Adam's Paternity Leave is nearly over, but while we still have a couple weeks left, let's look at the last of a pair of episodes featuring a very tall Emmy winner of yore.

The Munchie Boys pick up where they left off last week, trudging through the murk as Ray’s tall brother faces the fallout from having been charged as a serial rapist while the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association possibly threatens Barba’s life for having the temerity to come after one of their guys. This fallout includes the first—and thus far, only—time an officer on the Unit dies in the line of duty, which gives Adam and Josh quite a bit to mull over while wondering why the stakes were lowered so much before offing him. Any episode that has Chekhov’s gun go off while also not having Chekhov’s gun go off means there’s going to be plenty of plot discussion to be had. There are also plenty of discussions about the typically insane things that SVU forces one to reckon with, namely intimidation wizards, phantom door-locking chicanery, the hilarity of needing apple boxes in hostage shoots, and much, much more.

Adam's Paternity Leave is near its end, but while we still have a few weeks left of it, let's look at the first of a pair of episodes (we'll pick up the second installment next week) featuring a key Emmy presenter from last night.

Hot on the heels of an episode that nearly broke our rating scale, the Munchie Boys watched Part 1 of a two-parter featuring Ray Romano's kooky brother Robert from the hit turn-of-the-century sitcom for olds, Everybody Loves Raymond. Fans of that show will remember that the actor in question, Brad Garrett, is really, REALLY tall. This causes the kind of continuity problems that only SVU can create. We're obviously talking about complex genital geometry problems. We would, of course, be remiss if our discussion stayed on topic, so expect to hear about Chinese New Year, more car talk from Josh, Rikers Island, and Predator.

Adam's Paternity Leave continues, but there's light at the end of the tunnel, so let's get conspiratorial.

What happens when a quaint little ripped-from-the-headlines Law and Order: SVU plot becomes a raging storm of insanity that sweeps the nation and leads a ragtag mob of jet ski dealers, realtors, and Neo-Nazi extremists to invade the United States Capitol? Well, the Munchie crew does their level best to answer this question and many many more as they watched "Real Fake News" (s18e17). Do you want to know what a teenaged Adam was watching at 1 in the morning on Austin cable access? Are you intrigued by the concept of a hot pot fusion restaurant that fully immerses you in a 4D psychedelic experience? Are you ready to mainline some pro-MSG propaganda and get fully Umamipilled? Everything they told you is a lie, unless, of course, they told you to fire up this hot Munch My Benson.

Adam's Paternity Leave continues, so why not cross the jump right back to where the Randomizer kicked us out to immediately after we did the three-part mega-Cragenisode?

Praise be to the SVU Gods and the Randomizer because this week's Munchstallment “Russian Brides” has it all. The seventh ep from season 13 not only thrusts a rusty Captain Cragen into undercover duty for the first time since before Cabot and Amaro were born, but it also traumatizes you with way-too-specific details as to what our vic went through before perishing. Add to that the unrealized prospect of high-end koozies, the irony of nicknaming a neighborhood Odessa by the Sea when the O.G. Odessa is in fact by the sea, a journey into the daunting world of the vory v zakone, and the fact this this episode feeds directly into the huge three-parter we just spent the past three weeks poring over, and you've got the recipe for a very tasty Cragenisode with a blini and a heaping portion of Captain Don's bottomless pit of sorrow.

Adam's Paternity Leave continues, so why not walk down the path that imperils Captain Don Cragen more than any Captain should be.

The cliffhanging Season 13 Finale “Rhodium Nights” is an episode that belongs in the pantheon of SVU entries, featuring what has to be the most memorable ending in the entire series. This wild ride takes us down a slew of odd paths, including discoveries of Rollins’s economic beliefs, explorations into load volume, lamenting meddlesome US foreign policy, and travel recommendations for border towns. There’s TONS to talk about in this one, which is a truly shocking installment of television.

Adam's Paternity Leave continues, so let's get dark and problematic this week.

Mere weeks after covering its successor in the Baby Doe Parentage Saga, the Randomizer selected “Undercover Mother” (Season 16, Episode 15) for the Munchie Boys to cover.  Undercover Mother is frankly an insufficient moniker to give this episode, as another mother goes undercover for our undercover mother, along with most of the rest of the Unit. Insanity reins supreme as SVU’s undercover op interferes with Declan Murphy’s own undercover op, one in which he’s working on taking down the brutal Johnny D but not without showing that he’s in so deep that he’s basically a human trafficker himself. We talk the careers of Lili Taylor and Donal Logue, the history of the defunct Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, Eric Adams’s purported sleep schedule, SVU’s love for undercover ops, and much, much more.

Adam's Paternity Leave continues, so we're going to dive into the brainmelty world where actors from the The Wire invade SVU and throw us all into a tizzy, as they occupy a shared universe.

