Law & Order (season 12) - Episodes

Episodes

No. Ep. Title Directed by: Written by: Original airdate
254 1 "Who Let the Dogs Out?" Don Scardino Douglas Stark, Kathy McCormick 26 September 2001

The investigation into the death of a jogger mauled by a vicious dog leads to an Attica inmate, his attorneys, and an underground dog-fighting ring.

  • First appearance of Elisabeth Röhm as ADA Serena Southerlyn.
255 2 "Armed Forces" Martha Mitchell Sean Jablonski, Richard Sweren 3 October 2001

The fatal stabbing of a man leads to the discovery of his status as a Vietnam war veteran and the truths uncovered about an incident that occurred with him and three former soldiers in his division.

  • Inspired by the My Lai Massacre.
256 3 "For Love or Money" Constantine Makris Sean Jablonski, Wendy Battles 10 October 2001

The death of a parolee, who was a hit man, leads to a wealthy widow and daughter who may have hired him to kill their rich relative.

Special Appearance: Katherine Moennig with Melissa Cobin
257 4 "Soldier of Fortune" Richard Dobbs Barry Schindel 24 October 2001
The daring daylight kidnapping of a diamond dealer which results in two murders at the scene uncovers an international dynasty of blood diamonds sales and its links to a foreign civil war.
258 5 "Possession" James Quinn Robert Palm 31 October 2001
Investigating the murder of a woman in a rent-controlled apartment, Green and Briscoe initially turn their attention to janitor Roberto Ramos, who had been given a cash gift of $5,000 by the deceased but claimed he didn't remember her when questioned. But it isn't long before the detectives discover that she was engaged in a long-running battle with her landlord and had been blocking the potentially lucrative sale of the building.
259 6 "Formerly Famous" Richard Dobbs Wendy Battles, Marc Guggenheim 7 November 2001

The shooting death of a former singer's wife leads the detectives to investigate his manager and sons after his explanation of the events surrounding her death have no credibility.

  • Guest stars: Gary Busey and Joe Piscopo
260 7 "Myth of Fingerprints" David Platt Eric Overmyer, Aaron Zelman, Terri Kopp 14 November 2001

A murder investigation uncovers deliberately faulty forensics in the wrongful conviction of two men 12 years earlier in the case that paved the way for Van Buren's promotion.

  • Guest stars: Diana Scarwid and Ginnifer Goodwin in her TV debut
261 8 "The Fire This Time" David Platt David Black 21 November 2001
When a building is set ablaze, a girl must be identified despite her fatal burns. Through further investigation, it turns out that an extreme environmentalist group struck the match.
262 9 "3 Dawg Night" Stephen Wertimer Richard Sweren, Aaron Zelman 28 November 2001
When a celebrity is implicated in a nightclub murder, McCoy and Southerlyn battle the flaks who attempt to insulate their client from any involvement or interrogation.
263 10 "Prejudice" Ed Sherin Jill Goldsmith 12 December 2001
The murder of a magazine publishing company's black CEO leads to a suspect who has a clear streak of racism and whose attorney intends on using that as a mental defect.
264 11 "The Collar" Matthew Penn Richard Sweren 9 January 2002
The death of a cleric leads the detectives to a priest who was given information by a murder suspect outside of the church but insists that he can't discuss anything about it, bringing McCoy to question whether the confessional seal should apply.
265 12 "Undercovered" Jace Alexander Noah Baylin, Wendy Battles 16 January 2002
The father of a dying girl gets his revenge on an insurance executive who denied a leukemia treatment for his daughter. One problem arises when the father is technically on both sides of the law.
266 13 "DR 1-102" Richard Dobbs Aaron Zelman, Marc Guggenheim 30 January 2002
The bludgeoning of two women in their apartment leads the detectives to a suspect who has taken a hostage while demanding legal representation... and Southerlyn's actions, while heroic, result in disbarment proceedings against her for violation of Disciplinary Rule 1-102.
267 14 "Missing" David Platt Eric Overmyer, Matt Witten, Barry Schindel 6 February 2002
When a girl's parents frantically search for her, Briscoe and Green see that the girl's belongings were packed up in her apartment. They learn that the girl had been seeing a married man — her boss. When the boss is brought up on charges, his wife sheds some new evidence.
268 15 "Access Nation" Constantine Makris Sean Jablonski, Teri Kopp 27 February 2002

The murder of a psychologist leads to a case involving a computer company that sells information and their responsibility in shielding their clients' history in order to serve their needs.

