Law & Order – “New Normal” – Review: Cop Interrupted

The Death of Hassan

“New Normal” turned out to be exactly the kind of episode you hope for after a hiatus: morally tangled, emotionally grounded, and unexpectedly rich in character development—especially for Det. Theo Walker. What began as a straightforward gang related murder became a study in identity, loyalty, and the psychological cost of living undercover.

“New Normal”– LAW
& ORDER, Pictured: Adrianna Mitchell as Kendra Newton. Photo by: Virginia
Sherwood/NBC @
2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Three Witnesses, Three Walls of Silence

The murder of Hassan Peterson is nearly unsolvable because every potential witness is bound by the same street ethos: “I’m not a rat.” The episode uses this code not as a cliché but as a prism through which each witness refracts it differently.

• Kendra, terrified and pregnant, is willing to perjure herself to protect her unborn son.

• Hassan’s friend, Taris, refuses out of pure gang principle.

• Raymond Booker or Book (Naiqui Macabroad), the undercover cop, refuses because testifying would destroy three years of deep infiltration into the Pleasant View Mafia (PVM).

Their silence isn’t sameness—it’s a spectrum of fear, loyalty, and survival.

“New Normal”– LAW
& ORDER, Pictured: Reid Scott as Det. Vincent Riley. Photo by: Virginia
Sherwood/NBC @
2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Book vs. Riley: Whose Case Matters More?

Book’s refusal to cooperate with the 2-7’s investigation detonates the hour. Det. Vincent Riley (Reid Scott) sees Hassan’s murder as the priority. Book prioritizes the long game. He’s determined to dismantle the gang driving prostitution, protection rackets, and as many as fifty overdose deaths a year. Their clash is the rare kind of conflict that doesn’t flatten either man. Riley is right about justice. Book is right about strategy. And both are trapped in systems that demand impossible, life and death choices. 

“New
Normal”– LAW & ORDER, (l-r)
Tony Goldwyn as District Attorney Nicholas Baxter, Hugh Dancy as A.D.A. Nolan
Price. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @ 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights
Reserved. 

District Attorney Nicholas Baxter (Tony Goldwyn) and Exec. A.D.A. Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) escalate tensions by threatening Book and his boss, Lt. Barkly (Ty Jones) with obstruction charges. Baxter’s ruthlessness is cold and clear—he’ll burn an entire undercover operation for one conviction. It’s a reminder that the DA’s office can be as coercive as the streets they prosecute.

Walker vs. Book: What Does a Cop Owe Himself?

The episode becomes something deeper when Walker steps in. His conversation with Book is the emotional and thematic spine of the hour.

Walker admits that when he was undercover, he was so lost in the role that he believed he could cut off a man’s thumb if that’s what it took to maintain cover. That confession reframes everything: undercover work doesn’t just blur the line between cop and criminal—it redraws it.
This is where the title “New Normal” lands with force.

• Thinking like a criminal becomes the normal.

• Doing the cop thing—testifying, telling the truth—becomes the abnormal.

• The identity you started with becomes something you have to fight to reclaim.

The actor playing Book sells this beautifully; he looks physically ill at the thought of testifying. It’s not fear—it’s disorientation. He doesn’t know which version of himself is real anymore.
Walker’s message is simple and profound: your new normal isn’t irreversible.

“New Normal”– LAW
& ORDER, Pictured: Naiqui Macabroad as Raymond Booker. Photo by: Virginia
Sherwood/NBC @
2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 

Book Shows Up

Book arrives in court a suit—no longer the persona he’s been wearing for three years, but the cop he used to be. He tells the truth. The jury returns a guilty verdict in under three hours.
But the victory is complicated. Book’s undercover life is over. His mission is gone. His identity is in pieces.

Walker sees that. He reaches out, gives him someone to talk to, and then gives him a bro hug that lands harder than any closing argument. It’s one of the most human moments the show has given Walker.

Walker’s Character Deepens

This episode emerges as a standout showcase for Det. Theo Walker.

• His empathy with Book feels grounded, not emotionally indulgent.

• His confession about undercover work adds layers to a character who often reads as impulsive or rule bending.

• His “situationship” with Juju adds texture—he’s messy, charming, complicated, and suddenly far more compelling.

• His dynamic with Riley now has tension and trust issues that the show can mine in future episodes.

Walker emerges from this hour not just as a detective, but as a man with history, vulnerability, and emotional intelligence.

“New Normal”– LAW
& ORDER, Pictured: Naiqui Macabroad as Raymond Booker. Photo by: Virginia
Sherwood/NBC @
2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Final Verdict

“New Normal” is a strong, resonant episode that uses its case to explore identity, loyalty, and the psychological cost of policing. It’s the best kind of Law & Order hour—one where the crime is the frame, but the characters are the story.

So, friends, what does it take to find yourself again after living a lie for so long? Share a little something in the comments.

Overall rating 9 out of 10.

Lynette Jones