‘Law & Order’ Recap: ‘No Good Deed’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

LAW & ORDER -- "No Good Deed" Episode 23012 -- Pictured: (l-r) Reid Scott as Det. Vincent Riley, Mehcad Brooks as Det. Jalen Shaw, Hugh Dancy as Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price -- (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 23012 of ‘Law & Order’. To Revisit the previous episode, click here.
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There are a great many goals that the creative team of a television series want to accomplish once they get a series order. For instance, they want their work to be loved by fans, and become can’t miss TV. So that a loyal audience settles in and spreads the word about the show. That way, it can receive multiple seasons, and television gods willing, become an iconic series in the process. One that celebrates the 100th Episode milestone that signifies that the creative team accomplished their mission. Sadly of course, that’s not always how it goes, but those are solid goals to shoot for, and 100 is solid episode count to chase. For it is one that only a select number of shows have reached and one that only a select number of shows… have exceeded.

If anything, milestones, and iconography are top of mind today, simply because last night, television history was made on NBC. For Law & Order aired its 500th Episode. A rare number that only a handful of shows have ever reached, and it is one that speaks to exceeding one’s goals since such a number makes this series more than iconic, but an outright staple of television, a legend if you will, and this particular series celebrated this milestone by offering up an episode that explored the core mission of the show. Which is to give us catharsis and an understanding that those who wear the badge and serve the public trust should push to make justice their goal above everything else, and ‘No Good Deed’ accomplished that feat, by way of quite the shocking discovery. 

In that, a respected and kind therapist was brutally murdered one night and assaulted as well and that put Riley on Shaw on the case, and they moved quickly to see who might want to harm the deceased and came to learn… it might have been someone from her past. For a former patient named Shawn Payne was one that she spoke of in her travels, in a negative light no less, and well… it just so happened that this twisted man, one who committed a bevy of awful crimes against women, was fresh out of prison. Thanks to a sour plea deal that Price negotiated in the hopes of not putting the victim, named Chelsea, through an emotional wringer. And of course, it didn’t take long for all signs to point to Payne being the perp and that brought about… one fascinating trial.

Wherein Price wanted badly to sit first chair to properly put this monster away for all time but was denied the chance. For Baxter wanted to personally ensure this case saw a guilty verdict come down. Which led to conflict between both men as they challenged one another regarding why this case was so important to them. But eventually, they put differences and drive aside because they both wanted one thing above all else… justice. They wanted this guy to properly pay for his repeated crimes so he could never cause harm again and once they understood the real goal, what they absolutely had to drive toward… they accomplished wonders. By finding flawless evidence to render a guilty verdict. Which came at the price of Chelsea’s mental health… unfortunately. But… a monster was locked away and Chelsea was in the hands of proper medical care.

In the end however, this case… really did make for an incredible 500th Episode of the show. Simply because, it really did lock down what Dick Wolf and his team want the show to accomplish on a regular basis, and it handled it through a compelling and unsettling case. One that engaged us enough that we too wanted justice, and we found our catharsis through Price and Baxter’s unity, and that made for a satisfying episode as well. One that we cannot emphasize enough, was so incredibly historic in nature. Because 500 Episodes really is quite the amazing accomplishment through and through, and well, at this point, the sky is the limit for a series that has put together that many incredible stories. For that number showcases the love fans have for the show, it’s importance to the television landscape and that it really has tapped into something special storytelling wise. So, we simply must tip our cap to the cast and crew on 500 amazing episodes, and here is to many, many, more. Until next time.

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