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Law & Order
S10.E7
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Patsy

  • Episode aired Nov 24, 1999
  • TV-14
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
423
YOUR RATING
David Harbour in Law & Order (1990)
CrimeDramaMysteryThriller

A man once accused of killing his girlfriend is now accused of assaulting the girlfriend's sister. However, he vehemently claims that he is the victim of a setup in both cases.A man once accused of killing his girlfriend is now accused of assaulting the girlfriend's sister. However, he vehemently claims that he is the victim of a setup in both cases.A man once accused of killing his girlfriend is now accused of assaulting the girlfriend's sister. However, he vehemently claims that he is the victim of a setup in both cases.

  • Director
    • David Platt
  • Writers
    • Dick Wolf
    • Rene Balcer
    • Lynne E. Litt
  • Stars
    • Jerry Orbach
    • Jesse L. Martin
    • S. Epatha Merkerson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    423
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • David Platt
    • Writers
      • Dick Wolf
      • Rene Balcer
      • Lynne E. Litt
    • Stars
      • Jerry Orbach
      • Jesse L. Martin
      • S. Epatha Merkerson
    • 10User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos1

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    Top cast28

    Edit
    Jerry Orbach
    Jerry Orbach
    • Detective Lennie Briscoe
    Jesse L. Martin
    Jesse L. Martin
    • Detective Ed Green
    S. Epatha Merkerson
    S. Epatha Merkerson
    • Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
    Sam Waterston
    Sam Waterston
    • Executive ADA Jack McCoy
    Angie Harmon
    Angie Harmon
    • ADA Abbie Carmichael
    Steven Hill
    Steven Hill
    • DA Adam Schiff
    Sebastian Roché
    Sebastian Roché
    • Ken Taylor
    Lynne Thigpen
    Lynne Thigpen
    • Trial Judge Ida Boucher
    Kevin O'Rourke
    Kevin O'Rourke
    • Det. O'Malley
    James Rebhorn
    James Rebhorn
    • Defense Attorney Charles Garnett
    Donald Corren
    Donald Corren
    • Medill
    Judy Kaye
    Judy Kaye
    • Trial Judge Susan Lehman
    Heather Robison
    • Emily Wehner
    John Hillner
    John Hillner
    • Larry Taylor
    Clare Hoak
    • Tina
    Joyce Lynn O'Connor
    • Linda Ashton
    Mary Peterson
    • Michelle
    David Harbour
    David Harbour
    • Mike
    • Director
      • David Platt
    • Writers
      • Dick Wolf
      • Rene Balcer
      • Lynne E. Litt
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    8.1423
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    10

    Featured reviews

    8thbryn

    Well this was different

    Yes it was a good ep. And we don't get answers. In a way we didn't get answers in the real Claus von Buelow case in Newport. Claus may have done what he was accused of but IDK? This case isn't really similar but look the defendant put up a good show if he's innocent even though he had an unseemly temper.
    10hiltonsmithjr

    PERFECT Title.

    Perfect in Every Way. Except McCoy is the PATSY!!!🤣🤣🤣 BLEW this case Badly.
    7TheLittleSongbird

    Reversal of fortune

    "Patsy" was one of those 'Law and Order' episodes on first watch that had a number of good things but did feel on the ordinary side and didn't stick in the mind long after. There are episodes of the show and the 'Law and Order' franchise in general that felt like this, but there are many on both counts where that type of episode on first watch fared better on rewatch and were better than remembered seeing it through older eyes.

    After being very impressed by all but one of the previous Season 10 episodes, "Patsy" was a slight disappointment. Especially when following on from two outstanding outings in a row. Don't get me wrong, it is still good and has a lot that is very well executed indeed (the best aspects even being brilliant). Do prefer episodes that have tougher topics explored more uncompromisingly and also the ones that are more complex and also more complete feeling.

    Beginning with the not so good, even for an ending meant to be uncertain the ending did feel too abrupt and something of a head-scratcher. This was a case that needed all the questions answered and it is agreed that one finishes the episode left with more questions than expected.

    While there are far more improbable defense arguments, the defense argument while quite entertaining is a bit too silly and out there. The final quarter is on the over-crowded and muddled side, due to not enough development to too much information.

    However, a lot is great. It is a slickly made episode, the editing especially having come on quite a bit from when the show first started (never was it a problem but it got more fluid with each episode up to this stage). The music is sparingly used and never seemed melodramatic, the theme tune easy to remember as usual. The direction is sympathetic enough without being too low key on the whole.

    The script is taut and intelligent, with everything intriguing. The story is not perfect, but it is never dull and doesn't feel simplistic or like there were not enough twists or surprises (plenty in fact). Most of it is not too complicated, apart from the final quarter. All the regulars are very good, while James Rebhorn manages to bring believability to a role that easily could have been silly in the wrong hands and Sebastian Roche makes one feel uneasy.

    Overall, pretty good but not great. 7/10.
    6bkoganbing

    Really no conclusion

    Both Jerry Orbach and Jesse Martin respond to a woman who might have been date raped. Whatever happened went horribly wrong as the victim now lies in a coma.

    What emerges is that the woman may have staged the whole thing in an effort to trap a man who works in state government for the unsolved disappearance of her sister who was involved with Sebastian Roche.

    roche is a man with a nasty temper and a personality you love to hate. Orbach and Martin and then Sam Waterston are less than charmed by him. Proving he's guilty of something is another matter.

    When this episode concludes there are more questions than answers. i

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    Related interests

    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This episode appears to be based on the following cases/incidents:
      • The 1989 Cindy James case. James was a Canadian nurse who reported years of severe harassment, including threatening calls and vandalism, but no suspects were found. In 1989, she was found dead under mysterious circumstances, hogtied with drugs in her system. Her death remains unsolved, with theories ranging from murder to suicide, and the case continues to be a baffling mystery in Canada.
      • The 1991 Stephanie Kupchynsky case. Stephanie, a 27-year-old violinist and music teacher, disappeared from her apartment in Greece, New York, on July 31, 1991. Her skeletal remains were found in a creek bed in Murray, New York, in 1998. The case was then unsolved when this episode aired.
    • Goofs
      We are told the date is November 17th, and the detectives are searching a farm in upstate New York. The leaves on the trees are all green. By that date, leaves would either have changed color or already be off the trees.
    • Quotes

      D.A. Adam Schiff: Well, you got an innocent man to confess to a crime he didn't commit. Maybe this job's getting too easy for you.

    • Connections
      References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 24, 1999 (United States)
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official Instagram
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Wolf Films
      • Studios USA Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h(60 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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