Season 7: Jamie Ross, Former Bond Girl

[GHScorpiosRule]

Eh. Couldn't think of a witty title, sue me.

 

Unlike most, I actually LOVE Jamie. She was equal to Jack, unlike Clair, who, never quite seemed to be either Ben or Jack's equal. I loved how she would argue with him and get in his face. I thought Carey Lowell was a decent actress.

 

Though I hated the three parter that took place in CA. UGH.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Heh, Chatty It's NO SECRET that I cannot abide Rey, hence you will notice that I didn't create a topic for Season six, because anything I came up with, would be mean. So I'm leaving that to someone else. Plus, I was so very, very bitter over losing Noth, that I sort of stopped watching season six, but did catch them in reruns. I'm sure the networks were still airing repeats during the season.

 

I dunno. I kind of liked Jamie's suits. I know that I was always wishing I knew where I could get some for myself.

 

The one thing that did disappoint me with Lennie in this season was his urging Rey to cheat when they were in California. Bad Lennie! Very, very bad!

 

It really is too bad that we never got to see her preside over any of the cases post Season 15, since we know she became a judge in Trial By Jury.

[radishcake]

Season 7: Episode List

 

1 Causa Mortis 1996-09-18
2 ID 1996-09-25
3 Good Girl 1996-10-07
4 Survivor 1996-10-23
5 Corruption 1996-10-30
6 Double Blind 1996-11-06
7 Deadbeat 1996-11-13
8 Family Business 1996-11-20
9 Entrapment 1997-01-08
10 Legacy 1997-01-15
11 Menace 1997-02-05
12 Barter 1997-02-12
13 Matrimony 1997-02-19
14 Working Mom 1997-02-26
15 D-Girl (Trilogy Part One) 1997-03-13
16 Turnaround (Trilogy Part Two) 1997-03-20
17 Showtime (Trilogy Part Three) 1997-03-27
18 Mad Dog 1997-04-02
19 Double Down 1997-04-16
20 We Like Mike 1997-04-30
21 Passion 1997-05-07
22 Past Imperfect 1997-05-14
23 Terminal 1997-05-21

[Princess Sparkle]

I dunno. I kind of liked Jamie's suits. I know that I was always wishing I knew where I could get some for myself.

 

I don't think her suits were bad, per se, but I think they could've been a whole lot more flattering - I mean, you have to work pretty hard to make her look dumpy, which they did on occasion.  Which is horrifying; she is absolutely beautiful.  And she is tied (with Ruberosa) as my second favorite ADA (Robinette will forever and always be my favorite); I loved her cool, calm and collected demeanor.  It makes me wish we could've seen her paired with Stone; I think they would've complimented each other wonderfully.

 

This season also has two episodes, that while I think are fan-favorites, I can't stand - Mad Dog and We Like Mike.  Both exemplify to me why I really disliked McCoy; in both, he's pushing for what he thinks is right, regardless of what the law says, while mainly disregarding the people around him.  

[Spartan Girl]

I liked Jamie too.  She wasn't Abbie, but she had me at, "I believe in monsters and things that go bump in the night.  May they rot in hell with their lawyers."

 

Speaking of that episode "Causa Mortis" man did that episode infuriate me.  A mother of four dies because some punk wanted her car.  And I really hated how his trashy little bitch of a girlfriend kept defending him, saying that "he didn't want to kill her, it was an accident."  And she had SOME NERVE saying she didn't want her unborn baby to grow up without a father when the victim's children lost their mother.  But at least she and the perp's grandmother showed some emotion listening to the victim begging for her life on tape -- the perp just look mildly uncomfortable.  Bastard.

 

Those poor kids crying in the police station destroyed me -- I bet it was definitely one of those days where Lennie, Rey, and the squad really hated their jobs.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I really loved her comment to Jack and Adam about how the defense "wouldn't have to work too hard to convince me" or something like that in "Ritual", the episode about female "circumcision."  And that Family Court judge was an arrogant, neanderthalic blowhard.

 

I could totally see Ben and Jamie working well together.

