Law & Order/Recap/S14/E18 Evil Breeds

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
< Law & Order‎ | Recap‎ | S14


The detectives investigate the brutal death of an elderly Jewish woman. She had recently participated in a Holocaust testimonial project, telling the story of her experience in a concentration camp. The prime suspect turns out to be Stefan Anders, a German she identified as a camp guard and murderer and faced the threat of deportation and prosecution as a result. When her missing necklace is discovered in his home, he is arrested.

McCoy and company are surprised that Anders has a high-powered attorney defending him, and discover that this is the work of the head of a record label, Kyle Mellors -- his label produces "hate rock", pro-white supremacist music. Soon they learn that Mellors not only is supporting Anders, but was with him when he confronted the woman...In the end, it is the victim's video testimony for the Holocaust project that undoes the accused's case.

This episode contains examples of:

  • All Germans Are Nazis: Anders's son accuses the detectives of thinking this way: "Not every German was a Nazi!" Lennie replies "Yeah, they were Just Following Orders."
  • Double Meaning Title: "Breeds" of people can be evil (i.e. Nazis), and evil can breed further evil (the white supremacists who support him).
  • Fanon Discontinuity: Played with in-universe, in that the real life variety, historical revisionism, is brought up as the defense lawyer intends to have Holocaust denialists testify on Anders's behalf. The judge agrees with McCoy that this is not acceptable.
  • The Moral Substitute: This episode explores a Real Life example of what's better described as an Immoral Substitute.
  • Retired Monster: Stefan Anders.
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