Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 9

From The Right Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Season 9
File:L&O SVU season 9 DVD.jpg
Season 9 U.S. DVD cover
Starring
No. of episodes19
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 25, 2007 (2007-09-25) –
May 13, 2008 (2008-05-13)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 8
Next →
Season 10
List of episodes

The ninth season of the police procedural/legal drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 25, 2007 and ended May 13, 2008 on NBC. It aired on Tuesday nights at 10pm/9c. Mariska Hargitay, having won a Golden Globe Award in 2005, received her second Golden Globe nomination for her work in the ninth season.

Production

Showrunner/executive producer Neal Baer was more hands-on in the ninth season of SVU writing episodes "Alternate" and "Authority". The last episode crediting Baer as the primary writer was the seventh season episode "Storm". Multiple episodes of the ninth season dealt openly with the abortion debate. A 2008 article for Newsday that criticized American media for avoiding any mention of abortion called Law & Order: SVU the "one exception... willing to take such risks."[1] This season of SVU also coincided with the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike for which Neal Baer served on the negotiating committee.[2] With all of the writing staff participating in the strike, episodes stopped airing for nearly three whole months after the January 22, 2008 episode "Inconceivable". With Geoffrey Erb having left during the previous season, George Pattison became the show's director of photography. When discussing the visuals in Season 9, Neal Baer said "Last year, we were too dark; we want better lighting."[3]

Cast changes and returning characters

The first episode "Alternate" reveals that Richard Belzer's character, Detective John Munch, passed the sergeant's exam. As a result, other characters begin to refer to him as Sergeant John Munch. Season 9 dramatically reduced the amount of screen time given to Richard Belzer and the following seasons of SVU continued to do the same. When commenting on the reduction in his workload, Belzer said he was "a bit mystified" and that "It's like yanking the tonsils out of the gift horse if I complain too much."[4] Towards the end of the season, it was announced that Diane Neal (ADA Casey Novak) was departing the cast and days later it was said that she was fired from the series. Asked if she was blindsided by the news, Neal responded "I don't know if blindsided is the right word.... I've lasted longer by several years than almost any other ADA [in the Law & Order universe]. So every year I've been like, 'Is this going to be the one when I leave?' Dick Wolf is known for replacing his cast regularly. And the truth is, I'm really looking forward to the future."[5] Adam Beach fully joined the cast as Detective Chester Lake, who had already appeared twice on the show. A plan announced by Neal Baer in February 2007 was to portray the detective as a special victim himself.[6] This was fulfilled in the episode "Fight", which reveals that Lake was a foster child. However, days after Diane Neal's departure was announced, Adam Beach announced that he was departing the cast as well. "I very much enjoyed my year on Law & Order: SVU," Beach said. "Now I'm looking forward to new adventures."[7][8]

Cast

See also: List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit characters

Main cast

Crossover stars

Recurring cast

Guest stars

File:Erika Christensen Paleyfest 2013.jpg
Erika Christensen's character Agent Lauren Cooper reaches a tragic conclusion in the episode "Signature".

Cynthia Nixon guest starred in the season premiere "Alternate" as Janis Donovan, a woman with multiple personalities. Nixon described it by saying "I read all about multiple personalities — it was such a juicy part!"[9] This role won her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.[10] Nixon had previously appeared in the second ever episode of Law & Order, in 1991. Bronson Pinchot starred as her psychiatrist. He talked about working with Meloni and Hargitay and described them as "the most welcoming stars of any show I've ever guested on."[11] For the show's 200th episode "Authority", Robin Williams guest starred as an engineer who tries to teach the public a lesson using extreme methods. Williams was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.[10] In an interview about casting, Neal Baer stated that the most famous guest stars used by the show play roles that were written with them in mind. He mentioned Cynthia Nixon and Robin Williams as examples and said that the details of their stories were only written after it was known that they would be available.[12] Kevin Tighe guest starred as a kidnapper and rapist in the episode "Avatar" which was well received by gamers.[13] The detectives make use of a virtual world similar to Second Life to hunt down his character. In the same episode, reporter David Keeps, who is a friend of Mariska Hargitay, briefly appeared as an unnamed detective. Keeps wrote that he only went to the SVU set for a visit until Hargitay arranged to have him written into the scene at the last minute.[14] The third episode "Impulsive" guest starred Melissa Joan Hart as a teacher and Kyle Gallner as her student in a "he said, she said" rape case. The episode began filming in April 2007 making it the first episode of the ninth season produced.[15]

File:Michelle Borth 2011 Shankbone.JPG
In "Trade", Michelle Borth played Avery Hemmings, a lawyer who knows more about the case she is trying than she lets on.

