The Good Doctor (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Good Doctor" is a first season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent
.
and goes on an unscheduled flight.
Kelmer visits the Major Case Squad to report Valerie missing, claiming that she is suicidal
. Detectives Goren
and Eames
investigate the disappearance, interviewing her cousin, Jennifer Barish. Jennifer suspects the tempermental Kelmer of murdering Valerie, and denies his claims of Valerie being suicidal. They also question Valerie's boyfriend, who claims that she broke off their extramarital relationship. While visiting Kelmer's apartment building, a neighbor recalls running into Kelmer in the parking garage, having just loaded something heavy in his trunk. The detectives seem to catch a break when a Columbus Avenue
deli
clerk claims to have seen Valerie two days previously; however, the witness' credibility is questionable since he is near-sighted.
Despite the absence of a body, Goren strongly believes that Valerie is dead. He persuades a judge to grant a search warrant
for Kelmer's car, which has recently been detailed; the resulting search yields no material evidence, except for a fuel receipt from Kelmer's airfield.
, who was convicted of murdering his wife, Gail Katz Bierenbaum.
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...
.
Plot summary
Dr. Peter Kelmer, an arrogant cosmetic surgeon, is married to Valerie, a recovering drug addict. Theirs is an unpleasant marriage, largely due to Kelmer's treatment of Valerie. Both partners are engaging in extramarital affairs, apparently unbeknownst to each other. Kelmer receives a package addressed to Valerie, showing him in the company of another woman; he hides the photos from his wife. Shortly afterwards, Kelmer hastily packs his single-engine aircraftGeneral aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
and goes on an unscheduled flight.
Kelmer visits the Major Case Squad to report Valerie missing, claiming that she is suicidal
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Detectives 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....
and 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...
investigate the disappearance, interviewing her cousin, Jennifer Barish. Jennifer suspects the tempermental Kelmer of murdering Valerie, and denies his claims of Valerie being suicidal. They also question Valerie's boyfriend, who claims that she broke off their extramarital relationship. While visiting Kelmer's apartment building, a neighbor recalls running into Kelmer in the parking garage, having just loaded something heavy in his trunk. The detectives seem to catch a break when a Columbus Avenue
Columbus Avenue
Columbus Avenue may refer to:* Columbus Avenue * Columbus Avenue...
deli
Delicatessen
Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
clerk claims to have seen Valerie two days previously; however, the witness' credibility is questionable since he is near-sighted.
Despite the absence of a body, Goren strongly believes that Valerie is dead. He persuades a judge to grant a search warrant
Search warrant
A search warrant is a court order issued by a Magistrate, judge or Supreme Court Official that authorizes law enforcement officers to conduct a search of a person or location for evidence of a crime and to confiscate evidence if it is found....
for Kelmer's car, which has recently been detailed; the resulting search yields no material evidence, except for a fuel receipt from Kelmer's airfield.
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... |
Fact
This episode revealed many resemblances with the real-life case of Dr. Robert BierenbaumRobert Bierenbaum
Robert Bierenbaum is a plastic surgeon who has been convicted in October 2000 of murder in the strangulation death of his wife, Gail Katz-Bierenbaum. The death occurred in their Manhattan apartment on July 7, 1985....
, who was convicted of murdering his wife, Gail Katz Bierenbaum.