ABOUT THE CHARACTER
he is an intense, intelligent man who uses his intuition and insight into human nature to size up suspects and pick apart the details of their crimes.
After college, Goren served in the Criminal Investigation Division of the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany and South Korea, before joining the NYPD. Goren spent four years in the Narcotics Division, running three sting operations that resulted in 27 arrests and 27 convictions. At some point in his early life--probably during his time in Narcotics--he was further mentored in criminal profiling by Dr. Declan Gage (6:1 "Blind Spot").
He is partnered with Detective Alexandra Eames (played by Kathryn Erbe), although he was temporarily partnered with Detective G. Lynn Bishop (played by Samantha Buck) in 2003–2004, while Eames was on maternity leave. Eames is practical, while Goren is often portrayed as intellectual, yet there is little evidence of conflict between them. (Goren later learned that Eames had petitioned the department for a new partner soon after they were paired together, but she soon withdrew the petition.)
The show highlights his abilities as a profiler and also demonstrates his skills as an interrogator, able to elicit confessions from calculating killers with his insight into their minds and his imposing physical presence. However, Goren has also shown some tender moments; his mother, who suffers from schizophrenia, is hospitalized, and is later diagnosed with lymphoma, and Goren visits her every week. Goren has been known to openly flinch whenever his mother or his father, who abandoned their family, is mentioned (a weakness often exploited by Goren's principal enemy, Nicole Wallace).
Detective Robert Goren and his partner, Detective Alexandra Eames
Goren is often compared to detective Sherlock Holmes; both latch onto certain clues that seem minor but end up breaking the case. They both also possess the ability to come up with a complete theory of a crime based on little evidence, and sustain that theory based on what they do find. The Wallace character is a direct attempt to play on the part of Sherlock Holmes' female antagonist Irene Adler, also known as "The Woman." Wallace is employed as a 'Professor of Literature' during her first appearance, which could be a parallel to Holmes's nemesis Professor Moriarty.
Goren's character also owes a lot to another popular television detective, Lt. Columbo. He often mirrors Columbo's habit of asking a suspect "one last" question before leaving; he also catches people off guard by pretending to be incompetent. While Goren is not as disheveled as Columbo, he certainly is not as formal as his fellow detectives, tending to appear unshaven and wearing an oversized trenchcoat. Unlike the original Law and Order, in which detectives and prosecutors share the story, most of the players in this series exist primarily as "sounding boards" for Goren.
While Goren will never cross the line into open insubordination, he will occasionally push professional boundaries, either because he feels it will solve the case more effectively, or because empathy for a suspect leads him to believe that the most extreme punishments are not warranted. He once said that this willingness to test authority stems from his days as a "lapsed altar boy."
Criminal Intent starts from the perspective of the criminal, a witness, or even a victim.
Goren's famous head-tilt
An interesting quirk of Goren's is his habit of cocking his head at odd angles - "side talking" - at certain times, such as when interrogating a suspect. D'Onofrio invented this habit, derived from a scene in the pilot episode where a suspect Goren was interrogating would not look him in the eye. It is such a strong identifier of his character that the third-season episode "The Gift" featured a woman who, while describing a psychic dream she had, labeled Goren as being "the man with the broken neck." Goren also occasionally gets sidetracked or fixated on things, which provides much of the show's comic relief.
In the episode "In the Wee Small Hours", it was revealed that Goren is estranged from his brother, who has a gambling problem, and that he harbors a great deal of anger toward his father.
Often when questioning people in the field, if they aren't answering questions or are being evasive, Goren will attempt to agitate them by exploiting a weakness he has noticed. For example, if he believes a subject is a "neat freak," he will deliberately move the subject's possessions around to create clutter, appearing to do so out of clumsiness or lack of respect, in order to rattle the subject and elicit cooperation.
After college, Goren served in the Criminal Investigation Division of the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany and South Korea, before joining the NYPD. Goren spent four years in the Narcotics Division, running three sting operations that resulted in 27 arrests and 27 convictions. At some point in his early life--probably during his time in Narcotics--he was further mentored in criminal profiling by Dr. Declan Gage (6:1 "Blind Spot").
He is partnered with Detective Alexandra Eames (played by Kathryn Erbe), although he was temporarily partnered with Detective G. Lynn Bishop (played by Samantha Buck) in 2003–2004, while Eames was on maternity leave. Eames is practical, while Goren is often portrayed as intellectual, yet there is little evidence of conflict between them. (Goren later learned that Eames had petitioned the department for a new partner soon after they were paired together, but she soon withdrew the petition.)
The show highlights his abilities as a profiler and also demonstrates his skills as an interrogator, able to elicit confessions from calculating killers with his insight into their minds and his imposing physical presence. However, Goren has also shown some tender moments; his mother, who suffers from schizophrenia, is hospitalized, and is later diagnosed with lymphoma, and Goren visits her every week. Goren has been known to openly flinch whenever his mother or his father, who abandoned their family, is mentioned (a weakness often exploited by Goren's principal enemy, Nicole Wallace).
Detective Robert Goren and his partner, Detective Alexandra Eames
Goren is often compared to detective Sherlock Holmes; both latch onto certain clues that seem minor but end up breaking the case. They both also possess the ability to come up with a complete theory of a crime based on little evidence, and sustain that theory based on what they do find. The Wallace character is a direct attempt to play on the part of Sherlock Holmes' female antagonist Irene Adler, also known as "The Woman." Wallace is employed as a 'Professor of Literature' during her first appearance, which could be a parallel to Holmes's nemesis Professor Moriarty.
Goren's character also owes a lot to another popular television detective, Lt. Columbo. He often mirrors Columbo's habit of asking a suspect "one last" question before leaving; he also catches people off guard by pretending to be incompetent. While Goren is not as disheveled as Columbo, he certainly is not as formal as his fellow detectives, tending to appear unshaven and wearing an oversized trenchcoat. Unlike the original Law and Order, in which detectives and prosecutors share the story, most of the players in this series exist primarily as "sounding boards" for Goren.
While Goren will never cross the line into open insubordination, he will occasionally push professional boundaries, either because he feels it will solve the case more effectively, or because empathy for a suspect leads him to believe that the most extreme punishments are not warranted. He once said that this willingness to test authority stems from his days as a "lapsed altar boy."
Criminal Intent starts from the perspective of the criminal, a witness, or even a victim.
Goren's famous head-tilt
An interesting quirk of Goren's is his habit of cocking his head at odd angles - "side talking" - at certain times, such as when interrogating a suspect. D'Onofrio invented this habit, derived from a scene in the pilot episode where a suspect Goren was interrogating would not look him in the eye. It is such a strong identifier of his character that the third-season episode "The Gift" featured a woman who, while describing a psychic dream she had, labeled Goren as being "the man with the broken neck." Goren also occasionally gets sidetracked or fixated on things, which provides much of the show's comic relief.
In the episode "In the Wee Small Hours", it was revealed that Goren is estranged from his brother, who has a gambling problem, and that he harbors a great deal of anger toward his father.
Often when questioning people in the field, if they aren't answering questions or are being evasive, Goren will attempt to agitate them by exploiting a weakness he has noticed. For example, if he believes a subject is a "neat freak," he will deliberately move the subject's possessions around to create clutter, appearing to do so out of clumsiness or lack of respect, in order to rattle the subject and elicit cooperation.
posted by Gabriel Taylor at 8:44 PM
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