S24.E07: Truth and Consequences

[paigow]

When tragedy strikes the family of a prominent judge, Brady must determine if the murder is connected to any of the judge's rulings; Baxter steps in when a key witness refuses to testify; Maroun tries to protect another witness's privacy.

Air Date: Nov 14 / 24

[ML89]

On 11/9/2024 at 9:12 AM, paigow said:

Maroun tries to protect another witness's privacy.

Uh oh, is this the Ben Stone Exit?

[Xeliou66]

Thanks for getting the thread started for this week’s episode. It sounds interesting. Glad it appears Baxter will get a heavy role. Not looking forward to more of Brady being hands on though - she’s really unlikable and I’m sick of her being shoved on to us. 

[marc20]

okay, I thought this was a complex and compelling episode, my favorite of the reboot so far...I don't always like the ripped from the headlines ones but this was well done

couple notes about one of my passions, pointing out repeat appearances of guest stars/roles, first in the original series, then people who have been in the original and now the reboot

the new Mayor of NYC was in the original multiple times I believe...which brings me to the defendant...this was the kid in the original series who was kidnapped and then molested by a creep and then the defendant killed the young kid the creep brought in to molest...I think I have that right, but if not, correct me...thing is I don't recognize him from anything else but these L&O roles though I'm sure he's worked elsewhere...still looks young now many years later, playing a student...I believe he does go down as the first person to be a defendant and killer in the original and the reboot

Edited November 15 by marc20

[txhorns79]

1 hour ago, marc20 said:

thing is I don't recognize him from anything else but these L&O roles though I'm sure he's worked elsewhere

The biggest thing I know him from is he played Susan Sarandon's magic loving son in the movie Stepmom. 

This was an interesting episode.  Given how shady the wife/Judge was throughout the episode, I honestly thought we'd find out that she was having an affair with the guy who murdered her husband.  I was surprised that her big secret was being a drug addict. 

I also thought they saw the watermelon sweatshirt through one of windows in the tent, perhaps raising a plain sight exception, but I am not familiar enough with criminal law to know how that works in this type of situation, and they didn't raise it with the Judge at the suppression hearing. 

Edited November 15 by txhorns79

[Raja]

As soon as he went into his tent I said to  my partner that these detectives need to watch more Law & Order.

[buckboard]

You can find what episodes of L&O the actor was in as well as his other performances from IMDB.  Couldn't watch TV without it.

[paigow]

2 hours ago, marc20 said:

the new Mayor of NYC was in the original multiple times I believe...

Most notably - He married into the Masucci crime family  and ended up murdered during the Greevey Logan era

[marc20]

6 hours ago, buckboard said:

You can find what episodes of L&O the actor was in as well as his other performances from IMDB.  Couldn't watch TV without it.

what's his name?

 

okay, Liam Aiken

 

and here's an article about him posted by NBC

 

https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/law-and-order-guest-star-liam-aiken-michaela-watkins-snl

 

the judge, Michaela Watkins was also on SNL one year...didn't remember that

Edited November 15 by marc20

[Xeliou66]

I didn’t like this episode at all - felt more like a political statement than an episode. 

Oh and I couldn’t stand Maroun, once again she’s feeling sorry for a killer, and acting more like an activist than a lawyer, and being whiny. I’m tired of her.

Disappointing that Baxter bowed to the mayor at the end, felt like political pressure was clouding his judgment - he’s the one who should’ve been called a sellout by the brother, not Price.

At least Brady wasn’t annoying.

That’s all I have to say about this one, it was junk. 

[MediaZone4K]

16 minutes ago, Xeliou66 said:

I didn’t like this episode at all - felt more like a political statement than an episode. 

Oh and I couldn’t stand Maroun, once again she’s feeling sorry for a killer, and acting more like an activist than a lawyer, and being whiny. I’m tired of her.

Disappointing that Baxter bowed to the mayor at the end, felt like political pressure was clouding his judgment - he’s the one who should’ve been called a sellout by the brother, not Price.

At least Brady wasn’t annoying.

That’s all I have to say about this one, it was junk. 

I had to ask myself if the original series Jack McCoy would have bowed to the mayor like that.

This will continue to set up the relationship of distrust between Price and Baxter.