 

I did notice a goof when Lowell returned twice. The first time, Jack was all like "What brings you to the DA's office" and then two seasons later, when Jamie comes back, Jack acts as if he hasn't seen her since she LEFT the DA's office, and I was all like "HUH?" You just saw her two years ago, when she was defending that killer, who actually murdered that woman, that that judge, played by what'shisface from One Day at A Time, refused to vacate, because that case made him the DA or something.

 

Even at Season 10, I expect BETTER from this show!

 

ETA: Richard Masur!

Edited July 8, 2014 by GHScorpiosRule

[FormerMod-a1]

I'm watching I.D. right now - it's got the judge that gets very inappropriate with Jamie, even in court.  I also mostly liked Jamie in this one.  She usually annoyed me.  Something in the line deliveries, even when I agreed with her (which I often did), would just make me roll my eyes or wince.  So it was an odd dichotomy to agree with the words and still not enjoy the portrayal.  

[radishcake]

I caught the end of "Double Blind" today and man Jamie does contempt for your lack of morality pretty well. Whew. That one is so sad. Kid is in a study for medication for schizophrenia & ends up killing a guy. Come to find out the Dr. running the study never did PET scans on the kids and the boy had a brain tumor that COULD have been treated but now was going to kill him. I love Jack at the end, "When the time comes (meaning when the poor boy dies) I'm amending the charges. Murder two, reckless disregard for human life."

[augmentedfourth]

Ooh, yeah, the ending of Double Blind is one of the all-time greats. Chilling.

 

As far as Jamie herself goes, I had mixed feelings about her. For the most part, I liked her as a character, especially as she wasn't afraid to stand up to Jack and Adam when she disagreed with them. However, it always bugged me that every man in the L&O universe treated her as the most attractive woman to ever set foot in New York City. Which...no. I just didn't get it, and it happened SO MANY TIMES, it seemed really clunky and heavy-handed by the writers.

[DXD526]

Saw "Causa Mortis", Jamie's first episode, the other night, and had forgotten what a strong debut it was for her. She locked horns with Jack immediately and established she wasn't going to be a pushover.

 

I liked Jamie too. She wasn't Abbie, but she had me at, "I believe in monsters and things that go bump in the night.  May they rot in hell with their lawyers."

 

 

A great line that revealed a lot about where she was coming from. I liked in the episode how she called in an old friend to threaten the perps with federal charges, and when he saw he was just being used as leverage, he stormed out and basically said 'you're dead to me'. Jamie turned to Jack and smiled and said "He'll get over it." Hee! 

 

That was a real ripped-from-the-headlines case, for those unaware. It happened in New Jersey, not far from where my Mom was living at the time. When I visited, we'd often drive by the mall from where the victim was kidnapped. A good debut for Jamie, but the episode still gives me the creeps.

[Spartan Girl]

Is it wrong that I wish the federal charges had been genuine just so that asshole could get the death penalty?  Because he totally deserved it.  Also wish the bitch girlfriend had gotten jailtime too.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Is it wrong that I wish the federal charges had been genuine just so that asshole could get the death penalty?  Because he totally deserved it.  Also wish the bitch girlfriend had gotten jailtime too.

 

Absolutely. They could have charged her with accomplice after the fact or whatever the term is.

[Eolivet]

WGN just aired season 7 several months ago, and I actually think it's one of their strongest seasons ever. I hated Jamie when I watched her in real time (what Law & Order-loving young woman didn't want to grow up to be Claire Kincaid?) but I really appreciate her now. She had a distinct point of view separate from McCoy -- she was a real equal and counterpart. I feel like Claire tried, but often failed, to get her point across, and just couldn't quite hold her own with McCoy like Jamie could.

 

I love this season for personal reasons described in other threads, but also because I remember it so vividly. '96-'97 was when Law & Order ratings really started to rise. The Hollywood trilogy might not play as well now, but I just remember it being epic. It aired on Thursday! The same night as "Friends!" The same night as "Must-See TV!" The closest analogy I can think of would be CBS deciding to air like...NCIS: Los Angeles after the Super Bowl. I still remember the promo: "New York cops in Hollywood!" Lenny Briscoe walking through the sand! Curtis (who I never liked) in shades! And because it was their take on the O.J. case, it was huge (for Law & Order).

