Season One Episode Eight: Closure Analysis

“In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories” duh duh … this familiar tune was no different for Season One Episode Eight: Closure. The episode starts with a grandfather and grandson walking through Central Park in New York City on a bright sunny day. This is a stark difference from the usually dramatic starts to Law and Order: SVU however the story line quickly takes a turn when the grandson tosses his frisbee with a little too much force and it winds up in the bushes right next to the next victim of Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler. The detectives arrive only to
After viewing this episode, I was able to recognize many sociological concepts regarding gender roles not just in the main characters but also throughout the supporting actors as well. For instance, the first few minutes of the show it's easy to see that the two main women detectives are trying to fit in in a “man's job” while keeping their femininity, this includes them wearing dark colored suits but the camera constantly flashes to Olivia's perfect manicure and full face of makeup or Jeffries perfectly bobby pinned hair and bright jewelry. This provides insight that female detectives want to be treated with the same authority and respect but still must remain feminine enough to please society. Another gender norm was shown once the detectives began digging into the dark past of the suspect beginning with the perpetrators first victim who played the ultimate “damsel in distress”; she states “Richard was extremely charming this particular day so I invited him up to my place that