[Raja]

The worst thing any immigrant in New York can do is be a witness for the state's case. Snitches might get stitches, but good residents get the shaft

[NoReally]

I thought if the police were actually arresting a suspect, they were allowed to search the premises without a warrant. But I guess I was wrong.

[Raja]

3 minutes ago, NoReally said:

I thought if the police were actually arresting a suspect, they were allowed to search the premises without a warrant. But I guess I was wrong.

They weren't arresting they were attempting to interview him when the slow speed foot chase started. The shirt caused the arrest 

[dubbel zout]

2 hours ago, Raja said:

The worst thing any immigrant in New York can do is be a witness for the state's case. Snitches might get stitches, but good residents get the shaft

I was kind of on Price's side here. The student visa was tied to her being a current student, and the university said it would expel demonstrators. He was right that she made a choice to participate. She knew the risks. I'm sorry it ended up with her likely deportation, but don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

29 minutes ago, Raja said:

the slow speed foot chase

Heh. I was relieved there was no chase this episode. And for once the detectives split up instead of both running the same way.

[Xeliou66]

This episode was dreadful. 
And Maroun can leave any time - I’m so sick of her feeling sympathy for killers, and acting more like an activist than a lawyer. Shades of St Olivia Benson with her. 
At least there was no personal melodrama and Brady wasn’t annoying. 

[paigow]

Logan recovered a murder weapon from a cardboard box shelter in Central Park. The homeless guy used the same privacy / illegal search motion... I cannot remember how that judge ruled... 

[Xeliou66]

5 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

I had to ask myself if the original series Jack McCoy would have bowed to the mayor like that.

This will continue to set up the relationship of distrust between Price and Baxter.

I wish they would cut out the Baxter/Price distrust or dial it back - while I’m fine with having characters with different perspective and views, I want the conflict to be between the good guys and the bad guys, not between 2 of the good guys. I like both characters usually, but I was disappointed with Baxter last night, and I don’t want it to be where Baxter and Price just don’t get along. I hope it’s dialed back again going forward. I did enjoy seeing a lot of Baxter last night and I think Tony Goldwyn does a great job playing him, but dial back the Baxter/Price distrust. 

[paigow]

Adam Schiff always kept one eye on the polls when bitching at Stone & McCoy to make deals... Branch & McCoy often butted heads

[paigow]

5 hours ago, MediaZone4K said:

I had to ask myself if the original series Jack McCoy would have bowed to the mayor like that.

McCoy & Cutter took down the GOVERNOR and his wife

[Theli11]

I'm on the side of Maroun here, as I usually am. I actually wished that the witness didn't testify or been vague and not say that they were protesting did something else. No way would I have testified against my friend and risk getting deported. 

I didn't like this episode too much. Not because it's bad but the backdrop of the episode being Israel-Palestine will always be a rough write. I think it's twice now they've done this (the first being the premiere for Season 23), not a big fan. [Plus they're back at Hudson U for the case haha] 

My least favorite of the season but considering that I liked this season very very much so far, it's still a pretty good episode. 

Next episode is ANOTHER BRADY FOCUS?! That's 3 in a row. They better dial her back for the rest of the season, because she is my least favorite on the cast as of currently. 

30 minutes ago, Xeliou66 said:

I wish they would cut out the Baxter/Price distrust or dial it back - while I’m fine with having characters with different perspective and views, I want the conflict to be between the good guys and the bad guys, not between 2 of the good guys. I like both characters usually, but I was disappointed with Baxter last night, and I don’t want it to be where Baxter and Price just don’t get along. I hope it’s dialed back again going forward. I did enjoy seeing a lot of Baxter last night and I think Tony Goldwyn does a great job playing him, but dial back the Baxter/Price distrust. 

I think this part was fine and earned. Why the hell is Baxter bending way over backwards and leaving Price in the dark? They still have some issues and I don't think they're going to work it all out, especially considering Baxter is his boss. 
Also remember: Baxter was appointed by the Mayor (IIRC), so he probably has some loyalty or bias that he's never going to admit. I thought Baxter and Price was the better parts of the episode. 

One thing about the season is that it finally feels like the show has a full deck. All the characters were alive here and doing something, and it felt coherent. 

