TV.com

Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 6 Episode 20

Bombshell

Favorite

Watched It I've Watched This 0

Next
Episode Previous
Episode

4.9

User Rating

179 votes

Your Rating: 10
Your Rating: 9.5
Your Rating: 9
Your Rating: 8.5
Your Rating: 8
Your Rating: 7.5
Your Rating: 7
Your Rating: 6.5
Your Rating: 6
Your Rating: 5.5
Your Rating: 5
Your Rating: 4.5
Your Rating: 4
Your Rating: 3.5
Your Rating: 3
Your Rating: 2.5
Your Rating: 2
Your Rating: 1.5
Your Rating: 1

Rate Now

EPISODE REVIEWS
By TV.com Users

Write A Review

Episode Summary

EDIT

AIRED: 5/8/07

A woman who married a billionaire winds up dead under mysterious circumstances shortly after her son dies.

Fan Episode Reviews (7)

This episode brings a whole new meaning to ripped from the headlines. "SPOILERS"

5.0

By dixieh, Sep 05, 2008

This is Anna Nicole Smith's life and death written without much compassion. I am very glad to have missed this episode when it first aired. At this distance I will say that I liked the interaction between the detectives and Captain Ross. I thought Logan's partner would have had a word to say when he was oogling the "Honeys". Logan seemed over awed by the Lorilie character. I was surprised when he gave up his watch without a fight. I also didn't buy the last scene. The "killer" did what she did in part to save the child and then threatened the child. It wasn't credible. I wouldn't watch this one again.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
0 0

Flag
Share Hide
Just plain dumb

2.0

By Fitzycent, Apr 28, 2008

You know I really like this show, I've been defending it for some time now. I even like splitting the episodes between Goren/Eames and Logan/whoever as lead detectives. I even like adding Captian Ross to the cast. But good this episode no one can defend.

It was just plain unwatchable crap, an Anna Nicole story? UGH! Even the wierd guy from Scary movie and a Hef wannabe couldn't even save it. The whole story line was predictable and cheesy. It was just hard to watch and should have never been made. I wish Bravo and USA Network wouldn't play it. They should burn this episodemoreless
DO YOU AGREE?
0 0

Flag
Share Hide
A dazed and confused blonde bombshell, heir to a rich man's fortune, loses her son to a suspicious drug interaction and then dies of the same, leaving behind her baby daughter (father uncertain), mousy sister/assistant, and controlling nebbish of an agentmoreless

2.5

By CrimeShowFan, Apr 14, 2008

Other reviews of this episode say little more than that they are offended because it was based on details of the life of Anna Nicole Smith, who should be allowed to rest in peace. I think this usually high-quality TV series deserves a closer discussion of the details of the episode than that kind of generic, off-hand dismissal.

In this episode, as always, the regular cast was engaged and professional, and the technical details (such as manner of death) seemed well-researched and authentic. The show did a good job of depicting the fictional son's lifestyle of partying with drugged-out high-fashion models. The bombshell was so dysfunctional and her life so empty, plastic, and volatile that she was unpleasant to watch. But to some extent that was the point. Indeed, Captain Ross's exasperated comments about life in the fast lane gave this episode of weird characters and events some helpful grounding. And there are some observant character details (as when she asks to see Logan's they-don't-make-ones-like-this-any-more wristwatch and then straps it on and walks away with it, saying she took it as "a gift"; and when she turns up her nose to a question about her relationship with her unattractive agent, saying "Look at him."). Peter Bogdanovich added some background as a prissy, superficially drawn Hugh Hefner type who introduced the then-stripper to the now-dead rich codger.

The problem is that the writing copied the surface outline of the real-life events without creating a meaningful, intricate, coherent, dramatically satisfying crime story. There were no interesting suspects or motivations. The writers struggled unsuccessfully to come up with anything believable other than the obvious money motives. Frozen sperm and artificial insemination were injected into the story in a contrived, disorganized way, seeming almost like an afterthought. The two spinster relatives of the dead husband seemed like stock characters introduced for comic relief (the scene mixing Logan with their cats was cute but nothing more). However well-acted, the agent was out-of-place and exaggerated. The mousy sister/assistant was a confusing cliche whose actions were poorly explained and made little sense. Indeed, all of the guest characters were ineffectual and/or unpleasant to watch. The resolution, which included a forced confession and a threat on the baby's life, was far-fetched and unconvincing, leaving the fade-to-black shot of Wheeler holding the baby one of the least effective wrap-ups of the series. Little wonder, then, that other reviews felt that the episode sloppily exploited a sad, sensational headline.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
1 0

Flag
Share Hide
I was never an Anna Nicole fan but I feel like her death and that of her son was very tragic. Let this family and this story die in peace.

