S21.E04: Fault Lines

[Door County Cherry]

Quote

After a family court judge is murdered, Bernard and Cosgrove dig into the many grievances against him. When the DA’s office is faced with unforeseen challenges, Maroun takes matters into her own hands to save the case.

Airing March 17, 2022.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Maroun takes matters into her own hands to save the case.

Good. I do not like the ADA they have now. Maybe she can replace him and get a new assistant ADA.

[retired watcher]

3 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Good. I do not like the ADA they have now. Maybe she can replace him and get a new assistant ADA.

I'm not happy with him either. He needs to get a transfer.

[WendyCR72]

So Britney Spears...I'm sorry, Lucy McDaniel...is under a forced conservatorship. I miss the days when the cases weren't so obvious.

[scarynikki12]

They did a good job of letting Lucy be sympathetic and letting the ADAs feel sympathy for her. 

Surely the ADAs could have insisted Lucy be present for the discussions rather than put the case at risk by having Bernard talk to her alone.

[Ms Blue Jay]

17 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

So Britney Spears...I'm sorry, Lucy McDaniel...is under a forced conservatorship. I miss the days the cases weren't so obvious.

It was also mixed with Naomi Osaka.

[WendyCR72]

4 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

It was also mixed with Naomi Osaka.

I knew there was a tennis player with mental health issues, but I forgot her name. Thanks for filling in the other blank.

[dubbel zout]

6 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Surely the ADAs could have insisted Lucy be present for the discussions rather than put the case at risk by having Bernard talk to her alone.

Yeah, I don't understand why they didn't. Even if Lucy was under a guardianship, she has a right to be present. Could her father actually prohibit that?

This was a slightly better case in that there were some twists and turns, and we saw more investigating, but I'm still finding the cases kind of shallow. Why doesn't Maroun do more? All the other assistants got to go out and do some poking around. She's either in the office or the courtroom. We don't even see her hanging up the phone after talking to someone.

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 minute ago, WendyCR72 said:

I knew there was a tennis player with mental health issues, but I forgot her name. Thanks for filling in the other blank.

Here's the info.  I thought the ENTIRE episode was going to be about Naomi, but then they brought in the "twist" of the conservatorship a la Britney.

Quote

Osaka was seeded second at the French Open. Shortly before the start of the tournament, she announced that she would not conduct her mandatory media assignments.[97] After Osaka won her first match in straight sets and did not hold a press conference, she was fined $15,000 and threatened with rising levels of fines and expulsion.[98] The following day, she announced her withdrawal from the tournament, citing mental health issues.[99] Many fellow athletes and sponsors have voiced support for Osaka, with some noting a rarely discussed issue of mental health, although the overall reaction from the wider tennis community was mixed.[100] On June 17, 2021, Osaka's agent announced that she would not participate in the upcoming Wimbledon Championships but would take part in the Olympic Games in Tokyo.[101][102]

 

[WendyCR72]

10 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Surely the ADAs could have insisted Lucy be present for the discussions rather than put the case at risk by having Bernard talk to her alone.

Or even before then, during the initial offer. You mean to tell me, even with conservatorship, the actual client accused of a crime would not be privy to the workings of her case and the defense, etc.? This just seemed sloppy to me.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I figured out why I don't like the tone of the show.  EADA Price is there to really dumb down every single aspect of the law (i.e. mansplain) to Maroun and the viewer.  Maroun should already know all of this, so it feels very condescending and insulting that she doesn't.  Also, the viewers don't need all this legalese to be THAT spoon-fed to us.  

[Blakeston]

3 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

It was also mixed with Naomi Osaka.

With the Williams family thrown in for good luck, with the overbearing tennis father.

None of these real-life athletes needed to be dragged into this.

[WendyCR72]

Just now, Ms Blue Jay said:

I figured out why I don't like the tone of the show.  EADA Price is there to really dumb down every single aspect of the law (i.e. mansplain) to Maroun and the viewer.  Maroun should already know all of this, so it feels very condescending and insulting that she doesn't.  Also, the viewers don't need all this legalese to be THAT spoon-fed to us.  

Yeah, but this happened on and off in the previous 20 seasons, too, so...

