| "The Unblinking Eye" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | CI, Episode 4.21 | → |
| Production number: E5424 First aired: 8 May 2005 | ||
 | ||
| Teleplay By Jim Sterling Story By Jim Sterling & René Balcer Directed By Frank Prinzi | ||
Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the murder of a young actress gunned down on the street after an evening out with her boyfriend.
Summary[]
After a young actress is gunned down after an evening out with her boyfriend, Goren and Eames initially focus their attention on a young man who had showed an unusual interest in the couple, but soon realise that there is more to this case than meets the eye. A jealous and seemingly obsessive ex-girlfriend, a best friend who never made it as an actor, and a grieving boyfriend who seems too good to be true lead Goren and Eames down another path, one where the key to exposing the truth about the present depends on exposing the lies of the past.
Plot[]
Aspiring actors Michael Pike and his girlfriend, Dana, are both shot down on a street corner. Turns out Michael Pike thought up a plan to kill his girlfriend, frame his ex-girlfriend and get publicity as well as hopefully more exposure and auditions with the help of his friend, Ed Lang. Ed shot Dana and Michael to make it look like a robbery but evidence left behind eventually led the detectives to the truth. In the past, Ed had a big break in a movie with Matt Damon but because he was up all night at the bedside of Michael, sick with food poisoning, he wasn't on his game and was replaced. Turns out Michael faked having food poisoning with Ipecac because he didn't want his friend to become famous before he did. The detectives use this to their advantage and eventually persuade Ed to implicate Michael in the murder scheme by telling them that it was all Michael's idea.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Vincent D'Onofrio as Detective Robert Goren
- Kathryn Erbe as Detective Alexandra Eames
- Jamey Sheridan as Captain James Deakins
- Courtney B. Vance as A.D.A. Ron Carver
Recurring cast[]
- Christine Farrell as Forensics Technician Arlene Shrier
Guest cast[]
- Jeff Hephner as Michael Pike
- Pablo Schreiber as Ed Lang
- Kat Foster as Kelly West
- Jicky Schnee as Dana Candon
- Jayne Houdyshell as Ruth Pear
- David Dollase as A.D.A. Stefan Calos
- Arthur Acuña as Johnny Santos
- Lawrence Winslow as Detective Draper
- Iraida Polanco as Carletta Cabezas
- Rich Duva as Forensic Technician Shore
- William Prael as Kelly's Attorney
- Joanie Ellen as Julie
- Fiona Choi as Lisa
- Salvatore Inzerillo as Jack
- Gio Perez as Diego Cabezas
- Ernest Mingione as Miller
- Linda Thompson Williams as Joyce
- Cheryse Nicol Pickens as Margie
- Glenn Kalison as Ashworth
- Cary Wong as Chan
- Jim Wisniewski as Lee
- J. Derek Peith as Brooks
- Matt Damon as Himself (voice)
- Stewart Summers as Attorney (uncredited)
References[]
- Syrup of Ipecac
- "Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas - A poem read by Michael Pike when he talks about Dana's death at outside where they were shot.
- Midnight Cowboy - a production Michael Pike and Ed Lang did in college
Quotes[]
- Eames: [referring to Michael Pike] He even took a bullet in his shoulder to make it look real. Now that's acting.
- Deakins: Someone invited the TV cameras. That was thoughtful.
- Eames: Nothing like watching a crocodile cry.
- Goren: When was the last time you went on a treasure hunt?
- Eames: How 'bout never?
- Diego Cabezas: I've done nothin', I've done nothin'.
- Eames: That's no way to start a conversation with us, Diego.
- Eames: She could confess, but where's the fun in that?
Background information and notes[]
- In this episode, Matt Damon appears as himself. Although he does not appear on screen, we do hear his voice, and he is referred to by other characters as "Mr. Damon". The following section was placed on the Criminal-Intent.us Message Board. The original source is listed as TV Guide, but the link is no longer available.
- On Sunday's Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Matt Damon's pipes become a critical piece of evidence in the murder of an aspiring actress. "In the story, one of our [suspects] had a scene in a Matt Damon movie," explains executive producer Rene Balcer. "And Matt's voice can be heard off screen." Balcer wrote the Oscar winner into the script after learning that CI producer Fred Berner was a personal friend of his. "And because of Project Greenlight," Balcer adds, "he seemed approachable and like he would be up for doing this." Of course, "this" didn't require Damon to so much as break a sweat. "We sent somebody to his home with a tape recorder," Balcer confesses. "We make things very easy for people who do us favors."
Prinzi and Jonathan Herron on the director's board.
- When Ed and Mike are watching the tape of Ed's scene with Matt Damon in the observation room, the names 'Frank Prinzi' and 'Jonathan Herron' are visible on the director's board. Prinzi is the director of this particular episode, and Herron the director of photography.
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"The Unblinking Eye" Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 4 |
Next episode: "My Good Name" |