Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 2
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 2) | |
|---|---|
| Season 2 | |
 DVD cover art | |
| 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 10:00 p.m. Eastern / 9:00 p.m. Central. 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.
Production
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] In the episode "Taken", Olivia Benson's mother dies after falling down a flight of stairs. The character's backstory, as established in the first episode, is that she was raped by a stranger, causing her to become pregnant with Olivia. The writers briefly considered changing this. Deleted scenes that accompany "Taken" on the DVD show a funeral for Serena Benson, during which it is revealed that she had consensual sex to conceive Olivia. Many episodes in later seasons reaffirm the fact that Benson is the product of a rape, meaning that the deleted scenes for "Taken" are not canon.
Cast changes and returning characters
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] Roger Friedman of Fox News reported that Richard Belzer arranged for Hurd to be fired because her character was receiving too many storylines and distracting attention from him, but that report was never confirmed.[8] Although Jeffries departed from the Special Victims Unit during the episode "Asunder", her character was still present in the episode "Runaway", which marked character's final appearance. "Runaway" was originally intended to air before "Asunder" but was broadcast out of order.[9] The retcon explanation in "Runaway" is that Detective Jeffries transferred to Vice and briefly stepped into the SVU squadroom 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, the series using many guest actors and actresses to portray ADA characters in the first season. 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).
Cast
Principal cast
| Actor | Character | Main cast | Recurring cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Meloni | Det. Elliot Stabler | entire season | — |
| Mariska Hargitay | Det. Olivia Benson | entire season | — |
| Richard Belzer | Det. John Munch | entire season | — |
| Michelle Hurd | Det. Monique Jeffries | episodes 1, 7, 16 | — |
| Ice-T | Det. Fin Tutuola | entire season | — |
| Stephanie March | ADA Alexandra Cabot | entire season | — |
| Dann Florek | Capt. Don Cragen | entire season | — |
| Tamara Tunie | Dr. Melinda Warner | — | episodes 6, 9, 11–12, 20–21 |
| BD Wong | Dr. George Huang | — | episodes 20–21 |
Recurring cast
- Doris Belack as Judge Margaret Barry
- Lou Carbonneau as CSU Forensics Technician Harry Martin
- Frank Deal as Defense Attorney Don Newvine
- Carolyn McCormick as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet
- Kent Cassella as Det. Palmieri
- Brian Keane as Dr. Peters
- Joanna Merlin as Judge Lena Petrovsky
- Jeffrey DeMunn as Chief ADA Charlie Phillips
- Harvey Atkin as Judge Alan Ridenour
- Rob Bartlett as Defense Attorney Milton Schoenfeld
- Tom O'Rourke as Judge Mark Seligman
- J. K. Simmons as Dr. Emil Skoda
- Isabel Gillies as Kathy Stabler
- Erin Broderick as Maureen Stabler
- Brian O'Neill as Chief Sullivan
- Dylan Price as Det. Danny Tatum
- Lance Reddick as ME Dr. Taylor
- Kevin O'Rourke as Defense Attorney Sam Tiffany
- Leslie Ayvazian as Judge Susan Valdera
- Ron Leibman as Executive ADA Stan Villani
- Scott Sowers as IAB Det. Waldman
- Craig Wroe as Defense Attorney James Woodrow
Guest stars
In the second episode "Honor", Marshall Manesh played an Afghan diplomat and Anil Kumar played his son. Both of their characters follow Sharia law and condone honor killings. The diplomat's wife was played by Susham Bedi. Despite having no power in her country, her character gets the chance to make or break a New York case in a climactic scene of her episode. 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. The shooter Elias was 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 playing a schizophrenic man and Kathleen Chalfant playing his mother. Although they realize that Breznahan's character is mentally ill, they wish for him to remain off medication because the world comes across as incredibly frightening compared to his own version of reality. The seventh episode "Asunder" was the first of two guest appearances for Nestor Serrano on SVU. He played a police officer accused of spousal rape. 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 who were known to be spreading HIV every time they raped. Elliot Stabler begins taking antiretrovirals in this episode after a visit to a crime scene exposes him to the blood of an HIV positive victim. This is referenced in the fourteenth episode "Paranoia" as well. In "Paranoia", 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. With regard to this episode, showrunner Neal Baer said "That's the only episode ever broadcast just once on the network — because it was stinky."[10] However, the producers still decided to showcase a scene from the episode in the Season 1 DVD extras to help analyze Cragen's character.[11]
