One meme shows a man completely devastated when he realizes that 24 years ago was not the 1970s, but the year 2000! As I sat down to watch the 24th season premiere of the venerable Law & Order , I was equally amazed at how time flies.
“Catch and Kill” – “Law & Order”, pictured: (left) Kathleen MacLeod as Stella Miles and Tony Goldwyn as prosecutor Nicholas Baxter. Photo: Scott Gries/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. all rights reserved.
The show begins with an interview with District Attorney Nicholas Baxter. This interview serves several purposes. You may remember that Baxter’s election was a very close one in last season’s finale. So, the first thing this interview does is bring the audience up to date. Baxter wins! He is the newly elected Democratic District Attorney of Manhattan and is now being interviewed, in my opinion, to attract the media. It’s hard to imagine his predecessor, Jack McCoy, doing this. But we know Baxter is a different colored horse. He is more of a political animal than McCoy or even his deputy, Executive District Attorney Nolan Price. McCoy and Price are legal purists and politically damned prosecutors. Baxter made sure his office would not be overly partisan. To prove this point, he dabbled in “both sidesism,” arguing that both political parties were weakening institutions like the courts. Therefore, a secondary purpose of the interview was to further differentiate between Baxter and McCoy. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Baxter’s mentality throughout the season.
As usual in Dick Wolf’s storytelling formula, crimes are committed. This is a domestic violence case that I personally find very difficult to watch. I was recently appointed to the board of directors of a sexual assault agency, and I know all too well the non-fictional brutality of this violence. The episode centers on Brooklyn female district attorney Macy Harper and her wealthy fiancé. The victims’ biographies make the case even more compelling.
The crime prompted the involvement of new Lieutenant Jessica Brady of the 27th Precinct’s Homicide Division. Brady came out impressive and unapologetically smart. The women in Dick Wolf’s pantheon of cops are always bad. In “Law & Order,” for example, S. Epatha Merkessen plays Lieutenant Van Buren, pragmatic and wise. Currently on Organized Crime , Danielle Mone Truitt stars as Detective Stabler’s boss Ayanna Bell, the boss of her team protector. Of course, on “SVU,” Mariska Hargitay gave Captain Olivia Benson empathy, which was her superpower. But, back to my point. Maura Tierney’s portrayal of Lieutenant Brady stands out in a Sherlock Holmes kind of way. For example, when she puts a conspiracy theory suspect into an interrogation room, she quickly concludes that he is not the murderer. She said this to Detectives Xiao and Riley, who were suspicious. Moments later, CCTV confirmed the offender was on the train at the time of the crime.
“Catch and Kill” – “Law & Order”, pictured: (left) Maura Tierney as Lieutenant Jessica Brady and Ari Blinder as Jay Jeff Sanders: Photo by Scott Gries/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. all rights reserved.
To nip any conflict and tension in the bud, Brady called out Riley. She sensed his distrust. She makes him realize that she knows about his close relationship with the late Lieutenant Kate Dixon. Recall that Dixon recruited Riley after he was suspended for six months. Brady let Riley know that she was wary of Riley’s potential credibility issues and worried that any sort of stink would rub off on her, especially since she was new to the job and the case was high-profile. You can call me crazy, but the “fire” between these two people makes me feel…
Eventually, Riley and Shaw arrest wealthy asshole fiancé Dylan Phipps. I say “asshole” because it’s no accident that the boyfriend conveniently went out to dinner with the right-wing publisher Kenneth Lane. A case involving a sex-trafficking rapper. In my mind it was ‘a black man did it’, red herring. The publisher is paid $100,000 per story, and the style of “Catch and Kill” is unprecedented in “24” and “Law and Order.” More modern and relevant!
“Catch and Kill” – “Law & Order” Pictured: (left) Charles Gray as Jimmy Boyd: Photo by Scott Gries/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. all rights reserved.
Rather than face trial, the fiancé hanged himself. Baxter and Price concluded that justice had been served, but not Assistant District Attorney Sam Maroun. Maroun often finds it difficult to control her emotions and she gets very angry! So much so that Price had to explain to Baxter why she was so upset. It’s here that we learn that Moron’s sister died from domestic violence. The victim’s sister comes to visit and is outraged by the lack of justice. Maroun called on her bosses to pursue Ryan, the publisher, as a co-conspirator. To her credit, they gave her the opportunity to connect Lane to the crime scene. Price and Maroun found a driver who brought Lane to the scene and heard him say, “I’m going to kill that bitch.” Maroun was excited, she felt justice was coming. But, as the title (“Caught and Killed”) suggests, when Price and Marrone returned to re-interview the driver, he was caught (lawyered) and killed (paid to have him sued) Keep silent about what you see and hear). Without the driver’s testimony, the district attorney had no case. Baxter dropped the charges.
“Catch and Kill” – “Law & Order,” pictured: (left) Adam Thompson as Attorney Cooney and Charles Gray as Jimmy Boyd: Photo by Scott Gries/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. all rights reserved.
Maron was furious and ready to destroy her career. She’s in free fall because of the lack of justice for the victim she knows, Macy Harper. For the sister she cherished; for the thousands of nameless, faceless victims she will never know. As the episode ends, Price grabs her and Malone cries in Price’s arms. Call me crazy, but the “fire” between these two makes me feel…just kidding! It’s a great premiere, full of the latest news. If you love Law & Order as much as I do, please share your thoughts on the relationships between the main characters. Will Baxter and Price clash politically? Will Riley and his new Brady lieutenant get along? Is Maroun stable enough to do her job to Baxter’s satisfaction?
Rating 8/10.
Lynette Jones