[dubbel zout]

12 minutes ago, Theli11 said:

Baxter was appointed by the Mayor

No, Baxter was elected by the people of New York City. The mayor and the DA always have some interaction, since there's often a political element in criminal cases.

[shapeshifter]

I thought this was the best episode of the reboot. 🤷🏻‍♀️

4 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

The student visa was tied to her being a current student, and the university said it would expel demonstrators. He was right that she made a choice to participate. She knew the risks. I'm sorry it ended up with her likely deportation, but don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

Yep. And as the victim-to-be said In the opening scene: "Making poor choices is all part of the college experience." I wish the young, idealistic, Venezuelan student could have been protected from her own poor judgement, but, unfortunately, that doesn't really happen when young, barely-adults are living on college campuses (speaking from personal experience and observations as a retired college librarian).

 

7 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

Disappointing that Baxter bowed to the mayor at the end, felt like political pressure was clouding his judgment…

I saw Baxter standing up to the mayor when he thought it was a political ask. He only bowed because he agreed that outing the judge as an opioid addict would overturn a lot of cases involving "terrorists, drսg traffickers, child pornography." Baxter agreed to not put the judge on the stand for "best for the people of this city, the people I serve." 

BTW: Was the judge out of town during the murder for some sort of rehab session? Or to score drugs? Or…?

 

7 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

[Baxter]’s the one who should’ve been called a sellout by the brother, not Price.

Price did have to absorb the brother's resentment for a decision made by Baxter, but, if Price had had his way in the beginning, it might have been a manslaughter charge anyway. It was Baxter who wanted to charge Murder One to send a message.

And then there was the young, seemingly repentant killer who is going to spend 12 years in prison. That's a big chunk of his life when he would otherwise be building a career and earning money for when he is elderly, and perhaps starting a family. I always have trouble with the characters on these shows griping about how 12 years is not enough in these cases. 

In contrast, last week's killer went free to likely kill again due to her mental illness. 

Edited Friday at 08:31 PM by shapeshifter

[Irlandesa]

The mayor just didn't ask Baxter to reconsider because he wanted to protect the judge.  He asked to protect her trial outcomes.

Now I'd personally find it hard to believe an opioid addiction would put those in jeopardy but that's why he backed down.   They were only going for first degree because Baxter wanted it.

It's interesting getting different perspectives because I kind of hated the episode.   I thought it was full of unnecessary twists like the judge's addiction. 

 

[blackwing]

I hated this episode.  

6 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

I didn’t like this episode at all - felt more like a political statement than an episode. 

Oh and I couldn’t stand Maroun, once again she’s feeling sorry for a killer, and acting more like an activist than a lawyer, and being whiny. I’m tired of her.

Disappointing that Baxter bowed to the mayor at the end, felt like political pressure was clouding his judgment - he’s the one who should’ve been called a sellout by the brother, not Price.

At least Brady wasn’t annoying.

That’s all I have to say about this one, it was junk. 

I fully agree with everything you said here.  The whole background of Israel/Gaza, the illegal immigrant girlfriend "unfairly" getting expelled and probably deported, all the extraneous commentary that the characters say at the beginning so we know exactly where the producers and writers stand on these issues.  Unnecessary.

Yet another "unreasonable search and seizure" argument.  Last season it was the nanny (?) who quit her job but still had an expectation of privacy in her room in the apartment even though it was a CRIME SCENE.  Now, the guy is illegally squatting in a tent and it's deemed to be a private home?  Whatever.  

I'd love to see statistics on the percentage regarding how many times the judge sides with the defence and throws out the key piece of evidence.

Maroun needs to quit her job and become a full time activist.  Why can't this happen?  I loathe Maroun.  She always feels sorry for the defendant.  Why is she a prosecutor if she thinks everyone is innocent and/or has justifications for their criminal acts?  I dislike everything about her.  I hate her self-righteousness and I hate the sound of her voice and her fish lips.

Why have so many actors/characters exited the reboot (Sam Waterston, Anthony Anderson, Jeffrey Donovan, Camryn Mannheim) and yet we are still stuck with the abysmal Maroun?  The character and the actress are both lousy.

