Law and Order season 24 episode 11 ending explained: What happened to Nolan Price's father?

Dick Wolf's police procedural series, Law and Order season 24, episode 11, titled The Hardest Thing, aired on NBC on January 30, 2025. The latest season, which premiered on October 3, 2024, went on fall break in November after airing eight episodes.

The long-running show follows the format of investigations by NYPD detectives and the legal proceedings led by prosecutors of the District Attorney's office. This season, Maura Tierney joined the cast as Lieutenant Jessica Brady, replacing Camryn Manheim's Lieutenant Kate Dixon.

In episode 11, the team tackled a case regarding the murder of a wealthy old man. Through the investigation, they narrowed down multiple suspects, including the victim's wife and children. Parallel to this storyline, the episode focused on ADA Nolan Price's personal life, as he got into an argument with his brother regarding his father's deteriorating health condition.

Finally, after his brother's persuasion, Price agreed to end life-extending care, and his father passed away naturally. The scene was a bittersweet moment for the show's fans, who got a glimpse of Price's vulnerable side and eventual heartbreak.

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Law and Order season 24 episode 11: Price makes a difficult decision about his father's life

In Law and Order season 24, episode 11, Nolan Price was forced to make one of the toughest decisions of his life regarding his ailing father. It was established early on in the season that his father was in poor health and living in a long-term care facility. As his condition worsened, the plot reached its climax, and Nolan, who held the medical proxy, had to decide whether or not to continue the life-extending treatment.

Nolan was visited by his brother, Thomas, who urged him not to approve a feeding tube after their father lost the ability to swallow. According to Thomas, Nolan thinks of only himself and does not care about their father's suffering. Thomas believed it was time to let him go. Nolan initially resisted this idea, wanting to hold on as long as possible.

In his professional life, Nolan faced a parallel case, prosecuting a daughter who helped her father end his life due to frontotemporal dementia. This made him see things in a different light and let his father pass away naturally.

The final scene shows Nolan and Thomas packing up their father's belongings, with Thomas reassuring him they did the right thing. However, it was clear that Nolan was still struggling with grief, and he chose to return to work rather than process his emotions. The ending hinted that there was still much left for Nolan to unpack in the coming episodes of Law and Order season 24.

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Law and Order season 24 episode 11: Who killed Charles Harper?

In Law and Order season 24 episode 11, the victim was Charles Harper, a wealthy man who was found dead in his private residence. His daughter, Victoria, discovered his body and called the cops. Through their investigation, the team deduced that the killer broke in through a back window, and Charles was unaware of this as he was wearing noise-canceling headphones.

Suspicion quickly fell upon Charles' son, Sean, who had financial troubles. Sean, who had recently argued with his father over money, was not found at his home either, which strengthened the suspicion. However, when he got caught, he said he was running from a loan shark, which his father knew before dying.

When the detectives checked the victim's phone, the Law and Order season 24 episode 11 case took another twist. They uncovered that Charles had been scammed of five million dollars, leading them to question whether his murder was connected to the fraud.

Still from the show (Image via X/@lawandordertv)

Further evidence from Sean pointed at his sister, Victoria. Their mother's wedding ring, listed as stolen from Charles' home by Victoria, was found at her house, along with a bloodstained shirt. However, when questioned during the trial, Sean suddenly changed his testimony, casting doubt on his sister's guilt.

After this, the investigators traced Victoria's steps and discovered that she had visited her safe deposit box the day after the murder. The hidden murder weapon was found in that box.

Victoria eventually confessed, revealing that she killed her father at his request. Charles had been diagnosed with Pick's disease and, losing hope, asked his daughter to end his life. She opted for a plea deal, which was granted to her by the end of Law and Order season 24 episode 11.

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Stay tuned for more updates on Law and Order season 24.