Law & Order (season 15) - Episodes

Episodes

See also: List of Law & Order episodes
No. in
series		 No. in
season		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production
code		 U.S. Viewers
(millions)
326 1 "Paradigm" Matthew Penn Richard Sweren & Dick Wolf September 22, 2004 (2004-09-22) 15001 18.86

Detective Joe Fontana transfers to the 27th precinct, a stylish veteran uneasily paired with Detective Green when a former female Guardsman from the second Gulf War is found murdered -- and evidence points to the vengeful Iraqi sister of a an ex-inmate at infamous Abu Ghraib prison. However, when D.A.s McCoy and Southerlyn begin to prosecute, they discover that the suspect's lawyer boldly plans to defend his client as an "enemy soldier" -- subject only to the terms of the Geneva Convention.

  • First appearance of Dennis Farina as Detective Joe Fontana.
  • New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg makes a special guest appearanece as himself.
327 2 "The Dead Wives Club" David Platt Nick Santora September 22, 2004 (2004-09-22) 15007 15.39
When a woman is found dead after a ferry collides with a Manhattan dock, Detectives Fontana and Green become suspicious when they learn that the victim sustained a blow to the head and was seen in the water just before the accident, and the likely suspect is the ex-wife of a firefighter who left her to marry a rich "9/11" widow. But EADA McCoy soon learns that the defendant's crafty lawyer intends to position her as a victim of post-traumatic stress syndrome owing to 9/11, meaning that McCoy has to overcome extreme emotions common to every New Yorker.
328 3 "The Brotherhood" Jean de Segonzac Alfredo Barrios Jr. & Wendy Battles September 29, 2004 (2004-09-29) 15004 12.94
When a prison gang puts out a contract on a Sing Sing corrections officer and his family, assigning the job to a newly released ex-con, the terrified officer pleads preemptive self-defense after he's brought to trial for the parolee's murder. As the trial proceeds, the gang attempts to affect the outcome of the case by sending a death threat to the presiding judge, who refuses to be intimidated. Shortly after the conclusion of the trial, McCoy discovers that the defendant's fears about the power and the reach of the gang were well-placed.
329 4 "Coming Down Hard" Richard Dobbs Davey Holmes October 6, 2004 (2004-10-06) 15008 12.51
When two college students take flying leaps to their deaths, Detectives Fontana and Green discover that both students were participants in a secret testing program on a new anti-depressant run by a large drug manufacturer that has yielded a high rate of suicides, and more attempted suicides. EADA McCoy decides to vigorously pursue the CEO of the pharmaceutical firm for second-degree murder but his case hinges on convincing the judge to admit guarded clinical trial info.
330 5 "Gunplay" Constantine Makris William N. Fordes & Lois Johnson October 20, 2004 (2004-10-20) 15006 13.07
The NYPD gears up to find the cop-killers who murdered two officers during an an illegal firearms buy-and-bust sting, putting Detectives Fontana and Green on the trail of two suspects as Green risks his life to pose as a gun buyer, to gather evidence on the gun dealers. They soon discover the killers were tipped off to the victims' identities by a website displaying photos of undercover cops. Turns out the website is financed by a vengeful defense attorney (as Samuels, Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) whose criminal son was killed by the police; and now claims that he is protected by the First Amendment as DA's McCoy and Southerlyn prepare to prosecute. McCoy is able to connect the hit men to the attorney who paid them to avenge the death of his gun-running stepson at the hands of the same detectives during a similar buy-and-bust several years earlier.
331 6 "Cut" Richard Dobbs Wendy Battles October 27, 2004 (2004-10-27) 15002 13.23
After a bestselling pulp-fiction novelist is found dead in her hotel bathroom, Detectives Fontana and Green investigate and discover that the deceased recently had a liposuction operation performed by a careless plastic surgeon (Bruce Altman). EADA McCoy decides whether or not the case should be pursued in civil, not criminal court. But when District Attorney Branch sees a recurring thread of negligence in the doctor's past, McCoy files charges and bases much of his argument on the fact that the obsessed victim's many beauty procedures required psychological counseling that her greedy surgeon never suggested.
332 7 "Gov Love" Michael Pressman Ross Berger & Richard Sweren November 10, 2004 (2004-11-10) 15013 15.15
In a controversial episode torn from recent headlines, Detectives Fontana and Green follow the sensational murder of the wife of Connecticut Governor Riordan (Robin Thomas), but their spadework turns up a corrupt developer (as Kaplan, Zeljko Ivanek) whose business and romantic links to Riordan cause the official to step down in shame. However, EADA McCoy is stymied when he can't get a third man (Jeremy Webb) to testify against the crooked business exec after he claims to have already married him, forcing the dogged McCoy to take the crucial gay marriage issue before the state's supreme court and Kaplan's defense attorney (Chris Sarandon).
333 8 "Cry Wolf" Don Scardino Lorenzo Carcaterra & Nick Santora November 17, 2004 (2004-11-17) 15012 13.80
A street thug-turned-radio personality (Jose Zuniga) who had a penchant for attracting headlines through "publicity stunt muggings" is thought to be faking again when he's shot and almost killed. However, when other bodies start to stack up, Detectives Fontana and Green now must believe the danger is for real, they begin to believe his story after they discover that the married jock was involved with a mobster's mistress.
334 9 "All in the Family" Jace Alexander William N. Fordes November 24, 2004 (2004-11-24) 15003 12.62
After four people, including tourists, are shot dead on the same sidewalk, Detectives Fontana and Green learn that one was a philandering jeweler with criminal ties to the Russian mob who was cooperating with federal authorities, until someone close to the victim "ratted him out." In the meantime, the investigators find the hitmen, but EADA McCoy must wrestle with the federal prosecutor over jurisdiction; and both cases might hinge on the fact that the jeweler was an Orthodox Jew.
335 10 "Enemy" Richard Dobbs Alfredo Barrios Jr. December 1, 2004 (2004-12-01) 15014 14.71
In the bloody wake of a massacre of heroin dealers, Detectives Fontana and Green track through a list of international criminals until they target their primary suspect, a drug-dealing Afghan warlord (as Khaleel, Christopher Maher) who's aided U.S. forces in Afghanistan and claims diplomatic immunity. But EADA McCoy and ADA Southerlyn fearlessly prosecute despite State Department pressure and a defense lawyer who claims his Afghan client was forced to push drugs in order to maintain his cover, and ultimately continue to aid American military efforts.
336 11 "Fixed" Ed Sherin Roz Weinman & Eric Overmyer December 8, 2004 (2004-12-08) 15011 15.69

