# Law & Order: SERIES FINALE (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 25, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658 "2010-05-25T02:05:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/1 "2010-05-25T02:05:06Z")
Anybody else watching it? I haven’t watched L&O prime for a couple years (or SVU for awhile either), but I figured I’d give it a shot since it’s the last one. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/2 "2010-05-25T03:21:10Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Anybody else watching it? I haven’t watched L&O prime for a couple years (or SVU for awhile either), but I figured I’d give it a shot since it’s the last one. Law and Order is my favorite drama on TV, ever. I am very sad to see it end tonight. I was going to be very angry if TPTB killed Anita Van Buren. She is one of my all time favorite characters. She can even act with her back turned to the camera. Awesome. great job by Jack threatening the mousy school teacher and her union lawyer. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/3 "2010-05-25T03:22:18Z")
There was no Law. There was only Order. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/4 "2010-05-25T03:25:53Z")
Came here to start a thread on this, but I was beaten to it. L&O is BY FAR the best cop show ever. Through all the years and personnel changes they really managed to put out a high quality product right up to and including the final episode. Anyone know why they stopped? Ratings, or something else? RIP L&O. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/5 "2010-05-25T03:25:57Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > There was no Law. There was only Order. Yeah, has L&O been doing that alot lately, or was this an exception? 😕 The closest we had to a trial was the Grand Jury thing. Why was it so hard for them to get search warrents anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/6 "2010-05-25T03:57:05Z")
Damn, I didn’t know there was going to be a “last episode”! I heard it was canceled, and sort of assumed they were on hiatus anyway. Great series. Sad to see it end, but more glad because it happened (channeling Dr. Seuss). And of course it will live forever in syndication…TRM ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/7 "2010-05-25T04:00:35Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Yeah, has L&O been doing that alot lately, or was this an exception? 😕 The closest we had to a trial was the Grand Jury thing. Why was it so hard for them to get search warrents anyway? I’ve come to the conclusion the NY judges are conspiring together to destroy civilization. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/8 "2010-05-25T04:01:38Z")
All things considered it was a pretty good episode. Reasonably dramatic and they certainly threw every obstacle they could think of at the cops. They were hard on the teachers’ union but very soft on the teachers, to the point where it got a little distracting. I was glad to see Skoda in this one because I’m a big J. K. Simmons fan. I didn’t think they were going to kill off Van Buren, but it was hard to watch the MRI scenes. I’ve seen too much of that stuff lately. The ending scene was nice. But mostly I enjoyed McCoy’s tirade because you could tell they wanted to give Sam Waterston a very big final scene. > [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Anyone know why they stopped? Ratings, or something else? Ratings were down, but not bad. I expect it was an expensive show to make, but I don’t know. Incidentally I was surprised they used a “real” internet name (Moot) as the name of their school shooter/blogger. That didn’t sit quite right with me. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/9 "2010-05-25T06:15:32Z")
Incidentally, the teacher with the Tesla coil is based on a [real incident](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Freshwater): > [@](#): > > John Freshwater (born June 22, 1956) is a science teacher at Mount Vernon Middle School in Mount Vernon, Ohio, USA. He is currently suspended without pay pending the outcome of his challenge to the school board’s decision to dismiss him on the grounds of his conduct and teaching materials. His dismissal involves a debate on creation and evolution in public education, and his use of a tesla coil to mark students’ arms, which parents of the students have alleged is symbolic of Christianity. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/10 "2010-05-25T06:18:27Z")
Doesn’t everyone know that Jesus was electrocuted? Those crosses with their nails make excellent lightning rods. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/11 "2010-05-26T02:36:33Z")
I started off being very bored by the episode, but I found it increasingly engrossing. By the end I was really sucked into it. Usually I can spot the twist, but I was surprised. I am disappointed they didn’t get to film a REAL finale, but I liked that we got to see Jack go off one last time. That might have been one of his best threats ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/12 "2010-05-26T02:44:02Z")
According to the New York Times, the producer Dick Wolf is [still trying to keep the show alive for another year](http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/17/law-order-creator-still-looking-to-bring-original-back/), because he really wants to beat Gunsmoke’s record, but if not, might wrap things up with a two-hour movie on NBC. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/13 "2010-05-26T03:03:48Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Anyone know why they stopped? Ratings, or something else? Ratings. I know I stopped watching it on NBC - I was kind of happy knowing that it was on and sooner or later, I’d see the episode in reruns. I wasn’t alone. If you check the ratings this year, it usually ended up in the bottom (or near the bottom) of its timeslot. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/14 "2010-05-26T03:16:36Z")
I read in the NYTimes that canceling the show is putting 8,000 support people out of work. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/15 "2010-05-26T03:46:39Z")
I haven’t seen so many pointless bureaucratic barricades since the DMV instituted their American Gladiator waiting room decor. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/16 "2010-05-26T05:16:50Z")
When the members of the Grand Jury denied the request, and then someone asked if it was possible to prevent any further attempts to obtain the information needed to identify the blogger, I kept thinking, “And when he blows up a school, these idiots will be the first ones screaming about how the police didn’t do all it could to prevent it.” ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/17 "2010-05-26T05:19:40Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I haven’t seen so many pointless bureaucratic barricades since the DMV instituted their American Gladiator waiting room decor. Sadly, the episode’s depiction of the NYC Education Department rubber rooms is not exaggerated in the slightest. Every few years the New York Times does another expose about them, which inevitably includes statistics about the current administration’s failure to abolish the practice. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/18 "2010-05-26T05:24:04Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > When the members of the Grand Jury denied the request, and then someone asked if it was possible to prevent any further attempts to obtain the information needed to identify the blogger, I kept thinking, “And when he blows up a school, these idiots will be the first ones screaming about how the police didn’t do all it could to prevent it.” That was the scene I thought the least believable of the entire show, and thinking back maybe the entire series. There is just no way these people would not allow an investigation to protect their pweshush chillen. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/19 "2010-05-26T05:28:47Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > That was the scene I thought the least believable of the entire show, and thinking back maybe the entire series. There is just no way these people would not allow an investigation to protect their pweshush chillen. Grand juries are always an interesting twist on L&O. In real life, your average grand jury would indict a ham sandwich for first-degree being delicious. But on L&O, they either fail to see the Big Picture and refuse to indict, or the DA ever-so-slightly misleads them into indicting somebody that they couldn’t get some other way, or the threat of a grand jury is used to coerce someone into cooperating. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658/20 "2010-05-26T05:30:38Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Sadly, the episode’s depiction of the NYC Education Department rubber rooms is not exaggerated in the slightest. Oh, I know about the rubber room system, it’s just that the episode’s drama was dragged out not by the normal dogged pursuit of leads and evidence, but in being stymied by people for no apparent reason. The Feds aren’t interested, the union isn’t interested, the Department of Education isn’t interested, the grand jury is actively _dis_interested… what the hell? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-series-finale-open-spoilers/540658.md?page=2)