Law & Order (season 1)

Law & Order
	Season 1
	Season 1 U.S. DVD cover
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	22
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 13, 1990 –; June 9, 1991
Season chronology

The first season of Law & Order premiered on NBC on September 13, 1990, and concluded on June 9, 1991.

Cast

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
1	1	"Prescription for Death"	John P. Whitesell II	S : David Black; S/T : Ed Zuckerman	September 13, 1990 (1990-09-13)	66209	14.00
Suzanne Morton dies after a visit to a hospital emergency room during a hectic night shift. Her father, a former army medic in Vietnam, accuses the hospital of neqgligence and demands a police investigation. Logan and Greevey question a doctor who made adjustments to her chart, but are soon led to the respected Dr. Edward Auster, who they feel may have been drunk on duty. The other residents are reluctant to speak for fear their jobs may be in jeopardy, and Stone is faced with the awkward job of prosecuting a revered physician.
2	2	"Subterranean Homeboy Blues"	E.W. Swackhamer	Robert Palm	September 20, 1990 (1990-09-20)	66205	15.50
A white woman, Laura di Biasi, (Cynthia Nixon) shoots two black men in a crowded subway. The shooting at first appears to be self-defense, but further investigation shows that the motive may be revenge. Logan and Greevey argue about di Biasi's guilt, especially after learning that the dead man has a substantial record, and the living one cannot control himself in court. Laura di Biasi tries to make her case to Robinette, but he distances himself from the issue. Stone has trouble with the case, both in dealing with di Biasi's public defender, Shambala Green, and with the fact that the district attorney's office is divided over the issue.
3	3	"The Reaper's Helper"	Vern Gillum	T : David Black & Robert Stuart Nathan; S/T : Thomas Francis McElroy	October 4, 1990 (1990-10-04)	66215	14.60
Construction worker Bobby Holland is found shot to death in his apartment. Logan and Greevey investigate and soon learn that Holland was gay. After reading a magazine article, Greevey connects the death to others in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The detectives arrest Jack Curry (Peter Frechette), who is connected to all three cases. Curry admits his involvement and claims that each man asked him to help them commit suicide because they had AIDS. Stone is troubled about prosecuting the case because of his doubts that Curry did anything wrong.
4	4	"Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die"	Charles Correll	S : Dick Wolf; T : Robert Stuart Nathan	October 11, 1990 (1990-10-11)	66210	16.80
Paige Bartlett is found beaten severely in her Upper East Side apartment. She dies in the hospital. Greevey and Logan investigate her boyfriend Steven Feinstein, but find that they broke up the evening before she was killed. The detectives locate another boyfriend, Ned Loomis (Thomas Calabro), and learn that he has a history of violence after another former victim comes forward. Stone is frustrated when he is not able to use Loomis' former crimes against him in court.
5	5	"Happily Ever After"	Vern Gillum	S : Dick Wolf; T : Robert Stuart Nathan; S/T : David Black	October 23, 1990 (1990-10-23)	66216	19.40
Alan Ralston is shot to death and his wife Janet (Roxanne Hart) wounded inside their building parking garage. In hospital, Janet identifies the alleged attacker from a police photo. One witness questioned early in the investigation is Gil Himes (Bob Gunton), a business associate of Alan. Police eventually piece together that the crime was not a random act of violence by the identified attacker. Rather it was the intentional murder of Alan and equally intentional wounding of Janet. Stone tries to get one of the suspects to testify against the other.
6	6	"Everybody's Favorite Bagman"	John Patterson	Dick Wolf	October 30, 1990 (1990-10-30)	83543	18.20
After local councilman and former bagman Charles Halsey is mugged and his throat slashed, Logan and Greevey investigate the case and the two young black male suspects initially caught. Their suspicion turns to organized crime when they link the victim to Masucci soldier Tony Scalisi. As Stone and Robinette continue their investigation, they uncover a corruption scandal involving Councilman Halsey; the collection of parking meter violation fines has been awarded to a firm connected to organized crime. To avoid the appearance of impropriety, District Attorney Wentworth will not allow Stone to offer Scalisi immunity. However, in order to win their case, their only option might be to make a deal with the mobster. Stone discovers that the case involves not only organized crime, but also elected city officials and a deputy police commissioner whom he accuses of changing his testimony and doctoring evidence in a past case. Stone is unable to use the police because of suspected corruption within the department, so he consults Assistant U.S. Attorney John McCormack (William H. Macy).
7	7	"By Hooker, By Crook"	Martin Davidson	David Black	November 13, 1990 (1990-11-13)	66203	17.70
