The episode we all have been waiting for airs on Friday. Chevy Chase plays actor Mitch Carroll and unleashes a racist tirade on Milena Govich and Jesse Martin.

There is a review in todays New York Post:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11012006/tv/dr...dam_buckman.htm

Should be another outstanding episode!

It doesn't seem so much a review as a summary of what racist rants we can expect come Friday. The closest thing the article gets to an actual review is:


Hmm? Sounds like the only thing they think is good about the show is the fact that you believe that Chase is really the racist Carrol. Um is that actually a good review??

Fear not! In my media classes we learned that the Post is little better than a tabloid rag. So we shouldn't care what they are saying about the show anyway.

I hear that the people at Entertainment Weekly liked the episode though. And that is definitely good news!

Have you not heard?

All publicity is good!!

People will watch, cause the Mel Gibson story is still very recent and of course we all want to see how great Milena Govich looks this Friday!

No doubt, she will looking and acting fantastic as always!

Its going to be one of the best and most controversial episodes ever!

Milena is definitely a reason I'm tuning in this week. I can't wait to see Chevy call her sugart*ts and yell obsenities at her. Finally the show is getting back to its realistic roots!!!

Just try and keep focused on the verbal portion of the show - if she has that hot push up bra on again its easy to get distracted!

That Milena Govich is sure sexy!

It's too bad they didn't do that scene with Van Buren, she would have cold clocked him that would have been hilarious!

Could it be any more obvious that this new L&O show is another attack on Mel Gibson? What's worse is that they tie in this fictional Chevy Chase character with a violent crime.

Okay, so Mel Gibson got drunk and said some stupid, insensitive things, and is paying for it. Must Hollywood continue to crucify him for it? Can he not be allowed the opportunity to apologize and overcome any prejudices that he has? Are we to simply throw away an entire career of success because he's not perfect?

I bet Mr. Perfect Chevy Chase has never said or done something stupid has he? I bet nobody else in Hollywood has either, huh? The truth is, Mel is their target because he's Christian and conservative, which simply is a quiter form of prejudice by Hollywood itself. These hypocrites should be ashamed.

Well the way ripped from the headlines episodes work is the writers take the original event and use it as a springboard for their imaginations. Those shows are not meant to be taken as a reconstruction of actual events. For instance this week's Criminal Intent episode started with grains of truth from the JonBenet case, however everything after the 20 minute mark of the episode was 100% fiction.

As for your accusations that Mel is being targeted for his religous beliefs, in Law and Order's 17 years EVERYONE has been taken on. From rappers to pop princesses, gun companies to abortion clinics, teachers to students, democrats to republicans. Mel's story is being used because it was a headline case all across the country. And it happens to be very interesting.

Mel Gibson is a target because he is famous. It comes with the job and the money. Had he been a famous Muslim, Hindu or Athiest saying that he still would have been a target. These were hateful words that cut deeply to many people. Since the Christian creed espouses us to love everyone it makes it all the more surprising and disturbing to hear it from him.

Mel may have been the one to throw away his career. We tend to idolize the hollywierd community. Once the idol becomes another shmuck, the magic can be gone. He is not the Mel Gibson I liked for so long but some other guy. He can apologize all he likes but is he REALLY sincere about it. I don't know. He does have reason to disemble. (money is a good reason)

I quit watching any Tom Cruise movies after his meltdown about Brooke Shields, psychiatry and the interview with Matt Lauer. I see no reason to put money in his pocket since I think he is an arrogant condescending schmuck. People will decide that on their own about Mel and it does not have to do with his religion or conservative politics. It has to do with what kind of person they see him as, a good man or a schmuck.

This is a perfect case for Law and Order.

It doesn't matter whether its Mel Gibson or John Doe - its a famous actor committing a crime and uttering some disgusting words that offends 99% of Americans and what we believe in. Since the case is very recent and fresh in the public minds it also will translate into decent ratings and this being November the ratings are very important.

