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Law & Order

Age of Innocence

Season 16, Episode 4, Aired Oct 12, 2005

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8.4

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The murder of a man shortly before he was due to take his wife off life support sparks controversy when both suspects have iron-clad alibis.

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Cast & Crew

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GUEST STAR
Barbara Drum Sullivan

Jury Foreperson
GUEST STAR
Mary Bacon

Shelly Denton
GUEST STAR
Thomas Ryan

Judge Robert Garfunkel

Sam Waterston

Exec. A.D.A. Jack McCoy
S. Epatha Merkerson

Lt. Anita Van Buren
Jesse L. Martin

Det. Ed Green
Fred Dalton Thompson

D.A. Arthur Branch
Dennis Farina

Det. Joe Fontana
Annie Parisse

A.D.A. Alexandra Borgia

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Fan Episode Reviews (3)

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Why do we hurt people who are trying to do what they believe is in the best for someone they care about?

9.7

"Superb"

By chinadollM9, Mar 22, 2007

I am pro-choice. I am a Christian, I believe in human life, and that everything happens for a reason under Heaven. Who would want to lie in a state for more than 6 years rotting away to nothing? Now, if there is a chance for a recovery I am all for it but, why pro-long someone's life in an agonizing state just because the family can't let go. However, if something happened to me leaving me in a state that I could not recover in a couple years, I would hope my family would send me on to be with God.moreless
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Whew!

9.3

"Superb"

By bassgirl06, Mar 14, 2007

Wow. That's really all I can say about this episode. It's pretty obvious what it's based on.... the Terry Schiavo case that all of us probably remember. It made headlines long enough. But what a twist.

Speaking as a conservative, I'm not really sure what I think about the content of this episode. The debate over Terry Schiavo was very heated, to say the least. The idea of euthanasia turns my stomach. Playing God is a very dumb idea.

I have to say that I'm not very happy about how Law & Order portrays Christians, as bomb-throwing fanatics. We're not like that, at all. The Christians that do stuff like that probably forget about Christ's commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. That definitely doesn't include blowing people up when they don't meet our expectations of what a "Christian" country should be. But I have to give L&O props for 1) having the courage to make such an episode and 2) doing a fantastic job at tackling a tough issue. Once again, L&O refuses to take any sides on this issue. And once again, L&O creates enough controversy to get people talking. Bravo.moreless
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Thought-provoking.

9.8

"Superb"

By lupinskitten, May 27, 2006

Where does someone draw the line? At murder?

Based heavily on the circumstances that surrounded the controversial Terri Schiavo case in which the husband was attempting to have his wife removed from life support in order to "end her suffering" (and arguably line his pockets), this episode of "Law & Order" focuses on what might have happened had someone decided to stop Schiavo permanently. An individual facing a similar court battle is obliterated by a car bomb, and the investigation leads them through various channels -- pro-life groups, religious fanatics, and protesters -- until winding up at the right hand of an attention-seeking minister.

Working through various channels and abusing those beneath his authority, the honorable reverend was the pin in the political grenade that set the brother of the defenseless woman to murder, and caused a media frenzy that stirs up the jury pool and makes it difficult for McCoy to get a conviction. Not so much a political statement as an exploration of both sides, the episode strays away from making the case black and white. Unlike numerous opportunities to voice views in the past, it also takes no sides on the issue of whether or not the woman should be allowed to live.

We have the victim, a man painted both as someone who wanted to terminate his wife's pain and an opportunist seeking to be rid of her so that he could marry and use her financial settlement to start a business. We have the woman's family, who would stop at nothing to save her life once the ball started rolling. And then we have the confident, self-satisfied Reverend Dwyer, who is not out to save the woman so much as manipulate others into giving him opportunities to speak with the media.

One point of interest is how little screen time McCoy has in this episode. The focus seems to revolve around Borgia as she continues the police investigation, only handing over the reins of the case to her superior when it actually comes to trial. It's neither a slander on conservative politics (though some of them are painted with rather a sharp brush) nor religion (the demure, mild-mannered but adamantly faithful Borgia is contrasted with fanatics) but maintains this solid point: that murder, no matter what the circumstances or cause, is never right, and whether or not the victim was morally right in his judgments, those who support life cannot justify taking it. It only undermines what they stand for to begin with -- the right to life.moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (4)
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- Harlan Dwyer: There was no personal interest in this for me. Alexandra Borgia: Your press conferences say different.
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- Judge: I never thought I'd be saying this, but how do you plead, Reverend?
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- Harlan Dwyer: You arrested me because of what I stand for, not because of what you think I did. Joe Fontana: We arrested you because you're a bomb-throwing phony.
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- Jack McCoy: That is in the hands of a higher power, Reverend. The Criminal Justice System.
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NOTES (1)
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- Special appearance by John Aylward was noted with and.
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ALLUSIONS (4)
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- The title of this episode refers to a 1920 novel of the same name by Edith Wharton, which won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize, and a 1993 film directed by Martin Scorsese based on Wharton's novel.
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- Alana Sanders: We're on a ship called The Culture of Death, folks, with a legion of God-less liberals at the helm. Alana Sanders is similar in appearance and manner of speech to conservative writer and media personality Ann Coulter.
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- Ed Greene: The whole country's been looking for him for two years. He's always one step ahead. Mitch Randolph, the fugitive bomber in this episode, is probably based on Eric Rudolph. Rudolph bombed two womens' clinics and a gay bar and was also responsible for the 1996 Olympic bombing in Atlanta. He was a fugitive for years and extremists hailed him as a hero. He was finally captured in 2003. He's currently serving several consecutive life sentences.
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- This episode appears to be ripped from the headlines of the Terri Schiavo case. Terri Schiavo had been supported by a feeding tube for fifteen years after suffering from heart failure that left her severely brain damaged. After a lengthy and heated court battle, the court sided with Schiavo's husband and ordered the feeding tube removed.
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