Robert Goren
Encyclopedia
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
.
Goren is a detective investigator first grade for the Major Case Squad in the New York City
Police Department (NYPD
). He is partnered with Det. Alexandra Eames
(Kathryn Erbe
). As created by executive producer René Balcer
, Goren is an intense, extremely intelligent and imposing man who uses his intuition and insight into human nature to size up suspects and pick apart the details of crimes. Goren appeared in 141 episodes.
and certain victims of the crimes he is solving. His badge number is 4376.
, near The Rockaways. A phenomenally bright young man, he took the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
in his senior year of high school and was sent to speak with the school counselor and school psychiatrist as a result. He played basketball as a youth and was the power forward
on his junior varsity basketball team, but quit when he "lost [his] love for the game."
In his youth, Goren was an altar boy; he considers himself a lapsed Catholic
.
Goren's mother Frances first started showing symptoms of schizophrenia
when Goren was seven years old. Frances' husband, whom Goren had believed to be his father (see "Mark Ford Brady" section below), gambled
frequently on horse races and was a serial adulterer; Balcer describes the man as "a rake". He left Goren's mother when Goren was eleven, making little effort to stay close to the family.
in 1987, and also did a six-month tour in South Korea
.
While Goren was with CID, he met Dr. Declan Gage, one of the first criminal profilers
, who was on loan from the FBI to offer advice on a South Korean
serial killer
. Gage became Goren’s mentor in the field of criminal profiling, a relationship which continued even after Gage was discredited following a particularly tense and unsuccessful hunt for a serial killer named Sebastian. Both Gage's daughter and Gage himself have considered Goren a surrogate son.
After leaving the military, Goren joined the NYPD and spent four years in the Narcotics Division. He was responsible for three sting operation
s that resulted in 27 arrests and 27 convictions.
since sometime before 2000, posted to the Major Case Squad under Captain James Deakins
and later Captains Danny Ross and Joseph Hannah.
As an investigator and profiler, Goren is uncommonly skilled at sizing up suspects and picking apart the details of crimes. Goren is frequently able to recall pieces of information that may seem obscure but prove to be incredibly relevant to the case. He can speak different languages, particularly German
, and the episode "Silencer
", implies that he is proficient in American sign language
. Additionally, he has an acute sense of smell that discloses details even a forensics
investigator might miss.
During interrogations, Goren has the habit of cocking his head at odd angles while talking to people, a "side talking" method he uses to distract and unnerve them. D'Onofrio improvised this habit from a scene where a suspect he was interrogating would not look him in the eye. It was such a strong identifier of his character that, in the episode “The Gift
”, a woman who, while describing a psychic
dream she had (in itself a trick thought up by Goren) labeled Goren as being "the man with the broken neck".
Additionally, when questioning people, Goren attempts to agitate uncooperative suspects by exploiting a weakness which he had noticed. For example, if he believes a subject is a "neat freak", he will deliberately move the subject's possessions around to create clutter, appearing to do so out of clumsiness or lack of respect, to rattle them. Goren is frequently portrayed as using details from a witness' life that are irrelevant to the case at hand in order to reveal a suspect's true motivations for committing a crime, and to create enormous emotional distress in that individual. Goren then utilizes that distress to elicit a confession. A further method is to find a weak link in the relationship between two or more suspects in a crime, and utilize the relationship to make one implicate the other.
While Goren is typically able to outwit a suspect, he occasionally meets his match; the foremost example is Nicole Wallace (Olivia d'Abo
), a sociopathic
con artist and murderer with a keen eye for detecting and exploiting weakness. From her introduction in the episode "Anti-Thesis", Wallace is able to pierce Goren's emotional armor by confronting him with details of his unhappy childhood.
Goren on occasion also pushes professional boundaries, either because he feels it will solve the case more effectively, or because empathy
leads him to believe that the most extreme punishments are not warranted. This has caused conflict between him and his superiors, and his character has been suspended from duty on more than one occasion.
