Law & Order

Vaya Con Dios

Season 10, Episode 24, Aired 5/24/00

Episode Summary

The death of an elderly man trying to find who was responsible for the torture killing of his son in 1973 Chile leads to a high-level foreign colonel who is now in a Manhattan hospital.

8.0

EPISODE RATING: Great

36 votes

Your Rating: 10

"Perfect"
Your Rating: 9.5

"Superb"
Your Rating: 9

"Superb"
Your Rating: 8.5

"Great"
Your Rating: 8

"Great"
Your Rating: 7.5

"Good"
Your Rating: 7

"Good"
Your Rating: 6.5

"Fair"
Your Rating: 6

"Fair"
Your Rating: 5.5

"Mediocre"
Your Rating: 5

"Mediocre"
Your Rating: 4.5

"Poor"
Your Rating: 4

"Poor"
Your Rating: 3.5

"Bad"
Your Rating: 3

"Bad"
Your Rating: 2.5

"Terrible"
Your Rating: 2

"Terrible"
Your Rating: 1.5

"Abysmal"
Your Rating: 1

"Abysmal"

Rate It

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Steven Hill

DA Adam Schiff
Jerry Orbach

Det. Lennie Briscoe
S. Epatha Merkerson

Lt. Anita Van Buren

Fan Episode Reviews (4)

See All

What applied to American collusion with Chile in 1973 clearly has ramifications for George W. Bush's admitted use of torture, incarceration of known innocent persons, and unauthorized war in Iraq. When he leaves office, he can amd should be put on trial.moreless

9.6

"Superb"

By polfilms, Jan 19, 2011 Report Abuse

So profound are the questions that were raised in this 2000 episode that in 2008 they clearly apply to George W. Bush, who admits that he ordered torture of certain persons abroad, kept prisoners at Guantanamo in the knowledge that they were innocent, and made a decision to go to war in Iraq without proper Congressional or UN authorization that has resulted in the deaths of more than 4000 American soldiers and thousands more Iraqi civilians. "Vaya Con Dios" may apply to Chile, but a replay in 2008 raises consciousness of the fact that when Bush leaves office, he is no longer immune from criminal liability and can be subject to indictment, arrest, prosecution, and conviction for the capital crime of murder, according to Vincent Bugliosi's "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder" (2008). My "George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration's Liability for 269 War Crimes" (2008) provides other basis for prosecution in American as well as foreign courts, particularly torture and other violations of the Geneva, Hague, and other international conventions on the law of warfare.moreless

DO YOU AGREE?
1 1
Schiff's dry humor, foreign policy implications, torture through pre-9/11 eyes, and arguments in front of the Supreme Court

9.3

"Superb"

By lushess255, Jan 19, 2011 Report Abuse

A college student is killed during the overthrow of Pinochet in Chile in '73. The boy's father is accidentally killed while investigating his son's death.

As in many Law & Order episodes, the original crime is almost an after thought. The perpetrator is quickly dealt with in a plea bargain, the meat of the story comes from why the crime happened - the Colonel who supposedly ordered the student killed. But should the Manhattan DA prosecute a crime committed in a foreign country, even if the conspiracy reached all the way to NYC?

This episode combines the investigation and legal aspects that this series is known for, but this episode shines in the legal arena. The riveting court room scenes are there as expected, but there is the unexpected as well.

In a series that isn't known for character development, we get an interesting peak into McCoy's past - he says the dead college student could have been him. There is also more screen time for DA Schiff's character than usual - we see how he deals with the federal government and the trial judge with dry humor.

The series often frames the conflict in the form of the court room battle and disagreements among the regular cast. In this episode, the conflict is also with the federal government, which sees the case as setting dangerous foreign policy precedent.

To top off the episode, the case is argued before the Supreme Court, and the episode ends before we find out the court's decision - something else to think about after watching this thought provoking episode.moreless

DO YOU AGREE?
2 0
Vaya Con Dios

9.5

"Superb"

By bankscountybabe, Jan 19, 2011 Report Abuse

Person found dead on stairway. Got things from salvation army. Man believed that the govt. killed his son. Son was tortured and shot. Naval Intellegence and Chillians tortured and murdered his son. Cernal knew about the whole murder and torture. Beath him to death with a few other people. he was very big hearted man. NID interrogated him. Man says that he saw Jason and he had been beaten by the CID also tortured another man. Found the cernal quilty of all charges. Just because he had kidney failure doens't mean he gets away with this whole murder because he's still in America.moreless

DO YOU AGREE?
0 4
They prosecute a Chilean senator for the killing a New York man who worked with the Communists during Pinochet's military coup.

9.5

"Superb"

By zephyr221, Jan 19, 2011 Report Abuse

This is just a very well written and well acted episode by probably the best cast/characters (Briscoe, Green, Van Buren, McCoy, Carmichael, Schiff) of the entire run of the show in my opinion. The Supreme Court part and the ending are my favorite parts. It was a great episode for Schiff as his last, (even if it didn't tie up his story). The story is "ripped from the headlines" of the Charles Horman case for the 10th season finale. Joe Morton as Leon Chiles and Rebecca Schull as Mrs. Whitman are two standout guest performances. I do wish I knew what the decision was!moreless

DO YOU AGREE?
2 0

Write a Review

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

Trivia
ADD TRIVIA
- Unlike what was depicted in the episode, the Supreme Court does not report its decision on the day that a case is heard. Cases heard on Monday are voted on Wednesday, while cases heard on Tuesday and Wednesday are voted on Friday. Edit
- This episode was intentionally written to not show the final verdict but to let the viewer form their own opinion and appreciate Adam Schiff fighting to the end. Edit
Notes
ADD NOTES
- Steve Hill's final contract appearance as Adam Schiff. Edit
Quotes
ADD QUOTES
- Lennie Briscoe: From what I've heard, this Pantoya's almost a war criminal. Belinda Rojas: Old history. Chile's a democracy now. Colonel Pantoya's a senator. Edit
- (Ed Green dials a Chilean phone number) Lennie Briscoe: Let me guess. Voice mail hell in Spanish. Edit
- Lennie Briscoe: (about Captain Albrecht) If he had anything to do with killing this man's kid, he better run. 27 years ago or not. Edit
Allusions
ADD ALLUSIONS
- During the trial, the defense attorney mentions Che Guevara. Che Guevara was a famous Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary and associate of Fidel Castro. In the years after his execution, his name and face have been associated with socialist revolutionary movements. Edit
- Abbie Carmichael: We're tilting at windmills. A Don Quixote reference that is commonly used to describe a futile fight. Edit
- Police Officer: He was lurking, the tenant's exact words. Ed Green: Lurking, you ever see anybody actually lurk? Lennie Briscoe: Bela Lugosi, that guy could really lurk. Actor Bela Lugosi is probably best known for playing Dracula and other classic horror movie characters. Edit