ChristiKRN

Well done, Xeliou 66. I totally agree that fin and Carisi are the best dynamic duo since fin and munch. The only problem with this duo working together is that it matches up benson and Rollins, which is beyond horrendous. It really emphasizes that they need another detective with benson staying in the office most of the time & becoming more Cragenesque. However, I’m sure the rabid Benson fans would scream bloody murder if she took a back seat. I don’t think MH could handle taking a step back; I don’t think Leight will allow it to happen. I really don’t remember much in terms of supporting cast; the highly -touted psychologist was in a couple of episodes only and was never seen again. That role is essential for this unit; I guess the writers felt Benson could also provide this need. They focused too much on Stone’s personal life. They needed to keep him as the ADA that called SVU on their crap and kept him neutral. Having him frame Miller all because of Benson was absolutely asinine; having the other detectives aid in the framing was also asinine. We saw Fin commit 2 crimes in 2 of the last three episodes. Carisi not only risked his job as a detective but he ran the risk of being disbarred. Rollins...not shocking that she did something illegal although she had the smallest role in the frame job. Thankfully, this season is on the rear view mirror now. Praying for good things next season.

It is criminal how they have destroyed the character of Stone, a legacy character . I truly believe the benson fans on social media led to the destruction of this character just because he had the audacity to stand up to her and at least initially did not drink the benson Koolaid. To have him frame a defendant and potentially sabotage his career if he is discovered because of benson and Noah? Ridiculous!! There was too much about his personal life thrown at us before we even got a chance to see what the character could do in the courtroom and develop respect for him. On a good note, Titus Welliver and Callie Thorne were excellent. But they could have done so much more with both characters . I agree with Gigglepuff about Leight’s return. He is very pro-Mariska and was the one who brought us Noah and everything we hate about Rollins. I will say his storytelling ability is leap years past Eid and Chernuchin. I used to revolve my Wednesday nights around SVU. Now I get to the episode when I can for the last couple of months ; still have last week’s on the DVR waiting. I remember I was on call for my hospice job a few years back and had to go out shortly before SVU came on and being so pissed. They had SVU on when I got there and they asked if I minded if they kept it on, which I of course was agreeable . I forget the name of the episode but it was the episode where liv, fin, and Carisi were undercover in the brothel on super bowl Sunday; Undercover Mother?? Tried to play it professionally until Declan showed up and said “oh my god, DECLAN!!” . I have lost my excitement for the show. It’s a shame.

Leight did bring us some really good things, such as the introductions of Barba (before Eid destroyed the character) and Carisi, more standout episodes (i.e. “heartfelt passages”- 1 of the best written, directed, & acted episodes in SVU history),& fascinating guest/recurring characters, such as William Lewis & Declan Murphy. But he also brought us more storylines built around personal lives, such as Benoah & the trainwreck known as Rollins and her family. It will be interesting to see what he brings for season 21; I do think we will see better writing and storylines. I’m wondering if he is being brought in to tie the series up and give the fans/viewers some satisfaction as it ends.

I thought it was appalling that she would invite a victim to her apartment. How unprofessional & lacking in judgement. This was a girl who was brainwashed in an apparently very short period of time into believing that her father molested her . How easily could she have been twisted into thinking Benson did something to her also?

Lol...If Fin wants to be a part of the case, he will find a way to do so. No one in SVU listens when they are told they can’t be involved. Crazy thing is no one is ever reprimanded, so they keep doing it.