In the episode "Untethered", Goren is suspended and sent for a psychological fitness evaluation. While waiting for his reinstatement, Goren decides to go undercover to take down a high-level drug dealer.
In the two-part Season 9 premiere "Loyalty
", Goren and Eames are pulled off a pair of homicides by Ross, who informs them that the FBI
has taken an interest in the case. Ross is later murdered as well, leading Goren, Eames, and Detective Zach Nichols
to team up in an effort to find his killer. Their prime suspect is taken into custody by the FBI, provoking Goren into a physical altercation that leads to his suspension. He continues to investigate on his own and eventually learns of a plan by the FBI to allow GPS
-tagged weapons to be distributed to terrorist
camps in Somalia
, so that the camps could be easily targeted and wiped out. As a result of Goren's conduct during the investigation into Ross's death, Eames and Goren mutually decide that it would be best for Eames to fire Goren rather than have him needlessly go through the trials that would lead to his dismissal. After firing Goren, Eames immediately resigns.
After a year's absence, Goren and Eames again became the series's lead characters in its tenth and final season. While it has not yet been explained how or why they were reinstated to the police force, it's clear that one of the conditions is regular sessions with a psychiatrist (played by Julia Ormond
). Their new captain, Joseph Hannah (played by Jay O. Sanders
), also briefly refers to his and Goren's "friendship," perhaps implying that his character used personal influence in bringing Goren back to the force.
"). Goren often takes the lead, although initially he is the junior partner in their working relationship. Eames supplies the tough side to the relationship, as she often plays the role of the "bad cop".
Early in their partnership, Eames petitioned the department for a new partner, thinking that Goren was erratic and unstable; she later withdrew the petition, but never told her partner what she had done. When this information comes out during a trial, Goren reassures her that he is not offended, and admits he is "an acquired taste".
Eames is practical, while Goren is often portrayed as intellectual, yet there is little evidence of conflict between them. Goren himself said they have "complementary skills": Goren is portrayed as having extensive "book knowledge", while Eames is portrayed as more computer and politically savvy. Contrasting with the instability of his family, Eames is a steadying influence.
Goren is temporarily partnered with Det. G. Lynn Bishop
(Samantha Buck
) in the 2003–2004 season while Eames is on maternity leave. They function reasonably well as a team, but their personalities are not as compatible; Goren often compares Bishop to Eames, to Bishop's detriment. It is implied that she is aware of being compared to the partner that Goren obviously misses.
In the episode "Blind Spot
", Eames is abducted by Jo Gage (Martha Plimpton
), the daughter of Declan Gage (John Glover
), Goren's old mentor. Jo sets up the crime in such a way that her father is a suspect for most of the episode, causing a great deal of conflict between Goren and the elder Gage; Goren is in distress over the welfare of his partner whereas Gage is more aloof to her well-being versus the intellectual challenge of solving the case.
In the episode "Purgatory
", when Goren decides to go undercover during his suspension he does not inform Eames of this decision which causes a considerable conflict between them when his actions are revealed. Goren apologizes and states that he wanted to keep Eames away from the situation, but she reacts angrily and implies that his actions were based on selfishness and that "all [his] wounds are self-inflicted."
At the end of the season 9 premiere "Loyalty", Eames and Goren's partnership comes to an end. Eames has been offered a promotion and command of the Major Case Squad, on the condition that she fires Goren. The two mutually determine that it would be best for her to do so, since his actions after Captain Ross's death will likely result in his dismissal anyway. In this final scene, Goren kisses Eames on the cheek, and the two embrace before he departs. Once he has left the office, Eames lays her gun and badge on Ross's desk and resigns.
and to empathize with the victims of crimes. In the episode “Suite Sorrow
”, he states that he knows what it is like “to have your judgment, your sense of security undermined by your parents; because they were hiding a truth or denying it to themselves.”
