Written By Peter Blauner and Robin Veith
Directed By Alex Chapple
A missing teen leads SVU to a severed leg and the world of self-mutilation, ritual amputation, and the psychology behind both practices.
Tropes
- An Arm and a Leg: Nina's leg shows up in the morgue before she does. The guy who fished it out of the river found Lisa's leg 11 years ago, but the cops didn't follow up because it was two days before 9/11. Lisa sold the right to cut her leg off for $25,000.
- Freudian Excuse: Dr. Hal's mother lost her leg when he was 13, causing him a sexual fetish which was activated when he treated a 14-year-old female amputee.
- Heteronormative Crusader: A nice aversion occurs in the episode, which centers around people into body modification and mutilation. The detectives are a little nonplussed by some aspects of the subculture, but they only get judgmental with people who are breaking actual laws.
- Malevolent Mutilation: Benson refers to tattoos and piercings as a "gateway drug" after Warner discusses (
in horrified tones) her concern that the normalization of piercings and tattoos (even kindergarten teachers get them) has pushed the body modification fringe to become ever more extreme. - Psycho Psychologist: Dr. Hal's mother lost her leg in a car crash when he was 13. When he began treating a 14-year-old amputee he developed a sexual obsession with amputees and began amputating women because the girl was courageous and he felt all women "should be like her". He is convinced all his experiments are "grateful".Cragen: I know dentists are depressed, but if we're wondering who the crazy one is between a psychiatrist and a dentist, I'm gonna go with the head-shrinker every time.
Dr. Hal: [to Benson and Rollins] You think you're special? You're boring. But you could be so much more.