In "Savant", a child played by Paulina Gerzon becomes the key to solving a case when the SVU learns about her extremely sensitive hearing. Children's author Robert Black praised SVU's ability to find good child actors and said that Gerzon "was fantastic as a girl with Williams Syndrome, even having to deliver her lines through a set of oversized false teeth."[16] This episode also showed Vincent Spano reprising his role as FBI Agent Dean Porter. In "Harm", Elizabeth McGovern played Dr. Faith Sutton, a doctor who feels it is her duty to help the war on terror by teaching torture techniques. When talking about this issue, Neal Baer explained "I don't think they should, but I think it's more interesting if we hear Elizabeth McGovern's perspective and say 'I have a son and how are we going to stop this?' and we have a complicated, interesting, deep discussion through our characters.[17] The same interview brought up a line spoken by Elliot Stabler in "Harm" that was critical of invasive interrogations. Baer said that Christopher Meloni requested this line to help keep his character three-dimensional. The episode "Blinded" commented on the Kennedy v. Louisiana debate about punishing child rape with the death penalty. Sam Waterston made an appearance as his Law & Order character, DA Jack McCoy. Since the eighteenth season of Law & Order had yet to air at this point, this was the first time that Jack McCoy appeared as the DA rather than an EADA. The episode "Fight" featured guest appearances by UFC fighters Forrest Griffin and Renzo Gracie. Nicole "Coco" Austin also appeared and had a scene with her husband Ice-T. This marked their first acting appearance together even though Coco had appeared on SVU once before.[18] Mark Valley guest starred in the following episode "Paternity" as a father who is shocked to learn that his child is not related to him. Bruce Fretts of TV Guide said he "got more dramatic meat to chew in an hour than he's had in three years on Boston Legal."[19] This episode additionally deals with the birth of Elliot Stabler's fifth child and was submitted as an Emmy bid episode for Christopher Meloni.[20] Olivia Benson finds herself in a situation in which she must help to deliver the baby and Elliot Stabler hugs her as a way of saying thank you. This was not in the script but Meloni insisted on it while the scene was filmed saying "Guys, I have to hug her."[21] Shareeka Epps made her first television appearance in the dark episode "Undercover" starring as a terrified rape victim who is assaulted by a prison guard. The episode was filmed in a real prison.[22] In "Closet", Bill Pullman starred as Kurt Moss, a reporter in a short-lived relationship with Olivia Benson. As a way of complimenting Pullman, Neal Baer joked that "Benson finally has a boyfriend, and he was well worth the wait."[23] The second last episode "Trade" starred Stephen Collins and Matthew Davis as Pearson Bartlett Sr and Jr, a pair of coffee magnates who come under suspicion in a woman's murder. When asked if he enjoyed being on SVU, Collins tweeted "yes, but the role was difficult."[24] This was followed by the fast-paced season finale "Cold".

Episodes

See also: List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit season 9 episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
1841"Alternate"David PlattNeal Baer & Dawn DeNoonSeptember 25, 2007 (2007-09-25)090312.10[25]
A woman (Cynthia Nixon) who switches between five different personalities is suspected of harming her daughter. The investigation is met with initial resistance from her psychiatrist (Bronson Pinchot). When the woman's sister (Laura Allen) is released from jail, their parents are found murdered the next day and the two of them become the prime suspects.
1852"Avatar"Peter LetoPaul GrellongOctober 2, 2007 (2007-10-02)090411.66[26]
A girl who plays virtual world games (Christina Brucato) goes missing. Her boyfriend (Ryan Lynn), a suspect in the case, is discovered to suffer from sexsomnia which caused him to attempt to rape her sister (Liza Joyce). In an effort to locate the girl, Detectives Benson and Stabler use her avatar to track her kidnapper (Kevin Tighe) down.
1863"Impulsive"David PlattJonathan GreeneOctober 9, 2007 (2007-10-09)090112.19[27]

