Consumed (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
Encyclopedia
"Consumed" is the third season finale episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent
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. Examining the bodies, Goren and Eames discover that they were hit a total of six times, exactly matching the number of shots reported by residents and indicating that the shooter had good aim. A bullet casing at the third scene is soon matched to an NYPD service firearm used by Officer Thomas Callahan, whose behavior has become erratic since he was involved in a self-defense shooting. Callahan turns up in a subway tunnel, having fallen off the platform and broken his leg, with no memory of how he got there.
As the detectives investigate, they learn that Callahan is a bachelor and that Beth Landau, his neighbor, goes to great lengths to look after him, including cooking meals and ironing his laundry. Interviews with other officers and around the neighborhood point to his habit of drinking in bars until last call
, oddly stiff movements at these times, and difficulty waking up in the morning. In the hospital, Callahan is kept under close watch and heavy sedation, since he is now the prime suspect in the three shootings. At Goren's request, Carver has the sedation stopped; Callahan's sudden change in demeanor reveals that he suffers from parasomnia
. His firing range records indicate that he is a poor shot, suggesting that someone else killed the men and took advantage of his condition to frame him.
Beth is actually Elizabeth Post, who has been involved in a seven-year divorce proceeding. Her husband Bingham has been in jail this entire time on a contempt of court
charge for failing to disclose assets that she was trying to claim, while she found herself cut off from the money and had to make her own way. Eddie Mercado, the first man killed and an old friend of Bingham's, played in a piano bar and often worked cruises to the Cayman Islands
, smuggling money from Bingham's account there back into the United States. Though he would have carried a fake book
to help him through his gigs - one that would almost certainly have had the account number in it - no such item was found on the body. Believing at first that Elizabeth may have hired a private investigator
to track Eddie's movements, the detectives instead find evidence that she did that job herself. She has also put in time at a firing range and become an excellent shot.
The Posts come to a reconciliation of sorts, with Bingham being released from prison to meet with her so they can make plans to split the $15 million he had in the offshore account. They are interrupted by Goren and Eames, and Goren opens a bottle of wine the two had intended to share. From it he pours out a pile of ashes and a wire spiral binding - the remains of Eddie's fake book, which Elizabeth burned in an act of revenge. Without the account information in the book, neither she nor Bingham will be able to touch the money.
Bingham is shocked to learn of what his wife has done, but he gets an even bigger surprise when the detectives explain the shootings to him. Having found Eddie, Elizabeth shot him with Callahan's weapon while the half-asleep officer was with her. She took him along as she killed the other two men, disposed of the gun, and let Callahan wander into the subway, not caring what happened to him after that. Elizabeth is arrested for the three murders, while Goren and Eames reflect on the futility of her obsession with vengeance.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
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Plot summary
Three Hispanic men are found dead, all shot within a 10-minute period in an apparent hate crimeHate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
. Examining the bodies, Goren and Eames discover that they were hit a total of six times, exactly matching the number of shots reported by residents and indicating that the shooter had good aim. A bullet casing at the third scene is soon matched to an NYPD service firearm used by Officer Thomas Callahan, whose behavior has become erratic since he was involved in a self-defense shooting. Callahan turns up in a subway tunnel, having fallen off the platform and broken his leg, with no memory of how he got there.
As the detectives investigate, they learn that Callahan is a bachelor and that Beth Landau, his neighbor, goes to great lengths to look after him, including cooking meals and ironing his laundry. Interviews with other officers and around the neighborhood point to his habit of drinking in bars until last call
Last call (bar term)
In a bar, a last call is an announcement made shortly before the bar closes for the night, informing patrons of their last chance to buy alcoholic beverages. There are various means to make this signal, like ringing a bell, flashing the lights, or announcing orally.Last call times are often...
, oddly stiff movements at these times, and difficulty waking up in the morning. In the hospital, Callahan is kept under close watch and heavy sedation, since he is now the prime suspect in the three shootings. At Goren's request, Carver has the sedation stopped; Callahan's sudden change in demeanor reveals that he suffers from parasomnia
Parasomnia
For the 2008 horror film, see Parasomnia Parasomnias are a category of sleep disorders that involve abnormal and unnatural movements, behaviors, emotions, perceptions, and dreams that occur while falling asleep, sleeping, between sleep stages, or during arousal from sleep...
