Dead (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
Encyclopedia
"Dead" is a second season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent
.
and Eames
investigate the murder of an embalmer
found in ritualistic fashion with strange markings on his chest.
During the investigation, Goren and Eames learn the victim had received an anonymous phone call a few weeks ago from a man saying that embalming was not something God
looked at favorably. They first suspect cult
ists, but decide that is not the case because the man wouldn't have desecrated the body. Important clues include a passage described in the Book of Exodus (9:8-12
) and fake DNA evidence.
Later, the discovery of several corpses at a crematorium that were never incinerated lead them to a family man claiming to have a consulting business, but suspected of being a clever hitman
with a penchant for perfection, until Goren attempts to prove his guilt by setting up a scheme that plays on his fear of making a mistake.
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...
.
Plot summary
In the second season opening, Detectives 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 Eames
Alexandra Eames
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...
investigate the murder of an embalmer
Embalming
Embalming, in most modern cultures, is the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall decomposition and to make them suitable for public display at a funeral. The three goals of embalming are thus sanitization, presentation and preservation of a corpse to achieve this...
found in ritualistic fashion with strange markings on his chest.
During the investigation, Goren and Eames learn the victim had received an anonymous phone call a few weeks ago from a man saying that embalming was not something God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
looked at favorably. They first suspect cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
ists, but decide that is not the case because the man wouldn't have desecrated the body. Important clues include a passage described in the Book of Exodus (9:8-12
Plagues of Egypt
The Plagues of Egypt , also called the Ten Plagues or the Biblical Plagues, were ten calamities that, according to the biblical Book of Exodus, Israel's God, Yahweh, inflicted upon Egypt to persuade Pharaoh to release the ill-treated Israelites from slavery. Pharaoh capitulated after the tenth...
) and fake DNA evidence.
Later, the discovery of several corpses at a crematorium that were never incinerated lead them to a family man claiming to have a consulting business, but suspected of being a clever hitman
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
with a penchant for perfection, until Goren attempts to prove his guilt by setting up a scheme that plays on his fear of making a mistake.
Cast
| Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio is an American actor, director, film producer, writer, and singer. Often referred to as an actor's actor, his work as a character actor has earned him the nickname of "Human Chameleon"... |
Det. 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.... |
| 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:... |
Det. Alexandra Eames Alexandra Eames 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... |
| Jamey Sheridan Jamey Sheridan James Patrick "Jamey" Sheridan is an American actor. He was born in Pasadena, California.He has had a prolific acting career in theater, television, and feature film productions. Born to a family of actors, he made it to Broadway and earned a Tony nomination in 1987 for his performance in the... |
Capt. James Deakins James Deakins Captain James Deakins is a fictional character on the NBC-USA Network U.S. television series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, played by Jamey Sheridan.On the show, Deakins supervises New York City's Major Case Squad... |
| Courtney B. Vance Courtney B. Vance Courtney Bernard Vance is an American actor. He was formerly a regular on the NBC/USA television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver. He was also a series regular on the ABC series FlashForward. As of 2011, he appears on the TNT series The Closer as Chief... |
A.D.A. Ron Carver Ron Carver Ron Carver is a fictional character on the NBC-USA Network series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, played by Courtney B. Vance.Carver often works in conjunction with detectives Robert Goren, Alexandra Eames, Mike Logan and Carolyn Barek of the Major Case Squad. He graduated from John Jay College of... |
| Leslie Hendrix Leslie Hendrix Leslie Hendrix is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Elizabeth Rodgers on four Law & Order series... |
Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers |
Fact
- This episode features strong resemblances with the case of the Tri-State CrematoryTri-State CrematoryThe Tri-State Crematory located in the Noble community in northwest Georgia, United States, was the subject of a national incident in 2002 leading to litigation and criminal prosecution, in which over three hundred bodies that had been consigned to the crematorium for proper disposal were never...
, which had been stacking bodies for several years rather than cremating them.