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"Painless"
SVU, Episode 5.22
Production number: E4426
First aired: 27 April 2004
  th of 502 produced in SVU  
th of 502 released in SVU
  th of 1271 released in all  
Huang Painless
Written By
Jonathan Greene

Directed By
Juan J. Campanella

The Special Victims Unit attempts to prosecute the moderator of a suicide-advocacy website.

Plot[]

Christina Nerritt is found handcuffed to her bed with a plastic bag over her head. She first claims to have been attacked, but then it is discovered that Christina had been suicidal for some time. After Christina uses insulin to successfully kill herself, the detectives discover that she was on a website that offers support and ideas on how to commit suicide. They soon find the owner of the website, Amy Solwey who is soon the suspect in Christina's death. Amy says that she made the website as a sort of therapy to herself because she is suffering from Alport's Syndrome. Detective Munch becomes personally involved in the case when it is discovered that Amy refuses a kidney transplant that could save her life. Munch is originally angry with her for her actions but decides to talk to her when he learns about her refusal. Amy is deaf but can read lips and can talk so they are able to have a conversation. Munch reveals that after he told his father he hated him as a kid his father committed suicide and he always blamed himself for it. He realizes that Amy feels bad for her role in Christina's death and wants to die as a result, but he convinces her to live and for the two of them to work out their guilt together.

Cast[]

Main cast[]

Recurring cast[]

Guest cast[]

References[]

Quotes[]

Stabler: Christina bought him breakfast. He rapes her for lunch.

Judith Siper: You'd better be sure about this.
Tutuola: The hospital pathologist said Christina was definitely injected.
Judith Siper: I get stuck with a needle and die, and my husband and kids get both your pensions.

Barry Moredock: Miss Novak, I believe in the Constitution. I bet you do, too.
Novak: You're reaching, Mr. Moredock. This case is about murder, not free speech.
Moredock: I disagree. So does my client.
Novak: Your client handed Christina the weapons she killed herself with.
Moredock: She didn't force Christina to use it.
Novak: The law doesn't make that distinction.
Moredock: The law in this case is the problem, not what Amy Solwey did.
Novak: Your client's not a violent, cold-blooded killer. We may be open to a deal.
Moredock: Oh, we're not interested in a deal, Miss Novak. Amy wants her day in court.
Novak: She does or you do?
Moredock: I represent my client's interests, not my own.
Novak: Well, then talk to her. Don't let her spend what time she has left in prison.
Moredock: You already locked her up and for no good reason.
Novak: I'm sorry. I can't take the chance you're wrong.
Moredock: Then let your Dr. Huang evaluate her. He'll tell you Amy's no more suicidal than you and I.

Dr. Amy Solwey: [to Dr. Huang through a translator] You believe that suicide's wrong because it's your job to save people.
Dr. Huang: Medicine and psychiatry are about how to improve the quality of life, not how to end it.
Amy Solwey: Antidepressants and therapy never worked for me. I still think about suicide every day.
Dr. Huang: But something keeps you from doing it.
Amy Solwey: Those people on the Internet. Who'd help them if I'm gone?

[about Amy Solwey]
Huang: The irony is that her website gives her a reason to live.
Munch: Playing God with people's lives? She's like Kevorkian.
Tutuola: Come on, Munch. All the stuff you whine about, don't tell me you haven't once thought about hanging it up.
Munch: I believe life's worth living.
Stabler: Amen.
Benson: I don't know. If I had something like Huntington's Disease and all I had to look forward to was a long, horrible death, I can't say I wouldn't think about suicide.
Novak: [to Olivia] Moredock will try to stack the jury with people like you.

Amy Solwey: [through a translator] I help people who don't want to suffer anymore.
Novak: The truth is you don't know who they are, do you? They're just names on a computer screen.
Amy Solwey: Stop! They're in pain, I know what pain is! I live with it every day. You don't! How can you judge me? How can you judge them?

[about Amy]
Munch: How could they not convict her?
Novak: The jury deadlocked 10-2. I underestimated the power of Moredock's argument.
Munch: You can't blame yourself because two people wanted to acquit Amy.
Novak: The two holdouts were for conviction. The majority voted to let Amy walk.
Munch: Well, just let me know when you need me for the retrial.
Novak: There's not going to be a retrial, John.
Munch: Why the hell not?
Novak: Because the D.A. doesn't want to make Amy Solwey a martyr for assisted suicide.
Munch: Translation: We lose, so we're letting her off the hook?
Novak: We'll... we'll get her, it's only a matter of time before she does it again.
Munch: So we let her help someone else die.
Novak: I don't like it either, John, but I don't have a choice.
Munch: Well, that's great, I just can't wait to tell Christina's sister.

