Ep 16. Divorce

In the eighth season of the long-running and critically acclaimed crime drama Law & Order, episode sixteen titled "Divorce" deals with a gripping tale of infidelity, betrayal, and murder.

The story revolves around the murder of an affluent businessman from Manhattan named Tom Dayton, who is found dead in his car, shot twice in the head. Detective Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and his new partner, Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt), are assigned to investigate the case. The detectives find that Dayton was a successful real-estate developer with a beautiful house outside the city, a loving wife, and two children.

Dayton's wife, Elaine (Amy Carlson), quickly becomes the main suspect as the couple was going through a bitter divorce, and she stands to gain from his death in terms of the inheritance. However, their prenuptial agreement makes her motive less apparent since her settlement could vary based on her criminal involvement in Dayton's death.

As the investigation proceeds, the detectives uncover several secrets that point towards Dayton's professional and personal life in the lead up to his murder. They meet Dayton's business associates and family members, and each one of them seems to have a motive to kill him.

The detectives soon learn that Dayton was having an affair with a young woman named Nicole Wallace (Olivia D'Abo), who worked as his personal assistant. Wallace was aware of Dayton's affairs and took advantage of his wealth and status to fulfill her financial ambitions.

The investigation takes a new turn when the detectives find evidence that leads to one of Dayton's business associates, a powerful real estate developer named Robert Telford (David Groh). The detectives find that Telford had been in business with Dayton for years, but the partnership started to sour when Dayton began to lose clients due to his affairs and erratic behavior. Telford was also mad at Dayton for jilting his daughter who he had been engaged with at some point in the past. Further, Dayton was blackmailing Telford, and this added to the motive he had. To all indications, Telford could have killed Dayton with clear motive on his part.

As the detectives work to build a case against Telford, they realize that Wallace is involved more deeply than they anticipated. The evidence seems to point to the fact that Dayton may have discovered her fraudulent purchase of his business's valuable property, which which Wallance planned to flip to make a quick buck. Realty law allows Telford to purchase the property from Dayton's estate, and with Wallance's insider knowledge, make a huge profit.

The detectives eventually hit a dead-end that leads them to go back over clues they missed and mistakes they made during the investigation. They recognize how the victim's interactions with Wallace contributed to Dayton's downfall and its effect on the people who cared for him. In the course of the investigation, the detectives find out that there had been other victims of Dayton's consensual affairs with people he worked with, and this led to the breakdown of other marriages.

The detectives eventually track down the person who killed Dayton, and the case takes an unexpected twist. The investigation takes many turns to finally close while revealing Dayton's character and the devastation it caused among all those that cared for him.

This episode of Law & Order is a gripping tale that delves deep into the complexities of marital and business dynamics, providing an intriguing look at human relationships. As always, the finale of the episode is an intense courtroom drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat.