Rubber Room (Law & Order)

Last updated
"Rubber Room"
Law & Order episode
Episode no.Season 20
Episode 23
Directed by René Balcer
Written byRené Balcer
Production code20023
Original air dateMay 24, 2010 (2010-05-24) [1]
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Love Eternal"		Next →
"The Right Thing"
Law & Order (season 20)
List of episodes

"Rubber Room" is the twenty-third and final episode of the twentieth season of American legal drama television series Law & Order and the 456th episode overall. The episode was first broadcast on NBC on May 24, 2010, and originally served as the series finale, until the series was later revived in 2021. [2] In the episode, Detectives Lupo and Bernard search for an anonymous blogger who has posted plans to attack a school, while Lt. Van Buren struggles to keep her personal issues private. The title refers to a colloquial name for reassignment centers where teachers accused of misconduct are held while awaiting resolution of their cases. The elements of the plot were inspired by an ongoing controversy surrounding New York City's policy and union rules for teachers in early 2010. [3]

Contents

The episode was written and directed by René Balcer and received positive reviews from critics and a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic in its original American broadcast.

Plot

A website hosting explicit images of underage girls leads the detectives to discovering an anonymous blogger threatening a bombing and shooting at an unidentified school. The detectives suspect that the blogger is a student and investigate teachers whom the blogger aired grievances against while facing resistance from the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) and the teachers' union. The investigation leads the team to the "rubber room," a temporary reassignment center where teachers accused of misconduct are to report to until their cases are resolved. Noting that the teachers targeted in the blog did not share any students, the investigators realize that the blogger is a teacher himself, recounting the stories he was told while he was held in the rubber room. They also recognize that the planned attack on the school is intended as retaliation against the NYCDOE.

The team finds one teacher mentioned on the blog, Maura Scott, who was not sent to the rubber room, and deduce that she was a co-worker of the blogger. Scott identifies the blogger as Rick Benson, who was falsely accused of molesting a student. Now knowing the blogger and the school he plans to attack, Lupo and Bernard rush to stop him. They arrive at the school just as Benson has initiated the shooting, but before anyone has been killed. Finding the shooter in the school's library, Lupo manages to distract Benson long enough for Bernard to restrain and arrest him.

In a subplot centered around Van Buren's cervical cancer, Lupo and Bernard host a party to help pay her medical bills, despite her wishes to keep her personal issues from becoming public. Nevertheless, Van Buren attends the party and reveals that she and Frank Gibson have become engaged. During the party, Van Buren receives a phone call from her doctor and reacts positively, implying that she received good news about her illness.

Reception

In its original American broadcast, "Rubber Room" was viewed by an estimated 7.60 million households with a 1.9 rating/5% share in the 18-49 demographic. [4]

Mike Hale of The New York Times called it "the best finale of all", saying, "There was the show that ended with its cast in the buffet line for heaven, and the show that ended with its homicidal hero on his way to retirement at the beach. And then there was the best finale of all: the show that ended with a very sick police lieutenant excusing herself to take a phone call and getting good news. The last episode of Law & Order written and directed by the show’s longtime executive producer Rene Balcer, was finished before the series’s cancellation was announced this month. Yet it managed to be an entirely appropriate send-off, and its low-key last moments were more moving and honestly emotional than the endings of Lost and 24, shows whose finales received much more attention." [5]

Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a positive review, saying "That’s why Law & Order in eternal reruns is so comforting. You can enjoy episodes even when you remember the case or the outcome, because you want to immerse yourself in that Law & Order feeling that didn’t insult your intelligence." [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Law & Order</i> American police procedural and legal drama television series (1990–present)

Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the Law & Order franchise.

<i>Law & Order: Criminal Intent</i> 2001 American police procedural drama television series

Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural drama television 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 third series in Wolf's successful Law & Order franchise. Criminal Intent focuses on the investigations of the major case squad in a fictionalized version of the New York City Police Department set in New York City's One Police Plaza. In the style of the original Law & Order, episodes are often "ripped from the headlines" or loosely based on a real crime that received media attention.

Law & Order is a media franchise composed of a number of related American television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment. They were originally broadcast on NBC, and all of them deal with some aspect of the criminal justice system. Together, the original series, its various spin-offs, the TV film, and crossover episodes from other shows constitute over 1,000 hours of programming.

Anita Van Buren is a fictional character on NBC's long-running police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order, portrayed by S. Epatha Merkerson. The character of Van Buren was an "authoritative lieutenant" in the New York Police Department, who supervised teams of detectives who worked out in the field, and originally served as "commander of the 27th Precinct Detective Squad." The fictional Van Buren achieved the rank of NYPD lieutenant before any actual policewoman in New York did so, creating a "dissonance" with reality. Van Buren appeared in 390 episodes of Law & Order. When she crossed the 300-episode mark in 2008, Lt. Van Buren became the longest-running African-American character in television history.

