bothered me that i couldn't remember blondie's name: elizabeth rohm. and then i went back to remember the episode. here's a pretty precise review of it:

"Jumps the Shark"

The famous "Is this because I'm a lesbian?" episode, mostly notable for this out-of-the-blue quote and not so much for Serena Southerlyn's firing.

D.A. Arthur Branch: [to Serena] "You're fired."
ADA Serena Southerlyn: [pauses, shocked] "Is this because I'm a lesbian?"
D.A. Arthur Branch: "No, no... of course not."
ADA Serena Southerlyn: [staring blankly out the window] "Good... that's good..."

Nobody remembers anything else that happened in this episode, and perhaps it's just as well. It would be nice if the show had laid some groundwork and provided some backstory for this line (delivered without irony--or emotion--by Elisabeth Röhm), but they did not; that just makes it even funnier.

Viewers received it with a resounding "Huh? Come again?" and the Internet chat rooms and discussion forums lit up like Christmas trees. If Ms. Röhm has contributed nothing else to the show (and opinion varies on that point), she has certainly created one of its' most memorable moments.

Thanks to "Is this because I'm a lesbian?", "Aint No Love" is now one of the best (or worst) episodes of "Law & Order" (including the spinoffs) of all time, and also deserves to be ranked as one of the "Most Shocking TV Moments Ever". My rating: 10/10.

P.S. I also considered these classifications:

Silly
Out of character
Alternate reality
Adventurous
A very special episode
Character development
Painful to watch
Dream sequence
Series classic
Bottom of the barrel
Nerve-wracking

But I think "Jumps the shark" says it all, don't you?