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"Mushrooms"
L&O, Episode 1.17
Production number: 66218
First aired (US): 26 February 1991
First aired (AUS): 8 November 1993
  th of 456 produced in L&O  
th of 456 released in L&O
  th of 1271 released in all  
Denise Winters
Written By
Robert Palm

Directed By
Daniel Sackheim

The accidental shooting of two children by a 14-year-old hired killer leads to a drug dealer and a real estate agent.

Plot[]

When a twelve-year-old boy and his younger brother are shot, Greevey and Logan connect the older boy to a teenage drug ring. The 14-year-old shooter names the head of the operation and the intended target. Robinette and Stone try to discover the intended victim's past in order to win a conviction.

Cast[]

Main cast[]

Recurring cast[]

Guest cast[]

References[]

References

Quotes[]

"Nobody has an old-fashioned altercation anymore, you notice that? Good fistfight? Somebody looks at you cock-eyed, you whip out a MAC-10."
- Donald Cragen
"I don't see a motive."
"People shoot for anything these days. I want your shoes, BAM! I don't like the way you look at me, BAM!"
- Mike Logan and Max Greevey
"At this clip, we're gonna have a worse infant mortality rate than Ethiopia."
- Donald Cragen
"Ingrams'll go up for murder, one way or the other."
"If Mr. Kay decides to testify. Real estate fraud, not much to work with."
"Maybe Kay has a conscience."
"Eh, maybe he houses the homeless in his basement, but I wouldn't count on it."
- Benjamin Stone, Adam Schiff, and Paul Robinette
"Mister, I got a dead baby, a boy who may be crippled, and a supervisor who tells me that going to the morgue and to the hospital is considered personal time and now you're telling me that Greg... Gregory was on drugs?!? Maybe he brought this on himself?!?"
- Denise Winters
"You know, this Chamber of Commerce routine is getting on my nerves."
- Benjamin Stone
"Roneld, stupid and tough is a bad combination."
"Yeah, well, it works for you, man, right?"
- Mike Logan and Roneld Griggs
"You haven’t mentioned any incentives for cooperation."
"No? Well...how is this: if your client doesn't start talking now, I'll tear his life apart."
- Edward Kay's Lawyer and Benjamin Stone
Mrs. Griggs: Maybe if we knew exactly what you were looking for-
Logan: We wanna know who pulled the damn trigger! Because it sure as hell looks like your boy did it.
Mrs. Griggs: [turns slowly to her son] Tell them, Ronnie.
Ronnie: No.
[Mrs. Griggs raises her hand and slaps Ronnie]
Mrs. Griggs: You think you can play this fool game with me?!!
[Logan and Max interrogate Dizz Williams, a suspect in the murder]
Mr. Williams: My boy's 13. You can't do nothin' like this! You gotta go to juvie, you gotta...
Max: We can do plenty when it comes to felony homicide, Mr. Williams! And if you don't wanna blow parole, just SHUT UP!!

Background information and notes[]

  • "Mushroom" is a jargon used to refer to children who are shot by stray bullets, as they "pop up" at the scene before they are knocked down by a gunshot.
  • Actress S. Epatha Merkerson appears as Denise Winters, the mother of the shooting victims. She would join the cast in Season 4, playing Lieutenant Anita Van Buren.
  • Dann Florek, who plays Donald Cragen, stated in numerous interviews that Mushrooms is one of his favorite episodes.

Episode scene cards[]

1 2 3 4 5

The Cheswick Building
Columbus Circle
Monday, January 21

Winter's Apartment
315 Jacobs Place
Wednesday, January 23

Supreme Court
Arraignment Part 30
Tuesday, February 5

Apartment of
Edward & Janice Kay
315 Jameson Place
Monday, February 18

Supreme Court
Trial Part 53
Wednesday, April 3

Previous episode:
"The Torrents of Greed (2)"
"Mushrooms"
Law & Order
Season 1
Next episode:
"The Secret Sharers"
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