As a result of his father’s infidelity, Goren harbors an intense dislike of men who abandon their wives and/or neglect their children. When blindsided by Wallace, Goren comments, "She picked a man I already didn't trust. I already didn't respect. ... She, uh, picked a man like my father."
Goren’s mother suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, and is institutionalized at the Carmel Ridge mental facility. He calls her every day and visits her once a week, saying that she has been slipping away from him his whole life but he can’t let go. She is diagnosed with lymphoma
and undergoes major surgery. Goren is known to flinch openly whenever his mother is mentioned, another vulnerability Wallace frequently exploits, but he has been able to turn that reaction to his advantage at times. One such instance occurs when a judge suspected of rape
and murder hired a private investigator
to impersonate an NYPD officer and questioned her until she has a psychotic break
. Goren subsequently rages at the judge, needling the latter into admitting his role in the crime.
Goren is also estranged from his older brother, Frank, a drug addict who also has a gambling problem. Goren's mother apparently favors Frank, and describes him as a "scientist”, and seems to imply that Frank could take better care of her than Robert did. In reality, Frank is homeless on Manhattan
’s streets. In the episode "Brother's Keeper", Goren gives his brother some money, his overcoat, and his business card. They agree to meet the following Sunday (Frances' birthday), but Frank does not show up. In vain, Frances waits for Frank to appear, sure that he would never forget her birthday. Robert does not give her any details about Frank's condition.
Frank approaches Robert to request that he find a way to help his son, Donny, who is incarcerated in a prison where inmates are being abused. Goren decides to sneak into the prison to help him, but Donny escapes from the prison by faking an illness before Goren is able to get him out. Once Goren is freed, he confronts his brother about Donny's whereabouts, and Frank claims ignorance; the brothers fight, physically and verbally, over the issue.
Several months later, Frank relapses into drug abuse
. While high on drugs, he is murdered by Robert's arch-nemesis Nicole Wallace (under the persuasion of his mentor, Dr. Declan Gage). Despite their earlier fight, Robert takes Frank's death hard and breaks down upon seeing his body.
In the season 8 episode "Faithfully
", the beginning scene features Goren eating dinner with family members; the description of this episode on the USA Network
says that Goren has gone to the Midwest to visit his aunt. It is unclear exactly who they are, as Goren has no other siblings but Frank who had only one child, a son. It is theorized that they may be Mark Ford Brady's relatives (see below). In a later episode Goren shows a photo of one young girl, Molly, to Eames and refers to her as his niece.
, serial killer
Mark Ford Brady (Roy Scheider
), anxious to delay his scheduled execution, arranges for Goren and Eames to interview him about victims not yet attributed to him. Goren, with aid from his brother (now clean after a lucky streak in Atlantic City), pieces together a story which shows that Brady and Frances Goren had a short relationship, which continued until Robert was four and Frank was seven. Frank remembers Brady as "Uncle Mark", who brought little presents for Robert when he came to visit. Brady, who only visited when Mr. Goren was away, no longer visited after getting into what the brothers were told was a "car accident" with Frances (it is implied that Brady rape
d and beat her). Goren does not remember Brady, but recalls that after the "car crash", Frances was never the same mother that he knew.
In a death row
interview room, Goren learns that Brady was on leave around the time John F. Kennedy
was elected—the month that he would have been conceived—leaving Goren with the possibility that Brady might be his father. Goren confronts his mother, who reveals she does not know for sure who his father is; both Brady and Frances die that night, Brady by execution and Frances due to her failing health.
At a later date, Goren reveals that he has DNA
evidence that Brady is his biological father.
