Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | |
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Season 2 | |
![]() Season 2 U.S. DVD cover | |
Starring | |
No. of episodes | 21 |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | October 20, 2000 – May 11, 2001 |
Season chronology | |
The second season of the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered October 20, 2000, and ended May 11, 2001, on NBC. The show remained in its time slot, Friday nights at 10pm/9c. As Neal Baer's first year producing the show, the second season was accompanied by drastic changes in tone. Additionally, the series began to increase its focus on trial scenes with the addition of an Assistant District Attorney for sex crimes to the cast.
David J. Burke and Neal Baer served as chief executive producers to replace Robert Palm. Baer took over in the season finale. Neal Baer, a former pediatrician, left ER to work for Dick Wolf's first Law & Order spin-off. When explaining how he first became interested in the show, Neal Baer said he was "drawn to it by Mariska", [1] who appeared in ER. Mariska Hargitay felt that Baer gave the show the direction it previously lacked and explained: "There was no consistency. Dick wasn't really here. We had no leader, we had no vision." [2] Jonathan Greene also credited Baer with improving the quality of the show, saying "He literally took this, not just to the next level, but up five or six levels above that." [3] In a video interview, Richard Belzer said "The show's better this year, so I think it's directly attributable to him being at the helm." [4]
The second episode of the season, "Honor," was based on a script that Jonathan Greene had written previously. [5] In it, the squad is exposed to misogynistic "honor killings" used to punish women for adultery. As one reviewer puts it, "Airing one full year before the 9/11 terror attacks, this episode examines Taliban rules and plays differently today than it did when NBC first aired it." [6]
First season cast members Christopher Meloni (Detective Elliot Stabler), Mariska Hargitay (Detective Olivia Benson), Richard Belzer (Detective John Munch), and Dann Florek (Captain Don Cragen) returned to the show for the second season. Cast member Michelle Hurd (Detective Monique Jeffries) began to depart the cast over the first half of the season.
Hurd ultimately departed from the series to join the Showtime drama Leap Years . After her departure from the show, Hurd said, "I think it's just sad they didn't have faith to stick around with me." [7] However, she said she bore no ill feelings about her time on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, but felt the casting on Leap Years was a "rare opportunity." [7] Although Jeffries departed from the Special Victims Unit during the episode "Asunder," her character was still present in the episode "Runaway," which marked the character's final appearance. "Runaway" was originally intended to air before "Asunder" but was broadcast out of order; [8] and thus new scenes were filmed to present the episode as a "flashback". The retcon explanation in "Runaway" is that Detective Jeffries transferred to Vice and briefly stepped into the SVU squad room again when they were in need of extra manpower for a case. Hurd was replaced by rapper-turned-actor Ice-T, who began portraying Detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola.
Stephanie March joined the cast as Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot. Tamara Tunie took on the recurring role of Medical Examiner Melinda Warner, replacing Leslie Hendrix's Law & Order character Chief Medical Examiner Elizabeth Rodgers. BD Wong began portraying FBI Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. George Huang closer to the end of the season, replacing Dr. Emil Skoda (J. K. Simmons).
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In the second episode "Honor," Marshall Manesh played an Afghan diplomat and Anil Kumar played his son, both of whom follow Sharia law and condone honor killings. Susham Bedi played the diplomat's wife who, although powerless in her own country, in a climactic scene of the episode gets the chance to make or break a New York case. Tracy Pollan, who played Harper Anderson in Season 1, reprised her role as the paranoid rape victim-turned-vigilante in the Season 2 episode "Closure."
The fifth episode, "Baby Killer," has a tragic opening in which a seven-year-old is shot by one of her classmates, played by Nicolas Martí Salgado. Carlos Leon portrayed a gang leader who played a large role in how Elias came to possess the gun and how he became traumatized enough to fire it. The sixth episode, "Noncompliance," featured Kevin Breznahan played a schizophrenic whose mother (Kathleen Chalfant) and other family, although aware that he is mentally ill, wish him nevertheless to remain off medication because the real world seems to him even more frightening than his delusional one. The seventh episode, "Asunder," in which he played a police officer accused of spousal rape, was the first of two guest appearances SVU for Nestor Serrano. Amy Carlson guest-starred as his wife.
