Robert Goren

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Law & Order character
Det. Robert Goren
Time on show 2001-present
Preceded by N/A
Succeeded by None
First appearance One (S01E01)
Last appearance N/A
Portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio

Det. Robert Goren is a fictional character featured in NBC's Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He is portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio.

Goren works as a detective (detective investigator first grade) for the Major Case Squad in the New York Police Department (NYPD). As created by René Balcer and interpreted by D'Onofrio, Goren is an intense, intelligent, and imposing man who uses his intuition and insight into human nature to size up suspects and pick apart the details of crimes.[citation needed] Goren's diverse background frequently supplies him with information he uses to solve cases.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Criminal Intent highlights Goren's abilities as a profiler and an interrogator. He is able to elicit confessions from calculating killers with his insight into their minds and his imposing physical presence.[citation needed] However, Goren shows a sensitive side as well, particularly directed at his mother, his partner Det. Alexandra Eames (Kathryn Erbe) (who is the senior partner of the two), and female victims of the crimes he is solving.[citation needed]

[edit] Early life

As with the parent Law & Order series, and unlike the spinoff Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Criminal Intent seldom delves into the current romantic life of its main characters. Until the sixth season, it rarely delved into their non-professional lives at all. Instead, Goren's personal life was revealed in tidbits he revealed to form a personal connection with victims, suspects, or witnesses.

Goren was born on August 20, 1961 and grew up in the Canarsie neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City near the The Rockaways. A phenomenally bright young man, he took the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory his senior year of high school and was sent to speak with the school counselor and school psychiatrist as a result. He played basketball as a youth and was the power forward on his junior varsity basketball team, but quit when he "lost [his] love for the game."

In his youth, Goren was an altar boy; today, he considers himself a lapsed Catholic.[1]

His early life was troubled. His father gambled frequently on horse races and was a serial adulterer (René Balcer, Criminal Intent's executive producer and main writer, describes Goren's father as "a rake") and his mother Frances (Rita Moreno) first started showing symptoms of schizophrenia when Goren was seven years old. Goren’s father left his mother four years later, making little attempt to stay close to his son.

[edit] Military and Early Police Life

After college, Goren served in the Criminal Investigation Division of the U.S. Army. He was stationed in Germany and did a six-week tour in South Korea. Although a specific timeline for his service has not been established, he was in Germany during 1987.

While Goren was with CID he met Dr. Declan Gage, one of the first criminal profilers, who was on loan from the FBI to offer advice on a South Korean serial killer. Gage became Goren’s mentor in the field of criminal profiling, a relationship which continued even after Gage was discredited following a particularly tense and unsuccessful hunt for a serial killer.

After leaving the military, Goren joined the NYPD and spent four years in the Narcotics Division. He was responsible for three sting operations that resulted in 27 arrests and 27 convictions.

[edit] Major Case Squad

Since sometime before 2000, Goren has been partnered with Det. Alexandra Eames (Kathryn Erbe) working within the Major Case Division under Captain James Deakins (Jamey Sheridan) and later Captain Danny Ross (Eric Bogosian).

As an investigator and profiler, Goren is uncommonly skilled at sizing up suspects and picking apart the details of crimes. Thanks to his diverse background and commitment to research (in the episode “Dead” he called his library card his most important investigative tool) he is frequently able to recall pieces of information that may seem obscure but prove to be incredibly relevant to the case. Additionally, he has an acute sense of smell that discloses details even a forensics investigator might miss.

During interrogations, Goren has the habit of cocking his head at odd angles while talking to people – a "side talking" method he uses to distract and unnerve them. D'Onofrio invented this kind of habit from a scene in the pilot episode where a suspect he was interrogating would not look him in the eye. It is such a strong identifier of his character that in the episode “The Gift” a woman who, while describing a psychic dream she had, labeled Goren as being "the man with the broken neck."

Additionally, when questioning people, Goren will attempt to agitate uncooperative suspects by exploiting a weakness of theirs which he has noticed. For example, if he believes a subject is a "neat freak" he will deliberately move the subject's possessions around to create clutter, appearing to do so out of clumsiness or lack of respect, in order to rattle them. These tactics, while occasionally useful and legitimate, more frequently cross into the realm of being manipulative. The character is frequently portrayed as using details from a witness' life that are irrelevant to the case at hand in order often reveal a suspect's true motivations for committing a crime (such as a man murdering to obtain classic cars, to make up for his father's lack of interest in him) to create enormous emotional distress in that individual. Goren then utilizes that distress to elicit a confession. A further method is to find a weak link in the relationship between two or more suspects in a crime, and utilize the relationship to make one implicate the other.

