Empire (Law & Order episode)
Encyclopedia
"Empire" is the 201st episode of NBC
's legal drama
Law & Order
, and the 20th episode of the 9th season.
find lady's underwear in his living room, and after he dies in the hospital, the medical examiner (Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers) discovers through an autopsy that he had ingested 1,000 mg of Viagra before his death, enough to kill him given an existing heart condition. The initial police investigation focuses on Mr. Sanderson's wife (Kathleen McNenny) (whose motive may have been retaliation for suspected infidelities), a business associate Julian Spector (Daniel Hugh Kelly
), and Katrina Ludlow (Julia Roberts
), a professional party planner who eventually admits to having had sex with Sanderson right before his death.
The detectives discover that Spector had a motive to kill Sanderson if Sanderson was planning to downgrade the bonds necessary for Spector to build a multimillion dollar sports stadium. Spector is also found to have had means and opportunity – he had obtained Viagra from a drug dealer, knew of Sanderson's heart condition, and according to Ludlow, had asked her to give it to Sanderson as a "favor" to enhance their eventual sexual encounter. Ludlow asks to be put into witness protection in exchange for testifying against Spector, and Detective Curtis takes her to a motel in New Jersey. There, she turns over to him a small metal tin containing unused Viagra pills and with Spector's thumb print on the tin. Curtis reluctantly spends the weekend keeping Ludlow company at the motel. She attempts to seduce him, and the screenplay leaves ambiguous whether or not she succeeded. Carmichael, McCoy and the detectives meet in front of Spector's office building and we learn that the thumbprint was confirmed to be Spector's through a match with a state gaming license he applied for, and that the Viagra in the tin found by the police forensics laboratory was "consistent" with the Viagra in Sanderson's autopsy.
Jack McCoy
, assisted by Abbie Carmichael
, first indicts and then prosecutes Spector for murder. He wins the conviction.
During the trial, Ludlow attempts to undermine Curtis' testimony, by implying that they had sex while she was under his protection, and further suggests that he may have tampered with evidence. McCoy suspects that Ludlow is actually working for Spector, and Carmichael uncovers evidence that Spector may have paid Ludlow $5 million to act as a double agent
, pretending to testify for the prosecution, but in fact sabotaging their case. Curtis swears under oath that the evidence was not tampered with, and that he had remained true to his wife during his protective custody of Ludlow. The screenwriters do not make explicit what occurred in the motel room, but in the final scene, Ludlow confronts Curtis on the courthouse steps and lectures him that one hundred years from now, no one will care "who slept with who." Her delivery, body language and tone of voice can be taken to inform the viewer that they did not in fact sleep together, and that she is angry for having been spurned.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's legal drama
Legal drama
A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law...
Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, and the 20th episode of the 9th season.
Plot
The episode opens with a businessman, Gilbert Sanderson (Daniel Henry Murray) seen staggering into an Italian restaurant wearing boxer shorts and no pants. He collapses, asks for a doctor, and is taken away by ambulance. We learn later he has come from his townhouse next door. Detectives Lenny Briscoe and Rey CurtisRey Curtis
Reynaldo "Rey" Curtis is a fictional character on the TV drama Law & Order, created by Ed Zuckerman and played by Benjamin Bratt from 1995 to 1999.-Character overview:Curtis is introduced as homicide detective in Manhattan's 27th Detective Squad...
find lady's underwear in his living room, and after he dies in the hospital, the medical examiner (Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers) discovers through an autopsy that he had ingested 1,000 mg of Viagra before his death, enough to kill him given an existing heart condition. The initial police investigation focuses on Mr. Sanderson's wife (Kathleen McNenny) (whose motive may have been retaliation for suspected infidelities), a business associate Julian Spector (Daniel Hugh Kelly
Daniel Hugh Kelly
Daniel Hugh Kelly is an American stage, film and television actor. He may be best known for his role on the 1980s ABC TV series Hardcastle and McCormick from 1983-1986 for which he also wrote and directed...
), and Katrina Ludlow (Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
), a professional party planner who eventually admits to having had sex with Sanderson right before his death.
The detectives discover that Spector had a motive to kill Sanderson if Sanderson was planning to downgrade the bonds necessary for Spector to build a multimillion dollar sports stadium. Spector is also found to have had means and opportunity – he had obtained Viagra from a drug dealer, knew of Sanderson's heart condition, and according to Ludlow, had asked her to give it to Sanderson as a "favor" to enhance their eventual sexual encounter. Ludlow asks to be put into witness protection in exchange for testifying against Spector, and Detective Curtis takes her to a motel in New Jersey. There, she turns over to him a small metal tin containing unused Viagra pills and with Spector's thumb print on the tin. Curtis reluctantly spends the weekend keeping Ludlow company at the motel. She attempts to seduce him, and the screenplay leaves ambiguous whether or not she succeeded. Carmichael, McCoy and the detectives meet in front of Spector's office building and we learn that the thumbprint was confirmed to be Spector's through a match with a state gaming license he applied for, and that the Viagra in the tin found by the police forensics laboratory was "consistent" with the Viagra in Sanderson's autopsy.
Jack McCoy
Jack McCoy
John James "Jack" McCoy is a fictional character in the television drama Law & Order, created by Michael S. Chernuchin and played by Sam Waterston since 1994. He is the second-longest tenured character on the show, after Lt. Anita Van Buren . On January 28, 2009, McCoy's character ended the longest...
, assisted by Abbie Carmichael
Abbie Carmichael
Abigail "Abbie" Carmichael is a fictional character on the TV drama Law & Order created by Rene Balcer and portrayed by model/actress Angie Harmon...
, first indicts and then prosecutes Spector for murder. He wins the conviction.
During the trial, Ludlow attempts to undermine Curtis' testimony, by implying that they had sex while she was under his protection, and further suggests that he may have tampered with evidence. McCoy suspects that Ludlow is actually working for Spector, and Carmichael uncovers evidence that Spector may have paid Ludlow $5 million to act as a double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
, pretending to testify for the prosecution, but in fact sabotaging their case. Curtis swears under oath that the evidence was not tampered with, and that he had remained true to his wife during his protective custody of Ludlow. The screenwriters do not make explicit what occurred in the motel room, but in the final scene, Ludlow confronts Curtis on the courthouse steps and lectures him that one hundred years from now, no one will care "who slept with who." Her delivery, body language and tone of voice can be taken to inform the viewer that they did not in fact sleep together, and that she is angry for having been spurned.