I don't think the producers are trying to pick on Christians - they're just trying to add spice to the show and make it successful once again!

Forget that its partially based on the Mel Gibson arrest, just enjoy the show cause Melina Govich and Jesse Martin are fantastic in this episode.

To go along with what FloridaRN and Stalbert have said, the show isn't picking on Christians. As a Christain myself, I hardly label Mell Gibson as a devout Christian. He may have made a movie based on a Christian story but he sure as heck doesn't live by Christian doctrine. A real Christian wouldn't go around calling people sugart*ts and a real Christian wouldn't be spewing words of hate. Maybe Mel should reread the Bible and pay attention to the fact that all of the characters we are supposed to like (Moses, Abraham, Jesus, Paul, Mary, Ruth, etc.) are ALL JEWS!!! I always find it interesting when I hear "Christians" bashing Jews.

Anyway, stop hating on Law and Order!!! Mel isn't a real Christian so this show is in no way bashing Christians.

Alright folks here is the official thread for this week's episode! I know it's really early (it's 12:03 am right now) but I wouldn't otherwise be able to open the thread in time for the east coast airing of the episode if I didn't do this before I went to bed.

Spoiler warning!!!!! Yo all you not eastcoasters!! Guess what, the show airs earlier on the east than it does where you live!! So be wary because eastcoast viewers are going to be talking about the show after they see it, and that may be way before you get to see it! (I'm talking to you westcoast! The show airs 3 hours earlier on the east!!) If you don't want the show spoiled before you see it, STOP READING NOW!!



Ok for everyone else:

How was the show?!?!?!?!?!?
Worth the hype?
How was Chevy?
How were the detectives?
How were the lawyers?
Are you getting tired of Ripped From The Headlines?? Or do you want more?
What did you think of the virdict?
What did you tink of the trial?

And anything else you can thing of!!

ohhhhhhhhhhh goody can't wait


read an interview with chevy chase, he said he's friends with mel gibson, so maybe this isn't going to be the hit job everyone thinks it is

I guess Chevy and Gibson are able to seperate acting from real life.

The show tonight promises to be fantastic. This is for sure the most talked about episode of this season, looks like almost every newspaper has a article about it.

Looking forward to another outstanding performance from Milena Govich!

Boy NBC is really pushing this episode! Their publicity mill is churning!

I hope it's as good as the hype and goes thru the ratings roof!

This review wasn't so good.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/290931_tv...tml?source=mypi

This is part of it

Regarding the Gibson-inspired episode, survivors of his overwhelmingly public fall from ... well, something other than grace -- he kicked that to the curb years ago -- could sail right through this hour unaffected. Carroll isn't saying anything that hasn't been associated with Gibson's views already. Chase's awkward stab at drama makes Carroll look a touch more unstable, though, if you can believe that.

In the final analysis, nothing's particularly spicy or alarming here, and that speaks to a larger problem. Stripped of this celebrity news story stunt, the show can't hide its fatigue anymore.

Tonight's episode is boring. But we're talking about "Law & Order's" current season here; what did you expect?

Stuck at 10 o'clock on Fridays, "Law & Order" averages around 10 million viewers in the season-to-date ratings, according to Nielsen. Compare that to two years ago, when almost 13 million were locked in every week. There was a time not long ago that Lt. Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) and detectives Cassady and Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin) would have crushed the geeks on CBS's "Numb3rs." Now the CBS show is handily beating it and, in the 18-to-49 demographic so important to advertisers, "Law & Order" brought up the rear last week.


I hope they got it wrong.

Was the Attorney Bailey, Terri Garber?

If not, who was that?

Terri Garber is listed in the credits for this show

Tonight's episode was the worst L&O ever. It is offical, Govich has destroyed L&O (its true even with [edited] stalberts 95's pro-govich replies). Its so hard to take as it was once the best. This week TNT put on the episodes from the early 90's. What a difference. There is no point in wtaching. Govich is the worst actress on TV.

