8.5/10466 votes#1 - Dead
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 9/29/2002
The murder of a mortician and the discovery of corpses at a crematorium lead the detectives to a family man claiming to have a consulting business but suspected of being a contract killer with a penchant for perfection. Goren attempts to prove this by setting up a scheme that puts his "fear of making a mistake" in jeopardy.
Director: Darnell Martin
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta
- 8.0/10413 votes
#2 - Bright Boy
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 10/6/2002
The double murder of a social services worker and a deputy mayor lead the detectives to suspect a couple who may have a grudge against the social worker for taking away their children. When they learn that the social worker had taken special interest in a child prodigy being considered for admission to a prestigious, accelerated school, they examine both the boy and his obsessive father.
Director: Frank Prinzi
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Marlane Meyer, Marlane Gomard Meyer, Stephanie Sengupta
- 8.7/10564 votes
#3 - Anti-Thesis
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 10/13/2002
As Goren and Eames sift through the likely suspects in the murder of a university president and his assistant, they discover that the culprit is a wily adversary who has more than these crimes to hide.
Director: Adam Bernstein
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta, Eric Overmyer
- 8.2/10410 votes
#4 - Best Defense
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 10/20/2002
The detectives follow the trail when an assistant district attorney confronts and kills a hired gunman following a series of death threats. They first suspect his wife, a prominent defense attorney, through a convict whose case was being prosecuted by the A.D.A. and the rumors of her romantic affairs. When they realise that there are cracks in their seemingly airtight case, Goren has to keep Carver in the dark about some details to prove his theory.
Director: Gloria Muzio
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Elizabeth M. Cosin, Stephanie Sengupta
- 7.7/10366 votes
#5 - Chinoiserie
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 10/27/2002
After a mother of two is shot dead in Chinatown, Goren and Eames first believe that her death may be connected to the Tianamen Square massacre, but then their investigation leads them to a smuggling ring dealing in antiquities.
Director: David Platt
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta, B. Mason
- 8.0/10377 votes
#6 - Malignant
Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 11/3/2002
A robbery that involved two fatalities leads to the discovery of a long-running case of tampering with drugs. Goren and Eames have to figure out a way of catching a pharmacist who has been diluting cancer medication without using the exhumated bodies of patients who had been given the medicine.
Director: Frank Prinzi, Juan José Campanella
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf
- 8.2/10478 votes
#7 - Tomorrow
Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 11/10/2002
The detectives investigate a triple murder, including the son and daughter of a wealthy businessman, that occurred in his apartment. After investigating the childrens' stepmother (his second wife), they turn to a pair of nannies, one of whom works for the family. However, the detectives must reach back to the nannies' history as children, and a television soap opera, in order to better understand the motives for the crime.
Director: Don Scardino
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta
- 7.9/10379 votes
#8 - The Pilgrim
Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 11/17/2002
The detectives are called to investigate the adult daughter of a retired officer which takes them to a case of terrorism involving someone she knew that includes a shipment of explosives.
Director: Darnell Martin
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Marlane Meyer, Marlane Gomard Meyer, Stephanie Sengupta
- 7.8/10384 votes
#9 - Shandeh
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 12/1/2002
The investigation into the murder of a Jewish woman turns towards her family once Goren and Eames find out about her husband's affair.
Director: Steve Shill
Writer: René Balcer
- 7.7/10368 votes
#10 - Con-Text
Season 2 Episode 10 - Aired 1/5/2003
Goren and Eames run a con of their own on a phony motivational speaker whom they suspect exploited a fragile disciple by convincing him to commit murder for profit.
Director: Alex Zakrzewski
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta, Gerry Conway
- 8.0/10404 votes
#11 - Baggage
Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 1/12/2003
When an airline baggage supervisor is found murdered in the trunk of her car, the detectives investigate the employees listed in a sexual harrassment complaint which leads them to a scam involving credit cards and credit reports with foreign links.
Director: Constantine Makris
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta, Theresa Rebeck
- 8.1/10372 votes
#12 - Suite Sorrow
Season 2 Episode 12 - Aired 2/2/2003
After the tyrannical owner of a Manhattan luxury hotel is found submerged in her bathtub, evidence seems increasingly to indicate that the woman's death was the work of her deeply frustrated, long-suffering daughter.
Director: Jean de Segonzac
Writer: Warren Leight, René Balcer, Dick Wolf
- 8.1/10374 votes
#13 - See Me
Season 2 Episode 13 - Aired 2/9/2003
Detectives Goren and Eames come to believe a doctor conducted shameful experiments on the residents of a halfway house.
