When Detectives Mike Logan (Chris Noth) and Carolyn Barek (Annabella Sciorra) get tasked with rounding up a young man for car theft, they find themselves in Nassau County where the man’s parents are found beaten to death in their own home. He immediately becomes the prime suspect, but Logan and Barek suspect something else is afoot — particularly when they discover the victims’ business ties of the Nassau Country deputy (Transformers‘ Kevin Dunn) investigating the crime and local painter Wallace Kenter. Did Kenter’s plans to expand their retail store empire lead to murder?

Captain Charlie Wright returns to discuss the nature of Criminal Intent and Logan’s skinny ties. Justin keeps getting distracted by the presence of guest star Elisabeth Moss. Erik namechecks Exiled: A Law & Order Movie and reveals the importance of Barek’s collection of hoodies. Charlie makes a key connection in the plot, proving why she’s the captain. Justin reveals rich interior lives for Sciorra, Kevin Dunn, and Moss’s character. Christopher Meloni gets praised as one of the greatest actors of all time, and Justin pitches a Meloni/Garrett Dillahunt series called “Manhattan House of Detectives.” He also refuses to acknowledge the existence of actor Jamey Sheridan while Charlie lays down some business truths which make the episode’s plot thoroughly unbelievable.