," and creator René Balcer further cites Georges Simenon
's Commissaire Maigret as influencing the development of the character. Balcer also says the character owes a lot to Raymond Chandler
's Philip Marlowe
. Balcer cites the forensic psychiatrist
Dr. Park Dietz
as a real-life model for Goren's interview style and ability to get others to talk about themselves. Goren's character pays tribute to Columbo
's habit of catching suspects off-guard by seeming to buy their story, walking out the room, then turning around with a "gotcha" question, a la Columbo's "Just one more thing..."
s March 1, 2008 episode, hosted by Ellen Page
. Although he played himself, the cameo poked fun at Goren's mannerisms, as D'Onofrio attempted to interrogate Hillary Clinton (Amy Poehler
) in her televised debate with Barack Obama
(Fred Armisen
).
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
featured in the NBC
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...
-USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
police procedural
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
and 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...
television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent
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...
, portrayed by 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"...
.
Goren is a detective investigator first grade for the Major Case Squad in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Police Department (NYPD
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
). He is partnered with 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...
(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:...
). As created by executive producer René Balcer
René Balcer
René Balcer is a Canadian television writer, director and producer.-Early life:He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and attended Lower Canada College in Montreal. He earned his B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Communication Studies from Concordia University in 1978. He began his career as a journalist,...
, Goren is an intense, extremely intelligent and imposing man who uses his intuition and insight into human nature to size up suspects and pick apart the details of crimes. Goren appeared in 141 episodes.
Fictional character biography
Criminal Intent highlights Goren's abilities as a profiler and an interrogator. He is able to elicit confessions from calculating killers with his insight into their minds and his imposing physical presence. However, Goren shows a sensitive side as well, particularly directed at his mother, his partner Det. Alexandra EamesAlexandra 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...
and certain victims of the crimes he is solving. His badge number is 4376.
Early life
Robert O. Goren was born on August 20, 1961, and grew up in the Canarsie neighborhood of BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, near The Rockaways. A phenomenally bright young man, he took the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is one of the most frequently used personality tests in mental health. The test is used by trained professionals to assist in identifying personality structure and psychopathology....
in his senior year of high school and was sent to speak with the school counselor and school psychiatrist as a result. He played basketball as a youth and was the power forward
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
on his junior varsity basketball team, but quit when he "lost [his] love for the game."
In his youth, Goren was an altar boy; he considers himself a lapsed Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
.
Goren's mother Frances first started showing symptoms of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
when Goren was seven years old. Frances' husband, whom Goren had believed to be his father (see "Mark Ford Brady" section below), gambled
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
frequently on horse races and was a serial adulterer; Balcer describes the man as "a rake". He left Goren's mother when Goren was eleven, making little effort to stay close to the family.
Military and early police life
After college, Goren served in the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division. He was stationed in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1987, and also did a six-month tour in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
While Goren was with CID, he met Dr. Declan Gage, one of the first criminal profilers
Offender profiling
Offender profiling, also known as criminal profiling, is a behavioral and investigative tool that is intended to help investigators to profile unknown criminal subjects or offenders. Offender profiling is also known as criminal profiling, criminal personality profiling, criminological profiling,...
, who was on loan from the FBI to offer advice on a South Korean
Korean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. Gage became Goren’s mentor in the field of criminal profiling, a relationship which continued even after Gage was discredited following a particularly tense and unsuccessful hunt for a serial killer named Sebastian. Both Gage's daughter and Gage himself have considered Goren a surrogate son.
After leaving the military, Goren joined the NYPD and spent four years in the Narcotics Division. He was responsible for three sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
s that resulted in 27 arrests and 27 convictions.
Major Case Squad
In the backstory of Criminal Intent, Goren has been partnered with Det. Alexandra EamesAlexandra 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...
since sometime before 2000, posted to the Major Case Squad under Captain 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...
and later Captains Danny Ross and Joseph Hannah.
As an investigator and profiler, Goren is uncommonly skilled at sizing up suspects and picking apart the details of crimes. Goren is frequently able to recall pieces of information that may seem obscure but prove to be incredibly relevant to the case. He can speak different languages, particularly German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, and the episode "Silencer
Silencer (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
"Silencer" is a sixth season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary:In this episode, Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the murder of an esteemed ear surgeon found slain in his office....