Judge Walter Bradley: You'd better not be wasting my time with politics, Miss Novak.
Novak: I'm not, Your Honor. We can prove Amy Solwey entered into a suicide pact with Christina. Amy's still alive, so clearly, she had no intention of going through with it.
Moredock: She just wants my client to plead out to a spurious charge.
Novak: Read this statute: when two people enter into a suicide pact and one of them pulls out for personal gain after the other one is dead, that's Murder Two.
Moredock: What could Amy Solwey possibly gain by Christina Nerrit's death?
Novak: Validation of her cause, which is exactly what she got when that jury deadlocked.
Moredock: You're not going to let her sell you this bill of goods, are you, Judge?
Judge Bradley: Don't insult my intelligence, Mr. Moredock. That's how the law is written. Unless you can prove Miss Novak wrong, we're going back to trial.

Stabler: [to Munch] There is always going to be hate and racism on the Internet. What are you gonna do about it? Freedom of speech, man.

Novak: [to Amy when she refuses to go on dialysis] When Judge Bradley hears about this stunt, he's gonna blow a gasket.
Moredock: There's a lot I'd do to win a case, Miss Novak, but I'm on your side here.
Munch: [to Amy] Why are you doing this?
Solwey: I would rather die now than in prison.
Munch: You mean you'd rather be a martyr, don't you?
Solwey: Stop calling me that!
Munch: Or do you finally feel some guilt over tricking Christina Nerrit into your bogus suicide pact?
Solwey: I did not trick her. I thought by saying I would die with her, it would make her feel more comfortable, feel better about her decision. Her decision.
Novak: This won't work. I'll get a court order to force the dialysis.
Moredock: You know full well, no judge will ever issue such an order.
Novak: I can still try.
Solwey: You can't force me to eat. I'll just starve.
Munch: I thought you were all about avoiding pain.
Solwey: When you don't eat, your body releases endorphins as it breaks down its own tissue for fuel. I'm told it's a very pleasant and painless death.

[When Munch shows up at Novak's apartment at night]
Novak: John, what are you doing here?
Munch: Why the hell didn't you call me?
Novak: There's nothing anyone can do, Amy's made her choice.
Munch: Which is?
Novak: If we're going to put her in prison, it's a waste of a kidney.
Munch: Then plead her out to a lesser charge.
Novak: Excuse me?
Munch: Don't let her do this to herself.
Novak: You're the one who wanted me to jump through hoops to retry her. Why are you so invested in this?
Munch: Her dying isn't worth it.
Novak: If we cave on Amy, it opens the door for any other perp who wants to force a plea by threatening suicide. I can't jump just because she's got a gun to my head.
Munch: She's different.
Novak: No, she's not, John. I'm sorry.
Munch: So am I.

Munch: Can you read my lips?
Amy Solwey: Yes.
Munch: Why won't you take this kidney?
Amy Solwey: My life, my decision.
Munch: Yeah, well, it's the wrong decision.
Amy Solwey: Leave me alone.
Munch: Why, so you can die alone in this dump?
Amy Solwey: Get out.
Munch: Great way to catch that train, isn't it?
Amy Solwey: I don't want to hurt anymore.
Munch: Then let them do the transplant.
Amy Solwey: No.
Munch: It will take away your pain.
Amy Solwey: So I could go to prison?
Munch: So you can live.
Amy Solwey: Why do you care if I live or die?
Munch: Because my father killed himself. When I was a kid, I thought it was my fault. The night before he blew his brains out, he punished me for being a wise-ass. I told him I hated his guts. Those were the last words I ever said to him. It haunts me to this day. You're the only person I've ever told.
Amy Solwey: Why me?
Munch: Because we're the same. I feel guilty. My father was suffering, I couldn't help him. You feel guilty because of what you did to Christina.
Munch: [to Amy Solwey] I don't want you to die. [while signing] Help me help you. Please.


Background information and notes[]

  • This episode probably takes its name for the song "Suicide is Painless", which became famous as the theme from the popular sitcom M*A*S*H.
  • In the episode, John Munch reveals at the end his father committed suicide, which constantly haunted him because the last thing he said to his father was he hated him for abusing his family. The scene is actually a reference of the suicide of the father of Richard Belzer, the actor who portrays Munch.
  • Another episode in the Law & Order franchise that features a suicide website is the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "No Exit".
  • Olivia talks about a web site she has seen that gives teenager girls advice on how to become "anorectic". An anorectic is a drug that suppresses appetite. Olivia presumably meant to say "anorexic", referring to the eating disorder.

Episode scene cards[]

1 2 3 4

Hotel Kennedy Restaurant
1270 Park Avenue
Monday, March 1

Bellevue Hospital
Christina Nerrit's Room
Monday, March 1

New Horizons
Fertility Clinic Lab
78 Madison Avenue
Thursday, March 4

Arraignment
Part 35
Friday, March 5

5 6 7 8

Bellevue Hospital
Prison Ward
Friday, March 5

Trial Part 38
Monday, April 19

Apartment of
Christina Nerrit
308 East 76th Street
Tuesday, April 20

Chambers of
Judge Walter Bradley
Wednesday, April 21

Previous episode:
"Criminal"
"Painless"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Season 5
Next episode:
"Bound"
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