My problem is the writing is still so obvious. No real twists or surprise curves. Just bing, bang, boom now. I am still glad the show is back, but the writing needs to have its game upped.

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 minute ago, WendyCR72 said:

Yeah, but this happened on and off in the previous 20 seasons, too, so...

Well I didn't watch the show before this season, so....

I never feel like this watching SVU.  30 seasons or whatever in, 4 years of pre-law, and I never feel like they're dumbing things down for me.

4 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

With the Williams family thrown in for good luck, with the overbearing tennis father.

None of these real-life athletes needed to be dragged into this.

Thank you!  I should have put that together.  I saw "King Richard" (and loved it!)

Edited March 18, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[Blakeston]

Was it just me, or was the actress who played the judge's wife terrible?

I figured she was probably guilty, because her reaction to him being dead was so "off" that I thought it was a clue that she was faking it.

[GHScorpiosRule]

WTF? Only one CHUNG-CHUNG?!! FUCK YOU, Show!🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

And where was the arraignment scene?!!

What is this? This is NOT the Mothership that I watched for 20 years. That schmoopy music playing as Lucy stood up and told the judge what she wanted IN FRONT OF THE JURY. If she wants to plead guilty, ask to speak with the DA and tell them she will take the plea deal and then allocute.

Just change this to LAW & ORDER: CELEBRITY EDITION!

29 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I never feel like this watching SVU.  30 seasons or whatever in, 4 years of pre-law, and I never feel like they're dumbing things down for me.

That’s because that show stopped being about Law AND Order over 15 years ago, as far as I’m concerned and stopped being an ensemble show and turned into the Olivia show after Stabler left.

I finally heard that ridiculous attempt of Donovan trying for a New York accent.

The best part of this episode was next previews: Dylan Baker! FINALLY. But I’m keeping my expectations LOW.

[cambridgeguy]

40 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

None of these real-life athletes needed to be dragged into this.

Law and Order does this all the time, although someone decided they didn't have enough episodes to treat each person separately, so let's merge them!  The second it was an actress in the picture (after the real Eli) it was obvious where they were going.

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

Was it just me, or was the actress who played the judge's wife terrible?

I figured she was probably guilty, because her reaction to him being dead was so "off" that I thought it was a clue that she was faking it.

She was AWFUL!  Her fake crying was so bad, first right after her hubby was shot and then in the courtroom.  Might be one of the worst I can remember.

[Xeliou66]

Overall this was good - not perfect but good. I liked the case and the twists it took, it was entertaining from start to finish.

My main question was, surely the defendant had the right to know about the prosecution offering her a plea deal, Maroun getting Bernard to give her the transcripts may not have been by the book, but why couldn’t Maroun, and Price as well for that matter, inform her that they were offering her a deal? She had the right to know, and they should’ve insisted she be present in the meeting at the DA’s office. That was the episode’s main flaw. Also, with Lucy going for a psych defense, the show REALLY missed an opportunity to bring back Skoda or Olivet to examine her, or even introduce a new shrink.

Overall it was a good episode - good suspense, good investigation, some good legal stuff. I thought the investigation part of the show flowed really well and I’m liking the Bernard/Cosgrove pairing more and more and seeing them chase down leads and zero in on a suspect felt like classic L&O. Dixon is a bit bland, not bad but she hasn’t had a lot of moments to shine and it’s impossible to replace Anita Van Buren. And I like the legal side as well, apparently some people dislike Price but I like him and think he’s a strong prosecutor, and I like Maroun as well, Price is more “all about the facts and the law” while Maroun is more emotional, but neither is too extreme in their ways/too hard or too soft and I think they make for a good pairing.

My other complaint about the show is there isn’t enough Jack - he’s in 2 scenes in most episodes, I’m guessing this has to do with his age but I’m left wanting more of him because he’s a legend and he adds a lot to every scene he’s in, he’s always awesome but I really wish they could find a way to get him into a couple of additional scenes each episode. So while it’s great to have Jack back on our screens, I’m left wanting more of him.

I like how they’ve returned to the classic L&O opening of ordinary people coming onto a crime scene. I wish they would end the episodes with the DA’s at the DA’s office getting in the elevator discussing the case instead of always ending at the courthouse.

There were some humorous moments that I appreciated during the investigation part of the episode.

