Very few television programmes have the balls to take social issues on seriously, but to its credit, Law & Order, and its spin-offs, occasionally do show that tackle, and this episode was no exception. In today's society there is a belief that anti-racism means that other races and their cultures can do no wrong, but what it actually means is that everyone should be treated equally in everybody's eyes, regardless of colour, creed or gender. Which means that they are also capable of doing wrong. When Live And Let Die was made there was concern that all the villains were black, but as Cubby Broccoli pointed out, equality meant getting an equal chance to play the bad guys as well as the good guys (and up to that point all the villains had been white anyway...).
I myself am very anti-racism, which I think is a form of bullying that personally disgusts me. However, I do believe that if you are going to a foreign country you should abide by its rules. You don't get to choose the rules you don't wish to follow, and ..., despite being an episode about witness intimidation, is actually swimming in a story of African cultures and customs. The Americans are criticised for not being open-minded when it comes to polygamy and female circumcision. However, the fact is, its illegal in America - if you don't like it, go somewhere that it's not. Curiously, of course, female circumcision is also illegal in Africa, but that doesn't stop the supporters.
It's a kind of bizarre situation that schoolkids adopt and some people later in life continue to run with, the defence that others are doing it so that makes it right. In an earlier episode of SVU a paedophile argued that he was not doing anything wrong, and there were hundreds of thousands of people out there who were just like him. Because that is obviously a defence...Same rules apply here my friends, doesn't matter how many people are circumcising women that doesn't stop it from being mutilation.
There is a vague attempt to present this story from the other point of view, and one can understand why the polygamist married his third wife, despite her being fourteen (all, interestingly, legal. I wasn't aware that if you legally married a fourteen year old - which you can - you can't be charged with statutory rape), but sadly it still doesn't condone what he has done. The polygamy, of course, is not the problem as the DA's Office points out when they actually ask if there is problems with incest. This is the main problem with religious cults in America. The polygamy is fine, it's just that the other stuff that seems to go with it - almost turning said polygamist into a cult leader. Entertainingly, though, when Benson, who believes that polygamy is degrading to woman, asks one of the wives if it is alright for a woman to have many husbands, the woman promptly replies that there are many women who do. However, when she says she should have the right to marry whoever she likes, it is Stabler who more pertinently asks her if it's alright to marry a cat.
This episode also shows Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay (who is the daughter of Playboy Playmate Jayne Mansfield...obscure bit of trivia for you there) have a brilliant on screen chemistry, and they are really very talented actors. When Benson suggests they go to Stabler's contact, the contact asks about Stabler calling her and Stabler tells her he is back with his wife. In the background, Hargitay does some great acting as Benson is clearly shocked by this revelation. It's very well done, and a wonderful moment.
"A"
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