David Platt Movies
- 2006
After surviving a robbery and physical assault, an interracial couple (Raviv Ullman, Jurnee Smollett) begins suffering from severe abdominal pains. House (Hugh Laurie) suspects that the similarity of symptoms has a special significance, hidden deeply within the couple's complicated past. Elsewhere, House gets sore when Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) begins spending his spare time with a new nurse (Kimberly Quinn). And in a story development with longer-ranging ramifications, Cuddy demands that House apologize for his rude treatment of patient Michael Tritter (David Morse--who turns out to be a police detective with a singular talent for holding a grudge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
This 2005 episode would seem to be inspired by a recent court case in which the defendant's addiction to the Grand Theft Auto video game allegedly resulted in a triple murder. The SVU is surprised when Dickie Stabler (Jeffrey Scapperaota), the young son of detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), points out that the police photos taken at the scene of a prostitute's rape-murder match the images in a new, particularly violent video game. Following this lead, Stabler and his colleagues arrest a pair of teenage "computer addicts" for the crime. Now it falls to Assistant DA Casey Novak (Diane Neal) to tear apart the argument of defense attorney Oliver Gates (Barry Bostwick) that the youthful killers were unable to separate fantasy from reality--and that the video game itself should be put on trial. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
When a wealthy married couple is murdered execution style, the SVU team quickly ascertains that the victims had been laundering money for a Colombian drug cartel--the same criminals who had previously ordered the shooting of former Assistant DA Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March), forcing her into the Witness Protection Program. In order to put away the elusive hitman known only as "The Ghost" (Bryan F. O'Byrne, Cabot must emerge from hiding and provide testimony. . .even if it means sacrificing her life in the process. Though this episode marks the final Law & Order: Special Victims Unit appearance of former regular Stephanie March, she would return in the same role in the 2006 spinoff series Conviction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
ER costar Ming-Na is cast as Li Mei Nu, an immigrant woman in search of her missing sister Jiao Wu. The authorities are also interested in catching up with Li Wu, who has apparently abandoned two of her daughters in a squalid apartment. As the SVU detectives pursue the case, it becomes clear that the missing woman was being persecuted by an alien-smuggling gang which uses its "customers" as sweatshop workers and sex slaves. Unfortunately, none of the gang's victims are willing to cooperate with the detectives--especially after Li Mei is savagely beaten on the orders of a corrupt customs attorney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Detectives Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and Benson (Mariska Hargitay) investigate when the five-year-old son of prominent psychiatrist Brett Morton (Kyle MacLachlan) vanishes from a toy store. Though the most obvious suspect would seem to be the convicted child molester seen hanging around the store just before the boy's disappearance, the trail of clues ultimately leads to the victim's 13-year-old neighbor Jake O'Hara (Jordan Garrett). Despite his youth, Jake proves to be a cunning sociopath, adept at manipulating the detectives and leading them down several wrong paths. Ultimately, however, Jake meets his doom at the hands of someone even more clever--and far more manipulative--than he is. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Actress Julia Roberts was executive producer of Queens Supreme, a weekly, seriocomic look at the judicial system in the Big City. The setting was the Queens Supreme County Courthouse, where a motley crew of judges worked together while working apart. The dramatis personae included eccentric, cynical Judge Jack Moran (Oliver Platt), dignified and equitable Judge Thomas O'Neill (Robert Loggia), witheringly honest and outspoken Judge Rose Barnea (L. Scott Caldwell), and idealistic new apointee Judge Kim Vicidomini (Annabella Sciorra). The flippantly liberal stance of the series was established on the opener, in which a disgruntled smoker held a jury hostage out of frustration over recent multimillion-dollar court decisions against cigarette manufacturers. Queens Supreme debuted January 10, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oliver Platt, Annabella Sciorra, (more)
- 2003
When the female admissions officer of an extremely exclusive private school is murdered, the detectives are plunged into a world where one's future social status is determined upon getting into the most prestigious school at the earliest possible age. Cell-phone evidence indicates that the murdered woman had plenty of enemies, most of them parents of children who'd been rejected for enrollment. But the key to the solution of the case is in the hands of the dead woman's snobbish employer Wyatt Scofield (Roger Rees), whose high-toned arrogance quickly has the detectives and the lawyers alike contemplating a little mayhem of their own. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
The apparent fatal heart attack of a jogger leads detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) on a not-so-merry chase involving a vendetta against a faithless woman perpetrated by two volatile brothers, a kidnapped pregnant woman whose husband is a serial philanderer, and a scorned wife who runs over her husband with her car in full view of dozens of witnesses. It may well be the most hectic day in either detective's life, and it's not over when the sun goes down. This episode was originally sandwiched between an airing of Law & Order's 1990 pilot show and the telecast of the series' 13th-season finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
A mentally challenged man named Robbie Delgado (Chandler Adrian Parker) is arrested for the murder of a luxury-car dealer. It turns out that Delgado may have killed at the behest of Tina Montoya (Vanessa Ferlito), a beautiful and manipulative young woman with very expensive tastes. The problem: Although a case can be mounted against Delgado, the mercenary Montoya may very well get off scot-free. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
An explosion in a rent-controlled tenement building results in a single fatality. It is later revealed that the victim, identified as Jeffrey Haden, had his neck broken and was tied up before the explosion. Things take an even more disturbing turn when "Jeffrey Haden" turns out to be an alias for Juseff Haddad who, despite his minimum-wage job, was able to maintain a bank account totalling 89,000 dollars. Dianne Wiest makes her last series appearance as Interim D.A. Nora Lewin in this, the final episode of Law & Order's 12th season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