In the thirteenth episode, "Victims," Eric Roberts guest-starred as a vigilante ex-cop. His character killed sex offenders known to be spreading HIV every time they raped. In this episode, after a visit to a crime scene exposes him to the blood of an HIV-positive victim, Elliot Stabler begins taking antiretrovirals, which is mentioned in the next episode, "Paranoia," in which Khandi Alexander guest-starred as a police officer who secretly works for internal affairs.
In episode fifteen, "Countdown," Andrea Bowen played a key witness who helps the SVU track a serial killer. In the episode "Runaway", Kelly Karbacz played a teenage girl who goes missing. Sean Nelson guest-starred as an informant who helps the SVU search for her. About "Runaway" showrunner Neal Baer said, "That's the only episode ever broadcast just once on the network — because it was stinky." [9] However, the producers still decided to showcase a scene from the episode in the Season 1 DVD extras to help analyze Cragen's character. [10]
In the eighteenth episode, "Manhunt", noted for exploring the partnership between Detectives Munch and Tutuola, R.E. Rodgers and Paul Sparks guest-starred as a serial killing duo. R.E. Rodgers' character is revealed to be the smarter of the two when he murders his partner and escapes to Canada. The second last episode, "Pique", featured Margot Kidder as a woman who sexually abuses her son (Chad Lowe), a disturbed killer whose sexual fetish is piquerism. In an interview with Larry King, Lowe talked about how exciting this role was. Specifically, "if you're playing a serial killer, you can't play them with judgment [sic]. You have to try to get inside their minds. So the further removed it is from your own experience, the more of a challenge it is." [11]
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
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23 | 1 | "Wrong Is Right" | Ted Kotcheff | Jeff Eckerle & David J. Burke | October 20, 2000 | E1403 | 13.39 [12] |
Stabler's daughter, Maureen (Erin Broderick), bears witness to a horrific crime scene: the murder of a man who was set on fire. The internal investigation into the psyches of the SVU detectives yields interesting results. Monique Jeffries is removed from active duty and placed on desk duty and is replaced by Fin Tutuola. Cabot joins the SVU squad as a permanent Assistant District Attorney for the sex crimes unit. | |||||||
24 | 2 | "Honor" | Alan Metzger | Jonathan Greene & Robert F. Campbell | October 27, 2000 | E1407 | 13.21 [13] |
A woman found in the park shows signs of being viciously assaulted. She is identified as Nafeesa Amir, the daughter of Afghan diplomat Saleh Amir (Marshall Manesh). During the investigation, the detectives learn that Nafeesa and her brother Jaleel (Anil Kumar) were raised according to Taliban traditions in which an "honor killing" is the punishment for disobedience. Although her individuality has been suppressed for her entire life, the SVU squad turns to Aziza Amir (Susham Bedi) for help, hoping that the love she feels for her daughter is stronger. | |||||||
25 | 3 | "Closure, Part 2" | Jean de Segonzac | Story by : Wendy West Teleplay by : Wendy West, Judith McCreary, & David J. Burke | November 3, 2000 | E1409 | 13.43 [14] |
Stabler and Benson investigate a sexual assault very similar to one they worked six months ago. They assume that the prime suspect from the previous case (Neil Maffin) is again responsible. Things turn more complicated when they learn that he is being followed and surveilled by his previous victim (Tracy Pollan) who is out for vengeance.
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26 | 4 | "Legacy" | Jud Taylor | Jeff Eckerle | November 10, 2000 | E1401 | 13.37 [15] |
An abused seven-year-old girl lies in a deep coma as the detectives investigate members of her dysfunctional family to determine the source of the abuse. After her mother (Jennifer Dundas Lowe), father (Paul Michael Valley), and brother (Adam Zolotin) lie to protect each other, Munch gets emotional because of a similar case that has haunted him for years. | |||||||
27 | 5 | "Baby Killer" | Juan J. Campanella | Lisa Marie Petersen & Dawn DeNoon | November 17, 2000 | E1411 | 12.83 [16] |
The tragic shooting death of a young girl leads investigators to a little boy Elias (Nicolas Martí Salgado). Elliot and Olivia interview him with his parents (Sara Ramirez and Robert Montano) as he is one of the youngest murder suspects they have ever questioned. Meanwhile, Alex argues with her co-workers over what punishment would be ethical. Ballistic evidence reveals that Elias picked up the gun after a gang related murder which he must have witnessed. In addition to providing a mitigating circumstance for Elias' case, this allows the detectives to apprehend a wanted criminal (Carlos Leon). | |||||||
28 | 6 | "Noncompliance" | Elodie Keene | Judith McCreary | November 24, 2000 | E1417 | 15.32 [17] |
The question of patients' rights surfaces when a schizophrenic man (Kevin Breznahan) refusing to take his medication is a suspect in the stabbing death of a psychology doctoral student. Against the wishes of his mother (Kathleen Chalfant), the court eventually has him medicated.
