to comment on tonight’s episode.

Can’t wait until 2008? Get you Law & Order: CI fix in our Online Video Guide.

What a riveting episode all about Bobby Goren tonight. Vincent D'Onofrio gave an Emmy worthy performance tonight.

On her way to work Eames finds Goren’s brother Frank waiting for her – he needs her help to get to Goren. It seems he has a son who is doing time at Tate’s Correction facility where a young inmate just suspiciously died. Goren not being able to turn his back on the nephew he never knew he had, agreed to look into the case.

It appears Donny was set-up by a friend from college who was a drug dealer, who asked Donny to ride along with him. Both boys were arrested but the other boy had connections with the judge and pleaded out for turning Donny in – Donny got one year. Serving his time in Tate, Donny has noticed strange happenings in the mental ward he was put in. Inmates get taken to a room known as “Heaven” and are put in restraints and tortured – some do not come out alive.

Captain Ross tells Eames and Goren there is nothing they can do since Tate is out of their jurisdiction. Of course, that doesn’t settle well with Goren and he has a minor explosion in the office – which quickly lands him on one week sick leave courtesy of the Captain.

However we knew he wasn’t just going to lounge around for a week – not our Bobby. Nope, Goren got rid of his finger prints, got a fake I.D. and took a brick to the car dealership of the judge and threw it through the window. No, he is not crazy – well yet anyway – Goren just needed to get himself into Tate for some unofficial detective work.

Thankfully, Goren has Eames in on his plan so we see her getting messaged via his cell phone on what is happening inside Tate. Meanwhile, Goren- whose alia is Mr. Brady- is not making nice with the officers and the “Big Guy” hastily gets taken to the isolation unit and put in “heaven.” When Goren is wheeled in there you catch a glimpse of worry – maybe even a little fear – as he sees what he got himself into. The following scenes you see Goren slowly start to go crazy – it was hard to tell if he was pretending or if it all really was getting to him.

Back in the city, Eames is long overdue contact from Goren to know that he is ok. After waiting five hours, Eames finally breaks and clues Capt. Ross in on what Goren has been doing on his leave. Poor Captain just when he was getting ready to leave for his date – yes that was Rodgers. Captain understandable is not too thrilled about all of this- to which Eames replies, “What did you think he would do? All he could think was he had to save Donny.” Eames and the Captain drive up to save Goren, and they are not quite welcomed when they arrive at Tate’s.

During this time Donny has faked illness and escaped custody and is now on the run. Thanks to some white lies, Eames and Ross get Goren out. Not shockingly there is a hearing about his behavior, and his sanity is questioned for what seems like the sixth time this episode. Goren is suspended from the squad – pending a departmental hearing and pysch evaluation.

In the closing scenes we see Goren go to his brother Frank in a rage looking for answers on the whereabouts of Donny. The brothers argue, and Frank doesn’t help the matter by telling Goren to “take Eames and got to a motel and get it out of your system already.” Goren uses some brotherly force to get some clues of where to find Donny, and on his way out he sees Frank is still using. That is the last straw for him – he tells Frank he is done. “If I hear you are on a bridge ready to jump – I’d listen for the splash.” Ouch!

Overall excellent episode, my only complaint was – was it not suppose to be an extended episode? My clock showed it over before the hour was up, then just three minutes of commercials before the preview to extend it. What was that? Next week, looks good though as we see the last episode of the year – and Falacci appears to be in trouble. Let me know what you thought of Goren tonight – crazy or misunderstood?

For more Law & Order: CI, check out our Online Video Guide.

Read our interview with Vincent D'Onofrio on the making of tonight’s episode.

Now, I was all prepared to write what a dull episode of CI this week – then the last ten minutes happened. Who would have thought Frasier’s Roz ( Peri Gilpin) was a killer? Great bonus this week, we had two enjoyable guest stars – more on that later, now to the case.

A football team wins homecoming and celebrates by having a party that includes beer and two strippers. When the party gets sour, one of the girls, Carla cries rape and it is turned into a high profile case against three of the football players.

We join the case after the key witness, the other dancer Traci, is found dead after being pushed down the stairs outside her apartment. Traci was going to testify on behave of Carla in the rape case against the football players.

