Let's open up a restaurant in Santa Fe (since you're done with Law & Order).

Live-Blogging Jesse L. Martin’s last Law & Order: Burn Card
(Law & Order a/k/a [at least in my mind] the most significant show for and about NYC thus far in my lifetime.)

10:01 Even after all of these years it’s still incredibly satisfying to dance to the theme song. Bum bummm….

10:03 Heh… two bums are trying to buy beer using a dead guy in an office chair. Are we still allowed to call them bums? Where’s Jesse?

10:04 There’s Jesse. Looking good, My Man.

10:06 Am I going to be able to watch Law & Order after Jesse leaves?

10:08 We learn that Detective Ed Green is a much better date than Detective Cyrus Lupo. Dear Dick Wolfe: We already knew that. Thank you, The World.

10:09 Uhm… is Green a recovering gambling addict?

10:10 Oh shit, I think he is. Looks like he and Lenny had a lot more than just wise-cracks in common.

10:11 Jesse L. Martin looks CRAZY guilty now. And now he’s lying. We all know that you don’t have any friends in the hospital. Don’t do it Jesse. Don’t!

10:12 Cute dog. Ugly bathrobe. Why is Lupo in a bathrobe walking the dog? Where is this neighborhood? Why is this like the only episode that I haven’t been able to see at least one landmark that I know?

10:13 Jesse done shot somebody!?! Oh, it can’t end like this. Jesse done shot somebaddie named Bunny. Bunny has blond hair. They keep calling it "cauliflowered." That’s just all kinda fucked up but not as fucked up as the fact that Jesse shot a Bunny.

10:14 Commercial break.

10:17 We’re back. Has Jesse been crying? Oh Jesse, don’t weep. I’ll do the crying for the both of us in 43 minutes when this episode is over.

10:18 IAB is on the case. That’s never a good thing. Oh, OTHER Black Guy. You’re no JESSE!

10:19 Why is there is this Black on Black hate? Don’t hate on Jesse Other Black Guy. Don’t put his laundry out there in the street.

10:20 Jesse admits to… what? Having been to the speakeasy before… oh no! Those IAB guys are such pricks.

10:21 Everybody’s got a friend in the hospital this week.

10:22 Is IAB trying to frame My Man? Is Lupo trying to help or hinder them? Where is Jesse?

10:23 Lupo’s helping I guess. At least, until he confronts the waitress of the speakeasy (I love that they keep calling the illegal gambling den a speakeasy. I mean, I’m sure that that’s technically what it is but the use of the word just tickles me so.) and finds out that uhm… Green “beat the crap out of Bunny” over some gambling debts that he didn’t want to pay. But can we trust her? Still can’t place her neighborhood AND she’s feeding parakeets. Most birds give me the heebie-jeebies.

10:24 Lupo waits for Jesse outside of his place. Why don’t we all go inside? It must be better digs than when he was crashing with Roger and Mark or Angel. No? Damn. Anyhoodle Jesse looks good in his little golf cap. To bad they’re trying to frame him for Bunny’s murder and he may soon be wearing an orange jumpsuit.

10:25 S. Epatha looks upset about something. More upset than usual. Keep it together, S. Once Jesse leaves you’re the only one I’ve got left.

10:26 IAB is squealing to the D.A. This is not helping matters.

10:26 Jesse’s suspended without pay and White-Guy-Who’s-Not-Jack-McCoy is taking it to the Grand Jury. Oh Jesse, no! Who’s going to be protecting the streets? Who’s going to teach Lupo to shave? What’re we going to do with the next 34 minutes?

10:31 This commercial for the Jeep Grand Cherokee just used the word “infotainment.” I am confused. More confusing is the fact that my automatic spell-check didn’t underline it in red.

10:31 We’re back. Even Jack McCoy looks upset by White-Guy-Who’s-Not-Jack-McCoy’s plan.

10:32 Oh shut UP Other Black Guy. I hope that Jesse beats the crap out of you. Oh series please don’t make me try and accept Other Black Guy as a replacement for My Man.

10:33 White-Guy-Who-Isn’t-Jack-McCoy’s name is Linus. I keep forgetting that. I also keep forgetting about how nicely tailored his shirts are.

10:34 Grand Jury. Connie is going to fuck up Linus’ flow to help Lupo help Det. Green. Uh oh.

