Thinking Makes It So 

Fontana is accused of using excessively violent tactics to force a kidnapping suspect to reveal the location of the victim. Prosecutors are left to decide whether the ends justified the means.

Director:

Tony Goldwyn

Writers:

Dick Wolf (created by), Michael S. Chernuchin

Stars:

Dennis Farina, Jesse L. Martin, S. Epatha Merkerson

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Dennis Farina	...	Joe Fontana
Jesse L. Martin	...	Ed Green
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Anita Van Buren
Sam Waterston	...	Jack McCoy
Annie Parisse	...	Alexandra Borgia
Fred Dalton Thompson	...	Arthur Branch
Peter Jacobson	...	Randolph J. 'Randy' Dworkin, Esq.
Michael Countryman	...	Howard Grant
Stephen Schnetzer	...	Mitchell Lowell
Peter McRobbie	...	Judge Walter Bradley
Teri Lamm	...	Cheryl Grant
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Arnie Burton	...	Hotel Manager
Amy J. Carle	...	Joan Cathcart
Susan Cella	...	Cookie
Kevin T. Collins	...	Assistant ME Mel Fine

Storyline

A man is killed while apparently trying to rob a bank. The manager who was giving him the money refuses to say anything. Later it is revealed that the manger's daughter was kidnapped and what he was giving the robber was the ransom. So Green and Fontana try to find the girl. They learn that the man who was killed is a con artist and he usually works with his father. Eventually Fontana finds him and makes him tell where the girl is. While being tried, his lawyer claims that Fontana strong armed him to reveal where the girl is. Fontana denies it but McCoy is worried.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 March 2006 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolf Films, NBC Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cartoon that the daughter is watching when she's found on the boat is "I Wanna Be a Sailor," a 1937 public domain Merrie Melodies short that was directed by Tex Avery.

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Quotes

Randolph J. 'Randy' Dworkin, Esq.: Without Fontana's abuse, my client wouldn't have told him that the girl was on the boat, Fontana wouldn't have located her, and she certainly wouldn't have been in the courtroom to connect him to anything!
Judge Walter Bradley: Please tell me you got something to link him to the robbery, Mr. McCoy.
Randolph J. 'Randy' Dworkin, Esq.: [Jack doesn't say anything] In that case, Your Honor, I move for a complete dismissal of all charges.
A.D.A. Alexandra Borgia: Wait. If we can establish that the police would have discovered Julie Grant's location, separate and apart from the ...
[...]

User Reviews

I think that the constitution should be used less as a shield for the guilty and more as a sword for their innocent victims

A man, bank employee, left a bag full of money to a guy who had just got into the bank. After another employee shouting some money went missing, a gunfight occurred and the guy was shot dead. What's the reason in doing that? His only daughter was kidnapped by the killed robber. He was a waiter at a French restaurant who came from a rich family (his father made a lot of money from mergers and acquisitions, a con man well dressed). After having enough proofs against his father, Fontana used unconventional methods (like trying to drown him in the wc) to let him talk. The case was closed and the little girl found safe and sound in a boat. The point is the way Fontana behaved: an abuse of power by a police officer.

A real problem for the lawyers: should a violence be used for the greater good? I don't think so. There are laws to follow. Mainly if McCoy has to deal with the freak defense attorney Randy Dworkin (Peter Jacobson), a regularly character in Law & Order series.