Recapping the last episode of Law & Order is bittersweet, particularly since Monday's episode, "Rubber Room," was never intended to be the series' swan song. It was, however, to be S. Epatha Merkerson's last episode on the series, and as such, it celebrates the show's unsung hero, Lt. Anita van Buren.
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In the first case, a stabbing victim dies after being left at a hospital, and the investigation exposes an exploited family. In the second case, a television crew from a fashion makeover show finds a murder victim locked in a dog cage, and his wife becomes the prime suspect.
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The death of a young socialite points Lupo and Bernard toward the victim's cousin, and the ensuing investigation exposes a hefty inheritance, a secret romance, a fraudulent adoption and an unborn child.
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Crashers
Season 20, Episode 18
A model's body is set ablaze in an alley, kicking off an investigation that forces Lupo and Bernard to retrace the steps of two party crashers who made an appearance at a political event. Meanwhile, Lt. Van Buren faces health-care woes.
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Brazil
Season 20, Episode 17
A global-warming symposium becomes a crime scene after a scientist is poisoned and collapses during a speech. Detectives Lupo and Bernard initially suspect rivals from his field of study, but a messy custody battle points the investigation toward the victim's family. Tammy Blanchard, Tony Hale.
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A man shoots four police officers to death, and the investigation reveals a protective mother and evidence that the victims may have known the shooter. When an arrest is made, the ensuing trial pits cops and detectives against the prosecutors.
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Innocence
Season 20, Episode 15
Cutter takes on his mentor, Emily Ryan (Amy Madigan), when she tries to overturn the conviction of a man found guilty of a hate crime, and a secret from Cutter's past may affect the trial's outcome. Lisa Klein: Anna Chlumsky.
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A young woman's body is found in a hotel food-service cart, and the murder investigation turns up superficial evidence implicating a medical student who may be using a research project as a ruse to commit crimes. Ray Backlund: Timothy Busfield.
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In the first story, a family is found massacred at home, and the investigation turns up two prime suspects who have mental issues. In the second story, Lupo and Bernard probe the murder of a high-school student whose body was burned in a parking lot, and the probe uncovers a shocking cell-phone video, a shady educator and phony alibis.
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Blackmail
Season 20, Episode 12
Detectives Lupo and Bernard investigate the murder of a journalist, and the probe embroils a talk-show host (Samantha Bee) in a scandal involving numerous workplace liaisons and a blackmail attempt.
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Fed
Season 20, Episode 11
The disfigured body of a campaign volunteer is found with the word "FED" scrawled on his chest, kicking off an investigation that turns up numerous suspects. Rey Curtis: Benjamin Bratt.
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Shotgun
Season 20, Episode 10
An elderly man is forced to defend his shop from an armed robbery. The resulting investigation has Lupo and Bernard probing ulterior motives for the crime.
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The slaying of a witness in a murder trial kicks off an investigation that exposes a conspiracy rife with affairs, black-market dealings and drug cartels, and creates a predicament for ADA Connie Rubirosa and the remaining witnesses.
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Doped
Season 20, Episode 8
A fatal drunken-driving accident may be more than what it seems when a suspicious nasal spray is found at the scene. In the course of the investigation, Detectives Lupo and Bernard turn their attention toward the victim's boss (Rich Sommer).
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Detectives Lupo and Bernard find suitcases full of cash and drugs while investigating the murder of a rich young woman, and security-camera footage leads them to a drug cartel.
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A slain fashion-company owner puts detectives in the path of a photographer (Jeremy Beiler) who points them toward a Web site marred by threatening posts. Sid Maxwell: Rene Ifrah.
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Dignity
Season 20, Episode 5
A doctor who performed late-term abortions is found slain at a church, and the man's wife accuses a pro-life protester of the murder. Meanwhile, Lt. Van Buren receives troubling news, and Connie deals with a moral crisis.
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The death of a mother of 10 adopted, disabled kids kicks off an investigation that exposes an affair and a bid for reality-show stardom, which caused tension in the household. Larry Johnson: Jim Gaffigan.
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A musician's corpse turns up behind a trash can, along with a bag of money, kicking off an investigation that leads detectives to Don Sorenson (John Bolger) and what may be a kidnapping gone awry.
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The slaying of a crime-scene investigator turns the victim's unfaithful fiancé into a suspect, but an attack on a young journalist (Camille Chen) complicates the investigation.
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In the 20th-season opener, a war veteran's body is found in a university parking garage, and the subsequent murder investigation leads Lupo and Bernard to a law professor (David Alan Basche) who once worked for the Department of Justice. Greg Tanner: Creighton James.
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