A Single Life
- Episode aired Sep 27, 1999
- TV-14
- 43m
A probable suicide becomes a murder investigation with suspects that include the writer's psychiatrist, a family member and a local news anchor, but the woman's sister brings evidence that w... Read allA probable suicide becomes a murder investigation with suspects that include the writer's psychiatrist, a family member and a local news anchor, but the woman's sister brings evidence that will turn the case on its head.A probable suicide becomes a murder investigation with suspects that include the writer's psychiatrist, a family member and a local news anchor, but the woman's sister brings evidence that will turn the case on its head.
Photos
- Detective Elliot Stabler
- (as Chris Meloni)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIt is disclosed here that Captain Cragen's deceased wife was named Marge, and died in a plane crash while she was working as a flight attendant.
- GoofsOlivia says that under Megan's law the statute of limitations on the sexual abuse Gretchen and her sister Ellen suffered at the hands of their father would reset if Ellen has repressed memories of the abuse that can be recovered. However, Megan's law has nothing to do with recovered memories or limitation statutes; Megan's law is the informal name given to legislature passed and signed into law on May 17, 1996 that requires law enforcement to make information in the sex offender registry freely available to the public, and to notify the public whenever a registered sex offender moves into a neighborhood.
- Quotes
Detective Elliot Stabler: [Stabler and Benson are looking through a victims belonging's as part of their investigation] She must have had fun naming her computer files... Uh, this is "Penis.Quotes." You want to read it or should I?
Detective Olivia Benson: Oh, knock yourself out.
Detective Elliot Stabler: [Takes a quick glance and a moment later gives it to Benson with discomfort] No, that's yours.
Captain Donald Cragen: Anything?
Detective Olivia Benson: Okay, "Biology of the Amazons" by Grethen Quinn. "There's a tiny catfish feared more than the piranha. It's called a..."
Captain Donald Cragen: Candiru.
Detective Elliot Stabler: Say what?
Captain Donald Cragen: This is beautiful. Tell him.
Detective Olivia Benson: [Reading a passage] "It will swim right into a man's penis and lodge itself there by erecting sharp spines." Ow.
Detective Elliot Stabler: Erecting sharp spines... That's a fish with a sense of irony. How'd you know that?
Captain Donald Cragen: In the jungle they always taught us, "Don't hose your nose; Hold your stones."
- ConnectionsFeatured in SVU: The Beginning (2003)
It is episodes like "A Single Life" and even more so the brilliant previous episode "Payback" that helped re-assess my "started off brilliantly but jumped the shark" initial opinion of 'Special Victims Unit', or at least not as drastically as that. This was back when there was a better balance of case, trial and moral issues, when characters behaved with more professionalism and when personal lives didn't take over too much of everything else. "A Single Life" is not quite on the same level as "Payback", then again that would have been a hard thing to achieve, but it is impressive stuff.
Do agree that "A Single Life" starts off somewhat rough, it came over as pretty awkward and Benson's showing up was on the convenient side.
Wasn't sure what to make of exchanges like the one between Stabler, Benson and Cragen when going through the victim's belongings. The dialogue did admittedly make me laugh out loud, but at the same time the exchange didn't really gel with the rest of the writing and tone and one that will be taken either way of amusing or cringe.
"A Single Life" otherwise has a lot of great things about it. It is a typically well made episode visually for the same reasons as with the production values for the original 'Law and Order', being suitably slick and gritty. The music is spare in use but has presence without being intrusive or repetitive. The main theme and voice over have always stuck with me.
The writing has tautness and provokes thought without being melodramatic, a few clumsy attempts at humour (my opinion) aside. The story is not quite as complex or as disturbing as the one in "Payback", but it did make me think, make me feel uncomfortable and balanced its story elements well. The climax is absolutely searing, especially for Laila Robins acting the heck out of it. Can't fault the performances either, from all the regulars, but especially Mariska Hargitay, and from a poignant Robins and creepy Paul Hecht.
Very good episode on the whole if a step down from "Payback". 8/10
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jul 17, 2019