Those of us who are slightly obsessed with Law and Order: Special Victims Unit are in very good, plentiful company. The series’ 17 season stretch is a clear indication of that.
Admittedly, it feels mildly disturbing that so many of us love a show that details the gruesome reality of violence and sexual abuse. But the truth is, the series, beyond being entertaining, does a good job of illustrating the world we live in and bringing attention to so many of the unacceptable crimes that occur on a daily basis. Watching justice being served, or at least being tended to, is a big reason why this show is so satisfying for viewers.
The show has featured many episodes throughout the years that have a specific healthcare theme or point to some real-world medically-centered criminal issues. In response to the 17th season recently wrapping up, here are 10 of the best episodes throughout the series that tackle this particular theme.
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(Most of these are from earlier in the show’s history because similar themes are repeated later in the series. And for whatever reason, there was a more prominent focus on specific healthcare topics earlier on.)
1. Season 2; Episode 6 – “Noncompliance”
This episode tackles the complicated issue of a patients right to refuse treatment and medication when a schizophrenic man stabs and kills someone.
2. Season 2; Episode 21 – “Scourge”
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A serial killer justifies his crimes with paranoid religious motivation that apparently was set on by a deteriorating medical condition.
3. Season 3; Episode 4 – “Rooftop”
An HIV-positive sex offender who was recently released from jail (character partly inspired by real-life sex offender Nushawn Williams), has unprotected sex with women deliberately after knowing that he’s infected.
4. Season 4; Episode 3 – “Vulnerable”
An elderly woman breaks into an apartment but investigators have no way of knowing what actually happened because she has Alzheimer’s disease. The team learns more about the complications involved both for patients and staff at nursing homes, especially when it comes to accountability.
6. Season 4; Episode 8 – “Waste”
The investigation into the rape of a comatose woman leads to a doctor whose stem cell research is funded by a billionaire with Parkinson’s disease who is desperate for a cure.
7. Season 4; Episode 24 – “Perfect”
The murder of a fourteen-year-old girl leads the detectives to a physician who specializes in reproductive therapy. In order to fund his research into human cloning, he has set up shelters around New York for troubled teenage girls where he apparently indoctrinated girls into a cult with the purpose of impregnating them.
8. Season 5; Episode 2 – “Manic”
After learning about a boy’s psychiatric problems from his mother, which apparently led him to perpetrate a school shooting, the squad realizes that a major pharmaceutical company is partially responsible.
9. Season 6; Episode 22 – “Parts”
A decapitated woman found ends up leading the detectives to explore the lives of people who die waiting for kidney transplants. This episodes explores parents who broke the law to get their young son on the fast track to receiving a kidney.
10. Season 10; Episode 5 – “Retro”
A baby is found with advanced AIDS are sent in to investigate why someone would let a baby go untreated for HIV. They end up looking into a doctor and AIDS denialist who believes HIV does not cause AIDS and advises patients accordingly.
11. Season 10; Episode 19 – “Selfish”
A baby, who was thought to be murdered, actually died of measles because another mother refused to vaccinate her son and brought him to a public park.
If you haven’t yet jumped on the SVU bandwagon, it would require more than a year’s vacation time to binge watch and catch up. But the NBC show has done a good job of touching on relevant and timely, significant subjects throughout the years, some of which do look at the complications healthcare can play a roll in when it comes to criminal activity.
[Most full episodes are available on YouTube and each season is on Hulu Plus.]