 

And then, of course, the piece-de-resistance -- the utter shock three months later when seven-year old Law & Order upset the heavy favorites to win the Emmy for Best Drama! My husband (then-boyfriend) and I screamed at the TV. A seven-year old drama with no previous trophies had never won before, nor likely will it ever happen again. Law & Order season 7 really was special.

Edited September 6, 2014 by Eolivet

[ktwo]

Eolivet - wasn't ER on Thursdays at 10?

[WendyCR72]

Not Eolivet (obviously!), but yeah, ktwo, ER was on at Thursdays at 10 for its entire run. I think Eolivet missed by just a day: L&O was on at Wednesdays at 10 for most of its run but, towards the end, got shoved to Fridays, which sucked.

[Eolivet]

Eolivet - wasn't ER on Thursdays at 10?

 

Yep, but if you look at the original airing dates of the three-parter, they all aired on Thursday (3/13/97, 3/20/97 and 3/27/97).  ER being a 22 episode series, instead of airing reruns for three weeks in March, they put Law & Order on a special day and time.

 

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply Law & Order was always on Thursday at 10 -- but for this three-parter, it definitely was. That's what made the episodes so cool.

[ktwo]

I saw "Legacy" (guy's best friend kills him and marries his wife without her realizing) again last night and it is so good. I really think it's one of the best written episodes ever. The actress playing the wife is so appropriately clueless, and Frances Sternhagan is fantastic as always.

[Spartan Girl]

I know it was wrong for the mother in law to put a hit out on him, but considering the fact that she was totally right about him killing her son, you can't really blame her.

 

God, can you imagine how the wife felt when she realized the truth?  I almost felt sorry for her.  Yeah, she was no part of the murder and she didn't cheat him her first husband before he was killed, but still she was so clueless...

[GHScorpiosRule]

At least she filed for divorce before the verdict came back, and once she realized she had married her stalker. So very, very sad.

[wanderingstar]

Jamie turned to Jack and smiled and said "He'll get over it." Hee!

 

 

That's one of my favorite Jamie moments.

[katie9918]

WE started airing these episodes again last night and I'm looking forward to reliving all of season seven (yes, including the Hollywood trilogy).

 

I was pretty much lukewarm on Claire, didn't think she had the same gravitas or hutzpah Robinette did, and I was actually hoping for a guy to succeed her when I found out "Aftershock" had been Claire's last episode, because I shortchanged the writers and believed that whether it was Stone or McCoy, the female ADAs would be playing second fiddle and I wanted more of an equal partnership like Stone and Robinette had.

 

And then came Jamie Ross. She had me at hello. She was locking horns with McCoy and standing up to Schiff without looking completely out of her element before I even had a chance to register that she was just as pretty as Claire and I just totally fell in love with her.

[Constantinople]

I liked Jamie too...she had me at...I believe in monsters and things that go bump in the night.

Jamie married Neil Gordon.

Of course she believed in monsters and things that go bump in the night.

Speaking of, I found Mr Jamie Ross so appalling, and so obviously appalling, that I can't help but wonder what is, or was, wrong with Jamie. Jaime didn't just date or have sex with him, she chose to marry and procreate with him.

Perhaps their marriage changed him, but I suspect he was always like that, always as subtle as a freight train with his sliminess.

Edited March 20, 2015 by Constantinople

[wanderingstar]

Ah, Matrimony - everyone's favorite Dancing Naked Idiot Family. It's truly one of my all-time favorite episodes.

[ktwo]

A bit off-topic, but this story out of the University of Minnesota reminded me SO much of "Double Blind:" http://m.motherjones.com/environment/2015/04/dan-markingson-university-minnesota-clinical-trials-astrazeneca

[AnnieBananie]

Ah, Matrimony - everyone's favorite Dancing Naked Idiot Family. It's truly one of my all-time favorite episodes.

 

Seriously, this episode - also one of my all-time favorites! - is the reason I will describe the truly idiotic as "dumb as a sack of hair."

