Law and Order

Tonight's Law & Order will be a bittersweet offering as the 18-year old series welcomes a new addition, while bidding farewell to a much-loved veteran.  Yes, this evening's installment entitled “Burn Card” marks the final appearance of Jesse L. Martin, who has portrayed Detective Ed Green for the past nine seasons.

As the saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens.  In the case of the long-running first and original Law & Order, Martin's departure also heralds the entry of Anthony Anderson, coming in as Internal Affairs detective, Kevin Bernard.

In a testament to the class act Jesse L. Martin is, the powers-that-be on Law & Order have churned out a wonderful final episode that allows him to showcase his often underused fine acting skills.  “Burn Card” begins with what ultimately turns out to be Detective Green's end.

The story unfolds with Green and his partner Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) called in to look into the case of a part-time referee found murdered.  Their investigation leads them to examine the victim's gambling habits, which, in turn, direct them to a notorious hustler known as “Bunny” (guest star Bobby Jones), who happens to be a skeleton from Detective Green's closet and a ghost from his haunted past.

When “Bunny” is found dead, Detective Lupo arrives at the scene only to discover that his partner is the shooter responsible for the hustler's death.  The unbelievable string of events snowballs into a sensational case, leaving Detective Green with no choice but to confront his troubled past at the risk of losing his badge.  Enter incoming cast member Anthony Anderson as IA detective, Kevin Bernard, who is assigned to investigate Green's case.  Highlight of the episode are some reel-worthy scenes for the departing Martin and his onscreen boss, S. Epatha Merkerson.

Don't miss Jesse L. Martin's swan song performance in tonight's “Burn Card” episode of Law & Order.


-Rosario Santiago, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: NBC, tampabay.com
(Image Courtesy of NBC)