While Goren is typically able to outwit a suspect, he has occasionally met his match; the foremost example is Nicole Wallace (Olivia d'Abo), a sociopathic con artist and murderer with a keen eye for detecting and exploiting weakness. From her introduction in the episode "Anti-Thesis", Wallace has been able to pierce Goren's emotional armor by confronting him with details of his unhappy childhood and unresolved emotional problems.

While Goren has never crossed the line into open insubordination, he does occasionally push professional boundaries, either because he feels it will solve the case more effectively, or because empathy leads him to believe that the most extreme punishments are not warranted. Eames once said that his willingness to test authority stems from his days as a "lapsed altar boy." This attitude has pushed him into conflict with superiors before, particularly with ADA Ron Carver (Courtney B. Vance) and Captain Ross as they are concerned with due process and regulations.

At the end of "Untethered" (Season 7, Episode 9; air date December 6, 2007), Detective Goren is suspended and sent for a psychological fitness evaluation. While waiting for his reinstatement in "Purgatory" (Season 7, Episode 11; air date June 8, 2008), Goren decides to go undercover to take down a high-level drug-dealer. The event left a deep rift between Eames and Goren.

[edit] Partnership with Alex Eames

Goren and Eames both tend to discuss the other, and call each other, by their last names alone. However, Eames does address him by the more intimate "Bobby" (the name by which he is known to his family) when it is clear he is under unusual stress; while Goren refers to Eames as Alex infrequently, and has in such episodes as 'Faith' and 'The Collective'. He is also heard on screen calling Eames "Alex" in the season 7 episode Amends. Goren often takes the lead, although he is actually the junior partner in their working relationship.

Early in their partnership, Eames petitioned the department for a new partner. She later withdrew the petition. Letting her know that he is not offended that she once thought him erratic and unstable, Goren admits he is "an acquired taste."

Eames is practical, while Goren is often portrayed as intellectual, yet there is little evidence of conflict between them. Indeed, they display mutual respect and friendship. Goren himself said they have "complementary skills": Goren is portrayed as having extensive "book knowledge," while Eames is portrayed as more computer and politically savvy. Contrasting with the instability of his family, Eames is a steadying, and perhaps calming, influence.

Goren was temporarily partnered with Det. G. Lynn Bishop (Samantha Buck) in 2003–2004 while Eames was on maternity leave. They functioned reasonably well as a team, and Bishop seemed more intellectually curious than Eames, but their personalities were not as compatible and Goren often compared Bishop to Eames, to Bishop's detriment. Although she respected his ability to close cases, Bishop did not appreciate Goren's extremely aggressive--though never physically abusive--style of questioning uncooperative witnesses. It was implied that she was aware of being compared to the partner that Goren very obviously missed.

In the episode "Blind Spot," Eames was abducted by Jo Gage, the daughter of Declan Gage, Goren's old mentor. Jo set up the crime in such a way that her father was a suspect for most of the episode, placing Goren in the difficult position of choosing between his partner and his teacher. Goren's somewhat violent treatment of his old friend, coupled with the clear angst he was suffering over Eames' possible murder, left the viewer with little doubt as to who he ultimately chose.

[edit] Family

Goren's childhood contributed to his ability to understand criminal psychology and to empathize with the victims of crimes. In the episode “Suite Sorrow,” he states that he knows what it is like “to have your judgment, your sense of security undermined by your parents; because they were hiding a truth or denying it to themselves.”

As a result of his father’s infidelity, Goren harbors a hatred of men who abandon their wives and/or neglect their children. When blindsided by Wallace in the episode "A Person of Interest", Goren comments, "She picked a man I already didn't trust. I already didn't respect. ... She, uh, picked a man like my father."

Goren’s mother is an in-patient at the Carmel Ridge mental facility. He calls her every day and visits her once a week, saying in the episode “Semi-Detached” that she has been slipping away from him his whole life but he can’t let go. In Season 6 she is diagnosed with lymphoma and undergoes major surgery, appearing for the first time on screen in the episode "The War At Home." Goren is known to flinch openly whenever his mother is mentioned, another vulnerability Wallace frequently exploits.

