YMMV / Law & Order S5E19 "Cruel and Unusual"

• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • A lot of moments in this episode become this, given what's now known about nonverbal autistic people. Watch the episode again, and this time consider the possibility that every character (Kevin, David, the little kid getting electrode applied) with autism potentially understands exactly what's going on around them, up to and including understanding everything that's said within their earshot, but has no way to make anyone else aware of this. The last scene in particular, where Mrs. Vilardi confronts McCoy about closing the clinic and leaving her without care for her son is downright horrifying in this context.
  • Poor David Vilardi is given a "communication" device, but what comes out are his mother's words instead of his. She does not realize what is happening until David is put to the test.
• Retroactive Recognition: Steve Burns (of Blue's Clues fame) as Kevin Jeffries, the victim.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: David Vilardi's mom can come off as this, especially in the last scene at the end of the episode. She talks a lot about how David's condition causes difficulty for her, without much mention of how it must affect him, the actual person living with the disorder.

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