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09/25/2007 (10:00PM-10:59PM) (Tuesday) THE NINTH SEASON PREMIERE OF SVU SHOCASES GUESTSTAR CYNTHIA NIXON IN A DISTURBING AND ELECTRIC PERFORMANCE-Janis Donovan(Guest star Cynthia Nixon) turns in a powerful performance as a woman with multiple personalities who may have abused and fataly harmed her daughter. As Detectives Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler(Chris Meloni) dig more deeply into the case- with initial resistance from Dr. Henry Carlisle (guest star Bronson Pinchot)--Donovan continues to present even more personalities along with a harrowing twist to the case. For the detectives, it's a race against time to find the infant, while adjusting to sweeping changes in the SVU-a result from poor decisions made by the detectives that have spilled over to the squad. Also starring Adam Beach, Dann Florek, Ice-T, Diane Neal, Tamara Tunie, Richard Belzer, and BD Wong.

omg! when is sept. 25th coming? i'm so excited!

The preview video looks amazing. Cynthia Nixon is an amazing actress in her own right - but this whole storyline just looks great.

I agree - the 25th is WAY too far away!

I noticed the new season of SVU starts on the 25th of this month and I cannot wait. I thought it was about time I joined a board. LOL!

Welcome to the forum Music Angel...glad you decided to join the discussions.

JD/Forum Moderator

10 MORE DAYS TILL PREMIERE WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SVU ROX MY LEFT SOX

i luv ur Signature Music Angel it describes me in full

it did me as well. i am very...lyrical. LOL! I am also very excited about the new season. what is it like 9 more days from today?

In the event you miss the season premiere on the 25th, NBC will be running it again on September 29 at 10:00. It sounds like that will be a pattern for them to fill up their Saturday programming.

6 more day?! I dont think i can last until then!!!

only a few more days!

i'm so excited, i thought i was gonna die this summer from waiting :|

thank god for dvds

ONE DAY AND 7 HOURS LEFT WOOHOO

i cant wait im so freakin excited

ITS TIME!!!!!!!! Law & Order:SVU is BACK!! I'm so happy!! .

Is Bronson Pinchot the actor playing the role of Cynthia Nixon's psychiatrist in tonight's episode? (I'm sure they'll run the credits too fast for me to read them, not to mention push them into a tiny corner while the preview of the local news runs)

Yes, he plays the shrink.

I've been a huge fan of SVU and was disappointed last season to the point I could hardly watch it (partly because of Mariska's absence but that could not be helped)

but

this Opener was amazing! It has restored my faith in SVU. It really has. The team should feel proud of themselves for winning back my faith in the show.

OMG! That was incredible! Cynthia Nixon was positively outstanding! The best season premiere I've seen in a long time!

is NBC going to do like the other networks and put the show on the NBC website so that people who missed it can see the show????? I hope so cause I missed it as my Tivo went out after Biggest Loser!!!

They have not done so in the past. However NBC will be rerunning the show this Saturday at 10.

We were excited about this series - until we watched it.

We know that the writers of this show exhibit a lot of things that go on within the justice system, and we are perhaps very upset that the ONLY thing people seem to portray DID people are either murderers or fakers pretending to be DID - which are really murderers wanting revenge (their real diagnosis should be PTSD, with a possible personality disorder - and DID is NOT a personality disorder, it is part of a dissociative disorder).

We understand that the message of this show displays how people try to use the DID as a way to get away with murder, but what about the people who really have DID - unfortunately the general public thinks it is just too rare, or it has to be like Sybil (which we haven't watched or read), and most people think that the one's diagnosed with DID are either faking it or wanting attention. We are sick of the stereotypes that come from over-dramatized shows or the people that actually try to get away with murder by using DID - those people don't have DID, and why they would want to fake it just to get away with murder - they have and the one's that are singletons have NO CLUE as to what someone with DID really goes through.

Unsure of what Sybil is or was about, but being compared to a movie or show, that is not something that is realistic.

Why not create an episode where someone with DID suffering from Ritualistic Abuse is rescued and their abusers get caught by SVU police - then and only then would that begin to serve justice for those that really and truly have DID.

As we have DID, we are sort of offended, but also realize the realistic tempo for this particular episode - it WAS NOT about DID at all, but about people that FAKE or USE DID as an excuse to get away with murder.

We just wish they would have a genuine show or movie where there is a real DID person that gets to lawfully bring to justice their abusers.

Unfortunately, most of them or all of them get away with murder, rape, animal cruelty, incest, and a bunch of other things that are illegal. And unfortunately, most of the abusers are not only family members, but claimed religious people, leaders in the community, etc.

It is sad that people that have no clue about DID and T's that don't believe in DID and the general population that can only see from the outside from what ignorance they don't understand about DID can watch shows like this and make a guess that this is what DID is about, etc., when this show is NOT about DID, but about someone that doesn't have it who uses it, studies it, to get away with murder.

If you really knew someone that suffers from DID most of their life since childhood, you wouldn't want to fake anything, and you wouldn't want any attention - but only to hide - and their only friends are online because it is too scary to go out of the house and lose time. It is so scary that there are power struggles with the alters that want to do too many things. It is something that not too many people understand or realize that there are REAL PEOPLE WITH REAL DID/MPD - and they are not faking. They have dissociated much more than the person with PTSD or CPTSD, and they have those diagnosis as well.

DID is NOT facinating, it is a disorder of dissociation caused by trauma - trauma caused by sick-minded cruel people that love to rape, murder, and terrorize children well into their teen and adult years.

I actually saw this episode about 11 years ago when it was called Primal Fear. Sure, the story line was different but the formula was identical.

I missed last nights episode du to issues with my Tivo!

Where can I watch it online? When will it be up on the site? Will NBC be re-airing last night's episode? Will it be on Itunes?

NBC will air Alternate again on Saturday 9/29 at 10:00. They do not put episodes online, just clips on the Show Home page. It should be available on Itunes shortly if it is not already there.

You can always check the SVU schedule in the thread SVU Media Alert. I undate it every Sunday.

I really enjoyed this episode. I do have to admit that after being happy about Elliot going home, seeing it was kind of wierd. I can't explain why it was wierd to see but it wasn't the same as seeing it in season 1-5 before the break up then possible divorce. Elliot's heart just didn't seem like it was in it. I was hoping to see him with all of his kids and only seeing Kathleen whining about her college friends seeing her pick up trash and then complaining that her parents shouldn't be having kids because they were too old was a bit dissapointing. Also, Kathy speaking about giving him a break because he worked late was really strange. Normally she would be the one complaining about him working late. I guess it will take some time.

I thought the episode wasn't that bad. It kept me guessing as to what was going on and I liked Cynthia Nixon on there and she did pretty good. And yea this was just the first episode so we didn't really get much sense of Elliot's life at home. I thought it was cute with Munch being the new boss and he did a pretty good job I thought and he took it pretty seriously. I just couldn't see him being in that position.

Having the episode be based on a case was a good thing.
Having banter among the squad again is a good thing, even if Munch is the butt of their jokes.
Elliot being home is a good thing. Especially good is that it was done without fanfare.
The scene with Elliot. Kathy and Janice was done with a minimum of melodrama. Although why Elliot was allowed to participate when a member of his family was involved is questionable. So was Olivia trying to disarm Janice from behind by grabbing her.
Munch was back to his old self. But he is a terrible leader. I liked that Elliot started to take charge when Munch was so out of his element.
Lake neither added to or took away from the episode.
Kathleen needs an attitude adjustment. I know teenage girls frequently see the world revolving around them. But she needs to grow up. Instead of ignoring her complaint about her community service, Elliot should have pointed out how petty she was being.
The idea that you could see the "Property of" stamp on a book in the backround of a picture printed in the newspaper, even with a magnifying glass, is not believable.
Cynthia Nixon did a reasonable job with the material she was given. But the writers once again didn't do their research. Janice's shrink said she had been his patient for a year and he was about to reintegrate her personalities. Competent doctors know to research their patient's history to find independent evidence of behavioral problems. Since her condition was a recent fabrication, there wouldn't be any in Janice's history. The state shrink for the competency hearing should have picked up on it as well.
Instead of the trial, where Casey was way over the top, it would have been better to show the competency hearing and have Janice's claim disproved there. Once exposed, Janice couldn't have used the insanity defense. If she was facing in prison she might have confessed if only to keep her sister out of jail.

Okay...my 2 cents...

Episode overall ...about a 3.5 out of 5. I thought Cynthia Nixon's performance was amazing.

On the other hand, Bronson Pinchot's guest spot was abysmal, IMO.

I didn't get Cragen's 'reassignment' being for such a short amt. of time.So...THAT was his 'punnishment' for his detectives all screwing up last year? Huh?

Munch...is looking pretty old suddenly. I hope he's in good health.

Would Munch really be so lame as to leave a nutcase suspect in the interrogation room by herself with a casefile while he went for ....a TISSUE? I really did think that was one of the dumber moments of the night.

The scene with Elliot at home, in bed, with Kathleen ranting about her community service...served no purpose other than to make sure we all understand that HE LIVES AT HOME NOW. We got it...loud and clear. Hopefully, we won't have to see it much again.

I liked that the epi was centered around the case. I'm hoping it's a good sign for the rest of the season. And the crap with Kathy being held at knifepoint was just a small scene...not overly dramatic. Not terribly significant.

Nice twist at the end. I personally did think "Janice" had multiple personalities...was a little shocked at the end. It was nice to feel that "you have to be kidding me!" feeling once again on SVU.

And for just for 'fluff'....loved Mariska's hair, and it's only going to get better as the style 'settles.'
And MH's picture in the opening...excellent (it was certainly time for a new one.)
Also loved Casey's hair and picture too.
Of course, for the men in the show...none of them have changed THAT significantly...so their pics don't have as much impact.

But the group shot...the pull back at the end of the song... is just TERRIBLE. Worst one they've had in 9 years. It looks like they shot it 10 seconds before NBC had to run the tape...as if they'd forgotten to shoot it until the last minute. It looks cheesy. Come on, DW....don't put out a shoddy opening! People DO pay attention to this stuff!

I really enjoyed the episode. Thought Cynthia did a real good job. A lot of twists and turns very nice. I'm glad Adam has become a main cast member.

I thought it was an OK episode....Olivia what did you do to your hair?????????? grrrr. Oh well....love the show no matter what

Thank you for the information. I say this because I can relate to Cynthia Nixon character as I have Multiple Personality Disorder and I have been diagonosised. I wanted to see how they were going to have the person protrayed if she was going to be the Sybil type or a more modern type. Again Thank You for the information.

Season9 1st show

I thought the last episode was great!

I loved the case and the return to little funny comments and less being completely emo about personal issues. The overall mood and feeling was lighter and I appreciated that. Things that I liked:

Lake: I think it is time for some young blood.

Olivia's hair: I like it short. Only a few women look sexy with short hair and she is one of them.

Munch: I am always happy with Munch around.

Kathleen: I know everyone else hates her, but I think she is hilarious. She is self centered and petty, but that is how a lot of teenagers are. She is at an age where drama queen behavior is expected. Besides, I kind of like El and Kathy catching some crap from their kids, they kind of deserve it.

El and Kathy together again: mixed feelings. I am glad they have stopped acting like a couple of indecisive teenagers, but home and happy again is not beleiveable quite yet. They will have to flush out the resolution of some of their probelms before I buy it.

I really enjoyed the episode. I thought Cyntha Nixon did an amazing job. I also liked the way the let us know what was the result of last years action without drawing it out.

To tell the truth I really thought it would have been her sister who killed the parents and figued she could blame it on Janice , or one of her alters, so I was surprized by the ending.

The pilot was good. Didnt see that ending coming. I thought Cynthia Nixon deserves an Emmy nom for this role, if not the trophy itself. Although she was stupid to confess at the end....with all their research, wouldn't it have occured to her that her sister will now take full blame. The sister knew it, but I guess Janice wanted to gloat.

Munch leaving her in the office...wow. That was not smart. I don't know yet if I like Adam Beach's character...time will tell. What are they going to do with Munch now that the Capt in back?

In the real world, if cops did what these guys did (Stabler and his daughter, Benson and her brother, etc)...they would not be back so quickly. But you gotta keep the show running I suppose.

Elliot is back home. I liked that his wife is not letting the kids be mean to Elliot about his sleeping. Maybe they are finally coming to work things out around his crazy job. His daughter needs to grow up and realize she got a good deal. Maybe if she didnt drink and drive....she would not be wearing orange. I can see her argument with people thinking the baby will be hers...but parents have kids far apart alot. Lucky her.

The knifepoint scene could have been better. Love MH's hair. Wish I could pull that off. Sadly, that will never happen.

The season is off to a good start. Thanks for keeping it NBC.

So did I. Do you have directv dvr or a tivo? I have directv dvr. I was watching the episode and into about 12 minutes of the episode my dvr deleted the episode. I literally screamed.

According to IMDB there will be two re-airings...9/29 at 9 on NBC, and then on 10/7 at 10 on USA.

