After seeing this, whenever my mom and stepmom saw a previous episode with this character, they'd always start speculating about whether or not her actions were indicative of her being a secret lesbian. It was so much fun to watch.
It didn't make much sense to me since it seems like it came out of nowhere. (If you do watch past episodes and when she talks about her past there aren't much hints if any). God bless you.
That was kind of a random and weird way to write out the character but there's no reason why she couldn't be a lesbian. She mentioned having boyfriends in high school but lots of lesbians have had boyfriends before they realized they were gay. She actually looks just like a friend of mine who is bisexual.
I love this scene. Serena really was more of an advocate, and this final scene ties up her tenure there together so elegantly. In 2.5 minutes, this is explained, she goes from bravado to sudden realization of what's happening, and the lesbian thing is just the final (poignant and surprising) kicker. Plus, it's brilliantly and sympathetically acted by both performers. Call it a gimmicky ending, but it really worked for me.
An elected DA doesn't owe you a job. A DA has the right to choose his/her staff. If Arthur Branch doesn't want Serena as an ADA, he's got the right to fire her. I've seen it happen countless numbers of time including to myself.
I know of two incidents where Jack McCoy, after becoming D.A. either fired someone or came close to firing someone. One was another ADA, who accused McCoy of being too liberal and the other was ADA Casey Novak, which also would've resulted in her disbarment for a perceived bias toward the defendant with a mental illness. You don't hear of Adam Schiff or Nora Lewin firing anyone.
Benjamin Schlechter Adam Schiff should have fired Jack McCoy about 16 million times but if he'd done so, there would no longer be a show. And my Mom would not be able to say to me as she did way too many times, "I hope you were never like him when you were a prosecutor". Well, Mom, now that you've passed away, I'm glad you won't be around to see that a DNA test shows that I prosecuted an innocent defendant 25 years ago.
Hello! Watched this whole episode yesterday; (Monday 16/1/2023 -channel 21). Great programme. HR dept will give Serena reference letter for another employment. London UK 🙂
I can't believe so many people hate this. "Law & Order" made a point to never be about the characters and their lives. It was always solving the crime and then the case. The rest of it, was rarely discussed and when it was, it was an exception, moments at the corner of the screen, that something personal was happening with the characters. We didn't know Greene was a gambler until his last couple episodes for instance. That's why this is fucking brilliant! The whole point was that, it wasn't important or relevant that she was a lesbian. Never brought up, never mentioned, she was just fired for not being right for the job. And now we get, one insight into her character; just that! Brilliant!
David Baruffi People and critics hate this because it CAME THE FUCK OUT OF LEFT FIELD... and remember this is a bunch of people who knew each other VERY well as friends and colleagues, and your telling me NOT ONCE when everyone else was talking about their significant other.... Southerlyn doesn't mention anything at all... EVER. HELL in the episode "Gov Love," she is uncomfortable with a case in which McCoy successfully seeks to have same-sex marriage declared illegal in New York in order to get testimony from a gay defendant's spouse. Southerlyn had objected to this and refused to assist McCoy, but her sexual orientation was never mentioned.... now if you're working with someone and your character was always gay.... THEN WHY THE FUCK WOULDN'T YOU BRING THAT UP TO YOUR COLLEAGUE THAT JUST FUCKING DID THAT AND HAVE HIM FIND ANOTHER WAY THAT DOESN'T JUST PISS YOU THE FUCK OFF? So what does she dooo.... Absolutely JACK-SHIT aside from having a hissy-fit. Not to mention the fact that she says the following in the episode "Girl Most Likely": "Coming out's gotta be a pretty tough thing to do, no matter how understanding your parents are." ALSO The revelation is also inconsistent with dialog in the final act OF THAT SAME EPISODE IN WHICH THE DAs use the threat of outing a woman to force her into accepting a plea.... that seem like something SHE WOULD do if she was written to always be a Lesbian... NOT MENTION The fact that but it just REEKS of absolutely piss-poor story continuity AND poor character development... as you'd think SOMETIME during that season... SOMEONE would've mentioned this about her earlier at SOME POINT! No ... all we get is the writer's ONLY mentioning it in that 1 SCENE in her FINAL EPISODE EVER WITH LAW AND ORDER or any other spin-off. So yeah... PEOPLE HATE IT as it seems the ONLY REASON FOR THAT BEING MENTIONED IS A THROW-AWAY LINE that revealed something that SHOULD'VE BEEN EXPLORED MUCH FUCKING BETTER, and quite honestly... THE ONLY REASON SHE SAID THAT WAS TO GET EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT THIS EPISODE AND INCREASE THE VIEWS OF "LAW AND ORDER" .... that is it and that .... IS DISGUSTING! IF you want to make a character be gay, I'm all for that and will support it no matter what if handled right. If you JUST do it to get attention for your show and increase views so you get more money.... then sorry but you are disgusting person and should be fired from your job.
