# Law and Order SVU 9/20 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 21, 2005, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718 "2005-09-21T15:33:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/1 "2005-09-21T15:33:36Z")
Where are they going with Eliot’s character? He’s getting darker and darker every season Do you think they may write him off the show in some dramatic “off the deep end” psychotic break? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/2 "2005-09-21T15:48:32Z")
Oh, I missed it. What color is Novak’s hair this season? ---
**Author:** ![Innuendo\_Hunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Innuendo\_Hunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Innuendo_Hunter)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/3 "2005-09-21T15:48:58Z")
He’s definitely getter closer to going over the edge. I hope he turns into a vigilante! A vigilante who hunts down and kills violent child molesters! Now that would be something. BTW, great episode last night. It was super tense from start to finish. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/4 "2005-09-21T15:50:19Z")
Og I hope not! What an intense show last night, though. I wonder if they’ll continue this story into next week’s episode and focus on the trial part. Now that would be interesting. I loved it when Dr. Huang took Stabler down a notch about the group therapist, when Stabler arrogantly called the therapist an idiot and Huang replied, “Well that idiot is performing an evaluation in tomorrow’s session and you cannot “pass” it,” (or words to that effect), then proceeded to prove why. Stabler had to totally back down and admit he didn’t know everything and actually listen to someone else’s guidance in this case. Too bad Cragen couldn’t have been as convincing, or that girl wouldn’t have become a victim of that arrogance. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/5 "2005-09-21T15:56:32Z")
> [@Innuendo Hunter](#): > > He’s definitely getter closer to going over the edge. > > I hope he turns into a vigilante! A vigilante who hunts down and kills violent child molesters! Now that would be something. > > BTW, great episode last night. It was super tense from start to finish. they showed the teaser for next week - it’s a tandem plot - Begins on SVU and continues Wed night on L&O (the orig) But I do have a problem with the whole 'setting the guy up" thing - their “statistics” notwithstanding - they assumed guilt prior to proving innocence - in the beginning of the series, they never did that - they always dug for the concrete proof And the victim from the first 5 minutes never desribed her assailant (do did I miss that?) ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/6 "2005-09-21T16:00:15Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > Og I hope not! What an intense show last night, though. I wonder if they’ll continue this story into next week’s episode and focus on the trial part. Now that would be interesting. > > I loved it when Dr. Huang took Stabler down a notch about the group therapist, when Stabler arrogantly called the therapist an idiot and Huang replied, “Well that idiot is performing an evaluation in tomorrow’s session and you cannot “pass” it,” (or words to that effect), then proceeded to prove why. Stabler had to totally back down and admit he didn’t know everything and actually listen to someone else’s guidance in this case. Too bad Cragen couldn’t have been as convincing, or that girl wouldn’t have become a victim of that arrogance. I think Stabler thinks he has Cragen wrapped around his finger - he certainly makes a habit of defying him, or pushing the limits of Cragen’s authority btw \*\*Robot Arm \*\* - Novak wasn’t on last night, but Liv’s hair is longer and a little lighter this year ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/7 "2005-09-21T16:12:04Z")
> [@anyrose](#): > > Novak wasn’t on last night, but Liv’s hair is longer and a little lighter this year Here’s hoping Novak is back to being a redhead. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/8 "2005-09-21T17:20:26Z")
My sentiments exactly. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/9 "2005-09-21T17:24:48Z")
> [@anyrose](#): > > And the victim from the first 5 minutes never desribed her assailant (do did I miss that?) When Olivia (sweet, sweet Olivia) was questioning her, she claimed to have never seen her assailant because he came up from behind and either pulled her T-shirt over her head or pulled some random T-shirt over her head. I don’t recall which it was. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/10 "2005-09-21T17:37:55Z")
Can somebody spoil the Stabler Plot in a spoiler box for me? I haven’t been able to see the episodes, but I had started to suspect a Stabler meltdown based on the end of last season, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/11 "2005-09-21T17:48:09Z")
i don’t know why you’d want it posted at all but A convicted rapist was paroled and took a bus to NYC; He sat next to a teenage girl; next thing we see is the SVU team and an ambulance and the girl on a stretcher. The retired cop who had busted the rapist approached Stabler and said “I know who did it”; Stabler put himself under cover to watch the guy; The ‘perp’ assumed Stabler was also a “perv” and partnered up with him to “go hunting”; the bad guy kidnapped a young girl and almost forced Stabler to rape her while he watched. “our hero” helped the girl escape, and confronted the bad guy (and of course Benson and the rest of the team showed up in the nick of time) The whole time Stabler was undercover, tho, he seemed too comfortable in the role of “convicted sex offender” ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/12 "2005-09-21T17:50:54Z")
Thanks! And I wanted it posted b/c I most likely won’t be able to see it until it’s in reruns, and they tend to show those out of sequence. ---
**Author:** ![sj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@sj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sj2)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/13 "2005-09-21T18:01:35Z")
> [@badbadrubberpiggy](#): > > Can somebody spoil the Stabler Plot in a spoiler box for me? I haven’t been able to see the episodes, but I had started to suspect a Stabler meltdown based on the end of last season, IIRC. Do you get the USA network? They usually re-play the current episode a week or 2 later. I think on Mondays at 11pm. This episode made me nervous! I’m going to watch it again today just to see what the shrinks and the rapist said to him. Considering the shrink really got to speak openly about his personality, it makes a great plot device. And D.B Wong is too too cute!! ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/14 "2005-09-21T18:05:48Z")
