Alexandra Eames
Encyclopedia
Det. Alexandra "Alex" Eames is a fictional police detective with the NYPD Major Case Squad featured in the NBC
-USA Network
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
, portrayed by Kathryn Erbe
. Eames is the partner of Detective Robert Goren
.
In 2008, Erbe received a Satellite Award Nomination for Best Actress: Television Drama Series for her portrayal.
's Major Case Squad
. Eames entered the police academy in 1993. Senator Maureen Pagolis spoke at Eames' graduation from the academy. Eames greatly admired her as a role model for women. Before joining Major Case, Eames was with Vice for five years. For two years of that time, she was stationed in Chelsea
.
Eames is kidnapped in the sixth season premiere episode "Blind Spot
" by Jo Gage, the daughter of Dr. Declan Gage, Goren's mentor. After the incident, Eames returns to duty, but (in the episode "Siren Call
") it is revealed that she is seeing a therapist to deal with the trauma
.
Eames began partnering with Zack Nichols (Jeff Goldblum
) in the season eight episode "Major Case
" as Nichols' regular partner, Megan Wheeler
(portrayed by Julianne Nicholson
), goes into labor
.
In the Season 9 premiere "Loyalty," she and Goren are pulled off a pair of homicides by Ross, who has been working undercover for the FBI on a case involving one of the victims. When Ross is subsequently murdered, Goren and Eames team up with Nichols to find his killer, only to be stonewalled by the FBI. Goren soon gets into a physical altercation with the prime suspect, leading to his suspension and Eames' decision to covertly help him with his own investigation.
After a year's absence, Eames and Goren again became the series's lead characters for its tenth and final season.
, and is the senior partner of the two. Her pragmatic, analytical investigative style serves as a balance against Goren's often eccentric investigation and interrogation
methods. She and Goren did not see eye-to-eye at first; puzzled by his interrogation methods, she asked her superior officer for a new partner. She soon learned to appreciate his investigative skill, however, and withdrew the request.
Although Goren and Eames have never been romantically involved, they both have shown professional and personal loyalty to one another. During Eames' absence due to her maternity leave, Goren makes the connection to the suspect missing his partner and compares his temporary partner unfavorably to Eames. In the episode Blind Spot, when Eames is abducted, Goren is in obvious distress over her welfare. When Goren is suspended and decides to go undercover, on his own, in a prison where his nephew has witnessed abuses ("Untethered"), Eames keeps in communication with him and asks for their Captain's help when his plans go awry.
In the episode "Purgatory
", when Goren decides to go undercover during his suspension, he does not inform Eames of this decision which causes a considerable conflict between them when his actions are revealed. Goren apologizes and states that he wanted to keep Eames away from the situation, but she reacts angrily and implies that his actions were based on selfishness and that "all [his] wounds are self-inflicted." Additionally, in the season seven premiere "Amends
", when the case of Eames' late husband is reopened (see "Joseph Dutton" section below), Eames is in obvious distress regarding Goren reviewing her late husband's case and tells him that it's "not one of [his] puzzles."
In the two-part season 9 premiere "Loyalty," Eames is offered a promotion to Captain of Major Case on the condition she fire Goren. She and Goren discuss this matter and agree that it's best he resign, as he believes his recent actions will soon have him dismissed anyway. He kisses Eames on the cheek and they share an embrace before he leaves; Eames herself then resigns from the force altogether.
After a year's absence, Eames and Goren again became the series's lead characters for its tenth and final season.
" that her aunt, a promiscuous alcoholic, lived with them for a year. After she hit Eames' younger brother, Eames said they never saw her again. In "Vacancy
", a suspect senses her anger towards alcoholics and uses her vulnerability to sabotage the case against him.
