Todd Akin Immortalized in “Law and Order: SVU” episode
Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock died (politically) last November, but their fifteen minutes of fame aren’t quite over yet. Last night’s episode of Law & Order: SVU featured an “expert” — and later discredited — defense witness in a rape trial who invoked the “legitimate rape” argument.
It was a very powerful episode. (Here are some links.)
This isn’t the first time a Law & Order: SVU episode has been based on a current political issue. A year or two ago they had an episode featuring an Iraq war contractor who had raped a female soldier.
Law & Order: SVU and CSI: New York both had episodes patterned after those two Pennsylvania “Kids For Cash” judges.
If you used to watch The Shield, you’ll recognize the rapist from last night’s Law & Order: SVU episode. I don’t remember the actor’s name; he was one of the detectives on The Shield but not a major character. He was a total sleazebag who ended up filing a phony workers’ comp claim and getting a generous retirement/disability package.
Either he’s an evil bastard in real life, or he’s a hell of an actor.
UPDATE: I finally found it. The rapist was played by David Marciano, who previously played Detective Steve Billings on The Shield.
posted by Tom Harper @ 9:17 AM
3 Comments:
Oh to be immortalized indeed!
In college I ran track with a guy who wanted to be a cop. A few years after graduation he finally got accepted and upon graduation from the San Francisco PD Academy, they found out that one of their colleagues was a virgin, so at their graduation party they hired a prostitute to go down on him, all this while the guy was handcuffed.
Well instead of being grateful the victim was traumatized, it got out to the brass and the press, and since my classmate was the ringleader, he was fired!
A Year later the show "Hill Street Blues" (anybody remember that show?) picked up on it.
Erik
These GoOper guys, really need to go to some kind of anatomy class before they start talking about ladyparts, if they are that confused. I don't watch much TV, more a movie person, but I will try and catch this episode on demand.
Erik: I sure do remember that incident. It was all over the Bay Area news for months on end. And I remember the Hill Street episodes that were based on it. I loved Hill Street Blues; maybe the best police drama of all time IMHO. And you knew the guy who was the ringleader of "Chair-gate" -- small world.
Jess: I read somewhere that Law & Order: SVU is the only cop show that's heavily watched by liberals. (That's not the only reason I like it.) It's got as much violence as any other police show, but it also goes deeply into social/psychological territory. Most of the cops on the program have deep personal issues that are an integral part of the plot.
In any case, that particular episode, titled "Legitimate Rape," was very powerful and moving.
Post a Comment
<< Home