> [@sj2](#): > > Do you get the USA network? They usually re-play the current episode a week or 2 later. I think on Mondays at 11pm. > > This episode made me nervous! I’m going to watch it again today just to see what the shrinks and the rapist said to him. Considering the shrink really got to speak openly about his personality, it makes a great plot device. And D.B Wong is too too cute!! He’s a cutie alright - a couple of years ago I saw him on Broadway as Linus in You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (with Christin Chenoweth as Sally) ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/15 "2005-09-21T18:17:29Z")
> [@sj2](#): > > Do you get the USA network? They usually re-play the current episode a week or 2 later. I think on Mondays at 11pm. > > This episode made me nervous! I’m going to watch it again today just to see what the shrinks and the rapist said to him. Considering the shrink really got to speak openly about his personality, it makes a great plot device. And D.B Wong is too too cute!! No, we don’t get cable at all b/c we didn’t watch enough to justify the expense. Of course, now that we’ve gotten rid of it, we keep finding reasons to get it again! ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/16 "2005-09-21T18:26:25Z")
I don’t know if Stabler is going to actually reach “meltdown” or if someone will pull him back just before he gets there. The major questions from this episode are: Did Ray actually commit the original rape; and, if not, Was Ray really trying to pull his life together and did Stabler push him back over the edge? Remember, he initially refused when Stabler offered him a drink, and he didn’t abduct the undercover “bait” when he had ample opportunity. Headscratcher from this episode: in a room full of sex offenders, not _one_ of them knew who Stabler was? BTW, kudos to Robert Patrick on a riveting performance! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/17 "2005-09-21T18:49:26Z")
> [@want2know](#): > > I don’t know if Stabler is going to actually reach “meltdown” or if someone will pull him back just before he gets there. The major questions from this episode are: Did Ray actually commit the original rape; and, if not, Was Ray really trying to pull his life together and did Stabler push him back over the edge? Remember, he initially refused when Stabler offered him a drink, and he didn’t abduct the undercover “bait” when he had ample opportunity. Headscratcher from this episode: in a room full of sex offenders, not _one_ of them knew who Stabler was? BTW, kudos to Robert Patrick on a riveting performance! I don’t want to spoiler-box this, so let me skip a few lines… It may not be quite as ambiguous as you’re taking it. Patrick’s character may have declined to abduct the undercover operative out of simple tactical wisdom: it was the middle of the freaking day on a crowded city street, for gossake, with approximately 9753 potential witnesses to take down the license plate number of the van. And also: Patrick’s character obtained the gun wholly on his own, and stole the van (remember, it was “Mac’s”) while Eliot was in with the therapist; he kidnapped the girl wholly on his own as well. I think we’re meant to believe that Patrick’s character committed the initial rape. The story here was about Eliot getting smacked in the face with the possibility that he may be no less violent, no less evil, than the perps he so despises. Did anyone else that Eliot might kill Patrick’s character once he overpowered him? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/18 "2005-09-21T18:52:57Z")
> [@anyrose](#): > > i don’t know why you’d want it posted at all but > > A convicted rapist was paroled and took a bus to NYC; He sat next to a teenage girl; next thing we see is the SVU team and an ambulance and the girl on a stretcher. The retired cop who had busted the rapist approached Stabler and said “I know who did it”; Stabler put himself under cover to watch the guy; The ‘perp’ assumed Stabler was also a “perv” and partnered up with him to “go hunting”; the bad guy kidnapped a young girl and almost forced Stabler to rape her while he watched. “our hero” helped the girl escape, and confronted the bad guy (and of course Benson and the rest of the team showed up in the nick of time) The whole time Stabler was undercover, tho, he seemed too comfortable in the role of “convicted sex offender” I wouldn’t say it was the nick of time, since, Eliot managed to outwit and overpower Robert Patrick’s character before help arrived. He pushed/dragged him through the warehouse door. Olivia et all, were irrevelant to Patrick’s being captured. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/19 "2005-09-21T18:57:18Z")
> [@](#): > > and stole the van (remember, it was “Mac’s”…) “Mac” gave him the keys in an earlier scene, and the point was made that the opportunities were held right under his nose - Try bringing a recoveing alcoholic into a liquor store and leaving him there for a while - see what happens > [@](#): > > Did anyone else think that Eliot might kill Patrick’s character once he overpowered him? i thought h was merely trying to make him lose consciousness - Eliot is still a cop, after all, and he knows it…for now ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718/20 "2005-09-21T19:02:23Z")
> [@anyrose](#): > > “Mac” gave him the keys in an earlier scene, and the point was made that the opportunities were held right under his nose - Try bringing a recoveing alcoholic into a liquor store and leaving him there for a while - see what happens > i thought h was merely trying to make him lose consciousness - Eliot is still a cop, after all, and he knows it…for now Hmmm…I missed the key-hand-over scene. As for whether Eliot might have killed him–haven’t we all been waiting for the day Cragen, Benson, et al are being deposed by a plaintiff’s attorney in a wrongful death suit? “Did you ever have reason to think Detective Stabler might kill a suspect?” “Well, once or twice…” “How many times? how often?” “Okay, once a week.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-and-order-svu-9-20/322718.md?page=2)