In every week the place a convicted felon has as soon as once more risen to the Presidency, it appears like a becoming metaphor for this episode’s exploration of how the rich and highly effective manipulate a system. Apologies if my political opinions are displaying. Regardless, this week’s episode, “Time Will Tell, was terrific and worth watching. Lt. Jessica Brady, ADA Nolan Price, and DA Baxter debate ethical dilemmas, scramble to justify their choices while pondering what implications will follow, while trying to keep their moral compasses pointing north. Let’s STUDY it, shall we?
“Time Will Tell” – LAW & ORDER – Pictured: Reid Scott as Det. Vincent Riley. Picture by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved
A dean from a prep faculty is bludgeoned to loss of life outdoors her dwelling. Detectives Riley and Shaw study from the husband that the mom of two had no recognized enemies. I appreciated the specificity in his account of how he spent a typical day working remotely from dwelling, making ready his spouse’s favourite dish, broccoli puree, solely to search out her instantly gone.
Utilizing all their standard instruments, the detectives establish suspect primary, a mother or father who’s upset about his son’s essay failure. Echoing the Hollywood school dishonest scandal, the sufferer, Meredith West, was a “fixer” of kinds for Ellsworth prep faculty. She made positive that college students, whose households had the cash to financially help the varsity, acquired “extra time” to finish standardized assessments just like the SATs. The mother or father, caught on video yelling at West, admitted that his son, a sophomore, confronted intense stress to get right into a prestigious faculty and was deprived by the denial of his request for time lodging. The detectives requested him if he was indignant sufficient to kill. He stated no. Actually, the person felt West “held the school together.”
“Time Will Tell” – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (l-r) Maura Tierney as Lt. Jessica Brady, Steve M. Robertson as Ryan Brady. Picture by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved
In some ways, this episode is about parent-child boundaries. For instance, we’re launched to one in every of Lt. Brady’s two sons. Certainly one of her sons, Leo, in accordance with his brother, is on the highway to sobriety and has a gig that he desires his mother to attend. She clearly enforces the boundary between her and her addict son by refusing to attend his efficiency, regardless of his brother’s plea. Her refusal is deeply irritating and saddening.
The sufferer’s calendar reveals she went to fulfill somebody who died years in the past. Might this particular person be the killer? No. Suspect quantity two is rarely the killer, however we get additional proof that Ms. West was a fixer for the varsity. The girl utilizing the useless lady’s id had had an “inappropriate relationship” with an 18-year-old pupil. The varsity paid her six-figures and let her stay in housing owned by the varsity in alternate for her silence within the type of a non-disclosure settlement (NDA). West had come to inform her that her “time” to stay rent-free was up. Det. Shaw commented on how “cushy” her touchdown had been after being fired little doubt believing this was the premise of a motive for homicide. The girl denied this, saying West handled her pretty. She advised the detectives that West left to go dwelling however was complaining about being caught in “extra time hell.”
“Time Will Tell” – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: Jeremy Shamos as Dr. Carlton Kelly. Picture by: Will Hart/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved
The detectives head to the varsity to talk with Dean Kelly, the place they’re stored cooling their heels. Why? To their shock, DA Baxter was already there. It seems Baxter is a graduate of Ellsworth. His youngsters additionally graduated from Ellsworth, and he at present serves on the varsity’s board of administrators. Dun Dun! You possibly can see the practically imperceptible, however quick recoil from the detectives as they query if the DA is by some means interfering with their investigation on behalf of his alma mater. Baxter can sense their doubts and, in a haughty method, directs the detectives to do their job.
Riley and Shaw study two issues from the Dean. One. A witness noticed a small particular person sporting a inexperienced hoodie. Two. Lisa Dumont, the mother or father of a scholarship pupil, was upset with Theresa West as a result of her daughter, medically identified with debilitating anxiousness, was not granted a time lodging. In the end, the third and remaining suspect was recognized. The daughter, Emily, was taken into custody.
“Time Will Tell” – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (l-r) Odelya Halevi as ADA Samantha Maroun, Hugh Dancy as ADA Nolan Worth. Picture by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved
The woman is fragile, confused, and on the verge of falling aside. She can be 18 and confirms that she understood her Miranda rights. Lt. Brady interrogates Emily. The child solely desires to go dwelling and research for her school entrance examination that’s arising on Saturday. Lt. Brady decides to mislead Emily, assuring her that if she reveals what occurred with West, she will likely be allowed to return dwelling. The modifying shifts to Riley and Shaw, who had been observing the woman’s interview. They shoot one another an uncomfortable look. Emily admits to hitting West together with her subject hockey stick as she was strolling away. “How many times did you hit her?” Lt. Brady requested. “Two, maybe three.” “Where is the hockey stick?” Emily answered that she threw it away near her apartment but didn’t say the exact location. Emily asked, “Can I go home now?” “No,” Brady replied.
