Criminal Law

Season 16, Episode 9, Aired

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The deaths of three women with the same name lead Fontana and Green to the nine-year-old conviction of Leland Barnes, who had shot and killed his wife in an office full of people. With two of the three witnesses against him dead and Jack McCoy on the hit list, the detectives struggle to determine how Barnes, who has been in prison the entire time, got someone on the outside to kill the only people who could keep him in jail. The investigation leads them to Leland's two sons, with surprising results.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (5)

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  • This season is off to a great start!

    9.8
    "Superb"
    By thebestoftv, Apr 20, 2010
    This was just another wonderful installment of the 16th season of Law & Order.

    This action had action, suspense, tension, and every other element that makes Law & Order the great show that it is today! Farina, Martin, and Waterson are are their bests!

    Without a doubt, one of the best episodes since this show debuted.

  • A taste of reality in the courtroom.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Lawhack53, Apr 20, 2010
    My favorite episode thus far this season, mainly because it was so McCoy-heavy. The courtroom scenes smacked of the real world as viewers were given a taste of the frustration prosecutors feel when what they know isn't the same as what they can prove. Daniel Hugh Kelly played his best bad guy yet on L&O...even making "Jack" sound like a dirty name the way he used it in the interview room scene with McCoy and Borgia.

    Annie Parisse is really shining in her role as evidenced by the scene where Alex shares her concern over Jack's and, ultimately her own safety because of his refusal to step down as prosecutor on the case. The writing here was superb.

    I have one complaint. When Green and Fontana find the hit list, it's Thursday, October 28. In the next scene, they're grabbing McCoy as he comes out of the restaurant/bar with, obviously, a date. Jack's dressed like viewers have never seen him before, so he's also obviously not working. It's still daylight outside. This seems to be totally out of character for McCoy, especially considering the next day's bail hearing for Barnes. Why on earth would Jack McCoy be out on a date in the daytime in the middle of the week? I do think the writers and director could have done better here. (Did like the hat and coat, though!)moreless

  • Did not see the ending coming.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By angelspinknose, Apr 20, 2010
    The killer guy made me want to throw something at the tv he was so creepy. The son going around killing the three woman named Sylvia was a good storyline. You didn't know which one was the intended target. The scene right before the defendant was shot where he told McCoy his name should have been at the top of the list was so creepy.

  • Now that's a shocking twist!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By eada_jackmccoy, Apr 20, 2010
    This is one of the best Law & Order episodes ever! It was well writtin, and held your attention the whole way through! It was shocking because McCoy, a person we know well and love, was on the hit-list, and it was horrible to think that he might die! The best part of the episode was without a doubt the last scene. Now that's a shocking twist!

  • One of the better episodes this season.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By bassgirl06, Apr 20, 2010
    Jack McCoy threatened. It is something that hasn't happened in this series since I've started watching.

    The best moment of the show came when Alex frankly talked to Jack about this case. She admitted her fears for his safety and her own. She realizes for what may be the first time that her safety, because she is connected with Jack, is in jeopardy. To me, it was touching, in a way, to see their friendship deepen through this show of honesty on both their parts. But what really earns my respect is that she had a chance to distance herself from this case. It would have been fairly easy for her to request another assignment and in so doing, put a safety barrier between her and Jack. But she didn't.

    The end was the most gripping scene that has come out of L&O for the longest time. The part where the bad guy (whose name escapes me for the moment) looks at Jack and says, "Your name should have been at the top of the list" sent shivers up my spine. Then the very next thing you see is the gun. And everything that Jack's years as a DA had meant seemed to vanish in a single bullet. Then the twist. Justice prevails, in the form of a murder. This is a twist in that the DA's office is supposed to be about punishing those who commit a crime, but in this instance a crime saves a person that we all care about.

    I hope that L&O keeps turning out stories like this. I have no fear for its future as a TV series if it does.

    moreless
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    • Multiple women named Sylvia Rossi are killed in this episode because the killer isn't certain which Sylvia Rossi is the right one. This storyline was also used in an episode of Blue Murder (Janet Green), where a killer was targeting women named Janet Green, and also in the film The Terminator, where The Terminator killed women named Sarah Connor because he didn't know which one he was looking for.

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