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SVU - Nov. 4

 What a frightening and engrossing "SVU" on Nov. 4!


The title was "They'd Already Disappeared." This seems to refer to a phenomenon around sex workers. In some parts of the country, a sex worker isn't "seen"; this person is written off in subtle and less-subtle ways. Then, if the sex worker literally disappears, it's as if he or she has disappeared a *second* time--because, pre-disappearance, the sex worker was already "invisible."

Cruel cops in this hour call sex-worker cases "NHI" -- "No Humans Involved." The victims are seen as sub-human; the cops say, No need to work too hard here.

Discrimination against sex workers played a role in the Long Island Serial Killer case; because the victims had little power in society, the killer found it easy to commit murders and to conceal the trail. (If the killer had gone after Gianni Versace.....then we'd have a different story.)

In "They'd Already Disappeared," the killer has a Norman Bates quality; he mummifies his female victims, and he has a toxic relationship with his own mother, his "roommate." Clues come from unusual places. For example, a little kid near the "kill site" knows quite a bit about the culprit; the kid says, "That white guy is The Vampire, because he only works at night." Also, a child with autism literally knows all anyone needs to know about the culprit; his mental wealth has gone untapped for years, presumably because of casual discrimination against children with autism. ("He'd already disappeared.")

Finally, I like the opening of the show. Tanya, a soon-to-be-victim, is seen converting a cafe restroom into a changing station. Where else could she change? Tanya gets caught, but she fights back. In that small exchange, we learn something about Tanya's resourcefulness and brain. (And later we're reminded once again that Tanya has a soul; in the hour's best scene, a medical examiner says, "Daria? You are Tanya's sister? Look at the body for just a second, but then look back at the photo you brought, the photo of your sibling. THAT is how you want to remember Tanya. That's really what you want to focus on.")

Such a terrific hour. More soon.
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