***** First of all, it doesn't come out of leftfield, if you go back and watch there are clues and indicators. Secondly, this is "Law & Order", of course it's only mentioned in one scene. The whole point of "Law & Order" was that, it was a revolving door cast and that whoever were the ones that were giving out the law and order, were not important. When did this show, ever give extra character development? I was surprised when there was character development at all; it was never important. It was always subtle and at the edges, and even what is there is mostly incidental and out of nowhere. Hell, the only episode I even remember that was specifically about the characters themselves, was the episode where Jill Hennessy's character was killed off and we were still learning stuff about her years after that episode. Thirdly, the whole point of her coming out, in that moment, only helps to prove just how unimportant this detail was. We didn't know or have any real clear-cut detail about Serena until that moment, because it was about the cases they were prosecuting not about her sexual orientation, we didn't need to know that. If anything, this was completely consistent with "Law & Order" for it to take three years to build up to this moment, that we finally get insight about her now and it's this revelation! Hell, nine years went by and we never knew Det. Green had a gambling problem, 'til his final episode, nobody ever complains about that. I'm sorry, the people who complain or criticize this, are basically complaining that "Law & Order" was being "Law & Order". They could ended it with just her being fired, that was an attention-grabber alone, we never saw that scene before either. Everybody else, except for Det. Logan, either left their job or was killed off. And that's the one moment you might suspect that this prestigious job, which has a high turnover but low firing rate, might partially be because of your sexuality, especially from a conservative political boss, and a co-worker who's notorious for sleeping with his co-workers. This was a great ending to a character, and a great "Law & Order" twist, specifically because it didn't need to be explored further, or even at all. Dick Wolf absolutely got it right on this one.
+David Baruffi Didn't Ed Green make references to Atlantic City trips in his first few seasons on the show? We never got to realize how bad his gambling habit became until season 18's "Burn Card."
Eh she was getting the sack for letting her personal politics interfere with her job and there'd be plenty of gay people who wouldn't have an issue with that same as straight people can so it wouldn't be relevant, that's what's a bit off about it seems like she's stretching. Also the writing's a little dodgy, just the way it's phrased. Aside from that you're pretty spot on law and order often dealt with character's personal issues it's not entirely inappropriate either (people irl often make poor arguments in stressful situations even professional lawyers).
I think you're mistaking people's reactions to this. They don't hate it because her being a lesbian is such a trivial and irrelevant part of the plot. They hate it - or more accurately laugh at it - because SHE BROUGHT UP something that's so trivial and irrelevant to the point.
They hinted toward her sexual preference in an earlier episode I remember. It was something about gay adoption, and at the end Jack said "I say let them marry. Why shouldn't they be as miserable as the rest of us?" You could tell she was pissed.
Elisabeth Rohm is an excellent actress; check her out as Kate Lockley on Angel to see for yourself. The problem on L&O was that the writers never gave her anything to work with. Think about it - we knew everything we ever wanted to know about Angie Harmon's character, but the only thing we ever learned about Serena was that she was a lesbian, and that didn't come until her very last exchange on the show.
There were a couple of reasons they had to move Jerry from the mother show to TBJ: 1) He already wasn't feeling well at that point so they moved him to a show where he wouldn't have to carry the burden of being a lead character. 2) He was pushing seventy and detectives could only get so old before they'd have mandatory retirement. On the other hand, there are DA investigators much older, so they could have him do that. Maybe if he hadn't died, TBJ would have gone on longer.
It was hinted a bit. She seemed very disturbed when McCoy wanted to make gay marriage illegal and she got a bit defensive when asked if she had a boyfriend.
I loved her stuff on this show, and thought she was great on it, but Branch totally nailed her perspective in this scene and explained why she was a bad fit for that position. It was a long time coming, and although I was sad to see her go, it was the right call. In a sense, it felt inevitable. Then...the whole lesbian line ruined the arc. What the hell?
RM Wilson wholeheartedly...she was truly annoying..."Is this because I'm a lesbian?!" No...Because your always questioning and double talking everyone that's why?!" which is why Arthur brought you back down to Earth...with no parachute...
a)I wasn't surprised at all. You could tell by some of Serena's reactions to certain situations. :) b) Jesus Christ, I LOVE Elisabeth Röhm - such a beauty... *.* :) c) Sorry for my English - greets from Spain. :)
I liked Serena because of her shortcomings--her inabilities to be objective as an ada. She needed to be fired, but without this character, the show wouldn't have had that moment. Was an interesting shake-up at the end of this episode
Although after the show, Alex did go on to be a lesbian and try to get with Tina Fey on 30 Rock. I was so disapointed they didn't make a "Is this because I'm a lesbian" joke in that episode.