It is a wonder that "Underbelly" passed NBC's Standards and Practices Department for any number of reasons. It sexually objectifies real-life 14-year-olds, it is extremely racist, it makes offhand references to piss play, and it takes us on a mind-bending Pynchonian journey to an interzone where The Wire both exists and does not exist depending on the exact placement of John Munch on the Eastern Seaboard. Join Josh and Adam as they unravel a bizarre case involving Stabler, Munch, Sister Peg, Beck (wait who?), and the cast of Season 4 of The Wire and learn about vintage Ferrari pricing, chemical spills in Nunavut, and the mating behaviors of 40-something divorced Dads.

Adam's Paternity Leave continues, so why not get down with the second of two wildly problematic Jeremy Irons episodes?

Sometimes life gives you lemons, and sometimes—if you happen to be on Season 12 of SVU—life gives you three days worth of legendary caulkhead, Jeremy Irons. It is a testament to the bizarre universe this often beautifully odd show inhabits that they chose to use that time to have him unpack the psychological trauma borne by two sisters who were repeatedly spoon-raped by their own mother. Yeah, this episode goes there, then turns around, and goes back for more. We, of course, use this absolutely depraved premise as a springboard into discussions of Josh's car troubles, Adam's isolation, the poor woman's Glenn Close, the rich man's Bryan Brown, and, obviously, our plans to ride out armageddon. As always, rate and review the podcast, and keep on munching.

Adam's Paternity Leave continues, so why not get down with some wildly problematic Jeremy Irons episodes?

Super famous Oscar-, Emmy-, and Tony-winning actor Jeremy Irons sashays through this week’s wonderfully messed up episode of SVU—S12E13 Mask. He attempts to reckon with his out-of-control Cape Cod Summer o’ Sex two decades prior. Of course, if it comes up in the course of an investigation on this program, you know the effects are still being felt of his indiscriminate adulterous boning of everything that moved in Falmouth, and this time, they’ve gotten his daughter and her lover attacked.

This gleeful voyage into the world of sexual addiction is fertile ground for plenty of discussion about such subjects as: parsing the paradoxical simultaneous adoration of Tony Blair and loathing of George W. Bush, tattoo critique, teen boys having pervdar, the strange ol’ days of Spice, summers on the Cape (and the corresponding nighttime water temps), the Kamadeva, and the broad, beautiful spectrum of paraphilias. Turns out, there’s tons of fun to be had when Jeremy Irons is a recovering sex addict trying to get his addiction codified in the DSM-5.

Adam's Paternity Leave continues, so why not throw to an episode we did that ties in heavily to this week's episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver?

Faced with an episode with a helluva third act left turn, Adam and Josh reckon with a first-half A-plot borrowing heavily from the Terri-Rick saga in Degrassi before the second half shockingly grasps for a ripped-from-the-headlines story with a crooked juvenile court judge inspired by the nefarious goings-on in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. This leads to an exploration of both the Luzerne County Kids for Cash scandal and the grotesque systemic judicial overreach currently happening in Rutherford County, Tennessee.

Don’t worry, Josh and Adam find plenty of non-infuriating things to talk about, including the bizarre connection between Melinda McGraw and Alex Kingston, delightfully impossible photoshopping, Icelandic reproduction clearance apps, Lehman Brothers tearing the US economy to shreds, the origins of sexting, what other franchise Stuckey really belonged in instead of SVU, and (of course) Meloni’s rock-hard buns.

Come get some.

The Randomizer gifted us with a wild Law & Order: SVU thrill ride featuring Hollywood legends Pam Grier and John Heard (“Disappearing Acts” S4E5) wherein a rape investigation leads Benson and Stabler into a massive federal investigation of some really really bad dudes. Do our heroes acquit themselves well in this complex and trying situation? No, not at all. Do we enjoy discussing Adam's time out on the town, Josh's former neighbors, a variety of big money scams, and, of course, speculating about the standards and practices meeting that let the first 6 minutes of this gem burst through the cracks? Obviously.

Adam's Paternity Leave continues, so we're going to drop in the second of a pair of brainmelters.

The Randomizer thrust Shiri Appleby back into Munchstory for the second time in three months in "Dearly Beloved," Episode 19 of Season 20. If you want an SVU where the entire field of psychotherapy called into question by a perpetrator/victim combination for whom the concept of truth is akin to cheap toilet paper you stole from your job, then this is the episode for you. Do good therapists tell their patients/victims that they suffer from erotic rape fantasy disorder? Short answer: no. Long answer: well, how's about you take a listen?

Adam's Paternity Leave continues, so we're going to drop in the first of two brainmelters.