After two policeman discovered of an unconscious man in Central Park leads Greevey and Logan to Diamond's previous activity and locale—with an escort named Jolene in a hotel room. Greevey poses as a "john" looking for Jolene. When she stipulates her fees and services, Greevey arrests her for solicitation. When Diamond dies, the investigation leads to Jolene's superior, Jasmine, then to Jasmine's superior, Laura Winthrop (Patricia Clarkson). Winthrop claims that she runs a catering service, but when Jolene's blood tests HIV-positive, the case takes a sharp tack questioning the safety of the escort service industry.
8	8	"Poison Ivy"	E.W. Swackhamer	S : Jack Richardson; S/T : Jacob Brackman	November 20, 1990 (1990-11-20)	66211	15.00
During a routine drug arrest, a veteran police officer Freddo Parisi (John Finn), kills a young black boy Tommy Richardson, who may have been unarmed. Parisi is accused of planting a gun on the victim to justify the shooting. Moreover, Parisi has a similar incident already on his record. Richardson was a student at Princeton University who was well respected for his contributions to his community in terms of time, energy, and money. But the investigation reveals that he sold drugs to get the money.
9	9	"Indifference"	James Quinn	Robert Palm	November 27, 1990 (1990-11-27)	66207	17.60
Sgt. Greevey and Det. Logan investigate a possible case of child abuse when a young girl, Didi Lowenstein, is found at school badly beaten and near unconscious. The attending physician says there's no way her injuries could have happened accidentally. When they speak to Didi's mother Carla however (Marcia Jean Kurtz), she seems to be in a strangely passive and indifferent state of mind. The police are surprised that little has been done to investigate her situation and even more so when they learn Didi's father Jacob (David Groh) is a psychiatrist. As the evidence mounts, it's clear that Carla is the one who struck Didi but ADA Stone wants Jacob for murder as it was he who actually created the reign of terror that existed in the Lowenstein household. Based on the Lisa Steinberg case; for the first (and only) time during the show's run, a disclaimer at the conclusion of the episode explicitly stated that the case was only an inspiration for that specific show.[1] [ After Joel Steinberg was actually released from prison, a direct sequel of this episode entitled Fixed aired in Season 15.
10	10	"Prisoner of Love"	Michael Fresco	S : David Black; S/T : Robert Stuart Nathan	December 4, 1990 (1990-12-04)	66208	16.80
The apparent suicide of a controversial bisexual artist Victor More, who died while engaging in an apparent act of auto-erotic strangulation, leads Detectives Greevey and Logan into the city's bondage/S&M subculture. The initial explanation for the artist/victim's position is that he was involved in a "performance art work." Further investigation reveals that, in fact, he was one of a sadomasochistic trio that included the head of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Henry Rothman (Larry Keith) and his "mistress," Elizabeth Hendrick (Frances Conroy) a wealthy socialite dominatrix who instigated and monitored the S&M scene that led to the artist's death.
11	11	"Out of the Half-Light"	E.W. Swackhamer	Michael Duggan	December 11, 1990 (1990-12-11)	66202	19.80
A black teenage girl Astrea Crawford claims to have been raped by white police officers. Police and prosecutors struggle to get the truth when an ambitious African-American congressman claims the investigation is a racially motivated cover-up. However, when the rape kit tests negative, the prosecution suspects the case may be a hoax. The conflict heats until Robinette learns from the girl's parents that she and her boyfriend had sexual relations. The family fears an unwanted pregnancy, so, with the urging of the congressman Ronald Eton (J.A. Preston), they claim the girl was raped by police officers. Having admitted the hoax, the family avoids the congressman whose campaign has been destroyed. Prosecutors devise a solution involving all-round gag orders. They concede that reputations were seriously damaged, but they reason that, with its impetus deflated, the case will fade quickly from people's memories.
12	12	"Life Choice"	Aaron Lipstadt	S : Dick Wolf; T : David Black & Robert Stuart Nathan	January 8, 1991 (1991-01-08)	66213	19.20
After Mary Donovan, an anti-abortion protester, is killed in an abortion center bombing, detectives search for all of her potential co-conspirators. The victim's parents and brother prove to be as committed to the pro-life movement as the victim. The first defendant arrested is Celeste McClure, who purchased the fertilizer to be mixed with the diesel fuel to create the bomb. Police determine that the central figure in the plot is Rose Schwimmer (Caroline Kava) who is arrested. Detectives discover that the victim was pregnant and was secretly seeking an abortion. At trial, Schwimmer attempts to use her witness testimony to preach against abortion. Stone stops the attempt by asking Schwimmer that, if abortion is murder, is Schwimmer not guilty of murdering Mary Donovan's unborn baby. Schwimmer is visibly defeated by the question and remains silent for the remainder of the trial, including her conviction. In 2009, TV Guide ranked this episode #62 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.[2]
