CI: Instead of freezing the Senator’s body, they steal his brain

CI S2 E12 "Cold Comfort"

That is correct. I have not ever had a girlfriend who didn't also want to kill me. So...points!

Doesn’t being cryogenically frozen after death sound good? Not to the billionaire who wants that brain to cure his son’s Alzheimer’s.

This time we look at Criminal Intent season 2 episode 15 “Cold Comfort.”

Our guest is Lisa Gallagher of the Toronto True Crime Film Festival.

This episode is inspired by the real-life controversy around the death of baseball legend Ted Williams.

SVU: She cures rapists by making them call her "Mommy"

SVU S5 E3 "Mother"

Not to shit on your technique, but what you couldn't do for Robert in years of therapy Huang did in the last five minutes of this episode.

This therapist thinks she can cure rapists by reading them bedtime stories, making them suck their thumbs, and calling her "Mommy." Then she straight up sleeps with one and is attacked by the patient's sister, er, mother. (Plus pro tip: don't put your ankle monitor on your cat.)  

We're looking at SVU season 5 episode 3 "Mother" with Diana Goodman from the ThirtyTwentyTen podcast. 

CI: The kidnappers melt down the atheist's gold into dumbbells

CI: S4 E5 "Eosphoros"

"Sometimes I skip leg day, but never arms. And this is why I know these dumbbells aren't ten pounds. Plus, I used to work at the Bureau of Weights and Measures."

The kidnapping of a famous atheist goes wrong, with the victim and one of the kidnappers dead and his accomplices gone with the gold coins. But Goren is no dumbbell when it comes to cracking the case.

This time we look at Criminal Intent season 4 episode 5 "Eosphoros" with Katie from the Date with Dateline podcast.

The TV episode's name comes from the Greek god of the morning star, the brother to god of the evening star, Hesporos. The episode was inspired by the kidnapping and murder of Madalyn Murray O'Hair. 

SVU: Joan Cusack's daughter gets kidnapped - again!

SVU S12 E1 "Locum"

"We are NOT trying to turn our new adopted daughter into our kidnapped daughter. We've just changed her hair and clothes, implanted a microchip in her arm, and gave her an unwanted nose job. That's all."

SVU searches for little Mackenzie who ran away from her smothering parents. Their older daughter was kidnapped and vanished years ago, and now they're making Mackenzie look just like her (with plastic surgery and a microchip).

We're talking about SVU S12 E1 Locum with actor Chase Williamson.

This episode takes some cues from the ripped from the headline story of Jaycee Dugard.

SVU: The guy learns he's been sleeping with his own daughter

SVU S19 E17 "Send in the Clowns"

Q: Do you recognize the meat cutter who wore this creepy AF clown mask but never took off? A: That's his chin.

You think the guy in the creepy clown mask kidnapping the teen girl is the weirdest this episode gets. But HOLD ON. Wait until the music teacher finds out the student he's been sleeping with is actually the love child he never knew he had. (Vomit here.)

We're still stunned by SVU S19 E17 "Send in the Clowns" and we'll talk about it with Kimberly from the Date with Dateline podcast.

This episode is inspired by the case of Steven Walter Pladl.

L&O: The basketball player killed the fan suing him for $20m

L&O S15 E16 "The Sixth Man"

Hey! My eyes are up HERE.

How's this for a March Madness tie in? A pro basketball player is accused of snapping the neck of his biggest heckler who happened to be suing him for $20 million.

We're taking a shot with Law & Order season 15 episode 16 "The Sixth Man." Our guest is James Pietragallo from Crime and Sports and the Small Town Murder podcast.

This episode was inspired by the real-life 2004 sports brawl known as The Malice at the Palace.

SVU: The child porn victim sues her viewers & Benson and Cassidy break up

SVU: S15 E19 "Downloaded Girl"

The charge may be neglect, but the real crime is dressing her in those fairy wings.

Pay no attention to that little girl hanging off a balcony. It's her mom who's the special victim. Now an adult, she'd been made to do porn as a child. Barba convinces her to sue the men still viewing her images for millions of dollars. Also, Benson and Cassidy have the least-drama filled breakup in television history.

