An investigation into a potential child pornography case actually uncovers a chemical company testing possibly toxic products on a group of building tenants.An investigation into a potential child pornography case actually uncovers a chemical company testing possibly toxic products on a group of building tenants.An investigation into a potential child pornography case actually uncovers a chemical company testing possibly toxic products on a group of building tenants.
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- Special Agent Dr. George Huang, M.D.
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- TriviaCHEERS is an acronym for Children's Environmental Exposure Research Study, which was a study that was conducted by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the United States government during the summer of 2004. The study was designed to determine how children were exposed to pesticides, specifically organophosphates, and other chemicals during everyday life and the effects it had on them. The study was conducted in Duval County, Florida, an area that had seen heavy pesticide use in the years prior to 2004. The study was supposed to last two years and involved researchers following 60 children whose parents regularly used pesticides on farms and ranches, they would take blood and urine samples from the children every six months; in return the parents were offered compensation in amounts up to $970. The program was heavily criticized because many people (including doctors and scientists from the AMA, CDC, EPA and the Surgeon General's office) thought it would encourage people to intentionally expose children to organophosphates and other chemicals in order to be paid, it was thought the EPA specifically chose Duval County because it was one of the poorest counties in the US and that it would encourage desperate parents to intentionally harm their kids for money. After nation wide outrage and protests accusing the US government of exploiting a loophole forbidding it from performing human testing and exploiting poor, desperate people in order to turn a profit the study was terminated in April of 2005 and EPA director Stephen Johnson was fired for his role in it.
- GoofsWhen Fin is riding in the bakery delivery truck the sound effect of a windshield wiper moving is heard but the truck's wipers are turned off.
- Quotes
Detective John Munch: It's not a weapon of mass destruction, it's an experimental pesticide, Milsted used it on those kids like guinea pigs. These videos are observing the long term effect it had on them.
Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola: Leave it to the prince of paranoia to kick it up a notch, that's out there even for you.
"Loophole" mostly executes its story very well. It is an uneven episode and a case of one half being better than the other, but when it is good it is very good indeed. It is not as good as "Infiltrated" and "Burned", but it is leagues better than the underwhelming previous outing "Outsider" and has a lot to recommend. Most of them the usual things and "Loophole" does get better when things become not what they seem initially. So a good episode but not great.
Will start with the not so good things, which is not many things but the not so good things are major quality-wise. The first 15-20 minutes are fairly standard, and while it does hit hard certainly (how could it not do with the subject) it is not much different to other episodes with this theme or similar.
Also felt that the gear change when things turn out to not be what they initially seemed is on the jarring side, making it feel like a different episode in one. Especially with the truth being nearly unrelated.
Fortunately, the rest of "Loophole" is much better, with there being more complexity and more shocks. Have seen criticisms of the episode making it too clear what its point of view on the subject is (primarily in the second half) and for being heavy-handed in doing so. Well, subtlety is not a strong suit sure, but other 'Special Victims Unit' episodes since have fared far worse in this (some from Season 7, such as "Strain" and "Alien" were the same).
Second half actually struck me as very informative and even quite scary. Script is tense, concise and beautifully balanced with no waffle. The performances are very good and more, especially from Mariska Hargitay (apart from the unbelievable fainting) and chilling Ray Wise. "Loophole" is well made, intimately photographed and slick with no signs of under-budget or anything. The music didn't sound melodramatic or too constant and the direction is accommodating while still having pulse.
In conclusion, good but not great. 7/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jul 7, 2021
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