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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 4 Episode 8

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 11/15/02

The investigation into the rape of a comatose woman leads to a doctor whose stem cell research is funded by a billionaire with Parkinson's disease who is desperate for a cure.

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Fan Episode Reviews (3)

A contentious debate and a very relevant issue, but not the most entertaining episode in my opinion.

7.6

By Vessa289, Mar 13, 2011

The entire plot of this episode revolves around the stem cell debate, and the ethical and scientific implications that the research has. By this token, the storyline seems to have been written to examine the issue, not to tell a story.

While this is not necessarily a bad thing, and I think that the episode handled the issue very well, looking at it from different angles, I personally struggled to find the episode engaging. One problem, maybe, is the fact that the victim was in a coma the entire episode, and I've kind of gotten used to having a victim to empathise with.

So overall I thought it was fairly good, the bit where Elliot got hit was priceless (people are very patient, I think, not to hit him more often). It was also good to see Huang engage with the storyline a bit, even when he wasn't required to give an analysis of a suspect. One problem I have with the episode, however, is the bit at the end where Langley wants to keep the baby to get the stem cells in the umbilical cord. I don't know what the differenc is between stem cells from a foetus and from an umbilical cord (probably should read up on this a bit more), but they didn't have time to explain it in anyway and tacking on that little bit at the end just made me think- 'Well, why didn't he just pay someone to have his baby, then keep the cord instead of going to all the other trouble?' Maybe there is a very good reason why he didn't, but for those of us who are uninformed, it just made the whole thing seem illogical.moreless
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A shocking episode

9.3

By Vanture, Aug 23, 2008

When Benson, and Stabler are called to a hospital told that there had be a rape victim they discover there victim has been comma since a car accident a while back, while the body itself has reproduced a child. When Stephanie's parents are informed, they immediately suspect her fiancée David Anderson, against whom they have a restraining order because he 'tried to kill her'. Benson and Stabler interview Dr. Mandell, whom they find alone in a room with another coma patient, and find that he is willing to give a DNA test. Munch and Tutuola talk to Clark Jensen, a physiotherapist, who is also willing to volunteer his DNA. Jensen admits to them that he has seen David Anderson at the hospital late at night, in Stephanie's bed.

An interesting and disturbing episode.moreless
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Law and Order Special Victims Unit!

8.5

By ourkissgoodbye, Mar 22, 2007

Detectives Benson and Stabler are called in to investigate a rape, but when they arrive at the hospital, it is not what they expected. The victim is a woman who is in a coma, and was raped while in a rehabilitation center. After a routine test is run, they find that the victim is pregnant. The investigation starts with Benson and Stabler interviewing any and all males that had come in contact with the victim. They find that her doctor may have been to blame, when they find another woman who is also in a coma who was forced to have an abortion.

This was a great episode. It touched on the subject of stem cells, which is a hot topic in the news because of the ethical issues that are involved with it. It was sad to see that someone may have been able to get away with impregnating women who are in a coma, and are not able to consent to anything.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Dann Florek	Capt. Donald Cragen
Richard Belzer	Det. John Munch
Mariska Hargitay	Det. Olivia Benson
BD Wong	Dr. George Huang
Christopher Meloni	Det. Elliot Stabler
Ice-T	Det. Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Judy Gold	Forensic Gynecologist	Guest Star
Bruce Davison	Dr. Mandell	Guest Star
Henry Woronicz	Mr. Rawley	Guest Star
Peter Hermann	Trevor Langan	Recurring Role
Jill Marie Lawrence	Cleo Conrad	Recurring Role
David Lipman	Judge Arthur Cohen	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (8)
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- Don Cragen: Counselor, question. Umm, what would it take to blanket-DNA an entire facility?
  Alex Cabot: A constitutional amendment.
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- John Munch: Anyone else think the father protested too much?
  Elliot Stabler: You're not a father.
  Fin Tutuola: You don't have a raped daughter in a coma with a devil cake in the oven.
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- (Talking to Maxine about her encounter with Wesley).
  Maxine Hatters: So I'm sitting in this chicken joint, like 3 am. This guy comes over and starts asking me about the chicken.
  Elliot Stabler: Chicken?
  Maxine Hatters: Yeah. He offers to buy me some.
  Elliot Stabler: Some chicken?
  Maxine Hatters: Yeah. But when we go up to the motel room to eat it ...
  Elliot Stabler: Come on, Maxine, the guy's a john.
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- (Questioning Samuel Hill about why he refuses the DNA test.)
  John Munch: Hold on, Mr. Hill has a valid point. Our likes and dislikes, our habits are all stored in huge computer systems and on top of that you've got facial recognition technology, video surveillance ...
  Samuel Hill: National ID cards. Where's it end?
  John Munch: Every piece of data you put out there exponentially increases the amount of control The Man wields over you.
  Samuel Hill: I can see you understand why this conversation ends here.
  Fin Tutuola: Mr. Hill, if you didn't rape Stephanie Rawley then DNA can only exclude you -- we're off your back.
  Samuel Hill: No! (tosses his take-out container in the trash and walks away)
  Fin Tutuola: (to Munch) What the hell was that?
  John Munch: (pulls Hill's chopsticks out of the trash) Good police work. Here's your DNA.
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- Dr. George Huang: You mean I could go to jail for stealing a toaster but not for stealing a woman's eggs?
  Alex Cabot: Unfortunately, the law hasn't quite caught up to the technology.
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- Funeral Home Guy: Wesley wasn't our thief, but I'm afraid we did catch him on tape.
  Fin Tutuola: Doing what?
  Funeral Home Guy: The late Mrs. Thurgeston.
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- Elliot Stabler: She's been in a coma. I don't understand why you called us.
  Doctor: Because of the pneumonia, I ordered a chest x-ray, and the lab automatically ran its standard tests. Hers turned up positive.
  Elliot Stabler: For what?
  Doctor: A baby.
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- Fin Tutuola: I don't want to even think about how under-reported coma rape is.
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