Law & Order (season 8)

The following is a list of Law & Order episodes from the series' eighth season (1997-1998):^[1]

Cast

Law

• Jerry Orbach – Det. Lennie Briscoe
• Benjamin Bratt – Det. Rey Curtis
• S. Epatha Merkerson – Lt. Anita Van Buren

Order

• Sam Waterston – Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy
• Carey Lowell – A.D.A. Jamie Ross
• Steven Hill – D.A. Adam Schiff

Episodes

№	Ep.	Title	Directed by:	Written by:	Original airdate
158	1	"Thrill"	Martha Mitchell	René Balcer	24 September 1997
The cops break the seemingly random murder of a fried chicken delivery guy with a little "undercover" work in the park, but McCoy and Ross face a harder battle to get a conviction when the two defendants resolutely point the finger at each other, and the one item identifying the actual killer is the recording of a confession-made to a priest. Rey's wife is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Based on the Thomas Koskovich and Jayson Vreeland case.[2]
159	2	"Denial"	Christopher Misiano	René Balcer, David Shore	8 October 1997
Bloody sheets and an apparently stolen credit card lead Briscoe and Curtis to a pair of college-age lovers who present McCoy and Ross with a united front of denial that one of them killed their newborn son and disposed of the body. Based on the Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson case and the Melissa Drexler case.[3] Guest Star: Benjamin Hendrickson.
160	3	"Navy Blues"	Jace Alexander	Kathy McCormick, Dick Wolf	15 October 1997
McCoy finds himself battling the Navy and the office of the Judge Advocate General as he tries to prosecute a female pilot accused of murdering her married lover after he tried to break off with her. Inspired by the 1997 U.S. Air Force sex scandal involving Lt. Kelly Flynn.[4] Guest star: Kate Walsh, Molly Price, and Daniel von Bargen.
161	4	"Harvest"	Matthew Penn	I. C. Rapoport, René Balcer	29 October 1997
A discrepancy concerning the time of death of a drive-by shooting victim leads McCoy and Ross to initiate prosecutions against both the shooter and the doctor who harvested her organs as transplant donations. Inspired by a piece on 60 Minutes about people being shot in Los Angeles drive-bys.[5] Guest Star: Michael Nouri.
162	5	"Nullification"	Constantine Makris	David Black	5 November 1997
After the cops trace an eagle tattoo on a man shot and killed while holding up an armored truck to a group of militia members, McCoy finds himself facing one of their number as the pro se counsel for his friends, arguing for the concept of "jury nullification", the right of a jury to protect a defendant from an unjust law by finding him not guilty despite the evidence. Inspired by Militia actions such as the Siege of Ruby Ridge and Waco, Texas, the Oklahoma City bombing and the trial of the Chicago Seven. Writer David Black said while researching for the episode that he found some aspects of the movement to be bigoted, but found that some of it reminded him of "original revolutionists of America. They do sound like Tom Paine and Thomas Jefferson... I don't think they should use terrorist tactics, but philosophically I have some sympathy."[6]
163	6	"Baby, It's You"	Ed Sherin	Jorge Zamacona	12 November 1997
It's old home week for Briscoe when an apparent murder of a teenage model in New York develops ties to Baltimore, and Detectives Munch and Falsone pay a visit to the Big Apple to observe the case. Meanwhile, McCoy finds himself battling the attorney of the victim's parents for access to his clients and the Baltimore DA for jurisdiction. Based on the JonBenét Ramsey case.[7] The first part of a two-part crossover with a Homicide: Life on the Street episode of the same name. Guest Stars: Jon Seda and Richard Belzer.
164	7	"Blood"	Jace Alexander	Craig Tepper, René Balcer	19 November 1997
The paternity of a black baby given up for adoption by a white mother who later fell from an apartment balcony might provide a clue to her murderer, but it also unearths some long-buried family secrets that it seems more than one person would kill to keep hidden. Based on the life story of Anatole Broyard.[citation needed] Guest Stars: Deborah Rush and Stephen Mendillo.
165	8	"Shadow"	Matthew Penn	Richard Sweren	26 November 1997
The murder of a bail bondsman looks fairly routine until the chance words of the chief suspect uncover possible case-fixing between a shady lawyer and an unknown contact within the judicial system.
166	9	"Burned"	Constantine Makris	Siobhan B. O'Connor	10 December 1997
A message overheard on an answering machine leads Briscoe and Curtis to a confessed murderer and the home of wealthy Carl Anderton, an old friend of Adam Schiff, whose stubborn non-cooperation with the district attorney threatens to create a serious miscarriage of justice. Guest Stars: Robert Vaughn and Sam Huntington
167	10	"Ritual"	Brian Mertes	Kathy McCormick, Richard Sweren	17 December 1997