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29 | 7 | "Asunder" | David Platt | Judith McCreary | December 1, 2000 | E1404 | 15.43 [18] |
The truth behind the alleged rape of a woman (Amy Carlson) by her police officer husband (Nestor Serrano) comes to light when a history of domestic abuse is uncovered. Monique Jeffries leaves the squad and files a discrimination suit against the NYPD. | |||||||
30 | 8 | "Taken" | Michael Fields | Dawn DeNoon & Lisa Marie Petersen | December 15, 2000 | E1406 | 14.31 [19] |
The case of a seventeen-year-old rape victim, Siobhan Miller (Jenna Lamia) during the opening festivities of a luxury family friendly hotel takes a strange turn when her immediate family tries to keep the scandal quiet by preparing a lawsuit. Detectives soon realize that the girl isn't as innocent as she pretends to be, especially when an innocent man, Russell Ramsay (Derek Cecil) gets caught up in her scheme. Benson struggles to deal with her mother's death. | |||||||
31 | 9 | "Pixies" | Jean de Segonzac | Story by : Clifton Campbell, Jeff Eckerle, & Tracey Stern Teleplay by : Tracey Stern | January 12, 2001 | E1416 | 14.85 [20] |
The investigation of a gymnast's murder involves her strict trainer (Philip Casnoff), a wealthy benefactor (Armand Schultz) and a competitor (Kate Mara). | |||||||
32 | 10 | "Consent" | James Quinn | Jeff Eckerle | January 19, 2001 | E1419 | 13.59 [21] |
College girl Kelly D'Leah (Tammy Blanchard) is raped during a frat party, but can't remember anything that happened. The detectives find that she had a date rape drug in her system, leaving the squad with many suspects and accomplices. They ultimately discover that the boy who had sex with Kelly (Zak Orth) was unaware that she had been drugged. | |||||||
33 | 11 | "Abuse" | Richard Dobbs | Story by : Gwendolyn M. Parker, Lisa Marie Petersen, & Dawn DeNoon Teleplay by : Dawn DeNoon & Lisa Marie Petersen | January 26, 2001 | E1415 | 15.23 [22] |
Stabler and Benson suspect parental neglect may have led to the tragic death of the son (Paul Tiesler) of two famous singers including her mother (Christine Andreas), leading them to fear for their little girl Ashley (Hayden Panettiere). Benson realizes that the career-obsessed parents are ignoring Ashley and that her desperate cries for attention have led to a pattern of physical injuries. When Benson pushes the case further, her mother's reaction puts her job in jeopardy. | |||||||
34 | 12 | "Secrets" | Arthur W. Forney | Story by : Wendy West, Robert F. Campbell, & Jonathan Greene Teleplay by : Robert F. Campbell & Jonathan Greene | February 2, 2001 | E1421 | 15.72 [23] |
A case involving the rape and murder of a teacher hits a snag after the woman's sexual addiction is exposed by one of her students. | |||||||
35 | 13 | "Victims" | Constantine Makris | Nick Kendrick | February 9, 2001 | E1420 | 14.90 [24] |
A former police officer (Eric Roberts), now a community activist, is a suspect in the murders of known sex offenders, all of whom share a certain characteristic that scars their victims for life. One of them (Rosemarie DeWitt) attempts suicide, leaving Stabler in a potentially life-threatening situation. | |||||||
36 | 14 | "Paranoia" | Richard Dobbs | Jonathan Greene & Robert F. Campbell | February 16, 2001 | E1426 | 14.11 [25] |
The rape of a veteran police officer (Khandi Alexander), who trained Benson, is first linked to her ex-husband's gambling debts and then to her fellow officers. | |||||||
37 | 15 | "Countdown" | Steve Shill | Dawn DeNoon & Lisa Marie Petersen | February 23, 2001 | E1412 | 15.59 [26] |
The detectives work around the clock to find an abducted girl when clues point to a serial killer (Jonathan Fried) who kills his victims after three days, and follows a very specific pattern: during the three days the man has a "Party Day", a "Picture Day", and finally a "Special Day" on which the victims are raped and murdered. The investigation is assisted by the killer's last victim (Andrea Bowen), who escaped. | |||||||
38 | 16 | "Runaway" | Richard Dobbs | Nick Kendrick & David J. Burke | March 2, 2001 | E1405 | 14.57 [27] |
