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| ProdCode=E3112
| ProdCode=E3112
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| ShortSummary=A cancer patient who was growing marijuana in her apartment is found raped and murdered, sending the detectives on a hunt for two junior-high students ([[Shane Lyons]] and [[Connor Paolo]]), each blaming the other. The prosecution team is faced with the dilemma of trying the older boy as an adult, despite evidence that he was not mentally capable of being able to carry out the crimes.
| ShortSummary=A cancer patient who was growing marijuana in her apartment is found raped and murdered, sending the detectives on a hunt for two junior-high students ([[Shane Lyons]] and [[Kyle Gallner]]), each blaming the other. The prosecution team is faced with the dilemma of trying the older boy as an adult, despite evidence that he was not mentally capable of being able to carry out the crimes.
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}}{{Episode list/sublist|List of Law &amp; Order: Special Victims Unit episodes
}}{{Episode list/sublist|List of Law &amp; Order: Special Victims Unit episodes

Revision as of 07:31, 29 November 2013

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Season 4
Season 4
File:L&O SVU season 4 DVD.jpg
DVD cover art
No. of episodes25
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 27, 2002 (2002-09-27) –
May 16, 2003 (2003-05-16)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 3
Next →
Season 5
List of episodes

The 4th 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 10:00 p.m. Eastern / 9:00 p.m. Central.

Production

Filming for Season 4 began while Season 3 was still airing as evidenced by reports that Sharon Lawrence would appear on SVU in time for May sweeps.[1][2]

In a 2012 interview for the show Media Mayhem, Neal Baer cited "Juvenile" as a script whose writing was relevant to still debated case law.[3] In the episode, a well meaning boy is manipulated by a sociopathic classmate and charged with felony murder as a result — a topic that was addressed by Miller v. Alabama in the Supreme Court. In the same interview, Baer talked about the detectives having differing opinions on grey areas of the law. He opined that this contributed to NBC's willingness to let him delve into highly charged topics with no censorship and cited "Mercy" as an example.[3]

Cast changes and returning characters

After two seasons of being a recurring guest star, B. D. Wong (Dr. George Huang) was added to the opening credits of the fourth season. This was also the last full season to star Stephanie March as ADA Alexandra Cabot. Previous seasons had shown Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay in every episode. The first episode to break this trend was "Rotten" which showed Detective Benson working primarily with Detective Tutuola.

Actor Chad Lowe who had previously guest starred in the second season returned to the set of SVU. However, instead of reprising his character, he directed the season finale. The episode "Dominance" introduced the CSU Captain Judith Siper played by Caren Browning. Browning continued to appear in this role for the eight seasons that followed. Along with Neal Bear, she brought healthcare expertise to the show[further explanation needed] and said that her role on SVU was beneficial to her day job: "My work on the show has opened many doors and conversations with the press and clients — so there’s a real synergy there."[4]

Cast

Principal cast

Recurring cast

Guest stars

Elizabeth Mitchell, who made her first of two SVU guest appearances on Season 4, was already a fan of the series.[5]

In the season premiere "Chameleon", Sharon Lawrence guest starred as Maggie Peterson, a psychotic prostitute who kills men after she sleeps with them. When discussing the role, Lawrence revealed that her "husband trained as a psychiatrist in a big county psych ward and was very helpful in researching that pathology. It was a great challenge to understand that character's mind."[6] The decorated actress Pam Grier appeared in the fifth episode "Disappearing Acts". She appeared again in the fifteenth episode "Pandora" and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her time on SVU.

The episode "Angels" guest starred Pablo Santos as Ernesto Diaz, a Guatemalan boy who endured years of living as a sex slave. Of the previous SVU episodes focusing on child molestation, most of them were careful not to expose the child actors to the actual content of the sex crimes. However, Santos discussed several details in his episode as well as in an interview with Zap2it. According to Neal Baer, "We would never do it with, say, a 6-year-old, but we felt like, with a kid who's 15, he can articulate that. It's not something that 15-year-olds haven't heard about. We felt that it's all right."[7] "Waste" explored the question of whether reproductive rights are retained by comatose patients. Bruce Davison and Lisa Pelikan played doctors in the episode marking the first joint appearance by the husband and wife.[8] Philip Bosco's, whose character has Parkinson's disease, would later portray the same dementia in The Savages.

