Law & Order: Criminal Intent (season 4)
# Law & Order: Criminal Intent (season 4)

The fourth season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent premiered on NBC on September 26, 2004, and ended May 25, 2005. The series remained in its time slot of Sundays at 9 PM/8c, but the season finale episode "False-Hearted Judges" aired on Wednesday, May 25, 2005, at 10 PM ET/9 CT.

Stars Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, Jamey Sheridan, and Courtney B. Vance returned for the fourth season. Around mid-season, star Vincent D'Onofrio fainted twice from exhaustion, once on set and again at his home. Writers René Balcer and Elizabeth Benjamin won an Edgar Award in the category Best Episode in a Television Series Teleplay, for the episode "Want". Almost three months before the fourth season finale, it was announced Chris Noth would join the show in the fifth season, alternating episodes with D'Onofrio, due to his health issues at the time.

## Production

NBC renewed Law & Order: Criminal Intent for a fourth season on May 12, 2004. On Sundays during the 2003-2004 broadcast network TV season, Law & Order: CI was undefeated in its third season against regular competition in 18–49 and was the only NBC regular series to win that time slot in the last eight years.

In a broadcast network first, Law & Order: Criminal Intent viewers chose the fate of Detective Robert Goren's nemesis, Nicole Wallace (Olivia d'Abo): whether she lives or dies at the end of the episode "Great Barrier" (aired originally on October 17, 2004). Two versions of the episode were shot before the voting began on October 6 and ended October 20, 2004. The East Coast viewers saw Wallace live; the West Coast viewers saw her die. More than 116,000 viewers cast a vote online. "We are very gratified by the response," said show runner-executive producer René Balcer, "We've always seen this as a gift to our fans, to thank them for their continuing dedication to the series. Live or die, we'll abide by their decision." The choice of Wallace living became the outcome, but Wallace is believed to be killed in the seventh season by Detective Goren's mentor, Dr. Declan Gage (John Glover). But having fooled Declan Gage and faked her own death, Wallace reappeared in 2013 in Paris in the "Catacombs" episode of the series Jo featuring Jean Reno and Jill Hennessy and created by René Balcer.

Previous original Law & Order actor Chris Noth guest-stars in the episode "Stress Position" as his character Detective Mike Logan before returning to join the cast for the fifth season.

## Cast

### Primary cast

* Vincent D'Onofrio as Detective Robert Goren
* Kathryn Erbe as Detective Alexandra Eames
* Jamey Sheridan as Captain James Deakins
* Courtney B. Vance as ADA Ron Carver

### Recurring cast

* Leslie Hendrix as Chief Medical Examiner Elizabeth Rodgers

### Notable guest stars

* Olivia d'Abo as Nicole Wallace
* Chris Noth as Detective Mike Logan
* Neil Patrick Harris as John Tagman
* Francie Swift as Nelda Carlson
* Tatum O'Neal as Kelly Garnett
* Frank Whaley as Mitch Godel
* Mara Hobel as April Callaway
* Carrie Preston as Doreen Whitlock
* Sam Robards as Paul Whitlock
* Jack Metzger as Billy Whitlock
* Callie Thorne as Sheila Bradley
* Robert Carradine as David Blake/Roger Withers
* Wayne Duvall as Unit Counselor Kurt Plumm
* Matt Servitto as Jim Radcliff
* Melissa Leo as Maureen Curtis
* Bronson Pinchot as Dr. Gregory Ross
* Darrell Hammond as Leonard Timmons
* Elizabeth Keifer as Marie Adair
* David Andrews as Lloyd Wilkes
* Michael Rispoli as Former Chief of Detectives Frank Adair