", implies that he is proficient in American sign language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
. Additionally, he has an acute sense of smell that discloses details even a forensics
Forensics
Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
investigator might miss.
During interrogations, Goren has the habit of cocking his head at odd angles while talking to people, a "side talking" method he uses to distract and unnerve them. D'Onofrio improvised this habit from a scene where a suspect he was interrogating would not look him in the eye. It was such a strong identifier of his character that, in the episode “The Gift
The Gift (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
"The Gift" is a third season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary:In this episode, Detectives Goren and Eames are called to investigate the case of a young man found murdered close to a church....
”, a woman who, while describing a psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
dream she had (in itself a trick thought up by Goren) labeled Goren as being "the man with the broken neck".
Additionally, when questioning people, Goren attempts to agitate uncooperative suspects by exploiting a weakness which he had noticed. For example, if he believes a subject is a "neat freak", he will deliberately move the subject's possessions around to create clutter, appearing to do so out of clumsiness or lack of respect, to rattle them. Goren is frequently portrayed as using details from a witness' life that are irrelevant to the case at hand in order to reveal a suspect's true motivations for committing a crime, and to create enormous emotional distress in that individual. Goren then utilizes that distress to elicit a confession. A further method is to find a weak link in the relationship between two or more suspects in a crime, and utilize the relationship to make one implicate the other.
While Goren is typically able to outwit a suspect, he occasionally meets his match; the foremost example is Nicole Wallace (Olivia d'Abo
Olivia d'Abo
Olivia d'Abo is an English actress and singer-songwriter, best known for portraying Karen Arnold in The Wonder Years and Nicole Wallace, the recurring villain in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Acting career:...
), a sociopathic
Antisocial personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder is described by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition , as an Axis II personality disorder characterized by "...a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood...
con artist and murderer with a keen eye for detecting and exploiting weakness. From her introduction in the episode "Anti-Thesis", Wallace is able to pierce Goren's emotional armor by confronting him with details of his unhappy childhood.
Goren on occasion also pushes professional boundaries, either because he feels it will solve the case more effectively, or because empathy
Empathy
Empathy is the capacity to recognize and, to some extent, share feelings that are being experienced by another sapient or semi-sapient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion. The English word was coined in 1909 by E.B...
leads him to believe that the most extreme punishments are not warranted. This has caused conflict between him and his superiors, and his character has been suspended from duty on more than one occasion.
In the episode "Untethered", Goren is suspended and sent for a psychological fitness evaluation. While waiting for his reinstatement, Goren decides to go undercover to take down a high-level drug dealer.
In the two-part Season 9 premiere "Loyalty
Loyalty (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
"Loyalty" is the two-part season premiere episode and is the first and second episodes of the ninth season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Part 1:...
", Goren and Eames are pulled off a pair of homicides by Ross, who informs them that the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
has taken an interest in the case. Ross is later murdered as well, leading Goren, Eames, and Detective Zach Nichols
Zach Nichols
Det. Zachary "Zack" Nichols is a fictional character, portrayed by Jeff Goldblum, featured in the NBC-USA Network series Law & Order: Criminal Intent....
to team up in an effort to find his killer. Their prime suspect is taken into custody by the FBI, provoking Goren into a physical altercation that leads to his suspension. He continues to investigate on his own and eventually learns of a plan by the FBI to allow GPS
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
-tagged weapons to be distributed to terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
camps in Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, so that the camps could be easily targeted and wiped out. As a result of Goren's conduct during the investigation into Ross's death, Eames and Goren mutually decide that it would be best for Eames to fire Goren rather than have him needlessly go through the trials that would lead to his dismissal. After firing Goren, Eames immediately resigns.
After a year's absence, Goren and Eames again became the series's lead characters in its tenth and final season. While it has not yet been explained how or why they were reinstated to the police force, it's clear that one of the conditions is regular sessions with a psychiatrist (played by Julia Ormond
Julia Ormond
Julia Karin Ormond is an English actress who has appeared in film and television and on stage.-Early life and education:...
