Premise: Who’s Feeding Off Whom?
This week’s Law & Order episode, aptly titled “Parasite,” attempts to untangle a web of suspicion surrounding the murder of toy CEO Bob Gladstone (Allen Fawcett), age 74, whose sudden death leaves behind a young widow, Chloe Thompson (Anabella Raye), age 22, and a family seething with resentment. The central question isn’t just who killed Bob—it’s who was feeding off him the most.
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| “Parasite” – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (l-r) Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley, David Ajala as Detective Theo Walker. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @ 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. |
Was it Chloe, the former escort turned grieving bride? Derek Nestor (Eric William Morris), the son-in-law drowning in debt and toxic entitlement? Or Amanda Nestor (Margaret Anne Florence), Bob’s daughter, who lies to protect the father of her children?
The episode plays a shell game with guilt, shifting suspicion from one character to the next, but never quite delivering the dramatic payoff expected from a mid-season finale.
The Prosecution’s Blind Spot: Age, Gender, and Assumptions
Executive DA Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) initially believes the case against Chloe is solid—motive, opportunity, and a conveniently discovered murder weapon. DA Baxter’s (Tony Goldwyn) line— “Beautiful women don’t fall in love with old rich guys. That’s just the way it is”—isn’t just cynical; it’s the thesis statement of the prosecution’s bias. Price, too, seems unable to separate Chloe’s youth and beauty from presumed manipulation. The case becomes less about evidence and more about what kind of woman society believes is capable of love.
However, the case begins to unravel not during Derek Nestor’s testimony, but after it—when police uncover that he lied under oath, casting doubt on the prosecution’s entire narrative. The DA’s office can no longer rely on Chloe’s past as an escort as their crutch.
Maroun’s Intervention: A Necessary Disruption
Enter ADA Samantha Maroun, the only character in the room willing to interrogate the prosecution’s assumptions. Her anecdote about dating a visiting professor in law school—cut short because of the rumors that she was sleeping her way to good grades—lands with quiet force. It’s not just backstory; it’s a mirror held up to the case.
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| “Parasite” – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (l-r) Hugh Dancy as A.D.A. Nolan Price, Odelya Halevi as A.D.A. Samantha Maroun. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @ 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. |
Maroun’s point is clear: they’re not prosecuting Chloe for murder—they’re prosecuting her for being a woman with a past. Her insistence on re-centering the case around facts, not moral panic, is what ultimately saves Chloe from conviction.
Chloe on the Stand: The Episode’s Emotional Core
Chloe’s testimony, recounting how she met Bob while buying a toy for her niece, is the episode’s most grounded moment. It’s not overwrought or manipulative—it’s just human. Her attorney introduces medical records confirming a debilitating rotator cuff injury and key card data proving Chloe never left her room. This evidence directly undermines the prosecution’s theory of how and when the murder occurred, pushing Price to reconsider Chloe’s guilt.
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| “Parasite” – LAW & ORDER, Margaret Anne Florence as Amanda Gladstone Nestor. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @ 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. |
A Quiet Indictment
A final exchange takes place in jail between Chloe and the District Attorneys. Price and Maroun sit in the discomfort of having nearly prosecuted a woman not because the evidence demanded it, but because their assumptions did. Chloe sees it. She names it. And she leaves them with a truth that doesn’t need to be shouted to land. She’s not angry—she’s unimpressed. And that’s somehow worse.
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| “Parasite” – LAW & ORDER. Pictured: Anabella Raye as Chloe Thompson. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @ 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. |
She doesn’t let them off the hook.
“It never crossed your mind that I wasn’t a money-chasing killer.”>>
Maroun offers a weak, “It’s more complicated.”
“No. It’s not,” Chloe replies—firm, clear, and done performing. It’s not just a line; it’s an indictment. In that moment, she’s no longer the defendant. That girl had moxie. She delivered the verdict, then turned to her attorney and said: “Get me out of here. I never want to see these people again.”
A Hodgepodge of Headlines, Light on Impact
“Parasite” borrows liberally from the zeitgeist: the Coldplay concert CEO scandal, the Epstein-adjacent age-gap discourse, and the ever-present specter of slut-shaming in public trials. But while the ingredients are timely, the execution feels more like a nocturne than a crescendo.
There’s no verdict, no climactic twist—just a quiet dropping of charges and a vague promise that the Nestors will face further investigation offscreen. Instead of building to a finale, the episode drifted into a quiet coda.
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| “Parasite” – LAW & ORDER— Pictured: Maura Tierney as Lieutenant Jessica Brady. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @ 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. |
Final Verdict: A Win for Perspective, Not for Drama
To its credit, the episode centers the female perspective—rare for a show that often leans procedural over personal. Maroun’s voice cuts through the noise, and Chloe is allowed complexity without caricature. But the episode’s pacing and payoff don’t match its thematic ambition.
Parasite” wanted to be a meditation on power, gender, and perception. What it delivered was a thoughtful, if uneven, hour of television that felt more like a setup than a finale. Well done on the nuance. But next time, hit it fortissimo.
What did you think? Drop me a line in the comments.
Overall rating: 7/10
Lynette Jones