<i>Law & Order</i> season 10 Season of television series

The 10th season of Law & Order premiered on NBC, September 22, 1999 alongside Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and ended May 24, 2000. Executive Producers René Balcer and Ed Sherin both left the show at the end of the season. This is the final season to feature Steven Hill as Adam Schiff, who was the last original cast member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">René Balcer</span> Screenwriter, producer and director

René Balcer is a Canadian-American television writer, director, producer, and showrunner, as well as a photographer and documentary film-maker.

"Weeping Willow" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on November 28, 2006. In the episode, a teenage blogger nicknamed WeepingWillow17, played by guest star Michelle Trachtenberg, is apparently kidnapped during the filming of one of her Internet videos. Detectives Mike Logan and Megan Wheeler investigate the so-called "cyber-kidnapping", which they and the public speculate may be an elaborate Internet hoax.

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> season 9 Season of television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The ninth season of the police procedural/legal drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 25, 2007 and ended May 13, 2008 on NBC. It aired on Tuesday nights at 10pm/9c. Mariska Hargitay, having won a Golden Globe Award in 2005, received her second Golden Globe nomination for her work in the ninth season.

<i>Law & Order</i> season 18 Season of television series

The 18th season of Law & Order premiered with a two part episode on NBC on January 2, 2008, and concluded on May 21, 2008. This was the final season to feature Jesse L. Martin, as he departs the series when Anthony Anderson joins the cast in episode 14.

A reassignment center is a type of holding facility administered by the New York City Department of Education for teachers accused of misconduct while awaiting resolution of their misconduct cases. As of 2007, the city had thirteen reassignment centers. The teachers are not required to do anything, and they may be assigned to the center for months or years.

<i>Law & Order</i> season 20 Season of television series

The 20th season of Law & Order premiered on NBC on September 25, 2009, which remained unchanged, for which it was moved from its previous time slot to air on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET for the NBC broadcast. L&O was moved to Monday nights on March 1, 2010, with a two-hour telecast at 9 p.m. ET, before settling into its new time slot at 10 p.m. the following week, March 8.

"The Drowned and the Saved" is the nineteenth-season finale of the long-running legal drama Law & Order. The episode had 7.99 million viewers in the Nielsen ratings.

"Blackmail" is the twelfth episode of the twentieth season of the television series Law & Order. It aired on NBC January 15, 2010.

<i>Law & Order: Criminal Intent</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent premiered on NBC September 19, 2006, and ended May 21, 2007; this was the last season to air original episodes on NBC.

"Fed" is the eleventh episode of the twentieth season of NBC's long-running legal drama Law & Order.

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> season 13 Season of television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The thirteenth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit debuted on NBC on September 21, 2011, and concluded on May 23, 2012. With Law & Order: LA and Law & Order: Criminal Intent having ended in July 2011 and June 2011 respectively, this season of Law & Order: SVU was the first to be broadcast without any other running U.S. Law & Order series, a position the series has held until the nineteenth season, when Law & Order True Crime premiered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">To the Boy in the Blue Knit Cap</span> 8th episode of the 10th season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent

"To the Boy in the Blue Knit Cap" is the series finale of the American police procedural television drama series Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Is the eighth episode of the tenth season and the 195th episode overall. It originally aired in the United States on the USA Network on June 26, 2011. In this episode, Detectives Robert Goren and Alexandra Eames investigate a case centered on Parker and Thomas Gaffney, a set of wealthy twins, who file a lawsuit against a social networking site due to allegations of stealing copyright claims.

"Scorched Earth" is the thirteenth season premiere of the police procedural television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the 273rd episode overall. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 21, 2011. In the episode, which was inspired by the Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault case, an Italian diplomat is arrested when a hotel maid accuses him of rape. The District Attorney's office then brings the case to trial, which becomes increasingly complicated as the defense questions the maid's credibility. Meanwhile, Detective Olivia Benson struggles to cope with the aftermath of the squad room shooting.

<i>Law & Order</i> season 21 Season of television series

The twenty-first season of Law & Order, an American police procedural and legal drama, was ordered by NBC on September 28, 2021, over a decade after its original cancellation on May 24, 2010. The season began airing on February 24, 2022, as a mid-season replacement during the 2021–2022 broadcast season. Due to such status, the season consists of only 10 episodes. In May 2022, the series was renewed for a twenty-second season.

References

  1. ↑ "Law & Order: "Rubber Room" Episode Info". MSN TV. Microsoft. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  2. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (2021-09-28). "Law & Order: NBC Revives Original Flagship Series, Orders Season 21 a Decade After Abrupt Cancellation". TVLine. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  3. ↑ Fertig, Beth (April 18, 2010). "NYC To Close 'Rubber Rooms' for Teachers in Trouble". NPR. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  4. ↑ Seidman, Robert (May 25, 2010). "TV Ratings: Jack Bauer, Law & Order Say Goodbye, Chuck Sees New Low". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  5. ↑ Hale, Mike (2010-05-25). "A 'Law & Order' Farewell: These Were Their Stories - NYTimes.com". Artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-17.
  6. ↑ Tucker, Ken (May 25, 2010). "The last 'Law & Order' review: How can we miss you if you never go away?". EW.com. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.