[Videophile]

I was binge watching on WE the past couple of nights and in three different episodes, Corruption, Legacy, and Barter, the graphic put the detectives at 78 East 56th Street.  In the first two they were at two very different apartments and in the third they were at an office.  Now I'm dying to know what's really there, if it exists at all.

Edited July 9, 2015 by Videophile

[Morrigan2575]

I absolutely loathe Jamie, she's mu least favorite ADA and I hated that they kept bringing her sanctimonious ass back in later seasons.

[FozzyBear]

I absolutely loathe Jamie, she's mu least favorite ADA and I hated that they kept bringing her sanctimonious ass back in later seasons.

I will start the I Hate Jamie club with you and serve as VP. Oh I hate her so much! I hate her entitled, unethical, dilitant little ass. The whole world doesn't measure up to Jamie and her absurdly privileged life. Ug. She's the worst.

[WendyCR72]

So, WE Network is running some Jamie Ross-era episodes, and it hit me as to whom Carey Lowell/Jamie Ross reminded me of: She looks like early '80s MTV-era Pat Benatar to me. Am I alone? Yes? Cool!

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Matrimony is on the WE network right now.

 

'The Dancin' Naked Idiot Family.'

 

That is all.

[WendyCR72]

Matrimony is on the WE network right now.

 

'The Dancin' Naked Idiot Family.'

 

That is all.

 

 

Anna Holbrook did a great job as the killer mama. Recognized her since her days on Another World. (There is another Mothership episode she was in that I cannot recall now.)

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I looked it up, Wendy, and Holbrook was actually on the Mothership four times, and Matrimony was the third. Extended Family, Family Values, and Girl Most Likely were the other three. I never realized until fairly recently how often the franchise not only recycles actors but gives them separate characters, because Holbrook also appeared three times on SVU and played a different character each time.

Edited November 11, 2015 by Cobalt Stargazer

[WendyCR72]

I looked it up, Wendy, and Holbrook was actually on the Mothership four times, and Matrimony was the third. Extended Family, Family Values, and Girl Most Likely were the other three. I never realized until fairly recently how often the franchise not only recycles actors but gives them separate characters, because Holbrook also appeared three times on SVU and played a different character each time.

 

Oh, I knew of that practice all through the franchise. SVU, CI, and the Mothership all recycled actors as different characters every time.

 

Kind of fun to try to place which episode I had seen them appear in prior.

[an463]

I found Lowell absolutely mesmerizing, in both looks and acting, wardrobe be damned.  The sexiest female character on the show.  It actually annoyed me that the writers felt it necessary to treat Jamie like Rey by constantly having characters gush about how she's so gorgeous.  We know, we can see it, just move past it.  

 

Other than her first or second episode where they had her outright yelling at Jack (if memory serves) there was generally a quiet, soft-spoken toughness to her, a no-nonsense, understated quality.  Competence.  

 

Someone (I think Jack) asks her if she's ever been to Niagra Falls, and she just blithely throws off this line about her brothers trying to throw her in, and then immediately gets back to business.  There's none of Claire's naivete or uncertainty, and you can tell Jack's usual tactics with his ADAs are not going to work.  And her EYES.  And the hair.  And the voice.  I mean compare her soft, soothing tones to Abbie's hoarse, ex-sorority girl bar voice.

 

In her final episode, when she and Jack are sitting in his office and she tells him she's leaving, and he says "go out like you came in, you don't owe me anything," she seems honestly emotional but doesn't overdo it, much as it would be in real life, and I actually end up feeling something in a moment that otherwise could have been totally forgettable.

 

For the record, Abby struck me as the sanctimonious poser, and I still can't stand her.  Not attractive in looks or personality, and trying too hard to be a hard ass.

 

 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I mean compare [Jamie's] soft, soothing tones to Abbie's hoarse, ex-sorority girl bar voice.

 

I prefer to think of Abbie's voice as throaty, but to each their own.

