Law & Order

Season 18

Called Home

1. When Jack McCoy becomes D.A., his old office gets a makeover, with the walls being repainted in pastel white and a marker board on the back of the door. In the District Attorney's office, the cabinet doors are removed from the cabinets.
2. This episode appears to be based on the 1980's and 1990's Dr. Jack Kevorkian (a.k.a. "Dr. Death") case. Dr. Kevorkian became famous in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a supporter of assisted suicide. He became most noted for publicly championing a terminal patient's right to die via euthanasia; he claims to have assisted at least 130 patients to that end. He famously said that "dying is not a crime." Between 1999 and 2007, Kevorkian served eight years of a 10-to-25-year prison sentence for second-degree murder. His trial was a lengthy one because of several acquittals and a mistrial. He was released on June 1, 2007, on parole due to good behavior. He died on June 3, 2011.
3. There are portraits of an unknown man hanging on the walls outside of both the D.A.'s office and E.A.D.A.'s office while Branch and others are in office. However, when Jack McCoy takes over, the portraits are gone, replaced with a bulletin board and copy machine on the wall next to the D.A.'s office, and a bunch of files and 2 smaller pictures on the wall outside the E.A.D.A.'s office. This is seen later.
4. First appearance of Linus Roache as ADA Michael Cutter and Jeremy Sisto as Det. Cyrus Lupo.

Darkness

1. Marisa Ryan, who plays the woman hitting on Detective Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) during the blackout, was married to the actor from 1993 to 2002.
2. This episode appears to be based on the 2000 Enron Energy scandal in California.
3. The notorious Mattawin Corporation is again coming up as the common owner of the two conspiring power companies. It is also the fraudulent company in Tuxedo Hill (2002) and the name of a sleazy NY corporation--is not new to the L&O universe. It was previously used in the mothership show as the name of a sleazy Hollywood movie studio in the Season 7 trilogy D-Girl (1997)/Turnaround (1997)/Showtime (1997).
4. Peter McRobbie plays Judge Walter Bradley in this, and 13 other episodes. Previously, he played the part of four other characters:
   • Episode 1.21 Sonata for Solo Organ (1991) - Manager.
   • Episode 3.9 Point of View (1992) - John Ennis.
   • Episode 5.11 Guardian (1995) - Herbert Fowler.
   • Episode 8.23 Tabloid (1998) - Dr. Thomas Neustadt.
   • Episode 11.9 Hubris (2001) onwards - Judge Walter Bradley.
5. Jordan Lage has played six different roles over the course of the series:
   • Episode 6.13 Charm City (1996) - Jury Foreman.
   • Episode 7.7 Deadbeat (1996) - Charles.
   • Episode 9.6 Scrambled (1998) - Dr. Harvey Purcell.
   • Episode 11.18 White Lie (2001) - Buddy Marks.
   • Episode 13.1 American Jihad (2002) - Jeff Bodner.
   • Episode 18.2 Darkness (2008) - William Tyrell.
   • Episode 19.21 Skate or Die (2009) - William Tyrell.

Misbegotten

1. Jack McCoy and his people have a brief discussion of Fritz Haber, the German chemist who got the Nobel Prize in 1918, and also invented poison gases which were used by Germany in war and in the Holocaust (later). The reason Haber won the Prize was entirely different: he developed a chemical reaction to convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2 gas) into fixed nitrogen (nitrogen atoms bound to atoms other than another nitrogen atom, as in ammonia, NH3), which enabled people to make artificial fertilizer from the nitrogen in the air, rather than having to use previously-living material, such as excrement and dead things, for fertilizer. This invention saved millions of people, maybe billions, from starving to death. It was so colossally important that the Nobel Prize committee had to award him the prize even in spite of his involvement with the poison-gas industry. So they held their noses (ha ha) and gave him the prize.Later in his career, Haber wasted huge amounts of time and resources trying to find a way to extract gold from seawater. No fooling, he really thought there was enough gold in seawater to make the project practical, and hoped to enable Germany to pay off the judgment against it for WW1, which was required to be paid in gold, by getting the gold from seawater. This makes him--one man-- one of the most beneficial chemists, and one of the most evil chemists, and one of the most ridiculous chemists, in history.
2. This episode appears to be based on the controversial "gay gene" studies.
3. Amy Rutberg (Courtney) also played the role of Megan Kerik in episode 20.12, Blackmail (2010).