Edit by ADAMaloney: Damien please try to refrain from personal attacks, thanks.

What did everyone think of the actor (Jaymie Dornan) playing the part of the son. I thought he was great.

Stalbert may be the only person to have a certain view on a particular subject, but that does NOT make it ok to openly insult him and call him childish names. Let's review our netiquette and get into some good discussion and debate about tonight's episode!

And Stalbert, I might suggest, in order to shield yourself from unwanted nastiness, that you begin posting more substantial posts. Things that go beyond saying "Milena is great" or "Milena is sexy" or "Milena is making the show better with higher ratings". Try engaging more and giving more examples and going more in depth. Engage in debate, don't just give the same stock posts over and over again. It'll make you less like an internet troll and more like a person whom the other posters can create a rapport with. Hmmm? Give it a think.

HELP!!! This is driving me crazy....who played the kid's attorney? I know I have seen her somewhere......

Terri Garber???

I have watched for years and loved the ripped from the headlines script but this was so bad and fabricated that I cant watch this show any more to cast a major has been and compare him to a major star and then push a normal DUI to a murder hate crime I just cant stand by this show any more..hello CSI and Lost

Why cant shows just keep it real??? Writers and Producers honestly you suck!!!

The sugart*ts was not good in the episode. It was funny in the previews.

I left and took a shower at 10:31. The only good part is that before I left I saw Jennifer Espesito(sp?). I love her!! She played a rape victim on SVU and it was one of the best episodes ever!! I was so happy to see her. But then I left because I hadn't been paying any attention at all and was really bored and ended up just working on my signature.

Awful!!!

From A to Z. The writing, the plot and acting. Melina just gets worse, and I didn't think that was possible until I saw it for myself. Chevy needs to stick to comedy.

They could have used the ripped from the headlines and gone somewhere else with the plot.

And to top it all off it was boring.

Loved Jesse and Epatha but they didn't have much to do.

Doesn't it seem like L&O uses the plot device of going for the person "behind" the crime? Like the gun dealers, the fast food restaurant that served bad beef, the jail for releasing mentally disturbed patients, the producer of the TV show etc etc. Just seems like it was rehashed.

NBC really built up this episode with previews this past week, but to be honest, It wasn't all it was made out to be. I was kinda bored in the second half-hour.

I didn't have a problem with any characters in particular.....just the plot...kinda bored me....But I do love when Ed gets a temper *drool* "Sit down or I'll sit you down" I love him

Sorry to say the worst episode of the season so far, and that is saying alot since most of the others were not great either. Nothing to hold your attention at all. Chevy wasn't very good. Writing not great. Melina in her normal state stumbling and bumbling thru the script.

I liked Sam, Jesse and Epatha but they are really having a hard time with this material and fellow actors.

This is the 7th episode which means we are about 1/3 of the way thru the season. Shouldn't it be getting better not worse by now?????

This board has alot of the AVID L&O fans. We aren't thrilled with the show. Imagine what the more casual L&O viewers think.

Maybe I've been watching too many L&O reruns on TNT but it seems that the writers just cobbled together a bunch of bits and pieces from old episodes and recycled them here. For example, young-son-killing-to-protect-his-father, neo-Nazi-influenced-teenagers, anti semitic murder have all cropped up before.

True, the Mel Gibson RFTH was sort of new, but not really all that much different from a lot of other plot lines.


Have they run out of ideas? If they are going to continue producing scripts like this, Dick Wolf could save a lot of money by investing in software that would grab random elements from old scripts and paste them together.

Add me to the "rehashing over-used plot twists" crowd. I realize there are only so many ways to present a cops and robbers or courtroom drama. This episode could have worked if they got Mel Gibson instead of Chevy Chase. Wouldn't THAT have been a hoot.

Chevy Chase was embarrassing. He's as bad at drama as he is at comedy, worse even. The high point of his career was falling down on SNL and perhaps the zen golfer in CaddyShack.

Sixteen years is a long time for one show. Even with the all the cast changes, I never tired of the format. I always looked forward to a Lenny pun, a McCoy spat with Adam and/or sexy assistant, and the inevitable, motion to exclude delivered by some of the most obnoxious defense attorneys in the history of TV!

Geez, this post is beginning to sound like a eulogy for L&O.

Milena Govich was very good in this episode. It was good that she got involved in both halves of the show!

Alana De La Garza was very prominent and effective as well in this episode. The cast changes are turning out to be a brilliant move!

Chevy? I thought he was great! Sure, we're used to seeing him in comedy, but he did well.

The episode was solid, 2nd part a bit slow but still worth watching!

Whoa. Just woke up from Friday's coma-inducing episode, so I've joined the post a little late. About half of my brain cells committed suicide fifteen minutes into the episode, although foul play is suspected. With this episode, Law and Order managed to find the trap door in rock bottom and fell even further. Having skipped the episode the week before, I was lured back by the hype. Maybe I was just secretly hoping Bill Murray would pop up in the court room with a nine iron and a Cinderella story. I think we should all be checking our milk cartons for pictures of the Law and Order writers because clearly they're missing. And I don't think it's a coincidence that Jesse and Epatha were in less scenes: I think they very shrewdly backed out of the frames. At this point I don't even know if all the king's horses and all the king's men will be able to put Humpty back together again.

It's ok Lola. Those brain cells were extras anyway. You didn't really need them.

The only way all the kings horses can help is if they can write but they couldn't do much worse than we have now so I say give them a shot. Give one of the king's men a shot at acting and he can replace Melina. Again this is a no loose situation since he can't possibly do any worse.

Maybe L&O this year is like that broadway play... you know....Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane....the guys who are backing a Broadway play and hoping it fails in order to make money... The Producers.. that's it.....maybe it's the same thing....it's all a plot....it's suppose to not do well... hmmmmmm

Let's hope the writers wake up and write Milena's character out of the show and get an older expericence male character like the previous ones or a classy, experienced woman similar to Mariska Hargitay's character that can act.

Anyone have any suggestions on actors/actresses who could play the detective/ADA characters?

I like Connie Nielsen who is filling in over at SVU while Mariska Hargitay is on Maternity Leave. She plays Beck. She is beautiful and by the way she can ACT!!! She would add an edge. I also like Melissa Leo from Homicide: Life on the Street. I'm sure she could kick my butt and I think she would be a good match for Det. Green.

What they need is someone you would BELIEVE would be a detective, not someone 25 years old with their boobs hanging out.

I agree Connie Nielson is awesome. It would be so great if she could join the L&O cast.

Ohh my God, breasts!! Bring in the censor police!

I'll take Connie Nielsen's breasts over Milena's anyday. Have you seen Gladiator? Connie was hot in that. And have you seen her on SVU? She's smokin!

Connie Nielsen is hot and alot classier looking than Melina. Some guys just don't like class. They are more comfortable with trash.

Susan Floyd has been on a couple of episodes of L&O as attorney Jessica Sheets. She was in Shangi-la and Bodies. She was also in CI as a lawyer who is married to a prosecuter. Her husband tries to frame her for his attemped murder. She was good and attractive.

If you want more young female viewers how about someone like Peter Facinelli, young and good looking but can act?

Connie Nielsen would be great if they could get her.

I given the chance milena could really be a great addition,if they let the character grow maybe some of her awkwardeness would go away, but if she is replaced i'd like to see connie nielsen from svu or even det. brian cassidy from back in the day svu, or how about lee tergesen (toby from oz)

I agree with you Elliotfan, I think with a little tweaking Milena could work. I liked her on Conviction, I know she can act. It's just that there is something (maybe it's one thing, maybe it's a combination of things) off.

One thing I know is that the ads for this show looked awesome, but when the actual thing aired I thought it was crap. The interrogation room scene was awful. First of all, Chevy looked like he was an actor reading lines. Second, he was insulting the floor - not Milena! The editing in the promo made it look like he was right in her face when he called her sugart*ts - that made my mouth drop and I was "D@mn!!! I gotta watch this show!!" But it wasn't anything like that in the real show. I swear it looked like he was calling the chair sugart*ts. And Milena's face was the same as mine: "why is this guy calling a chair sugart*ts."
I zoned out after that. I took a shower during the second half of the show.

Anyway, I also agree with you Elliotfan that Brian Cassidy, or even the girl played by Michelle Hurd, would be a neat treat to come back! Either way the writing needs help. Milena may not be doing well, but considering what she's given you can't blame her completely for bombing on this show.

Oh yeah, and does anyone know if this week we get a new episode?

Yes there is new episode.

How much time are we suppose to wait for Melina to "figure out" her roll? Do we know if she will ever figure out her roll? It is 1/3 of the way thru the season (7 episodes). The ratings are not great. I'm concerned that we may not see a season 18, forget 20 or 21, if things don't change.

Melina was brought on the show to increase ratings. Dick Wolf's plan, not mine. It is not working. She is still after 7 episodes wooden and a cliche instead of a character on the series. She has not really shown any great strides at improvement.

I know the writing is a problem but it is the same problem Jesse, Epatha and the rest of the cast have to deal with and they are doing a much more credible job that Melina. They have given her enough screen time and big scenes to create and impression and give her character some depth, but unfortunately it is the wrong impression.

When you look at someone like Connie Nielsen as Beck on SVU it really brings home how inadequete Melina is. Connie Nielsen took over for an Emmy award winning actress and has done a kick a** job on SVU. She had the same amount of time to "find" her character and it's like night and day when you comapare her performance to Melina's. No "ackwardness" that takes weeks and weeks to get over. She brought her "A" game from the start. The ratings for SVU could have taken a big dive with Hargitay out but they haven't and Nielsen is a big reason why. She is GOOD! She hit the ground running, no stumbling around.

I understand the desire to get higher ratings and have no objection to them getting some eye candy but they need to fit into the show. They need to be able to ACT and have their character fit into the show. With Melina it's like pounding a suare peg into a round hole. She just isn't fitting in.

We are the rabid L&O fans and we have not been terribly pleased with the show this year. What do all the "casual" L&O fans think, especially after last weeks episode?

Milena Govich has been great and has shown steady improvement every week.

The ratings are rock solid and at least her and the new DA bring some spice to a show that for sure needs some!

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifes...tures-headlines

Here is the part about L&O


"Prolific producer Dick Wolf has been saying for years that his goal is to have Law & Order surpass the 20-year run of Gunsmoke as TV's longest-running drama series. Until the past year or so, this has seemed easily attainable. But with Law & Order's ratings plunging steeply in its 17th season, Wolf's dream is beginning to loom a long shot. When you fall behind Numb3rs, the prospects of another three seasons aren't bright."

From the ratings thread.

As solid as air.

Save your breath Jessegirl, I'm purging this board of it's rodents.

without giving away anything, can anybody tell me about the episode this season that Chevy Chase guest starred on. I missed that episode and hate it very much that I did.

Please go to the Offical Thread for that episode and do a search before starting a new topic.

Hi adambomb312, and welcome to the board. Please introduce yourself to us in the "Welcome to the L&O Message Boards" thread. Also, take a look at the NBC Board rules and etiquette topic to familiarize yourself with how the boards operate. It provides assistance with searches and other tips.

We get a lot of new posters and we are happy to have you. Please look through the boards as ADAMaloney suggests before posting to ensure that the topic doesn't already exist. I've moved your post into the proper thread for the episode you asked about. Since you didn't know the episode name (and a lot of people don't, so that's no problem ), you can always perform a search. Down at the bottom of the main page is a box that says "Enter Keywords" and you type the info there and click Search forum. It will return all the topics that pertain to your search words.

Hope to get to know you better, and welcome aboard.

rowe