I read that people weren't that thrilled with Elizabeth Rohm's acting here but I thought she was great as Kate on Angel. Her coming down on Angel because of his betrayal, or the murder of her father, going after Faith, and her suicide attempt were some of the most memorable parts of the show for me.
I never picked up on it either, but after finding out and seeing previous episodes, it makes it easy to see the hints. This was the best outing ever; it illuminated earlier acts, but didn't fundamentally change the meaning. "Playing the Lesbian Card"? C'mon, she just got canned, she's grasping at straws. The bonus one gets from not being a minority is that we never have to wonder about someone's motivations; "did my white boss fire me because I'm white, or because I suck at my job?"
A lot of L&O fans didn't like Elisabeth Rohm, but she's actually a very good actress. Check her out as Detective Kate Lockley on Angel - she's great on that show. It was the writers; they just never gave her anything to work with. We learned nothing about the character, except that she's a lesbian, and we don't find that out until Dick Wolff decides to include it in her swan song moment. A poorly written character with a horrible, "what the ..." send off.
This was just so dumb. They couldn't have just had her decide on her own that being a DA wasn't where her true passion lies so she decides to go into private practice as a defense attorney or something? I realize people do get fired from jobs and they wanted to show this, but she wasn't that incompetent in her job from what we saw.
In this episode, was her being a lesbian mentioned before this? Was this question just out of the blue? Did he even know she was a lesbian? I sure as hell didn't.
Gone and almost forgotten, but destined to live on in endless reruns on TNT. This wide-eyed 'actress' with the tedious monotone nearly ruined one of my favorite series, stumbling through cue cards and generally not acting as Assistant District Attorney Southerlyn for four seasons. Her final line upon getting fired was the only memorable one of her career: 'Is it because I'm a lesbian?' No, Ms. Rohm. It's because you have no talent." -Diane Holloway of the Austin American-Statesman
Actually, it wasn't Dick Wolf. It was the actress' idea to put this in there, and she did it to stress just how little we know about the characters' lives. At the same time, though, there is quite a bit in the show that's telling about the characters themselves.
@ChildOfTheFlower - i think the made the decision to make her gay during the last episode. i dont think she was written in a lesbian. I do remember that lesbian teenage episode , it was a good one . Never see it in reruns though
Why does that even come into it? He's talking about her competency.. she makes it about her sexuality. However depending on his belief system.. shouldn't he have a say on who he hires and who he doesn't? If it's his business.. his money.. technically it's his right who he hires ? I'm sure there's plenty of firms that would hire a person regardless of their sexuality.. but if it was to conflict with what the company stood for.. then why does anyone have the right to sue based upon that or declare discrimination? This is where I do believe the world has lost its right to say no. It doesn't mean he is prejudice but it may be under the circumstances it doesn't reflect the image he wants to present.
@highlanderraven It's from Law & Order, midway thru Season 15 in early 2005. She was replaced by Annie Parisse as ADA Alexandra Borgia, who I must say was not as good.
I never saw this coming. I've looked at ALL her episodes, and although she clearly supported gay rights (in two different episodes) she not once hinted that she was gay. Although I did find it strange that none of the scumbags she interviewed never hit on her like they did with ADA Jamie Ross.
Never saw this coming when they fired her as they never hinted at her being gay until like the episode before she left when she was on the side of gay rights
What was he going to say? Yes, I'm firing you because you're a lesbian? Sheesh. I'm sad she got kicked off the show, she was one of my favourite ADAs....
WHOA! WHOA!! MAJOR BRAIN FART!! If she's a lesbian, how come we haven't seen her with her partner? I looked up to Serena for the entire time and I thought she and Jack had something special. This was a complete surprise!!
"No, Kate, this isn't because you're a lesbian. It's because the actress we hired to play you is terrible and couldn't carry water if she had a dozen assistants." Good riddance, Elisabeth Rohm. Your oh-so-way-too-long tenure on L&O sullied the entire franchise.
Never mentioned, never. She didn't want Jack invalidating gay weddings in a previous episode, but her sexuality was never discussed. Her firing was justified by the words of Arthur Branch; so the lesbian thing was simply unnecessary. Then when she said "good" b/c even though he was telling the truth, what moron would have said "Yes, it is b/c ur a lesbian. I'm that bad a lawyer I am going to fire you for that in Manhattan." This was silly. Fire her, move on. Also, she was smokin hot. Semper Fi.
