| "Cruel and Unusual" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | L&O, Episode 5.19 | → |
| Production number: 69423 First aired: 19 April 1995 | ||
 | ||
| Written By René Balcer & Michael S. Chernuchin Directed By Matthew Penn | ||
Plot
After a young man dies in custody, the detectives investigate the clinic near where he lived and find that unusual forms of therapy are being administered.
Cast
Main cast
- Jerry Orbach as Detective Lennie Briscoe
- Chris Noth as Detective Mike Logan
- S. Epatha Merkerson as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
- Sam Waterston as Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy
- Jill Hennessy as A.D.A. Claire Kincaid
- Steven Hill as D.A. Adam Schiff
Recurring cast
- John Fiore as Detective Tony Profaci
- Carolyn McCormick as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet
- Leslie Hendrix as Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers
- Jeffrey DeMunn as Defense Attorney Norman Rothenberg
- Shawn Elliott as Judge Joseph Rivera
Guest cast
- Lawrence Pressman as Dr. Alan Colter
- Sheila Tousey as Mrs. Vilardi
- Dan Ziskie as George Jeffries
- Margo Skinner as Eleanor Jeffries
- Jennifer Harmon as Serena Davidson
- Bruce MacVittie as Josh Bingham
- Edoardo Ballerini as David Vilardi
- Steve Burns as Kevin Jeffries
- Barbara Gulan as Francine Randazzo
- Michael Levin as Dr. Ira Chaikin
- Nicholas Levitin as Dr. Gerard
- Larry Block as Slater
- Danny Burstein as Joe Garvey
- Lenore Harris as Marya Levinson
- Ed Setrakian as Al Golden
- Tandy Cronyn as Nancy Moore
- Socorro Santiago as Clarice Reynolds
- Gene Canfield as Detective Nelson
- T. Ryder Smith as Detective Mathers
- Benny Nieves as Alonso
- Mike Jefferson as Henry
- Kent Jackman as Orderly
- Will Osborne as Michael
- Bonnie Black as Joanne
- Richard Petrocelli as Officer Roven
- Byron Utley as Ralph
- John Finnerty as Uniform Policeman
- C.C. Loveheart as Receptionist
References
- Columbia University
- Frye v. U.S.
- IAB
- "Just following orders"
- Sloan Kettering
- Josef Mengele
Quotes
- Concession stand clerk: Doesn't look too good.
- Lennie Briscoe: Well, he wasn't feeling too well when we took the picture. You see him last night?
- Alan Colter: And that's all there is to it.
- Mike Logan: That's all? I'd rather have my teeth drilled. You call that therapy?
- McCoy: You've seen it being used, haven't you? I can compel your answer, Mrs. Vilardi.
- Vilardi: Yes. I've seen it.
- Kincaid: On Kevin Jeffries?
- McCoy: They use it on your son?
- Vilardi: It works, Mr. McCoy.
| “ | You beat a dog often enough, it'll stop barking. He might even do tricks for you. But I wouldn't call that humane. | ” |
–Jack McCoy | ||
- Kincaid: He still has them convinced he was saving the children.
- Jack McCoy: The only thing he tried to save was his reputation. He knew the therapy wasn't getting results, and instead of admitting he was wrong, he just turned up the voltage.
- Mrs. Vilardi: Mr. McCoy! You're made them close the clinic. Why?
- McCoy: Mrs. Vilardi.
- Mrs. Vilardi: They sent him home. I can't take care of him. I don't know what I'm going to do with him. You took away the only place he had. Do you want him, Mr. McCoy? Can he go home with you now? I didn't think so.
Background information and notes
- Revealing mistakes: When David Vilardi types out the word "FLOWR" with the help of his mother, in the courtroom, his hand never goes near the 'F' on the keyboard.
- The story is based on the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Canton, Massachusetts, one of the few autism management centers that uses electroshock as aversion therapy.(ref) Rotenberg educational case
- The day the episode aired, Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck bomb in Oklahoma City, killing 168 and wounding more than 800 people.
Episode scene cards
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Medical Examiner's |
Apartment of |
Behavioral Control Clinic |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|
|
New York |
Home of |
Chambers of |
| 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|
|
Apartment of |
District Attorney's Office |
Supreme Court |
| Previous episode: "Privileged" |
"Cruel and Unusual" Law & Order Season 5 |
Next episode: "Bad Faith" |