Overall I thought this was a good episode and I think the show is good - no it’s not perfect but it’s following the classic L&O formula of investigation+legal stuff+no personal drama, and the cases have been pretty good and I like the characters well enough, so I’m enjoying season 21. It’s 10000000 times superior to the soapy dreck that SVU puts out now. 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Xeliou66

[Door County Cherry]

2 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

Yeah, I don't understand why they didn't. Even if Lucy was under a guardianship, she has a right to be present. Could her father actually prohibit that?

This was a slightly better case in that there were some twists and turns, and we saw more investigating, but I'm still finding the cases kind of shallow. Why doesn't Maroun do more? All the other assistants got to go out and do some poking around. She's either in the office or the courtroom. We don't even see her hanging up the phone after talking to someone.

I don't understand how the father can make the decisions about whether or not she gets to plead guilty on a manslaughter charge but she can say she's "guilty" in a court of law and her father can't stop her from doing so there.  The terms of her conservatorship seem inconsistent.

I think the cases are still a little bit slow or short.  I'm not sure if this makes sense but if the scenes were a little shorter then there could be more of them.  And more scenes opens up the possibility for more angles or investigation.  I was kind of hoping the twist would lead to what kind of culpability the father had for the death or his daughter's actions.  Maybe the twist would be that the father is guilty because the judge decided to release the tennis star from her conservatorship.  

Just cutting down the scenes a bit would open them up for just an extra story beat or two. 

[Prevailing Wind]

Are we supposed to think Cosgrove is a bit of a racist, or does he really believe cops wouldn't pay attention to professional tennis?  That big pause before he said, "Well...you're a...COP!" made me think he was trying to come up with a reason that had nothing to do being black-ish.

[Raja]

On 3/17/2022 at 8:26 PM, Door County Cherry said:

 

Just cutting down the scenes a bit would open them up for just an extra story beat or two. 

Didn't they cut the arraignment and bail hearing? I was surprised that the trial started before the half hour mark this was waiting for the twist. So when Detective Bernard went to talk I was surprised that Naomi Britney was in jail.

On 3/17/2022 at 8:45 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

Are we supposed to think Cosgrove is a bit of a racist, or does he really believe cops wouldn't pay attention to professional tennis?  That big pause before he said, "Well...you're a...COP!" made me think he was trying to come up with a reason that had nothing to do being black-ish.

A cop that was established from Compton CA a decade ago like the Williams sisters.

Edited March 19, 2022 by Raja

[peacheslatour]

Who was the older woman at the defense table?

[Raja]

1 minute ago, peacheslatour said:

Who was the older woman at the defense table?

The personal attorney witness, to the judge being assaulted, who joined the defense team to shield her from testifying like Robert Kardashian did for O.J. Simpson

[peacheslatour]

5 minutes ago, Raja said:

The personal attorney witness, to the judge being assaulted, who joined the defense team to shield her from testifying like Robert Kardashian did for O.J. Simpson

IMDB doesn't list her but...is Betty Buckley still alive?

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, retired watcher said:

I'm not happy with him either. He needs to get a transfer.

Hannibal Lector needs to have him over for dinner. 😏 Hugh Dancy has no charisma in this role.🥱
When Dad answered for the daughter, I knew this would be a Britney Spears type case. 

Edited March 18, 2022 by LittleIggy

[WendyCR72]

10 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

IMDB doesn't list her but...is Betty Buckley still alive?

Yeah, she's still alive.

[MerBearHou]

32 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Who was the older woman at the defense table?

Was it Jessica Tuck?  I kinda tuned out…

[gesundheit]

 

10 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Hannibal Lector needs to have him over for dinner. 😏 Hugh Dancy has no charisma in this role.🥱
 

I feel bad about it, but Hugh Dancy is just not good in this role. He and Jeffrey Donovan both just seem really off. (Actually Donovan less so, I think for me he just has a resting dope face, it's not his fault, but I can't take him seriously. Just a permanent "duh.") We know Hugh Dancy can act, but this is not it for him. I'm cringing a lot in his scenes.

10 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Was it Jessica Tuck?  I kinda tuned out…

It was, yes.

