| "House of Cards" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | L&O, Episode 16.07 | → |
| Production number: 16008 First aired (US): 9 November 2005 First aired (CAN): 9 November 2005 First aired (AUS): 26 June 2006 | ||
| Written By Wendy Battles Directed By Michael Pressman | ||
Plot[]
Fontana and Green investigate when the body of a young mother, who had recently cleaned up her life, is found dead in her apartment and her five-day-old infant son, Nicholas, is missing. Detectives soon track down Arlene Tarrington and ascertain that the infant she is claiming is hers is really baby Nicholas. After her lawyers make a claim of post-partum psychosis, and another man, Frank Stoll, comes forward claiming to be the child's father, McCoy and Borgia are forced to decide which of the two they would rather prosecute for the crime. DNA results prove that Stoll really is the child's biological father. This fact is heartbreaking to Steven Monroe, the dead woman's boyfriend, who truly believed himself to be the father. Stoll had made a deal, apparently without the mother's consent, to sell the baby to Arlene. McCoy strikes a deal with Arlene to testify against Stoll in exchange for 15 years on a kidnapping charge, rather than murder. However, the defense is able to make it look like Arlene was the real killer and Stoll is found not guilty. After the verdict Monroe quickly leaves the courtroom. Shortly thereafter the police discover that Monroe had already fled town with the baby several hours earlier. It appears he assumed, as does Branch, that the biological father would try to get custody and then sell the baby again. Though the police have good leads on where to chase him down, a sympathetic Branch orders McCoy and Borgia to tell the police to "take the weekend off and get a fresh start on Monday," giving Monroe a decent head start to get away, since it seems they can't help him legally.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Dennis Farina as Detective Joe Fontana
- Jesse L. Martin as Detective Ed Green
- S. Epatha Merkerson as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
- Sam Waterston as Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy
- Annie Parisse as A.D.A. Alexandra Borgia
- Fred Dalton Thompson as D.A. Arthur Branch
Recurring cast[]
- Carolyn McCormick as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet
- David Little as Judge Michael Schneider
- Pippa Pearthree as Judge Esther Morrow
- Selenis Leyva as Detective Mariluz Rivera
- William Peden as Assistant M.E. Nowicky
Guest cast[]
- Becky Ann Baker as Defense Attorney Carolyn Walters
- Tricia Paoluccio as Jeannie Scott
- Victor Verhaeghe as Frank Stoll
- Wendy Moniz as Arlene Tarrington
- Christine Evangelista as Lindsay Doyle
- Anthony Holds as Steve Monroe
- Chris McGarry as Defense Attorney Daniel Trager
- Shelley Williams as Beverly Doyle
- Elaine Hyman as Matilde Schweidenback
- Patrick Holder as Vincent Keys
- Craig Mathers as Stuart Tarrington
- Charisse Brown as Social Services Worker
- Dan McCabe as Jay Gilbert
- Lauren Chapman as Gina Devore
- Bea Soong as Beth
- Suzie Cho as Tina
- Judy Del Giudice as Manager
- Doug Olear as Craig
- Charles Pistone as Richard Turino
- Kevin Kane as Uniform #1
- Todd A. Horman as Uniform #2
- David Sajadi as Uniform #3
- Richard Litt as Super
- Jeannine Comeau as Paralegal
- Brielle Barbusca as Little Girl
- Maximillian Sherer as Little Boy
- Sydney Davis as Foreperson
- Stewart Summers as Detective (uncredited)
References[]
- Andrea Yates
- Nicky Haggerty
- Texas
Quotes[]
- Alexandra Borgia: I had a friend who lost twins in her seventh month. She didn't leave her apartment for weeks. Now, I don't know if she was crazy or depressed or what, but it's safe to say she wasn't thinking straight for a long time.
- Arthur Branch: But your friend didn't kill anybody, did she?
- Mr. Terrington: I am her [Arlene's] best and closest friend.
- Alexandra Borgia: Mr. Terrington, you didn't even know that she'd miscarried.
- Mr. Terrington: This thing has ruined my life. So, the last thing I need is some DA laying a guilt-trip on me. I'm done!
- (After Dr. Olivet's ambiguous description of the defendant's state of mind)
- Jack McCoy: Thanks for nothing, Liz.
- Dr. Elizabeth Olivet: It's a subjective science, Jack.
- Carolyn Walters: Post-partum psychosis. Makes post-partum depression look like a day at the beach.
- Alexandra Borgia: Her neighbor says they were near divorce until Arlene got pregnant. It's kind of sad, don't you think?
- Jack McCoy: This woman did a murder-kidnapping. Breaks my heart.
- Landlord: (entering Monroe's abandoned apartment) Now this is why God invented security deposits.
Background information and notes[]
- This episode appears to be ripped from the headlines of the Bobbi Jo Stinnett case. Stinnett was pregnant when she was murdered by a woman named Lisa Montgomery who cut the baby out of her body. Like Arlene, the killer had been pretending to be pregnant for months. In another high-profile case, a woman named Sarah Brady killed an attacker who was trying to stab her and steal her fetus; again, her attacker had falsely claimed to be pregnant.
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Residence of Vincent Keys |
Flair Dry Cleaners |
St. Catherine's Park |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|
|
Home of Arlene & |
Chambers of |
Susan B's Cafe |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Supreme Court |
Apartment of |
District Attorney's |
Supreme Court |
| Previous episode: "Birthright" |
"House of Cards" Law & Order Season 16 |
Next episode: "New York Minute" |