Law and Order, SVU

Last night (1/8/08), my husband and I watched the newest episode of Law and Order SVU. My husband fell asleep halfway though, but was in and out enough to catch snippets of the story.

In the last 60 seconds of the episode, one of the characters, a young FBI agent, commits suicide rather than face a trial and possibly prison. She shoots herself in the head while Olivia and her partner are just a few feet away. This causes Olivia to scream and start crying. Overcome with emotion she leaves the room, horrified, and the episode ends.

My husband stirred and said, "What made her scream like that?" I explained and then I kind of shrugged and waited for the news to come on. I really like all of the Law and Order series and I think the writing is good with stories that aren't overly sensationalized. I knew, though, that like Olivia, I was supposed to be appalled and saddened by the suicide of this young woman who showed such potential.

I was not horrified in the least. I just sat there, never flinched, and thought, "Well, we all find the solutions that work for us. Choices are so personal. She saw her future and chose not to suffer." Why is that so hard for most people to understand? Choice is empowerment. Choice is freedom.

Maybe I've just become a very cold person.