Revolution (Law & Order: Criminal Intent)
Encyclopedia
"Revolution" is an eighth-season finale episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent
and the 171st episode overall.
and Eames
to pursue Kaspers' gang. As the police intensify their manhunt, discovering and defusing a car bomb along the way, Kaspers and Birgit kill the other members of the group and set off a second bomb on Wall Street as a diversion. Nichols and Eames soon discover that Birgit is Kaspers' daughter.
The detectives eventually arrest Kaspers, but not before Birgit purchases large quantities of the raw materials needed to make a triacetone triperoxide bomb. A call soon comes in that she has taken hostages in the Continental Bankcorp building and is threatening to blow it up unless Kaspers is put on a plane to Cuba
. Nichols takes Kaspers into the lobby and gets him to admit to Birgit that his love for his daughter is more important to him than the radical ideology he has been trying to put into place. As Birgit begins to realize this, though, an FBI sniper outside the building gets a clear shot and kills her, knocking her backwards into Nichols' arms so that the tilt switch around her neck does not set off the bomb. As the hostages are freed and Kaspers and the body are taken away, Nichols muses to Eames that relationships such as the one between Kaspers and Birgit - or between himself and his own father - are the reason he never had any children.
in the 1960s and 1970s. The logo featured on the website Nichols is reading quotes from however is not the actual RAF logo: The website shows what appears to be an M16
in front of a red star
with no writing whereas the original logo consisted of an MP5
, the red star and the letters "RAF" in white print. Certain parts of the intended kidnapping like the sound-proof closet and the baby carriage are reminiscent of the RAF's abduction of Hanns-Martin Schleyer.
on its original airdate but pulled 5.93 million views in the Nielsen ratings when it was rerun on NBC
.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
and the 171st episode overall.
Summary
With the banks failing and public discontent high, aging revolutionary Axel Kaspers believes the time is ripe to galvanize public reaction and spark a populist uprising. With his disciples Birgit and Mel, Kaspers orchestrates the kidnapping of Continental Bankcorp president, Peter Evans. However, the carefully planned carjacking goes wrong and turns into a murder, leaving Detectives NicholsZach Nichols
Det. Zachary "Zack" Nichols is a fictional character, portrayed by Jeff Goldblum, featured in the NBC-USA Network series Law & Order: Criminal Intent....
and Eames
Alexandra Eames
Det. Alexandra "Alex" Eames is a fictional police detective with the NYPD Major Case Squad featured in the NBC-USA Network Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Kathryn Erbe...
to pursue Kaspers' gang. As the police intensify their manhunt, discovering and defusing a car bomb along the way, Kaspers and Birgit kill the other members of the group and set off a second bomb on Wall Street as a diversion. Nichols and Eames soon discover that Birgit is Kaspers' daughter.
The detectives eventually arrest Kaspers, but not before Birgit purchases large quantities of the raw materials needed to make a triacetone triperoxide bomb. A call soon comes in that she has taken hostages in the Continental Bankcorp building and is threatening to blow it up unless Kaspers is put on a plane to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Nichols takes Kaspers into the lobby and gets him to admit to Birgit that his love for his daughter is more important to him than the radical ideology he has been trying to put into place. As Birgit begins to realize this, though, an FBI sniper outside the building gets a clear shot and kills her, knocking her backwards into Nichols' arms so that the tilt switch around her neck does not set off the bomb. As the hostages are freed and Kaspers and the body are taken away, Nichols muses to Eames that relationships such as the one between Kaspers and Birgit - or between himself and his own father - are the reason he never had any children.
Allusions
This episode makes extensive reference to the Baader-Meinhof Group, also known as the RAF (short for "Rote Armee Fraktion," "Red Army Faction"), an actual radical network active in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the 1960s and 1970s. The logo featured on the website Nichols is reading quotes from however is not the actual RAF logo: The website shows what appears to be an M16
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
in front of a red star
Red star
A red star, five-pointed and filled, is an important ideological and religious symbol which has been used for various purposes, such as: state emblems, flags, monuments, ornaments, and logos.- Symbol of communism :...
with no writing whereas the original logo consisted of an MP5
Heckler & Koch MP5
The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf am Neckar....
, the red star and the letters "RAF" in white print. Certain parts of the intended kidnapping like the sound-proof closet and the baby carriage are reminiscent of the RAF's abduction of Hanns-Martin Schleyer.
Reception
This episode pulled 4.83 million views in the Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
on its original airdate but pulled 5.93 million views in the Nielsen ratings when it was rerun on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
Cast
| Jeff Goldblum Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day... |
Det. Zach Nichols Zach Nichols Det. Zachary "Zack" Nichols is a fictional character, portrayed by Jeff Goldblum, featured in the NBC-USA Network series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.... |
| Kathryn Erbe Kathryn Erbe Kathryn Elsbeth Erbe is an American actress known for her role as Det. Alexandra Eames in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, a spin-off of Law & Order, and death row inmate Shirley Bellinger in the HBO series Oz.-Personal life:... |
Det. Alexandra Eames Alexandra Eames Det. Alexandra "Alex" Eames is a fictional police detective with the NYPD Major Case Squad featured in the NBC-USA Network Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Kathryn Erbe... |
| Eric Bogosian Eric Bogosian Eric Bogosian is an American actor, playwright, monologist, and novelist of Armenian descent.-Personal life:Bogosian, an Armenian-American, was born in Woburn, Massachusetts, the son of Edwina, a hairdresser and instructor, and Henry Bogosian, an accountant. After graduating from Oberlin College,... |
Capt. Daniel Ross |