In 2003, Eames volunteered to serve as a surrogate mother for her sister's baby. This storyline coincided with Kathryn Erbe's real life pregnancy.
in 2001, Erbe said of Eames, "Her husband was a cop who was killed in the line of duty. None of this you will probably hear in the show." However, in the 2006 episode "The War at Home
" and in subsequent episodes, it was revealed that her husband, Joseph Dutton, was killed in 1998. In the season seven premiere "Amends
" Dutton's case needed to be reopened, and it is discovered the wrong man had been convicted; DNA evidence pointed to another suspect who was subsequently arrested by Goren and Eames.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
-USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
, portrayed by Kathryn Erbe
Kathryn Erbe
Kathryn Elsbeth Erbe is an American actress known for her role as Det. Alexandra Eames in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, a spin-off of Law & Order, and death row inmate Shirley Bellinger in the HBO series Oz.-Personal life:...
. Eames is the partner of Detective Robert Goren
Robert Goren
Det. Robert "Bobby" Goren is a fictional character featured in the NBC-USA Network police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio....
.
In 2008, Erbe received a Satellite Award Nomination for Best Actress: Television Drama Series for her portrayal.
Career
Eames is a police detective with ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Major Case Squad
Major case squad
The Major Case Squad is a division within some police departments. The detectives of these divisions typically investigate crimes beyond the scope of normal squads. These functions vary from department to department.-New York City Police Department:...
. Eames entered the police academy in 1993. Senator Maureen Pagolis spoke at Eames' graduation from the academy. Eames greatly admired her as a role model for women. Before joining Major Case, Eames was with Vice for five years. For two years of that time, she was stationed in Chelsea
Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...
.
Eames is kidnapped in the sixth season premiere episode "Blind Spot
Blind Spot (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
"Blind Spot" is a sixth season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary :In the season premiere episode, Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the death of a former ambassador's daughter, who is found brutally murdered in her uptown home...
" by Jo Gage, the daughter of Dr. Declan Gage, Goren's mentor. After the incident, Eames returns to duty, but (in the episode "Siren Call
Siren Call
"Siren Call" is a sixth season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary:In this episode, Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the brutal murder of a teenage girl in The Hamptons, found dead in her car in Queens after a night of partying...
") it is revealed that she is seeing a therapist to deal with the trauma
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
.
Eames began partnering with Zack Nichols (Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum
Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day...
) in the season eight episode "Major Case
Major Case (Law & Order: Criminal Intent)
"Major Case" is an eighth-season episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent and the 169th episode overall.-Summary:Forensic scientist Henry Muller packs the apartment of his recently deceased mother on the Lower East Side. Through the window, he watches Grace Purefoy, a young girl from the...
" as Nichols' regular partner, Megan Wheeler
Megan Wheeler
Det. Megan Ann Wheeler is a fictional character portrayed by Julianne Nicholson on the NBC-USA Network series Law & Order: Criminal Intent...
(portrayed by Julianne Nicholson
Julianne Nicholson
Julianne Nicholson is an American actress. She is known for having played Det. Megan Wheeler on Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Early life:...
), goes into labor
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
.
In the Season 9 premiere "Loyalty," she and Goren are pulled off a pair of homicides by Ross, who has been working undercover for the FBI on a case involving one of the victims. When Ross is subsequently murdered, Goren and Eames team up with Nichols to find his killer, only to be stonewalled by the FBI. Goren soon gets into a physical altercation with the prime suspect, leading to his suspension and Eames' decision to covertly help him with his own investigation.
After a year's absence, Eames and Goren again became the series's lead characters for its tenth and final season.
Partnership with Robert Goren
Eames is partnered with Det. Robert GorenRobert Goren
Det. Robert "Bobby" Goren is a fictional character featured in the NBC-USA Network police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio....
, and is the senior partner of the two. Her pragmatic, analytical investigative style serves as a balance against Goren's often eccentric investigation and interrogation
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
methods. She and Goren did not see eye-to-eye at first; puzzled by his interrogation methods, she asked her superior officer for a new partner. She soon learned to appreciate his investigative skill, however, and withdrew the request.