After reckoning with the horrific current events aspect of this week's installment, Adam and Josh get down to brass tacks with “Military Justice,” which depending on where you watch it is either Episode 7 or 8 from Season 15 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. We discuss the essence of Galveston, the most heinous crime in the Boschiverse, the general self-preservation skills of ensigns, and Rollins straight-up laying a dude out, while marveling at a shockingly good episode of SVU complete with efficacious character development and some real tearjerking moments. And a lot of peen.

Adam's Paternity Leave continues, so we're going back to the well to pull an episode that feeds our Benbot passion.

Sometimes the Randomizer giveth; sometimes it taketh away. It’s sort of like SVU that way. This week it gave an episode that takes us all on a wild ride from a stairwell in Chelsea to the grim realities of life in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Along the way, jealousy abounds, Benbot enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner, Adam breaks down the past 150 years of strife in the Congo, Amazing Grace and Chuck is deduced to have done some ripping from the headlines, no one wants to believe our victim—Lainie McCallum, played by Diora Baird—and a cut hand yields some unexpected outcomes. The Munchie Boys tackled “Witness” (S11E16), so hold on to your butts.

Adam's Paternity Leave continues, so we'll re-release a stunt-casty ep with some pretty left turns.

Law And Order: SVU frequently takes the viewer to uncomfortable places, and Josh and Adam are no strangers to the depths of the criminal imagination. Still, they were not fully prepared for this vertiginous descent into the tawdry wrinkled world of swinging elder sex. If you want an in-depth discussion of the ethics of mercy killing, the NYPD’s somewhat lax emergency first aid standards, and whether or not one should speak to the police while wearing nothing but a fully open robe and a smirk, then you've come to the right podcast. Benson, Stabler and the rest of the squad are joined by stars Jane Krakowski and Anthony Rapp for "Bound" (Season 5, Episode 23). This will definitely leave you "satisfied." Enjoy!

Adam's Paternity Leave plods along, so we'll drop one discussing one of the most memorable episodes in series history.

We got to watch an all-time Law & Order: SVU ("Undercover" Season 9, Episode 15) which sees Olivia Benson go undercover in a notorious women's prison in order to catch a serial rapist corrections officer. Along the way, we discuss the proper way to light an upskirt be-ankled panties shot, ‘90s nepotism star Barry Van Dyke, and the meaning of the phrase "iron kitten." We also talk about a few of the more famous residents of New York State's Bedford Hills Correctional Facility For Women. This is one of the standout episodes of the entire series, and though it mostly deals in shocking trauma, the writers and producers of this wonderful show found ways to sprinkle in lighthearted dick jokes throughout this heart-pounding hour of television. Enjoy!

Adam's Paternity Leave persists, so we'll drop a fun ep with a slew of recognizable actors, including a title character of a show that lasted [checks notes] 12 seasons?

Emily Deschanel stars in Season 3, Episode 17 of SVU, Surveillance, which features a web of people who are all dangerously obsessed with the titular Bones star. This leads Josh and Adam down a litany of bizarre and digressive topics including, but not nearly limited to, Julio Cortazar, the best sexual positions for self-filming, David Boreanaz's bank account, and, of course, which instrument in the orchestra is the sexiest. Come along for a wild ride.

Adam's Paternity Leave continues, so we'll drop this fun ep with a slew of recognizable actors and a ton of problematic conent from the SVU braintrust.

Law & Order: SVU is often salacious and upsetting and certainly problematic, but rarely does an episode—“Brotherhood” (S5E12)—reference foreign object anal penetration a whopping 22(!) times. Obviously, for the love of all things good, please be warned that we will be talking A LOT about that triggering subject. Of course we will also be discussing exotic woods, waste water treatment facilities, Lutheran traffic patterns, Josh's COVID scare (he's negative), and Adam's salad days. You're not going to forget this one anytime soon, and you will NEVER look at a wooden handle the same way again.

Another Paternity Leave Installment, and this time we're going with a pretty famous double-ripped-from-the-headlines episode.

We at Munch My Benson like to go off on tangents, and the intellectual fuel provided by "American Tragedy" (S15E3) propelled us pretty far out there. We learn about old New York when it was still basically New Amsterdam; we break down Cybill Shepherd's accent as it wavers in and out of caricature; we delve into the Trayvon Martin and Paula Deen cases from whose headlines this episode was ripped; we learn about John Cougar Mellencamp's extended family; and, we definitely talk about whether or not it's socially acceptable to deck a bald man in the middle of the night on a lonely street corner. Enjoy!

Another Paternity Leave Installment, and this time we're going with one we DID. NOT. LIKE.

What do Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Knicks' great Allan Houston, and legendary Austin corpse defiler Laura Hall have in common? Well, they are but a small taste of the wild series of digressions the Munchie boys take as they review "Choice" (S5E7), an episode of SVU that features a host of recognizable actresses from the past. Small business owners and customer service professionals will be especially interested in Josh's excellent advice on how not to talk to your customers.