## Episodes

| No. in series | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 67 | 1 | "Semi-Detached" | Frank Prinzi | S : René Balcer; S/T : Gerry Conway | September 26, 2004 (2004-09-26) | E5404 | 12.67 |
| The investigation into the deaths of a shock jock (Fisher Stevens) and the housekeeper who supplied the pain killers to which he was once addicted leads Goren and Eames to a detox clinic staff member whose mental illness hits Goren close to home. ||||||||
| 68 | 2 | "The Posthumous Collection" | Jean de Segonzac | S : René Balcer; S/T : Marlane Meyer | October 3, 2004 (2004-10-03) | E4525 | 11.00 |
| The investigation into the death of a famous photographer (Sam Tsoutsouvas) leads to the discovery of multiple homicides committed by the collaborator on his latest project (Glenn Fitzgerald), who was attempting to exorcise demons from his past through an artistic expression the photographer soon found intolerable. ||||||||
| 69 | 3 | "Want" | Frank Prinzi | S : René Balcer; S/T : Elizabeth Benjamin | October 10, 2004 (2004-10-10) | E5407 | 12.81 |
| After he gets into the head of John Tagman (guest star Neil Patrick Harris), a man driven to torture, murder, and cannibalism by overwhelming despair and loneliness, Goren surprises his colleagues with a passionate plea that the man be spared the death penalty, and engineers the confession that will save the man's life through a plea bargain. ||||||||
| 70 | 4 | "Great Barrier" | Frank Prinzi | S : René Balcer; S/T : Diana Son | October 17, 2004 (2004-10-17) | E5402 | 11.92 |
| When Goren and Eames search for a jewel thief who murdered her accomplice, they discover that the clever larcenies are the brainchild of her lover, Nicole Wallace (special guest star Olivia d'Abo), Goren's long-standing nemesis. As the detectives delve into the personal and working relationships between the two women, they uncover a plot to cause the death of Wallace's ex-husband, the only person who can lead them to evidence of the very first murder Wallace committed. ||||||||
| 71 | 5 | "Eosphoros" | Alex Zakrzewski | S : René Balcer; T : Stephanie Sengupta | October 24, 2004 (2004-10-24) | E5401 | 12.40 |
| When Goren and Eames investigate the death of a prominent atheist and her kidnappers, they discover that the crime, fueled by a need for sympathy and publicity as well as greed, began close to home. ||||||||
| 72 | 6 | "In the Dark" | Alex Chapple | S : René Balcer; S/T : Jim Sterling | October 31, 2004 (2004-10-31) | E5403 | 11.51 |
| During the investigation into the deaths of several homeless people, Goren and Eames uncover a series of frauds that lead them to a woman (Rutanya Alda) in the early stages of dementia and the man (Geoffrey Lewis) who is willing to commit murder to demonstrate his devotion for her. ||||||||
| 73 | 7 | "Magnificat" | Frank Prinzi | S : René Balcer; S/T : Diana Son | November 7, 2004 (2004-11-07) | E5414 | 11.53 |
| Goren and Eames are frustrated when the law has no provision for the arrest of a man whose abusive control of his family and neglect of his severely depressed wife led her to several murder-suicide attempts that he did nothing to prevent, which eventually resulted in the deaths of three of his sons. ||||||||
| 74 | 8 | "Silver Lining" | Kevin Dowling | S : René Balcer; S/T : Marlane Meyer | November 14, 2004 (2004-11-14) | E5409 | 15.16 |
| A master thief who specializes in stealing antique silver from wealthy families across the country is finally captured after his pregnant wife takes desperate measures when an appraiser threatens to ruin her white-picket-fence dreams of the future. Based on Blane Nordahl. ||||||||
| 75 | 9 | "Inert Dwarf" | Alex Chapple | S : René Balcer; S/T : Warren Leight | November 21, 2004 (2004-11-21) | E5408 | 13.47 |
| A world-renowned physicist (Austin Pendleton) resorts to murder to avoid being humiliated by his failure to prove a controversial theory of quantum physics for which he has spent his career espousing. ||||||||
| 76 | 10 | "View from Up Here" | Alex Chapple | S : René Balcer; S/T : Jim Sterling | January 2, 2005 (2005-01-02) | E5410 | 14.85 |
| A nanny confesses to murdering a condo association president and a second attempted murder that she claims God told her to commit. The common links were both victims had lived in the same poorly constructed building and they were rumored to be having an affair. ||||||||
| 77 | 11 | "Gone" | Christopher Swartout | S : René Balcer; S/T : Stephanie Sengupta | January 9, 2005 (2005-01-09) | E5406 | 13.23 |
| Goren matches wits with a one-time chess prodigy (Robert Carradine) who has become a fugitive when the body of a young woman is found tossed in the trash. ||||||||
| 78 | 12 | "Collective" | Frank Prinzi | S : René Balcer; S/T : Gerry Conway | January 30, 2005 (2005-01-30) | E5411 | 14.26 |
| A female con artist (Kim Director) who frequented fantasy conventions is found dead, and the reason can only be discovered in the stifling confines of the small literary fandom to which her latest victim belonged. ||||||||
| 79 | 13 | "Stress Position" | Frank Prinzi | S : Warren Leight & René Balcer; S/T : Charlie Rubin | February 13, 2005 (2005-02-13) | E5416 | 13.53 |
| When a prison guard is murdered, Eames and Goren investigate, only to discover they've riled the feathers of Mike Logan (special guest star Chris Noth), a Staten Island detective who happens to be dating the nurse at the prison. Logan joins the duo to find out exactly what is happening at the prison. This episode was inspired by the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal. ||||||||
| 80 | 14 | "Sex Club" | Alex Chapple | S : René Balcer; S/T : Elizabeth Benjamin | February 20, 2005 (2005-02-20) | E5415 | 9.04 |
| When Goren and Eames investigate the death of the new owner of a "little black book" once belonging to legendary playboy George Merritt (Peter Bogdanovich), they uncover the marital indiscretions of a U.S. Senatorial candidate involving sex clubs. However Goren soon discovers his ex-wife (Rosanna Arquette) is holding a more shameful secret. ||||||||
