Nearly every Law And Order episode is taken from some headline somewhere if not within New York City itself. But this early episode came with a disclaimer at the end pointing out the very specific differences between the infamous Lisa Steinberg homicide and this episode.
A little girl is found in school unconscious and she's taken to the hospital and dies eventually. Investigation by George Dzundza and Chris Noth leads to the arrest of both parents played by David Groh and Marcia Jean Kurtz.
Groh is one evil monster in this episode. Hard to believe that the love of Rhoda Morgenstern's life could be the same guy. In real life Steinberg was a lawyer, here he's a snake oil psychologist. The better to control and manipulate his family.
But the real heart of the episode is the performance of Kurtz as the perfect battered spouse and probably participant in the child abuse. She's frightening in both her docility and the fact she's also incredibly narcissistic. Not two dual emotions to get easily, but Kurtz pulls it off.
Michael Moriarty was probably his most outraged best in prosecuting these two. Nicely done all around.
A little girl is found in school unconscious and she's taken to the hospital and dies eventually. Investigation by George Dzundza and Chris Noth leads to the arrest of both parents played by David Groh and Marcia Jean Kurtz.
Groh is one evil monster in this episode. Hard to believe that the love of Rhoda Morgenstern's life could be the same guy. In real life Steinberg was a lawyer, here he's a snake oil psychologist. The better to control and manipulate his family.
But the real heart of the episode is the performance of Kurtz as the perfect battered spouse and probably participant in the child abuse. She's frightening in both her docility and the fact she's also incredibly narcissistic. Not two dual emotions to get easily, but Kurtz pulls it off.
Michael Moriarty was probably his most outraged best in prosecuting these two. Nicely done all around.