Disciple (24 Feb. 1999)

A rebellious child dies during an unsanctioned exorcism ceremony. The defendant claims that St. Michael instructed her to perform it.

Director:

Martha Mitchell

Writers:

Dick Wolf (creator), Richard Sweren (teleplay),

Stars:

Jerry Orbach, Benjamin Bratt, S. Epatha Merkerson

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Jerry Orbach	...	Detective Lennie Briscoe
Benjamin Bratt	...	Detective Rey Curtis
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Lt. Anita Van Buren
Sam Waterston	...	Jack McCoy
Angie Harmon	...	A.D.A. Abbie Carmichael
Steven Hill	...	D.A. Adam Schiff
Frances Conroy	...	Rosa Halasy
Wendell Pierce	...	Mr. Wade
Sylva Kelegian	...	Margo Grayson
Reathel Bean
Steven Randazzo
Mel Rodriguez	...	Bill Crawford (as Melvin Rodriguez)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Bartlett	...	Judge Thomas Orlin
Stephen Beach	...	Father O'Donnell
Susan Blackwell	...	Erica Castle

Storyline

A rebellious child dies during an unsanctioned exorcism ceremony. The defendant claims that St. Michael instructed her to perform it.

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Plot Keywords:

priest | nun

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 February 1999 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolf Films, Studios USA Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (1970)

User Reviews

Caedite Omnes.

A woman is stressed out by her hyperactive teen-aged daughter, having lost two jobs, being punched in the nose, and unable to find help or respite anywhere. So she brings her daughter to an ex nun who performs an exorcism ritual and manages to kill the kid.

It's a conundrum. The mother pleads to manslaughter but it seems hardly her fault, since she was driven to distraction and wasn't present when the accidental death took place. On the stand, she's very convincing.

And the ex nun is practically a paragon of selflessness, devoting her life and its skimpy resources to helping the homeless and the poor with no assistance from outside. She claims that all her activities were guided by the voice of St. Michael the Archangel, who acted as a messenger between her and God. She's convincing too. She's play by Frances Conroy, who has plain and undistinguished features.

It's all twisted and it puts the DA's office into an avoidance/avoidance conflict, which leads to a laughable exchange.

Angie Harmon: I don't want that woman on the street killing any more children.

Sam Waterston: And I don't feel like challenging this woman's religious beliefs on the stand.

Steven Hill: Alright. Split the difference. Prove that a saint committed murder.

Of course the subject is serious enough. Suppose a religious culture demands that an adulteress be stoned to death. Is that more justified than an accidental death during a curing ritual, or worse? How about Joan of Arc? How about ANY case in which an attempt to do good results in a bad outcome?