# The Law & Order Appreciation thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2016, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522 "2016-09-10T13:56:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522/41 "2016-09-13T07:39:35Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > In hindsight, were there any hints about that, or did it really come out of nowhere? > > I’m another who liked the small glimpses into the characters’ personal lives, but I’m glad they didn’t overwhelm the show. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Southerlyn made at least one reference to going to her high school prom with a guy. She may have realized her orientation after high school, of course, but it’s the only reference I remember before her final scene with Branch. There were at least two times when Southerlyn talks about a friend she had in college (I think it might have been once in high school, once in college), and how no one knew or guessed the person was gay, and the person had problem X. In hindsight, they do sound very much like the kind of thing a closeted person might say when talking about themselves. Then, there is another time when she mentions “my Ex,” in a way that makes it sound like she’s been married, but we never get any more information about the person, including a pronoun. Again, in retrospect, it sounds like the coy way some closeted gay people have of referring to ex-partners. The purse detail (it was in the episode “The Ring,” which is a great episode) means nothing, because New York is filled with lipstick lesbians who know more about fashion than some of the drag queens. I actually heard some place that Elisabeth Rohm just slipped that line in there for fun during a first take to try to get Fred Thompson to break character, and he didn’t, and then Wolf ended up liking it and decided to use it in the final cut. That could be a UL, though. But I don’t think the character was intended to be a lesbian all along. It’s still fun to watch reruns through that lens. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522/42 "2016-09-13T12:14:51Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > There were at least two times when Southerlyn talks about a friend she had in college (I think it might have been once in high school, once in college), and how no one knew or guessed the person was gay, and the person had problem X. In hindsight, they do sound very much like the kind of thing a closeted person might say when talking about themselves. Then, there is another time when she mentions “my Ex,” in a way that makes it sound like she’s been married, but we never get any more information about the person, including a pronoun. Again, in retrospect, it sounds like the coy way some closeted gay people have of referring to ex-partners. That suggests to me that it wasn’t deliberate; or if it was deliberate, it was bad writing and planning of the character. Why have her be coy about her orientation and then have her mention it to her boss as if it’s common knowledge? > [@](#): > > I actually heard some place that Elisabeth Rohm just slipped that line in there for fun during a first take to try to get Fred Thompson to break character, and he didn’t, and then Wolf ended up liking it and decided to use it in the final cut. That could be a UL, though. But I don’t think the character was intended to be a lesbian all along. It’s still fun to watch reruns through that lens. If the lesbian thing was an ad lib, I wonder what her final line was supposed to be. “Is this because I left that sardine sandwich in the office fridge?” ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522/43 "2016-09-13T12:42:10Z")
> [@bbonden](#): > > Seconded. McCoy has become so iconic within the context of the show that people forget how incredible Moriarty/Stone was. I have often wished for Ben Stone’s ability to make the word “sir” sound like the vilest insult imaginable! 🙂 My wife is rather like the OP–she’s set our DVR to record Law & Order wherever it may occur, and now the memory is full almost to capacity with L&O episodes! We can’t possibly watch them all, but it’s fun to see the show pass through the various eras. I like the slow transition from the early days when you would see the detectives huddled around a pay phone, calling in to the precinct, to modern times when everyone has a cell phone, and pay phones are nowhere to be found. It’s particularly amusing to see the time when the internet was beginning to emerge into the public consciousness. There seemed to be a nefarious criminal lurking behind every web site, and to go online was to risk either being lured to your death by a predator, or being seduced by an online hate group into blowing up a synagogue or something. Meanwhile Rey was busy tracking down suspects with his mad hacker skillz, while poor old Lennie would stand there looking befuddled, muttering, “What are these mysterious com-poo-tors of which you speak?” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522/44 "2016-09-13T14:32:22Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > That suggests to me that it wasn’t deliberate; or if it was deliberate, it was bad writing and planning of the character. Why have her be coy about her orientation and then have her mention it to her boss as if it’s common knowledge? Especially considering the number of gay-themed or gay-subplotted episodes during her run. It would have been excellent for her to put the gay perspective up there, to humanize the case (That’s ME you’re talking about!), especially in the episode Guv Love (where Jack uses gay marriage as a weapon). ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522/45 "2016-09-13T15:15:46Z")
There is not enough love in this thread for Van Buren! (S. Epatha Merkerson) I always wanted to make a supercut of all of her sassy comments from each episode. Of course I am entirely too lazy. I watched the LA show, and have since forgotten that I have. Also watched the UK show which was ok but yeah just a rehash of classic American episodes. I wish this show, in its original form, just kept going forever like Doctor Who has done. Even though there were some clunkers when it came to casting, they managed to keep knocking it out of the park for the most part. It could have gone on! ---