7.5

By RavishingJo, Aug 16, 2007

I was never an Anna Nicole fan but I feel like her death and that of her son was very tragic. This story line is too close to the real story. I started to wonder if the producers had to get permission from the family members. There certainly isn't any original touches to this story. It is laid out almost exactly like we saw not too long ago with Anna Nicole. I still love the Law and Order franchise; this just was not one of their best moments. In addition to the aformentioned issues; I would rather have seen Gorem and Eames work this case. Their style would have given at least some pizzazz to the story. Let this family and this story die in peace.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
0 0

Flag
Share Hide
Logan & Wheeler search for the how and why the son of an "Anna Nicole" type celebrity died. Later the woman (Swanson) dies as well. Leaving them to look at all the people surrounding her as suspects & wonder what will happen to her newly born daughter.moreless

4.8

By danielle110877, May 09, 2007

I know that what happened to Anna Nicole is interesting but doing an episode about it this soon just seems off to me. And I was hoping the killer(s) would have been either more of a surprise or crazier. But I did like how Capt. Ross started to bring up the quick rise and fall of people trying to be famous and in this case for what they are having to use to become famous. While I like Nicholson and Noth it didn’t seem like they were into it either. I had been wondering what ever happened to Kristy Swanson. I have to say she now scares me.moreless
DO YOU AGREE?
6 0

Flag
Share Hide

See All Fan Reviews

Cast & Crew: STARS

EDIT

Chris Noth	Det. Mike Logan
Julianne Nicholson	Det. Megan Wheeler
Eric Bogosian	Capt. Danny Ross

See All Cast & Crew

Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

EDIT

David Cross	Ronnie Chase	Guest Star
Ever Carradine	Jolene	Guest Star
Kathleen Chalfant	Bessie Holland	Guest Star
Leslie Hendrix	Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers	Recurring Role
Ean Sheehy	Joshua Simmons	Recurring Role

See All Cast & Crew

Watch Online

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

FILTER BY TYPE

TRIVIA (1)
ADD TRIVIA
- Continuity Error: When originally viewed, the brunette who tells Justin that, 'we weren't talking about you' as he exits the bathroom, is standing to his right. When the detectives later view the tape of the footage, she is shown standing to his left.
  EDIT SHARE
QUOTES (7)
ADD QUOTES
- Megan Wheeler: Methadone and SSRIs don't mix. A kid with this much drug experience? He woulda known that.
  Mike Logan: Maybe he knew and didn't care.
  Megan Wheeler: Well, that's existential. Someone probably slipped him methadone without him knowing.
  Mike Logan: That's paranoid.
  EDIT SHARE
- Megan Wheeler: James Edward Holland fathered a baby ten years after his death.
  Danny Ross: The rich really are different.
  EDIT SHARE
- Mike Logan: Every family gets a pass on one suspicious death. Two in one week? That's a little much.
  EDIT SHARE
- Mike Logan: Ronnie's got Lorelai right where he wants her. Depressed, lonely, and rich.
  EDIT SHARE
- Danny Ross: This case has gone from tawdry to macabre.
  EDIT SHARE
- Megan Wheeler: Aleena, we have you and Justin on tape coming out of a bathroom together, wiping your nose.
  Aleena Korshikova: I was, um, fixing my makeup.
  Mike Logan: Mmm-hmm. Was Justin fixing his makeup too?
  EDIT SHARE
- Mike Logan: (of Justin) Did you film his collapsing?
  Lisa Williams: Yeah, we thought he was goofing around.
  EDIT SHARE
NOTES (2)
ADD NOTES
- The song playing at the beginning of the episode was "Ooh La La" by Goldfrapp.
  EDIT SHARE
- Special billing was given to Peter Bogdanovich (with) and Kristy Swanson (and) in this episode.
  EDIT SHARE
ALLUSIONS (1)
ADD ALLUSIONS
- This episode appears to be ripped from the headlines of the deaths of Anna Nicole Smith and her first son, Daniel. Incidents surrounding Anna Nicole and Daniel were previously explored in the Law & Order episode "Remains of the Day" five months earlier.
  EDIT SHARE