Curtis and Briscoe investigate the death of Josef Moussad, an Arabic man found behind a dumpster, the victim of an apparent mugging. The detectives soon realise that Moussad had brought a doctor into the country to perform a clitoridectomy (female circumcision) on his young niece, and suspicion turns to the family. Ross is horrified that young Alison's grandmother and uncle were both in full support of the operation, which makes it hard for her to prosecute the case objectively. Based on heightened concern over female genital cutting.[8] Guest Star: Emmy Rossum.
168	11	"Under the Influence"	Adam Davidson	René Balcer	7 January 1998
After Briscoe and Curtis finally determine who was driving the car that killed three people, the legal prosecution stands in danger of becoming a kangaroo court when McCoy's feelings over Kincaid mesh with the political agenda of an ambitious judge anxious to make an example of the defendant.
169	12	"Expert"	Lewis H. Gould	David Shore, I. C. Rapoport	21 January 1998
The shooting of two people in a restaurant restroom takes some abrupt turns as they try to discover who exactly the intended victim was, and the prosecutors have to deal with a defendant claiming to have been in a dissociative state while committing the crime — the same defense used years before by the defendant's father. Guest star: Vera Farmiga
170	13	"Castoff"	Gloria Muzio	David Black, Harold Schecter	28 January 1998
The street murder of a woman who worked with underprivileged kids takes a turn towards the bizarre when the detectives uncover she had a predilection for kinky sex, and that one of her current partners appears to be a serial killer, who offers an overexposure to television violence as his defense during his trial. Based on the Andrew Cunanan case. [9] Guest Star: Dennis Boutsikaris.
171	14	"Grief"	Christopher Misiano	Suzanne Oshry	4 February 1998
The cops, as they try to pin down the specifics of an assault on a man reluctant to talk about it, uncover the alleged rape of two women in custodial care. But as the prosecutors attempt to prepare their case, a reluctant witness changes their view of the cases. Based on the John Horace Oughton case where he raped and impregnated a comatose woman.[citation needed] Guest stars: Hallee Hirsh and Edie Falco.
172	15	"Faccia a Faccia"	Martha Mitchell	René Balcer, Eddie Feldmann	25 February 1998
Taking on an apparent mafia murder, Detectives Briscoe and Curtis are stymied by a dead witness and a seemingly incoherent mob boss. Based on the Sammy Gravano case.[10]
173	16	"Divorce"	Constantine Makris	Barry M. Schkolnick	4 March 1998
The stabbing death of a psychologist draws Detectives Briscoe and Curtis into a heated divorce case and pits McCoy and Ross against a manipulative attorney. Guest Stars: Jill Clayburgh and Tony Roberts.
174	17	"Carrier"	J. Ranelli	David Black	1 April 1998
The death of a college student leads to a case involving an HIV-positive male who's seeking to infect as many young women as possible. McCoy, testing right-to-privacy ethics, wants to charge him with murder. Based on the Nushawn Williams case.[citation needed] Guest Star: Leslie Denniston.
175	18	"Stalker"	Richard Dobbs	Kathy McCormick	15 April 1998
When a woman is found unconscious at the bottom of her apartment stairs, Briscoe and Curtis must figure out what happened — before it's too late. In order to make his case, McCoy pits the two detectives against each other in the courtroom.
176	19	"Disappeared"	David Platt	Richard Sweren, William N. Fordes	22 April 1998
A defendant refuses to allow his lawyer to raise the issue of insanity. This complicates matters for the brother who turned him in with hopes of securing medical treatment for him.
177	20	"Burden (Law & Order)"	Constantine Makris	David Shore, I. C. Rapoport	24 April 1998
After a 12-year-old quadriplegic dies at home in his bed, paramedics claim that he was suffocated and the suspects include the boy's parents and sister.
178	21	"Bad Girl"	Jace Alexander	Richard Sweren, René Balcer	29 April 1998
Schiff's re-election may hinge on the stabbing death of a police officer; Briscoe's daughter is arrested for dealing drugs. Based on the Karla Faye Tucker case.[11] Guest Star: Isabel Gillies.
179	22	"Damaged"	Constantine Makris	Janis Diamond	6 May 1998
The case of a teacher's shooting uncovers a vendetta involving the rape of a mentally challenged coed by three students, whose attorney claims they weren't aware of her condition. Briscoe is devastated to learn of his daughter Cathy's death. Guest Star: Lauren Ambrose.
180	23	"Tabloid"	Brian Mertes	David Black, Alec Baldwin	13 May 1998
Tabloid journalism comes under scrutiny during the investigations into the deaths of a gossip columnist and a celebrity target he pursued. This episode was written by the actor Alec Baldwin.[12]
181	24	"Monster"	Ed Sherin	Richard Sweren, René Balcer	20 May 1998
During the search for a pedophile who raped a 10-year-old, a snitch offers Briscoe a chance to avenge his daughter's death. Meanwhile, Van Buren learns that her job is in jeopardy; McCoy is ordered to appear before a disciplinary committee because of his conduct in a DUI case; and the increasingly political Schiff worries that the rape case may adversely impact his reelection bid. Last appearance of Carey Lowell as Jamie Ross as ADA.