Rob Estes portrayed an escalating, abusive father whom his son was afraid to confront.

Gloria Reuben guest starred in the episode, "Dolls" as the mother of a missing daughter. Ruben later went on to portray Bureau Chief Assistant District Attorney Christine Danielson in the ninth season and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Danielson in the twelfth. Concerning Reuben's Season 4 performance, Michael Buckley of TV Guide wrote "The scenes between Reuben and Ice-T are particularly good, and the detective bends the rules to try to help the agonizing mother."[9] With the episode "Appearances", John Cullum guest starred as ADA Cabot's old law professor-turned-defense attorney Barry Moredock who comes in when defendants' civil and amendment rights are believed to be violated. This role became recurring for Cullum in later seasons.

Jason Ritter came to SVU as a guest star in the fourth season with his father having guest starred in the third. His character in "Dominance" was a disturbed young adult, assisting in murders to gain the respect of his brother played by Ian Somerhalder. In "Mercy", Elizabeth Mitchell guest starred as Andrea Brown, a mother who euthanizes her terminally ill baby. This was the first of two guest starring roles for the actress on SVU. When it is revealed that Brown had an affair, ADA Cabot uses this to make the jury doubt the mother's good intentions. Mitchell's assessment of her character is that "her actions were out of love, in my way of thinking."[5] "Desperate" featured a nearly silent performance by child actor Max Jansen Weinstein — the only witness against the man who killed his adoptive mother. Rob Estes played his manipulative father. Weinstein's performance was well received and was submitted for Emmy consideration.[10] In the episode "Fallacy", Kate Moennig played Cheryl Avery — a transgendered woman who was born Charlie Avery. Moennig considered the show to be her initiation to New York City and said "You have to do Law and Order if you lived in New York!"[11]

In the second to last episode "Perfect", Barbara Barrie was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.[12] She portrayed Mrs. Haggerty, one of the organizers of a cult who believes she is doing the right thing before having a change of heart at the end of the episode. This episode was the prime-time broadcast network debut for Gale Harold.[13] In the final episode "Soulless", the detectives are on the trail of a vicious sociopath played by Logan Marshall-Green. The detectives have a debate about whether his character has a conscience, and in this scene, Mariska Hargitay was uncomfortable evoking the pessimistic point of view. Neal Baer told her "I'm sure you do [believe there is good in everyone] but Olivia Benson does not."[14]