**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:** [September 13, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522/46 "2016-09-13T17:33:40Z")
I too watched the LA version. And then I understood why all those Hollywood celebs seem to get away with murder. The LA DA guy was a lightweight next to Jack McCoy. Jack would have badgered those witnesses into testifying inside 5 minutes rather than just letting them leave. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522/47 "2016-09-13T19:53:52Z")
I started a [Law & Order drinking game thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=238051) years ago. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522/48 "2016-09-13T20:02:06Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > There is not enough love in this thread for Van Buren! (S. Epatha Merkerson) I always wanted to make a supercut of all of her sassy comments from each episode. Of course I am entirely too lazy. And Dr. Rodgers! “What’s that on the phone? Brains?” “Egg salad. Maybe.” “I have to go get a javelin out of some guy’s chest.” “What made you go into this line of work?” “Free javelins.” ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522/49 "2016-09-13T21:14:26Z")
Being from Baltimore, I liked the crossovers with _Homicide_. It started with a cameo by Noth transferring a prisoner (played by John Waters, IIRC) to Baltimore: > [@](#): > > “Homicide: Life on the Street: Law & Disorder (#3.15)” (1995) > [Mike Logan is transporting a prisoner from New York to Baltimore, where he is greeted by Pembleton] > > NYPD Det. Mike Logan: Detective Frank Pembleton? Mike Logan, NYPD. This is your prisoner, R. Vincent Smith. > > Det. Frank Pembleton: So, whenever you decide to show up, I’m supposed to be here? > > NYPD Det. Mike Logan: Hey, you’re on the clock same as me, what difference does it make? > > Det. Frank Pembleton: Typical Big Apple attitude. > > NYPD Det. Mike Logan: Anyway, Mr. Smith here has agreed to waive extradition on a felony warrant for second-degree murder. So they call this Charm City, huh? Sounds like something you get out of a box of Cracker Jacks. Who’d want to stay in this land of enchantment? > > Det. Frank Pembleton: Plenty of New Yorkers _ran_ down here to Baltimore. Dorothy Parker, for example. > > NYPD Det. Mike Logan: Dorothy who? > > R. Vincent Smith: Parker, you illiterate. > > [Logan slaps the back of Smith’s head] > > Det. Frank Pembleton: Dorothy Parker was the wittiest woman in America. The _toast_ of Manhattan. She dies, she’s cremated. Her ashes sit in a jar in some Wall Street lawyer’s office for twenty years - _twenty years_ - while all the New York sophisticates ham and haw, ‘whatsoever shall we do with poor Dorothy’s ashes?’ And where does she end up? Baltimore! > > NYPD Det. Mike Logan: I got two words for you guys. Babe Ruth. The Babe. King of Swing, Sultan of Swat, born right here in Baltimore. But where does he go to get his fame and fortune? New York City. > > R. Vincent Smith: Edgar Allen Poe. Edgar Allen Poe hated New York so much he had to come to Baltimore to die! That’s what New York does to its poets. > > NYPD Det. Mike Logan: What did he die of, the local crab cakes? Enjoy your stay, Shakespeare. > > Det. Frank Pembleton: You’re going to jail for this murder. But thank your lucky stars it’s not gonna be in New York. > > R. Vincent Smith: Why do you think I didn’t fight extradition? I may be guilty, but I’m no fool. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522/50 "2016-09-13T23:15:25Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > Being from Baltimore, I liked the crossovers with _Homicide_. It started with a cameo by Noth transferring a prisoner (played by John Waters, IIRC) to Baltimore: A great scene. I wish the channels that air the show now would buy the crossover Homicide episodes (or preferably, the entire series) and air those too. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2016, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522/51 "2016-09-14T01:17:53Z")
They SOMETIMES do show the Homicide ones, but not often and much more infrequently than they used to. I got into the show on A&E reruns (back when A&E was like the best cable channel) and they always showed them together, iirc. I like a lot of the recurring characters. Melnick. The non-Rogers ME people. Judges, Shambala Green. I like when Robinette and Jamie came back as defense attorneys. I think the weakest ones were the last few seasons, not because of the actors or characters, but because they went too much into the personal lives of the characters. VanBuren’s cancer was a big one. Now, I liked seeing more of her, but I think the Captain on CI’s illness was portrayed better. Sheridan’s real life palsy, I believe. Just glimpses from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522/52 "2016-09-14T06:02:02Z")
Claire and Abby were my favorites. And I liked seeing a glimpse of their personal lives, but not too much. It gave you something of who they were, but that was it. My favorite detective partnerships were either Briscoe and Logan or Briscoe and Green. After Jerry Orbach, I wasn’t as interested in the show. I wish they hadn’t made Jack DA. I preferred seeing him in the court room. They tried to make Cutter into a Jack substitute and it totally didn’t work. > [@ivylass](#): > > Funny. I normally liked Abby’s Take No Shit attitude, but I found that particular speech somewhat cringeworthy. I liked that one. Not so much because of Abby’s speech, but because of the perp’s reaction. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522/53 "2016-09-14T14:00:21Z")
Yeah, it sorta sucks when you see “Part 1 of crossover with Homicide” and we don’t get Part 2. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-law-order-appreciation-thread/765522.md?page=2)