User Reviews

After delivering an empty package in a brownstone, a mailman was killed by gunshot. Detectives realized that even the name and the address of the sender were bogus, so the killer planned the delivery man killing in every detail. The victim was a lady's man, he used to cheat on his wife faking overtime. After questioning two of his lovers, Briscoe and Green figured out the wife (Elizabeth Connors) knew all his husband's affairs and she even bought illegally a 38 caliber gun in Vermont. The gun was found in a pod inside the park where the girl works as a sweeper but ballistic later on pointed out it wasn't the murder weapon. Anyway they connected the gun to a murder happened the same week. What linked the two victims is the fact they were not so beloved by their wives for different reasons (the other wife is a gold digger); unluckily the other murder weapon was missed....

Nice episode, anyway the plot takes a back seat. What counts is the Detective Briscoe farewell: he left the series for good (the actor died shortly after, succumbing to a cancer).

... to Lennie Briscoe who is "putting in his papers" and retiring. Probably the funniest line is when Lennie tells the Lieutenant that he has never been with a woman as long as he has been with her - she's been his boss for 11 years.

Of course, this is not the entire episode. A delivery man is found murdered, shot to death. He was delivering an empty box to a bogus address, so the killing was planned. The police eventually figure out that the victim's home is not as happy as the widow would lead them to believe. In fact, the guy was a serial philanderer to the point he was juggling multiple mistresses. They think that they have the widow for the murder when they find the gun she bought illegally in Vermont, but surprise. The ballistics on the gun do not match the bullet that killed the guy. The widow is claiming she bought the gun for protection and that it was stolen when her purse was snatched. And there is a police report on the theft that she filed weeks before the murder. So what went on here? Watch and find out.

There are some great personal moments here for Lennie. Him telling Ed that he is retiring and Ed's surprise. Lennie carrying the box with his personal stuff out of the precinct for the last time. Highly recommended for the sentiment and rather interesting case.

Is how Fred Dalton Thompson characterizes this double homicide that Briscoe and Green are investigating. It actually starts out as a single homicide that of express messenger driver and husband of Elizabeth Connors on his route. Incidentally this is Jerry Orbach's farewell to Law And Order as Lennie Briscoe puts in his papers and calls it a career.

The detectives link her through her credit card charges and the fact that by sheer luck they arrest her at a restaurant that Victoria Dillard owns. As it turns out Dillard is also a recent widow, not too recent mind you, of a man who also died as did Connors' husband die of gunshot wounds. Dillard inherits a big fortune for her as a result. That means she hires high priced defense attorney John Benjamin Hickey.

The judge allows simultaneous but separate trials of each defendant with Sam Waterston trying Dillard and Elizabeth Rohm trying Connors. One wins, one loses, but no one is down and out.

This one is quite Hitchcock like and a nice farewell for Jerry Orbach who to me was the face and voice of New York City.

Of all the post-Season 10 seasons (when 'Law and Order' became less consistent), Season 14 is perhaps the best. Due to having the highest number of great and more episodes in its season and having no average or less ones. Even the weakest, for me that was "Blaze", is decent. Its season finale "C. O. D" is also notable for being the final episode of Lennie Briscoe, one of the franchise's deservedly best loved characters, before Jerry Orbach's death not long after.

"C. O. D" is a wonderful episode, one of the best of Season 14 and when it comes to the season finale on 'Law and Order' it is one of my favourites and the best in quite some time. It is also a perfect send off to Briscoe, this is how to say farewell to a character where it is clear that the character was loved and not treat them indifferently or get rid of them in a cheap way. Have seen examples of those throughout the franchise, but this was how to do it right. As an episode of 'Law and Order', it's wonderful in every way.

Where to begin with the praise? The acting is excellent, Orbach really moved me here and his chemistry with Jesse L Martin (also proving himself to be a fine co-star) was beautifully acted and written, where Green showed clear respect for Briscoe and showed great sadness. Briscoe and Green, as has been said quite a few times, were my favourite lead police pairing, and it is episodes like "C. O. D" that show why. Sam Waterston does authoritative and cunning spot on and Elisabeth Rohm gives one of her too few non-problematic Southerlyn performances in an episode where Southerlyn wasn't too inept a character.

Furthermore, the photography and such as usual are fully professional, the slickness still remaining. The music is used sparingly and is haunting and non-overwrought when it is used, and it's mainly used when a crucial revelation or plot development is revealed. The direction has a lot of nice tension while keeping things steady, without going too far the other way. The writing is intelligent and although, like the show in general, there is a lot of talk it doesn't feel long-winded.

Both the investigating and legal subplots are brilliantly done and it doesn't feel to me too much like two stories in one, instead two different subplots that connect together. The legal scenes however have the slight edge as that's when the case becomes more complex and shocking. Which is an incredibly clever and intricate one, and that there is much more to the truth than what it initially seems. Loved the Hitchcockian vibe some of the episode had. If there was a favourite scene here, it would be the truly poignant final scene between Briscoe and Green.

Overall, outstanding way to end one of the best latter seasons. 10/10.