[Xeliou66]

Baxter was appointed by the governor, not the Mayor, part of why Jack retired was so the mayor wouldn’t have the chance to have a puppet to run the office and fire all of McCoy’s people. So there’s no tie between Baxter and the mayor. I like Baxter and I appreciate that he’s different from McCoy, but I didn’t agree with Baxter’s decision here, the murderer deserved more than 12 years. I’m still curious to see how the Baxter/Price relationship goes.

I really wish Maroun had been let go and not Dixon, Maroun sucks while Dixon was a good LT. Brady wasn’t annoying here but I don’t like her and it looks like next week will be heavy on her again. 

[paigow]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

And then there was the young, seemingly repentant killer who is going to spend 12 years in prison.

I pushed my way in... then he punched me

In many states, the Professor could have killed the twerp and got a free pass

[MediaZone4K]

2 hours ago, paigow said:

Logan recovered a murder weapon from a cardboard box shelter in Central Park. The homeless guy used the same privacy / illegal search motion... I cannot remember how that judge ruled... 

I wonder if producers have people in the back rooms keeping track of episode ruling precedent. Lol.

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I thought this was the best episode of the reboot. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Yep. And as the victim-to-be said In the opening scene: "Making poor choices is all part of the college experience." I wish the young, idealistic, Venezuelan student could have been protected from her own poor judgement, but, unfortunately, that doesn't really happen when young, barely-adults are living on college campuses (speaking from personal experience and observations as a retired college librarian).

 

I saw Baxter standing up to the mayor when he thought it was a political ask. He only bowed because he agreed that outing the judge as an opioid addict would overturn a lot of cases involving "terrorists, drսg traffickers, child pornography." Baxter agreed to not put the judge on the stand for "best for the people of this city, the people I serve." 

BTW: Was the judge out of town during the murder for some sort of rehab session? Or to score drugs? Or…?

 

Price did have to absorb the brother's resentment for a decision made by Baxter, but, if Price had had his way in the beginning, it might have been a manslaughter charge anyway. It was Baxter who wanted to charge Murder One to send a message.

And then there was the young, seemingly repentant killer who is going to spend 12 years in prison. That's a big chunk of his life when he would otherwise be building a career and earning money for when he is elderly, and perhaps starting a family. I always have trouble with the characters on these shows griping about how 12 years is not enough in these cases. 

In contrast, last week's killer went free to likely kill again due to her mental illness. 

But 12 years in prison, for taking the life of a person who could have lived maybe another 20 years is really not that much. The killer would be out in his 40s and still have a whole lot of life, albeit not high quality life, ahead of him.

 

Edited Friday at 09:02 PM by MediaZone4K

[MediaZone4K]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

all the extraneous commentary that the characters say at the beginning so we know exactly where the producers and writers stand on these issues.  Unnecessary.

Why have so many actors/characters exited the reboot (Sam Waterston, Anthony Anderson, Jeffrey Donovan, Camryn Mannheim) and yet we are still stuck with the abysmal Maroun?  The character and the actress are both lousy.

Yes!!! That's my problem with a lot of TV today. The writers feel the need to heavy-handedly insert their political opinions into dialogue. Agreed on Maroun, less emotion and activism more prosecuting please.

[Zaffy]

meh... this was all over the place..
another forced dilemma/debate... yawn...

[cfinboston]

I'm as conservative as they come but I wish there weren't so many references to the Venezuelan woman as being an illegal immigrant. She was there on a student visa. She was not in the country illegally. I didn't feel sorry for her because the condition of her visa was "stay away from encampments". She chose to violate that.

Jack McCoy would have argued either "Inevitable discovery" or "exigent circumstances" and the sweatshirt would be in.

[januaryman]

Aiken was in two previous Law & Orders and two Criminal Intents and was the ill-fated son of Tom Hanks in Road to Perdition. Though he's 34 now the character was stated as being 24.

[paigow]

New York Times Classified Ad:

Hudson University has an immediate need for a Journalism Professor.

Teaching experience is secondary to the following requirements:

• Minimal social media profile that also expresses no strong opinion on any issue
• Family members are not politicians, celebrities, athletes or other influencers
• Sexual orientation not important; however, depressed libido preferred

Submit CV to DeanWormer@HudU.com

[Chaser]

I wish they did more every-man episodes and less political/moral dilemma ones. It used to feel like the city was a character, now it just feels like a stage. 