References

  1. ↑ Amodio, Joseph (January 26, 2008). "Pregnant Pause". Newsday. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  2. ↑ Fernandez, Maria Elana; James, Meg (November 25, 2007). "Showrunner playing crucial role in writers strike". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  3. ↑ Green and Dawn (2009), p. 58
  4. ↑ Green and Dawn (2009), p. 150
  5. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (April 17, 2008). "Exclusive: Were Dourdan and Neal (Gulp) Fired?". TV Guide. Archived from the original on September 9, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  6. ↑ Jacobs, Evan (February 20, 2007). "Mariska Hargitay and Dr. Neal Baer Tell All About Law & Order: Special Victims Unit". Movie Web. Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  7. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (April 20, 2008). "Beach leaving "Law & Order: SVU" after one season". Reuters. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  8. ↑ Mitovich, Matt (April 18, 2008). "Out of Order: Adam Beach Bids SVU Adieu". TV Guide. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  9. ↑ Green and Dawn (2009), p. 336
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "SVU Emmy Nominations". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  11. ↑ BD Wong, Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, Ice T, Bronson Pinchot (2007). SVU Interview B D Wong, Mariska Hargitay & Chris Meloni! (TV). NBC. Archived from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  12. ↑ Halterman, Jim (September 23, 2009). "'Law & Order: SVU' showrunner Neal Baer talks about new guests, new nights". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on September 21, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Law & Order: SVU loves gamers". Destructoid. October 8, 2007. Archived from the original on February 5, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  14. ↑ Keeps, David (October 7, 2007). "A few words from David Keeps". Mariska's Blog. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Melissa Joan Hart talks to us about motherhood and Mason". People magazine. April 16, 2007. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  16. ↑ Black, Robert (February 1, 2009). "Kids Today". Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  17. ↑ Neal Baer, Allison Hope Weiner. ER, Law & Order: SVU and A Gifted Man Writer and Producer, Dr. Neal Baer (TV). The Lip. Archived from the original on August 11, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  18. ↑ Richburg, Chris (November 20, 2007). "Ice-T And Coco Set to Appear On Law and Order: SVU Episode". All Hip Hop. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  19. ↑ Fretts, Bruce (November 28, 2007). "Cheers: A Very Special SVU". Cheers & Jeers. TV Guide. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  20. ↑ Zimmer, Chris (June 4, 2008). "Law & Order Franchise 2008 Emmy Submissions". All Things Law & Order. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  21. ↑ Green and Dawn (2009), p. 74
  22. ↑ Hargitay, Mariska (September 24, 2008). "With Much Gratitude". Mariska's Blog. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Mariska Hargitay Gets a Boyfriend on SVU". People magazine. March 17, 2008. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  24. ↑ Collins, Stephen. "Tweets by Stephen Collins". Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  25. ↑ "With Break-Out Performances from New and Returning Series, NBC Ties for Premiere Week's Top Spot in 18-49". The Futon Critic/NBC. The Futon Critic/NBC. October 2, 2007. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  26. ↑ Seidman, Robert (October 3, 2007). "Nielsen Overnight TV Ratings, Tuesday Oct 2". The Nielsen Company. TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved August 7, 2010.
  27. ↑ Seidman, Robert (October 10, 2007). "Overnight Results for Tuesday Oct 9". The Nielsen Company. TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2010.

Bibliography

  • Green, Susan; Dawn, Randee (2009). Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The Unofficial Companion. Dallas: BenBella Books. ISBN 978-1-933771-88-5.

External links

Retrieved from "https://rightwiki.org/index.php?title=Law_%26_Order:_Special_Victims_Unit_season_9&oldid=21307756"