Written by Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas
Directed By Peter Leto
Two police officers in two separate precincts attack their wives and later demonstrate suicidal behavior, suspected to be caused by a newly formulated malaria drug both men received while serving in Afghanistan.
This episode provides examples of:
- Boom, Headshot!: One of the two police officers who are suffering from Quinium shot himself in the head. He miraculously survives.
- Broken Pedestal: Stabler's faith in the U.S. Military is shaken due to the entire Quinium ordeal.
- Continuity Snarl: While approaching the fish market, Munch mentions to Fin that he worked in the market as a kid and made good money there. John Munch grew up in Baltimore as was explained in Homicide: Life on the Street, not New York City.
- Stabler is referred to as a Desert Storm veteran, though he was already out of the marines by that time.
- Downer Ending: Due to Dr. Trainer backing out of his testimony, the main characters failed to ban the production of Quinium. The episode (and season) then ends with them watching returning soldiers from Iraq and wondering who among them took the drug.
- Officer Callahan committed suicide, Officer Myers killed his wife and traumatized his son by shooting himself in front of him. And Lord knows how many more will suffer a similar grim fate.
- Harmful to Minors: One of the two police officers who are suffering from Quinium shot himself in front of his son.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Sherm Hempell may come off as a self-absorbed Intrepid Reporter, but he genuinely wants the public to know about the dangers of Quinium and is concerned about the military's welfare.
- Military Brat: Casey Novak's father served in Vietnam as "a door gunner on a Huey [UH-1 helicopter]."
- Mistaken for Cheating: Benson and Stabler first considered that their cop suspect might having an affair with his female partner. Turns out said partner is a lesbian.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: The US Army tried to bury Novak in paperwork when she subpoenas them for records regarding Quinium.
- Psycho Serum: Quinium, itself not a real drug but appears to be an Expy of a similar anti-malarial drug called Lariam. Doubles as a case of Gone Horribly Wrong when the Army gave the drug as an anti-malarial, and then tried to cover it up after they discovered the harmful side effects.
- Refuge in Audacity: Novak subpoenas the Secretary of Defense, much to her boss's horror.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Invoked by the wife of the cop suspect, claiming that Benson and Stabler are siding with her abusive husband due to their shared profession.
- Season Finale: The show's sixth.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Before discovering Quinium, the main characters first assumed that their perp cop was suffering from PTSD from Iraq.
- Shout-Out: When Sherm walks into the precinct he calls Munch and Novak, sitting next to each other, as "Mulder and Scully" from The X-Files. This is somewhat odd considering that Munch has met the actual Mulder and Scully in a crossover with Homicide .
- Would Hit a Girl: The first suspect, who beats his wife, later beats his chief when he learns she'll send him to therapy.