. His firing range records indicate that he is a poor shot, suggesting that someone else killed the men and took advantage of his condition to frame him.
Beth is actually Elizabeth Post, who has been involved in a seven-year divorce proceeding. Her husband Bingham has been in jail this entire time on a contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
charge for failing to disclose assets that she was trying to claim, while she found herself cut off from the money and had to make her own way. Eddie Mercado, the first man killed and an old friend of Bingham's, played in a piano bar and often worked cruises to the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
, smuggling money from Bingham's account there back into the United States. Though he would have carried a fake book
Fake book
A fake book is a collection of musical lead sheets intended to help a performer quickly learn new songs. Each song in a fake book contains the melody line, basic chords, and lyrics - the minimal information needed by a musician to make an impromptu arrangement of a song, or "fake it."The fake book...
to help him through his gigs - one that would almost certainly have had the account number in it - no such item was found on the body. Believing at first that Elizabeth may have hired a private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
to track Eddie's movements, the detectives instead find evidence that she did that job herself. She has also put in time at a firing range and become an excellent shot.
The Posts come to a reconciliation of sorts, with Bingham being released from prison to meet with her so they can make plans to split the $15 million he had in the offshore account. They are interrupted by Goren and Eames, and Goren opens a bottle of wine the two had intended to share. From it he pours out a pile of ashes and a wire spiral binding - the remains of Eddie's fake book, which Elizabeth burned in an act of revenge. Without the account information in the book, neither she nor Bingham will be able to touch the money.
Bingham is shocked to learn of what his wife has done, but he gets an even bigger surprise when the detectives explain the shootings to him. Having found Eddie, Elizabeth shot him with Callahan's weapon while the half-asleep officer was with her. She took him along as she killed the other two men, disposed of the gun, and let Callahan wander into the subway, not caring what happened to him after that. Elizabeth is arrested for the three murders, while Goren and Eames reflect on the futility of her obsession with vengeance.
Cast
| Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio is an American actor, director, film producer, writer, and singer. Often referred to as an actor's actor, his work as a character actor has earned him the nickname of "Human Chameleon"... |
Det. Robert Goren Robert Goren Det. Robert "Bobby" Goren is a fictional character featured in the NBC-USA Network police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio.... |
| Kathryn Erbe Kathryn Erbe Kathryn Elsbeth Erbe is an American actress known for her role as Det. Alexandra Eames in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, a spin-off of Law & Order, and death row inmate Shirley Bellinger in the HBO series Oz.-Personal life:... |
Det. Alexandra Eames Alexandra Eames Det. Alexandra "Alex" Eames is a fictional police detective with the NYPD Major Case Squad featured in the NBC-USA Network Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Kathryn Erbe... |
| Jamey Sheridan Jamey Sheridan James Patrick "Jamey" Sheridan is an American actor. He was born in Pasadena, California.He has had a prolific acting career in theater, television, and feature film productions. Born to a family of actors, he made it to Broadway and earned a Tony nomination in 1987 for his performance in the... |
Capt. James Deakins James Deakins Captain James Deakins is a fictional character on the NBC-USA Network U.S. television series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, played by Jamey Sheridan.On the show, Deakins supervises New York City's Major Case Squad... |
| Courtney B. Vance Courtney B. Vance Courtney Bernard Vance is an American actor. He was formerly a regular on the NBC/USA television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver. He was also a series regular on the ABC series FlashForward. As of 2011, he appears on the TNT series The Closer as Chief... |
A.D.A. Ron Carver Ron Carver Ron Carver is a fictional character on the NBC-USA Network series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, played by Courtney B. Vance.Carver often works in conjunction with detectives Robert Goren, Alexandra Eames, Mike Logan and Carolyn Barek of the Major Case Squad. He graduated from John Jay College of... |