Bottomless

1. This episode appears to be based on several cases/incidents:
   • The 2005 Pearson v. Chung case.
   • The 2007 Chinese export recalls.
   • Ethics enforcement efforts by multinational retailing corporation Walmart.
2. Donna Lynne Champlin (C.S.U. Detective Halpern) also played the role of Sergeant Angelyne Robinson in episode 20.13, Steel-Eyed Death (2010).
3. John Cunningham has played five different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 2.11 His Hour Upon the Stage (1991) - Cobb.
   • Episode 3.18 Animal Instinct (1993) - Donald Walsh.
   • Episode 5.2 Coma (1994) - Max Weston.
   • Episode 7.14 Working Mom (1997) - Daniel Metzler.
   • Episode 9.7 Venom (1998) - Daniel Metzler.
   • Episode 9.22 Admissions (1999) - Mr. Crowley.
   • Episode 12.12 Undercovered (2002) - Daniel Metzler.
   • Episode 18.4 Bottomless (2008) - Daniel Metzler.
4. David Drake played three different characters during the course of the series:
   • Episode 2.12 Star Struck (1992) - Voorman.
   • Episode 12.4 Soldier of Fortune (2001) - Mr. Aldrich.
   • Episode 18.4 Bottomless (2008) - Herbert Wiggins.
5. Will Chase has played three different roles over the course of the series:
   • Episode 13.11 Chosen (2003) - David.
   • Episode 14.18 Evil Breeds (2004) - Mellors' Co-Owner.
   • Episode 18.4 Bottomless (2008) - Derek Cahill.

Driven

1. This episode appears to be based on two separate cases:
   • The 2007 Eva Daley case.
   • The 2006 Jena Six case.
2. Vanessa Aspillaga has played four different roles over the course of the series:
   • Episode 7.3 Good Girl (1996) - Irene - Librarian.
   • Episode 11.11 Sunday in the Park with Jorge (2001) - Miss Guzman.
   • Episode 12.5 Possession (2001) - Mrs. Ramos.
   • Episode 18.5 Driven (2008) - Detective Carla Sanchez.
3. Coincidentally, this episode re-aired on Sundance the same day as Derek Chauvin received his sentence (22.5 years) for the murder of George Floyd.

Political Animal

1. This episode appears to be based on several cases/incidents:
   • The 2007 Norman Hsu scandal.
   • The 2006-2007 Larry Craig sex scandal.
   • The suicide of Vince Foster and the conspiracy theories surrounding it.
   • A supporting character is based on Hillary Clinton.
2. John Doman played five different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 1.22 The Blue Wall (1991) - Bailiff.
   • Episode 7.20 We Like Mike (1997) - Sergeant Frank Gottlieb.
   • Episode 9.9 True North (1998) - Mr. Stephens.
   • Episode 13.18 Maritime (2003) - Howard Ridgeway.
   • Episode 18.6 Political Animal (2008) - Jim Gilles.

Quit Claim

1. The title refers to a type of property transfer where the seller/owner is only removing their interest from the property and makes no claim as to the validity of the remainder of the title.
2. Law & Order (1990)'s 400th episode.
3. Danny Mastrogiorgio has played three different roles over the course of the series:
   • Episode 6.1 Bitter Fruit (1995) - Perry Behrens (as Daniel Mastrogiorgio).
   • Episode 10.16 Trade This (2000) - Bruce Valentine.
   • Episode 18.7 Quit Claim (2008) - Nicky Fatone.
4. This episode appears to be based on several cases/incidents:
   • A number of scandals involving sub-prime mortgages.
   • Partially ripped from the pages of The Day of the Jackal and its 1973 film adaptation (The Day of the Jackal (1973)).
   • Inspired by controversial invocations of the Patriot Act.

Illegal

1. This episode appears to be based on the 2007 MacArthur Park rallies.
2. John Pankow (A.D.A. Josh Lethem) also played the role of Charles Meadow In episode 3.5, Wedded Bliss (1992).
3. Christina Rouner has played three different roles over the course of the series:
   • Episode 9.16 Harm (1999) - Mrs. Atkins.
   • Episode 13.13 Absentia (2003) - Anne-Marie Gautreaux.
   • Episode 18.8 Illegal (2008) - Attorney Sanders.
   • Episode 20.8 Doped (2009) - Attorney Sanders.

Executioner

1. This episode appears to be based on three separate cases/incidents:
   • The 2006 botched execution of Ángel Nieves Díaz and other botched executions that occurred in the United States.
   • Anonymity laws that shield the identities of people involved in executions.
   • The 2007 Steven Hayes/Joshua Komisarjevsky case.
2. Seventh and final appearance of actor James Rebhorn in a Law and Order episode.

