Law & Order (season 7)

The following is a list of Law & Order episodes from the series' seventh season (1996–1997):[1]

Contents

Cast

Law

Order

Episodes

Ep. Title Directed by: Written by: Original airdate
135 1 "Causa Mortis" Ed Sherin René Balcer September 18, 1996

McCoy's new second chair, ADA Jamie Ross, is determined to prosecute as harshly as possible a carjacker who took the life of a teacher as she pleaded for her life on an audio tape discovered at the crime scene.

136 2 "I.D." Constantine Makris Ed Zuckerman September 25, 1996

The cops tackle identifying a corpse left in an elevator, and McCoy finds his prosecution of the suspect later hampered by a vindictive judge who resents Ross's in-court rebuke for sexual harassment.

137 3 "Good Girl" Jace Alexander Jeremy R. Littman October 7, 1996

Briscoe and Curtis have to break the mutual alibi of two girlfriends as they try to find the killer of a young black man, whose angry parents pressure McCoy to indict a young woman who claims the victim had raped her.

138 4 "Survivor" Vincent Misiano Barry M. Schkolnick October 23, 1996

Briscoe and Curtis's investigation of the murder of a rare coin dealer nets them a millionaire as a suspect, but Ross has to play detective too as the DA's office tries to establish a provenance for the missing coin collection.

139 5 "Corruption" Matthew Penn Gardner Stern,
René Balcer
October 30, 1996
Curtis, angered by the attitude of an old colleague of Briscoe's, looks beyond the findings of an IAB investigation and turns up evidence of police corruption that puts the DA's office into competition with an ambitious judge and Briscoe under investigation for stealing evidence from a police lockup. 
140 6 "Double Blind" Christopher Misiano Jeremy R. Littman,
William N. Fordes
November 6, 1996
The murder of a janitor in a university laboratory building leads back to a student employee whose participation in a drug study may have prompted the crime. 
141 7 "Deadbeat" Constantine Makris Ed Zuckerman,
I. C. Rapoport
November 13, 1996

The murder of a deadbeat father whose son is dying of leukemia presents McCoy and Ross with a sympathetic suspect and a moral dilemma.

142 8 "Family Business" Lewis H. Gould Gardner Stern,
Barry M. Schkolnick
November 20, 1996
The murder of Richard Speigel, chief financial officer for an exclusive, family-owned department store goes from the sitting room to the bedroom and into the board room as suspicion shifts from co-workers to family members. 
143 9 "Entrapment" Matthew Penn René Balcer,
Richard Sweren
January 8, 1997

The case against Huey Tate, a young man accused of shooting the well-known leader of the African-American Congress, comes undone when the New York authorities learn that their chief witness was once an informant for the FBI, and is still under their protection.

144 10 "Legacy" Brian Mertes Ed Zuckerman,
Jeremy R. Littman
January 15, 1997

The investigation of a seemingly random shooting leads Briscoe and Curtis to a brazen, cold-blooded hitman, and the only way to bring him down is for Briscoe to pose as his competition. The case is complicated during trial when we learn that the victim was shot as revenge for a murder he committed himself just three years ago.

145 11 "Menace" Constantine Makris I. C. Rapoport,
Barry M. Schkolnick
February 5, 1997
An apparent suicide turns out to be murder as Briscoe and Curtis investigate the death of a woman who jumped from a bridge (in front of numerous bystanders) to avoid a crazed attacker with whom she was apparently involved in a fender-bender. When they are unable to convict, McCoy and Ross dig deeper and discover that the 'accident' might not have been so accidental after all. Meanwhile, Detective Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) is tossed out of his house after admitting to his wife that he had an affair..
 
146 12 "Barter" Dan Karlok Eddie Feldmann,
René Balcer
February 12, 1997

An unpromising case of murder suddenly develops new leads when the cops explore the possibility that the victim was mistaken for someone else. McCoy walks a thin line in the matter of ethical conduct as he tries to make a case against a lender who uses unscrupulous methods to collect the money owed to him.

147 13 "Matrimony" Lewis H. Gould Ed Zuckerman,
Richard Sweren
February 19, 1997
The discovery of a would-be thief refocuses a murder investigation, leaving the prosecutors the task of making a conspiracy case against the deceased's attorney and the pretty young widow.
 
