Loyalty (Law & Order: Criminal Intent)

"Loyalty" (alternate titles: "Puntland" and "Mad Mullah") is the two-part season premiere episode and is the first and second episodes of the ninth season (as well as the 172nd and 173rd episodes) of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Plot

Part 1

On the ocean near the coast of Somalia, arms dealer Taras Broidy (Ramsey Faragallah) leads a heavily armed boat full of wealthy tourists on a "safari" to target African pirate vessels. He points out an approaching vessel and allows his passengers to blow it apart, claiming to have information that is it crewed by pirates; in reality, it is manned by a tribal sheikh and his new bride. News of the sheikh's death soon reaches two of his children, Hassan (Ato Essandoh) and his sister Kadra, in Manhattan as Broidy, Roy Loftin (David Pittu), and Jan Van Dekker (John Sharian) celebrate the completion of a carefully laid plan. With the sheikh gone, they are free to proceed with an arms deal and establish a private police force under their control in the Horn of Africa. Loftin has recruited Danny Ross for the scheme. After a night of celebration, Broidy and his mistress Marya (Ewa Da Cruz) both wash up, shot through the head, under the Brooklyn Bridge.

Goren and Eames discover that Broidy ran a security company with Van Dekker, and also that he was the target of a federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) case. When the detectives take this information to Ross, he tells them that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is watching Broidy and that they should drop it. Intrigued, the detectives dig deeper and become suspicious when they find an email from Broidy to Loftin approving a payout to a "Ross" for $2 million. They also catch sight of him meeting with a woman and believe that he may be starting a new romantic relationship, moving on from his divorce.

Meanwhile, Hassan studies with a mullah in an effort to quickly brush up on the history of his country and his religion. He faces pressure from Kadra to break off his long-term relationship with American-born Jill Peak (Jicky Schnee).

Concerned about Ross’ possible involvement, Goren poses as a civilian and pays an unscheduled visit to Loftin, rousing the latter's suspicions. Hassan learns that Ross is working undercover with the FBI on their RICO case, based on photographs that show him meeting with his contact. Ross is lured to a rendezvous, where one of Hassan's men shows him the photo and shoots him dead. Loftin's body is found soon afterward. As Goren, Eames, and Nichols question Van Dekker and are about to get him to confess, Ross's contact - FBI Agent Wendy Stahl (Amy Landecker) - and her colleagues show up to take him into custody, leaving the detectives empty-handed.

Part 2

This was the last appearance of Goren and Eames during the ninth season; and first appearance of Detective Serena Stevens, Nichols' new partner.

The sole remaining tie to Ross' death is Van Dekker, the lone survivor of Hassan's brutal take-down. The cops want to bring him in for questioning, but he is under the protection of the FBI. Van Dekker is their link to a Somali arms deal. The U.S. government orchestrated the transfer of illegal arms to Hassan, which are covertly equipped with GPS devices. Hassan will likely provide the weapons to terrorist camps throughout Somalia, and the U.S. government will target and destroy the camps. Agent Wendy Stahl has no intention of turning Van Dekker over to the detectives. Goren, aware of the constraints of pursuing Ross' murder from inside the force, throws a punch at Van Dekker and gets himself suspended. New Major Case detective Serena Stevens, recently arrived from Chicago, witnesses the decisive moment.

Hassan learns of the GPS tagging from R.J. Patel, an electronics expert who is working with him. Patel says he can disable the devices, and Hassan realizes that the government's plan cannot succeed unless his scheme does.

Van Dekker dutifully reports to Hassan and swears that he gave no information to the FBI, offering the cremated remains of Hassan's father to prove his allegiance. Unwilling to trust anyone, Hassan has Van Dekker killed on the spot. Learning that Hassan ordered the murder of his partners, Kadra swears that his actions have brought a curse on them. Furious, she pressures Hassan to end his relationship with American-born Jill Peak; as the couple spends the night together, he considers poisoning Jill's glass of wine but does not go through with it.

Upon learning of Van Dekker's death, Stahl suspects Goren of taking revenge for Ross' murder. Eames is forced to ask Goren for his alibi; he has none. He tells her he has uncovered a money trail from Loftin to a venture capitalist, Milgram. Goren is convinced he is the money-man behind the arms deal.

Goren corners Milgram and shakes him down for information. Milgram tells him that the arms are stored at one of his warehouses, which leads Goren to Patel. When Goren confronts Patel, he is blindfolded and forced into a van at gunpoint. At the destination, he finds himself face to face with Stahl, who explains that the FBI is allowing the GPS-tagged weapons to be distributed to terrorist camps in Somalia. Patel is also working with them and will make sure that the GPS is not disabled. Goren offers to help in the operation, even though Stahl warns him that the FBI can do nothing to protect him or help him return to the Major Case Squad.

Nichols, Eames and Stevens get a search warrant for Hassan's place and find evidence that leads them to suspect a planned coup attempt. The Chief of Detectives names Eames as Ross' replacement, with the condition that she must fire Goren.

Jill, returning home one evening, is shot and killed. At the crime scene, the detectives realize that this murder differs from the previous ones, suggesting that a different shooter took part. Nichols interrogates Hassan and Kadra, pointing out evidence to suggest that Hassan ordered the death of their father. The information is powerful enough to turn Kadra against Hassan. She admits to killing Jill in order to remove a threat to Hassan's rule, but she cannot abide the murder of their parents. She agrees to provide a statement linking Hassan to the other murders.

At the police station, Goren intervenes just as Nichols is about to get Hassan to confess. He tells Eames and Nichols of the FBI's investigation and the plan involving the stolen weapons. Goren argues that they can best honor Ross' death by allowing the deal to go through and potentially saving millions of lives. Nichols objects vehemently, since Hassan will walk away from Ross' murder and several others, but he is overruled. Before Hassan goes free, Nichols warns him that someone under his rule may eventually do to him what he did to his father.

In the final moments of the episode, Eames carries out her duty and fires Goren, then lays her badge and gun on Ross' desk and quits the NYPD.

Cast

Notes

"Loyalty" (Part 2) featured a special opening credit sequence that included D'Onofrio, Goldblum, and Erbe together for the first and only time. Burrows does not appear in this sequence, but is listed for a special guest appearance. It is also the only time in the history of the Law & Order franchise that there has been no supervising officer (captain or lieutenant) in the opening credits.

Reception

• In its original USA Network broadcast (March 30, 2010), "Loyalty" (Part 1) managed to reach 3.56 million viewers with a 1.1 rating with adults 18-49.^[1]
  
• In its original USA Network broadcast (April 6, 2010), "Loyalty" (Part 2) managed to reach 3.47 million viewers with a 0.9 rating with adults 18-49.^[2]

External links

• Law & Order: Criminal Intent - Loyalty (Part 1) at the Internet Movie Database
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent - Loyalty (Part 2) at the Internet Movie Database
• Criminal Intent Episode Guide, LOYALTY, PART 1
• Criminal Intent Episode Guide, LOYALTY, PART 2

References