). Their new captain, Joseph Hannah (played by Jay O. Sanders
Jay O. Sanders
Jay Olcutt Sanders is an American character actor.Sanders was born in Austin, Texas, to Phyllis Rae and James Olcutt Sanders. He is noted for playing Mob lawyer character Steven Kordo in the 1986–88 NBC detective series Crime Story...
), also briefly refers to his and Goren's "friendship," perhaps implying that his character used personal influence in bringing Goren back to the force.
Partnership with Alexandra Eames
Goren and Eames both tend to discuss the other, and call each other, by their last names alone. However, Eames does address him on occasion by the more familiar "Bobby", while Goren refers to Eames as Alex infrequently (e.g., "AmendsAmends (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
"Amends" is a seventh season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent. This is the first original episode to air on the USA Network.-Plot summary:...
"). Goren often takes the lead, although initially he is the junior partner in their working relationship. Eames supplies the tough side to the relationship, as she often plays the role of the "bad cop".
Early in their partnership, Eames petitioned the department for a new partner, thinking that Goren was erratic and unstable; she later withdrew the petition, but never told her partner what she had done. When this information comes out during a trial, Goren reassures her that he is not offended, and admits he is "an acquired taste".
Eames is practical, while Goren is often portrayed as intellectual, yet there is little evidence of conflict between them. Goren himself said they have "complementary skills": Goren is portrayed as having extensive "book knowledge", while Eames is portrayed as more computer and politically savvy. Contrasting with the instability of his family, Eames is a steadying influence.
Goren is temporarily partnered with Det. G. Lynn Bishop
G. Lynn Bishop
Det. G. Lynn Bishop is a fictional character in the NBC-USA Network series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, played by Samantha Buck.- In Major Case Squad :...
(Samantha Buck
Samantha Buck
-Biography:Buck was born in Dallas, Texas, but raised in Washington, D.C.Buck played Det. G. Lynn Bishop in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, temporarily replacing Det. Alexandra Eames while the latter was on maternity leave. Buck's television roles have not been limited only to drama; she also played...
) in the 2003–2004 season while Eames is on maternity leave. They function reasonably well as a team, but their personalities are not as compatible; Goren often compares Bishop to Eames, to Bishop's detriment. It is implied that she is aware of being compared to the partner that Goren obviously misses.
In the episode "Blind Spot
Blind Spot (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
"Blind Spot" is a sixth season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary :In the season premiere episode, Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the death of a former ambassador's daughter, who is found brutally murdered in her uptown home...
", Eames is abducted by Jo Gage (Martha Plimpton
Martha Plimpton
Martha Campbell Plimpton is an American actress and singer and former model. Plimpton is a screen, stage and television actress. She first appeared as Jonsy in the feature film River Rats before rising to prominence in the Richard Donner film The Goonies portraying the character Stef...
), the daughter of Declan Gage (John Glover
John Glover (actor)
John Soursby Glover Jr. is an American actor, perhaps best known for a range of villainous roles in films and television, including Lionel Luthor on the Superman-inspired television series Smallville.-Personal life:...
), Goren's old mentor. Jo sets up the crime in such a way that her father is a suspect for most of the episode, causing a great deal of conflict between Goren and the elder Gage; Goren is in distress over the welfare of his partner whereas Gage is more aloof to her well-being versus the intellectual challenge of solving the case.
In the episode "Purgatory
Purgatory (Law & Order: Criminal Intent Episode)
"Purgatory" is a seventh season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary:The episode resumes where "Untethered" left off. Detective Goren, under suspension pending a psychiatric evaluation, decides to prove himself by going undercover to take down a high-level...
", when Goren decides to go undercover during his suspension he does not inform Eames of this decision which causes a considerable conflict between them when his actions are revealed. Goren apologizes and states that he wanted to keep Eames away from the situation, but she reacts angrily and implies that his actions were based on selfishness and that "all [his] wounds are self-inflicted."