When a convicted child murderer (David Groh) is struck and left for dead by a motorist just weeks after his prison release, Detectives Fontana and Green are not enthused about finding out who ran him over. When the murderer dies, they look inside the prison where he served his sentence, and they find evidence that leads EADA Jack McCoy to make a startling discovery.

  • Revisits the first season episode "Indifference."
  • Dann Florek cameos as Captain (credit as Lieutenant) Cragen, discussing the original case with the detectives.
337 12 "Mammon" Jace Alexander William N. Fordes & Douglas Stark January 5, 2005 (2005-01-05) 15016 14.28
Not long after a wealthy venture capitalist is found slain in his spacious home, Detectives Fontana and Green suspect the victim's feckless young wife (as Marley, Andrea Roth), as well as the handsome contractor (as Tremont, Daniel Sunjata) who installed the security system and was romantically dallying with the wannabe widow. On the legal side, DA's McCoy and Southerlyn seek to turn the cheating wife against her ex-beau, but the bad boy's many "alibi girlfriends" and a second unexpected crime severely hamstring their prosecution.
338 13 "Ain't No Love" Paris Barclay Richard Sweren & Lois Johnson January 12, 2005 (2005-01-12) 15015 14.69

Detectives Fontana and Green move to the beat of hip-hop when a legendary rapper is shot to death and evidence points to the victim's young protege (as Shawn, Sean Nelson) who was known to be cutting his own music on bootlegged street CD's, and more clues can be found in one song's lyrics that describe a similar killing. As police tie in another previous murder, DA's McCoy and Southerlyn seek the e-mail addresses from a thuggish record label's web site that could unlock the case, even as the two prosecutors clash over admissable facts, as the investigation unfolds, Southerlyn's opinions put her sharply at odds with both McCoy and Branch.

  • Final appearance of Elisabeth Röhm as ADA Serena Southerlyn. Southerlyn comes out as lesbian in the final moments of the episode.
  • Note- In 2005, this episode was ranked number 25 as part of TV Land's 'Top 100 Most Unexpected Moments in TV History'.
339 14 "Fluency" Matthew Penn Nick Santora January 19, 2005 (2005-01-19) 15018 15.12

When nine afflicted people suddenly die, Detectives Fontana and Green discover that the victims were injected with fake flu vaccine that did not protect them, leading the police to arrest a career con man (Rob Sedgwick) who's counterfeited everything, including what should have been life-saving vaccine. But while EADA Jack McCoy is getting over the departure of ADA Southerlyn, he is joined by confident new Assistant D.A. Alexandra Borgia, who boldly promises justice to the victims' relatives that will be difficult for the prosecutor to fulfill after vital search warrant evidence is tossed out.

