Raise your hand if you too are having trouble understanding how Donald Trump has made it as far campaigning for presidency of the United States as he has. Considering there are episodes of Law and Order and its millions of spinoffs that seem to bear more information about American politics and judicial practices than the man who we now refer to as the official Republican nominee for president, it's pretty nuts. Brave new world, my friends. It's actually a little funny to me that Law and Order beats Trump in this area, because Trump's final speech at the Republican National Convention on July 21 was about just that: law and order.
Not like the show, of course, but instead like this plans to make America a "country of law and order." Still pretty ironic, though. The thing is, if these are really Trump's plans, he needs to actually educate himself on how to bring about "law and order" — and luckily, I have a pretty good plan for him: Trump needs to watch these seven episodes of Law and Order in order to learn a thing or two about American government and the justice system.
Hey, he did say he got military advice from watching a lot of TV, didn't he? Why not legal advice, too?!
1. "Everybody's Favorite Bagman" (Season 1)
This episode is actually still pretty relevant, as it deals with two young black men being accused of a crime they didn't commit because of their race. Also, it features the first computer ever shown in an episode of Law & Order, which, y'know, is something.
2. "Murder Book" (Season 17)
Loosely based off the O.J. Simpson case, this episode follows the murder of an author who wrote an "If I Did It"-esque book, which draws the spotlight on a man who had been accused of murder in the past but had been found innocent. Wrongly ruled innocent, perhaps? The justice system has its flaws, and they're highlighted here.
3. "Undercover" (SVU Season 9)
OK, I know this is actually a Law and Order: SVU episode, but I had to include it: It's about Olivia going undercover as an inmate at Rikers to infiltrate a prison drug ring, but instead ends up uncovering systematic corruption among correction officers. It's a brutal episode to watch, but sadly quite real — and a reminder that something needs to be done about corruption in the police force.
4. "Bodies" (Season 14)
Client-attorney privilege is called into question when an attorney won't divulge the location where his serial killer client hid the bodies of his victims. Though initially one might be inclined to believe the attorney should divulge this kind of info, breaching client-attorney privilege in one case could open a Pandora's box in the legal system that America definitely does not want to open — thus making this episode an important one to ponder.
5. "Burn, Baby, Burn" (Season 11)
In another episode that sadly remains relevant today, a former Black Panther is accused of killing a police officer, but he says he's innocent — and is instead being accused due to the history of violence against black people by police officers.
6. "School Daze" (Season 11)
Considering it deals with a school shooting — a masked student opens fire on his classmates — it definitely makes a case for tighter gun control laws.
7. "Pride" (Season 5)
When a gay politician is killed due to his sexuality (sadly, something that is still an issue today), the case leads the cops to a homophobic politician — and things just get more convoluted from there, resulting in the cycle of hatred continuing like a vicious circle.
Of course, this is just a starter kit — Trump's gonna need to do a lot more than watch seven episodes of Law & Order if he wants to be qualified for prez. Good luck with that.
Images: Tanya Ghahremani/Bustle; Giphy; NBCUniversal Television Distribution (6)