[paigow]

1 hour ago, Chaser said:

I wish they did more every-man episodes and less political/moral dilemma ones. It used to feel like the city was a character, now it just feels like a stage. 

Like one sister killing the other then stealing her identity to have a better life?

 

[Raja]

5 minutes ago, paigow said:

Like one sister killing the other then stealing her identity to have a better life?

 

Well better that than topics the entire audience can't discuss because of the fear of cancel culture 

[Cotypubby]

This was a pretty good episode. Still hate Maroun and her constant always-on-the-verge-of-tears style acting and sympathy for killers.

The Venezuelan student shouldn’t have been part of the encampments if she didn’t want to suffer the consequences. She put herself in that situation and has no one but herself to blame.

The killer didn’t really seem that repentant at the end, he was just saying what he needed to in order to get the best plea. He didn’t really seem to show an ounce of guilt or remorse the entire time.

[KittyQ]

On 11/16/2024 at 7:19 AM, paigow said:

Like one sister killing the other then stealing her identity to have a better life?

 

Ha! I thought it was also to avoid her criminal associates, since they killed her "husband". She did have the poor manners to say that she figured her sister didn't have a life much worth living because she was straight and narrow. 

[KittyQ]

6 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

This was a pretty good episode. Still hate Maroun and her constant always-on-the-verge-of-tears style acting and sympathy for killers.

The Venezuelan student shouldn’t have been part of the encampments if she didn’t want to suffer the consequences. She put herself in that situation and has no one but herself to blame.

I still think that Maroun is Serena 2.0. Every once in a while the writers give her a little more spunk, but it comes off as inconsistent rather than as a real part of her personality.

I agree about the Venezuelan student. She knew that the university might expel her if she participated in the protests, and her student visa would get cancelled. However, like many students, she probably figured that the university was bluffing because they wouldn't expel all the protesters, and the sanctions would be something minor. You have to learn that sometimes the threats are not bluffs and you do things at your own peril. Learning that in college is as good a time as any, and this had the bonus of actually doing the right thing by testifying, so she can see herself as a martyr if that makes her feel better. 

I wondered if the mayor (or whoever) could make a deal with the judge to have to go to rehab in order to avoid testifying, because I can't believe that anyone thinks having a drug addicted judge on the bench is a good thing going forward. 

[Joimiaroxeu]

They were questioning the president of Hudson U as a murder suspect? Seriously? The guy acted like he couldn't believe it either.

Riley and Shaw got to interrogate a suspect instead of Brady.

And of course there was a motion to dismiss the perp's sweatshirt as evidence due to lack of a search warrant.

And of course a key witness had a problematic student visa issue.

Who was the woman Baxter was putting the touch on to find out what Judge Bennett's problem was with testifying? Is she a recurring character?

1 hour ago, KittyQ said:

I wondered if the mayor (or whoever) could make a deal with the judge to have to go to rehab in order to avoid testifying, because I can't believe that anyone thinks having a drug addicted judge on the bench is a good thing going forward. 

It wasn't my impression the judge was still using drugs. I thought the issue was that if she testified the defense would find out she wasn't at a spa when her husband was killed, she was in rehab. Then all the rulings in the cases she presided over would be contested, possibly putting dangerous felons back on the street.

My favorite comment from reddit about this episode:

Quote

At this point, how does Hudson University even have any students.

[paigow]

1 hour ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

They were questioning the president of Hudson U as a murder suspect? Seriously? The guy acted like he couldn't believe it either.

The University has a history of faculty members ranging from ethically challenged to felonious. Dude should expect to be profiled.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Who was the woman Baxter was putting the touch on to find out what Judge Bennett's problem was with testifying? Is she a recurring character?

Baxter introduces her to Brady with "Wendy's second chaired a few of my cases back in the day."

Prior to that introduction, Baxter says privately to Wendy "I know you and Judge Bennett are close" and then gets her to reveal the reason the Judge won't testify in the trial of the Judge's husband.

We have never seen her before.

[ML89]

8 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

We have never seen her before.

And she looked like the judge too...

I liked Price finally showing a bit of spine but this one went in so many directions that the judge's drug problems were just the final straw.

11 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Riley and Shaw got to interrogate a suspect instead of Brady.

