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"Frame"
CI, Episode 7.22
Production number: CI7022
First aired: 24 August 2008
  th of 195 produced in CI  
th of 195 released in CI
  th of 1271 released in all  
Wallace Frame
Teleplay By
Julie Martin & Kate Rorick

Story By
Warren Leight

Directed By
Norberto Barba

The discovery of a picture next to the grave of Detective Goren's mother indicates the return of an old nemesis.

Plot[]

Det. Goren is at his mother's grave, and he spies a photo of him and his older brother, Frank, as young children, resting beside the grave of their mother, Frances Goren. The day after finding the photo, his brother is found dead, having supposedly overdosed, but actually poisoned. That leads Goren to think Nicole Wallace murdered his brother.

Then, Declan Gage appears poisoned, but alive. He sends them to Gwen Chapel, the daughter of one of Nicole's boyfriends, with whom Wallace was quite close, and they discover she is dying of cancer, and Goren thinks this is why Nicole is murdering again. Then they are led to an inn, with a room registered under Goren's name, unbeknownst to him. Inside, on the bed, they find a crate with a fresh human heart, at first labeled as Goren's nephew's Donny's, which is later identified as Nicole Wallace's.

The Captain starts an investigation of Goren. They come to find out that one of Goren's aliases, William Brady, was the beneficiary of a life insurance policy on Frank. Goren tells them he knows serial killer Mark Ford Brady is his father. It is discovered that Declan wrote a book to lure Nicole, manipulated her into killing Frank, and killed her to give "the son he never had" a chance at a happy life, free of his demons.

According to Declan, Nicole's final words were, "Tell Bobby he was the only man I ever loved."

Cast[]

Main cast[]

Recurring cast[]

Guest cast[]

References[]

Quotes[]

Ross: Nicole Wallace, I'm told she's your white whale.

Declan Gage: Bobby is being set up by someone very close to him. [suddenly turns to Eames] Maybe even you.
Eames: Excuse me?

[Gage is describing his murder of Nicole Wallace]
Declan Gage: You should've seen her when she realized her time was up. She looked at me with those big doe eyes of hers and she said, "You tell Bobby that he's the only man I ever loved." As if a monster like that were capable of love!

[last lines]
Declan Gage: Frank, Nicole, Me... We're dead weight. I wanted you to have a clean slate. You're free now. Bobby, you're free.


Background information and notes[]

  • "Frame" means a presumably innocent person is cause to appear guilty or a decorated border for a picture. In this case, Goren is framed for killing his brother Frank Goren; and he discovers a picture of the two brothers framed near his mother's grave site.
  • The flashback of Robert and Frank Goren talking is from the episode "Endgame".
  • Actress Olivia d'Abo appeared in several other episodes as Detective Robert Goren's nemesis, Nicole Wallace. She appeared in "Anti-Thesis", "A Person of Interest", "Great Barrier", and "Grow", which are recapped by Eames and shown in flashbacks throughout the episode.
  • It is revealed that Detective Goren's biological father is Mark Ford Brady, the serial killer from the episode "Endgame". That was hinted at in that episode, but not explicitly said until this episode, when Rodgers mentions that Goren had asked her to check his DNA against Brady's.
  • Goren confirms that Elizabeth Rodgers and Danny Ross are dating when he calls her his girlfriend.
  • Declan Gage mentions Eames's kidnapping by his daughter, Jo Gage, from the episode "Blind Spot".
  • William Brady is the alias Goren used at Tates in the episode "Untethered". He went undercover to try to help his nephew Donny Carlson.
    • This episode introduces Donny's mother Evelyn Carlson.
  • This is the first episode since "False-Hearted Judges" that Goren and Eames have led a season finale.
  • This episode is the season seven finale.
  • This is the only episode where a case is shown being solved at the beginning instead of the end.
Previous episode:
"Last Rites"
"Frame"
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Season 7
Next episode:
"Playing Dead"
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