Alexandra Borgia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alexandra Borgia
Law & Order character

Time on show	2005-2006
Preceded by	Serena Southerlyn
Succeeded by	Connie Rubirosa
First appearance	Fluency
Last appearance	Invaders
Portrayed by	Annie Parisse

Alexandra Borgia was a fictional character, played by Annie Parisse, who appeared on the long-running NBC drama series Law & Order from 2005-2006.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Borgia was appointed in January 2005 by Arthur Branch as a replacement for Serena Southerlyn. She principally assisted Jack McCoy, but she also often conducted detailed investigations, arraignments and hearings independent of McCoy and Branch. Prior to her latest appointment, Borgia was engaged in trying many drug cases, which resulted in frequent kudos from police officers and fellow attorneys alike. She was also respected among her colleagues for her intelligence and adroit manner in preparing a case for prosecution.

Unlike her predecessor, Borgia often agreed with the decisions of her superiors and followed their directions regardless of her own views. She did, however, share many parallels with Abbie Carmichael, including the latter's conservatism and cooperation with the police in developing cases. Borgia also had a penchant for investigative work, a trait shared by Paul Robinette (whom she once opposed in a case in the Season 16 episode "Birthright").

While her career in law was ephemeral, she had a professional manner, balancing compassion for victims with adherence to legal rules and procedure. This was evident in her dealings with the mother of a victim of faulty influenza vaccine in her premiere episode, "Fluency." During the episode, the prosecution decided to drop the case among the numerous charges against the defendant, as it was too weak to use. As a result, Borgia impulsively promised the mother that the defendant would be severely punished in compensation. Although McCoy fulfilled that promise by arranging multiple consecutive sentences resulting in over a century in prison for the criminal, he asked Borgia to never again make similar promises. This compassion also helped her to get close to victims' families, as demonstrated in "Obsession" when the victim's son said that one of his hobbies was going fishing with his late father; Borgia said that she has similar experiences with her own father growing up. She was also highly respectful and polite in her dealings with colleagues. Simultaneously, she was never afraid to engage in heated byplay with defendants and convicts alike to ensure a successful prosecution. In the episode "In God We Trust," Borgia indicated her devout Catholicism was a factor in her belief in the religious transformation of a defendant and in arguing with her superiors, she also highlighted her belief in a Christian ideal of forgiveness.

Borgia was the shortest appearing Assistant District Attorney in Law & Order history, seen only in 33 episodes through her final appearance in the season finale, "Invaders," broadcast May 17, 2006. In that episode, while investigating a family's murder, the DA's office focused on the husband, Frank Andreas, who was supplying killers with fake DEA badges which they used to commit home invasion robberies. Borgia pressed Andreas to give up his accomplices, and was later kidnapped from her own apartment. Her body was subsequently found in the trunk of an abandoned car, bound, brutally beaten and dead of asphyxiation after choking on her own vomit. Outraged, McCoy arranged a sham prosecution to make sure her murderers went to prison for life, skirting legal ethics to the point that he may face disbarment. Borgia's position was filled by Connie Rubirosa (Alana de la Garza).

[edit] Trivia

Borgia is the third character to die on the show (excluding Lennie Briscoe, whose death occurred off screen during the run of the spinoff Law & Order: Trial By Jury), and the second to be murdered though all the deaths involve vehicles. In "Confession", the first episode of the second season, Max Greevey (played by George Dzundza) was fatally shot in the head while fixing his car in the driveway. In the Season 6 episode "Aftershock", Jill Hennessy's Claire Kincaid was killed by a drunk driver, although it would be some time before her death was actually confirmed onscreen.

She was also the third character named Alexandra in a Law & Order series, after Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's Alexandra Cabot and Law & Order: Criminal Intent's Alexandra Eames.

Before being cast as Alexandra Borgia, Annie Parisse appeared as "Jasmine Blake", a stripper/prostitute in the 12th-season episode "Attorney Client".