We're talking about SVU S15 E19* "Downloaded Girl" with Aussie star Kate Barkley from the Pups and Pop Culture podcast.

This SVU episode was inspired by the real-life court case of "Amy Unknown."

Note: because of the two-part season opener, some streaming services list this as episode 18.

L&O: Boys rape a [r-word] classmate & Briscoe's daughter is murdered

L&O S8 E22 "Damaged"

Yes, Lauren Ambrose's performance is powerful...but how about that shirt!

In one of Law & Order's most powerful episodes, a mentally handicapped girl is raped by her classmates. McCoy must fight the judge who sets aside the jury's verdict because the disabled sexual assault victim "had the time of her life." The result is a reflection on the meaning of dignity and acceptance. Meantime, Lenny's daughter pays the ultimate price for testifying against a drug dealer.

We talk about L&O season 8 episode 22 "Damaged" with Mark Blankenship of the Mark and Sarah Talk About Songs podcast.

Note: the original episode and our commentary use the words "retard" and "retarded."

To read Mark's article on why "Damaged" is among the best in the L&O canon, click here.

SVU: Cragen rescues a monkey & Benson poses as Stabler's hooker

SVU S10 E7 "Wildlife"

"...this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

The SVU team somehow gets involved in an exotic animal smuggling operation. A woman is killed by a tiger, Stabler gets shot, Benson shows off her bra, Kathy wants to leave, and Cragen gets a hug from a $1 million gibbon smuggled in a basketball.

It's SVU S10 E7 "Wildflife" and we can't even with Tara Ariano from the Extra Hot Great podcast.

To read a magazine article about how this television episode was made, click here.

This episode is inspired by the real international blackmarket for exotic animals.

L&O: A girl gets killed above a deli and Green goes gangsta

L&O S13 E4 "Tragedy on Rye"

"You're under arrest for a crime we just convicted three other guys for!"

An actress is murdered above a famous deli and Branch wants to give the three suspects the death penalty...including the two guys who just stole the TV. Green goes undercover as a drug dealer, gets sued for beating down a perp, and reveals his affinity for Elvis Costello. And a witness reminds us who put Baby in a corner.

We're hungry to talk about L&O season 13 episode 4 "Tragedy on Rye" with Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam.

This episode is based on the real life Carnegie Deli Massacre of 2001.

SVU: She got her boyfriend to rape, then kill, her little sister

SVU: S4 E11 "Damaged"

Of course I'm a sociopath. Just look at my flat affect and mediocre acting.

It wasn't an accident the little girl got shot in the stick-up crossfire. Cabot gives her psycho sister immunity before learning she convinced her boyfriend to rape the girl, give her gonorrhea, then set up the fatal shoot-out to keep her quiet.

We try to stomach SVU season 4 episode 11 "Damaged." Our guest is Kate Casey from the Reality Life podcast.

This episode is based on the crime spree by Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka.

BONUS EPISODE: Grandma Sheila was Noah's kidnapper all along

SVU S19 E9 "Gone Baby Gone"

"First off, I'm really upset by this. Second, I can't believe you are falling for this shit."

As a follow up to our last episode about SVU S19 E8 "Intent," part 1 of a cliffhanger, we're dropping this bonus episode to briefly talk about the conclusion of the kidnapping storyline in E9 "Gone Baby Gone."

We'll hear from Rebecca Lavoie and Sarah D. Bunting about muttonchops, Twitter meltdowns, and how to get to New Hampshire.

SVU: The double catfish, Carisi tries to kiss Rollins, and Noah gets kidnapped

SVU S19 E8 "Intent"

Turn your back for nine seconds, Grandma Sheila. What's the worst that could happen?

We're looking at the most recent episode from SVU! You know...the one with the double catfishing scheme, Rollins and Carisi almost make out, and Noah gets kidnapped at the end.

Part two of this cliffhanger airs on NBC on Jan 3, so let's talk about SVU season 19 episode 8 "Intent" right now. Our guest is Margo Donohue from the Book vs. Movie podcast.