Tango

1. This episode appears to be based on the 2006 Jennifer Moore case. Jennifer was an 18-year-old American student from Harrington Park, New Jersey, who was abducted around July 25, 2006, from Manhattan, New York, and then raped and murdered.
2. Michael Cutter is seen reading a newspaper called "The New York Journal" . From the gothic masthead, it's obviously an imitation of "The New York Times", in the manner of the Law & Order series. They similarly do a mock-up of the "New York Post", called the "New York Ledger", although the Post does also get a few mentions under its own name. The "New York Ledger" also is featured in the Criminal Intent series, along with a "USA Today" imitation called "USA Now". The only newspaper which is consistently shown under its own name is the "Daily News."
3. Steven Boyer has played three different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 12.14 Missing (2002) - Scott Purdy.
   • Episode 18.10 Tango (2008) - Sonny.
   • Episode 20.6 Human Flesh Search Engine (2009) - Sal Jerome.
4. Patrick Boll has played four different roles over the course of the series:- Episode 4.15 Kids (1994) - Newsman.
   • Episode 6.7 Humiliation (1995) - Rick Sidney.
   • Episode 17.7 In Vino Veritas (2006) - Barry Bishop.
   • Episode 18.10 Tango (2008) - Allan Liscomb.
5. Sean Haberle (Ray Campbell) previously played the role of Walter Flint in episode 16.15, Choice of Evils (2006).

Betrayal

1. This episode refers back to Confession (1991). D.A. Cutter questions Dr. Elizabeth Olivet, who is testifying for the defense, about her counseling former Detective Mike Logan, and it is implied this led to an affair between the two.
2. The case of the Tennessee woman who got 60 days for murdering her husband that DA McCoy is referring to in the episode is that of Mary Winkler, who was sentenced for manslaughter in Tennessee in 2007 for killing her preacher husband, claiming physical and mental abuse.
3. Madeleine Martin (Emma Waxman) previously played the role of Annie in episode 14.9, Compassion (2003).
4. This episode appears to be based on three separate cases/incidents:
   • The 2002/2006 Susan Polk case.
   • The 2006-2007 Mary Winkler case.
   • The 1998 Rind et al. controversy.
5. John Shea (Dr. Isaac Waxman) previously played the role of John David Myers in episode 14.4, Shrunk (2003).
6. Orlagh Cassidy has played three different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 13.14 Star Crossed (2003) - Angela.
   • Episode 18.11 Betrayal (2008) - Dana.
   • Episode 20.22 Love Eternal (2010) - Detective Sheila Ray.

Submission

1. This episode appears to be based on two separate cases/incidents:
   • The 2007 Lisa Stebic case and the related Amy Jacobson scandal.
   • The 2007 Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting scandal involving NFL quarterback Michael Vick.
2. Second of two successive episodes which happen to feature guest appearances by two actresses who portrayed the same character in different pieces of the Twin Peaks story line arc. Guest starring here, Lara Flynn Boyle portrayed Donna Hayward in the original Twin Peaks (1990) series. The preceding episode, Betrayal (2008), featured a guest appearance by Moira Kelly, who portrayed Donna Hayward in the prequel movie, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992).
3. David Fonteno has portrayed seven different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 1.17 Mushrooms (1991) - Coach.
   • Episode 3.16 Jurisdiction (1993) - Gavin McCrea.
   • Episode 4.19 Sanctuary (1994) - Jimmy Graves.
   • Episode 6.4 Jeopardy (1995) - CSU Tech Murrau.
   • Episode 7.18 Mad Dog (1997) - Munro.
   • Episode 10.24 Vaya Con Dios (2000) - John Groban.
   • Episode 11.10 Whose Monkey Is It Anyway? (2001) - Judge Derek Hafner.
   • Episode 18.12 Submission (2008) - Judge Derek Hafner.
   • Episode 19.20 Exchange (2009) - Judge Derek Hafner.

Angelgrove

1. Sean Cullen has played three different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 9.12 Haven (1999) - Professor Davis Mills.
   • Episode 14.7 Floater (2003) - Gene Marchetti.
   • Episode 18.13 Angelgrove (2008) - Matthew Lortell.
2. Drew McVety has played three different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 13.18 Maritime (2003) - Mr. Haas.
   • Episode 15.19 Sects (2005) - Clerk.
   • Episode 18.13 Angelgrove (2008) - FBI Agent.