@loganidol my sister said what you said when I told her. don't blame us ... "It's the straight people who keep having gay babies :)" Apparantly there are a few hints through out the series that she was hiding a 'secret'. I remember someone mentioning a scene when a magazine feel out of her briefcase and the guys where like, oh we didnt know -cool. I'm not a big L&O fan, more a SVU but love this scene
(continued0, and that she should do that, but end the end he decided to fire her but i think in some way that she kinda accepted that as the truth and that thats where she needs to be so its not like her world is over she probably end up as a lawyer in a guess episode i just wish there was more to this like after hearing she was done maybe seeing her say some more stuff and at least let her leave in an honorable way that just her being silent
LOL I bet they laughed about that later! Serena was such great character but they didn't invested so much on her so sometimes people blamed Elisabeth, but to tell the truth, she's a good actress! The thing with Serena is that you need to look beyond her lines, beyond her face.. lol so everyone is a shit at looking beyond things because no one could ever imagine she was a lesbian... until this hilarious scene
@ff7angeleen I agree I am a bi femme with preference for women and I like femininity, I never understood someone being attracted to a girl impersonating a guy and usually an ugly guy. do live in the states?
Agreed 100%, except I'd say she was believable (there are plenty of dull lawyers out there), just not compelling. It seemed as though she was just slapped in there and given lines and screen time to fill a quota for women actors, not because of her own merit.
(continued) and if it was me writing the script, which to my knowledge was up to Rohm, i was have her resign cause that sound alot better. overall i think ill have her as a good actress in my book, and i read the reason she left was cause she was starting a movie career so good luck to her in that, but man this left me feeling down some, i hope she will come back as an attorney in L&O.
Every time I see that episode I keep asking where the heck that came from. Why would they write something that was so out of line and character? I didn't see any hint that she was a lesbian during her time on the show.
![พบรัก - INK WARUNTORN x FELLOW FELLOW [LIVE SESSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1VonHhP6_Y8/mqdefault.jpg)
The shortest lesbian storyline ever
she should come back and be on SVU instead. she would fit right in with her characters passion for the victims
i watched this with my mom and we just looked at each other shocked for about 1 minute, then we started to laugh hysterically
RIP Fred Dalton Thompson (1942-2015)
Truly one of the most WTF moments in television history. This will be as funny a billion years from now as it is today.
After seeing this, whenever my mom and stepmom saw a previous episode with this character, they'd always start speculating about whether or not her actions were indicative of her being a secret lesbian. It was so much fun to watch.
It didn't make much sense to me since it seems like it came out of nowhere. (If you do watch past episodes and when she talks about her past there aren't much hints if any).
God bless you.
And she was never seen or heard from ever again.
Which is a shame.
That was kind of a random and weird way to write out the character but there's no reason why she couldn't be a lesbian. She mentioned having boyfriends in high school but lots of lesbians have had boyfriends before they realized they were gay. She actually looks just like a friend of mine who is bisexual.
I was kind of shocked that she was fired. She was one of the better DAs and one of the few who didn't sleep with Jack, lol.
I felt she was sometimes to much on the side of the defendants.
Jamie and Abbie didn't sleep with him.
She'll always be Policewoman Kate to me.
Alvious Cool. Loved Angel.
I love this scene. Serena really was more of an advocate, and this final scene ties up her tenure there together so elegantly. In 2.5 minutes, this is explained, she goes from bravado to sudden realization of what's happening, and the lesbian thing is just the final (poignant and surprising) kicker. Plus, it's brilliantly and sympathetically acted by both performers. Call it a gimmicky ending, but it really worked for me.
An elected DA doesn't owe you a job. A DA has the right to choose his/her staff. If Arthur Branch doesn't want Serena as an ADA, he's got the right to fire her. I've seen it happen countless numbers of time including to myself.
Scene should have read:
Serena: "Is this because I'm a lesbian?"
Branch: "no, it's because you're a liberal."
I know of two incidents where Jack McCoy, after becoming D.A. either fired someone or came close to firing someone. One was another ADA, who accused McCoy of being too liberal and the other was ADA Casey Novak, which also would've resulted in her disbarment for a perceived bias toward the defendant with a mental illness. You don't hear of Adam Schiff or Nora Lewin firing anyone.
Benjamin Schlechter Adam Schiff should have fired Jack McCoy about 16 million times but if he'd done so, there would no longer be a show. And my Mom would not be able to say to me as she did way too many times, "I hope you were never like him when you were a prosecutor". Well, Mom, now that you've passed away, I'm glad you won't be around to see that a DNA test shows that I prosecuted an innocent defendant 25 years ago.
Benjamin Schlechter But Adam has ragged on Jamie Ross when she was having child care issues.
Well I sure hope upon finding that out, you fought for his/her release.
i loved Serena she was my fav ADA and she was the prettiest
Isabella Valentina Jaquae Is this because *you're* a lesbian?
