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SVU

 One from the vault. Season Seven. "Starved." Fifty minutes about domestic abuse.


An attractive sociopath, Dean Cain (once known for playing Superman), marries a vulnerable woman. The man presents himself as mostly smooth and polished, and the woman is regularly in a state of crisis.

The woman indicates that she is unworthy of her relationship, and Dean Cain basically echoes this belief. (All that material has a thematic link to Gabby Petito/Laundrie, even though the Petito case happened just a few weeks ago.)

This being SVU, the episode doesn't stop with a standard domestic abuse scenario. Dean Cain is so awful, he rapes women and then makes his oppressed spouse cover for him. When Dean is caught, he nefariously schemes his way toward millions of dollars by making sure that his wife will drink herself into a permanent vegetative state (and thus "free up" some life-insurance money).

A bit far-fetched? I admire a writer who swings for the fences!

The final act has a classic case of situational irony. We would think that the comatose woman's loving mother would have the clearest head about life-and-death decision-making, but in fact it's the evil Dean Cain who knows what the comatose woman really needs. ("The right choice for the wrong reasons." We know Dean chose correctly because--wildly, ultimately--the victimized wife seems to speak from beyond the grave. An old newspaper article is unearthed, with a quote from Cain's then-sentient spouse: "I'd never want to live in a permanent coma!").....

I would rank this one very high, despite the absence of Oscar winners....






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