This episode is inspired by the real-life case of NBA player Chris Andersen.

THE BANNED L&O EPISODE: Rape at the puerto Rican Day Parade

L&O: S11 E11 “SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH JORGE”

Well...THAT escalated quickly.

Well this one struck a nerve! The Puerto Rican Day parade is marred by a roaming mob assaulting women in Central Park. Meantime, the wife of a tech giant is found beaten to death nearby. What follows is an investigation driven by politics, wealth, and race.

NBC banned L&O S11 E11 "Sunday in the Park with Jorge" from re-runs for nearly a decade. Our guest is returning panelist Lani Diane Rich from Chipperish Media.

This episode is inspired by the real-life sexual assault incidents during New York's 2000 Puerto Rican Day parade.

SVU: The one where the woman pretends she's still in high school

SVU S8 E21 "Pretend"

Of course I'm 16. I have pigtails, don't I?

The bloody BDSM scene turns out to be an accidental death from two high school buddies conducting "extreme wrestling." But there's something wrong with the victim's girlfriend. Turns out she's a 28-year-old pretending to be a teen!

We're blown away by SVU season 8 episode 21 "Pretend." Our guest is Stephanie Craig of the History Fangirl podcast.

The episode takes its inspiration from the true story of Treva Throneberry.

SVU: That girl can't be a killer Lolita, can she?

SVU: S1 E5 "Wanderlust"

And when she was bad she was horrid.

The SVU squad investigates a dead writer, a drunken lovelorn landlady, a pedophile impostor, and the tempting teen who might have had an affair with the victim. And Stabler suddenly realizes his daughter is going to have sex someday.

We're going all the way back to SVU season 1 episode 5 "Wanderlust." Our guest is Benjamin Frisch of the Slate podcast network.

The episode takes much inspiration from the book Lolita.

L&O: Rey joins the team & a guy gets shot in court

L&O S6 E1 "Bitter Fruit"

Well, THAT'S not going to come out with club soda.

Here we meet Briscoe's new partner, the smiling, good-natured, loving family man Rey Curtis (boy how things will change). And of course, Briscoe can't stand him. But once they catch the bad guy, the victim's mom shoots him in court...getting blood all over Claire's new suit.

We're looking at Law & Order season 6 episode 1 "Bitter Fruit." Our guest is Erin Fox of the "You, Me, and PTSD" podcast.

The episode takes some cues from the real life case of Ellie Nesler.

SVU: Fifty shades of plagiarism and Barba gets choked with his own belt

SVU S14 E3 "Twenty-five Acts"

Oh yeah. THIS is going to work out well.

She's the beautiful author of an erotic novel. He's the talk show host who likes to choke women with his belt. Was the sex consensual? Did she really write the book? And why is Munch reading a BSDM book to his blind mother?

We're looking at SVU season 14 episode 3 "Twenty-five Acts." Our guest is Julia Turner, Editor-in-Chief at Slate magazine.

The episode takes some cues from the blackmail scandal of Late Night host David Letterman.

SVU: The annoying lab tech was really the killer

SVU Season 10 Episode 22 "Zebras"

For those who've ever wanted to tell Stabler to STFU, this one's for you.

The psycho suspect escapes by riding through a Fun House, then fleeing super villain-style by dumping toxic gas to cover his tracks. But it's Benson who rescues Stabler from the real killer by repeatedly slapping her partner and making out with the bad guy.

We're looking at SVU season 10 episode 22 "Zebras." Our guest is from the "In Trouble for Talking" podcast, Sonia Sells.

The episode takes some cues from the life of SVU regular Richard Belzer. 

SVU: I didn't stab the Captain with a pickle

SVU: S12 E5 "Wet"

If not Benson, then who did?

A woman get horny and dies after eating mushrooms. A mime refuses to talk. Some guy is snipping women's hair in the park. A dog coughs up a tampon. And Benson has the weirdest freak out after being exposed to toxic fungi. 

We're looking at SVU season 12 episode 5 "Wet." Our guest is KCUR reporter and podcaster Sam Zeff.

The episode is based on the controversy around the effects of soda on the health of children.