‘Law & Order’: Jesse Metcalfe on Verdict in Luigi Mangione-Inspired Episode

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Law & Order Season 24 Episode 16 "Folk Hero."]

The latest Law & Order is very much ripped from the headlines (the Luigi Mangione headlines, that is).

The CEO of OptiShield, a health insurance company, is shot in broad daylight, and Riley (Reid Scott), joined by Sergeant Danny DeLuca (Jesse Metcalfe) — Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) is out sick, waiting for a chest scan in the ER — tracks down the shooter. The only problem? He appears to be in multiple places at once, with people buying and wearing matching jackets because they agree with his message that. for the company, it was "People over profit." To some, he's a hero.

Riley and Danny do eventually track him down as he's about to kill another insurance company CEO. But at his arraignment, people are cheering for Ethan (Ty Molbak). The evidence against him is overwhelming, including that he was found with the murder weapon and the ballistics was a 100 percent match. He also had a notebook filled with his extremist views and the stated objective to kill as many health insurance CEOs as possible to incite social change. While Price (Hugh Dancy) thinks he has a strong case, Baxter (Tony Goldwyn) knows how people feel about what the shooter did.

Ethan targeted OptiShield's CEO because the company refused to pay for the drug that he believed would cure his mother's terminal cancer, even after he advocated (many times) on her behalf, and she died. To Price's shock, Ethan's lawyer, Megan Stratton (Laila Robins), in her opening statement (which she gives after the people rest), says that Ethan had a legal reason for killing Andrews: He was trying to save lives. Andrews caused the deaths of thousands of innocent people by denying legitimate claims, and more would have died as a result. Ethan killed him before he could kill again, and his actions are completely legal under the laws of New York (though they were never directly applied in this kind of situation).

Price, of course, argues against it, but the judge allows Stratton to move forward with her defense and leave it up to the jury to determine if it's preposterous. Stratton is open to a plea, but Price refuses, arguing that Andrews deserves justice and he has faith in the jury.

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When Ethan takes the stand, he talks about his mother and how the treatment could have extended her life, despite how much he pushed. When he confronted the CEO, he just said he was late for a meeting. Despite Price's objection, the judge allows Ethan to answer if he believes his mother would be alive if she'd received the drug, and he says yes. The judge also allows Ethan to go on longer than Price wants during his cross-examination. Ethan argues that he wasn't going to let more die and fought for hard-working people kicked around by the corporation. "I did this, and I'll accept whatever punishment," he says.

Price, realizing he's underestimated how strong the current is, then approaches Stratton about revisiting a deal, murder 2, 15 years. She'll only accept a dismissal, and so it's in the hands of the jury. And when it comes time for the verdict to be read, they find Ethan, of murder in the first degree …. The episode ends without a verdict.

"I feel like this open-ended episode played incredibly well," Metcalfe tells TV Insider. "It really works for this episode. We don't really take a stand on what the verdict should be. We allow the audience to have their own opinion. I think a lot of times when a storyline isn't resolved, it can cause the audience a little bit of frustration. I think in this particular episode, I think it's still incredibly satisfying, which is important."

What did you think of the way Law & Order handled this case and not giving us the verdict? Let us know in the comments section below.

Law & Order, Thursdays, 8/7c, NBC

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