‘Law & Order’: Mehcad Brooks Teases Shaw’s Resentment in Ryan Eggold Episode
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This week’s Law & Order isn’t going to be easy for Detective Vincent Riley (Reid Scott), and while his partner, Detective Jalen Shaw (Mehcad Brooks), can understand the position he’s in, that doesn’t mean he’s just going to let things slide.
In “Big Brother,” airing on October 17, Riley’s personal and professional lives clash when his brother (New Amsterdam‘s Ryan Eggold) is connected to a murder investigation. ADA Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) takes a chance on a witness who can testify to a hidden motive.
“Ryan Eggold is amazing. He’s fantastic in his performance and you really can’t take your eyes off of him,” Brooks tells TV Insider.
When it comes to the character of Matt Riley, Shaw has “a lot of compassion for Vincent,” Brooks continues. “And there’s some resentment because Vincent’s brother, his screw-up of a brother, is getting in the way of what Shaw’s obligation is to the grieving family, right? To be the Anubis character, that archetype that helps carry that soul from this experience to the next. And the one thing that Shaw does not tolerate is someone getting in the way needlessly of that, [especially] when there’s an adult who is just trying to be a tough guy. You’ll see the duality of Shaw’s personality, that wolf, that hunter come out in this episode.”
The detectives cross paths with Matt during their investigation because he “knows a little something about the case and some of the people we believe are involved,” showrunner Rick Eid previously told us.
“He’s a pretty complicated guy,” he continued. “He has one foot in the criminal world, and you realize Riley’s the one that went one way and his brother went another way, and they’re still close, but this episode kind of highlights the complexities of their relationship. Riley’s trying to help his brother out of a jam, but you know the expression: ‘No good deed…’”
What are you hoping to see when we meet Riley’s brother? Let us know in the comments section below.
Law & Order, Thursdays, 8/7c, NBC
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