The search for a police officer's runaway daughter (Kelly Karbacz), which leads the detectives through an underground rave culture that caters to wayward teens, is seen through the eyes of the squad room personnel and their interviews with the Internal Affairs division. SVU employs the help of informant Tito Frank (Sean Nelson) and Monique Jeffries who returns in her final appearance to help her former colleagues find the missing girl. Darrell Hammond guest stars as shady lawyer, Ted Bolger. | |||||||
39 | 17 | "Folly" | Jud Taylor | Todd Robinson | March 23, 2001 | E1428 | 14.30 [28] |
The beating of a young man (Eddie Cahill) uncovers a dangerous male escort service where the boss (Patricia Kalember) may have reasons for sending her staff on potentially deadly dates. | |||||||
40 | 18 | "Manhunt" | Stephen Wertimer | Jeff Eckerle | April 20, 2001 | E1431 | 12.67 [29] |
When the details of a kidnapping reveal similarities with a series of previous rapes and murders, Munch and Fin find themselves tracking down a serial killer (R.E. Rodgers). The killer proves exceedingly clever when he takes advantage of the trust that his partner (Paul Sparks) has in him and exploits Canadian extradition law. | |||||||
41 | 19 | "Parasites" | David Platt | Martin Weiss | April 27, 2001 | E1427 | 13.41 [30] |
When the remains of a young woman are found buried in an apartment courtyard with a collar and leash, Detectives Benson and Stabler determine that the dead woman is Ava Parulis (Mili Avital), a Romanian immigrant who was brought to the United States for an arranged marriage. They discover from Ava's estranged twin, Irina (Mili Avital), that the dead woman had left her abusive husband, and made a habit of taking advantage of wealthy suitors, but the investigation twists when the dental record of the remains uncover the dead woman's real identity. | |||||||
42 | 20 | "Pique" | Steve Shill | Judith McCreary | May 4, 2001 | E1422 | 14.27 [31] |
Observed by an FBI psychiatrist, George Huang (BD Wong), the detectives uncover a horrifying motive for the murder of a software company employee by a fired colleague when they learn of the disturbed suspect (Chad Lowe) and his true relationship with his overbearing mother (Margot Kidder).
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43 | 21 | "Scourge" | Alex Zakrzewski | Story by : Neal Baer Teleplay by : Robert F. Campbell & Jonathan Greene | May 11, 2001 | E1432 | 15.06 [32] |
The team searches for a serial killer (Richard Thomas) who justifies his crimes with paranoid religious motivation set on by a rapidly deteriorating medical condition. Even though she knows that he has been driven to kill, his wife (Karen Allen) begs the prosecutors to show leniency because of his condition (Neurosyphilis). |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Dick Wolf for NBC. The first spin-off of Law & Order, it stars Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson, now the commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit after originally having been Stabler's partner in a fictionalized version of the New York City Police Department, and Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit follows the detectives of the Special Victims Unit as they investigate and prosecute sexually based crimes. Some of the episodes are loosely based on real crimes that have received media attention.
Donald 'Don' Cragen is a fictional character played by Dann Florek in the American police procedural television series Law & Order and its spinoff, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, on NBC. Cragen is a homicide captain with the New York Police Department who later becomes captain of the department's Special Victims Unit. A recovering alcoholic, Cragen is a tough police veteran who is loyal to his officers. He appeared in the first three seasons of Law & Order and in the first 15 seasons of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Having credited appearances in 400 episodes in the Law & Order franchise, Cragen has appeared in the third-most episodes of any character in the franchise; this mark is surpassed only by Olivia Benson and Fin Tutuola, main characters on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
The eighth season of the legal drama Law & Order aired on NBC from September 24, 1997, to May 20, 1998, and consisted of 24 episodes.
