What Happened When Tony Goldwyn Made His 'Law & Order' Debut

Tony Goldwyn as DA Baxer in 'Law and Order'

Law & Order's newest DA has arrived, and it's a bit of a demotion for former POTUS Tony Goldwyn. The Scandal alum made his debut as Nicholas Baxter, the new District Attorney tasked with following Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy (no pressure at all!). He immediately made an impression, popping up unannounced at a crime scene about a half hour after being sworn in. Apparently, he saw the lights and got excited after decades away from active crime-solving. The detectives were puzzled, but he promised them he was determined to keep things harmonious between the cops and the DA's office. He got a chance to prove it with this week's case, which involved the death of a successful and well known Wall Street investor named Jonah.

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After narrowing down the suspects to Jonah's "financial dominatrix" and presenting the evidence to Baxter, Price (Hugh Dancy) found his new boss to be a little bit icy. McCoy had "ruffled feathers" on his way out, leaving Baxter with some pressure to tighten things up. He needed an airtight case, and this one was unfortunately not it. While it seemed clear that the dominatrix had killed Jonah after shedding the role-play and stealing millions of dollars from him, setback after setback kept preventing Price from proving motive.

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Then, the dominatrix's lawyer dropped a bombshell. Apparently, his client had been told firsthand that a famous actor had raped multiple women, and she was ready to share that info if a deal could be made. Baxter then had to decide if it was more important to put the murderer in prison for life or take down a famous serial rapist. Baxter wanted to take down the rapist, but he was MIA when the judge forced Price to make a decision without much time to track down anyone who could corroborate the rapes. Should they trust the word of an accused murderer in hopes of catching a bigger fish, or continue with the trial as is? Baxter wasn't answering any of Price's many texts or calls, so Price had to make the call himself. He continued with the trial, and the dominatrix was found guilty.

Price confronted Baxter in his office for being unreachable, and for putting doubt in his mind about always doing what's best for the victim.

"Are you tendering your resignation?" Baxter asked.

"I'm just telling you who I am," Price said.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Nolan," Baxter responded, and the episode ended on a sort of indecipherable look.

We don't fully know who Nicholas Baxter is yet, but at the very least, it's clear he's nothing like Jack McCoy, and this is a whole new ballgame.

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