 

I was actually watching Justice recently, where Jamie and Abbie meet during the Michael Gordon case, and I have a question. Jamie knew that the judge was aware that Gordon was innocent, because she was the one who had provided the anonymous tip when the case was being prosecuted. So why on earth would she represent the man who had really committed the crime, even going so far as to snipe at Abbie during the line-up about appearing to prompt the witness - "Don't be shy. Next time, why don't you just point my client out?" I'm not even blaming her, just the writers, because it seems like such an odd situation to put Jamie in, especially since she comes clean before the episode ends, possibly risking her license to practice.

[paigow]

The one thing that did disappoint me with Lennie in this season was his urging Rey to cheat when they were in California. Bad Lennie! Very, very bad!

Lennie essentially said that all the innuendo and speculation about Rey cheating with Lorelei Gilmore would appear anyway, so don't take the pain without the pleasure. "You're getting the grief, you should have had the gravy!"

Edited December 25, 2015 by paigow

[Ailianna]

I was actually watching Justice recently, where Jamie and Abbie meet during the Michael Gordon case, and I have a question. Jamie knew that the judge was aware that Gordon was innocent, because she was the one who had provided the anonymous tip when the case was being prosecuted. So why on earth would she represent the man who had really committed the crime, even going so far as to snipe at Abbie during the line-up about appearing to prompt the witness - "Don't be shy. Next time, why don't you just point my client out?" I'm not even blaming her, just the writers, because it seems like such an odd situation to put Jamie in, especially since she comes clean before the episode ends, possibly risking her license to practice.

 

Because she was already his lawyer, in a sense, from an earlier representation before her time in the DA's office.  She explains it, that she still feels an obligation to him (if memory serves, it was actually the same charges/case as her prior representation, but he wasn't arrested the first time?), and so she can't turn him away, but at the same time, her sense of justice doesn't allow her to continue to watch the wrong man be in prison.  I thought it was actually a very nuanced expression of the ethical conflict she was facing.

[GHScorpiosRule]

For those that are fans of the triple episode...it's on now! Well, Part II is just about to end, on Sundance.  The only thing I like about this trilogy is the second episode--specifically, the scene where Rey asks Van Buren to sign this certificate he made and printed out for the kid that found the murder weapon. It was the way Anita repeated the title as she signed it. LOVE.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

As much as I've always been indifferent towards Lauren Graham - neither loved her or hated her, and never watched Gilmore Girls - her character makes me want to kick Rey in the ass more than usual. This was after he'd already cheated on his wife during Aftershock, and while some guys cheat once and never do it again, him being all, "I told her I was married" to Lennie is just annoying, like he's got some unshakable morality about it. Shut up, Rey.

 

And of course Neal, who I always want Jamie to stab when she barges into his office with the custody papers in hand. Or at least throw a paperweight at his head.

[BW Manilowe]

For those that are fans of the triple episode...it's on now! Well, Part I is just about to end, on Sundance. The only thing I like about this trilogy is the first episode--specifically, the scene where Rey asks Van Buren to sign this certificate he made and printed out for the kid that found the murder weapon. It was the way Anita repeated the title as she signed it. LOVE.

I like that scene a lot too. Especially the "Aww... That's cute." tone Anita had when she read the certificate aloud before signing it.

[wanderingstar]

I like the 3-parter a lot. I will say it was a bit surreal watching it this past week, as I have also been watching The People vs. OJ Simpson. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Odd. I know I edited my original comment above because the "Special Deputy Detective" certificate Van Buren signed took place in the second episode, and not the first.

I will say it was a bit surreal watching it this past week, as I have also been watching The People vs. OJ Simpson.

Agree! I posted the same thing in the ACS thread-and how I'd forgotten the court scenes and dialogue came off as "ripped from the headlines" of both the civil and criminal depositions and trial/elements of the case. Just the race of the killer was flipped. And it aired three years after the murders, two after the trial verdict.

Both Garcetti and the Bronco chase were mentioned about the OJ case without mentioning OJ.

Edited March 5, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[BW Manilowe]

Odd. I know I edited my original comment above because the "Special Deputy Detective" certificate Van Buren signed took place in the second episode, and not the first.

Agree! I posted the same thing in the ACS thread-and how I'd forgotten the court scenes and dialogue came off as "ripped from the headlines" of both the civil and criminal depositions and trial/elements of the case. Just the race of the killer was flipped. And it aired three years after the murders, two after the trial verdict.