13	13	"A Death in the Family"	Gwen Arner	T : David Black; S/T : Joe Viola	January 15, 1991 (1991-01-15)	66204	17.80
NYPD officer Pete Rennick is shot to death on a rooftop in the dark; Logan and Greevey believe that a crook known as Brutus Walker is responsible for it, and the NYPD initiates a massive manhunt for him. However, it later turns out that Walker was not the one who shot Rennick; it was his partner, Nicki Sandoval (Wendy Makkena). Investigation reveals that, after displaying many blatant examples of his corruption to his partner, he was afraid that she would report him. So he lured her to the rooftop and tried to kill her, but she killed him first in self-defense. She is cleared of the shooting, but since policy dictates that she should have reported him, she will lose her job.
14	14	"The Violence of Summer"	Don Scardino	Michael Duggan	February 5, 1991 (1991-02-05)	66219	16.20
Sgt. Greevey and Det. Logan look for additional evidence in a rape case. Well-known reporter Monica Devries (Megan Gallagher) was raped but ADAs Stone and Robinette run into a road block when the physical evidence and DNA tests don't match any of the accused. Under normal circumstances, Stone would have simply put Devries on the stand but a previous conviction makes her a weak witness and less sympathetic to a jury. The detectives decides to restart the investigation from scratch and learn that there may have been another as yet unidentified attacker. Getting that person's identity will be key in getting a successful prosecution.
15	15	"The Torrents of Greed"	E.W. Swackhamer	S : Michael Duggan; S/T : Michael S. Chernuchin	February 12, 1991 (1991-02-12)	66222	16.60
Sergeant Greevy and Detective Logan investigate the severe beating of a convenience store owner. A witness describes the attacker as a man wearing a suit and they soon have Joe Pilefski (Stephen McHattie), a mob enforcer for the Mansucci crime family, in custody. They're not quite sure why a mob enforcer would be beating up an old man owning a small store but Logan realizes that the cigarettes he was selling don't have a tax stamp. Soon Pilefsky, Frank Mansucci's (Charles Cioffi) brother-in-law Harv Beigal (Bruce Altman) and trucking company owner Mario Zalta (Robert Fields) charged with conspiracy. Executive ADA Stone see an opportunity to get Mansucci himself for the murder of a missing trucking union boss. He offers immunity to get testimony but it doesn't turn out as he had hoped.
16	16	"The Torrents of Greed (Part II)"	E.W. Swackhamer	S : Michael Duggan; S/T : Michael S. Chernuchin	February 19, 1991 (1991-02-19)	66225	13.60
Having been set up by mobster Frank Mansucci, Executive ADA Stone takes a different tack in pursuing him. Although Mansucci can no longer be tried for the murder of the trucking union official, they hope to convict him of kidnapping the man. They get a warrant to wiretap his conversations for a month hoping to get more information. They also arrest his brother-in-law Harv Beigal for bribing a city official and hope that the threat of a stretch in Attica may get him to testify. Beigal flatly refuses to testify but does tell Stone how his brother-in-law Mansucci gave the orders to have someone eliminated. When Beigal suddenly disappears, Stone and the police are quite certain he's been disposed of. Beigal's wife Katherine (Christine Baranski) says she's never been involved in the family business and has no information for them. As everyone soon learns, some problems have a way of resolving themselves.
17	17	"Mushrooms"	Daniel Sackheim	Robert Palm	February 26, 1991 (1991-02-26)	66218	15.60
A 12-year-old boy Andrew Winters is injured and his infant brother Gregory Winters is killed by gunshots. The investigation reveals the children were the accidental victims of a hit ordered by a drug dealer Michael Ingrams (James McDaniel) against a real estate broker Edward Kay. Tragically, the murders prove to be the result of an adolescent gunman targeting the wrong address because he knows more about operating automatic weapons than about basic reading.
18	18	"The Secret Sharers"	E.W. Swackhamer	Robert Stuart Nathan	March 12, 1991 (1991-03-12)	66221	13.20
Greevy and Logan investigate the murder of a man who was shot and killed - including several bullets to the groin area. The dead man is Jose Urbano, a known drug dealer but Greevy is certain the crime is personal and not just a drug deal or some other altercation gone bad. Everyone in the close knit community has clammed up and they face downright hostility from the local parish priest, Father Torres (Paul Calderon). Ballistics points them to Anna Rivers who owned the gun used to kill Urbano but she claims it was stolen some weeks before. When they learn her granddaughter Lucy was recently raped, they arrest the girl's boyfriend Nicky Guzman. Executive ADA Stone thinks it's pretty straightforward but a high profile Texas lawyer, Chet Burton (J.D. Cannon), is hired to defend Guzman and he's not open to compromise.