Although Goren and Eames have never been romantically involved, they both have shown professional and personal loyalty to one another. During Eames' absence due to her maternity leave, Goren makes the connection to the suspect missing his partner and compares his temporary partner unfavorably to Eames. In the episode Blind Spot, when Eames is abducted, Goren is in obvious distress over her welfare. When Goren is suspended and decides to go undercover, on his own, in a prison where his nephew has witnessed abuses ("Untethered"), Eames keeps in communication with him and asks for their Captain's help when his plans go awry.
In the episode "Purgatory
Purgatory (Law & Order: Criminal Intent Episode)
"Purgatory" is a seventh season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary:The episode resumes where "Untethered" left off. Detective Goren, under suspension pending a psychiatric evaluation, decides to prove himself by going undercover to take down a high-level...
", when Goren decides to go undercover during his suspension, he does not inform Eames of this decision which causes a considerable conflict between them when his actions are revealed. Goren apologizes and states that he wanted to keep Eames away from the situation, but she reacts angrily and implies that his actions were based on selfishness and that "all [his] wounds are self-inflicted." Additionally, in the season seven premiere "Amends
Amends (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
"Amends" is a seventh season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent. This is the first original episode to air on the USA Network.-Plot summary:...
", when the case of Eames' late husband is reopened (see "Joseph Dutton" section below), Eames is in obvious distress regarding Goren reviewing her late husband's case and tells him that it's "not one of [his] puzzles."
In the two-part season 9 premiere "Loyalty," Eames is offered a promotion to Captain of Major Case on the condition she fire Goren. She and Goren discuss this matter and agree that it's best he resign, as he believes his recent actions will soon have him dismissed anyway. He kisses Eames on the cheek and they share an embrace before he leaves; Eames herself then resigns from the force altogether.
After a year's absence, Eames and Goren again became the series's lead characters for its tenth and final season.
Personal and family life
Eames joined the NYPD to follow in the footsteps of her father, Johnny Eames, also a cop. Eames' younger brother has three kids all in private school, is part of the FDNY, and is married to a nurse. It was once stated in the episode "VacancyVacancy (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
"Vacancy" is a fifth season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary:In this episode, Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the case of a bridesmaid found dead after a wedding in a cheap motel room she was sharing with a fellow bridesmaid. The detectives...
" that her aunt, a promiscuous alcoholic, lived with them for a year. After she hit Eames' younger brother, Eames said they never saw her again. In "Vacancy
Vacancy (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
"Vacancy" is a fifth season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary:In this episode, Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the case of a bridesmaid found dead after a wedding in a cheap motel room she was sharing with a fellow bridesmaid. The detectives...
", a suspect senses her anger towards alcoholics and uses her vulnerability to sabotage the case against him.
In 2003, Eames volunteered to serve as a surrogate mother for her sister's baby. This storyline coincided with Kathryn Erbe's real life pregnancy.
Joseph Dutton
Eames is widowed. In an interview with the Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
in 2001, Erbe said of Eames, "Her husband was a cop who was killed in the line of duty. None of this you will probably hear in the show." However, in the 2006 episode "The War at Home
The War at Home (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
"The War at Home" is a sixth season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary:In this episode, Detectives Goren and Eames are called to investigate when the daughter of the first deputy commissioner of the NYPD goes missing on Thanksgiving holiday...
" and in subsequent episodes, it was revealed that her husband, Joseph Dutton, was killed in 1998. In the season seven premiere "Amends
Amends (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
"Amends" is a seventh season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent. This is the first original episode to air on the USA Network.-Plot summary:...
" Dutton's case needed to be reopened, and it is discovered the wrong man had been convicted; DNA evidence pointed to another suspect who was subsequently arrested by Goren and Eames.
External links
- NBC biography of Alexandra Eames
- USA's Law & Order: Criminal Intent site, including 18 "Character Insight" videos