Edited March 18, 2022 by gesundheit

[watcher1006]

I do wish they'd stop constantly being so obvious about the "ripped from the headlines" business, doing variations of high profile cases. Anyone who keeps up with the news has ideas of where the case is going to go, and when it veers in a different direction from where it went in real life it often feels more contrived than clever. The vast majority of criminal cases don't ever get public attention, surely there's more material in the case files if the writers need a starting point.

By pleading guilty to the manslaughter charge the young tennis player was giving up her career. Even in the best circumstances it's not an easy thing to come back after leaving the tour for years. But one can believe she had come to hate the tennis life anyway plus she was tired of being exploited as a cash cow.

[vb68]

2 hours ago, gesundheit said:

I feel bad about it, but Hugh Dancy is just not good in this role. He and Jeffrey Donovan both just seems really off. (Actually Donovan less so, I think for me he just has a resting dope face, it's not his fault, but I can't take him seriously. Just a permanent "duh.")

I found his acting here really clunky. When he's trying to be forceful. like pointing his finger at the Lieutenant and yelling the witness was lying, he really over delivers the line. There were a couple more examples like that. It takes me out of the scene. The assistant DA isn't a lot better. Some of it is the writing, but still something's off. She seemed more like a student when Price was explaining the legal ramifications of the guardianship.

 

3 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Are we supposed to think Cosgrove is a bit of a racist, or does he really believe cops wouldn't pay attention to professional tennis?  That big pause before he said, "Well...you're a...COP!" made me think he was trying to come up with a reason that had nothing to do being black-ish.

I think we are suppose to think exactly that. It wasn't very subtle. I can't tell if they are planting seeds for this to really explode in a few episodes , but it seems like a possibility.

I wish Bernard would mention Van Buren and just say if she's simply retired but ok and enjoying life. Or better yet, have Jack meet her for coffee or something. She didn't have a huge role in most of the episodes, but man do I miss her and her patented  pleasant but firm "I'm in charge here and not taking any BS" tone.  She definitely would have already warned and chastened Cosgrove, and he would be watching himself.

Oh, speaking of the new Lieu, I was expecting that it would be an issue that she sent the DNA to a private lab. They really served that up and then nothing.

Edited March 18, 2022 by vb68

[wknt3]

5 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Are we supposed to think Cosgrove is a bit of a racist, or does he really believe cops wouldn't pay attention to professional tennis?  That big pause before he said, "Well...you're a...COP!" made me think he was trying to come up with a reason that had nothing to do being black-ish.

In the words of Avenue Q EVERYONE's a little bit racist. I personally saw them as going for unconscious beliefs rather than explicit racism per se. And it was also about Bernard having fun by going against people's assumptions about him as a Black man from South Central, which is a nice bit of continuity and characterization keeping up with what was established previously.

[Blakeston]

Personally, I'd be a bit surprised if any big tough guy cop turned out to be a fan of women's tennis, regardless of race (unless there was some reason to think otherwise).

But from the way Cosgrove reacted when he was asked what was so surprising about it, it came across like his assumption was definitely about race.

Everything about Cosgrove suggests to me that he's a garden-variety bigot who's smart enough to keep his mouth shut - most of the time - about how he feels about minority groups.

[jalady]

OMG.  Neither a DA nor the police, Bernard (no matter how big a tennis fan you are), are allowed to meet alone with a defendant who's represented by counsel.  This is so freaking basic!  Do better show!  I've loved and defended you for years to people who always ask how a prosecutor can watch this "legal" drama, but now you're starting to annoy me :-(

[storyskip]

For me, personally, it is Maroun who needs to go, or at least the actress.  Maroun as a character seems written as a good foil for both McCoy and Price but I find the actress to be one note and unable to deliver the goods.  I've watched L&O for years and almost every one of the female ADAs has brought power and passion to their roles, Maroun is just .. meh.

Having watched Hugh Dancy in Hannibal and other works I honestly believe he is 'acting down' to Maroun's level.  Either as a choice, or he is being directed to tone himself down in order not to obliterate her on screen. Especially in an episode where the narrative is written that she's supposed to be "right" and her male superiors are wrong.

If you look at Dancy in scenes against McCoy, there is a lot more power in his acting and in Price as a character but with Maroun around he just goes flat.