Goren is also estranged from his older brother, Frank (Tony Goldwyn), who has a gambling problem. Goren's mother apparently favors Frank, and describes him as a "scientist,” and seems to believe that Frank could take better care of her than Bobby did. In reality, Frank is homeless on Manhattan’s streets, dependent on charity to survive. In the episode "Brother's Keeper", Goren gives Frank some money, his overcoat, and his business card. They agree to meet the following Sunday - Frances' birthday – but Frank failed to appear at the appointed time. In vain, Frances waits for Frank to appear, sure that he would never forget her birthday. Bobby did not give her any details about Frank's condition. Frank approaches Goren to request that he find a way to help his son, Donny, who is also institutionalized. Donny had escaped from the mental institution when Bobby decided to sneak into the institution to help him. He confronts his brother about Donny's whereabouts, and Frank claims ignorance; the brothers fight, physically and verbally, over the issue. Frank then further infuriated Bobby with the unexpected inquiry, "Why don't you take Eames to a motel and get it out of your system?" To cap it all, Goren then discovers drugs in Frank's apartment. He proceeds to disown his brother, telling him "If I get a call you're gonna jump off a bridge... I'm listening for the splash." [2]

[edit] Mark Ford Brady

In "Endgame" serial killer Mark Ford Brady (Roy Scheider), anxious to delay his scheduled execution, arranges for Goren and Eames to interview him about victims not yet attributed to him. Goren, with aid from his brother (now clean after a lucky streak in Atlantic City) piece together a story which shows that Brady and Frances Goren had a short relationship. Their relationship continued until Bobby Goren was four and Frank Goren was seven. Frank remembers Brady as "Uncle Mark," who brought little presents for Bobby when he came to visit. Brady, who only visited when Mr. Goren was away, no longer visited after getting into what the brothers were told a "car accident", with Frances (When he probably raped and beat her). Goren does not remember Mark F. Brady, but recalls that after the car crash, Frances was never the same mother that he knew.

In a death row interview room, Goren learns that Brady was on leave around the time John F. Kennedy was elected — the month that he would have been conceived – leaving Goren with the horrible possibility that this serial killer might be his father. Goren confronts his mother, who reveals she does not know for sure who his father is. Both Brady and Frances die that night, leaving Goren alone in his mother’s empty room.

[edit] Character Comparisons

[edit] Fictional Persons

D'Onofrio has called Goren "a modern-day Sherlock Holmes"[3].

René Balcer further cites Georges Simenon's French Commissaire Maigret influenced Goren's development. He also says the character owes a lot to Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe for some attributes.[4]

[edit] Factual Persons

René Balcer cites the forensic psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz as a model for Goren's interview style and ability to get others to talk about themselves.

[edit] Details

  • He is left-handed.
  • He is 6'4" (1.93 m) tall and wears size 13 shoes[5] - a size advantage he frequently uses against suspects.
  • He always carries both a cloth handkerchief and a switchblade with him. He usually carries a well worn leather binder — roughly 9 x 12 inches in size.
  • He appears to speak German, Dutch, Spanish, and some Cantonese thanks to his army experience. He can read some Russian and also knows some American Sign Language, but not enough to conduct a full interview.
  • He likes Veal Parmesan enough to order it five nights in a row at Sal's Restaurant. When the waitress commented on the repetition, he charmed her by replying that he really just liked the way that she wrote it down. She responded by grabbing the order from a passing server and serving him immediately.
  • Goren stated that, while in the armed forces, he read the Qur'an in order to impress a Muslim woman to whom he was attracted.
  • He spent some time in Oxford "chasing co-eds."
  • He was vaccinated for anthrax after 9/11.
  • His NYPD badge number is shown to be '4376' in numerous episodes.
  • A relapsed smoker, he has been seen smoking following a few recent cases, after giving up the habit seven years ago.
  • Goren visits his mother once a week and telephones her every day until her death.
  • He likes to drink Glenfiddich. Goren orders one while going over a case with his partner, Alex Eames, in the season 6 episode "Albatross".

[edit] Other appearances

D'Onofrio made a cameo in character as Goren (although, in the sketch, one of the actors referred to him by his real name as "Vince") on Saturday Night Live's March 1, 2008 episode hosted by Ellen Page. Goren attempted to interrogate Hillary Clinton (Amy Poehler) in her televised debate with Barack Obama (Fred Armisen).

[edit] References

The citation style for specific episodes is Season # : Episode #, " Episode Name ".

  1. ^ 01:04 "The Faithful"
  2. ^ 07:09 "Untethered"
  3. ^ Radio Times | Vincent D'Onofrio on Robert Goren - Radio Times, 3 February 2004
  4. ^ USA's Character Insights: Detective Goren (aka Creating Goren) available at http://video.usanetwork.com/player/?id=81054
  5. ^ 01:05 "Jones"

[edit] External links

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