She absolutely was . Her and Angie Harmon.. other the best and the most attractive x
I never laughed so hard in my life. Plus, everyone's comments on here just made me giggle.
"No, of course not, no...no."
He reached a termination decision without even talking to her first?
One of the moments of the series that shocked me and my whole family (fans of Law and Order)
Hello! Watched this whole episode yesterday; (Monday 16/1/2023 -channel 21). Great programme. HR dept will give Serena reference letter for another employment. London UK 🙂
I tried this on my boss and I immediately got rehired. 🤣
I can't believe so many people hate this. "Law & Order" made a point to never be about the characters and their lives. It was always solving the crime and then the case. The rest of it, was rarely discussed and when it was, it was an exception, moments at the corner of the screen, that something personal was happening with the characters. We didn't know Greene was a gambler until his last couple episodes for instance. That's why this is fucking brilliant! The whole point was that, it wasn't important or relevant that she was a lesbian. Never brought up, never mentioned, she was just fired for not being right for the job. And now we get, one insight into her character; just that! Brilliant!
David Baruffi People and critics hate this because it CAME THE FUCK OUT OF LEFT FIELD... and remember this is a bunch of people who knew each other VERY well as friends and colleagues, and your telling me NOT ONCE when everyone else was talking about their significant other.... Southerlyn doesn't mention anything at all... EVER.
HELL in the episode "Gov Love," she is uncomfortable with a case in which McCoy successfully seeks to have same-sex marriage declared illegal in New York in order to get testimony from a gay defendant's spouse. Southerlyn had objected to this and refused to assist McCoy, but her sexual orientation was never mentioned.... now if you're working with someone and your character was always gay.... THEN WHY THE FUCK WOULDN'T YOU BRING THAT UP TO YOUR COLLEAGUE THAT JUST FUCKING DID THAT AND HAVE HIM FIND ANOTHER WAY THAT DOESN'T JUST PISS YOU THE FUCK OFF? So what does she dooo.... Absolutely JACK-SHIT aside from having a hissy-fit.
Not to mention the fact that she says the following in the episode "Girl Most Likely": "Coming out's gotta be a pretty tough thing to do, no matter how understanding your parents are."
ALSO The revelation is also inconsistent with dialog in the final act OF THAT SAME EPISODE IN WHICH THE DAs use the threat of outing a woman to force her into accepting a plea.... that seem like something SHE WOULD do if she was written to always be a Lesbian...
NOT MENTION The fact that but it just REEKS of absolutely piss-poor story continuity AND poor character development... as you'd think SOMETIME during that season... SOMEONE would've mentioned this about her earlier at SOME POINT!
No ... all we get is the writer's ONLY mentioning it in that 1 SCENE in her FINAL EPISODE EVER WITH LAW AND ORDER or any other spin-off.
So yeah... PEOPLE HATE IT as it seems the ONLY REASON FOR THAT BEING MENTIONED IS A THROW-AWAY LINE that revealed something that SHOULD'VE BEEN EXPLORED MUCH FUCKING BETTER, and quite honestly...
THE ONLY REASON SHE SAID THAT WAS TO GET EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT THIS EPISODE AND INCREASE THE VIEWS OF "LAW AND ORDER" .... that is it and that .... IS DISGUSTING!
IF you want to make a character be gay, I'm all for that and will support it no matter what if handled right.
If you JUST do it to get attention for your show and increase views so you get more money.... then sorry but you are disgusting person and should be fired from your job.
***** First of all, it doesn't come out of leftfield, if you go back and watch there are clues and indicators. Secondly, this is "Law & Order", of course it's only mentioned in one scene. The whole point of "Law & Order" was that, it was a revolving door cast and that whoever were the ones that were giving out the law and order, were not important. When did this show, ever give extra character development? I was surprised when there was character development at all; it was never important. It was always subtle and at the edges, and even what is there is mostly incidental and out of nowhere. Hell, the only episode I even remember that was specifically about the characters themselves, was the episode where Jill Hennessy's character was killed off and we were still learning stuff about her years after that episode. Thirdly, the whole point of her coming out, in that moment, only helps to prove just how unimportant this detail was. We didn't know or have any real clear-cut detail about Serena until that moment, because it was about the cases they were prosecuting not about her sexual orientation, we didn't need to know that. If anything, this was completely consistent with "Law & Order" for it to take three years to build up to this moment, that we finally get insight about her now and it's this revelation! Hell, nine years went by and we never knew Det. Green had a gambling problem, 'til his final episode, nobody ever complains about that. I'm sorry, the people who complain or criticize this, are basically complaining that "Law & Order" was being "Law & Order". They could ended it with just her being fired, that was an attention-grabber alone, we never saw that scene before either. Everybody else, except for Det. Logan, either left their job or was killed off. And that's the one moment you might suspect that this prestigious job, which has a high turnover but low firing rate, might partially be because of your sexuality, especially from a conservative political boss, and a co-worker who's notorious for sleeping with his co-workers. This was a great ending to a character, and a great "Law & Order" twist, specifically because it didn't need to be explored further, or even at all. Dick Wolf absolutely got it right on this one.
