# Law & Order: Criminal Intent season 2

The second season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent premiered September 29, 2002 and ended May 18, 2003 on NBC.

## Production

Law & Order: Criminal Intent was renewed a second season in May 2002 and production began in Summer 2002. Show runner/executive producer René Balcer became head writer this season, writing every episode of the season.
Peter Jankowski was promoted to executive producer this season; last season Jankowski was a co-executive producer. Co-executive producers this season were Fred Berner, Arthur W. Forney, and Theresa Rebeck with John L. Roman and Michael Kewley serving as producers. Supervising producers were Roz Weinman and Marlane Gomard Meyer. Original Law & Order writer and co-executive producer at the time, Michael S. Chernuchin was consulting producer and Tim DeLuca as associate producer. Mary Rae Thewlis became co-producer starting with the 6th episode, "Malignant". Warren Leight, who later became co-executive producer and then show runner/executive producer, began as a producer with the 10th episode, "Con-Text". Balcer hired Leight from a recommendation by co-executive producer, Theresa Rebeck.

## Cast
### Main cast

* Vincent D'Onofrio as Detective Robert Goren
* Kathryn Erbe as Detective Alexandra Eames
* Jamey Sheridan as Captain James Deakins
* Courtney B. Vance as ADA Ron Carver

### Recurring cast

* Leslie Hendrix as Chief Medical Examiner Elizabeth Rodgers

### Notable guest stars

* Liam Aiken as Robbie Bishop
* Victor Argo as Mr. Garcia
* Matthew Arkin as Ben Gergis
* Tom Atkins as Mr. Monahan
* Karen Black as Vera Morgan
* Tammy Blanchard as Sarah Eldon
* Mark Blum as Dr. Philip Oliver
* Paul Calderon as Jojo Rios
* Reg E. Cathey as Professor Roland Sanders
* Kim Chan as Mr. Hsu
* Ken Cheeseman as Leo Gergis
* Dennis Christopher as Roger Coffman
* Olivia d'Abo as Nicole Wallace / Elizabeth Hitchens
* Paul Dooley as Stan Coffman
* Lisa Eichhorn as Dr. Leonard
* Ned Eisenberg as Danny Sussman
* Linda Emond as Dr. Christine Fellowes
* Susan Floyd as Attorney Linda Bonham
* Peter Frechette as Stuart Gaston
* Jim Gaffigan as Russell Matthews
* Peter Gerety as George Dawkins
* Isabel Glasser as Elaine Gergis
* David Marshall Grant as ADA Peter Bonham
* Joel Grey as Milt Winters
* Tim Guinee as David Bishop
* John Benjamin Hickey as Randall Fuller
* Linda Lavin as Ursula Sussman
* Hal Linden as Mr. Turner
* Mark Linn-Baker as Wally Stevens
* Daniel London as Mark Bayley
* Deirdre Lovejoy as Penny Halliwell
* James McCaffrey as Daniel Croydon
* Lance Reddick as Jack Bernard
* Amy Ryan as Julie Turner
* William Sadler as Kyle Devlin
* Jay O. Sanders as Harry Rowan
* Josef Sommer as Spencer Durning
* Mike Starr as Ted Marston
* Adam Storke as Mark Dietrich
* Rider Strong as Ethan Edwards
* Lee Tergesen as Keith Ramsey
* Stephen Tobolowsky as Jim Halliwell
* Christopher Welch as Dr. Thomas Dysart
* Paul Wesley as Luke Miller
* Merritt Wever as Hannah Price
* Elizabeth Wilson as Lucille Mobray
* Frank Wood as George Weems