148 14 "Working Mom" Jace Alexander Jeremy R. Littman,
I. C. Rapoport
February 26, 1997

The shooting of an ex-cop in a neighborhood notorious for prostitution leads Briscoe and Curtis to two suburban housewives who are secretly high-class hookers. When one of the housewife's specialty lipstick is matched to a lipstick sample taken from a very private spot on the victim, it seems like McCoy has an open and shut case. However, the accused soon claims rape and hires a famous women's rights attorney to defend her. Felicity Huffman (Sports Night) guest stars.

149 15 "D-Girl" Ed Sherin Gardner Stern,
Ed Zuckerman,
René Balcer
March 13, 1997

A headless corpse fished out of the river sends Briscoe and Curtis out to Los Angeles to obtain a blood sample from their chief suspect. Back in New York, McCoy and Ross try to obtain a court order for the procedure.

150 16 "Turnaround" Ed Sherin Gardner Stern,
Ed Zuckerman,
René Balcer
March 20, 1997

In New York, Briscoe and Curtis try to pin down the suspect's schedule on the night of the murder, but find instead that another man was in the area at the right time and more importantly, might have a motive for the crime. After a new arrest warrant is issued, McCoy and Ross have to fly to L.A. to defend their warrant against attacks by the man's defense counsel, Ross's former husband Neal Gorton.

151 17 "Showtime" Ed Sherin Gardner Stern,
Ed Zuckerman,
René Balcer
March 27, 1997

The trial of Eddie Newman begins but the prosecution's chances of conviction are hampered by a "dream team" of defense attorneys, Gorton's personal pressures on Ross, and a surprise accusation of sexual harassment. Curtis' relationship with Lisa also creates tension.

152 18 "Mad Dog" Christopher Misiano René Balcer April 2, 1997

McCoy becomes obsessed with nailing a serial rapist recently released on parole and pushes the cops perilously close to harassment as he attempts to connect the man with a new rape and murder matching his previous M.O.

153 19 "Double Down" Arthur W. Forney Richard Sweren,
Shimon Wincelberg,
Ed Zuckerman
April 16, 1997

The cops' best hope of finding a kidnapped hired car driver alive is one of the armed robbers who grabbed him after a job, but the immunity deal he demands in return would effectively preclude his prosecution for the shooting death of an off-duty cop, placing McCoy in a difficult position as he seeks to placate the cops, who want the guy prosecuted, and the kidnapped man's wife, who wants every avenue of saving her husband explored.

154 20 "We Like Mike" David Platt Gardner Stern,
I. C. Rapoport
April 30, 1997
A young man who claims to have helped a murdered young man change a flat tire is first the cops' primary suspect, then the prosecutors' chief witness. 
155 21 "Passion" Constantine Makris Barry M. Schkolnick,
Richard Sweren
May 7, 1997
Briscoe and Curtis investigate the death of a pretty young book editor who was reputedly having an affair with one of her authors, and find themselves focusing on the author's longtime companion, who steadfastly denies there was anything wrong with their relationship. 
156 22 "Past Imperfect" Christopher Misiano Janis Diamond May 14, 1997

The cops have a definite clue when a bloodstain that's not the same as the victim's reveals that the killer was a blood relative, and the prosecutors stumble when their chief suspect claims their chief witness is her lawyer, and his knowledge of the crime represents privileged communications.

157 23 "Terminal" Constantine Makris Ed Zuckerman,
René Balcer
May 21, 1997

The cops uncover a man with a secret second life as they try to learn who opened fire on a group of people disembarking from a party cruise, but his guilt or innocence becomes almost a second thought as Adam Schiff goes toe-to-toe with the governor and the state's Attorney General over the decision to seek the death penalty. Meanwhile Schiff learns his wife has been rushed to Cedar's Hospital after suffering a severe stroke rendering her unconscious.

Notes and references

External links

Preceded by
Season Six
(1995–1996)
List of Law & Order seasons
(1990–2010)
Succeeded by
Season Eight
(1997–1998)