Cold (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)

"Cold"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode
Episode no.	Season 9 Episode 19 (#202 overall)
Directed by	David Platt
Written by	Judith McCreary
Production code	09019
Original air date	May 13, 2008
Guest stars
Deirdre Lovejoy as Penelope Fielding Victoria Cartagena as Cecelia Cruz Jack Gwaltney as Thomas Crane Brian Tarantina as Bill Jensen Anthony Ruiz as Hector Hernandez Mike Doyle as CSU Tech Ryan O'Halloran Joanna Merlin as Judge Lena Petrovsky Robert Turano as Wesley Meadows Caren Browning as Judith Siper Viola Davis as Donna Emmett Special Guest Appearance by: Judith Light as Judge Elizabeth Donnelly
Episode chronology
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List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes

Cold is the season finale of the ninth season of the legal drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Plot summary

An old murder case of a teenage girl is reopened, when Detective Lake is caught in a gunfight and wounded by the case's former investigator, Detective Edward Kralik. The shooting leaves Kralik dead, and Lake's uncooperative answers lead to confusion in the squad room. The case intensifies when Lake escapes from the hospital, and takes hostage the original case's only witness, Cecilia Cruz (Victoria Cartagena). The SVU squad is left to revisit the original murder case, as Detectives Benson and Stabler search for Lake and his hostage. Tutuola threatens to leave the squad after Stabler searches his cell phone records, thinking Tutuola is Lake's accomplice. The case ultimately causes Novak to violate due process while prosecuting the case. She is called to Donnelly's chambers and informed that the D.A. had declined to refile charges against the defendant and that Novak would be facing censure or suspension by the Bar association; she is disbarred for the violation (according to her replacement, ADA Kim Greylek, in the second episode of season 10; However, in Novak's return episode, "Reparations", it is revealed she was not disbarred but rather simply censured - having her license suspended for three years). Lake shoots the defendant, Thomas Crane (Jack Gwaltney) at the end of the episode, which ultimately leads to his arrest.

Cast

Actor	Role
Christopher Meloni	Det. Elliot Stabler
Mariska Hargitay	Det. Olivia Benson
Richard Belzer	Sgt. John Munch
Diane Neal	ADA Casey Novak
Ice-T	Det. Fin Tutuola
Adam Beach	Det. Chester Lake
B.D. Wong	Dr. George Huang (absent)
Tamara Tunie	ME Melinda Warner
Dann Florek	Capt. Donald Cragen

Notes

Adam Beach (Det. Lake) and Diane Neal (ADA Novak) leave the cast.

Production

"Cold" was written by Judith McCreary and directed by David Platt.

Reception

In its original NBC broadcast (May 13, 2008), "Cold" ended its broadcast with 11.81 million viewers after reaching 10.83 during the first half of the episode.^[1]

References

1. ^ Seidman, Bill (May 14, 2008). "Nielsen Ratings May 13, 2008: American Idol Still Crushes Field - Ratings". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2008/05/14/nielsen-ratings-may-13-2008-american-idol-still-crushes-field/3772/. Retrieved June 15, 2011. 

External links

• "Cold" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Cold" at TV.com