Here is the link to the listing: SVU Season 9 listings on IMDB

Hello Newbie!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I am so happy you posted this. I just watched this episode on my TIVO and I was furious. You so calmly stated everything I wanted to. I too have DID and I am an outstanding member of my community. I have never harmed or killed anyone or anything. I am a preschool teacher! It is tragic that so many people with DID have to hide their disorder from their friends and loved ones because all too often shows portray us as killers or people think we are like Cybil which was dramatized for ratings. People with DID are normal and we are more common then people think. We are your neighbors, your loved ones, your child's teacher, or even your doctor. We are not crazy killers and I agree it would be much better to have SVU do a show where they catch the dirtbags who hurt children so badly, they become DID. Where is a show that can show some sympathy for what we had to endure, and overcome. Make us proud to be DID and survivors, not ashamed.

I appreciate those of you living with this disorder (and if you prefer another term my apologies, no offense is meant) stepping forward to speak on your stories. I can understand how you feel, at the same time I can see where the writers would want to act on material that would offer the most dramatic appeal, and also you must realize, we had these two women abusing DID. They would of course go for the most extreme cases they could find in their readings because they needed to accomplish a specific goal.

In addition to Sybil however, there have been other films that dealt with the disorder, I specifically remember Three Faces of Eve and one which dealt with a woman who referred to herself as "Rabbit" if I'm not mistaken, I want to say it was a film with Meredith Baxter Birney, but I could be wrong.

What any of these works ultimately do is open people's eyes to something they may know very little about and hopefully it will prompt more then a few to learn more about it. I think in the end, understanding and acceptance is what you hope to gain and you can only achieve that when people are exposed to it through the mediums available.

Once again, thank you for sharing your personal experiences with us.

JD/Forum Moderator

Thank you for your willingness to listen to us. I don't want to make this into a forum about DID and I really do understand how the show needed its drama affect. I just wish there were more positive examples of DID too. The movies you mentioned were all made by Hollywood and are not accurate to the actual people or events. Their real stories were made more dramatic to be interesting to viewers. Their real lives are more common of the disorder and not as much fun for television. While I appreciate the media trying to help us make the public aware of our disorder, I would more appreciate it if they would show a true example of us and how we live everyday.

If you are serious about presenting a specific portrayal of the disorder, perhaps you might consider approaching a film student and working in conjunction with them on a documentary film that would show a more accurate portrayal. I know that there are many film grants out there and just as many film students looking for projects to showcase their talents, sounds like a perfect partnership in the making. I'm thinking that HBO has a series in fact that is dedicated to just this type of short documentary, and how it affects those touched by it. It wouldn't hurt to look into it.

JD/Forum Moderator

Hello. I am also a member of a multiple system (and we ALL share this account).

I have to say that I was absolutely appalled at the episode, although I do understand all the points that are being made in it's favor. The actress did in fact do a decent job with the role. However, the two others who have posted before we did do a good job of explaining it.

Most multiple/MPD/DID systems are not as disordered as the media has made them out to be and continues to make them out to be.

Personally, in my everyday life, everybody knows that we are multiple. Our teachers and professors know, our friends know, our therapist knows, and our parents know. If we meet someone, we aren't going to introduce ourselves as, "Hi, I'm a part of a multiple system!" but we are going to be open and honest about it, because we went for a very long time having to pretend that we were not multiple and putting out an "united" front. This episode, in the few days since it has aired, caused some of the boys around here a fair deal of grief.

Certainly the show needed the dramatic element.

However, the fact that at the end they were only pretending to be multiple is horrid. It has very easily spread the bit that, "All multiples are pretending" and even though we have a fairly decent and understanding therapist, it does hurt to be accused that you are imaginary or make pretend. In the past few days, I have had several people accuse various members of this system of being just that. We are slightly varied, and certainly not all of us are 'like the body'.

But the fact is, the typical stereotypes do enough harm. The faking it does more.

I will come back to this at a later date.

I would also like to thank the moderators, for being very wonderful as to handling this. I meant to type that in the original post and did not. It has made many of us feel better to see the rational and reasonable approach that you have taken.

-Elen of the Featherdance

hello there. i also posted on the production blog. i also have DID. i think there was a lot of good information given out throughout the show, but had nixon been acting as a real person with DID then there would have been a lot of retrauma for the fact that she wasn't believed and that stabler was pushing her around.. it melted my heart to see benson talking to the little girl personality. but the ending. the ending people. primal fear played that ending. that wasn't original. someone said somewhere that svu could have done justice by showing her as having a real diagnosis and her being the one that suffered and that she wasn't bad or fake. it would have been nice to be portrayed as something other than murderer or fake. see the problem is that the world does look to media for how they choose to decide on things. not everyone but many. this is just another way to show DID as murder and fake. it could have been so different and showed caring and the killer could have been put to justice. that was not the case here. very unsettling and i hope it isn't the sign of things to come. there was an episode and i don't remember the name of it, but they portrayed schizophrenia. i think they did an awesome job with that and it turned out well. why couldn't they have done the same for this. it was sad and was upsetting.

just my opinion.

oompaa

I thought the episode was great!!!!!! At the end after she was declard not guilty you thought is was over but of course not, it is SVU. I can't believe that the character was faking, that was genius. I also love that Elliot is back with his wife. I firmly believe that Olivia and Elliot are more brother sister and if they writers put them in romatically I might stop watching. It would just be wrong for there character development and it would ruin there ability on the force working together like it did with Olivia and Cassidy.

