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Law & Order - Elizabeth Rohm on Law & Order
Expert: Kitt Montague - 9/1/2008
Question
In which episode was Serena fired? And why? I know Fred Thompson did it. I
know it wasn't because she was a lesbian. I watch all the L&O I can on TNT,
but I haven't seen this episode repeated, or have missed the crucial parts.
I don't care about the lesbian stuff, but I'm also interested in how many
assistants Jack McCoy bedded and why Jill Henesey's death wasn't dealt with
more than it was.
And for that matter, why Lennie's daughter's death (and his ultimate revenge)
was never dealt with more.
These things really intrigue me (and keep me watching, even though they're
all ancient re-runs).
Allen
Answer
Allen,
Greetings. First of all, the specific answers:
Serena was fired in "Ain't No Love," which initially aired on January 12, 2005. The IMDb page for the episode is here:
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0629150/
The information on Jack McCoy's love life (and a whole lot of other stuff about the character) is detailed here:
http://www.podengo.com/apocrypha/characters/mccoy.html
But the quick summary on the assistants he slept with is:
1) McCoy's first "ex-wife," never named.
2) Sally Bell
3) Diana Hawthorne
4) Claire Kincaid
It's a subject Claire confronts him with in their first interaction, which goes like this:
Claire: "I spoke to Mr. Schiff. He said you requested me."
Jack: "As soon as I heard Ben had resigned. Your reputation precedes you."
Claire: "As does yours. Including your … relationships … with previous assistants."
Jack: "Three. In the past twenty-four years in this office -- and that includes an ex-wife."
Claire, then, makes 4. There's been no indication since then that he's dallied with any assistants.
OK. Now, for the bigger question you're asking, which is why don't we get more details on these backstories. And the unsatisfying answer is this -- the show just doesn't do that. Each episode (or two-parter) is meant to be a self-contained event, during which vague references to previous occurrences may come out, but essentially each episode has to stand alone. That's the mandate of the show, and one of the reasons it reruns so well. You don't have to know anything about anyone to watch an episode, and it delivers every time. Jerry Orbach once joked that the only way he'd get an Emmy nomination is if his partner dies in his arms -- it's just well recognized that the show is not about being in any way soap opera-ish in terms of continuing arcs.
The lack of information can be frustrating. But I actually prefer it. Just about every other show on has some kind of continuing element, and the lack of it on "Law & Order" (and the general lack of it on "SVU" and "CI," though to much lesser degrees on those spinoffs) makes them very re-watchable, because you're being driven by story.
It also makes -- if you're into this sort of thing -- for a very rich fanfiction culture. There are a lot of stories around the Internet that explore the what ifs, and the stories behind the little dribs and drabs of personal details that come out here and there. For years, no one on the show would even confirm that Claire had *died* even though it was perfectly obvious she had, because ultimately they learned they made a mistake. By killing her off and making it clear later on that they had, Jill Hennessy could never come back to the show.
So I hope this answers some of what you were asking about!
--Kitt
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