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I’ve
been a big fan of Law & Order:
Special Victims Unit since the very beginning. Even when I was a very busy
college student, that was one of the few shows I always made an effort to
watch. It was during my college years that one of the most memorable episodes
of the series aired: when Alex Cabot is shot and presumably killed, but
surprise! She really survived and was placed in a witness protection program.
I’m
not sure how to accurately convey how big of a deal this was. It was kept
pretty quiet that Stephanie March (Alex) was leaving the show, so the episode
was pretty shocking. I’ll also admit that I got a bit misty-eyed before it was
revealed that she was still alive. My friends and I went crazy the following
morning, all, “OMG!!! Did you see SVU last night?!?!?!?!” I couldn’t wait to be
done with class so I could call my mom and make sure she saw it. All in all, it
was a major television event in my TV-watching life.
But
fear not! A couple seasons later, Alex came back to testify in a trial and
temporarily reunite with the gang. (Her return in that episode was heavily
publicized, at least.) There’s this fantastic scene where she’s catching up
with Olivia and telling her all about her new life in witness protection.
Obviously she’s glad to be alive and safe, but there’s a certain sadness as she
discusses her journey from being a high-powered attorney in Manhattan to
working some mindless job out in the middle of nowhere.
In
this conversation, Alex mentions how she’s dating a very nice man who treats
her well and whispers her name when they lie in bed together: “Emily”. The look
on her face when she says this is just absolutely heartbreaking. It’s an
excellent scene all around, but Stephanie March really killed it with one word.
That
scene stayed with me for years and years after it originally aired. Somewhere
along the line, my writer’s mind started thinking about how difficult it must
be to be so close, so intimate with
another person, and not being able share one of the most basic things about
yourself. That situation had a lot of potential for drama and conflict, but I
didn’t want to copy the exact circumstances of witness protection (especially
since SVU had already done it so well).
And
that’s how I came up with the concept of Second
Skin, and specifically the character of CIA agent Anna. Little by little
her mask slips away, but as much as it hurts her, she stays true to her job and
doesn’t disclose her real name during her date. Will she decide to take a risk
and live openly as Anna, or will she be forced to disappear with another alias?
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