| "The Fertile Fields" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | L&O, Episode 2.19 | → |
| Production number: 67425 First aired: 7 April 1992 | ||
 | ||
| Written By Michael S. Chernuchin & René Balcer Directed By Ed Sherin | ||
A corpse of a badly burned Jewish jeweler is found in an alley.
Plot[]
Plot
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[]
- Leslie Hendrix as Assistant M.E. Elizabeth Rodgers
- Charles Blackwell as Judge Howard Gillman
Guest cast[]
- David Spielberg as Isaac Shore
- Tom Mardirosian as Joe Tashjian
- Daryl Mitchell as Reginald Beggs
- Josh Philip Weinstein as Caleb Shore
- Jerry Stiller as Michael Tobis
- Kecia Lewis-Evans as Legal Aid Attorney Langstrom
- Ray Genadry as Andonian
- Lenore Harris as Mrs. Shore
- David Lipman as Judge Moodie
- Ed Wheeler as David
- Eddie Korbich as O'Malley
- William Hill as Hopkins
- Billy Strong as Cooke
- Bob Cea as Grady
- Christopher Rubin as CSU Technician
- Sharrieff Pugh as Fontaine Robinson
- Darien Sills-Evans as Cyrus Tanner
- Chester A. Sims II as Court Clerk
- Florence Phillips as Jury Forewoman
References[]
- Erza Shore (victim)
Quotes[]
- Officer #1: Damn Indian winter.
- Officer #2: That's Indian summer, you idiot, there's no such thing as an Indian winter.
- Officer #1: A winter this cold, it's gotta be somebody's fault.
- Officer #2: So you blame the Native Americans?
- Officer #1: Well, you have anyone better to blame?
- Officer #2: See, that's the problem with today's society, that assumption. Bad stuff doesn't just happen to you, somebody caused it to happen.
- Officer #1: Keeps us in business.
- Phil Cerreta: Hate crimes are crimes of fear. They're spontaneous. The bodies usually don't get moved.
- Benjamin Stone: Banks kill with a thousand cuts, not a blow to the head.
- Donald Cragen: Mike, I've had week-old flounder that smelled better than this!
Background information and notes[]
- This is one of only a handful of episodes in which District Attorney Adam Schiff shares a scene with a cop, in this case Captain Donald Cragen. Some of the other episodes in which this occurs are "The Troubles", "The Blue Wall", "Conduct Unbecoming", "Sweeps", "Pride", "Savages", and "Corruption".
- This episode has the first appearance of Leslie Hendrix as long time Medical examiner Elizabeth Rodgers.
- This episode is inspired by the Crown Heights Riot of 1991. The Crown Heights Riot was a three-four day riot that occurred in August of 1991 in the Crown Heights neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The riots began on August 19, 1991 after a prominent Hasidic Rabbi called Rabbi Schneerson, who was returning from a regular visit to his father-in-law's grave, was crossing through an intersection when it was hit by another car and veered out of control, striking and killing 7-year-old Guyanese youth Gavin Cato. There were numerous acts of violence were committed against Jewish citizens in the area. One historian described the riot as "the most serious anti-Semitic incident in American history". (Source: Crown Heights riot at Wikipedia)
- The Law & Order fourth season episode "Sanctuary" was also based on the Crown Heights Riot.
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
The Wendall Building |
District Attorney's |
Supreme Court |
| Previous episode: "Cradle to Grave" |
"The Fertile Fields" Law & Order Season 2 |
Next episode: "Intolerance" |