Golden Years (5 Jan. 1994)

A young woman is accused of starving her grandmother to death because she wanted to receive her share of the inheritance faster.

Director:

Helaine Head

Writers:

Doug Palau (teleplay), Doug Palau (story),

Stars:

Jerry Orbach, Chris Noth, S. Epatha Merkerson

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Jerry Orbach	...	Detective Lennie Briscoe
Chris Noth	...	Detective Mike Logan
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Lt. Anita Van Buren
Michael Moriarty	...	Executive A.D.A. Ben Stone
Jill Hennessy	...	A.D.A. Claire Kincaid
Steven Hill	...	D.A. Adam Schiff
Carolyn McCormick	...	Dr. Elizabeth Olivet (credit only)
Jan Miner	...	Edna Hodge
Julie Dretzin	...	Laura Bauer
Tovah Feldshuh	...	Danielle Melnick
Denise Hernandez	...	Maria Gonzalez
Doris Belack	...	Judge Margaret Barry
Frederica Meister	...	Eileen Bauer
Michael Ryan	...	Charlie Meadow
Paula Laurence	...	Mrs. Silverman

Storyline

An elderly woman is found dead in her apartment and there is evidence of a burglary. The victim's granddaughter tells the detectives that she had hired a live-in caregiver but she is nowhere to be found. When the caregiver is tracked down she claims to have been fired days earlier by the granddaughter.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 January 1994 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolf Films, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Laura and Fr. Frawley say that the Catholic Church doesn't allow Christian burials for people who died by their own hand. That is no longer the case; Canon law was changed in 1983 (ten years before this episode was made) to allow suicide victims to be given Christian funerals.

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Quotes

Adam Schiff: You and the girl's lawyer want to pressure her into pleading to a lesser charge that she might *not* be guilty of so she won't be convicted of a more serious charge that she *might* be guilty of? Does that make sense?
Ben Stone: With our system and imperfect knowledge? Yes.

User Reviews

Health Rationing In Vivo.

An eighty-two year old lady is found dead in her apartment. There are signs of a break in. Brisco and Logan track down the maid, who shied away from events for fear of being deported. They also contact the old lady's granddaughter who, it develops, starved the old woman to death, partly out of sympathy for a person in pain, partly perhaps for personal gain.

The plot isn't a simple one. It doesn't depict a Manichaean universe of good and evil. Everyone's motives are mixed. It's one of the things that made this such an unusual series. Religion plays a part too. Starvation was a preferable alternative to suicide, but whether this is a subterfuge by the defendant is impossible to determine.

As usual, story development are sketched in by a series of interviews, closely edited sessions by the cops, and occasional wisecracks about Brisco's alcoholism and Logan's love life.