## Episodes

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 23 | 1 | "Dead" | Darnell Martin | S : René Balcer; S/T : Stephanie Sengupta | September 29, 2002 (2002-09-29) | E3202 | 15.80 |
| The murder of a mortician, and the discovery of corpses at a crematorium, leads the detectives to a family man (Jay O. Sanders) who claims to own a consulting business but is suspected of being a contract killer with a penchant for perfection. Goren attempts to prove the man's guilt by setting up a scheme that puts his "fear of making a mistake" in jeopardy. Inspired in part by the Tri-State Crematory scandal. ||||||||
| 24 | 2 | "Bright Boy" | Frank Prinzi | S : René Balcer; S/T : Marlane Gomard Meyer | October 6, 2002 (2002-10-06) | E3205 | 14.80 |
| The double murder of a social services worker and a deputy mayor lead the detectives to suspect a couple who may have a grudge against the social worker for taking away their children. When they learn that the social worker had taken special interest in a child prodigy being considered for admission to a prestigious, accelerated school, they examine both the boy (Liam Aiken) and his obsessive father (Tim Guinee). ||||||||
| 25 | 3 | "Anti-Thesis" | Adam Bernstein | S : René Balcer & Dick Wolf; S/T : Eric Overmyer | October 13, 2002 (2002-10-13) | E3203 | 14.60 |
| As Goren and Eames sift through the likely suspects in the murder of a university president and his assistant, they discover that the culprit is a wily adversary who has more than these crimes to hide. This episode introduces the character Nicole Wallace, portrayed by Olivia d'Abo. ||||||||
| 26 | 4 | "Best Defense" | Gloria Muzio | S : René Balcer; S/T : Elizabeth M. Cosin | October 20, 2002 (2002-10-20) | E3201 | 14.70 |
| An assistant district attorney (David Marshall Grant), who had been receiving death threats, confronts and kills a hired gunman. Goren and Eames first suspect his wife, a prominent defense attorney, through a convict whose case was being prosecuted by the A.D.A. and the rumors of her romantic affairs. After he realizes there are cracks in the seemingly airtight case, Goren is forced to keep Carver in the dark about some details to prove his theory. ||||||||
| 27 | 5 | "Chinoiserie" | David Platt | S : René Balcer; S/T : B. Mason | October 27, 2002 (2002-10-27) | E3206 | 14.10 |
| After a mother of two is shot to death in Chinatown, Goren and Eames first believe her death may be connected to the Tiananmen Square massacre. However, the investigation leads them to a smuggling ring that deals in antiquities. ||||||||
| 28 | 6 | "Malignant" | Frank Prinzi & Juan J. Campanella | S : René Balcer; S/T : Michael S. Chernuchin | November 3, 2002 (2002-11-03) | E3208 | 15.00 |
| A robbery that involved two fatalities leads to the discovery of a long-running case of tampering with drugs. Goren and Eames have to figure out a way of catching a pharmacist (Stephen Tobolowsky) who has been diluting cancer medication without using the exhumated bodies of patients who had been given the medicine. ||||||||
| 29 | 7 | "Tomorrow" | Don Scardino | S : René Balcer; S/T : Stephanie Sengupta | November 10, 2002 (2002-11-10) | E3207 | 15.90 |
| The detectives investigate a triple murder, including the son and daughter of a wealthy businessman, that occurred in his apartment. After investigating the children's stepmother (his second wife), they turn to a pair of nannies (Tammy Blanchard and Merritt Wever), one of whom works for the family. However, the detectives must reach back to the nannies' history as children, and a television soap opera, to better understand the motives for the crime. ||||||||
| 30 | 8 | "The Pilgrim" | Darnell Martin | S : René Balcer; S/T : Marlane Gomard Meyer | November 17, 2002 (2002-11-17) | E3210 | 16.20 |
| The detectives are called to investigate the adult daughter of a retired officer which takes them to a case of terrorism involving someone she knew that includes a shipment of explosives. ||||||||
| 31 | 9 | "Shandeh" | Steve Shill | René Balcer | December 1, 2002 (2002-12-01) | E3216 | 13.70 |
| A businesswoman (Linda Lavin) becomes a suspect in the murder of her daughter-in-law, who was strangled in her garage. Disparate bruises on her body lead Goren and Eames to believe that there were two assailants. ||||||||
| 32 | 10 | "Con-Text" | Alex Zakrzewski | S : René Balcer; S/T : Gerry Conway | January 5, 2003 (2003-01-05) | E3213 | 15.00 |
| Goren and Eames run a con of their own on a phony motivational speaker (John Benjamin Hickey) who they suspect exploited a fragile disciple by convincing him to commit murder for profit. ||||||||
| 33 | 11 | "Baggage" | Constantine Makris | S : René Balcer; S/T : Theresa Rebeck | January 12, 2003 (2003-01-12) | E3209 | 16.20 |
| When an airline baggage supervisor is found murdered in the trunk of her car, the detectives investigate the employees listed in a sexual harassment complaint which leads them to a scam involving credit cards and credit reports with foreign links. Inspired by Susan Taraskiewicz case. ||||||||