Both Garcetti and the Bronco chase were mentioned about the OJ case without mentioning OJ.

And they also changed the killer & victim to a movie director & his movie studio president wife/ex-wife; they weren't a former NFL player turned NFL broadcaster/actor/commercial spokesperson & his "stay at home mom" ex-wife.

Edited March 6, 2016 by BW Manilowe

[Spartan Girl]

And they also changed the killer & victim to a movie director & his movie studio president wife/ex-wife; they weren't a former NFL player turned NFL broadcaster/actor/commercial spokesperson & his "stay at home mom" ex-wife.

Not to mention that unlike the OJ case, the killer was found guilty AND sentenced to death.

[wanderingstar]

I'm watching I.D. I always forget why I can never sit through this ep. Oh right, it's that gross judge who's constantly harassing Jamie. Being removed from the case wasn't enough of a punishment for him, IMO.

 

The other thing I hate about this episode is that it seems to be conveying that Jamie is right to shrug off the jerk judge's harassment. So much fail.

[Arcadiasw]

The judge was a pig but I always get a kick out of Adam's commanding presence. Love his "Young man, sit down" when he went to get Jack out of jail.

[caligirl50]

On September 6, 2014 at 2:56 AM, Eolivet said:

And then, of course, the piece-de-resistance -- the utter shock three months later when seven-year old Law & Order upset the heavy favorites to win the Emmy for Best Drama! My husband (then-boyfriend) and I screamed at the TV. A seven-year old drama with no previous trophies had never won before, nor likely will it ever happen again. Law & Order season 7 really was special.

They won the Emmy because of the trilogy.  In all the years it was on the air, that was the season that won.  Carey Lowell was fantastic in my opinion.  My favorite.  

[Spartan Girl]

So "Legacy" will be on tonight, and even though I do feel bad for the wife that figures out her second husband murdered her first husband, I can't help feeling annoyed/angry/frustrated with her too.  Seriously, who gets remarried only ONE YEAR after their husband dies?  I didn't buy the "I was a single mother and was soooooo lonely" excuse.  I get that she was vulnerable and manipulated, but really, only a year is just kind of disrespectful.

Also, it probably should have been a red flag that the creepy stalker was bringing "teas and little cakes" to comfort her.  What guy willingly brings over tea?

[Cobalt Stargazer]

3 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

So "Legacy" will be on tonight, and even though I do feel bad for the wife that figures out her second husband murdered her first husband, I can't help feeling annoyed/angry/frustrated with her too.  Seriously, who gets remarried only ONE YEAR after their husband dies?  I didn't buy the "I was a single mother and was soooooo lonely" excuse.  I get that she was vulnerable and manipulated, but really, only a year is just kind of disrespectful.

Also, it probably should have been a red flag that the creepy stalker was bringing "teas and little cakes" to comfort her.  What guy willingly brings over tea?

"Cuppa tea, cuppa tea, almost got shagged, cuppa tea....."

Sorry, that's seriously the first thing that came to mind.

And if it hadn't been for the woman's first mother in law trying to kill the second husband, she'd never have figured out he was a creep. She should have taken the old girl out for a big, expensive dinner as a thank you.

[Spartan Girl]

4 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

"Cuppa tea, cuppa tea, almost got shagged, cuppa tea....."

Sorry, that's seriously the first thing that came to mind.

And if it hadn't been for the woman's first mother in law trying to kill the second husband, she'd never have figured out he was a creep. She should have taken the old girl out for a big, expensive dinner as a thank you.

Ha!

I can't understand why she was still in denial even when the belated autopsy showed that the fatal blow on the skull was consistent with being hit by a bat and not a mere fall. Most women would have put two and two together right then and there. But it wasn't until Jack exposed the fact that the killer purposely followed her to her high school reunion on the pretense of a "business trip" that the dim bulb finally started to brighten.

Too bad the truth didn't come out BEFORE she had a baby with the creepo. Now she has to spend the rest of her life with the physical evidence that that she slept with her husband's killer. 

Remarry in haste, pay in leisure....