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Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 6

Malignant

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9.1

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AIRED: 11/3/02

A robbery that involved two fatalities leads to the discovery of a long-running case of tampering with drugs. Goren and Eames have to figure out a way of catching a pharmacist who has been diluting cancer medication without using the exhumated bodies of patients who had been given the medicine.moreless

Fan Episode Reviews (3)

When two drivers are killed on a pharmaceutical companies delivery route it looks like a case of forgery and drug theft. That's until Goren and Eames start digging and find a pharmacist who has literally killed dozens of patients by diluting their drugs.moreless

9.0

By jyarter, Oct 07, 2009

A pretty nice case for Goren and Eames where they uncover a dastardly plot that could have killed more than a hundred patients.

When a robbery goes bad and the two drivers of the delivery truck are killed it looks like someone set the truck up to be robbed. It seemed like a number of kids just pulled a job that went wrong.

When investigating the case one of the boys copped a plea to all of the drug charges and four cases of forgery to avoid the murder charge. The funny thing was the Pharmacist played by veteran character actor Stephen Tobolowsky claimed that his order was legitimate early before the boy copped to the plea. So unfortunately he caused a red flag that put him in the cross-hairs of suspicion.

What is found out is a truly horrendous crime against humanity all to please his fellow parishioners at his church. It seems truth and humility were not really important to this church.

Interesting case in that in working it the detectives found a man who had assisted his wife in committing suicide. Of course if his wife had been given the right drug dosages she would have most probably survived. So the detectives did not want to charge the older man in that crime considering the circumstances. So we are faced with an interesting situation. If they can't get the Pharmacist to confess they will have to charge the older man also.

The detectives put on a good show and in the end get the results they want. The Pharmacist cops to 1200 counts and will get 15 to life.

Sort of a different enjoyable episode with some interesting twists. Goren and Eames are great as always. Thanks for reading...moreless
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Two truck drivers are executed and their cargo of four boxes of pharmaceuticals hijacked from their vehicle. In the course of the murder investigation, the detectives uncover a pharmacist's four-year-long dilution of chemotherapy drugs.moreless

9.2

By Firefligh, Jun 27, 2006

Because one of the stolen drugs can induce coma in diabetics, Goren and Eames are able to trace the origin of all the stolen goods. They discover a pharmacist has been watering down the cancer medication, and that the reason for this unspeakable callousness was his being able to fund a recreation center for his church.

This episode included a handful of very well acted and written scenes. Some were amusing, like Goren's wrestling ring throwdown to the young people who bought the black market 'somatropin'..the drug potentially fatal to diabetics, but meant as some sort of muscle building steroid. Tearing off his suit jacket (down, Tulip, down girl!) and jumping into the ring, demanding to know 'hey what's that move where you spin him over your head like a flying helicopter, then plant him head down on the mat' (paraphrase), Goren is a freaking riot.

But other key scenes were much more poignant, including two with a widower whose wife died two years after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and given an optimistic prognosis. Goren is so affected by the widower's grief that Eames has to break in to get the information.

In another scene with the widower, the detectives obtain his tearful confession (already confirmed by the post mortem)that his wife actually died from an overdose of the drugs, ie an assisted suicide. To heap on the heartache, the poor man learns that the reason it took two torturous days for his wife to die after the injection was that the drugs were diluted - had they not been she would have gone in an hour. The man realizes "I killed her for nothing".

In a bit of a sub-plot, Goren and Eames try to dissuade Carver from prosecuting the widower, which he must do if they are forced to use the evidence against him to nail the pharmacist. Obviously, they need his confession.

Another critical scene was the detectives conversation with the church elder who willing admits he uses 'shame' ("an underrated emotion", he claims) as part of his guilt trip/glad-handing/reward bestowing fund raising repertoire. There is no way to comprehend the enormity of the pharmacist's crime without adressing motive, and in this case, it was his and his wife's hunger for respect and admiration in their community, a hunger fully exploited by the elder. Goren is intent on unearthing the moral culpability of the elder, altho he has done nothing illegal. And wow can V D'O register the ultimate disdain just by slightly wrinkling that "button" nose.

And finally, the detectives use one of their infamous 'lies' (that the pharmacist assisted the suicide)to force the final dilution confession, and do so on the church steps so the disgraced criminal receives what is perhaps his worst punishment - the disgust, aversion, and even horror of his congregation.

Really top notch story and a few riveting human condition scenes. Not to mention V D'O had the dollboy factor roaring on overdrive. When the do is JUST that length, and the longish tousled lock is curled JUST so over the forehead, and you swear even on tv you can JUST distinguish the individual silver threads of hair from the dark...tisk tisk, a major distraction even to this fine episode.

Best Goren line: Come on. Climb in with me. :)moreless
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Great episode!

9.8

By NQCowboysRule, May 20, 2006

I loved this episode! The storyline was great. What happened to that man's wife, her death and how helped her commit suicide was so sad especially when Goren and Eames told him that the drugs she had been taking were diluted and she wasn't getting the full dosage and how he realised that she could have lived. It was so sad it made me cry to watch he realise that if he hadn't assisted her there might be a chance that she could have survived. And watching Eames and Goren break the news was so heartbreaking! I'm glad that pharmacist is going to jail. He makes me soo mad! To abuse people\'s trust like that!! ARGH!!! Anyway great episode!moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Vincent D'Onofrio	Det. Robert Goren
Kathryn Erbe	Det. Alexandra Eames
Courtney B. Vance	A.D.A. Carver
Jamey Sheridan	Capt. James Deakins

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Stephen Tobolowsky	Jim Halliwell	Guest Star
Jonathan Hogan	Rev. Norman Mills	Guest Star
Richard Bright	Frank Lowell	Guest Star
Leslie Hendrix	Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (3)
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- This episode perpetuates the movie myth of sprinklers. A major plot point revolves around the idea that when a sprinkler goes off, all the sprinklers in the network will go off. In the real world only the sprinklers which are heated by the fire will spray water. The rest will stay dry.
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- When Det. Goren and Det. Eames are first speaking to Frank Lowell in the garden, their positions change from shot to shot. In the first shot, Det. Eames is between Mr. Lowell and Det. Goren. While in the next shot, Mr. Lowell is between the two detectives with Det. Goren on his left and Det. Eams on his right. At the beginning of the scene, Mr. Lowell hands Det. Eames a brandywine tomato who in turn hands it to Det. Goren (who then smells). Towards the end of the scene, Det. Goren hands back a flower not a tomato to Mr. Lowell.
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- In the climactic scene of the episode (outside the church) the pastor is shown wearing a Geneva robe and a preaching stole. While this is likely a free church and therefore his vestments are not strictly limited, this is a highly unusal combination. The Geneva robe and the preaching stole are representative of two different 'branches' of liturgical garments. The robe (a medeival academic garment) would usually be accompanied by a hood or a clerical collar. The stole would usually be used with an alb (an ancient Roman garment). While not strictly a goof, this is a strange creative choice which is probably made out of ignorance rather than intent.
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QUOTES (2)
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- Dr. Rogers: Nine families gave me permission to exhume the bodies.
  Robert Goren: Only nine? You must have some bedside manner.
  Dr. Rogers: There's a reason I work with dead people.
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- Robert Goren: This opportunity has the shelf life of one, maybe two hours. By then we'll have all your buddies in custody.
  Alex Eames: Oh, the tales they will tell.
  Robert Goren: None of them with a happy ending.
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NOTES (0)
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- This episode appears to be ripped from the headlines of the Robert Ray Courtney case. He was a pharmasict found to have been diluting drugs for a period of at least nine years.
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