The BEST episodes of Law & Order season 12
Every episode of Law & Order season 12, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Law & Order season 12!
A blended police procedural and courtroom drama which employs a two-part approach: The first half of each episode focuses on NYPD homicide detectives investigating a crime—often derived from a real-life headline—and apprehending a suspect. The second half takes place in the courtroom, with the district attorney prosecuting the defendant.
#1 - Born Again
Season 12 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/6/2002
The investigation into the death of an 11-year-old girl uncovers the possible culpability of the child's mother and a rebirthing therapist.
#2 - Myth of Fingerprints
Season 12 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/14/2001
A murder investigation uncovers deliberately faulty forensics in the wrongful conviction of two men 12 years earlier in the case that paved the way for Van Buren's promotion.
#3 - Missing
Season 12 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/6/2002
When a girl's parents frantically search for her, Briscoe and Green see that the girl's belongings were packed up in her apartment. They learn that the girl had been seeing a married man -- her boss. When the boss is brought up on charges, his wife sheds some new evidence.
#4 - Dazzled
Season 12 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/24/2002
When a "gold digging" wife is found dead, there are plenty of possible perpetrators. Her husband has become "whipped" and blinded by his young wife and then messes up his story to Briscoe and Green. When he finally comes around, it seems that the wife's ex-boyfriend was getting revenge for being fired from a contracting job. The medical examiner uncovers some more clues which point to a bitter alcoholic ex-wife. Eventually, ther criminal comes forward but the only crime she's committing is trying to save her family.
#5 - DR 1-102
Season 12 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/30/2002
The bludgeoning of two women in their apartment leads the detectives to a suspect who has taken a hostage while demanding legal representation ... and Southerlyn's actions, while heroic, results in disbarment proceedings against her for violation of Disciplinary Rule 1-102.
#6 - For Love or Money
Season 12 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/10/2001
The death of a parolee, who was a hit man, leads to a wealthy widow and daughter and whether they hired him to kill their rich relative.
#7 - Access Nation
Season 12 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/27/2002
The murder of a psychologist leads to a case involving a computer company that sells information and their responsibility in shielding their clients' history in order to serve their needs.
#8 - Oxymoron
Season 12 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/15/2002
The body of a scantily clad woman is found on the Upper East Side. Because of her attire, it is initially presumed that she could be a high-class escort, especially after promiscuous behavior is uncovered by the medical examiner. The detectives uncover a seven-digit number on a slip of paper inside her pocket, which turns out to be a hack driver's ID. They track down the cab driver who claims he dropped the woman off on 60th St. and there was a black Infiniti waiting for her. But she died 33 blocks uptown. The Detectives retrace her steps and discover she had been at a "swingers" party where she got into a fight with another woman, Alexandra Shabtai, who works at a nightclub and ID's the dead woman as Eliza Glaser, a cosmetic dermatologist who was providing her with the narcotic Oxycodone.
#9 - Slaughter
Season 12 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/10/2002
The investigation of a student's killing leads to a case involving meat contamination at a food service.
#10 - Patriot
Season 12 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/22/2002
A tenement building explodes and the lone victim is Joseph Haden. The building was rent controlled and there had been a tenant strike, so the police initially suspect arson. But the landlord doesn't have insurance, ruling out their arson theory, and the medical examiner discovers that Haden's neck was broken and he was tied up before the explosion happened. Trying to figure out Haden is even more difficult. He didn't appear to have a family or a girlfriend and never got any substantial mail. He worked at the Jiffy Job service station making minimum wage, yet had $90,000 in the bank. Briscoe and Green do some more digging and find out that Haden was using an alias, and his real name was Yusuf Haddad.
#11 - Soldier of Fortune
Season 12 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/24/2001
The daring daylight kidnapping of a diamond dealer which results in two murders at the scene uncovers an international dynasty of diamond sales and its links to a foreign civil war.
#12 - Armed Forces
Season 12 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/3/2001
The fatal stabbing of a man leads to the discovery of his status as a Vietnam war veteran and the truths uncovered about an incident that occured with him and three former soliders in his division.
#13 - Attorney Client
Season 12 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/8/2002
The wife of an attorney with many disgruntled clients is killed but the detectives believe that he was the intended target as he was willing to reveal information despite confidentially agreements. As the investigation continues, his tumultuous love life is exposed and the prosecutors are suspicious of his desire to return to the courtroom.
#14 - Prejudice
Season 12 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/12/2001
The murder of a magazine publishing company's black CEO leads to a suspect who has a clear streak of racism and whose attorney intends on using that as a mental defect.
#15 - The Fire This Time
Season 12 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/21/2001
When a building is set ablaze, a girl must be identified despite her fatal burns. Through further investigation, it turns out that an extreme environmentalist group struck the match...
#16 - 3 Dawg Night
Season 12 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/28/2001
When a celebrity is implicated in a nightclub murder, McCoy and Southerlyn battle the flaks who attempt to insulate their client from any involvement or interrogation.
#17 - Foul Play
Season 12 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/1/2002
The investigation into the death of a private investigator uncovers corruption, deceit, and immigration fraud in a Youth Baseball League whose manager will go to any lengths to win.
#18 - Undercovered
Season 12 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/16/2002
The father of a dying girl gets his revenge on an insurance executive who denied a certain leukemia treatment for his daughter. One problem arises when the father is technically on both sides of the law.
#19 - Girl Most Likely
Season 12 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/27/2002
When a high school student is found dead in an apartment building, Briscoe and Green suspect that the murder was a result of her running a website. As McCoy and Southerlyn investigate the case further, they realize that her best friend, who was reluctant to come forward as a witness, may be the answer to the murder.
#20 - Equal Rights
Season 12 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/3/2002
A stock analyst's murder leads the detectives to a corporation whose stock had fallen ... and plenty of suspects in the investors.
#21 - Possession
Season 12 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/31/2001
Investigating the murder of a woman in a rent-controlled apartment, the detectives discover that she was engaged in a long-running battle with her landlord and had been blocking the potentially lucrative sale of the building.
#22 - Who Let the Dogs Out?
Season 12 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/26/2001
The investigation into the death of a jogger mauled by a vicious dog leads to an Attica inmate, his attorneys, and an underground dog-fighting ring.
#23 - The Collar
Season 12 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/9/2002
The death of a cleric leads the detectives to a priest who was given information by a murder suspect outside of the church but insists that he can't discuss anything about it, bringing McCoy to question whether the confessional seal should apply.
#24 - Formerly Famous
Season 12 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/7/2001
The shooting death of a former singer's wife leads the detectives to investigate his manager and sons after his explanation of the events surrounding her death have no credibility.