| "The Wages of Love" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | L&O, Episode 2.02 | → |
| Production number: 67405 First aired: 24 September 1991 | ||
 | ||
| Teleplay By Ed Zuckerman Story By Ed Zuckerman & Robert Nathan Directed By Ed Sherin | ||
Plot[]
A double homicide of an older man and his younger lover casts suspicion on both the ex-wife and the former boyfriend of the murdered duo, with the dead man's murdered son holding the key to the mystery.
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[]
- Christine Farrell as Forensics Technician Arlene Shrier
- Ben Hammer as Arraignment Judge Herman Mooney
- Joan Copeland as Trial Judge Rebecca Stein
Guest cast[]
- Shirley Knight as Melanie Cullen
- Geoffrey Nauffts as Jamie Cullen
- David Lansbury as Douglas Phillips
- Benjamin Hendrickson as Defense Attorney for Douglas Phillips
- Jerry Orbach as Defense Attorney Frank Lehrman
- Howard Witt as Mr. Gruen
- William Bogert as Jules Simon
- Christina Haag as Cecily Mills
- Barry Snider as Mr. O'Malley
- David Langston Smyrl as George Warner
- Vince Viverito as Gus
- Stanja Lowe as Preston
- Ray DeMattis as Mr. Kolvino
- Catherine Lloyd Burns as Sheila Herlihy
- Timothy Britten Parker as Meade
- Richard Litt as Officer Rossi
- Keith Diamond as Officer Jackson
- Ben Lin as Chinese Manager
- Stan Egi as Chang
- Judith Roberts as Harriet Dutton
- Robert Stanton as Jed Knox
- Colleen Cowan as Sally Knox
- Lawrence Green as Juror Gillette
- Helen Mitchell as Juror Bogan
- Gennaro Giorgio as Court Clerk
References[]
- Christie's
- New York Ledger
- Edward Cullen (victim)
- Alexandria Beckett (victim)
Quotes[]
- Cragen: Phil, I know it looks obvious, but before we sentence the wife, remember we do have two victims here, and one of them is still wearing a tag on her toe: Jane Doe.
- Logan: Maybe she had an enemy.
- Cragen: Maybe she had a name.
- Douglas Phillips: I didn't kill her, I wanted to marry her.
- Phil Cerreta: Did she want to marry you? What was she doing at Cullen's, shopping for her trousseau?
- Phil Cerreta: I wish we had a gun...
- Donald Cragen: I wish I had a girlfriend named Lola.
- Phil Cerreta: The State of New York says in 14 years you had three registered guns, two of them stolen.
- Mike Logan: You're a hell of a security guard, George. You ought to hire a guard to watch your guns.
- Adam Schiff: Pride goeth before a fall. I'll send you flowers in the intensive care unit.
- Judge Rebecca Stein: If he accepts this, Ben, I'm going to make it absolutely clear they must believe beyond a scintilla of doubt, that she committed premeditated murder, or they acquit.
- Frank Lehrman: Beyond a scintilla?
- Judge Rebecca Stein: A mini-scintilla.
- Frank Lehrman: Criminally negligent homicide. She does no time.
- Benjamin Stone: No time... why don't we throw her a tickertape parade? Manslaughter one, eight and a third each count.
- Frank Lehrman: It's called plea bargaining, not plea scalping. Pass.
- Paul Robinette: Never seen you like this before.
- Benjamin Stone: I have never done anything this potentially stupid before.
- Melanie Cullen: I don't know what happened, I don't remember. I went there to talk to Eddie, I thought everything would be all right. That we could work everything out. We were married for 25 years. I thought everything would be all right. I've always loved Eddie... I've always loved Eddie.
- Frank Lehrman: Murder two? Why even have it on the menu? This isn't murder, it's manslaughter.
- Benjamin Stone: So you're admitting she killed them?
- Frank Lehrman: No. But if she killed them, it was extreme emotional disturbance, and that's manslaughter.
- Benjamin Stone: I get it, she wasn't there. And if she was there, she didn't kill them, and if she did kill them, she didn't mean to, and if she did mean to, it's because she was upset.
Background information and notes[]
- Actor Jerry Orbach makes his first appearance in Law & Order as a Defense Attorney named Frank Lehrman. He would return to the franchise so that he could replace actor Paul Sorvino (Sergeant Phil Cerreta) as the new Detective, Lennie Briscoe.
- Two recurring characters make their first appearance in this episode. Christine Farrell appears as Forensics Technician Arlene Shrier, and Joan Copeland appears as Judge Rebecca Stein.
- Shirley Knight was nominated for the 1992 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Melanie Cullen in this episode.
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Melanie Cullen's |
Preston Law Boards |
Arraignment Court |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|
|
Newton & Co. Jewelry |
Supreme Court |
Supreme Court |
| Previous episode: "Confession" |
"The Wages of Love" Law & Order Season 2 |
Next episode: "Aria" |