Poison (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
Encyclopedia
"Poison" is a first season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent
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in his painkillers. However, to hide the murder, she tampers with several boxes of the same medication. She plans to use the settlement from a wrongful death lawsuit she initiates against the pharmaceutical manufacturer to purchase a franchise
from a trendy baby clothes company.
Detectives Goren
and Eames
suspect another person, a nurse who happens to be taking care of Trudy's mother Loretta Marlon, (Anita Gillette), the widow of a former photographer shop owner. The scared nurse admits she caused their crises — and 31 others — in order to be a hero for saving them.
Goren realizes the nurse does not fit the profile
of the killer. As the investigators widen their investigation, they trace the source to a tainted, over-the-counter painkiller. As the victims continue to pile up, the product-tampering goes public and threatens a panic. They need a motive to find the source of the tampered medication.
When the pharmaceutical company reports one more victim than the cases involved — with a lawsuit involving a large settlement — and the death predated all the others, the detectives begin to zero in. Loretta admitted to tampering, and she was arrested. Eventually, it was discovered that Trudy had tampered with the painkillers, but was having her mother take the fall for it.
It was also revealed, that since her mother had been arrested, the morals clause
of her franchise agreement with the baby clothes company kicked in and nullified the agreement. After being caught mailing a cyanide laced letter to the editor of The Ledger, Goren and Eames go into the store and have Trudy arrested for the murder of her husband, and also for tampering with the painkillers.
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...
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Plot summary
A woman named Trudy Pomeranski (J. Smith-Cameron) kills her husband Lenny by putting cyanideCyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
in his painkillers. However, to hide the murder, she tampers with several boxes of the same medication. She plans to use the settlement from a wrongful death lawsuit she initiates against the pharmaceutical manufacturer to purchase a franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
from a trendy baby clothes company.
Detectives 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....
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...
suspect another person, a nurse who happens to be taking care of Trudy's mother Loretta Marlon, (Anita Gillette), the widow of a former photographer shop owner. The scared nurse admits she caused their crises — and 31 others — in order to be a hero for saving them.
Goren realizes the nurse does not fit the profile
Offender profiling
Offender profiling, also known as criminal profiling, is a behavioral and investigative tool that is intended to help investigators to profile unknown criminal subjects or offenders. Offender profiling is also known as criminal profiling, criminal personality profiling, criminological profiling,...
of the killer. As the investigators widen their investigation, they trace the source to a tainted, over-the-counter painkiller. As the victims continue to pile up, the product-tampering goes public and threatens a panic. They need a motive to find the source of the tampered medication.
When the pharmaceutical company reports one more victim than the cases involved — with a lawsuit involving a large settlement — and the death predated all the others, the detectives begin to zero in. Loretta admitted to tampering, and she was arrested. Eventually, it was discovered that Trudy had tampered with the painkillers, but was having her mother take the fall for it.
It was also revealed, that since her mother had been arrested, the morals clause
Morals clause
A morals clause is a provision within a instruments of the contract which curtail, or restrain, or proscribe certain behavior of individuals or party to the contract...
of her franchise agreement with the baby clothes company kicked in and nullified the agreement. After being caught mailing a cyanide laced letter to the editor of The Ledger, Goren and Eames go into the store and have Trudy arrested for the murder of her husband, and also for tampering with the painkillers.
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... |