| "Contract" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | CI, Episode 7.12 | → |
| Production number: CI7012 First aired: 15 June 2008 | ||
 | ||
| Teleplay By Peter Blauner Story By Peter Blauner & Warren Leight Directed By Jonathan Herron | ||
Plot[]
Detectives Logan and Wheeler investigate the case of a television news anchor who is blackmailed by a popular tabloid gossip columnist. When the man goes to the NYPD and wears a wire for detectives, the car blows up and the columnist is killed, while the anchorman is severely injured. The detectives find themselves up to their eyeballs in suspects and motives, where no one theory and suspect can be ruled out as a possibility, because the columnist was extorting money from famous people, ostensibly to open a luxurious restaurant and trying to protect his younger sister. The list of suspects include a mobster whom the victim had some major gambling debts and a physician who has operated on many renowned athletes, as well as an unscrupulous filmmaker and his wife/assistant – a studio executive who is disturbed to hear about any drug involvement in relation to a huge star who recently died on set. As Logan and Wheeler begin to stitch together the pieces, they discover a sordid secret life of sex and deceit that could be a motivating factor in the crime.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Chris Noth as Detective Mike Logan
- Julianne Nicholson as Detective Megan Wheeler
- Eric Bogosian as Captain Danny Ross
Recurring cast[]
- Leslie Hendrix as M.E. Elizabeth Rodgers
- James Biberi as Captain Al Petrosino
- Lynn A. Freedman as CSU Technician Michelle Hodman (uncredited)
Guest cast[]
- Jeff Garlin as Barry Freeburg
- Federico Castelluccio as Frank Chess
- Emily Kinney as Jeannie Richmond
- Timothy Adams as Spencer London
- Tibor Feldman as Dr. Jacoby
- Mo Rocca as T.K. Richmond
- Paul DeBoy as Elliot Falls
- Brian Haley as Ted Regan
- Anthony J. Ribustello as Joey Snails
- Illeana Douglas as Beverly Tyson
- Mason Pettit as Dave McElroy
- Denise Vasi as Sarah Baker
- Mary McCormack as U.S. Marshall Mary Shannon
- Cezar Williams as Al Himes
- Molly Camp as Evie
- Maury Ginsberg as Screenwriter
- David Fumero as Chef
- Edward M. Kelahan as Angry Boxing Fan (uncredited)
- Jeff Biehl as Dr. Benway
- Casey Cipriani as Onlooker
- Jessica Verdi as Pedestrian
References[]
- Contract Man
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Francesco X. Cesare
- BPF Productions
- New York Ledger
- Katrina Nights
- Eliot Spitzer
- Jim McGreevey
- Valley of the Dolls
- Tony Bennett
- Donald Trump
Quotes[]
- [police officer informs Logan the victim was trying to blackmail a newscaster]
- Mike Logan: Gay sex?
- Officer: No, call girls. Think Spitzer, not McGreevey.
- Frank Chess: Where's your warrant? Where's your probable cause?
- Mike Logan: [points to a warrant in his hand] Here's your warrant, [points to a gun a cop found] and there's your probabal cause.
Background information and notes[]
- Megan Wheeler returns after being overseas since the episode "Renewal" (in reality, actress Julianne Nicholson was on maternity leave). She also mentioned that she got engaged.
- Mary McCormack makes a cameo appearance as Mary Shannon, her character on the USA Network series In Plain Sight. During the summer in which "Contract" first aired, In Plain Sight aired directly after Criminal Intent. Logan makes reference to this by asking "I wonder what you do in Albuquerque on a Sunday night at 10 ", a reference to the setting of the show and the time slot of In Plain Sight.
- Contains several references to the 1957 film The Sweet Smell of Success. Logan quotes the line "I love this dirty town!", and T.K. Richmond is obviously based on Burt Lancaster's character J.J. Hunsecker.
- Spencer London is obviously based on Australian actor Heath Ledger, who died from an accidental overdose on sleeping pills.
- In one scene the poster for "Carolina Heat" , a fictional movie mentioned in "Courtship", can be seen in the background.
| Previous episode: "Purgatory" |
"Contract" Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 7 |
Next episode: "Betrayed" |