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By Kelsey Raymer
Whenever I reflect on the formative moments of my childhood, there’s always one consistent experience that I recall. Every Sunday, my mom and I would have a lazy day where we would lie on the couch all day and watch copious reruns of Law and Order SVU. This show, Benson, Stabler, Finn, Munch, the various ADAs, and most importantly, the stories, have become a staple in my life. I can say confidently that it is my favorite TV show of all time. Upon multiple rewatches as an adult, I was able to see the overarching themes of each story and the alluded implications that each case would have on the justice system. With that being said, here are what I determine to be some of the most thought-provoking yet underrated episodes of this 25-year-long spectacle.
5. 24 Poison
In this episode, SVU spotlights the effects of implicit bias in the justice system by focusing on a little girl, Alexis, and the abuse she experienced at the hands of her adoptive mother, June Cleaver. Though the case seems like an easy open and close, Trial Judge Taft makes almost every aspect of the court proceedings an uphill battle for the prosecution.
First, he throws out the testimony of the young sibling, who witnessed the mother forcing Alexis to drink bleach, citing that she is too incompetent to stand trial after subjecting her to an aggressive level of questioning. Then he makes a comment about the charge of attempted murder the grand jury decided, implying that it was an overreach. This signals to the defense his bias, opening the door for the defense to waive a jury. Upon this motion, ADA Novak asks the judge to recuse himself on the grounds that his conduct suggests bias, but because the sitting judge is the sole arbiter of their recusal, he denies, putting this case in an even more precarious situation. Unsurprisingly, Judge Taft finds the mother not guilty.
On ADA Novak’s mission to get Taft removed from the bench, she finds a similar case of suspected poisoning with Rosalin Silvo, where Judge Taft gave an opposite opinion. In that case, Taft had dismissed the testimony of an expert witness who would have testified that Silvo’s daughter suffered from a rare genetic disease and wasn’t poisoned. When the defense asked the judge to recuse himself, he again denied it, and Silvo was sentenced to 5 years in prison. It is stated that the only difference between the two cases is the fact that June is a well-educated, upper-class married woman, while Rosalin is a poor, uneducated mother of two kids from two different fathers.
After freeing Rosalin Silvo due to judicial misconduct, the detectives are called to the Cleaver’s house again after June suffocates Alexis. June believes she was informed to do so during an ex parte communication with Taft, where he told her to “think of her other children, and due to Alexis’s injuries, she would be better off dead.”
Though this case is heavily dramatized, it makes you wonder about the “strong arm of the bench” and the role implicit bias plays in life-defining trials. How many victims of the court system’s poor judgment are still paying the price for another’s misconduct?
7. 12 Infected
In this episode, a young boy named Nathan witnesses the shooting of his mother, Monica. Nathan recounts how his mother suffered from an addiction to crystal meth and that they would rely on money from My Salvation, a charity organization that helps poor women and families.
The investigation reveals that the man who killed Monica also killed Nathan’s aunt Gina, another woman who received money from My Salvation. The investigation shifts to My Salvation when court reports show that Ted Carthage is under investigation for fraud. After speaking with multiple recipients of the organization’s charity, the detectives discover a pattern of sexual favors with Carthage in exchange for aid.
After failing to identify the killer in a lineup, Nathan realizes Ted Carthage killed his mother, takes matters into his own hands, and kills him. In Nathan’s trial, his attorney introduces the defense that Nathan was so greatly affected by seeing his mother get shot that he therefore lacked the mens rea to understand what he was doing when he pulled the trigger on Ted. This defense introduces the theory that gun violence is a disease and can explain murder.
I find that this episode is one of the few on television that explores the pervasiveness of gun violence and its aftereffects. Through the lens of environmental psychology, does gun violence follow the actions of a disease, moving from one victim to another and creating a vicious web?
17. 3 Institutional Fail
SVU takes directly from the real world, with this episode almost exactly mirroring the case of Gabriel Fernandez. SVU investigates the neglect and abuse of two children, Keisha and Bruno, who were not only neglected and abused by their parents but also by the system built to protect them. With the help of SVU, ADA Barba charges a Department of Child Services case worker and his bosses with 2nd degree manslaughter for the death of Keisha from the months of abuse she sustained.
This case sheds light on the sometimes impossible expectations that social workers have to meet while questioning whether you can hold an overrun and unfunded system accountable for the outcomes of those that fall through the cracks.
19. 19 Sunk Cost Fallacy
In this episode, I believe the most thought-provoking aspect doesn’t come from the case but rather the motivations for Alex Cabot’s actions. SVU takes another look into domestic violence, but instead of a “he said, she said” trial, the detectives stumble upon an organization that disappears victims of DV run by old ADA, Alex Cabot.
In a diner with Det. Benson and Carisi, Alex recounts a case she worked on and the victim, Betty Bluestone. She states, “Her husband used to use her face like a leg of lamb in a Rocky movie.” Alex goes on to chronicle how she followed the procedure and did it, yet she only delayed the inevitable. Unfortunately, Betty’s testimony wasn’t strong enough, and the case got dismissed. After her dismissal, Betty’s husband kills her. Alex goes on to state how she has taken justice into her own hands because sometimes the wheels of justice just aren’t good enough.
This has to be easily one of the most intriguing episodes, sparking discussion as to whether or not the probability of justice granted by the courts is better than the guarantee of vigilantism. Unfortunately, the victim in SVU’s case ends up just like Betty, dying in a hit-and-run suspiciously right after the custody trial against her abusive ex. In the end, Olivia is left to wrestle with the information that you can do everything right in the system, but due to failings greater than yourself, sometimes your best is just not good enough.