Episodes

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production code U.S. Viewers
(millions)
671"Chameleon"Jean de SegonzacMichele Fazekas & Tara ButtersSeptember 27, 2002 (2002-09-27)E315115.60[15]
682"Deception"Constantine MakrisMichele Fazekas & Tara ButtersOctober 4, 2002 (2002-10-04)E310515.20[16]
693"Vulnerable"Juan J. CampanellaLisa Marie Petersen & Dawn DeNoonOctober 11, 2002 (2002-10-11)E310415.91[15]
704"Lust"Michael FieldsAmanda GreenOctober 18, 2002 (2002-10-18)E310215.10[16]
715"Disappearing Acts"Alex ZakrzewskiJudith McCrearyOctober 25, 2002 (2002-10-25)E310116.50[16]
726"Angels"Arthur W. ForneyJonathan Greene & Robert F. CampbellNovember 1, 2002 (2002-11-01)E310615.30[15]
737"Dolls"Darnell MartinAmanda GreenNovember 8, 2002 (2002-11-08)E311416.80[15]
748"Waste"Donna DeitchLisa Marie Petersen & Dawn DeNoonNovember 15, 2002 (2002-11-15)E311116.10[16]
759"Juvenile"Constantine MakrisMichele Fazekas & Tara ButtersNovember 22, 2002 (2002-11-22)E311214.50[16]
7610"Resilience"Joyce ChopraPatrick HarbinsonDecember 6, 2002 (2002-12-06)E311316.20[16]
7711"Damaged"Juan J. CampanellaBarbie KligmanJanuary 10, 2003 (2003-01-10)E310916.60[16]
7812"Risk"Juan J. CampanellaJonathan Greene & Robert F. CampbellJanuary 17, 2003 (2003-01-17)E311516.30[16]
7913"Rotten"Constantine MakrisJudith McCrearyJanuary 24, 2003 (2003-01-24)E311916.10[16]
8014"Mercy"David PlattChristos N. Gage & Ruth FletcherJanuary 31, 2003 (2003-01-31)E311815.50[16]
8115"Pandora"Alex ZakrzewskiMichele Fazekas & Tara ButtersFebruary 7, 2003 (2003-02-07)E312015.50[16]
8216"Tortured"Steve ShillLisa Marie Petersen & Dawn DeNoonFebruary 14, 2003 (2003-02-14)E312114.50[16]
8317"Privilege"Jean de SegonzacPatrick HarbinsonFebruary 21, 2003 (2003-02-21)E312215.00[15]
8418"Desperate"David PlattAmanda GreenMarch 14, 2003 (2003-03-14)E3124N/A
8519"Appearances"Alex ZakrzewskiTeleplay: Stephen Belber
Story: Liz Friedman, Vanessa Place & Stephen Belber
March 28, 2003 (2003-03-28)E3110N/A
8620"Dominance"Steve ShillJonathan Greene & Robert F. CampbellApril 4, 2003 (2003-04-04)E312315.80[16]
8721"Fallacy"Juan J. CampanellaTeleplay: Barbie Kligman
Story: Joshua Kotcheff & Barbie Kligman
April 18, 2003 (2003-04-18)E311714.80[16]
8822"Futility"Alex ZakrzewskiMichele Fazekas & Tara ButtersApril 25, 2003 (2003-04-25)E312513.50[16]
8923"Grief"Constantine MakrisAdisa IwaMay 2, 2003 (2003-05-02)E311614.00[16]
9024"Perfect"Rick WallaceJonathan Greene & Robert F. CampbellMay 9, 2003 (2003-05-09)E312612.90[15]
9125"Soulless"Chad LoweLisa Marie Petersen & Dawn DeNoonMay 16, 2003 (2003-05-16)E312713.70[16]


References

  1. ^ Fretts, Bruce (2002-03-05). "Isn't That Special". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  2. ^ "Sharon Lawrence and SVU". The Stephanie March Fanclub. Yahoo Groups. 2002-06-13. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  3. ^ a b Neal Baer, Allison Hope Weiner. ER, Law & Order: SVU and A Gifted Man Writer and Producer, Dr. Neal Baer (TV). The Lip. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  4. ^ "PR as Stage Craft: "Law & Order" Regular and Former Hunter PR Media Director Joins Morris-King as VP, Shares Career Advice for Execs Seeking New Roles". Daily Dog. Bulldog Reporter. 2006-06-19. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  5. ^ a b Steinberg, Lisa (2011-03-27). "Elizabeth Mitchell has a riveting return to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit". Starry Constellation Magazine. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  6. ^ "Interview with Sharon Lawrence". The Monk Fun Page. 2007. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  7. ^ O'Hare, Kate (2002-10-31). "Tucson Star Does Drama in Law & Order: SVU". Zap2It. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  8. ^ Archerd, Amy (2002-10-23). "Docu fetes White House wing". Variety. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  9. ^ Buckley, Michael (2002-11-08). "Sex and the Gritty". TV Guide. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  10. ^ Michaels, Taylor (2003-04-27). "TV Mailbag". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  11. ^ Spiegelman, Allyson (2011-11-30). "Exclusive Interview With Kate Moennig". Focus On Film. Retrieved 2013-02-06.
  12. ^ "SVU Emmy Nominations". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
  13. ^ Starr, Michael (2003-04-13). "Direct from Chad: 'SVU's' Lowe point". New York Post. Retrieved 2013-02-06.
  14. ^ Green and Dawn (2009), p. 260
  15. ^ a b c d e f "SpotVault - Law & Order: SVU (NBC) - 2002-03". Spot Vault. December 9, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Series - Episode List - Season 4". TV Tango. Retrieved June 10, 2012.

Bibliography

  • Green, Susan; Dawn, Randee (2009). Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The Unofficial Companion. Dallas: BenBella Books. ISBN 1-933771-88-7.

External links

Preceded by
Season 3
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
list of seasons
Succeeded by
Season 5