Tonight’s episode of Law & Order ended with a fan favorite being suspended from the force, and the reason why makes what happened even worse. In tonight’s episode, detective Jalen Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) was approached by two officers who are on the search for a killer and don’t believe Shaw is a cop despite his repeated attempts to tell them. He confronts them and files to open an investigation into them, and that brings him issues with others on the force and an investigation into his actions. Unfortunately at the end of the episode, he finds out that his investigation is being closed but theirs into him is still open, and he is being suspended for a week with no pay.
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Earlier in the episode Lieutenant Kate Dixon (Camryn Manheim) tells him what to be prepared for, and that while things have improved, the blue wall is still very much alive and well. Shaw proceeds with things anyway, but at the end of the episode, Dixon tells him that unfortunately, that Blue Wall is not changing, and he turns over his badge and gun.
This is likely not the end of this particular storyline, and we’ll have to wait and see how things play out as the season moves forward. In a previous interview with Screen Rant, Brooks talked about joining the iconic show and trying to balance the things the show and its characters are known for while also putting his own spin on things.
“The biggest creative challenge, I think, was knowing that there is a DNA to Law and Order, particularly the originals, it’s challenging to come in and say, ‘I don’t want to challenge the DNA of the show, but I do want to put my own spin on it, I do want to put my own spin on the character, I do want to update certain things about the show, and I want to come in and bring an edge, and a voice of diversity that I’m not sure it’s had in quite some time.’ There’s something about taking that leap of faith, and walking off that cliff of creativity, into that dark place, and not knowing if the ground is gonna be there,” Brooks said.
“I think what you’ll see that we’re really proud of in this season is that Cosgrove and Shaw have banter, and we start to build a relationship in a way that, as a fan of Law and Order, I didn’t really see that. There’s just so much texture to their relationships, and conceptualization and differences and ways of doing things that cause some tension and cause some friction, but then also, they make this incredibly impactful team, and you see that chemistry every step of the way. So, it’s been challenging, and also very fulfilling to rise to that challenge of putting our own spin on what it is that everybody knows,” Brooks said.
You can watch new episodes of Law & Order on NBC at 7 PM CST every Thursday.
What did you think of the new episode? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things Law & Order with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