| 34 | 12 | "Suite Sorrow" | Jean de Segonzac | S : René Balcer; S/T : Warren Leight | February 2, 2003 (2003-02-02) | E3212 | 15.30 |
| When the wealthy and matronly owner of a hotel is found naked and murdered with injections of Botox in the bathtub, detectives Goren and Eames focus on the victim's unstable adult daughter who resented her mother's meddling in her love life. ||||||||
| 35 | 13 | "See Me" | Steve Shill | S : René Balcer; S/T : Jim Sterling | February 9, 2003 (2003-02-09) | E3211 | 15.90 |
| Detectives Goren and Eames come to believe a doctor conducted shameful experiments on the residents of a halfway house. ||||||||
| 36 | 14 | "Probability" | Frank Prinzi | S : René Balcer; S/T : Gerry Conway | February 16, 2003 (2003-02-16) | E3218 | 14.80 |
| While probing the seemingly random murders of several homeless men, Goren and Eames uncover a scam involving a crooked insurance agent (Lance Reddick). However, an unusual twist leads the detectives to an unlikely suspect (Mark Linn-Baker). ||||||||
| 37 | 15 | "Monster" | Joyce Chopra | S : René Balcer; S/T : Marlane Gomard Meyer | March 2, 2003 (2003-03-02) | E3214 | 10.80 |
| The murder of a woman in her apartment results in her son (Adam Storke), recently paroled after serving 15 years for murder, becoming the prime suspect. Having consulted with the lead detective on the old case (Mike Starr), Goren and Eames discover he was involved in a cover-up to rush other cases to closure. ||||||||
| 38 | 16 | "Cuba Libre" | Darnell Martin | S : René Balcer; S/T : Warren Leight | March 9, 2003 (2003-03-09) | E3215 | 9.70 |
| After the trophy wife of a recently released prison inmate (Joel Grey) is murdered, Goren plays on the man's paranoia to find a connection to another inmate with a hit list. ||||||||
| 39 | 17 | "Cold Comfort" | Constantine Makris | S : René Balcer; S/T : Stephanie Sengupta | March 30, 2003 (2003-03-30) | E3217 | 9.60 |
| When a woman suing her brother over the disposition of their father's remains is found murdered, Goren and Eames discover a concealed parentage and a man willing to go to any extremes to ensure his legacy. ||||||||
| 40 | 18 | "Legion" | Steve Shill & Frank Prinzi | S : René Balcer; S/T : Theresa Rebeck | April 6, 2003 (2003-04-06) | E3219 | 15.60 |
| When a father and son are found with their throats slit, the detectives discover a group of adolescent boys have disappeared from the same neighborhood. When the locals do not cooperate with the investigation, the police believe the boys are being used by someone operating a bicycle theft ring. ||||||||
| 41 | 19 | "Cherry Red" | Frank Prinzi | S : René Balcer; S/T : Jim Sterling | April 27, 2003 (2003-04-27) | E3221 | 13.40 |
| The detectives try to figure out a mystery after an elderly woman dies in a fire. The mystery deepens when the young woman who has been left some of the dead woman's estate is murdered. The case takes them to a state public administrator (Dennis Christopher) who has invented a new form of grave-robbing. ||||||||
| 42 | 20 | "Blink" | Don Scardino | S : René Balcer; S/T : Gerry Conway | May 4, 2003 (2003-05-04) | E3222 | 14.30 |
| Goren and Eames investigate the murder of a math student who had worked in a poker club as a card-counter. They uncover a group of computer nerds, then discover a computer gambling system with tougher suspects. The detectives learn even their own workstations are hit by the ringleader of the group (Ian Kahn). ||||||||
| 43 | 21 | "Graansha" | Darnell Martin | S : René Balcer; S/T : Joe Gannon | May 11, 2003 (2003-05-11) | E3224 | 13.00 |
| Goren and Eames enter the closed world of a thieving Irish Traveller clan when they investigate the death of a probation officer who had been run over three times by a car after meeting a friend at the bar (Tom Noonan). They soon learn the probation officer had been involved with one of her charges. NOTE: Lyric Marie Benson guest starred as a waitress in the episode. Benson was subsequently murdered by her ex-fiance, in a high-profile case which attracted widespread tabloid coverage. ||||||||
| 44 | 22 | "Zoonotic" | Don Scardino | S : René Balcer; S/T : Warren Leight | May 18, 2003 (2003-05-18) | E3225 | 14.50 |
| The investigation into the murder of a crooked cop leads to a preening veterinarian and his friend, an obsessive doctor whose ex-girlfriends have all been infected with a rare disease. ||||||||
| 45 | 23 | "A Person of Interest" | Frank Prinzi | S : René Balcer; S/T : Warren Leight | May 18, 2003 (2003-05-18) | E3220 | 16.20 |
| Goren and Eames investigate the murder of a former nurse and discover a possible anthrax terrorist plot. The case takes a turn for the worse when Goren is blamed for driving a suspect to commit suicide. Now disgraced, Goren learns that a cunning adversary from his past may be involved. Olivia d'Abo guest stars. ||||||||