Burn Card

1. Jesse L. Martin's last episode as Detective Ed Green.
2. "Burn card" is a term used in card games, most commonly in poker, referring to a playing card which is dealt from the top of the deck and "burned" (i.e. discarded and unused by the players); the practice of card burning is frequently utilized in casinos to cut down on cheating.
3. Before making his debut appearance as Detective Kevin Bernard, Anthony Anderson first made his debut on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) filling in for Olivia Benson as Detective Lucius Blaine on Fat (2006). This was a one time appearance prior to his debut on this episode of Law & Order.
4. This episode appears to be based on two separate cases:
   • The 2008 David D'aloia/James O'Hara case.
   • The 2007 NBA betting scandal involving Tim Donaghy.
5. Ruben Santiago-Hudson has played four different roles over the course of the series:
   • Episode 1.11 Out of the Half-Light (1990) - Mr. Gaines.
   • Episode 5.6 Competence (1994) - Detective Brian Keene.
   • Episode 9.12 Haven (1999) - Defense Attorney Winters.
   • Episode 11.18 White Lie (2001) - Defense Attorney Winters.
   • Episode 14.6 Identity (2003) - Dr. Paul Jackson.
   • Episode 18.14 Burn Card (2008) - Defense Attorney Winters.
6. Guest star Carmen Ejogo (April Lannen) and Jeremy Sisto (Cyrus Lupo) starred together in Kidnapped (2006).

Bogeyman

1. "Systemotics" appears to bear more than a passing resemblance to Scientology.
2. Bill Irwin, who plays Ellison Conway in this episode, also plays Olivia Benson's therapist on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999).

Strike

1. Michael Medeiros has portrayed six different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 4.20 Nurture (1994) - Detective Harding
   • Episode 7.5 Corruption (1996) - Internal Affairs Detective Reynolds
   • Episode 8.19 Disappeared (1998) - Matthew O'Dell
   • Episode 12.3 For Love or Money (2001) - Vince Renalfi
   • Episode 14.8 Embedded (2003) - Defense Attorney Stewart Griffin
   • Episode 18.16 Strike (2008) - Mike Dolci
2. Andrew Polk has played five different roles over the course of the series:
   • Episode 20.18 Brazil (2010) - Eli Driscoll
   • Episode 18.16 Strike (2008) - Bank Manager
   • Episode 13.12 Under God (2003) - Jared Sterling
   • Episode 11.3 Dissonance (2000) - Stuart
   • Episode 7.19 Double Down (1997) - CSU Technician
3. Shawn Andrew has played three different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 20.10 Shotgun (2009) - Sensei Joseph
   • Episode 18.16 Strike (2008) - Courthouse Guard
   • Episode 16.22 Invaders (2006) - Ricky Robinson
4. Elizabeth Rich (Woman in Gallery) also played the role of Paramedic Larson in episode 20.18, Brazil (2010).

Personae Non Grata

1. B-Frendz is a fictional social media site that was also used in the Law & Order (1990) episode, Avatar (2007).
2. This episode is unusual in that neither a final verdict delivered in the courtroom nor a final plea agreement reached in the DA's office is shown.
3. Don Sparks has played three different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 18.17 Personae Non Grata (2008) - James Kelvin
   • Episode 15.1 Paradigm (2004) - CSU Tech Dill
   • Episode 14.10 Ill-Conceived (2003) - CSU Tech Dill
   • Episode 11.12 Teenage Wasteland (2001) - ADA Lawrence Donato
4. Ralph Byers has portrayed four different characters over the course of the series:
   • Episode 8.17 Carrier (1998) - Mr. Kiley
   • Episode 5.17 Act of God (1995) - Alex Gaston
   • Episode 3.21 Manhood (1993) - Neil Belden
   • Episode 1.21 Sonata for Solo Organ (1991) - Judge Barsky
5. First of three Law & Order (1990) episodes that reunites Linus Roache and Alison Elliott, who co-starred in the drama, The Wings of the Dove (1997). The other two are Excalibur (2008) and The Drowned and the Saved (2009)

Excalibur

1. Third and final appearance of Len Cariou in a Law and Order episode.
2. Eric Sheffer Stevens (Frank Beezley) previously played the role of M.E. Laraby in episode 16.14, Magnet (2006).
3. Second of three Law & Order (1990) episodes that reunites Linus Roache and Alison Elliott, who co-starred in the drama, The Wings of the Dove (1997). The other two are Personae Non Grata (2008) and The Drowned and the Saved (2009).