| "Silence" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | L&O, Episode 2.21 | → |
| Production number: 67427 First aired: 28 April 1992 | ||
 | ||
| Teleplay By René Balcer & Michael S. Chernuchin Story By René Balcer & Michael Duggan Directed By Ed Sherin | ||
Plot[]
A politician would rather risk his son's murderer going free than go to trial, where it would be revealed that the deceased was gay.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Paul Sorvino as Sergeant Phil Cerreta
- Chris Noth as Detective Mike Logan
- Dann Florek as Captain Donald Cragen
- Michael Moriarty as Executive A.D.A. Benjamin Stone
- Richard Brooks as A.D.A. Paul Robinette
- Steven Hill as D.A. Adam Schiff
Recurring cast[]
- Joanna Merlin as Defense Attorney Carla Bowman
- Leslie Hendrix as M.E. Elizabeth Rodgers
- Fred J. Scollay as Judge Andrew Barsky
Guest cast[]
- George Martin as Edward Vogel
- James Sutorius as Peter Colson
- Reed Birney as Malcolm Barclay
- Jimmie Ray Weeks as George Harris
- Richard Levine as Judge Steven Strelzik
- Harry Johnson as Brewer
- Billie Neal as Rhoden
- Joe Aufiery as Harold Dwyer
- Graeme Malcolm as Drotos
- Alba Oms as Valdez
- Brian Reddy as McBride
- Gloria Hoye as Attorney Helen Murphy
- John Seidman as Lingard
- William Wise as Prison Guard
- John Hayden as Taxi Husband
- Suzanne Steele as Taxi Wife
- Tim Gallin as Cabbie
- Justine Miceli as Mailroom Clerk
- Len Gochman as Judge Harvey Scholl
- Alan Pottinger as CSU Technician
- Nicholas B. Daddazio as Court Clerk
- Albert S. Bennett as Jury Foreman
- David Boston as City Mortuary Officer (uncredited)
References[]
- Bobby Bonilla
- Anita Hill
- New Jersey
- Oklahoma
- James Vogel (victim)
- Judith Vogel
Quotes[]
- Peter Colson: Why the hell else would he pay me?
- Mike Logan: I don’t know. Blackmail comes to mind.
- Peter Colson: You obviously don't have enough evidence to arrest me. Which means you don’t have enough to insult me, either.
- Ms. Bowman: Closed courtroom? You gotta be kidding, Paul. I just got my hair done.
- Stone: A real person's life is in jeopardy, Your Honor. Surely that outweighs any intangible benefits to a general public which is in no way affected by this case.
- Murphy: So we re-write the First Amendment, freedom of the press, but only when it affects the majority?
- Stone: Your Honor...
- Murphy: We are not asking that the 11 o'clock news be allowed to wheel in a camera crew, Your Honor.
- Barsky: Why the hell not? I empathize with your witness, Mr. Stone, but there's a heavy burden you must meet to deprive the voyeuristic public of their God-given right to peek in on the woes of others.
- Stone: Your client will be convicted of several counts of larceny by extortion, and it won't take a major leap of faith to construct a convincing argument for murder two.
- Ms. Bowman: You're dreaming.
- Stone: Well, if you want something badly enough, dreams have a way of coming true. You want to take that chance, Counselor?
- Stone: You knew all along. With your testimony, we could have gone to trial three weeks ago.
- Vogel: Watch your tone, sir. I pick up the phone, and your license to be holier than everybody else on this planet can be used to wallpaper the sewer.
- Vogel: Fine. I favor, then, for a friend. Call off the dogs...You know, I keep this picture of Jim on my desk. Graduation day, Columbia. He's standing there with his arms around his mother. Damn it, Adam, he looks just like everybody else. I spent my life protecting him.
- Schiff: From what? Your shame put the knife into Dwyer’s hand, and there's no way I'm going to let that keep him out of jail. I've known you for 25 years, Ed, and I'm telling you now, you don’t testify tomorrow, you’re going to go to jail for contempt.
- Stone: My father wanted me to be a doctor. I went so far as to study organic chemistry.
- Schiff: What happened?
- Stone: I grew up.
Background information and notes[]
- The episode title "Silence" is a reference to the attempts made by Edward Vogel to keep his son's homosexuality hidden.
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Office of James Vogel |
Apartment of |
Apartment of |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|
|
Office of Peter Colson |
Office of Captain |
Ares Sporting Goods |
| 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|
|
Chambers of Judge |
Supreme Court |
Executive Assistant |
| 10 | 11 |
|---|---|
|
Supreme Court |
Supreme Court |
| Previous episode: "Intolerance" |
"Silence" Law & Order Season 2 |
Next episode: "The Working Stiff" |