The tenth season of Law & Order premiered on NBC, September 22, 1999 alongside Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and ended May 24, 2000. Executive Producers René Balcer and Ed Sherin both left the show at the end of the season. This is the final season to feature Steven Hill as Adam Schiff, who was the last original cast member.
The following is a list of Law & Order episodes from the series twelfth season, which originally aired from September 26, 2001 to May 22, 2002. This season is the last season to feature Dianne Wiest as DA Nora Lewin and the first to feature Elisabeth Röhm as ADA Serena Southerlyn.
Richard Jay Belzer was an American actor, comedian, and author. He was best known for his role as BPD Detective, NYPD Detective/sergeant and investigator John Munch, whom he portrayed for 23 years in the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and several guest appearances on other series.
Detective Brian Cassidy is a fictional character played by Dean Winters in the American crime drama television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC. A recurring cast member during the first season, Cassidy is a young and inexperienced detective with the New York Police Department's Special Victims Unit, and the original partner of John Munch.
The eighth season of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 19, 2006 and ended May 22, 2007 on NBC. The series remained in its 10pm/9c Tuesday timeslot. With the introduction of a new partner for Detective Stabler, early episodes of season 8 took on a significantly different focus when compared to those of previous seasons.
The third season of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered Friday, September 28, 2001 and ended Friday, May 17, 2002 on NBC. It occupied the Friday 10pm/9c timeslot once again.
The seventh season of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 20, 2005 and ended May 16, 2006 on NBC. It aired on Tuesday nights at 10pm/9c. Critically the show's most successful season, both lead actors received nominations at the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards with a win by Mariska Hargitay.
The first season of the crime drama television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, premiered on September 20, 1999 on NBC and concluded on May 19, 2000. Created by Dick Wolf, it is the first spin-off of Law & Order and follows the detectives of a fictionalized version of the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit, which investigates sexually based offenses. SVU originally aired on Monday nights at 9pm/8c EST, but it was moved to Friday nights at 10pm/9c after the ninth episode. Showrunner Robert Palm felt too disturbed by the subject matter and left after the season's conclusion.
The fifth season of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 23, 2003, and ended May 18, 2004, on NBC. Law & Order: SVU moved away from its Friday night slot to Tuesday nights at 10pm/9c. Casey Novak, the unit's longest-serving ADA, was introduced in the fifth episode when Diane Neal joined the cast to fill the absence left by Stephanie March.
The fourth season of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 27, 2002 and ended May 16, 2003 on NBC. This was the last season of the series to air on Friday nights at 10pm/9c.
The ninth season of the police procedural/legal drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 25, 2007 and ended May 13, 2008 on NBC. It aired on Tuesday nights at 10pm/9c. Mariska Hargitay, having won a Golden Globe Award in 2005, received her second Golden Globe nomination for her work in the ninth season.
The tenth season of the police procedural/legal drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 23, 2008, and ended June 2, 2009, on NBC. It was the last season of the show to occupy the Tuesday 10pm/9c timeslot.
Kim Greylek is a fictional character on the NBC crime drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Michaela McManus.
"Payback" is the pilot episode of the police procedural television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the first spinoff of the original Law & Order series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 20, 1999. In the episode, the detectives of the Special Victims Unit investigate a taxi-cab driver's brutal murder and castration. Detective Olivia Benson becomes personally involved in the case after discovering that the taxi driver was a rapist and murderer himself.
"Scorched Earth" is the thirteenth season premiere of the police procedural television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the 273rd episode overall. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 21, 2011. In the episode, which was inspired by the Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault case, an Italian diplomat is arrested when a hotel maid accuses him of rape. The District Attorney's office then brings the case to trial, which becomes increasingly complicated as the defense questions the maid's credibility. Meanwhile, Detective Olivia Benson struggles to cope with the aftermath of the squad room shooting.
The fifteenth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit made its debut with a two-hour premiere episode on September 25, 2013, at 9pm/8c - 11pm/10c (Eastern), on NBC. The season ended on May 21, 2014, after 24 episodes.