Once again I want to express my thanks to those posters who are dealing daily with the effects of DID and who have come into the forum to relate their experiences as well as their opinions of the episode.

I'm sure it was never the intent of the producers and writers of the script to have it reflect negatively on any of you, however, if that has been the case, I might suggest that you write a letter explaining what you have experienced and direct it to their attention so they can be made aware of it. While it can't undo what has happened with this script and on this episode, it might shift how they approach a similar issue in another one.

Thank you too for the compliment on our handling of things, we try to be as fair and impartial as we can, and it's nice to have people recognize that.

Again, thank you for your participation in the forum.

JD/Forum Moderator

Oompaa: while this may reflect some DID/MPD/multiple systems, it does not reflect all of them, and therefore, I personally see this as misinformation for the most part as opposed to "information". I know that if I was treated like an "alter" I would be very upset and unhappy, because I am a complete person, and I am different from Elene or from Runner or from any other member of our system.

AzizalSaqr: Thank you very much for the suggestion. I believe we will have one of our more erudite and eloquent people write a letter at some point. On that matter, would it work better if the letter was mailed or if the letter was emailed? We believe in the value of the written word, although certainly it is good on a computer screen as well.

Elen and myself have been very pleased to see your responses. It makes us very happy to see that people do have open minds and an ear to listen to those who do not fit the mold of "normal". Additionally, it was nice to see your response in contrast to all the responses that the episode was wonderfully done and that the faker at the end was the perfect dramatic ending.

Again, our thanks.

-Athom, Fox Edwards, Featherdance

Featherdance, I am going to pm you to continue the discussion on the correspondance aspect of the post. To the other DID posters, feel free to contact me off-list as well since we are taking the discussion outside the actual episode itself.

As complex as DID is, I don't know that it will ever be totally understood by those of us on the outside, but, I would hope we might at least learn how to recognize the signs and be able to offer support should we find someone we know one day faced with it.

Again, thank you for the compliment on my handling of the discussion. This has been a subject that has interested me since Sybil originally was broadcast, and it was that film which was my first exposure.

JD/Forum Moderator

The Featherdance: I didn't mean to say it was like that for everyone with DID/MPD. I understand that every system is different than another. Sorry if I said that or lead that in that direction. Not my intent.

AzizalSaqr: Thank you for your words and time. I have posted on the production blog and emailed NBC directly. So I think that's all I can do. I don't expect to hear anything, but at least i tried to let them know. Thank you for your time.

oompaa

ps - I do like SVU. Thank you for listening and taking the time to write.

oompaa...you're welcome, the only way the writers and producers will see the other side of things is if people who are going through the situations they fictualize take the time to correct the mistakes. While you may not get a personal reply, I do think they will take note of what you've said and chances are it will make a difference on how they approach the next sensitive subject they choose to write about. It may not be a perfect solution, but, it's a start.

Thank you for taking the time to share your views with us.

JD/Forum Moderator

You're so very welcome. It's always a pleasure to find someone who is willing to take the time to understand and does not dismiss everything as beyond the scope of the reality which they accept.

-Featherdance

I don't know how to privately IM you. I am horrible with computers. I am glad to see the discussion you and the system of featherdance are having. I did cringe when you said you were fascinated by it since you saw Sybil. PLEASE know that Sybil is not accurate. Sybil was made more dramatic for ratings. The real Sybil was not like that. I travel educating professionals about DID and I beg for you to please contact me if you have any questions about what DID is. Don't use Sybil as fact. The best book to read is either Fractured Mind or the latest Chris Seizmore book. (Eve) The one she wrote on her own, not under the direction of book publishers. Those are true and very accurate to what DID is like. As awesome as Featherdance is at writing here, even she is a little more extreme then most. In most of the DID people I work with, when someone in a system has a comment, it is presented as one, under one name, unless there is a specific reason to seperate it out.

Thanks for listening.