"Kingmaker" is the 369th episode of NBC's legal drama Law & Order and the twentieth episode of the sixteenth season.
Original air date: May 3, 2006
Previous episode: 'Positive'
Next episode: 'Hindsight'
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Directed by Don Scardino.
Written by David Slack.
Garret Dillahunt as Eric Lund
David Forsyth as Senator Jonathan Prescott
John McMartin as Ron Grayson
Sam Freed as Tom Baker
Dylan Baker as Sanford Rems
Kate Udall as Veronica Drake
Two cops in a squad car are called to a domestic disturbance. As they pull up outside the building, a woman's body crashes onto the hood of their car. Arriving at the scene, Fontana and Green discover the woman was shot, then dragged up the building's stairs and thrown off the roof. A narcotics cop arrives at the scene and identifies the victim as an undercover detective from his division, named Dana Baker. She was working to infiltrate an Albanian heroin smuggling gang. Van Buren realizes the circumstances of Detective Baker's death - a bogus domestic disturbance call, the body being thrown onto the squad car - mean she was killed because her identity as a policewoman had been discovered; i.e. Det. Baker's cover had been blown.
Fontana and Green soon track down an Albanian gang member they suspect killed Det. Baker and raid his apartment, where the suspect is shot and wounded by Fontana during a gunfight (Fontana: "My aim must be off, he's still alive."). The 27th detectives aggressively interrogate the Albanian in his hospital room, who informs them he discovered Baker was a cop from a newspaper article, which featured a photograph of Det. Baker in her police uniform.
A furious Van Buren confronts the reporter responsible for the article, Veronica Drake. Ms. Drake states she was unaware Det. Baker was undercover and discovered Baker's occupation and "generous overtime" while researching her article. The article attacked the detective's father, retired policeman Tom Baker, concerning his book critical of liberal Senator Jonathan Prescott's proposed funding cuts for law enforcement. Ms. Drake refuses to reveal her source for the information regarding Dana Baker, but from her phone records Fontana and Green discover numerous calls between Drake, Sen. Prescott's office and a TV reporter, Ron Grayson, the night before Drake's article appeared. Grayson confirms someone from Prescott's office (he suggests Prescott's aggressive chief of staff, Eric Lund) called and offered him the story regarding Det. Baker, but he turned it down. A HR worker at police headquarters confirms a person who identified himself as a Homeland Security official called inquiring about Dana Baker's pay grade and status, which he supplied. Caller ID establishes the 'Homeland Security officer' called from Mr. Lund's office.
Van Buren informs McCoy they have enough evidence to arrest Lund, but McCoy stresses the need for definitive proof Lund himself made the calls to Drake, Grayson and the HR worker, plus a Grand Jury indictment against Lund, before proceeding to an arrest; with such a high-profile, politically sensitive case, McCoy demands a meticulous approach. But McCoy is subsequently visited by Lund, who accuses McCoy of being politically motivated and threatens retribution against McCoy and the DA's office if the investigation proceeds. Suitably riled, McCoy instructs Van Buren to have Lund arrested immediately, which Fontana and Green proceed to do at a black-tie fundraiser for Sen. Prescott.
Branch is angry with McCoy's premature arrest of Lund, in apparent contradiction of his own, earlier advice to Van Buren. He points out McCoy's reputation and credibility will be on trial. McCoy asks if Branch wants him to drop the charges against Lund; Branch makes the decision McCoy's. Lund refuses a deal for manslaughter. Dozens of boxes of evidence documents are delivered to the DA's office. "Makes them look like they're co-operating while they bury us in paper," observes McCoy to Borgia.
The trial commences. The HR worker positively identifies Lund's voice as that of the alleged Homeland Security official who called him regarding Det. Baker. Then Lund's attorney, Mr. Rems, produces an e-mail sent from Lund to Grayson several days before the Drake article appeared, which implies Grayson informed Lund of Det. Baker's identity, thus exonerating Mr. Lund. Mr. Rems states the e-mail was delivered to the DA's office along with all the other evidence and thus has been in McCoy's possession for some time. Rems alleges McCoy deliberately concealed the e-mail and moves a motion to dismiss the charges against Lund on the basis of prosecutorial negligence. McCoy asks for and is granted a 24 hour continuance to investigate the e-mail.
Borgia is certain the e-mail was not amongst the many documents supplied by Lund's office prior to trial. Nevertheless, the e-mail is found in one of the boxes. Grayson cannot recall receiving the e-mail but says he may have done as "I get over one hundred e-mails a day." Grayson further states his career as a political journalist has been compromised by co-operating with McCoy; no congressmen will speak to him. Then Tom Baker approaches McCoy, stating he may have inadvertently revealed his daughter's occupation at a party to celebrate his book being published.
McCoy ignores this latter possibility and suspects the e-mail may have been planted on Lund's confiscated computer hard-drive. A computer services unit (CSU) worker discovers evidence the e-mail was planted. Fontana and Green investigate the dozen junior CSU technicians with access to the hard-drive and discover one whose boyfriend is a former employee of Lund's. She confesses she planted the e-mail under instruction from Lund, saying her boyfriend was "terrified" of not complying with Lund's demands.
McCoy presents this evidence at the motion hearing, and Rems's motion is dismissed. As he returns to his office, McCoy finds Sen. Prescott waiting for him inside. Prescott asks what sort of deal McCoy is prepared to offer in return for a full confession from Lund. McCoy says manslaughter and a minimum 5 years imprisonment are acceptable. McCoy wonders if Lund would be able to implicate the senator, but the senator firmly suggests the only options are a deal for Lund or a trial. Either way, the senator would not be mentioned. Sen. Prescott says Lund will accept the deal. "Isn't that up to Mr. Lund and his attorney?" asks McCoy, to which Prescott responds "Oh, he'll take the deal."
In Branch's office he, McCoy and Borgia watch a press conference on TV in which Prescott places full blame for the affair on Lund and emphatically denies any involvement himself. Borgia observes Lund has sacrificed himself for his boss's political career. "Politics," says McCoy, and Branch paraphrases Winston Churchill[1] in saying "Democracy's still the worst form of government there is, except for all the rest."
This storyline of this episode is based upon the Valerie Plame affair.
"Law & Order" Kingmaker at imdb.com
Law & Order: Kingmaker at tv.com