Girls, I Cannot Believe I Missed This One!!!!!!!!!!!

How do you crash after a long day, darlings????? With "Law And Order SVU," of course. Yesterday, being Mother's Day, USA's Marathon focused on stories where mothers are at the center. Like the one where Ellen Burstyn (still at the top of her game in her 70's, and should have won an Emmy for this role) plays Elliot Stabler's bipolar mom. Which explains a lot now about Elliot!!!!!!

It was a pleasure to see that one again. But then I sat through "Hardwired," the 2,009 episode featuring Rosie Perez. I cannot believe I had missed this one. I also cannot believe some reactions it elicited. While there were any number of moments I wanted to reach into the TV and strangle some people, I found myself, for the first time, disagreeing with a decision made by Elliot, Olivia--and Dr. Huang (the always cute B.D.Wong!!!!).

"Hardwired" gets off to a great start, with Rosie punching out a woman in her car. It seems Rosie is accusing the woman's son, a classmate of her son, Cory, of molesting the boy, via nude wrestling match. This leads to a coach at the boys' school being held on suspicion. He is exonerated of charges here, but he has a sex offense record back in Baltimore--and he neveer registered. So off he goes!!!!

But it turns out Cory has been abused--his behavior is characteristic thereof, and an examination finds he suffers from anal fissures, and--get this--tests POSITIVE for Chlamydia!!!!! At 8!!!!!!!! Oh, My God!!!!! And I cannot believe how naive this sounds, but I admit it--I always thought this was something only women got. Guess not, loves!!!! So, watch out!!!!! You learn something new every day.

I knew instantly where this was going. When I saw Rosie's husband, Thomas Banks, a real corporate type, played by an actor named--get this!!!--Jim True-Frost, I wondered why he would marry a street type like Rosie. Turns out this sleaze buckett wooed Rosie and her kid out of a city shelter, and married her to get at the boy!!!! Hand me a scissors, quick!!!!! Not only that, the guy had a history of trolling the place for vulnerable women with young boys!!!!! Can it get any worse!!!!!

You better believe it, because it turns out he is in this big social organization, modeled after NAMBLA, that advocates the rights of adults to these kind of relationships!!!! Oh, yeah, you schmucks, and what about the children's rights??????

Rosie and Cory are put through a ringer of a trial where such rights are actually defended!!!!! I can tell you MY verdict right now!!!! But the law officers want bigger game--they want to bring down the organization by apprehending the ringleader, Kevin 0'Donnell, played by Garrret Dilahunt, now hilarious as white trash Jake, hubby of Martha Plimpton, on "Raising Hope." He certainly has range, I grant you that. His sanctimoniousness is hateful to everyone, even Dr. Huang!!!!!

However, I cannot countenace what Elliot, Olivia, and Huang do--put Cory and Rosie through a dinner designed to apprehend both Thomas and Kevin. This means putting an already abused child back with not only his abuser, but another one, allowing him to get all oily over Cory. Like Cabot, I was dead against this, and when it blows up in their faces, I still think the offficers should have been held accountable.

Finally, the scum do get put away, and things look brighter for Rosie and Cory!!!! Even if she has to deal with assault charges for stabbing her now ex-husband!!!! I couldn't blame her!!!!!

This one had me, and even Monsieur, on the edge of our seats. If I had to choose the ten most provocative episodes of this series, this would be on the list!!!!!!!

Thank God, there is "The Golden Girls" to calm me down!!!!!!!!!!!!