+David Baruffi Didn't Ed Green make references to Atlantic City trips in his first few seasons on the show? We never got to realize how bad his gambling habit became until season 18's "Burn Card."
Eh she was getting the sack for letting her personal politics interfere with her job and there'd be plenty of gay people who wouldn't have an issue with that same as straight people can so it wouldn't be relevant, that's what's a bit off about it seems like she's stretching. Also the writing's a little dodgy, just the way it's phrased. Aside from that you're pretty spot on law and order often dealt with character's personal issues it's not entirely inappropriate either (people irl often make poor arguments in stressful situations even professional lawyers).
I think you're mistaking people's reactions to this. They don't hate it because her being a lesbian is such a trivial and irrelevant part of the plot. They hate it - or more accurately laugh at it - because SHE BROUGHT UP something that's so trivial and irrelevant to the point.
Rest In Peace Fred Dalton Thompson.
They hinted toward her sexual preference in an earlier episode I remember. It was something about gay adoption, and at the end Jack said "I say let them marry. Why shouldn't they be as miserable as the rest of us?" You could tell she was pissed.
Elisabeth Rohm is an excellent actress; check her out as Kate Lockley on Angel to see for yourself. The problem on L&O was that the writers never gave her anything to work with. Think about it - we knew everything we ever wanted to know about Angie Harmon's character, but the only thing we ever learned about Serena was that she was a lesbian, and that didn't come until her very last exchange on the show.
I swear I remember this scene with the other female lawyer, the blond one with glasses? Who worked for SVU? Man, what a trip!!!
Some say she's still a lesbian to this day.
There were a couple of reasons they had to move Jerry from the mother show to TBJ:
1) He already wasn't feeling well at that point so they moved him to a show where he wouldn't have to carry the burden of being a lead character. 2) He was pushing seventy and detectives could only get so old before they'd have mandatory retirement. On the other hand, there are DA investigators much older, so they could have him do that.
Maybe if he hadn't died, TBJ would have gone on longer.
Why would she even say that?
You would need to see the whole episodes to know
@@sanedcab1Mexico The whole episode had nothing to do with this.
@@aktaveras I know that, but this is one of those episodes that I haven't seen often and I don't remember the context of the end of that episode.
It was hinted a bit. She seemed very disturbed when McCoy wanted to make gay marriage illegal and she got a bit defensive when asked if she had a boyfriend.
Is this because I'm a lover of vajayjay?
I loved her stuff on this show, and thought she was great on it, but Branch totally nailed her perspective in this scene and explained why she was a bad fit for that position. It was a long time coming, and although I was sad to see her go, it was the right call. In a sense, it felt inevitable. Then...the whole lesbian line ruined the arc. What the hell?
Frank Dodd Oh, that whole lesbian thing was TOTALLY lame! Not only that, it was aggressively WEIRD!
So glad that she left, it was about time. Just blatantly driven by emotion and seemingly always at odds with everyone.
Nothing against Miss Rohm but I was glad when Serena left.
RM Wilson wholeheartedly...she was truly annoying..."Is this because I'm a lesbian?!" No...Because your always questioning and double talking everyone that's why?!" which is why Arthur brought you back down to Earth...with no parachute...
I just saw this episode. It was one of the weirdest exit lines I've ever heard.
Haha, this was great to see. I'd heard about it so much and I finally remembered to come look it up. Absolutely priceless! BWAH!
this has to be the stupidest moment in television history.
She might as well have said, "Is this because I'm an alien from Zeta Reticuli?" It was that out of left field and nonsensical!
a)I wasn't surprised at all. You could tell by some of Serena's reactions to certain situations. :)
b) Jesus Christ, I LOVE Elisabeth Röhm - such a beauty... *.* :)
c) Sorry for my English - greets from Spain. :)
I liked Serena because of her shortcomings--her inabilities to be objective as an ada. She needed to be fired, but without this character, the show wouldn't have had that moment. Was an interesting shake-up at the end of this episode
Although after the show, Alex did go on to be a lesbian and try to get with Tina Fey on 30 Rock.
I was so disapointed they didn't make a "Is this because I'm a lesbian" joke in that episode.
