Second Opinion (Law & Order episode)
Encyclopedia
"Second Opinion" is the 89th episode of NBC
's legal drama
Law & Order
, and the season premiere
of fifth season. It marks the first appearance of Sam Waterston
as Jack McCoy
, who later went on to become the second longest running character in the series' history.
emanates from her body, causing a panic.
The detectives find that the victim died of breast cancer
, and was treated by a doctor advocating the use of metabolic
therapies similar to laetrile, which is outlawed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
and has an odor similar to cyanide
. Medical experts determine the victim died much earlier than she would have without conventional therapy. The doctor is charged with the murder of the victim but the state has trouble making its case without knowing if the doctor promised that the treatment constituted a cure. The case divides McCoy and ADA Claire Kincaid
; he thinks that it is a simple manslaughter
case, while she thinks that offering alternative therapies for the disease is defensible, even noble.
After the victim's husband discloses that he was promised that the treatment would cure his wife, the doctor agrees to plead guilty to first degree manslaughter.
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...
's legal drama
Legal drama
A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law...
Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, and the season premiere
Season premiere
In North America, a season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a given television show. It often airs in September or October, after several months of reruns.-Evaluating the changes:...
of fifth season. It marks the first appearance of Sam Waterston
Sam Waterston
Samuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston is an American actor and occasional producer and director. Among other roles, he is noted for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sydney Schanberg in 1984's The Killing Fields, and his Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning portrayal of Jack McCoy...
as Jack McCoy
Jack McCoy
John James "Jack" McCoy is a fictional character in the television drama Law & Order, created by Michael S. Chernuchin and played by Sam Waterston since 1994. He is the second-longest tenured character on the show, after Lt. Anita Van Buren . On January 28, 2009, McCoy's character ended the longest...
, who later went on to become the second longest running character in the series' history.
Plot
A teacher collapses in her classroom and is taken to a hospital emergency room. When she experiences heart failure, a smell of cyanideCyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
emanates from her body, causing a panic.
The detectives find that the victim died of breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
, and was treated by a doctor advocating the use of metabolic
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
therapies similar to laetrile, which is outlawed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
and has an odor similar to cyanide
Cyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
. Medical experts determine the victim died much earlier than she would have without conventional therapy. The doctor is charged with the murder of the victim but the state has trouble making its case without knowing if the doctor promised that the treatment constituted a cure. The case divides McCoy and ADA Claire Kincaid
Claire Kincaid
Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid is a fictional character on the television series Law & Order, played by Jill Hennessy from 1993 to 1996.-Character overview:...
; he thinks that it is a simple manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
case, while she thinks that offering alternative therapies for the disease is defensible, even noble.
After the victim's husband discloses that he was promised that the treatment would cure his wife, the doctor agrees to plead guilty to first degree manslaughter.