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 and Chad Lowe in a dysfunctional and abusive mother-son relationship. The detectives come to learn about this by examining Lowe's character, a disturbed killer with piquerism. In an interview with Larry King, Chad Lowe talked about how exciting this role was. Specifically, "if you're playing a serial killer, you can't play them with judgement. 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."[12]
Episodes
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 1 | "Wrong Is Right" | Ted Kotcheff | David J. Burke & Jeff Eckerle | October 20, 2000 | E1403 | 13.39[13] |
| 24 | 2 | "Honor" | Alan Metzger | Robert F. Campbell & Jonathan Greene | October 27, 2000 | E1407 | 13.20[14] |
| 25 | 3 | "Closure (Part II)" | Jean de Segonzac | Teleplay by: David J. Burke, Judith McCreary & Wendy West Story by: Wendy West | November 3, 2000 | E1409 | 13.40[14] |
| 26 | 4 | "Legacy" | Jud Taylor | Jeff Eckerle | November 10, 2000 | E1401 | 13.40[14] |
| 27 | 5 | "Baby Killer" | Juan J. Campanella | Dawn DeNoon & Lisa Marie Petersen | November 17, 2000 | E1411 | 12.80[14] |
| 28 | 6 | "Noncompliance" | Elodie Keene | Judith McCreary | November 24, 2000 | E1417 | 15.40[13] |
| 29 | 7 | "Asunder" | David Platt | Judith McCreary | December 1, 2000 | E1404 | 15.43[13] |
| 30 | 8 | "Taken" | Michael Fields | Dawn DeNoon & Lisa Marie Petersen | December 15, 2000 | E1406 | 14.31[13] |
| 31 | 9 | "Pixies" | Jean de Segonzac | Teleplay by: Tracey Stern Story by: Clifton Campbell, Jeff Eckerle & Tracey Stern | January 12, 2001 | E1416 | 14.80[14] |
| 32 | 10 | "Consent" | James Quinn | Jeff Eckerle | January 19, 2001 | E1419 | 13.60[14] |
| 33 | 11 | "Abuse" | Richard Dobbs | Teleplay by: Dawn DeNoon & Lisa Marie Petersen Story by: Dawn DeNoon, Lisa Marie Petersen & Gwendolyn M. Parker | January 26, 2001 | E1415 | 15.20[14] |
| 34 | 12 | "Secrets" | Arthur W. Forney | Teleplay by: Robert F. Campbell & Jonathan Greene Story by: Robert F. Campbell, Jonathan Greene & Wendy West | February 2, 2001 | E1416 | 15.72[14] |
| 35 | 13 | "Victims" | Constantine Makris | Nick Kendrick | February 9, 2001 | E1420 | 14.90[14] |
| 36 | 14 | "Paranoia" | Richard Dobbs | Robert F. Campbell & Jonathan Greene | February 16, 2001 | E1426 | 14.10[14] |
| 37 | 15 | "Countdown" | Steve Shill | Dawn DeNoon & Lisa Marie Petersen | February 23, 2001 | E1412 | 15.50[13] |
| 38 | 16 | "Runaway" | Richard Dobbs | David J. Burke & Nick Kendrick | March 2, 2001 | E1405 | 14.56[13] |
| 39 | 17 | "Folly" | Jud Taylor | Todd Robinson | March 23, 2001 | E1428 | 14.30[14] |
| 40 | 18 | "Manhunt" | Stephen Wertimer | Jeff Eckerle | April 20, 2001 | E1431 | 12.70[14] |
| 41 | 19 | "Parasites" | David Platt | Martin Weiss | April 27, 2001 | E1427 | 13.40[13] |
| 42 | 20 | "Pique" | Steve Shill | Judith McCreary | May 4, 2001 | E1422 | 14.30[14] |
| 43 | 21 | "Scourge" | Alex Zakrzewski | Teleplay by: Robert F. Campbell & Jonathan Greene Story by: Neal Baer | May 11, 2001 | E1432 | 15.06[13] |
References
- ^ Green and Dawn (2009), p. 26
- ^ Green and Dawn (2009), p. 28
- ^ Green and Dawn (2009), p. 25
- ^ Belzer, Richard (2000). Richard Belzer Interview. Universal Channel.
- ^ Green and Dawn (2009), p. 6
- ^ Pandya, Gitesh. "DVD Review: Law & Order: SVU – The Second Year". Box Office Guru. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
- ^ a b Green and Dawn (2009), p. 155
- ^ Levins, Harry (January 10, 2011). "People in the news". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. E4.
- ^ Green and Dawn (2009), p. 219
- ^ Green and Dawn (2009), p. 27
- ^ Florek, Dann. Police Sketch: Dann Florek (DVD). Wolf Films. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
- ^ "Interview with Chad Lowe". CNN: Larry King Live. January 24, 2007. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "SpotVault Law & Order: SVU (NBC) – 2000–01". SpottedRatings.com. December 9, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Episode List – Season 2". 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
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 2 at Internet Movie Database
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 2 at TV Guide
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 2 at TV.com
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 2 at The TV IV
| Preceded by Season 1 |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit list of seasons |
Succeeded by Season 3 |