Stone and Robinette go after a defense contractor, as well as his lawyer and the hit-man he allegedly hired, after two men are killed and a whistle-blower who planned to testify against him ... Read allStone and Robinette go after a defense contractor, as well as his lawyer and the hit-man he allegedly hired, after two men are killed and a whistle-blower who planned to testify against him goes missing.Stone and Robinette go after a defense contractor, as well as his lawyer and the hit-man he allegedly hired, after two men are killed and a whistle-blower who planned to testify against him goes missing.
Photos
- Defense Attorney Werner
- (as Joseph Urla)
- Tina McManus
- (as Lisa Ryall)
- John Blanchard
- (as Edmond Genest)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode appears to be based on the 1982 Donald Nash case. In 1982, Irwin Margolies hired Donald Nash to kill Margaret Barbera and Jenny Soo Chin, who were cooperating with a Federal investigation into Margolie's $5.7-million-dollar fraud. On January 5 1982, Nash succeed in killing Chin, whose body was never found. On April 12, Nash would kill Barbera and also kill Leo Kuranuki, Robert Schulze, and Edward Benford--three CBS-TV technicians who the police believed were coming to Barbera's aid. Barbera's body was found in Manhattan the next morning. Nash was convicted of four counts of second-degree murder and a single count of conspiracy, and he was sentenced to 100 years in prison. Margolies was sentenced to 50 years for ordering the murders.
- GoofsNear the beginning, when Ceretta and Logan find Kemp on the train, that wasn't New York's underground Penn Station. Instead, it was New Jersey's street-level Hoboken station and those were New Jersey Transit's trains which don't go anywhere near Canada.
- Quotes
[last lines]
[Arthur Gold has just lost a case to Stone]
Arthur Gold: Call me for lunch.
[Gold drives away]
ADA Paul Robinette: You'd really eat lunch with him?
EADA Ben Stone: Only if he orders 'crow'.
One of Season 2's best episodes is its thirteenth, out of twenty two, "Severance". One of the most intriguing sounding stories of the season on paper, and an idea lived to near-full potential. "Severance" is a great episode and this close to being an early season high-point, and a perfect example of why 'Law and Order' was as good as it was in its prime and also pre-prime (the latter being more the case for this episode).
Also would have liked to have the character of Teasdale to be even more developed than he was, did think his motives especially could have done with more depth as they didn't seem as clear as they ought to have been.
Do agree too that Gold's legal mistake was quite sloppy, especially for a lawyer as brilliant as he.
However, "Severance" is great everywhere else. The writing and performances are top notch. While the whole episode is intelligently and deftly written, it's the whole interaction/sparring between Stone and Gold that really makes things worthwhile. It is truly entertaining, sometimes tense and never less than intriguing, it's brilliant writing and some of the best character interaction of the season (maybe even of the early seasons).
The story throughout is compelliing and intricate with its fair share of surprises that don't convolute the storytelling. While the police investigations are handled very well and Carreta and Logan are much more settled now, the legal scenes are in a different league and a joy to watch. A good thing considering that the episode is heavier on the legal side. While Stone is a juicy character, even juicier is Gold. Just love their chemistry together. Michael Moriarty and George Grizzard give some of their best work of the show here, while Steve Rankin sends shivers down the spine. Despite having reservations about his character, any fault does not lie with Sam Groom who does a great job.
In conclusion, great. 9/10
- TheLittleSongbird
- Mar 25, 2020