Law & Order (season 8)

Law & Order (season 8)
Season 8 U.S. DVD Cover
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	24
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	September 24, 1997 – May 20, 1998

The eighth season of the legal drama Law & Order aired on NBC from September 24, 1997, to May 20, 1998, and consisted of 24 episodes.

Cast

The cast of season 8 remained unchanged from season 7.

• Jerry Orbach as Lennie Briscoe
• Benjamin Bratt as Rey Curtis
• S. Epatha Merkerson as Anita Van Buren
• Sam Waterston as E.A.D.A. Jack McCoy
• Carey Lowell as A.D.A. Jamie Ross
• Steven Hill as D.A. Adam Schiff

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
158	1	"Thrill"	Martha Mitchell	René Balcer	September 24, 1997	K2508
The cops break the seemingly random murder of a fried chicken deliverer with a little "undercover" work in the park, but McCoy and Ross face a harder battle to get a conviction when the two defendants resolutely point the finger at each other, and the one item identifying the actual killer is the recording of a confession-made to a priest. Meanwhile, Curtis learns that his wife has multiple sclerosis. Based on the Thomas Koskovich and Jayson Vreeland case.[1]
159	2	"Denial"	Christopher Misiano	Teleplay by: David Shore Story by: David Shore & René Balcer	October 8, 1997	K2504
Bloody sheets and an apparently stolen credit card lead Briscoe and Curtis to a pair of college-age lovers who present McCoy and Ross with a united front of denial that one of them killed their newborn son and disposed of the body. Based on the Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson case and the Melissa Drexler case.[2]
160	3	"Navy Blues"	Jace Alexander	Teleplay by: Kathy McCormick Story by: Dick Wolf & Kathy McCormick	October 15, 1997	K2510
McCoy finds himself battling the Navy and the office of the Judge Advocate General as he tries to prosecute a female pilot accused of murdering her married lover after he tried to break off with her. Inspired by the 1997 U.S. Air Force sex scandal involving Lt. Kelly Flynn.[3]
161	4	"Harvest"	Matthew Penn	Teleplay by: I.C. Rapoport Story by: I.C. Rapoport & René Balcer	October 29, 1997	K2506
A discrepancy concerning the time of death of a drive-by shooting victim leads McCoy and Ross to initiate prosecutions against both the shooter and the doctor who harvested her organs as transplant donations. Inspired by a piece on 60 Minutes about people being shot in Los Angeles drive-bys.[4]
162	5	"Nullification"	Constantine Makris	David Black	November 5, 1997	K2507
After the cops trace an eagle tattoo on a man shot and killed while holding up an armored truck to a group of militia members, McCoy finds himself facing one of their number as the pro se counsel for his friends, arguing for the concept of "jury nullification", the right of a jury to protect a defendant from an unjust law by acquittal despite the evidence. Inspired by Militia actions such as the sieges of Ruby Ridge, Idaho and Waco, Texas, the Oklahoma City bombing and the trial of the Chicago Seven. Writer David Black said while researching for the episode that he found some aspects of the movement to be bigoted, but found that some of it reminded him of "original revolutionists of America. They do sound like Tom Paine and Thomas Jefferson... I don't think they should use terrorist tactics, but philosophically I have some sympathy."[5]
163	6	"Baby, It's You"	Ed Sherin	Jorge Zamacona	November 12, 1997	K2511
It's old home week for Briscoe when an apparent murder of a teenage model in New York City develops ties to Baltimore, and Detectives Munch and Falsone pay a visit to the Big Apple to observe the case. Meanwhile, McCoy finds himself battling the attorney of the victim's parents for access to his clients and the Baltimore DA for jurisdiction. Based on the JonBenét Ramsey case.[6]
164	7	"Blood"	Jace Alexander	Teleplay by: Craig Tepper Story by: René Balcer & Craig Tepper	November 19, 1997	K2502
The paternity of a black baby given up for adoption by a white mother who later fell from an apartment balcony might provide a clue to her murderer, but it also unearths some long-buried family secrets that it seems more than one person would kill to keep hidden.
165	8	"Shadow"	Matthew Penn	Richard Sweren	November 26, 1997	K2505
The murder of a bail bondsman looks fairly routine until the chance words of the chief suspect uncover possible case-fixing between a shady lawyer and an unknown contact within the judicial system.
166	9	"Burned"	Constantine Makris	Siobhan Byrne	December 10, 1997	K2501
A message overheard on an answering machine leads Briscoe and Curtis to a confessed murderer and the home of wealthy Carl Anderton, an old friend of Adam Schiff, whose stubborn non-cooperation with the district attorney threatens to create a serious miscarriage of justice.
167	10	"Ritual"	Brian Mertes	Kathy McCormick & Richard Sweren	December 17, 1997	K2516
Curtis and Briscoe investigate the death of Josef Moussad, an Arab man found behind a dumpster, the victim of an apparent mugging. The detectives soon realize that Moussad had brought a doctor into the country to perform a clitoridectomy on his young niece, and suspicion turns to the family. Ross is horrified that young Alison's grandmother and uncle were both in full support of the operation, which makes it hard for her to prosecute the case objectively. Based on heightened concern over female genital cutting.[7]
168	11	"Under the Influence"	Adam Davidson	René Balcer	January 7, 1998	K2517
After Briscoe and Curtis finally determine who was driving the car that killed three people, the legal prosecution stands in danger of becoming a kangaroo court when McCoy's feelings over Kincaid mesh with the political agenda of Gary Feldman, an ambitious judge anxious to make an example of the defendant to boost his election chances against Adam Schiff.
169	12	"Expert"	Lewis H. Gould	David Shore & I.C. Rapoport	January 21, 1998	K2518
The shooting of two people in a restaurant restroom takes some abrupt turns as they try to discover who exactly the intended victim was, and the prosecutors have to deal with a defendant claiming to have been in a dissociative state while committing the crime — the same defense used years before by the defendant's father.
170	13	"Castoff"	Gloria Muzio	David Black & Harold Schechter	January 28, 1998	K2512
The street murder of a woman who worked with underprivileged kids takes a turn towards the bizarre when the detectives uncover she had a predilection for kinky sex, and that one of her current partners appears to be a serial killer, who offers an overexposure to television violence as his defense during his trial. Based on the Andrew Cunanan case.[8]
171	14	"Grief"	Christopher Misiano	Suzanne Oshry	February 4, 1998	K2514
The cops, as they try to pin down the specifics of an assault on a man reluctant to talk about it, uncover the alleged rape of two women in custodial care. But as the prosecutors attempt to prepare their case, a reluctant witness changes their view of the cases.
172	15	"Faccia a Faccia"	Martha Mitchell	René Balcer & Eddie Feldmann	February 25, 1998	K2519
Taking on an apparent Mafia murder, Detectives Briscoe and Curtis are stymied by a dead witness and a seemingly incoherent mob boss. Based on the Sammy Gravano case.[9]
173	16	"Divorce"	Constantine Makris	Barry M. Schkolnick	March 4, 1998	K2520
The stabbing death of a psychologist draws Detectives Briscoe and Curtis into a heated divorce case and pits Prosecutors McCoy and Ross against a manipulative attorney.
174	17	"Carrier"	J. Ranelli	David Black	April 1, 1998	K2525
The death of a college student leads to a case involving an HIV-positive male who's seeking to infect as many young women as possible. McCoy, testing right-to-privacy ethics, wants to charge him with murder.
175	18	"Stalker"	Richard Dobbs	Kathy McCormick	April 15, 1998	K2523
When a woman is found unconscious at the bottom of her apartment stairs, Briscoe and Curtis must figure out what happened — before it's too late. In order to make his case, McCoy pits the two detectives against each other in the courtroom.
176	19	"Disappeared"	David Platt	Richard Sweren & William N. Fordes	April 22, 1998	K2528
A defendant refuses to allow his lawyer to raise the issue of insanity. This complicates matters for the brother who turned him in with hopes of securing medical treatment for him.
177	20	"Burden"	Constantine Makris	David Shore & I.C. Rapoport	April 24, 1998	K2526
After a 12-year-old quadriplegic dies at home in his bed, paramedics claim that he was suffocated and the suspects include the boy's parents and sister.
178	21	"Bad Girl"	Jace Alexander	René Balcer & Richard Sweren	April 29, 1998	K2524
Schiff's re-election may hinge on the stabbing death of a police officer; Briscoe's daughter is arrested for dealing drugs. Based on the Karla Faye Tucker case.[10]
179	22	"Damaged"	Constantine Makris	Janis Diamond	May 6, 1998	K2522
The case of a teacher's shooting uncovers a vendetta involving the rape of a mentally challenged coed by three students, whose attorney claims they weren't aware of her condition. Briscoe is devastated to learn of his daughter Cathy's death at the hands of a killer that an unknown Prosecutor failed to convict.
180	23	"Tabloid"	Brian Mertes	Teleplay by: David Black Story by: David Black & Alec Baldwin	May 13, 1998	K2515
Tabloid journalism comes under scrutiny during the investigations into the deaths of a gossip columnist and a celebrity target he pursued.
181	24	"Monster"	Ed Sherin	René Balcer & Richard Sweren	May 20, 1998	K2527
A 10-year-old girl is raped and rendered comatose by a pedophile. A snitch offers Briscoe a chance to avenge his daughter's death. The NYPD brass is looking to force Lieutenant Van Buren out of her job, while Ross resigns from hers to devote more time to her family life and her ongoing divorce. McCoy, meanwhile, must contend with Judge Feldman as an adversary both at trial and outside the courtroom due to an ethics complaint the judge filed against him. While all of this goes on, Schiff begins to consider the possibility that Feldman might defeat him in the election.