As the investigation by Falacci and Logan begins, it looks like Carla’s boyfriend was going to turn out to be the murderer – or at least that is what I thought.

How ironic that Andrew McCarthy played Bronx A.D.A., Gene Hoyle who was set on making the rich kids of privilege pay for what they have done. Those Pretty in Pink fans know that Blane McDonough, played by McCarthy, was the rich boy with the cool car and perfect future planned taking Molly Ringwold to the prom. Yet here he is fighting to get justice – according to him – for the underprivileged people. Too bad, Hoyle barely had a case with no convincing or conclusive evidence that would pin the rape on football player Tim Pardue.

Even after finding out that Traci was not going to testify because she did not want to lie on the stand did Hoyle seemed fazed by it all – much to the displeasure of Falacci, who you could tell wanted to let him have it. Nice change to see Captain Ross getting in on the case trying to get facts out of Hoyle to further the investigation.

Hoyle’s wife, Beth, who has spent her life marrying up on the elite society food chain, was later perceived to be the one to have thrown Traci down the starts. Logan and Falacci stage a set up, when they bring Beth along to the Pardue home to arrest Tim. That’s when the facts came pouring out and the plot got interesting. Beth was thinking on her social gain if hubby Gene won this case, and not knowing that Gene knew the night beforehand that Traci wasn’t going to testify, she went over to talk to Tim’s mother Grace (Peri Gilpin). Beth had convinced Grace that Traci was going to ruin her son’s football career and life. Grace was so distraught over these thoughts and only thinking of her son went over to Traci’s apartment, but she did not let her in, so Grace waited until she game out – and we all know the rest.

Tonight’s episode did really drag on for me. At points it even looked like Det. Logan was bored. Falacci on the other hand was still looking for a fight like as we saw her previously. I think she might be more quick tempered then Logan – her poor kids. I feel like there is something about her we don’t know yet. It was also interesting to see the tidbit when Falacci accused Logan of losing his “hot-headedness” by seeing the newspaper article he carries around to remind him when to pick his battles.

After seeing the promos for next week I can’t wait. Goren undercover in a mental institution – that has to be good! And don’t forget it is an extended episode. Until next time, and don't fogret to leave your thoughts on tonight's episode.

For more Law & Order: CI, check out our Online Video Guide.

Kira — an up-and-coming writer who was part of the elite literary circle of New York, but whose personal and home lives took place in a rough neighborhood in Brooklyn — was juggling life in two worlds, and on the night of her short-story reading, they both came crashing down. Kira is found tortured and shot in her apartment — left to bleed to death.

Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathyrn Erbe) arrive on the scene and the clues start to fall into place. Goren first notices the artificial hair extensions and coil burns on Kira, and when he discovers a speaker box with green dust and crystallized resin, he suspects that the murder was drug related. Eames, on the other hand, noticed men's clothes in the room and a Scarface DVD and thinks a live-in boyfriend may have had something to do with it. The high-school sweetheart boyfriend, "D Tour," is in trouble with some drug dealers, and while he is hiding out at home with his mom, he is found badly beaten. Lucky for D Tour his alibi check outs.

In the elite literary world, we meet young best-selling author TJ Hawkins, who writes about the hard times he has endured in life so far. I loved the scene of Eames and Goren at the book signing. TJ seems to be easily enticed and he puts on a show of resistance for his fans at the signing when Goren took him in. But as Eames put it, "he is a poser without a motive." Or is he?

TJ’s alibi leads the detectives to his and Kira's mentor, Lionel Shill. He was an odd person from the start — you just knew something was off. He confirmed TJ’s alibi, as well as his own, and pointed the finger at the book agent Gareth Sage — who had a bad history with women. Gareth was just your typical sleazy agent; he had no reason to kill Kira. Yes, he was a womanizer and lied about driving Kira home, but we knew we could check him off the suspect list. He, however, pointed the finger back at Kira's mentor Lionel, telling Eames and Goren to take a look at his new unpublished book.

