Written By Mick Betancourt
Directed By David Platt
A man suspected of molesting his stepson offers to reveal the identity of the leader and membership of a pedophile rights group/child phonography ring in exchange for amnesty.
This episode provides examples of:
- Artistic License – History: Kevin O'Donnell, on the witness stand, tries to defend himself by claiming interracial marriage was illegal until 1967. Although it's true that sixteen states had laws in 1967 criminalizing interracial marriage, such marriages were quite legal in most of the country before Loving v. Virginia, which legalized such marriages nationwide. New York, the state the show is set in, never had a law banning interracial marriage.
- Groin Attack: Elliot gets kicked in the groin by a grade school kid. Fortunately, he recovers and quips, "Now I know why they call them special victims."
- Have I Mentioned I Am Gay?: Dr. George Huang is suddenly revealed to be gay, making him the second confirmed gay principal character in the Law & Order franchise (after ADA Serena Southerlyn). He just blurts it out while expressing his contempt for people like Thomas Banks and Kevin O'Donnell who try to equate pedophilia with actual, marginalized groups like the LGBTQ or ethnic minorities.
- Justice by Other Legal Means: Kevin O'Donnell may only be able to get 10 years for facilitating Corey's rape...but tacking on consecutive two-year sentences for each of the roughly 1500 illegal images on his computer will ensure that he'll never be free to hurt another child.
- Locked in a Room: Kevin O'Donnell was locked in the SVU holding cell along with the other members of his pedophile ring, awaiting arraignment...tomorrow. The other pedophiles begin surrounding him with angry looks on their faces. The next day, he predictably sports a blackeye which is treated humorously by SVU.
- Longer-Than-Life Sentence: The episode ends with the leader of a pedophile rights group leader who convinced a man to rape his stepson to ten years for accessory, plus two years for every image of child pornography he had in his possession, totaling around 3000 years.
- Mama Bear: Eva Santiago, who almost ended up killing the man that molested her son.
- Never My Fault: O'Donnell's lawyer accuses Eva of blaming everyone but herself for her problems.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The normally cool-headed Dr Huang is openly angry when Kevin O'Donnell, leader of the pedophile rights group, claims that their pedophila is equal to the LGBTQ group and other minorities being persecuted. He even has a minor outburst in court. This is lampshaded by Olivia:Olivia: I've never seen you this ticked off before.Dr Huang: Pseudo-science like this insults my intelligence as a psychiatrist and my humanity as a gay man.
- Parental Incest: Corey was being sexually abused by his stepfather.
- Prison Rape: The initial suspect demands that Stabler "let go of me. You're hurting me." Stabler quips he's going to say that a lot in prison.
- Shown Their Work: Alex is correct when she says a pedophile is only attracted to prepubescent children. While the term "pedophile" is often colloquially used as a broad term for any adult who is sexually attracted to minors, the technical definition of a pedophile is an adult who is only attracted to children who have not yet started puberty, so children in Tanner stage 1 of sexual development, which is usually children under the age of 10; otherwise they're a hebephile (if they're attracted to children in early puberty, usually about 11-14 years old) or ephebophile (for those who prefer older teens).
- Title Drop: "Now I know why they call them Special Victims."
- Cabot, to the pedophile she's cross examining: "According to your testimony, we would have to change the name of our sex crimes division to Special Victimless Unit".
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: SVU becomes concerned about Corey when they learn that he initiated a naked wrestling session with another kid, as this kind of thing is often indicative of a child being an abuse victim.
