Written By Dawn De Noon and Lisa Marie Petersen
Directed By Ted Kotcheff
Benson and Stabler investigate the near-fatal beating of a psychiatrist (Susanna Thompson) who may have been attacked by one of her patients, who all happen to be convicted rapists. Although hampered by doctor-patient confidentiality, they are able to link the assault to child abuse and an unsolved homicide.
Tropes:
- Abusive Parents: Christina reveals how at 14, her mother Victoria nearly beat her to death and disowned her after Christina was impregnated by her boyfriend. She subsequently took Christina's son (Robert) away from her as soon as he was born, with implications being that Victoria's abuse against Robert was motivated by a twisted desire to punish Christina for her "sins."
- Deadpan Snarker:
- When the police raided the drug den, they caught one of the guys from the cold open with his pants down about to rape the unconscious Dr. Heints. When Benson & Stabler arrive later, this exchange occurs.
Cop: Caught this one with his pants down just about to do her.
Stabler: You don't say?
Young man: I was just trying to help her up.
Benson: With your penis?- When Dr. Heints asserts that her sexually suggestive comments was a form of "reparenting" therapy, Stabler says that if he spoke to any of his kids that way, "I'd arrest myself."
- Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: After Benson asks Stabler how he'd feel if his wife was treating sex offenders, Stabler responds that he "wouldn't let her."Benson: Let her?Stabler: Did I say that?
- Does Not Like Men: Robert's grandmother was a religious fundamentalist who thought boys were "dirty" and heaped abuse on Robert as a result.
- Dude, She's Like in a Coma: One of the men from the opening prepares to rape the unconscious Dr. Heints. The other objects.
- Every Man Has His Price: The lookout at the crack house claims he let Dr. Heints in because she looked desperate to save one of her patients. He then admits he did it because she gave him forty bucks.
- Family Relationship Switcheroo: In the final moments of the episode, Christina admits that Robert is not her brother, but is in fact her son.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Christina's mother Victoria psychologically damaged Robert with her abuse, which necessitated the therapy that Christina was trying to protect Robert from when she attacked Dr. Heints.
- Groin Attack: Deconstructed. Christina kicking Dr. Heints between the legs while she was unconscious caused enough physical trauma that the detectives thought she had been raped.
- Gruesome Grandparent: Robert's grandmother severely abused him for being a male, with one of her more gruesome punishments being tying a string around his genitals in an attempt to castrate him.
- Mama Bear: Christina admits she murdered her own mother after discovering the horrific abuse she was inflicting on Robert. In hindsight, this is also what motivated her to attack Dr. Heints when she was under the impression she was taking advantage of Robert sexually.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Dr. Heints is horrified to learn that Robert may have killed his (grand)mother (he didn't, his actual mother did), declaring that she would have directed him to a different psychiatrist had she known about it earlier.
- Serial Rapist: An early suspect in the case is a patient Dr. Heints authorized the release of who raped dozens of women.
- Wham Line: When Benson and Stabler state that Christine murdered her mother to protect her brother, she lets out an anguished declaration of "I did it to protect my son!"