Further investigation brought out that truth was more fiction then non. Seems TJ never was in prison nor spent time in a juvenile detention center. He was a phony and Kira found that out when she was assigned, thanks to Lionel, to review his upcoming book. The fallen mentor, Lionel, seems to be pulling the strings as he is using his new on-the-rise writers to regenerate his dimming career. The big divulge is that Lionel had stolen the material and voice of Kira’s new book and was going to publish it as his own. He used TJ’s temper and insecurity with his writing ability to wind him up, gave him a gun and drugs, and told him to be the man he wrote about. TJ murdered Kira because she was going to expose him, and Lionel for that matter, as a fraud.

Great Goren moments this week:
• Playing with Lionel's sculptures in his office
• Later roughing up Lionel, demanding for him to confess to being a fraud. Which was kind of creepy, yes?
• Picking a fight with TJ at the boxing ring. "Sorry about all these flies." And I also loved Eames' "Oh, Bobby."

No new episode next week due to the holiday, but USA network is airing a Law & Order: SVU and CI marathon. So enjoy your turkey dinner with a side of CI. In two weeks we join Falacci and Logan on the football field.

Let me know what you thought of this week’s episode. For more Law & Order: CI, check out our Online Video Guide.

Shot dead in the kitchen, a corrupt judge’s wife — suspects? Plenty — I think we saw them all before the opening credits even rolled — good thing we had an hour to weed through this who-dun-it. And kudos go to Detective Falacci (Alicia Witt) for her stand-out, sharp performance tonight — but more on that later.

There was a lot of stuff happening in the first few minutes this week, and it was hard to catch all the details at first. So let’s connect the dots, shall we? Judge Frye was overseeing the divorce case of Clay (Steve Guttenburg ) and Christine Derren, who were clients of his wife, Monica. Monica is found dead in her home, and when Detectives Falacci and Logan (Chris Noth) start investigating, Logan thinks the killer is one of her patients while Falacci is pretty certain the Brooklyn divorce-court judge has something to do with it. We are also introduced to the PI hired by Christine to spy on her soon-to-be ex-husband (for the third time), Ron Hawk. One look at Hawk and you knew he had something to do with the case. We know his clients always win because he gets dirt on their spouses to use against them. But did he kill the judge’s wife and was he framing Clay? Or did Clay do it to get back at the judge? And what was Christine’s role in all of this? Basically, a lot of blackmailing and framing going on!

It turns out Christine was playing everyone. She used Hawk to get back at the judge for not accepting her advances in order for her to win her divorce case, and she was so obviously playing Clay for money and fame and anything else she could get a hold of. Christine is a woman quite full of herself, believing all men want a piece of her. Even in the end when she gets arrested, she makes one more attempt to play Clay, claiming she loved him so he wouldn't testify against her. Good for Clay for sticking up to her and not falling for her games again. Clay and Hawk both made deals, and Judge Frye stepped down, while Christine was off to jail for the murder of Monica Frye.

Falacci stole the show tonight. I felt like she was not taking crap from anyone or backing down, and landed in some hot water more than once tonight for it. I loved during her showdown with Capt. Ross (Eric Bogosian) about protocol, where you could see Logan snickering in the background. It’s nice to see Logan, as he puts it, “as the voice of reason.” It makes their partnership interesting.

Side note: Once we learned more about Clay and Christine and their divorce battle, didn't it sound slightly familiar to a certain Hollywood couple? (Hint: the leaking of the voicemail to the public.)

Favorite things this week (besides Falacci’s attitude):
• Falacci yelling to get the judge out of the home, then her getting irritated with the police officer looking to Logan for help. (“Don’t look at my partner.... ”)
• The scene with Logan finding the hair on the wall of Monica’s coworker's office.
• Falacci imitating Christine.
• The last scene, when Logan suggested grabbing a beer, and the look on Falacci’s face. I always forget that she is married with kids, because she doesn't act like it.

Next week we'll be with Detectives Goren and Eames as they find out if truth is deadlier than fiction when they investigate the murder of an up-and-coming novelist.

Wondering how the strike will affect Law & Order? According to Ask Ausiello, Law & Order: CI has enough scripts for the first half of the season, but after that, who knows. Let’s hope the writers' strike is resolved soon.

As always, let me know what you thought of tonight's episode.

For more Law & Order: CI, check out our Online Video Guide.