ADA Samatha (Sam) Maroun acknowledges the importance of considering Emily’s age and mental capacity. In my opinion, Baxter aggressively asks Sam if she is suggesting manslaughter even though Emily confessed to the murder. Sam corrected him, saying, “I am suggesting that the lesser cost must be considered.” Baxter and Price wistfully recall the pressure they experienced at their respective prep schools. Samantha calls them back to reality, saying, “I went to public school. It was not the same thing.” The DA’s office agrees to charge Emily with murder.
The court sets Emily’s bail at $500,000. Her mom cries out that she doesn’t have $5,000 let alone $500,000. Emily’s lawyer hits the DA with a motion to suppress her confession. In judges’ chambers, DA Price and Emily’s lawyer debate what age means. The lawyer argues that age is more than chronology; it is mental capacity as well. Emily lacked the maturity to comprehend the consequences of confessing, especially after Lt. Brady lied to her about being able to go home. The DA’s argument that “legally, the police can lie” failed to persuade the judge, and Emily’s confession was thrown out.
“Time Will Tell” – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (l-r) Maureen Sebastian as Atty. Vanessa Keller, Odelya Halevi as ADA Samantha Maroun, Hugh Dancy as ADA Nolan Price. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Baxter and Price meet again to discuss the strength of the case without the confession. Baxter questions Price about calling Dean Kelly to testify. Price explains that Kelly can help establish motive by divulging the school’s accommodation scheme. Price wants to proceed with murder. DA Baxter wants him to offer Emily a plea. Price gently suggests that Baxter has a conflict of interest due to his entanglements with the school. The distrust and tension flares between these two.
Back in court, Price calls Kelly to the stand. He explains why kids are under so much pressure when competing to get into elite colleges. He quotes Proverbs, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Price calls this value into question. Through cross examination, he gets the Dean to confess that nearly 50% of students received accommodations due to parents’ manipulation of the system while denying a deserving, scholarship student, like Emily, who had a legitimate disorder. Price gets distracted momentarily when Baxter enters the courtroom. You could feel Price’s discomfort. You could see him wondering if Baxter was exercising some weird flex by showing up in court to perhaps influence the case. He shakes it off and continues. He calls Lt. Brady to testify. She reads damning emails Emily sent, including one that said, “I literally want to kill her.”
“Time Will Tell” – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: Cara Buono as Lisa Dumont. Photo by: Will Hart/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved
The defense calls Lisa Dumont, who confesses in dramatic fashion, saying, “Emily didn’t kill West because I did.” The courtroom erupts. Dumont, in a twist, is doing what she considers good parenting. She doesn’t have money, so she sacrifices her life to give her daughter a chance. Price wants to prosecute the actual guilty party, Emily. Baxter does not. He instructs Price to enter a plea of second-degree murder for Lisa, after which the daughter walks away. Price blanches at the idea of putting an innocent woman in jail for 20 years but offers the plea anyway. The judge warns Lisa Dumont that there is no going back once she accepts the plea. The courtroom erupts once more as Emily leaps to her feet, crying that her mother is lying. She killed West! Emily is removed from the courtroom. The judge accepts the plea and court officers take Lisa Dumont into custody.
In the closing moments, Lt. Brady gets a text from her son Ryan. He reported that Leo’s gig was a success and that they missed her. Affected by the sacrifice she had just witnessed a parent make for their child; she softens a bit. She calls Leo and leaves the following message: “Leo,” ironically following with, “It’s me, mom,” as if he wouldn’t remember. “Haven’t seen you in a while, and I don’t feel great about that.” Time will tell if her vulnerability and hope in this moment lead to a reconciliation with Leo. Ryan wants it. Leo probably needs it. It’s what moms do to protect their child. They relax their boundaries and keep the communication open.
So, did you find “Time Will Tell” as interesting as I did? What are your thoughts on lying to suspects during interrogations? I respond to comments, so leave me one.
Overall Rating:
8/10
Lynette Jones