  • Guest star: Frank Whaley
269 16 "Born Again" Jace Alexander Jill Goldsmith, Matt Witten, William N. Fordes 6 March 2002

The investigation into the death of an 11-year-old girl uncovers the possible culpability of the child's mother and a rebirthing therapist.

  • Guest stars: Wendy Makkena, Debra Monk and J.K. Simmons
270 17 "Girl Most Likely" Steve Shill Lynn Mamet 27 March 2002

When a high school student is found dead in an apartment building, Briscoe and Green suspect that the murder was a result of her getting a message board shut down. As McCoy and Southerlyn investigate the case further, they realize that her best friend, who was reluctant to come forward as a witness, may be the answer to the murder.

  • Guest stars: Caroline Dhavernas, Noah Fleiss and Anna Kathryn Holbrook
271 18 "Equal Rights" James Quinn Terri Kopp 3 April 2002

A stock analyst's murder leads the detectives to a corporation whose stock had fallen... and plenty of suspects in the investors.

  • Guest stars: Karen Young and Angelica Torn.
272 19 "Slaughter" Constantine Makris Rob Wright 10 April 2002
The investigation of a student's killing leads to a case involving meat contamination at a food service.
273 20 "Dazzled" Lewis H. Gould Eric Overmyer, Matt Witten 24 April 2002

When a "gold digging" wife is found dead, there are plenty of possible perpetrators. Her husband has become "whipped" and blinded by his young wife and then messes up his story to Briscoe and Green. When he finally comes around, it seems that the wife's ex-boyfriend was getting revenge for being fired from a contracting job. The medical examiner uncovers some more clues which point to a bitter alcoholic ex-wife. Eventually, the criminal comes forward but the only crime she's committed is trying to save her family.

  • Guest stars: Jayne Atkinson and William Atherton
274 21 "Foul Play" Richard Dobbs Richard Sweren, Stuart Feldman 1 May 2002
The investigation into the death of a private investigator uncovers corruption, deceit, and immigration fraud in a Youth Baseball League whose manager will go to any lengths to win.
275 22 "Attorney Client" Matthew Penn Jill Goldsmith 8 May 2002
The wife of an attorney with many disgruntled clients is killed, but the detectives believe that he was the intended target as he was willing to reveal information despite confidentiality agreements. As the investigation continues, his tumultuous love life is exposed and the prosecutors are suspicious of his desire to return to the courtroom.
276 23 "Oxymoron" Constantine Makris Michael Harbert 15 May 2002
The murder of a young doctor leads Briscoe and Green to her involvement in an underground oxycodone ring, of which the leaders have hatched a plan to con McCoy and Southerlyn out of a trial.
277 24 "Patriot" David Platt William N. Fordes, Sean Jablonski 22 May 2002

A tenement building explodes and the lone victim is Joseph Haden. The building was rent controlled and there had been a tenant strike, so the police initially suspect arson. But the landlord doesn't have insurance, ruling out their arson theory, and the medical examiner discovers that Haden's neck was broken and he was tied up before the explosion happened. Trying to figure out Haden is even more difficult. He didn't appear to have a family or a girlfriend and never got any substantial mail. He worked at the Jiffy Job service station making minimum wage, yet had $90,000 in the bank. Briscoe and Green do some more digging and find out that Haden was using an alias, and his real name was Yusuf Haddad.

  • Guest stars: Leo Burmester, Terry Serpico, Chris Bauer, Jordan Gelber, Leslie Hendrix and David Aaron Baker
  • Last appearance of Dianne Wiest as DA Nora Lewin.

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