Ripped
- Episode aired Oct 11, 2005
- TV-14
- 43m
When a girl is attacked, a young man is arrested. They later learn that he takes steroids which is what made him attack her. The guy turns out to be the son of a cop Stabler knows. The cop l... Read allWhen a girl is attacked, a young man is arrested. They later learn that he takes steroids which is what made him attack her. The guy turns out to be the son of a cop Stabler knows. The cop later attacks his son and it turns out he is also taking steroids. Stabler is forced to dea... Read allWhen a girl is attacked, a young man is arrested. They later learn that he takes steroids which is what made him attack her. The guy turns out to be the son of a cop Stabler knows. The cop later attacks his son and it turns out he is also taking steroids. Stabler is forced to deal with issues involving his own father.
Photos
- Special Agent Dr. George Huang, M.D.
- (as B.D. Wong)
- ME Dr. Melinda Warner
- (credit only)
- Coach Veneziano
- (as Kene Holliday)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaA botched take of the scene where Cragen suspends Elliott is used on the season gag reel. In the flubbed take Cragen tells Elliott to "get your face out of my ass" before everyone realizes the flub and starts laughing.
- GoofsWhen Stabler is in therapy, Dr. Hendrix asks Stabler if he had ever thought about "eating his gun". He tells her, "Suicide is a sin." Her reply is, "So is divorce.". However, according to the Catholic church, it is not divorce that is the sin, but marrying another spouse after divorce (without having the church annul the previous marriage). If a Catholic remarries the divorced spouse in a civil ceremony, however, that is not a sin, since the civil divorce was not recognized by the church to begin with.
- Quotes
Detective Elliot Stabler: [in a therapy session after Elliot beats up a cop who was beating up his teenage son; talking about Elliot's memories of his father]
[Dr. Hendrix asks if Elliot's father ever helped him with his homework]
Detective Elliot Stabler: Once, when I was in fifth grade. I had to make this diorama. Remember those things? The model you put in shoe boxes?
Dr. Rebecca Hendrix: Sure.
Detective Elliot Stabler: It was about the Civil War. And he told me where the put the cannons, and the soldiers, the trees... Nay, forget it.
Dr. Rebecca Hendrix: Did you get a good grade?
Detective Elliot Stabler: What?
Dr. Rebecca Hendrix: Did you get a good grade?
Detective Elliot Stabler: What difference does that make?
Dr. Rebecca Hendrix: It's just a question.
Detective Elliot Stabler: I don't understand what you want from me.
Dr. Rebecca Hendrix: The truth. I want you to start talking... really talking. What grade did you get on the diorama?
Detective Elliot Stabler: An F!
Dr. Rebecca Hendrix: You failed.
Detective Elliot Stabler: I didn't hand it in.
Dr. Rebecca Hendrix: Why not?
Detective Elliot Stabler: I moved one of the trees. And my father saw it as I was leaving for school. He took it out of my hands and he threw it on the ground and he stomped on it.
Dr. Rebecca Hendrix: It must have really hurt when he did that.
Detective Elliot Stabler: He took off his belt and he beat me with it... Because I cried... and only... pan... pansies cry...
[he starts to cry]
Detective Elliot Stabler: He said I was weak, and called me a failure. He called me that a lot.
Dr. Rebecca Hendrix: What did you see in that mirror today, Elliot?
Detective Elliot Stabler: The guy my father always saw.
Dr. Rebecca Hendrix: You're not weak. You're so busy being strong, and helping everyone, you've got nothing left for yourself. It takes a lot more balls to talk about your problems, than beat the hell out of a ghost.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2006)
"Ripped" centres around Stabler and on the most part it's in the former category. It is not on the same level of brilliance of the previous episode "911" (widely considered one of the best 'Special Victims Unit' episodes), but it is still very good in its own way and nearly great. It is very revealing in the development of Stabler and doesn't feel like covering the same ground or going round in circles with him. Maybe there could have been a little more of an equal balance between the psychiatry and the case perhaps, but "Ripped" is mostly very successful in its execution.
On a visual level, the episode is solid and the intimacy of the photography doesn't get static or too filmed play-like. The music when used is not too over-emphatic and has a melancholic edge that is quite haunting. The direction is sympathetic enough without being leaden, while having enough momentum to make the drama sing in its atmosphere. The performances are all top notch, with Christopher Meloni indeed dominating. Although Meloni gave many outstanding performances as Stabler his performance here is towards the top of the best, his more vulnerable side brought out is incredibly moving.
The script on the most part is thoughtful and intelligently crafted, the pulling no punches approach not coming over as overly grim. The story mostly is absorbing, with a difficult issue dealt with with intensity but with enough tact to avoid heavy-handedness which is not easy to do with a subject matter as dark as this. The character chemistry is very strong throughout, the big one being Stabler and Hendricks and that was both firey and sympathetic. "Ripped" is most notable for Stabler's character development, we knew about his wife and children and how he was finding the stress of the job and the increasingly difficult family situation difficult. This however is the first time we delve into his past and it is here where one finally has an understanding for why he behaves the way he does and why such a hard hitting case like the one here hit home with him, with a past like he has and suppressing it for so long it is no wonder he acts this way.
By all means "Ripped" isn't quite perfect. Did think that it was too talky in spots, especially in the scenes with Stabler and Hendricks. A lot of the talk was thankfully very revealing, other parts a little rambling.
It takes a little too long to get to the point, we could have found out everything needed to know with 5-10 minutes trimming quite easily. Would have liked a little less of the Stabler/Hendricks subplot and more of the case that caused Stabler to go over the edge.
Summing up, very good on the whole. 8/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Apr 8, 2021