Written By Amanda Green
Directed By David Platt
Kathleen Stabler becomes a suspect in a case and is revealed to most likely have Bipolar disorder inherited from her estranged paternal grandmother (Ellen Burstyn).
For her performance in this episode, Ellen Burstyn won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
This episode contains examples of:
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Played for Drama. Elliot never talks about his mother with Bipolar Disorder.
- And Starring: "Special Guest Star Ellen Burstyn" while the guest-stars lineup has "And C.C.H. Pounder".
- Beach Episode: The house of Elliot's mother is on a beach, and their dramatic scene takes place in it.
- Bittersweet Ending: Kathleen is put on probation, but Elliot and his mother are still not on good terms and his heretofore amicable attempt to reconcile with Kathy takes a big hit.
- Brick Joke: Bernadette shows Olivia a picture of young Elliot in a carrot costume. When Kathleen wholeheartedly agrees with the judge's decision in the final scene, Elliot is relieved yet visibly dumbfounded. Olivia then tells him that maybe God remembered how cute he was as a carrot and answered his prayers.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Elliot is both in the receiving and giving ends in this episode (see "The Reason You Suck" Speech below). Kathleen lashes out on him for "trying to control her life", while Elliot is essentially calling out his mother on her shortcomings during their conversation.
- Cerebus Retcon: Kathleen's previous shenanigans (her DUI arrest in Season 6, her stealing Elliot's credit card in the season premiere) are all presented in a new light thanks to her Bipolar Disorder.
- Chekhov's Gun: The pendant Kathleen is wearing in the opening scene and the one she is seen putting in her drawer is actually stolen and will be the cause for her arrest.
- Cruel to Be Kind: Elliot eventually decides to let his daughter be incarcerated, because he sees it as the only way for her to get help.
- A Day in the Limelight: For Elliot and his family, though Olivia still played a key role.
- Double-Meaning Title: Referring to The Place Elliot and Olivia find Kathleen and the Bipolar Disorder of both Kathleen and her paternal grandmother.
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Try to imagine Kathy returning stolen property to its rightful owner and Elliot reacting by slapping her and calling her a bitch.
- Drives Like Crazy: Bernadette was known to do this. During one manic episode when Elliot was a child, she drove into the city with Elliot, and started driving dangerously fast because she was "chasing snowflakes". She ended up crashing the car and breaking Elliot's arm.
- Enemy Mine: Elliot hires defense attorney Carolyn Maddox, who usually represents perps in the past, as Kathleen's lawyer.
- Entitled Bitch: Every woman in Elliot's life.
- Elliot's mother endangered and injured him as a child due to the bipolar disorder that she refuses to get treated, when he sees her she insults him and compares him to his abusive father, and she gets upset because he doesn't visit her more often.
- Kathleen yells at her father when he's trying to help her, goes to jail just to spite him, yells "I hate you" in court, then a few seconds later as she's being dragged off to jail she says "Daddy, please help me."
- Kathy was opposed to using legal trickery to help Kathleen get away with her crime, she wanted her to get treatment for her bipolar disorder, even though Kathleen wouldn't admit to having a problem. When Elliot gives the prosecution the evidence they needed to have Kathleen locked up so she would get treatment against her will, which is exactly what Kathy wanted, she calls him a bastard and slaps him.
- Olivia acts offended that Elliot never told her about his mother's bipolar disorder despite everything she has told him about herself, as if he owed her.
- Family Drama: The episode puts the Stabler family's issues front and center.
- Fan Disservice: Kathleen appears in a Shower Scene and later in her underwear. Any titillation those scenes may bring is undermined by the fact that her Bipolar Disorder is in effect during those times.
- Hypocrite: Kathy is quick to point out that Elliot normally hates the kind of questionable tactics Kathleen's defense attorney suggests using, but Elliot defends himself by saying this is different; Kathleen is on trial here.
- Male Gaze: During Kathleen's shower scene the camera lingers to her upper chest and back.
- Mood-Swinger: The episode tackles Bipolar Disorder.
- Naked People Trapped Outside: Downplayed. After the home's owner caught her taking a shower there, Kathleen flees the scene wearing only the shower curtain as makeshift clothes.
- Never My Fault: Kathleen tells her grandmother that Elliot put her in jail. It was actually two other detectives who arrested her, while Elliot did everything he could to help her avoid jail. Kathleen seems oblivious to the fact that she is completely guilty of the crime they arrested her for, and the only thing Elliot did was return the necklace she stole to its rightful owners.
- Older Than They Look: A cop is undercover in Kathleen's college. She looks very convincing as a Goth girl.
- Really Gets Around: Kathleen's roommate and ex-best friend implies this. Kathleen later acknowledges it and admits she feels suicidal over her hypersexuality. Justified since hypersexuality is a symptom of a manic episode.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Elliot's mother gives one to her son, who can't handle anything out of the ordinary outside of his reasoning. She even goes so far as to compare him to his father, who lacked imagination.
- Series Continuity Error: Kathleen mentioned in the season premiere that got a tattoo on her thigh; when Elliot finds her unconscious in her underwear, there's no tattoo. note
- Shower Scene: The episode opens with Kathleen taking one in a complete stranger's house.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Bernadette has fond memories of Elliot as a kid.
- Visual Pun: When Elliot and Olivia find Kathleen, she's in a playground swinging.
- Wacky Parent, Serious Child: Deconstructed with Elliot and his mother. Bernadette has Bipolar Disorder and embraces it, though she is regretful that it strained her relationship with her son, who she believes has always wanted a more "conventional" mother. Elliot, in his part, visibly doesn't have patience with his mother.
- Wham Line: When Elliot asks Olivia why the hell did she called him on a seemingly random case, Olivia tells him who the suspect is.Olivia: Because she's your daughter.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Elliot made several dick moves in the episode (still working the case despite his relationship to the suspect and then him allowing his daughter to be incarcerated) and got called on them. Or in his wife's case, gets him slapped.
