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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 9 Episode 5

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6.4

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EPISODE REVIEWS
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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 10/23/07

Benson and Stabler investigate the connection between the New York murder of college counselor Kate Simes and her volunteer work at a refugee center working with soldiers tortured in Iraq.

Fan Episode Reviews (19)

Casey Novak--thinks she can control the law

4.5

By DougSchneider1, Nov 28, 2012

I don't agree with the methods with which our soldiers interogated suspected terrorists, but I do understand what Sutton said. These people are trying to kill Americans and asking them nicely isn't going to get us anywhere. Casey I think puts too much demands on the law like when the lawyer says unless she plans to endite the Secretary of Defense she said "don't tempt me". Someone should say to her, 'Casey your a good attorney but you don't know where your limits lie, you represent the people of the state of New York and you can't just endite anyone youmoreless
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A pathetic attempt to get viewers to lean towards the liberal left

1.2

By BabyKitten199, Nov 16, 2011

SVU is one of my favorite dramas & probably my favorite of the L&O franchise but this was absolutely the worst episode they've ever aired. It's rather pathetic that the writers feel such a need to call attention to stories like the Blackwater scandal by turning it into this week's storyline. That doctor was doing her job & was not liable for what happened to that prisoner. I completely agreed with what she said to Casey while on the stand. The ME's holier than thou attitude was too over the top & I don't think I'll ever be able to watch this show without feeling disdain & revulsion for that secondary character. The sole bright spot of this abysmal episode was Steven Weber, who was outstanding as her defense attorney. Like he said, sometimes the end justifies the means!!!

The video in the beginning of the show wasn't offensive at all, it was all too true!!! Terrorists will never stop hating the US no matter if we leave Iraq now or in a few months or in a few years. Liberals feel so sorry for the terrorists yet they are completely ignoring the fact that our everyday lives are an affront to their culture & they won't stop hating us just because the liberals sympathize with them. L&O: SVU needs to get back to real episodes & fire the liberal writers. We're already inundated with anti-American sentiment spewed in the overly liberal media, we don't need it during primetime, too.moreless
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This has got to be the extreme worst SVU episode ever!!!!

1.1

By zvyozdnayapyl, Nov 16, 2011

Ok, I love law and order: SVU with all my heart, it's my all-time favorite show, and i especially like this season very much but I absolutely hated this episode. Ok, first of all, SVU is not about politics and other stupid political stories, absolutely not about war stories in Iraq. SVU is about rape cases and victims, that's what svu should be about. Second, the acting and storyline were monday morning awful. Elizabeth McvGovern who plays the Doctor and wrote a book about torture was appalling and absolutely annoying. And what makes matters worse, Steven Weber who plays that very annoying lawyer Matt Braden. I absolutely dislike him very much. Man my girlfriend is French-Armenian and she dislike politics very much. I rather watch Avatar and Impulsive which both episodes i really liked a lot than this piece of garbage. And last but not least we have to hear more about politicians and Iraqis in this episode, GIVE me a break!!!

Absolutely ridiculous and childish.

Avoid this episode at all cost!!!moreless
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Definitely NOT SVU and Absolutely a personal political statement by the writer(s).

4.0

By toroscope, Nov 16, 2011

This is the second or third time in recent episodes that the writers have spun way off track from the original premise and mission of the show (squad) to make some sort of anti-current administration political statement. This is getting ridiculous and if you look at the overall viewer ratings for the episodes where they are doing this (this one is currently categorized "abysmal") they are going to end up killing a good show's ratings to the point where it gets CANX'd. In this case they haven't even converted a "real life" provable/prosecutable event from the news into a script; they are using "move-on.org"/Michael Moore material. Next thing you know, they will have the SVU trying to prove that our own government bombed our own buildings and faked the twin towers/pentagon terrorist strikes. Hey...writers/producers/actors !!! PLEASE get back on track !! We can find our politics online or on talk radio or on any of the 24 hour cable news outlets AND have the option to choose which "flavor" we want to consume. Keep your show entertaining and stick to the "mission statement" !!! (Thats my dos centavos worth !)moreless
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A doctor who gave torture techniques in Iraq is tried for the murder of someone in NY

5.0

By Starghella, Nov 16, 2011

I really didn't like this storyline at all. First of all, it was a story that should have been on regular Law and Order it didn't relate to SVU in the least and even if it was on regular L&O it wouldnt have been a favorite of mine. I thought it was a bad way to go. SVU is less political which is why I like it and I feel like this episode changed some of that for me especially since I feel as though this season has been really good. I am also getting a little sick of this ADA because she's too opinionated about stuff that doesnt matter to special victims, like the war, maybe it's time for a change??moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Christopher Meloni	Det. Elliot Stabler
Mariska Hargitay	Det. Olivia Benson
Richard Belzer	Sgt. John Munch
Diane Neal	ADA Casey Novak
Ice-T	Det. Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola
Adam Beach	Det. Chester Lake

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Elizabeth McGovern	Dr. Faith Sutton	Guest Star
Steven Weber	Matthew Braden	Guest Star
Jennifer Van Dyck	Dr. Kelly Alvin	Guest Star
Audrie Neenan	Judge Lois Preston	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (1)
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- (Benson and Stabler watch airport surveillance footage from Turkey.)
  Elliot Stabler: Security cameras across the globe, Munch'll never leave his house again.
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NOTES (4)
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- International Episode Titles:Czech Republic: "Predevsim neskodit" (First of all not to harm)
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- This episode was the recipient of a 2008 ATAS Award. 2008 was the inaugural year for this award which honors "Television With A Conscience".
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- Original International Air Dates:
  Australia March 13, 2008 on Network 10
  Czech Republic July 13, 2010 on TV Nova
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- Special billing was given to Elizabeth McGovern (Special Guest Star) and Steven Weber (and) in this episode. Both were listed under the Special Guest Stars umbrella before the regular guest stars.
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ALLUSIONS (3)
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- This episode appears to be ripped from the headlines regarding the incidents at Abu Ghraib.
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- Elliot Stabler: So much for the terrible swift sword.
  
  The American patriotic anthem "The Battle Hymn Republic," written by Julia Ward Howe in 1861, contains the line, "He has loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword."
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- Olivia Benson: I'm talking about you being compared to Josef Mengele on the front page of the New York Times.
  
  Josef Mengele was a Nazi doctor who performed grotesque medical experiments on Auschwitz inmates during World War II.
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