Order has long thrived on its formulaic precision—crime, investigation, legal maneuvering, and climactic courtroom showdown. But in “Sins of the Father,” the show veered off its well-worn path, delivering a complex, unsettling story that packed emotion, action, and social commentary into a taut 45 minutes.
On the plus side, the episode seamlessly wove narratives about the immigrant experience in America in 2025. Sunny Zhen (Eddy Lee), a brilliant Chinese graduate student and chemist, was wrongly dismissed from his university amid baseless espionage rumors. His life unraveled quickly, reducing him to working as a mechanic and becoming entangled with Latin gang life led by the ruthless Antonio Ruiz (Jaime Paul Gomez).
Detectives Jalen Shaw (Mechad Brooks) and Vincent Riley (Scott Reid) learned that Sunny was not a spy. Riley felt compelled to question the university: “A real profile in courage?” The professor snapped back, “A profile in reality in 2025.” This sharp exchange encapsulated the episode’s message—how systemic pressures strip people of their futures for the sake of institutional survival.
Antonio Ruiz’s operation took things further, overseeing experimental fentanyl testing on society’s forgotten—the unhoused, the undocumented, sex workers, and addicts. If they died, he dumped them into the river, nameless and abandoned. As DA Nicholas Baxter (Tony Goldwyn) surveyed 13 body bags lined up on the pavement, he muttered an unnerving, “Dear God.”
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| “Sins of the Father" – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (L-R) Tony Goldwyn as District Attorney Nicholas Baxter, Mehcad Brooks as Detective Jalen Shaw. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC ©2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. |
At the heart of the episode was Ernesto Ruiz (David Castro), Antonio’s son—an idealistic schoolteacher who mentors where his father destroys. But his innocence, his inability to see his father’s crimes, made him vulnerable. His cousin, Omar Nunez (Argenis Hierro), manipulated him into unknowingly aiding in Sunny Zhen’s murder.
There’s a biblical irony at play—Ernesto isn’t cast out for his own sins, but for his failure to recognize the sin of others. His purity, his faith in goodness, doesn’t save him—it exiles him.
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| “Sins of the Father" – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (L-R) Hugh Dancy as A.D.A. Nolan Price, Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC ©2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. |
With pressure mounting from the press and One Police Plaza, Baxter and ADA Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) exploited Ernesto’s vulnerability. Ruiz had Omar killed in prison, and the DA threatened Ernesto with murder charges because he provided the car. His only way out? Turn on his father.
DA Samantha Maroun (Odelya Halevi), who is always the advocate for the marginalized, rebuked her boss for the ethical lapse. When Price pressed her on why she fought so hard for Ernesto, she reflected on her parents—Lebanese mom-and-pop restaurateurs struggling to survive. “The restaurant made no money, but the sports book business in the back did pretty well.” She added, “Immigrant stories are beautiful and complicated.”
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| “Sins of the Father" – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (L-R) Sal Rendino as Warden, Hugh Dancy as A.D.A. Nolan Price, Odelya Halevi as A.D.A. Samantha Maroun. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
Instead of the usual courtroom drama, the real tension unfolded as Ernesto, still believing in his father’s innocence, searched his office for incriminating evidence—while wired. Detectives Riley and Shaw tracked his every move, delaying intervention to maximize the evidence he gathered. It made for agonizing viewing.
Then came the moment of reckoning. Ernesto found documents linking his father to the 13 dead bodies. “No, no, no,” he whispered in disbelief. Meanwhile, Antonio hunted for him. From their surveillance van, the detectives urged Ernesto to flee. But his father caught him stuffing papers into his pockets.
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| “Sins of the Father" – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (L-R) Reid Scott as Detective Vincent Riley, Mehcad Brooks as Detective Jalen Shaw. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
“Did you have Omar killed?” Ernesto demanded.
Antonio snapped. Gripping his son, striking him, he growled, “What have you done, you stupid boy?”
Having already killed his nephew; would Antonio go so far as to murder his own son?
Ernesto survived the sins of his father, but barely. When the dust settled, Price and Maroun explained his new reality: witness protection, a brutal exile with two absolute rules—never contact your family, never return home.
His final plea was heartbreaking: “I want to see my mother first.”
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| “Sins of the Father" – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: David Castro as Ernesto Ruiz. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC ©2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved |
Maroun’s response was cold, final: “We called. She’s not coming.”
With that, Ernesto had lost everything—his father, his family, his home. Gone forever.
While Law & Order has explored the tension between legality and morality countless times, this episode felt particularly raw, unsettling, and emotionally resonant. Wolf Entertainment still leans too heavily on upholding a broken system, but at least “Sins of the Father” fractured its formula just enough to leave a lasting impact.
For all its flaws, this episode was tense, tragic, and a deeply compelling standout in a long-running franchise that often plays it “same” if not “safe.”
Do you think if the police weren’t onsite that Antonio would have killed his son, Ernesto? Let me know in the comments.
Overall Rating:
9:10
Lynette Jones
