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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
S1.E6
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IMDbPro

Sophomore Jinx

  • Episode aired Oct 25, 1999
  • TV-14
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
Richard Belzer and Sean Squire in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
CrimeDramaMystery

Benson and Stabler investigate a female student's murder at a local college. When they develop a suspect on the basketball team, they experience resistance from the college, which is trying ... Read allBenson and Stabler investigate a female student's murder at a local college. When they develop a suspect on the basketball team, they experience resistance from the college, which is trying to preserve its reputation and its chance at an upcoming championship.Benson and Stabler investigate a female student's murder at a local college. When they develop a suspect on the basketball team, they experience resistance from the college, which is trying to preserve its reputation and its chance at an upcoming championship.

  • Director
    • Clark Johnson
  • Writers
    • Dick Wolf
    • John Chambers
    • Wendy West
  • Stars
    • Christopher Meloni
    • Mariska Hargitay
    • Richard Belzer
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    1.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Clark Johnson
    • Writers
      • Dick Wolf
      • John Chambers
      • Wendy West
    • Stars
      • Christopher Meloni
      • Mariska Hargitay
      • Richard Belzer
    • 2User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

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    Top cast

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    Christopher Meloni
    Christopher Meloni
    • Detective Elliot Stabler
    • (as Chris Meloni)
    Mariska Hargitay
    Mariska Hargitay
    • Detective Olivia Benson
    Richard Belzer
    Richard Belzer
    • Detective John Munch
    Dann Florek
    Dann Florek
    • Captain Donald 'Don' Cragen
    Lothaire Bluteau
    Lothaire Bluteau
    • James Henri Rousseau
    Sean Squire
    • Chuck Mosley
    Dean Winters
    Dean Winters
    • Detective Brian Cassidy
    Kohl Sudduth
    Kohl Sudduth
    • Riley Couger
    Michelle Hurd
    Michelle Hurd
    • Detective Monique Jeffries
    Isabel Gillies
    Isabel Gillies
    • Kathy Stabler
    Erin Broderick
    • Maureen Stabler
    Holiday Segal
    • Kathleen Stabler
    Patricia Cook
    • Elizabeth Stabler
    Jeffrey Scaperrotta
    Jeffrey Scaperrotta
    • Dickie Stabler
    Tom O'Rourke
    Tom O'Rourke
    • Anthony Schlasser
    Novella Nelson
    Novella Nelson
    • Mrs. Mosley
    Claire Lautier
    Claire Lautier
    • Shelley Brown
    Angie Harmon
    Angie Harmon
    • ADA Abbie Carmichael
    • Director
      • Clark Johnson
    • Writers
      • Dick Wolf
      • John Chambers
      • Wendy West
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In New York state having sexual intercourse with a dead body is charged as sexual misconduct, a class A misdemeanor which carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail.
    • Goofs
      When Benson and Stabler walk into the examination room, Rodgers is running a bone saw, then when she looks up, she turns the saw off. However, the blade on the saw is not moving at any time.
    • Quotes

      A.D.A. Abbie Carmichael: What was it called before we invented the terms date rape and sexual assault?

      Captain Donald Cragen: Boys will be boys?

    • Connections
      References Saturday Night Live: Steve Martin/The Blues Brothers (1978)

    User reviews2

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    "If I go down on the spot I die, you better make sure this never happens to it or I'll haunt you the rest of your days"
    Despite only being Season 1, which usually for most shows tends to be "finding its feet"/"taking time to settle" period, 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' has fared very well up to this point of it. Was disappointed personally in "Wanderlust" but the rest of the episodes were very good to wonderful, so mostly a consistently high quality that one doesn't always get with shows so early on in their run. Not everybody will agree with that and that's fine, just my thoughts.

    "Sophomore Jinx" is another very good episode. Do prefer especially "Payback" (compared to a lot of first episodes this one compares very favourably) and "Hysteria", but it is a big improvement over the previous episode "Wanderlust". Which actually despite being disappointed by it had a lot of good qualities still. One might have noticed that with me when saying that something disappointed me, that doesn't mean that it's bad, merely saying that it didn't live up to higher expectations.

    In my view, the victim could have had more development outside of what she was really like. The way she was written seemed on the one-dimensional side, meaning under-explored and unlikeable, which made anything to make one connect with her in any way emotionally very difficult.

    There are a huge amount of good things, that far outweigh any reservations. The case is absorbing, with its fair share of twists and surprises that catch one off guard and being surprised when one thinks that something they thought they were certain about was not correct after all. It is disturbing at times, though not quite in an unpleasant aftertaste way. Did like Abbie Carmichael's appearances and yes Angie Harmon acts disgust more than adeptly. Stabler's personal life is touchingly done and doesn't feature too heavily or feel too irrelevant.

    Script is thoughtful and sometimes hilarious, with Stabler having two of the best lines. One when at the memorial with Olivia and the other in response to a character's sperm sample refusal. The character writing for the regulars is not biased this time and Olivia is much more likeable here, having been put off by how she behaved in "Wanderlust". The gritty visual style is still here, as is the spare but not intrusive music. The acting is fine, with Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay being solid and a well matched pair. Richard Belzer is amusing.

    All in all, very good. 8/10
    helpful•4
    1
    • TheLittleSongbird
    • Aug 4, 2019

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • October 25, 1999 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Filming locations
      • New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Wolf Films
      • Studios USA Television
      • Universal Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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