I read that people weren't that thrilled with Elizabeth Rohm's acting here but I thought she was great as Kate on Angel. Her coming down on Angel because of his betrayal, or the murder of her father, going after Faith, and her suicide attempt were some of the most memorable parts of the show for me.
I never picked up on it either, but after finding out and seeing previous episodes, it makes it easy to see the hints. This was the best outing ever; it illuminated earlier acts, but didn't fundamentally change the meaning. "Playing the Lesbian Card"? C'mon, she just got canned, she's grasping at straws. The bonus one gets from not being a minority is that we never have to wonder about someone's motivations; "did my white boss fire me because I'm white, or because I suck at my job?"
And from the exquisite (out of the blue) moment, she should've been in SVU and hit on Olivia 😎✌️
I love the fact that people always focus on Olivia for this lesbian thing. But I don't find Serena is a match for Olivia, Cabot is 😊
I always wanted to see this episode!
I never understood why she asked that. 🤔🤔
"Is this because I'm a lesbian?" *Record scratching noise* WHAT!?!
A lot of people didn't like her portrayal of Serena, but I never found her to be that bad. I liked her, Claire, and Abbie the best though
A lot of L&O fans didn't like Elisabeth Rohm, but she's actually a very good actress. Check her out as Detective Kate Lockley on Angel - she's great on that show. It was the writers; they just never gave her anything to work with. We learned nothing about the character, except that she's a lesbian, and we don't find that out until Dick Wolff decides to include it in her swan song moment. A poorly written character with a horrible, "what the ..." send off.
Haha, man I remember watching this with my ma when it first aired and we nearly pissed ourselves laughing because it was so random.
😂😂
Well I can see that happening in the real world at that time
This was just so dumb. They couldn't have just had her decide on her own that being a DA wasn't where her true passion lies so she decides to go into private practice as a defense attorney or something? I realize people do get fired from jobs and they wanted to show this, but she wasn't that incompetent in her job from what we saw.
In this episode, was her being a lesbian mentioned before this? Was this question just out of the blue? Did he even know she was a lesbian?
I sure as hell didn't.
Gone and almost forgotten, but destined to live on in endless reruns on TNT. This wide-eyed 'actress' with the tedious monotone nearly ruined one of my favorite series, stumbling through cue cards and generally not acting as Assistant District Attorney Southerlyn for four seasons. Her final line upon getting fired was the only memorable one of her career: 'Is it because I'm a lesbian?' No, Ms. Rohm. It's because you have no talent." -Diane Holloway of the Austin American-Statesman
@haselnussschnitte It was the episode "Hardwired". George mentioned it casually during a discussion.
After many years, I'm still shoked by her last words.... x)
Branch clearly started fantasising about her being a lesbian after she left the office...
Good lord her acting is terrible .."My emotional responses make meeee" stretching out the me so he can interrupt.
Harry Ballz I think that was her intent 🤷🏽♂️
This isn’t bad. It’s fine. It’s not like Matthew Rhys in “The Americans”. Try and get through that series with his stumbling and elongation.
@MiriOhki - this show is known for not getting in the personal lives of any of any of the characters
R.I.P. Fred Dalton Thompson
Actually, it wasn't Dick Wolf. It was the actress' idea to put this in there, and she did it to stress just how little we know about the characters' lives.
At the same time, though, there is quite a bit in the show that's telling about the characters themselves.
@ChildOfTheFlower - i think the made the decision to make her gay during the last episode. i dont think she was written in a lesbian. I do remember that lesbian teenage episode , it was a good one . Never see it in reruns though
I remember seeing this one when it first aired & thinking, "What a horrible, anticlimatic ending! What does THAT ave to do with anything?"
Thanks Arthur, should have done it a long time ago.
Why does that even come into it? He's talking about her competency.. she makes it about her sexuality. However depending on his belief system.. shouldn't he have a say on who he hires and who he doesn't?
If it's his business.. his money.. technically it's his right who he hires ?
I'm sure there's plenty of firms that would hire a person regardless of their sexuality.. but if it was to conflict with what the company stood for.. then why does anyone have the right to sue based upon that or declare discrimination? This is where I do believe the world has lost its right to say no. It doesn't mean he is prejudice but it may be under the circumstances it doesn't reflect the image he wants to present.
@highlanderraven It's from Law & Order, midway thru Season 15 in early 2005. She was replaced by Annie Parisse as ADA Alexandra Borgia, who I must say was not as good.
@octo20 No, it's "Is it because... [gets shot in the stomach, fate left open until the next season/episode, Jill Hennessey/David Caruso style...]"
I never saw this coming. I've looked at ALL her episodes, and although she clearly supported gay rights (in two different episodes) she not once hinted that she was gay. Although I did find it strange that none of the scumbags she interviewed never hit on her like they did with ADA Jamie Ross.
there was an episode about lesbian teenagers where she vaguely hints at it.....