The detectives turn up some truly baffling "clues" while investigating the disappearance of a young woman. It turns out that the missing party, a political aide, was romantically involved with her married employer, state official Ted Weldon (Brian Kerwin). The key to the solution may hinge upon a forged signature -- or, perhaps, the testimony of Mrs. Weldon (Maryann Plunkett). The similarities between this episode and the Gary Condit/Chandra Levy affair prompted Condit's wife to demand an apology from the producers of Law & Order. (For the record, no such apology was issued.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
A tourist's video recorder captures the image of three men loading a stolen plasma TV into an SUV. The light-fingered trio find themselves murder suspects when a dead woman turns up in the apartment that they apparently robbed. As the trial progresses, ADA Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rohm) cannot shake the feeling that the circumstantial evidence is not sufficient to send three dumbfounded people to their deaths. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
A prep school student is murdered, apparently without motive. Further investigation reveals that the boy's wealthy father, Peter Wilder (Henry Woronicz), was being blackmailed over a sordid incident in his past. The key to solving this case is in the hands of a "mystery woman" -- if only the detectives and the D.A.'s office can find her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Not long after a wealthy gay man adopts an infant son, the man's partner is killed and the baby is kidnapped. At first, ransom is thought to be the motive, but then the homophobic biological father of the child becomes a prime suspect. The upshot of all this is the decision by the DA's office to prosecute the case as a hate crime. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
The charred body of a young girl is found in the rubble of a fire at a new West Side apartment building. Once the detectives have identified the body, the trail of evidence leads to a group of environmental extremists. It then falls to the DA's office to convict the perpetrators -- and to do battle against an onslaught of media publicity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
A jailhouse murder confession raises doubts over the guilt of two other convicts, one of whom died in custody. As the detectives and the D.A.'s office pursue the investigation, it becomes painfully apparent that a former police fingerprint examiner (Diana Scarwid) may have provided false testimony to assure convictions in several court cases. Especially vexing is the fact that police lieutenant Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkeson) earned her promotion thanks to two of these fraudulent convictions. Originally slated to air on October 3, 2001, this episode was bumped forward to November 14 of that year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Michael McKean and Annette O'Toole, husband and wife in real life, guest star as a couple of high-rolling and none-too-honest monetary advisers. When six people are killed in a helicopter bombing, the detectives follow a lead provided by the wife of one of the victims. The D.A.'s office subsequently goes after "New Age" financial pundits Elias and Valerie Grace (McKean and O'Toole). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Actor-director Clarence Williams III guest stars as Lateef Miller, a former member of the militant Black Panther party. A prominent 1960s activist, Miller again makes headlines when he is accused of murdering a white police detective. Media coverage of the subsequent trial serves as a forum for the personal attacks leveled by Miller against arresting detective Eddie Green (Jesse L. Martin). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
The detectives scour the streets for clues after the murder of a schizophrenic woman. Their search results in the arrest of a homeless man who likewise has severe mental problems. The suspect's defense hinges upon his right to refuse his antidepressant medication -- which, according to attorney Danielle Melnick (Tovah Feldshuh), will render her client mentally incompetent and thus unable to stand trial for murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
A Harlem community leader is beaten to death with a baseball bat. In addition to building a case against the likeliest suspect, struggling college student Jerome Warren (Avery Kidd Waddell), the D.A.'s office must also deal with a chaotic and potentially dangerous racial situation. "Haven" was originally telecast in tandem with another Law & Order episode, "Hunters," on February 10, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
The discovery of a comatose woman leads to a wealth of unforeseen complications, including the possible framing of an innocent person. The prosecution must rely upon DNA to prove its case -- but there may be unethical procedures afoot. It all boils down to a perplexing paradox: Is the woman in the coma a victim, or is she in fact a perpetrator? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Lindsay Crouse guest stars as Denise Grobman, a civil court judge who is shot in her building's parking garage. The detectives haul in an extremely likely suspect, only to discover that Grobman refuses to prosecute -- nor even to believe that the suspect had anything to do with the attack. Clearly, someone is hiding something, but what and why? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
A youngster dies of a virus at a day-care center. As detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) trace the source of the illness, evidence is unearthed of embezzlement and an extramarital affair. Somehow these diverse elements are all bundled together when A.D.A.'s McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Carmichael (Angie Harmon) target a drug manufacturer for prosecution. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
The chief suspect in the disappearance and probable murder of a couple is turned in by his own brother. Once in custody, the suspect refuses to cop an insanity plea -- much to the consternation of his brother, who had hoped to secure medical treatment for his sibling who must now face the emotional burden of a first-degree conviction. Tovah Feldshuh makes another appearance as aggressive defense attorney Danielle Melnick. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
A man is shot down and killed while apparently trying to change a tire. In the course of the detectives' investigation, a young man named Mike Bodak (Frank John Hughes) indicates that he'd come to the victim's assistance just before the shooting. Thanks to several holes in Mike's story, the "Good Samaritan" is arrested on suspicion of murder -- leading to yet another startling revelation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