  • First appearance of Annie Parisse as ADA Alexandra Borgia.
340 15 "Obsession" Constantine Makris Alfredo Barrios Jr. & Wendy Battles February 9, 2005 (2005-02-09) 15019 13.16
After a controversial and conservative talk show host is shot to death, Detectives Fontana and Green consider a wealth of likely suspects but focus on Miranda (Paula Devicq), who would inherit his estate only upon death, as well as on Karen (Dana Eskelson), a tormented woman who claims she had an affair with the new widow. As new ADA Borgia sizes up the case, she finds disturbing evidence that Karen was stalking the widow, whose secret love life yields a treasure trove of evidence.
341 16 "The Sixth Man" David Platt Lois Johnson & Richard Sweren February 16, 2005 (2005-02-16) 15021 13.73
When a loner is found strangled to death in his rent-controlled apartment, Detectives Fontana and Green focus on both the victim's gambling habit and the building's owner who wants to convert it into a co-op, but the cops hit paydirt when they discover the dead man's nasty running feud with a spoiled pro basketball player. When the detectives find the athlete's fingerprints at the scene, prosecutors McCoy and Borgia must fight to keep the evidence from being tossed out on a technicality.
342 17 "License to Kill" Constantine Makris Richard Sweren & Stuart Feldman February 23, 2005 (2005-02-23) 15022 14.54
After a wild car chase through Manhattan's streets leaves one man dead and a teen injured, Detectives Fontana and Green connect some dots and discover that the chase began in upstate New York after a hunting party was massacred by the now deceased driver, but finding the man who chased the murderer puts prosecutors in a bind. As the reluctant hero (as Stoller, Mike Pniewski) is publicly lauded for his efforts, prosecutors McCoy and Borgia carefully make their case that his poor decisions only endangered other lives.
343 18 "Dining Out" Jean de Segonzac Davey Holmes March 2, 2005 (2005-03-02) 15017 14.66
When a TV network executive is found murdered, Detectives Fontana and Green suspect twins who were stealing from the organization until they discover a celebrity chef with whom the married victim shared an affair. The nimble and charming chef is adroit at cultivating relationships with judges and juries alike, but prosecutor McCoy intends to reveal that the suspect's cooking show was about to be canceled by his late lover.
344 19 "Sects" Richard Dobbs Frank Pugliese March 30, 2005 (2005-03-30) 15024 13.49
Detectives Fontana and Green are repulsed when they investigate the murder of a woman by a suicidal young man (Austin Lysy) and discover a cult which encourages adult-child sexual relations, and prosecutor Borgia is determined to nail the mesmerizing but formidable woman (Deborah Hedwall) who heads it. Aided by fellow EADA McCoy, Borgia traces a string of suicides from the surviving youths and searches for a secretive "Book of Daniel" that could wipe out the perverted sect forever.
345 20 "Tombstone" Eric Stoltz Rick Eid April 13, 2005 (2005-04-13) 15025 16.85

When a promiscuous young lawyer is found bludgeoned to death in her office, Detectives Fontana and Green investigate her former lovers at the high-powered law firm until DNA evidence points to one attorney Ron Drexler (Paul Fitzgerald) who was in the office at the time of the murder. When evidence is dismissed by a judge, and a shocking crime takes place, EADA McCoy must leverage clout against a senior partner Nathan Fogg (Fritz Weaver) who is the suspect's alibi, as well as the subject of a Securities Exchange investigation, and in the midst of the case, one of the 27th precinct's own's life, hangs in the balance.

  • Detective Ed Green, portrayed by Jesse L. Martin, temporarily leaves in this episode.
  • Crossover with Law & Order: Trial By Jury episode "Skeleton".
346 21 "Publish and Perish" Constantine Makris Tom Szentgyorgi April 20, 2005 (2005-04-20) 15028 14.33

The murders of an infamous porn actress and a maverick publisher, Devries (Randy Graff) plunge Detectives Fontana and his temporary partner Nick Falco (Michael Imperioli) into a sensational case that spirals upward to an ambitious and powerful police commissioner (Kevin Dunn) who's up for the nation's top security post. But as District Attorney Branch warns, McCoy and the police must tread lightly given the high-profile players, especially when they discover a more intimate link.

  • Michael Imperioli plays Detective Nick Falco, temporarily replacing Jesse L. Martin.
347 22 "Sport of Kings" Michael Pressman Richard Sweren, Wendy Battles, & Nick Santora May 4, 2005 (2005-05-04) 15023 11.70
The shooting death of a Panamanian horse jockey puts Detectives Fontana and Falco on the track of a pack of colorful suspects who inhabit the competitive racing world, forcing them to nudge jockeys, trainers, and even a rich owner; to discover who would murder the rider over his desire to ride one particular horse. However, their probe reveals that the victim challenged the registry and selling details of the prized three-year-old, leading the cops and EADA McCoy to a corporate head who bought the thoroughbred with stolen funds.
348 23 "In God We Trust" David Platt Richard Sweren May 11, 2005 (2005-05-11) 15026 12.22
Detectives Fontana and Falco arrest an arsonist after a blaze killed a fireman, and discover a charred pistol that leads them to re-open a cold case murder of an African-American. Their remorseful prime suspect (Jim True-Frost) not only confesses but pleads not guilty due to his newfound faith and changed life. Even the skeptical EADA McCoy cannot ignore the "Clayton motion" filed by the defense attorney that asks for the case to be dismissed while church and public support build for the former racist who has worked hard for children's charities in the years since.
349 24 "Locomotion" Matthew Penn Eric Overmyer & Roz Weinman May 18, 2005 (2005-05-18) 15029 12.41

A commuter train is violently derailed when it strikes an SUV parked on the tracks, resulting in 11 deaths, leaving Detectives Fontana and Falco sifting through massive debris, until they lock onto a depressed construction worker who maintains he only intended to commit suicide, not homicide. EADA McCoy can't wait to get his hands on the case but his grip gets more slippery when the accused's attorney hints at an insanity defense, and the suspect later shocks everyone in court.

  • Final full appearance of Michael Imperioli as Detective Nick Falco.

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