Never saw this coming when they fired her as they never hinted at her being gay until like the episode before she left when she was on the side of gay rights
Joe Bergland, I totally agree with you. That line she said about her being a lesbian was unnecessary and totally out of context.
That was one of the lamest moments in history of that awesome show. A total WTF? moment!
What was he going to say? Yes, I'm firing you because you're a lesbian? Sheesh. I'm sad she got kicked off the show, she was one of my favourite ADAs....
WHOA! WHOA!! MAJOR BRAIN FART!!
If she's a lesbian, how come we haven't seen her with her partner? I looked up to Serena for the entire time and I thought she and Jack had something special. This was a complete surprise!!
wow. a big moment in Law & Order. TOP THAT SVU!!!
"No, Kate, this isn't because you're a lesbian. It's because the actress we hired to play you is terrible and couldn't carry water if she had a dozen assistants."
Good riddance, Elisabeth Rohm. Your oh-so-way-too-long tenure on L&O sullied the entire franchise.
I like him taking shots at librials
Never mentioned, never. She didn't want Jack invalidating gay weddings in a previous episode, but her sexuality was never discussed. Her firing was justified by the words of Arthur Branch; so the lesbian thing was simply unnecessary. Then when she said "good" b/c even though he was telling the truth, what moron would have said "Yes, it is b/c ur a lesbian. I'm that bad a lawyer I am going to fire you for that in Manhattan." This was silly. Fire her, move on. Also, she was smokin hot. Semper Fi.
Wow, I love me some L&O but that was straight hilarious.
I tend to keep neutral in my opinons of people on the LGBT spectrum. I don't want to say I hate them, but I can't exactly say I like them either.
Serena is just awful! She is better off as a criminal defense attorney!
Permanent cliff hanger.
She was the worst ADA in L&O history
@loganidol my sister said what you said when I told her.
don't blame us ... "It's the straight people who keep having gay babies :)"
Apparantly there are a few hints through out the series that she was hiding a 'secret'. I remember someone mentioning a scene when a magazine feel out of her briefcase and the guys where like, oh we didnt know -cool. I'm not a big L&O fan, more a SVU but love this scene
Yeah, one for our team!!
@ff7angeleen lol OF course I know Belgium! my extraction is english, scottish, hungary, austria. I live in Los Angeles
(continued0, and that she should do that, but end the end he decided to fire her but i think in some way that she kinda accepted that as the truth and that thats where she needs to be so its not like her world is over she probably end up as a lawyer in a guess episode i just wish there was more to this like after hearing she was done maybe seeing her say some more stuff and at least let her leave in an honorable way that just her being silent
SinCast's Gemini Man review brought me here xD
octo20 That would have been a hilarious way to ask that question.
@Kuzo53 Well, being that at least 10% of the population is LGBT, any show with 10 or more characters should have at least one gay one.
@MissPeaceandLoove I am completely confused by your comment. Are you saying that all shows should have all gay casts?
LOL
I bet they laughed about that later! Serena was such great character but they didn't invested so much on her so sometimes people blamed Elisabeth, but to tell the truth, she's a good actress! The thing with Serena is that you need to look beyond her lines, beyond her face.. lol so everyone is a shit at looking beyond things because no one could ever imagine she was a lesbian... until this hilarious scene
hmm... totally agree with you. Bring back Serena to SVU and kick Greylack's ass!
HAHAHA just takes his word for it!
"No, of course not...no...no."
I think that is the funniest thing I've ever heard in my entire life.
Poor Kate.
@ff7angeleen I agree I am a bi femme with preference for women and I like femininity, I never understood someone being attracted to a girl impersonating a guy and usually an ugly guy. do live in the states?
@MsPoppi90
I don't think her having a friend who came out is a hint that she herself is lesbo too.
@codename617 They already have a gay character - George.
Uh.. Alex is played by Stephanie March. Two completely different people.
Agreed 100%, except I'd say she was believable (there are plenty of dull lawyers out there), just not compelling. It seemed as though she was just slapped in there and given lines and screen time to fill a quota for women actors, not because of her own merit.
(continued) and if it was me writing the script, which to my knowledge was up to Rohm, i was have her resign cause that sound alot better. overall i think ill have her as a good actress in my book, and i read the reason she left was cause she was starting a movie career so good luck to her in that, but man this left me feeling down some, i hope she will come back as an attorney in L&O.
LMAO
"good... good"
elisabeth rohm is strong-willed, but i have to ask, why fire her at all? it came as a shock
Liv/Serena forever!
Every time I see that episode I keep asking where the heck that came from. Why would they write something that was so out of line and character? I didn't see any hint that she was a lesbian during her time on the show.