References

1. Dwyer, Kevin (2006). Review: True Stories of Law & Order: The Real Crimes Behind the Best Episodes of the Hit TV Show. Penguin. pp. viii, 179–184.
2. Wyatt, Edward (2005-01-08). "Even for an Expert, Blurred TV Images Became a False Reality". New York Times.
3. Courrier, Kevin (1998). Law & order: the unofficial companion. Renaissance Books. pp. 285–286.
4. Courrier, p.287
5. Courrier, p.288
6. Courrier, p.288-290
7. James, Stanlie Myrise (2002). Genital cutting and transnational sisterhood: disputing U.S. polemics. University Press of Illinois. p. 73.
8. Lo, Malinda (June 13, 2005). "Law and Order Treats Gay Men Fairly". AfterElton.com.
9. Courrier, p.296
10. Price, Melynda Janea (2006). At the Cross: Race and Religion in the Politics of the Death Penalty Among African Americans. p. 222. line feed character in |title= at position 14 (help)

Notes

• This is the final season to feature Carey Lowell as Jamie Ross. She makes a guest appearance as a defense attorney in the following two seasons, as well as playing a judge on Law & Order: Trial by Jury.
• This is the first season to feature no cast changes from the previous season.
• The episode "Under the Influence" revisits the car accident involving Claire Kincaid from Season 6.
• The episode "Bad Girl" stars Isabel Gillies, who would later join the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit cast as Kathy, wife of Elliot Stabler.

External links

• Episode guide from NBC.com