Revealing mistake: Near the end of the show where Liv elbows Stuckey you see a stunt double, then when he falls in a split second he's replaced with a dummy.
Factual error: When tracing the "Master Baiter" the detective says she can't trace the subject because "the HTML code is scrambled". There is no such thing as scrambled HTML, and on top of that HTML can never give away any information about a subject's location. Also, she can't get his IP address because it constantly changes. Yet, she does know from what exact wifi-spot he connected. If you get random IP-addresses, for instance by using random proxy servers, you can't pinpoint a location (which was of course why he used this technique).
Continuity mistake: When Donovan pushes Stabler off the roof, Stabler is standing with his back facing the parapet and goes straight over. However, when he's shown on the roof below after he's landed, he's turned almost a full 90 degrees and is lying parallel to the building.
Factual error: When Stabler's son Dickie is trying to join the Army, Dickie's recruiter tells Stabler that he can join at 16 with parental consent. This is incorrect; you have to be at least 17 to join the U.S. Army, even with parental consent. In addition to the fact that you can't join at 16, the consent papers that Dickie bought to Stabler at the end of the episode can't be signed without a recruiter or notary public present and signing the papers at the same time. This is to prevent cases where a parent who had a change of heart can claim they didn't sign and to also prevent 17-year olds from enlisting without consent by forging their parents' signatures.
Continuity mistake: Fin is talking to the suspect in the interrogation room. After he calls Fin a racist remark the camera goes to outside the room where Cabot and Cragen are watching in on them from the 2 way window. It then goes back to Fin with the suspect inside the room. When the camera points at the suspect you can see blinds are actually shut on the 2 way window behind him. So Cabot and Cragen could not possibly see in like they were supposed to. (00:25:00)
Character mistake: In the scene where Detective Benson is presenting possible home care suspects for the rape of Cara, she says that Drew Cummings is on trial for distribution of Schedule 4 drugs. When asked which ones by Detective Stabler, she says "Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin, you name it..." Vicodin was a Schedule 3 drug, recently rescheduled to Schedule 2. Percocet and Oxycontin, the main ingredient for both being oxycodone, have always been Schedule 2. Schedule 4 drugs are drugs like Xanax and Phentermine, less addictive with lower legal penalties for distribution. (00:32:35)
Factual error: The coroner refers to someone having a blood alcohol level of 1.6. No such thing - above 0.5 you're almost certainly dead.
Other mistake: The birth dates of the sisters have been switched as Rollins looks on her laptop. (00:10:30)
Other mistake: The animation of the video player is a static image since the graphics don't move, and since it's a live stream it shouldn't have the pointer at half of the screen in the first place. (00:21:50)
Continuity mistake: When Amaro and Benson are searching the hotel room, they both put on gloves as they enter (Amaro puts gloves on both hands, Benson just on her right). After Amaro says "they weren't after cash", the camera pans back to Benson who is no longer wearing gloves, but holding one in her right hand and using it to pick up items. The camera pans back to Amaro who opens a safe and finds a passport, still wearing both gloves. He opens the passport and recites information, and we see Benson now wearing her right glove again. We then go to a POV shot of Amaro and he is reading the passport with no gloves, before the camera immediately changes shot and he has them both back on again.
Plot hole: Although William Lewis burns his fingertips in an attempt to avoid identification, the Special Victims Unit could have identified him early on by examining the remaining unburned area of Lewis' hands, and in good police procedure still record the newly scarred fingerprints, as these new scars actually make his fingerprints more unique. His scarred fingerprints would still be at Alice's apartment crime scene, and during the trial at the end of the episode the prosecution would still have a strong argument for placing Lewis at Alice's apartment, even if the DNA evidence is thrown out because of alleged cross contamination.
Factual error: The episode took a lot of liberties to further the plot when Amelia Albers was arrested by the Coast Guard in ADA Barba's office. While the story mentioned a real controversial military pamphlet on how victims should respond to a sexual assault, at the time the episode took place, the military was under a massive investigation over sexual assaults in Washington, was being widely criticized for lack of assault victim support, and had a bill being considered in Congress to make it easier for victims to report their attackers. There is no way any military prosecutor would have been given clearance to charge Amelia with adultery or fraternization while the men she was accused of sleeping with were arrested and already on trial for gang-raping her. Doing so would bring a lot of unwanted bad press and a possible congressional investigation on the Coast Guard that would almost certainly want to know why they are attempting to cover up a rape by charging the victim instead, especially when the rape victim was an admiral's daughter.
Factual error: When sergeant Benson is in the bathroom alone after it has been declared clear she looks at her phone to see a picture message from Lewis of the little girl he has tied up. She then texts him back saying "where are you" but at the top of the screen it says unknown as if the sender has blocked their number, so it would be physically impossible for sergeant Benson to reply to this message. (00:26:25)
Plot hole: M.E. Warner explains of Lewis and Benson "both their fingerprints are on the gun." Lewis burned his off in a particularly gruesome scene a few episodes earlier. (It was at the beginning of his arc). Only Benson's should be on her gun. (00:29:20)
Character mistake: In the final scene, when Carisi and Rollins are about to get on the elevator, he calls her "Alex." Her name is Amanda. (00:41:25)
Character mistake: At the end of the episode, Carisi calls Amanda Alex.
Revealing mistake: When Amanda and Fin are in Atlanta following up on their rape case, they walk past several cars with visible Georgia license plates mounted on the front. Georgia is a rear plate-only state and wouldn't have had license plates mounted on the front of the cars, as shown here. (00:13:30 - 00:16:20)
Visible crew/equipment: When the blinds are raised and Brooke views her sister Rachel's corpse and then cries, the reflection of the cameraman and camera are visible on the window. (00:10:45)
Visible crew/equipment: After most of Susie's severed remains are found at the beach, it cuts to ADA Barba walking into the conference room as he says, "Twelve hours after Rudnick posts bail, a potential prosecution witness is found in pieces with the morning tide," and under the table we can see two reddish long tape marks on the floor, where Olivia stands during the scene. (00:32:10)
Character mistake: Avery is referred to as transgender, but he appears to be a transvestite.
Answer: His clients are guilty and won't take a plea. He's using desperate defenses in hopes of swaying a juror or two. Also makes for better television. "Temporary insanity" isn't nearly as compelling as "the video games made me do it."
Brian Katcher