At the end of the season 9 premiere "Loyalty", Eames and Goren's partnership comes to an end. Eames has been offered a promotion and command of the Major Case Squad, on the condition that she fires Goren. The two mutually determine that it would be best for her to do so, since his actions after Captain Ross's death will likely result in his dismissal anyway. In this final scene, Goren kisses Eames on the cheek, and the two embrace before he departs. Once he has left the office, Eames lays her gun and badge on Ross's desk and resigns.
Family
It is often implied that Goren's childhood contributes to his ability to understand criminal psychologyCriminal psychology
Criminal psychology is the study of the wills, thoughts, intentions and reactions of criminals. It is related to the field of criminal anthropology. The study goes deeply into what makes someone commit crime, but also the reactions after the crime, on the run or in court...
and to empathize with the victims of crimes. In the episode “Suite Sorrow
Suite Sorrow
"Suite Sorrow" is a second season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary:In this episode, Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the death of a wealthy owner of a magnificent hotel, found naked and drowned - or it so appears - in her bathtub...
”, he states that he knows what it is like “to have your judgment, your sense of security undermined by your parents; because they were hiding a truth or denying it to themselves.”
As a result of his father’s infidelity, Goren harbors an intense dislike of men who abandon their wives and/or neglect their children. When blindsided by Wallace, Goren comments, "She picked a man I already didn't trust. I already didn't respect. ... She, uh, picked a man like my father."
Goren’s mother suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, and is institutionalized at the Carmel Ridge mental facility. He calls her every day and visits her once a week, saying that she has been slipping away from him his whole life but he can’t let go. She is diagnosed with lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
and undergoes major surgery. Goren is known to flinch openly whenever his mother is mentioned, another vulnerability Wallace frequently exploits, but he has been able to turn that reaction to his advantage at times. One such instance occurs when a judge suspected of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and murder 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 impersonate an NYPD officer and questioned her until she has a psychotic break
Psychotic break
A psychotic break is a term used to describe an occasion of a person experiencing an episode of acute primary psychosis, either for the first time or after a significant period of relative asymptomaticity. Several types of psychoactive drugs have been shown to correlate with psychotic breaks...
. Goren subsequently rages at the judge, needling the latter into admitting his role in the crime.
Goren is also estranged from his older brother, Frank, a drug addict who also has a gambling problem. Goren's mother apparently favors Frank, and describes him as a "scientist”, and seems to imply that Frank could take better care of her than Robert did. In reality, Frank is homeless on Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
’s streets. In the episode "Brother's Keeper", Goren gives his brother some money, his overcoat, and his business card. They agree to meet the following Sunday (Frances' birthday), but Frank does not show up. In vain, Frances waits for Frank to appear, sure that he would never forget her birthday. Robert does not give her any details about Frank's condition.
Frank approaches Robert to request that he find a way to help his son, Donny, who is incarcerated in a prison where inmates are being abused. Goren decides to sneak into the prison to help him, but Donny escapes from the prison by faking an illness before Goren is able to get him out. Once Goren is freed, he confronts his brother about Donny's whereabouts, and Frank claims ignorance; the brothers fight, physically and verbally, over the issue.
Several months later, Frank relapses into drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
. While high on drugs, he is murdered by Robert's arch-nemesis Nicole Wallace (under the persuasion of his mentor, Dr. Declan Gage). Despite their earlier fight, Robert takes Frank's death hard and breaks down upon seeing his body.
In the season 8 episode "Faithfully
Faithfully (Law & Order: Criminal Intent)
"Faithfully" is an eighth-season episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent and the 160th episode overall.- Plot :In this episode, Goren and Eames investigate when a celebrity doctor is killed in his luxurious home while his wife laid bound and helpless upstairs.Their investigation leads them to the...
