In a week where a convicted felon has once again risen to the Presidency, it feels like a fitting metaphor for this episode's exploration of how the wealthy and powerful manipulate a system. Apologies if my political views are showing. 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. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved
A dean from a prep school is bludgeoned to death outside her home. Detectives Riley and Shaw learn from the husband that the mother of two had no known enemies. I appreciated the specificity in his account of how he spent a typical day working remotely from home, preparing his wife's favorite dish, broccoli puree, only to find her suddenly gone.
Using all their usual tools, the detectives identify suspect number one, a parent who is upset about his son's essay failure. Echoing the Hollywood college cheating scandal, the victim, Meredith West, was a “fixer” of sorts for Ellsworth prep school. She made sure that students, whose families had the money to financially support the school, received “extra time” to complete standardized tests like the SATs. The parent, caught on video yelling at West, admitted that his son, a sophomore, faced intense pressure to get into a prestigious school and was disadvantaged by the denial of his request for time accommodations. The detectives asked him if he was angry enough to kill. He said no. In fact, the man 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. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved
In many ways, this episode is about parent-child boundaries. For example, we are introduced to one of Lt. Brady's two sons. One of her sons, Leo, according to his brother, is on the road to sobriety and has a gig that he wants his mom to attend. She clearly enforces the boundary between her and her addict son by refusing to attend his performance, despite his brother's plea. Her refusal is deeply frustrating and saddening.
The victim’s calendar shows she went to meet someone who died years ago. Could this person be the killer? No. Suspect number two is never the killer, but we get further evidence that Ms. West was a fixer for the school. The woman using the dead woman’s identity had had an "inappropriate relationship" with an 18-year-old student. The school paid her six-figures and let her live in housing owned by the school in exchange for her silence in the form of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). West had come to tell her that her “time” to live rent-free was up. Det. Shaw commented on how “cushy” her landing had been after being fired no doubt believing this was the basis of a motive for murder. The woman denied this, saying West treated her fairly. She told the detectives that West left to go home but was complaining about being stuck in "extra time hell."
“Time Will Tell” – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: Jeremy Shamos as Dr. Carlton Kelly. Photo by: Will Hart/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved
The detectives head to the school to speak with Dean Kelly, where they’re kept cooling their heels. Why? To their surprise, DA Baxter was already there. It turns out Baxter is a graduate of Ellsworth. His children also graduated from Ellsworth, and he currently serves on the school's board of directors. Dun Dun! You can see the nearly imperceptible, but immediate recoil from the detectives as they question if the DA is somehow interfering with their investigation on behalf of his alma mater. Baxter can sense their doubts and, in a haughty manner, directs the detectives to do their job.
Riley and Shaw learn two things from the Dean. One. A witness saw a small person wearing a green hoodie. Two. Lisa Dumont, the parent of a scholarship student, was upset with Theresa West because her daughter, medically diagnosed with debilitating anxiety, was not granted a time accommodation. Ultimately, the third and final suspect was identified. 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 Price. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved
The girl is fragile, confused, and on the verge of falling apart. She is also 18 and confirms that she understood her Miranda rights. Lt. Brady interrogates Emily. The kid only wants to go home and study for her college entrance exam that is coming up on Saturday. Lt. Brady decides to lie to Emily, assuring her that if she reveals what happened with West, she will be allowed to return home. The editing shifts to Riley and Shaw, who were observing the girl’s interview. They shoot each other an uncomfortable glance. Emily admits to hitting West with her field hockey stick as she was walking away. "How many times did you hit her?" Lt. Brady asked. "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'm suggesting that the lesser charge should be taken into consideration." 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