10:34 Linus has no chin. I can’t believe that I didn’t notice that until now when he’s really gonna try and prosecute My Man.

10:36 S. Epatha confronts Ed about the gambling. Aw, he started again when Lenny died. That’s sweet. Not so sweet… Green’s been indicted. Okay, so maybe picking an addiction back up isn’t sweet but look at Jesse’s puppy-dog eyes. Can you resist that?

10:37 Heh. S. Epatha just laid a nice clean smack-down on Other Black Guy. Go S. Epatha, go.

10:42 We’re back. Lupo is on the stand. Linus still doesn’t have a chin. Even less now that he’s actually prosecuting My Man.

10:43 The waitress is on the stand. She is NOT helping matters.

10:44 Lupo has just figured something out and he’s brought S. Epatha to the scene of the crime! Good things!

10:45 Bunny was shooting at someone else! Other Black Guy realizes that he’s not going to be bumped up to the detective squad with this shoddy work and agrees to go and see what’s in New Jersey with Lupo. This seems to impress S. Epatha. Ah… it’s a road trip for the new partners-to-be. This is just how Bighead and I knew that things would work out. We went on a road trip that took us through New Jersey.

10:47 Ooh… Ed had the number of a very pretty lady (April) in his phone. Way to go Ed!

10:48 Oh shit! The beautiful lady is the mommy of a beautiful baby. It’s it Jesse’s? Is she Jesse’s lady? Was she a gambler too?

10:49 Did Jesse shoot Bunny to protect this woman?

10:50 INSIDE of Ed’s apartment. Yes! It is SWEET (As I always knew that it would be). April’s there too. She’s scared. They’re trying to shake her down and Ed’s pretty much agreeing to take the fall for her. Ya'll My Man is so loyal.

10:51 Jesse’s agreed to plead to Man2 to help out his lady-friend. Linus says, “No," and breaks it to Jesse that April was gambling with the funds from her school. Shut up!

10:52 Bunny knew about April’s embezzlement and Jesse’s been protecting her (he’s felt guilty because he taught her how to gamble and even though he stopped she never did and her debts kept piling up. It turns out that Bunny pimped her out to his friends to cover her debts and that’s why Jesse beat him up. That’s My Man.). She went to find/kill? Bunny.

10:53 April is fessing up. Bunny started shooting at her and Green shot Bunny to protect her. Oh, April. What is to become of you now? What about the baby? All the shit is out. Jesse is exonerated but he’s not happy about what’s going to happen to April.

10:55 Oh, Jesse. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. I can’t bear the sight of tears ringing your beautiful eyes. Come to my arms. Live in my house I’ll be your shelter.

10:56 Jesse’s free and clear but he’s still in his street clothes and his cute black cap as he tells S. Epatha that he’s “just too worn out to fight right now.” He’s done. He asks Lu how she’s done it. He’s so jimblejambled and she’s still there like a rock and she says, “one foot in front of the other for 30 years.” Well, damn. They say goodbye in the most honest way. Good acting work by two people who obviously honestly care about and respect each other very much. It breaks my heart something awful but in the best possible way. He and Lupo share a nice moment and a strong handshake and then, he takes his box and he’s gone.

10:57 Ya'll, Jesse L. Martin has left the building.

10:58 Oh, Dick Wolfe, what am I going to watch now?


Well, that marks the end of an important era for me. I’ve been watching this show almost exclusively for Jesse L. Martin because he’s just so dreamy (he’s also really good at his job which makes him all the dreamier).

God bless and Godspeed Jesse. I’ve loved you since the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Rent and that one timed I ran smack into you outside of Weinstein dorm in the Spring of 1999. You are incredibly enjoyable and I’m glad that you’re getting paid for your craft. You’re worth it. That’s for making the show great.

One day I’m going to do a post specifically about how Law & Order is more than a show; it’s a love letter to the City. But for right now I’m going to sit and have a Singha and (think about how it’s great that this is a city where I can just go to the bodega around the corner and get Thai beer and) watch Vincent Donofrio on the 11 o’clock Law & Order: Criminal Intent rerun and look forward to more Jesse L. Martin Law & Order reruns.

EDIT: 4/24/08
Here's a link to the pros at Television Without Pity for their recap.

And, I guess Bunny had caulifower ear (not hair). But it sounded like hair to me so I'm leaving the post as it is.