19	19	"The Serpent's Tooth"	Don Scardino	S : I.C. Rapoport & Joshua Stern; T : René Balcer & Robert Stuart Nathan	March 19, 1991 (1991-03-19)	66224	19.30
A wealthy businessman Carl Jarmon and his wife Evelyn Jarmon were shot to death in their Manhattan home. Their initial interest focuses on the couples two sons, Greg and Nick Jarmon who claim they were at a New York Rangers hockey game when the shooting occurred. Their father was a difficult man and was known to be physically abusive towards the boys which gave them a motive. Executive ADA Stone agrees but as the case progresses they realize they've made a mistake. The motive for the killing was a financial one that involved Russian mobsters. Stone lays out the case for the jury in the hopes of getting a conviction.
20	20	"The Troubles"	John P. Whitesell II	S : Dick Wolf; S/T : Robert Palm	March 26, 1991 (1991-03-26)	66214	17.40
A truck with three handcuffed federal prisoners arrives at the 27th precinct. FBI agents and NYPD officials discover that one of the prisoners has mysteriously been murdered. The FBI officials assert jurisdiction and transport the other two to a federal prison. One of the two is a suspected IRA member who has been detained in the U.S. for five years without charge, bail or trial. Shortly afterwards, the remaining prisoner is discovered hanging in his federal prison cell. A prison guard is discovered to be an IRA member; he confesses to the prisoner's murder. Detectives and prosecutors face resistance from federal authorities as they pursue murder charges against a suspected IRA member serving time in federal prison, after he is suspected of killing another federal prisoner.
21	21	"Sonata for Solo Organ"	Fred Gerber	S : Michael Duggan; T : Michael S. Chernuchin; S/T : Joe Morgenstern	April 2, 1991 (1991-04-02)	66226	18.00
Sgt. Max Greevey and Det. Mike Logan investigate an attack on a man, Drew MacDaniel (Chuck Cooper), found in a park after having had one of his kidneys surgically removed without his knowledge. They check with the national organ transplant registry and find that it cannot account for a kidney that was delivered to a local hospital and transplanted into Joanna Woodleigh, daughter of the very rich and politically connected Philip Woodleigh (Fritz Weaver). The transplant surgeon and his nurse assistant deny having any knowledge of where the kidney came from. ADA Stone however gets them to testify against Philip Woodleigh who, it seems, was prepared to do anything to save his daughter.
22	22	"The Blue Wall"	Vern Gillum	S : Dick Wolf; S/T : Robert Stuart Nathan	June 9, 1991 (1991-06-09)	66220	12.20
After the DA's office loses a major white collar crime case, ADA Stone wants to know what happened to key prosecution evidence, computer disks with financial data that were wiped clean. Stone blames the police and is certain someone on the force was paid to destroy the evidence. Internal Affairs takes charge of the case and Captain Cragen is one of several policemen under suspicion. Greevey and Logan decide to help out their Captain by investigating the matter themselves. They find an anomaly in the duty rosters that indicate a retired policeman was on duty in the secure evidence lock-up two weeks after he retired. For Cragen, the biggest challenge is that a former Chief Peter O'Farrell, his mentor who was responsible for his advancement in the force, is likely implicated in the case. Stone wants him, to wear a wire to get the evidence he needs to convict.

References

"Although some aspects of this story may remind you of the Lisa Steinberg case recently adjudicated in New York City, this episode and its characters are fictional and the events and actions portrayed do not reflect the actions of any principals involved in that case. In the actual case, the male defendant was convicted of manslaughter, while all charges against his female companion were dismissed. There was no evidence of her involvement in physical abuse of any child, or that any child was sexually abused by either adult. "
"TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes". Rev/Views. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2016.

Preceded by N/A	List of Law & Order seasons (1990–2010)	Succeeded by Season Two (1991–1992)

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "Although some aspects of this story may remind you of the Lisa Steinberg case recently adjudicated in New York City, this episode and its characters are fictional and the events and actions portrayed do not reflect the actions of any principals involved in that case. In the actual case, the male defendant was convicted of manslaughter, while all charges against his female companion were dismissed. There was no evidence of her involvement in physical abuse of any child, or that any child was sexually abused by either adult. "

[2] "TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes". Rev/Views. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2016.