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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!

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The third installment of the “Law & Order” franchise takes viewers deep into the minds of its criminals while following the intense psychological approaches the Major Case Squad uses to solve its crimes.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 3 - Anti-Thesis
    8.7/10(626 votes)

    S2:E3

    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:Stephanie Sengupta

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  2. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 14 - Probability
    8.6/10(525 votes)

    S2:E14

    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:Dick Wolf

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  3. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 23 - A Person of Interest
    8.6/10(447 votes)

    S2:E23

    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
    Writers:Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta

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  4. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 1 - Dead
    8.5/10(514 votes)

    S2:E1

    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:Dick Wolf

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  5. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 19 - Cherry Red
    8.3/10(446 votes)

    S2:E19

    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
    Writers:Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta

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  6. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 4 - Best Defense
    8.2/10(455 votes)

    S2:E4

    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
    Writers:Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta

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  7. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 7 - Tomorrow
    8.2/10(522 votes)

    S2:E7

    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:Dick Wolf

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  8. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 22 - Zoonotic
    8.2/10(440 votes)

    S2:E22

    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:Unknown

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  9. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 12 - Suite Sorrow
    8.1/10(426 votes)

    S2:E12

    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:Dick Wolf

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  10. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 13 - See Me
    8.1/10(412 votes)

    S2:E13

    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

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  11. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 15 - Monster
    8.1/10(425 votes)

    S2:E15

    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
    Writers:Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta

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  12. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 6 - Malignant
    8.0/10(434 votes)

    S2:E6

    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.

    Directors:Frank Prinzi, Juan José Campanella
    Writer:Dick Wolf

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  13. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 16 - Cuba Libre
    8.0/10(422 votes)

    S2:E16

    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
    Writers:Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta

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  14. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 17 - Cold Comfort
    8.0/10(400 votes)

    S2:E17

    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:Dick Wolf

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  15. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 20 - Blink
    8.0/10(404 votes)

    S2:E20

    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:Unknown

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  16. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 21 - Graansha
    8.0/10(395 votes)

    S2:E21

    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
    Writers:Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta

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  17. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 2 - Bright Boy
    7.9/10(469 votes)

    S2:E2

    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
    Writers:Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta

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  18. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 11 - Baggage
    7.9/10(436 votes)

    S2:E11

    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
    Writers:Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta

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  19. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 18 - Legion
    7.9/10(386 votes)

    S2:E18

    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.

    Directors:Frank Prinzi, Steve Shill
    Writer:Dick Wolf

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  20. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 8 - The Pilgrim
    7.8/10(428 votes)

    S2:E8

    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
    Writers:Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta

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  21. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 9 - Shandeh
    7.8/10(444 votes)

    S2:E9

    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

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  22. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 5 - Chinoiserie
    7.7/10(424 votes)

    S2:E5

    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
    Writers:Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta

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  23. Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 Episode 10 - Con-Text
    7.7/10(419 votes)

    S2:E10

    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
    Writers:Dick Wolf, Stephanie Sengupta

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Season 2 Ratings Summary

"Anti-Thesis" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" season 2. It scored 8.7/10 based on 626 votes. Directed by Adam Bernstein and written by Stephanie Sengupta, it aired on 10/13/2002. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Probability".