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"Ritual"
L&O, Episode 8.10
Production number: K2516
First aired: 17 December 1997
  th of 456 produced in L&O  
th of 456 released in L&O
  th of 1271 released in all  
Alison Martin
Written By
Kathy McCormick

Directed By
Brian Mertes

Plot

McCoy and Ross square off when the victim in McCoy's latest case is an Egyptian immigrant who attempted to have his American-born niece circumcised. McCoy wants the murderer - the girl's father - to be punished for his crime, but Ross fears that if the father is locked up, the girl will be left to the mercy of her Egyptian relatives, all of whom feel that circumcision is an important rite of passage for young girls even though its illegal in the United States. Ross helps the father's parents sue for custody while McCoy tries to offer a good deal to the father who refuses to take it as it means he ends up in prison and can't protect his daughter. McCoy is sympathetic, but unwilling to let him get away with murder without some kind of jail time. Ross has no luck either as the judge isn't sympathetic to her cause, although the girl's mother does seem to change her mind about the procedure after remembering how horrible it was for her when she was eight. In the end McCoy comes up with a deal that solves the problem: the father goes to jail for six to tweleve years and during that time his parents have custody of the girl. Every six months they will review the daughter's case and he can have a say in it. The mother can have supervised visits until they are sure she is no threat to her daughter's safety, but the grandmother, who was the one that wanted the operation can have no contact at all. Both parents agree to the deal.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Guest cast

References

Egypt; Female Genital Mutilation; Josef Moussad; Virginia

Quotes

Lennie Briscoe: Who's she, the new community affairs liaison?
Anita Van Buren: (avoiding the question) No. What do you have?
Rey Curtis: Come on, L.T. What's up?
Anita Van Buren: Better you hear it from me. She's my lawyer. I was up for captain. One Police Plaza passed me over.
Lennie Briscoe: You're suing the department?
Anita Van Buren: Title seven -- they promoted a white woman with the same score on the exam. I have the seniority.
Lennie Briscoe: I'm sorry we asked.


Mr. Tobak: This is an outrage! Dr. Nasser is not a peasant fleeing Cuba with a St. Christopher medal and two goats.
Anita Van Buren: I'm sure he's a respected member of the medical community in Egypt, but he'll have to be detained until his visa status is cleared up.
Mr. Tobak: Are you suddenly a federal official, Lieutenant?
Anita Van Buren: The INS is on their way over, you can discuss Dr. Nasser's release with them.


Jamie Ross: He's an OBY/GYN.
Jack McCoy: That's a few organs away from a cardiologist... I wonder why he lied to us.


Mrs. Newman: Alison bought a little makeup kit and asked Kim Buckner how to use it.
Jamie Ross: And Mrs. Martin wasn't happy about that?
Mrs. Newman: No. Nari went over to Kim Buckner and yelled at her, called her a slut. Now, she is one, but that's not the point...


(on the custody trial for Allison Martin)
Jack McCoy: Who's the judge?
Adam Schiff: Sawyer.
Jack McCoy: The one who returned those two kids back to their crackhead mother?
Adam Schiff: Who later beat them to death. Yes, it's the same Sawyer.


(on Judge Sawyer)
Jamie Ross: He'd award custody to Medea.


Background information and notes

Background information and notes

Previous episode:
"Burned"
"Ritual"
Law & Order
Season 8
Next episode:
"Under the Influence"
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