", the beginning scene features Goren eating dinner with family members; the description of this episode on the USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
says that Goren has gone to the Midwest to visit his aunt. It is unclear exactly who they are, as Goren has no other siblings but Frank who had only one child, a son. It is theorized that they may be Mark Ford Brady's relatives (see below). In a later episode Goren shows a photo of one young girl, Molly, to Eames and refers to her as his niece.
Mark Ford Brady
In the episode "Endgame"Endgame (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
"Endgame" is a sixth season episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. This is the Goren/Eames finale of the sixth season.-Synopsis:As condemned serial killer Mark Ford Brady gets closer to his execution date, he asks to see Goren in hopes to extend his sentence and leads him to hidden scrapbooks...
, serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Mark Ford Brady (Roy Scheider
Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
), anxious to delay his scheduled execution, arranges for Goren and Eames to interview him about victims not yet attributed to him. Goren, with aid from his brother (now clean after a lucky streak in Atlantic City), pieces together a story which shows that Brady and Frances Goren had a short relationship, which continued until Robert was four and Frank was seven. Frank remembers Brady as "Uncle Mark", who brought little presents for Robert when he came to visit. Brady, who only visited when Mr. Goren was away, no longer visited after getting into what the brothers were told was a "car accident" with Frances (it is implied that Brady rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d and beat her). Goren does not remember Brady, but recalls that after the "car crash", Frances was never the same mother that he knew.
In a death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
interview room, Goren learns that Brady was on leave around the time John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
was elected—the month that he would have been conceived—leaving Goren with the possibility that Brady might be his father. Goren confronts his mother, who reveals she does not know for sure who his father is; both Brady and Frances die that night, Brady by execution and Frances due to her failing health.
At a later date, Goren reveals that he has DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
evidence that Brady is his biological father.
Character comparisons
D'Onofrio has called Goren "a modern-day Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
," and creator René Balcer further cites Georges Simenon
Georges Simenon
Georges Joseph Christian Simenon was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 200 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known for the creation of the fictional detective Maigret.-Early life and education:...
's Commissaire Maigret as influencing the development of the character. Balcer also says the character owes a lot to Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
's Philip Marlowe
Philip Marlowe
Philip Marlowe is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler in a series of novels including The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye. Marlowe first appeared under that name in The Big Sleep published in 1939...
. Balcer cites the forensic psychiatrist
Forensic psychiatry
Forensic psychiatry is a sub-speciality of psychiatry and an auxiliar science of criminology. It encompasses the interface between law and psychiatry...
Dr. Park Dietz
Park Dietz
Park Elliott Dietz is a forensic psychiatrist and criminologist who was educated at Cornell University and Johns Hopkins University...
as a real-life model for Goren's interview style and ability to get others to talk about themselves. Goren's character pays tribute to Columbo
Columbo
Columbo is an American crime fiction television film series, which starred Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. It was created by William Link and Richard Levinson. The show popularized the inverted detective story format...
's habit of catching suspects off-guard by seeming to buy their story, walking out the room, then turning around with a "gotcha" question, a la Columbo's "Just one more thing..."
Other appearances
D'Onofrio made a cameo on Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
s March 1, 2008 episode, hosted by Ellen Page
Ellen Page
Ellen Philpotts-Page , known professionally as Ellen Page, is a Canadian actress. Page received both Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for Best Actress for her role as the title character in the film Juno...
. Although he played himself, the cameo poked fun at Goren's mannerisms, as D'Onofrio attempted to interrogate Hillary Clinton (Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American comedian, actress and voice actress. She was a cast member on the NBC television entertainment show Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008. In 2004, she starred in the film Mean Girls with Tina Fey, with whom she worked again in Baby Mama in 2008. She is...
) in her televised debate with Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
(Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen is an American actor, comedian and musician best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and portraying off-color foreigners in various comedy films such as EuroTrip, Anchorman and Cop Out...
).
External links
- NBC biography of Robert Goren
- USA's Law & Order: Criminal Intent site, including 18 "Character Insight" videos