[Enigma X]

IMO, the acting is not off but the writing is. In all the episodes this season the characters seem to take a stance in one episode that goes against a stance they took in a previous episode. Stance may not be the right word, but they are portrayed as having a "justice trumps law" attitude then a "law trumps justice" attitude. Also, the ripped from the headlines is just as heavy handed as it has always been. This is not a complaint but an observation.

[dubbel zout]

7 hours ago, watcher1006 said:

she was tired of being exploited as a cash cow.

Someone on the show said her father was getting a $10 million salary. Cash cow, indeed.

6 hours ago, vb68 said:

Oh, speaking of the new Lieu, I was expecting that it would be an issue that she sent the DNA to a private lab. They really served that up and then nothing.

Bernard got to make his point that she'd never have done it for some random murdered Black kid. And she basically shrugged and said, "What are ya gonna do?"

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

Personally, I'd be a bit surprised if any big tough guy cop turned out to be a fan of women's tennis, regardless of race (unless there was some reason to think otherwise).

There was a Mets pitcher years ago who enjoyed opera (or something equally arty) and there were numerous articles about it expressing astonishment that some dumb jock had interests outside of his ERA, which I always thought was completely stupid. He's living in NYC! Why wouldn't he take advantage of what the city can offer?

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, jalady said:

OMG.  Neither a DA nor the police, Bernard (no matter how big a tennis fan you are), are allowed to meet alone with a defendant who's represented by counsel.  This is so freaking basic! 

When Bernard met the tennis star at the jail, she said she didn't want to talk to him, and he said something like: Don't talk. Just listen.
I'm guessing there's some legal technicality that makes it okay if that's what happens. 

Nolan Price telling Maroun he'd fire her if she went behind his back again kind of paralleled the killer's father's persona. 

With a sentence of 15 years, can she get out early for good behavior? 

As a grandma of a new little baby, I was a little horrified when Maroun suggested after 15 years in prison (with likely poorly managed bipolar disorder) that the former tennis star and judge bludgeoner was going to marry her boyfriend and have babies.

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by shapeshifter

[GHScorpiosRule]

9 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Nolan Price telling Maroun he'd fire her if she went behind his back again kind of paralleled the killer's father's persona. 

I'm pretty sure that only Jack can fire her. Nolan could, at best, suggest that she ask for a transfer like Ben did to Claire, after her muck up in "Discord" and it was Foghorn who fired Rohmbot, not Jack, but Jack was aware in "Ain't No Love."

[Ms Blue Jay]

59 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

There was a Mets pitcher years ago who enjoyed opera (or something equally arty) and there were numerous articles about it expressing astonishment that some dumb jock had interests outside of his ERA, which I always thought was completely stupid. He's living in NYC! Why wouldn't he take advantage of what the city can offer?

Also - THEY HAVE MONEY!  They should spend it on the finer things!

[peacheslatour]

*sigh* Okay, here goes. Sam Waterson is too old. It breaks my heart because I love him so much and I was really looking forward to seeing him again. But he does not look or sound well. Bring back Cutter or find somebody else with Sam's gravitas but give the old man a break. Flame away.

[jalady]

Quote

When Bernard met the tennis star at the jail, she said she didn't want to talk to him, and he said something like: Don't talk. Just listen.
I'm guessing there's some legal technicality that makes it okay if that's what happens. 

Nope, not at all.  When a person is represented by a lawyer, you must contact the attorney.  Point blank period.  If she had initiated the meeting, there may have been some wiggle room.  But to have her pulled form her cell, in the middle of her trial, when she has TWO attorneys?  Beyond unrealistic and violates her Constitutional right to counsel.  OK, getting off my "this isn't how it's done in the real world" soapbox now, LOL.  I know it's a TV show, but that scene was just so unrealistic to me.

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 3/18/2022 at 11:04 AM, jalady said:

Nope, not at all.  When a person is represented by a lawyer, you must contact the attorney.  Point blank period.  If she had initiated the meeting, there may have been some wiggle room.  But to have her pulled form her cell, in the middle of her trial, when she has TWO attorneys?  Beyond unrealistic and violates her Constitutional right to counsel.  OK, getting off my "this isn't how it's done in the real world" soapbox now, LOL.  I know it's a TV show, but that scene was just so unrealistic to me.

