Want (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
Encyclopedia
"Want" is the third episode of the fourth season of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent
. Written by Elizabeth Benjamin
and René Balcer
, the episode won the 2005 Edgar Award
for Best Television Episode Teleplay. It was inspired by the crimes of serial killer
Jeffrey Dahmer
.
and Eames
investigate the murder of a night club stripper found beaten to death with part of her calf
missing. John Tagman (Neil Patrick Harris
), a shy, lonely young man, becomes the focus of the investigation. When Tagman subjects his next victim to a crude lobotomy
— leaving her alive, but with permanent brain damage — Goren and Eames discover that his crimes include cannibalism
.
During the investigation, Goren comes to empathize with Tagman, believing he is driven by unbearable loneliness and that he feels remorse for his actions. Goren surprises his partners with a passionate plea that the man be spared the death penalty, urging an unmoved Carver
to seek life imprisonment
instead. After Goren coerces Tagman into an emotional confession, Carver reluctantly arranges a deal. In an unexpected twist ending, however, Tagman is beaten to death by another prisoner, prompting Eames to remark to both Goren and Carver: "It looks like now everybody got what they want."
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...
. Written by Elizabeth Benjamin
Elizabeth Benjamin
Elizabeth Benjamin is a producer and writer better known for her collaborations in the TV series Bones and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Selected collaborations:...
and René Balcer
René Balcer
René Balcer is a Canadian television writer, director and producer.-Early life:He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and attended Lower Canada College in Montreal. He earned his B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Communication Studies from Concordia University in 1978. He began his career as a journalist,...
, the episode won the 2005 Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
for Best Television Episode Teleplay. It was inspired by the crimes of serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was an American serial killer and sex offender. Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, with the majority of the murders occurring between 1987 and 1991. His murders involved rape, dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism...
.
Plot summary
In this episode, 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 a night club stripper found beaten to death with part of her calf
Calf (anatomy)
In human anatomy the calf is the back portion of the lower leg . In terms of muscle systems, the calf corresponds to the posterior compartment of the leg. Within the posterior compartment, the two largest muscles are known together as the calf muscle and attach to the heel via the Achilles tendon...
missing. John Tagman (Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
), a shy, lonely young man, becomes the focus of the investigation. When Tagman subjects his next victim to a crude lobotomy
Lobotomy
Lobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...
— leaving her alive, but with permanent brain damage — Goren and Eames discover that his crimes include cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
.
During the investigation, Goren comes to empathize with Tagman, believing he is driven by unbearable loneliness and that he feels remorse for his actions. Goren surprises his partners with a passionate plea that the man be spared the death penalty, urging an unmoved 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...
to seek life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
instead. After Goren coerces Tagman into an emotional confession, Carver reluctantly arranges a deal. In an unexpected twist ending, however, Tagman is beaten to death by another prisoner, prompting Eames to remark to both Goren and Carver: "It looks like now everybody got what they want."
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 |