Director: Steve Shill
Writer: Stephanie Sengupta, Jim Sterling
- 8.6/10467 votes
#14 - Probability
Season 2 Episode 14 - Aired 2/16/2003
While probing the seemingly random murders of several homeless men, Goren and Eames uncover a scam involving a crooked insurance agent. However, an unsual twist leads the detectives to an unlikely suspect.
Director: Frank Prinzi
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Gerry Conway
- 8.1/10384 votes
#15 - Monster
Season 2 Episode 15 - Aired 3/2/2003
The murder of a woman in her apartment results in her son, recently paroled after serving 15 years for murder, becoming the prime suspect. Having consulted with the lead detective on the old case, Goren and Eames discover he was involved in a cover-up to rush other cases to closure.
Director: Joyce Chopra
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Marlane Meyer, Marlane Gomard Meyer, Stephanie Sengupta
- 8.0/10375 votes
#16 - Cuba Libre
Season 2 Episode 16 - Aired 3/9/2003
After the trophy wife of a recently released prison inmate is murdered, Goren plays on the man's paranoia to find a connection to another inmate with a hit list.
Director: Darnell Martin
Writer: Warren Leight, René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta
- 8.0/10349 votes
#17 - Cold Comfort
Season 2 Episode 17 - Aired 3/30/2003
When a woman suing her brother over the disposition of their father's remains is found murdered, Goren and Eames discover a concealed parentage and a man willing to go to any extremes to ensure his legacy.
Director: Constantine Makris
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta
- 7.9/10340 votes
#18 - Legion
Season 2 Episode 18 - Aired 4/6/2003
When a father and son have their throats slit, the detectives discovers that a group of adolescent boys have disappeared from the same neighborhood. When the locals don't cooperate with the investigation, the cops think the boys are being used by someone operating a bicycle theft ring. The cops are led to a studio owner who brainwashes the boys to prove their worthiness.
Director: Frank Prinzi, Steve Shill
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Theresa Rebeck
- 8.3/10412 votes
#19 - Cherry Red
Season 2 Episode 19 - Aired 4/27/2003
The detectives try to figure out a mystery after an old woman dies in a fire. The mystery gets deeper when a young woman who is left some of the old woman estate is killed. The case takes them to a state public administrator who has invented a form of grave-robbing. The detective suspects the administrator has a weakness for valuable cars, but to make his case work, he has to exploit his quarry's personal relationships.
Director: Frank Prinzi
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta, Jim Sterling
- 8.0/10360 votes
#20 - Blink
Season 2 Episode 20 - Aired 5/4/2003
The detectives investigate a murder of a math student who worked in a poker club as a card-counter. Their case brings the detectives to a group of computer nerds, but later they discover a computer gambling system which has tougher suspects. The detectives discovers that even there own workstations are hit by the ringleader of the group, who had bigger plans for his horseracing and other scams.
Director: Don Scardino
Writer: Gerry Conway
- 8.0/10366 votes
#21 - Graansha
Season 2 Episode 21 - Aired 5/11/2003
Goren and Eames enter the closed world of a thieving Irish Traveller clan when they investigate the death of a Ann Lawson, a probation officer who was run over three times after meeting a friend at the bar. They soon learn that Ann, a probation officer, had been involved with Malcolm Bryce, the father of Paul, one of her charges. It appears as though Ann is also very close with the thieving Irish Travellers they are investigating, determined to save a young girl from their style of life.
Director: Darnell Martin
Writer: René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta, Joe Gannon
- 8.2/10412 votes
#22 - Zoonotic
Season 2 Episode 22 - Aired 5/18/2003
The investigation into the murder of a crooked cop leads to a preening veterinarian and his friend, an obsessive doctor whose ex-girlfriends who have all been infected with a rare disease.
Director: Don Scardino
Writer: Warren Leight
- 8.6/10397 votes
#23 - A Person of Interest
Season 2 Episode 23 - Aired 5/18/2003
Goren and Eames investigate the murder of a former nurse and discover a possible anthrax terrorist plot. The case takes a turn for the worse when Goren is blamed for driving a suspect to commit suicide. Now disgraced, Goren learns that a cunning adversary from his past may be involved.
Director: Frank Prinzi
Writer: Warren Leight, René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta
The Best Episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2
Every episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2!
The third installment of the “Law & Order” franchise takes viewers deep into the minds of its criminals while following the intense psychological approaches the...
Genre:Drama
Season 2 Ratings Summary
"Dead" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" season 2. It scored 8.5/10 based on 466 votes. Directed by Darnell Martin and written by René Balcer, Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta, it aired on 9/29/2002. This episode is rated 0.5 points higher than the second-best, "Bright Boy".