Inconceivable (22 Jan. 2008)

A canister of frozen embryos is stolen from a fertility clinic. The SVU team race against the clock to retrieve it before the embryos are no longer suitable for implantation.

Director:

Christopher Zalla

Writers:

Dick Wolf (creator), Dawn DeNoon

Stars:

Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, Richard Belzer

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Meloni	...	Detective Elliot Stabler
Mariska Hargitay	...	Detective Olivia Benson
Richard Belzer	...	Sergeant John Munch
Diane Neal	...	A.D.A. Casey Novak
Ice-T	...	Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola
Adam Beach	...	Detective Chester Lake
BD Wong	...	Dr. George Huang (credit only)
Tamara Tunie	...	Dr. Melinda Warner (credit only)
Dann Florek	...	Captain Donald Cragen
Mark Moses	...	James Grall
Charity Henson	...	Carol (as Charity Henson-Ballard)
Austin Lysy	...	Russell Hunter
Meredith Eaton	...	Jocelyn Miller
John Schuck	...	Chief of Detectives Muldrew
Joanna Merlin	...	Judge Lena Petrovsky

Storyline

Someone broke into a fertility clinic and stole a tank containing frozen embryos. So, SVU works the case. It seems that the embryos are on viable as long as they're frozen and they only have a few days of liquid nitrogen left. They eventually find them. They were stolen by a couple who oppose fertility clinics. But they found them too late. After the couple are arraigned someone shoots the husband outside the courthouse. So they start by checking everyone who lost their embryos. They also suspect the wife because she left in a huff.

---

Plot Keywords:

detective john munch

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 2008 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolf Films, Universal Media Studios (UMS)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Quotes

Chief of Detectives: [about a tank of frozen embryos stolen from a fertility clinic] Now, Don doesn't believe this falls under your purview, but those are potential children, who've been kidnapped. If they're not special victims, who is?

User Reviews

An episode far afield from sex crimes

I'm not sure any episode of SVU ever wandered all over the map quite the way this one did. A case of stolen frozen embryos morphed into a murder on the courthouse steps of a right to life activist.

Normally I like that shows like SVU take on some issues even though occasionally they go way far afield from the sex crimes investigations that they are supposed to be involved with. But this one went into the whole issue of just when life begins and the involvement of these right to life activists into decisions reserved for the interested parties.

Several striking portraits are given of various situations where people chose to have frozen embryos stored for future fertilizations. The most interesting part of this episode is the various motivations people have for doing this.

In the end the murderer of the right to life person is a truly decent soul who did what they did because they snapped. I'm not sure I wouldn't have under the same circumstance. But the story would have been good episode in and of itself.

This particular show from SVU meandered a little too much for my taste.