And in previous seasons, with maybe one or two exceptions, the DAs/cops never approached the suspect(s)/defendant(s) without their attorney(s) present.

The writers they hired for this season just plain out SUCK. If they continue to just do episodes based on celebrities, I am OUT. I've got seasons 1-20 that I can rewatch again and again and not waste time constantly complaining (I don't want to be/HATE to be that person). I had very low expectations and nothing I've seen has changed my mind. Not even Seeing Jack, who isn't even acting like Jack the DA from the last two seasons.

I'm taking this off my DVR queue. I'll continue to read here, of course, and can always watch on Demand or Peacock.

Edited March 23, 2022 by GHScorpiosRule

[Raja]

So I wasn't the only one waiting for the ADAs to BRING IT when the judge challenged them on the motion to strip guardianship? That was the L&O twist point the early jump to the trial demanded. It was like they weren't expecting any pushback from the defense as they just went through the motions with no passion.

[LittleIggy]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

*sigh* Okay, here goes. Sam Waterson is too old. It breaks my heart because I love him so much and I was really looking forward to seeing him again. But he does not look or sound well. Bring back Cutter or find somebody else with Sam's gravitas but give the old man a break. Flame away.

No flames from me. I saw him on Stephen Colbert’s show recently and thought “Wow, Sam has really aged.” I love Sam too and felt bad for him.

4 hours ago, jalady said:

OMG.  Neither a DA nor the police, Bernard (no matter how big a tennis fan you are), are allowed to meet alone with a defendant who's represented by counsel.  This is so freaking basic!  Do better show!  I've loved and defended you for years to people who always ask how a prosecutor can watch this "legal" drama, but now you're starting to annoy me :-(

That was the first thing I thought too: “Where are her lawyers?” Such a big mistake by the writers!

[Enigma X]

I am a huge Sam Waterson fan. I am not so much against his age or anything. I sort of think he looks fine for his age. I just think McCoy is not being written like the McCoy we remember. That sucks.

I was really hoping to have Cutter back in some capacity.

With that said, I think the show is just as good as its previous 3 to 4 seasons. With that said, I really only watched those seasons for Cutter.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

No flames from me. I saw him on Stephen Colbert’s show recently and thought “Wow, Sam has really aged.” I love Sam too and felt bad for him.

Thank you. He just doesn't seem well to me. I hope this isn't taking too much out of him and it brings him joy but I'm not seeing it.

[Xeliou66]

13 minutes ago, Enigma X said:

I am a huge Sam Waterson fan. I am not so much against his age or anything. I sort of think he looks fine for his age. I just think McCoy is not being written like the McCoy we remember. That sucks.

I was really hoping to have Cutter back in some capacity.

With that said, I think the show is just as good as its previous 3 to 4 seasons. With that said, I really only watched those seasons for Cutter.

Jack just isn’t on screen much - I think the writing for him is just fine and I like seeing him consult with Price and Maroun, but he just isn’t getting the screen time he got in previous seasons. That’s likely due to his age - I think Sam looks good for his age, but he probably wants a reduced workload given that he is 81. I’m fine with that, some Jack is better than no Jack, and I can’t imagine the show without him, but I do miss seeing more of him in the episodes. I think the writing for him is good, I don’t think he’s changed, and I hope he stays with the show. 

[dubbel zout]

IRL, Robert Morgenthau, the Manhattan DA on whom Adam Schiff was somewhat based on, didn't retire until he was 90, so Jack (and Sam) has a ways to go. 

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

IRL, Robert Morgenthau, the Manhattan DA on whom Adam Schiff was somewhat based on, didn't retire until he was 90, so Jack (and Sam) has a ways to go. 

That probably explains why Adam always seemed to me to be way past the expiration date for the job (because real life DA Robert Morgenthau was 89 when he retired).
So there's precedent in both real life and OG L&O for an elderly DA. 
Plus, Waterston always seemed to me to be physically older than his persona--so now he appears even more aged. 
My guess: Either the end of this year or next, Jack will "retire." 
Waterston being attached to this project bought a lot of viewer good will. I don't see TPTB letting go of that just yet.