ThroughoutLaw & OrderSeason 24, the show has leaned into a more character-driven approach,weaving personal stakesinto its case-of-the-week format. One of themost compelling arcs belongs to ADA Samantha Maroun(Odelya Halevi). Introduced in Season 21, Maroun revealed that her sister was killed by an abusive partner in 2013 and that the case was never solved. While a handful of cases since thenhave stirred her unresolved grief, the Season 24 finale finally delivers the truth she’s been waiting for.
In the episode “Look the Other Way,” the murder of a young woman is unexpectedly linked to the long-unsolved case of Maroun’s sister. After more than a decade of unanswered questions,Sam finally gets the truthshe’s been searching for, but the investigation quickly spirals into something far more complicated. In a rare and powerful cliffhanger,Law & Orderends its season with a haunting question:Has Maroun crossed a moral line she can’t come back from?
The Season 24 Finale of ‘Law & Order’ Packs an Emotional Punch for Sam Maroun
The emotional catalyst of “Look the Other Way” comes when a young model, Georgia (Hazel Graye), is found murdered on the street. Detectives Riley (Reid Scott) and Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) begin a routine investigation, but the case takes a turn when Lieutenant Jessica Brady (Maura Tierney) makes the controversial decision to run DNA from the crime scene through a public genealogy database. The results are both shocking and deeply personal:the DNA matches the unsolved murder of ADA Samantha Maroun’s sister, Christina.
When Brady tells Sam the cases are linked, it’s clearly a gut punch. It’s the moment she’s waited years for, but it doesn’t land the way she imagined.Halevi plays it with raw honesty, capturing the unpredictable nature of griefand how even long-awaited answers doesn’t bring back the person you’ve lost. Maroun hasbuilt her entire careeraround fighting for justice, especially for women who’ve suffered the same fate as her sister. Now that there’s finally a path towards justice, she’s determined to do whatever it takes to see the man responsible put behind bars.
While Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) assures her he’ll do everything he can, he also makes it clear he wants to keep her at a distance to avoid any conflict of interest. Maroun agrees to stay behind the scenes, but her emotional investment quickly clouds her judgment. As the case begins to fall apart, she makes increasingly questionable decisions thatput Price in a difficult position. A tense confrontation with the suspect, Carter Mills (Jordan M. Cox), on the courthouse stepsfeels like grim foreshadowing and a glimpse into Maroun’s unraveling mindset.
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Maroun’s emotions are raw and on edge throughout the episode, and when it’s revealed that something she said to a witness could jeopardize the case, Price confronts her. What follows isone of the most powerful scenes between them all season. Set in Maroun’s apartment, it’s an intimate moment that allows them to drop their professional facades and speak as friends. Price isstill unwilling to bend the rules, but Maroun pleads with him. He knows who she is and what kind of prosecutor she is—but at that moment, she’s not speaking as a colleague. She’s speaking as a sister who is inches away from the justice she’s been denied for over a decade. “Forget about the law and think about me,” she says, in what might be the most heartbreaking line of the episode.
Even DA Baxter (Tony Goldwyn) admits that Maroun may have gone too far, but in a rare move, he sides with her. He recounts an old case, heavily implying thatbending the rulesis sometimes the right thing to do. He encourages Price to look the other way. While it’s later suggested that Baxter may have fabricated the story just to sway Nolan’s decision, the tactic doesn’t work. Despite everything building up around him,Price ultimately stands firm. He refuses to call the compromised witness, and the case falls apart. Carter Mills is found not guilty and walks free,leaving Maroun, and Georgia’s family, devastated.
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Just when it seems the episode will end with justice undone, the twist lands:Carter Mills is found murdered on the street. Price, visibly shaken, visits Maroun and pleads with her to say she had nothing to do with it. But Maroun doesn’t respond. Her silence, paired with the look of betrayal, heartbreak, and quiet disgust as she closes the door, says more than words ever could. While the moment could be read as confirmation of guilt,it more powerfully suggests that it’s Price who crossed a line. The very fact that he suspects her reveals a fracture in their relationship. Oncegrounded in mutual respect and trust,their bond is now strained by doubt, suspicion, and silence.
Some fans have speculated that this storyline may be setting up an exit for Odelya Halevi, especially as otherLaw & OrderandDick Wolfseriesundergo cast shake-upsand budget cuts.But sidelining Maroun now would be a mistake.The emotional fallout from that moment iscertain to ripple into Season 25. Can she and Price continue to work side by side after such a rupture? Can he ever fully trust her judgment again? If the show leans into this emotional complexity, it could deliver one of themost layered and compelling arcsLaw & Orderhas had in years.
AllLaw & Orderepisodes are available to stream on Peacock in the U.S.
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