I stg Maura Tierney shows up in yet another show and takes over. She arrived in ER and suddenly, she was the focus of everyone. She shows up in L&O and she's suddenly got all these story lines - ugh.

I'd also say that Baxter has been involved in more cases already than I think Adam in his entire tenure, well, at least as many as Branch or Lewin.

11 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

And of course there was a motion to dismiss the perp's sweatshirt as evidence due to lack of a search warrant.

As soon as they started looking at that tent, I knew we were headed that way. So the murderer didn't get rid of the sweatshirt which should have had some, er, evidence on it?

So, you go to the judge's house, beat in the brains of her husband with a golf club instead, all because you want an internship and don't get it seems to be a metaphor for something. Enjoy your twelve years, you got off easy.

 

[shapeshifter]

12 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

And of course there was a motion to dismiss the perp's sweatshirt as evidence due to lack of a search warrant.

36 minutes ago, ML89 said:

As soon as they started looking at that tent, I knew we were headed that way.

Did they amplify the sound of the tent zip in post-production? 
That was the tend zip heard 'round the legal universe.

 

[Joimiaroxeu]

11 hours ago, paigow said:

The University has a history of faculty members ranging from ethically challenged to felonious. Dude should expect to be profiled.

He wasn't a faculty member though. It's possible he'd never worked at Hudson before becoming its president. At his level the guy would've been heavily vetted when he was hired. He was probaby very careful about everything he said and did since it could also impact any future positions. IMO it was unlikely he'd suddenly turned into a criminal. Yet Riley and Shaw were almost treating him like a skel.

[GiandujaPie]

I still didn't understand why the judge's drug addiction would have been relevant if she took the stand to testify for the prosecution. I kept thinking that it was going to be because the defendant was also her drug dealer/supplier but that never turned out to be, so not sure why this information would need to come out when she was on the stand. If this information was going to be used to impeach her credibility, then that means the information is already known to people outside of her immediate circle. 

The actor who plays the mayor, Bruce Altman, has had many memorable roles in the Law and Order universe. My personal favorite is Tuxedo Hill on Criminal Intent. Liam Aiken was also on a memorable Criminal Intent episode as a genius boy who lied and told his father that he wasn't getting into a school for child prodigies and so his father killed the social worker writing the evaluation and recommendation. And I loved the actor as a little kid in StepMom. 

[Raja]

41 minutes ago, GiandujaPie said:

I still didn't understand why the judge's drug addiction would have been relevant if she took the stand to testify for the prosecution. I kept thinking that it was going to be because the defendant was also her drug dealer/supplier but that never turned out to be, so not sure why this information would need to come out when she was on the stand. If this information was going to be used to impeach her credibility, then that means the information is already known to people outside of her immediate circle. 

I was thinking that since the defense already knew then it doesn't remain secret in any case and every bad scenario from her admitting under oath it still happens

[GiandujaPie]

14 minutes ago, Raja said:

I was thinking that since the defense already knew then it doesn't remain secret in any case and every bad scenario from her admitting under oath it still happens

That's why it didn't make sense for her to refuse to testify and for going out of the way to "protect" her. 

[paigow]

If this cast was put in a lineup, Maura Tierney would be the only female  recognized by anybody over 35... She is L&O version of Aaron Rodgers - play every down, not getting benched 

[SAS]

Baxter shouldn't have been so indignant that Price had concerns about his integrity. He's the one who almost lost the election because it came out that he once used his position to get his daughter out of drunk driving charges. He said Price had a conflict of interest last season purely because he prosecuted a repeat offender for his previous offence. So how does it look when he calls him in and is like "Are you SERIOUSLY calling my BUDDY to testify?" He didn't back off until Price questioned his objectivity regarding the school. He was the one preaching that the office had to be BEYOND REPROACH in ALL THINGS a couple weeks ago. He should have been thanking Price for holding him accountable to the standard that HE set. And now this week he waltzes in and tells him to make a deal so the judge doesn't have to testify with vague handwaving. He could have explained WHY it was for the good of the city; he's not giving his people a reason to trust him. Which, as a viewer, I kind of like. It makes you question whether he's really such a straight arrow. I like the direction the conflict between him and Price has gone. But honestly, I hope he isn't ACTUALLY surprised that Price finds his integrity a little questionable.