| 81 | 15 | "Death Roe" | Rick Wallace | S : René Balcer; S/T : Warren Leight | March 13, 2005 (2005-03-13) | E5405 | 15.72 |
| After a food critic is found beaten to death, Goren and Eames turn their suspicion to the chef at the last restaurant she visited. Unfortunately, Joshua Mailer has also gone missing, and their investigation then turns to his father-in-law (Chris Penn), the owner and head chef of another very popular restaurant in the city. An off-the-cuff comment tips Goren off to the fact that all is not well in the Onorato household. ||||||||
| 82 | 16 | "Ex Stasis" | Bill L. Norton | S : René Balcer; S/T : Diana Son | March 20, 2005 (2005-03-20) | E5419 | 12.35 |
| When a young woman is shot during an unscheduled appointment, Goren and Eames investigate her death and learn she had received a kidney transplant a few years earlier. Initially, they believe Vanessa Nikos may have been killed so her organs could be harvested, but soon learn her death was more closely connected with the organ she initially received from living donor Boyce Wainwright (Gregg Edelman). When her shooter, who is also awaiting an organ transplant, is found dead, the police realize that they're onto something. ||||||||
| 83 | 17 | "Shibboleth" | Darnell Martin | S : René Balcer; S/T : Stephanie Sengupta | March 27, 2005 (2005-03-27) | E5418 | 10.70 |
| When Phoebe Morton is murdered while on the phone with a 9-1-1 operator, Goren and Eames take the case and soon realize that Morton is one of five women murdered with a similar connection: the killer known as Body By Jake (B.B.J.). Their investigation leads them to Keith Durbin (Paul Sparks), a recently released parolee who appears to be a perfect suspect. Goren has his suspicions about Durbin, who doesn't seem to Goren to be the right suspect. When they learn there are similar earlier murders, Goren and Eames focus their attention on a new suspect, and realize that, although he's not guilty, Durbin is the key. ||||||||
| 84 | 18 | "The Good Child" | Jean de Segonzac | S : René Balcer; S/T : Marlane Meyer | April 3, 2005 (2005-04-03) | E5421 | 12.98 |
| After Dennis and Camille Burnett are found murdered in their home, the only survivor is their twenty-year-old daughter, Rachel. Because the Burnetts had been in the witness protection program, Goren and Eames initially suspect someone connected with a crime family had the Burnetts killed. The detectives soon realize that the connection isn't the parents; it's the daughter. Suspicion then turns to the daughter's biological parents (John Shea and Melissa Leo) and her birth father's very jealous wife. ||||||||
| 85 | 19 | "Beast" | Frank Prinzi | S : René Balcer; S/T : Gina Gionfriddo | April 10, 2005 (2005-04-10) | E5420 | 10.94 |
| When Lisa Ross is brought into the emergency room with a severe case of chloracne, suspicion quickly turns to her husband Greg (Bronson Pinchot), a well-known dentist, especially after she dies. During their investigation, Goren and Eames hear whispers about Lisa's infidelities, but the real break comes when they learn that Lisa was not the first woman to whom Greg Ross had been connected who had died of the same symptoms. ||||||||
| 86 | 20 | "No Exit" | Jean de Segonzac | S : René Balcer; S/T : Gerry Conway | May 1, 2005 (2005-05-01) | E5423 | 11.60 |
| When five young people are found dead by the railroad tracks, Goren and Eames initially write them off as suicides until their investigation reveals one of the victims had no desire to be part of a suicide pact. Although they begin looking into a website that gives instructions on how to commit suicide, the investigation leads the detectives to the unsolved suicide of one of the victim's co-workers, who had once testified against the company in a harassment suit. ||||||||
| 87 | 21 | "The Unblinking Eye" | Frank Prinzi | S : René Balcer; S/T : Jim Sterling | May 8, 2005 (2005-05-08) | E5424 | 11.54 |
| After a young actress (Jicky Schnee) is gunned down after an evening out with her boyfriend (Jeff Hephner), Goren and Eames initially focus their attention on a young man who had showed an unusual interest in the couple, but soon realize that there is more to this case than meets the eye. A jealous and seemingly obsessive ex-girlfriend, a best friend (Pablo Schreiber) who never made it as an actor, and a grieving boyfriend who seems too good to be true lead Goren and Eames down another path, one where the key to exposing the truth about the present depends on exposing the lies of the past. Features the uncredited off-screen voice of Matt Damon as himself. ||||||||
| 88 | 22 | "My Good Name" | Alex Zakrzewski | S : René Balcer; S/T : Warren Leight | May 15, 2005 (2005-05-15) | E5422 | 10.32 |
| When the body of a man is found and it soon becomes obvious the body has been moved, Eames and Goren investigate the death of Walter Czabo, whose wife has been sleeping with a decorated former police officer who happens to have close ties to Deakins. The suspects start piling up, starting with Frank Adair (guest star Michael Rispoli) and leading to his controlling publicist, but as long as Deakins lacks good, hard proof, he is reluctant to go after his friend, who wields a lot of local influence. ||||||||
| 89 | 23 | "False-Hearted Judges" | Jean de Segonzac | S : René Balcer; S/T : Diana Son | May 25, 2005 (2005-05-25) | E5426 | 14.98 |
| It's open season in New York when not one but two powerful judges are executed. At first they seem to have no connection; one was a family court judge whose entire family was attacked and the other is an appellate court judge. After investigating the judges more thoroughly, Goren and Eames realize that their first set of suspects was simply a smokescreen, and there is a far more insidious threat. Their investigation leads them to a non-custodial father (David Andrews) who has a beef with the court system. ||||||||