References

1. ^ CNET Networks, Inc. (2007). TV.com episode summary for Season 8. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
2. ^ Dwyer, Kevin (2006). Review: True Stories of Law & Order: The Real Crimes Behind the Best Episodes of the Hit TV Show. Penguin. pp. viii, 179–184. http://books.google.com/books?id=8GpnqiGTAS0C&pg=PA121#v=onepage&q=vreeland&f=false. 
3. ^ Wyatt, Edward (2005-01-08). "Even for an Expert, Blurred TV Images Became a False Reality". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/08/arts/television/08law.html. 
4. ^ Courrier, Kevin (1998). Law & order: the unofficial companion. Renaissance Books. pp. 285–286. http://books.google.com/books?id=58awEAIjnBQC&pg=PA286. 
5. ^ Courrier, p.287
6. ^ Courrier, p.288
7. ^ Courrier, p.288-290
8. ^ James, Stanlie Myrise (2002). Genital cutting and transnational sisterhood: disputing U.S. polemics. University Press of Illinois. p. 73. http://books.google.com/books?id=t_5a39rTNB8C&pg=PA73#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
9. ^ Lo, Malinda (June 13, 2005). "Law and Order Treats Gay Men Fairly". AfterElton.com. http://www.afterelton.com/archive/elton/TV/2005/6/lawandorder2.html. 
10. ^ Courrier, p.296
11. ^ Price, Melynda Janea (2006). At the Cross: Race and Religion in the Politics of the Death Penalty Among African Americans. p. 222. 
12. ^ "Alec Baldwin biography". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000285/#writer. 

Notes

• This is the final season to feature Carey Lowell as Jamie Ross. She will make a guest appearance as a defense attorney in two episodes in the following two seasons of the series as well as becoming a judge on Law & Order: Trial by Jury.
• This is the first season to feature no cast changes from the previous season.
• The episode Under the Influence revisits the car accident involving Claire Kincaid from Season 6.
• The episode Bad Girl stars Isabel Gillies, who would later join Law & Order: Special Victims Unit cast as Kathy, wife of Elliot Stabler.

External links

• Episode guide from NBC.com
• L&O Season 8 on the Law & Order Wiki

Preceded by Season Seven (1996-1997)

List of Law & Order seasons (1990-2010)

Succeeded by Season Nine (1998-1999)