I don't know if it is safer to dive underwater by yourself or with a partner after watching tonight's episode. Heck, I think it's better if we all just stay out of the water — unless some of you are already after the treasure that wasn't recovered!

A dead scuba diver washed up on shore attracts the attention of Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio ) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe), not to mention the FBI, on suspicions that he was a terrorist looking at underwater gas lines. Goren and the FBI agent right away butt heads on a number of issues. After debating if anything useful would be found on the murdered diver's camera, I loved the line the FBI agent said to Goren: "If I find any pictures of Nemo, you'll be the first one I call."

The murdered diver's girlfriend, Dana, is "dating" his partner, Chilly aka Stan, on the side. And for a while it looks like they are the ones who murdered Rick, to have the treasure all to themselves. Further into the investigation we are introduced to Dana's ex-husband, Tommy, who is still in love with her, and Simon Harper (Fred Weller) a wealthy investor who was funding Rick's expedition.

Turns out they weren't looking for terrorists but buried treasure — and what a loot of gold coins there was. I wonder how much money they were all worth? Goren said one 1866 coin would sell for $3,000. The fact that he knew that off the top of his head, and the shopping Dana did from skimming off the top (three pairs of Jimmy Choos, four Versace dresses, and the diamond earrings) we are talking thousands and thousands of dollars. The old man on the beach was the real pirate, though: buying the gold coin off the little boy for $10 and a snow cone. What a deal!

Later, Chilly shows up dead when out diving and the anchor gets pulled up. At this point I was convinced that Dana was in on it. The detectives question Tommy, who all along has been helping Dana avoid police trouble. It's a good thing she never tried to run away from the police, since I don't think a bright-pink Benz is the best car for that. Tommy spills that he told Harper where the coins were hidden, which leads Goren and Eames to further dig into why Harper was searching for this buried ship in the first place. Bingo — the ship was linked to Harper's ancestry, which proved his forefather Roundtree was in violation of fraud — not to mention being pro-slavery.

So if the ship was found with the buried treasure on it, the Roundtrees would be entitled to Harper's fortune, leaving nothing for his child's future. In that last scene I think all that family stuff hit Goren personally, so he had a right to throw Harper in the ocean — oops, I mean he slipped. And did you notice Goren's jeans?

I think this was a fun episode this week. What did you think? Did you know Harper did it? Let me know what you thought.

Next week looks like Det. Falacci (Alicia Witt) finds herself in hot water when she doesn't want to follow the rules.

For more Law & Order: CI, check out our Online Video Guide.

Better late than never, this recap will kick off the Law & Order: CI blog for the season. And what a good episode to start off with!

So first off, what did we learn? One, earrings are the key, and two, do not try speed dating.

The case started off with a tied-up blonde murderer with emerald earrings on that sent off warning signs, which then led to the arrest of writer (if he could be called that) Noah Brezner. Things were not looking good for Noah as nothing he said was being validated by Detectives Falacci and Logan. His wife did not know what was going on, his girlfriend on the side was lying against him, and Noah kept claiming he was being framed — which I believed.

Turns out he was being blackmailed by his girlfriend, who was working for her lawyer/lover, who was the real con who blackmailed married men for money. It was an unhappy ending as Noah committed suicide in jail, not being able to stand the girlfriend's betrayal, while the lawyer and girlfriend headed off to jail.

I was impressed with Detective Falacci through the whole episode. She reminds me of the female version of Detective Goren. How she noticed the earrings, then later asked Noah's wife about her matching bracelet, and also how Logan knew the ropes were tied in Japanese "kinabku" style. Who knows these things? Oh, and not to mention the part where she knew Greek! But did you catch the purple "Princess mug"? I bet that will be brought up again in the future.

I do enjoy Logan's nonchalant attitude about everything, from him eating a sandwich during the autopsy review to his interrogation style.

Favorite line? It's hard to pick tonight since Logan had some great one-liners, but I loved Falacci's response to Noah:
Noah: "[referring to his book] explores the price we pay for love."

Falacci: "You mean it's about married men who want to get laid."

The preview for the next episode looks entertaining as we follow Goren and Eames' search for pirate treasure.



Watch a clip from this episode and more in our Online Video Guide.