I thought it was an OK episode. Fin and Carisi scenes are always a highlight; once again not nearly enough of these two. Why are these two just used peripherally? Much of the screen time allotted to Rollins could have gone to them. It just seemed they were inserting Rollins into scenes just to give her more screen time; why was she in Stone's office when Stone and Gary's attorney were discussing plea deals? The 1st Stone and Cassidy scene when Stone stops Cassidy from going after Gary was well done; also glad to see that Stone did not break the "bro code" and tell Benson about Cassidy's past. Surprised that Benson didn't lay into Stone for not telling her. I thought it was a little strange that a busy prosecutor could just drop his schedule to go on a road trip that was unnecessary for him to go on. I liked it when Cassidy shut Benson down on the street when she started to give him one of her speeches. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't put off by Benson lamenting to Rollins about Cassidy not telling her; I kind of thought it was a normal reaction. I did think it was odd for Rollins to call her a victim, especially considering Rollins thoughts on victims; hmmm, does Rollins think of Benson as weak? I also thought it was strange that Benson immediately stormed out to arrest Gary when Stone brought in Cassidy's old teammate before hearing what he had to say and that she went to arrest Gary without anyone else with her. I know it was for the dramatic effect, but impulsive for a lieutenant. Potato was absolutely adorable. Something that I didn't understand was how Micah came into possession of his own pictures that Gary had. I wasn't convinced it was a suicide. This part of the story could have been more fleshed out. Not surprising how Benson told the other parents not to jump to conclusions when she herself immediately did when speaking with Micah's parents about his victims when it turned out Micah was a victim himself. Fin and Carisi were also guilty of this. Poor Micah was victimized again in death by SVU planting in people's minds that he was a pedophile like Gary. MH really needs to work on her facial expressions. It's just painful to watch.

Cassidy was the one molested, but I have no doubt there will be a strong focus on how Benson feels about it. I wonder how many times she will say “I’m so sorry” ina whispery voice and then give him one of her uplifting speeches. Gosh, I’m so cynical. Seriously, I hope it’s a good episode and they don’t waste Cassidy’s return.

Dodds Sr doesn't need to frame Benson; all he needs to do is just keep an ongoing track of her poor judgement and lack of leadership skills and she will be hanging herself. I loved O'Halloran. He's a great example of the sorely missed and needed support that SVU should have. I actually loved this episode. It had the flavor of older episodes. It was nice to see Fin being at the forefront of this episode; he had good chemistry with Jennifer Espisito's character. Nice to see Fin getting a little focus on his personal life instead of Benson or Rollins and it was integrated into the storyline well. There were some definite flaws as other posters have mentioned. There was no need for Benson to track down the girl at a NA meeting to give her a pep talk. Benson not knowing the basic rules of a photo lineup was ridiculous. I don't know which writer came up with the asinine rationale for the judge's actions but I can't come up with enough bad adjectives to describe it - asinine is my favorite. Rollins continues to make me hate her with her lack of empathy towards victims that are prostitutes when she stated that it was a 'waste of time" to pursue the case because of her history. I was sincerely hoping that it was Rollins who was the leak; I was hoping that she told Dr. Al that he needed to babysit b/c SVU was trying to bust up a pop-up brothel and Dr. Al, with his love of prostitutes, passed the intel along. Is Phoebe, Jennifer Espisito's character, going to be a character in the new Warren Leight /L&O spinoff, Hate Crimes?

Lol...that hairstyle is a crime. KG is such a beautiful woman but that style has aged her as well as whatever anti-aging "enhancements" she is doing.

I am kind of on the fence about this episode. I appreciated the unique approach to presenting the case in this episode. It was understandable as to why the detectives were conflicted in this case. There was much missing from the case, such as a psych eval or even 1 family member or friend to support or deny the claims of mental abuse. I liked that Stone told Benson to keep her "bleeding heart" out of his courtroom; I think that was the highlight for me. Fin remained calm and unemotional, proving that he is better-equipped to be in charge than Benson. He revealed his personal opinion with the whole fish metaphor but it didn't color what he needed to do. I was disappointed in Carisi for even considering lying on the stand; out-of-character for someone who passed the bar. He was attempting to act like a lawyer on the stand by trying to add on possible scenarios, but that was not his role. I am glad that he did tell the truth, though. I didn't think it was possible, but they made Rollins even more unlikeable. Anyone who blames victims for their situation more than the abuser should not be a detective with SVU; worse yet, she reveals her disdain to them. Watching Benson on the stand was painful. It was like watching someone have a nervous breakdown while they were passing a kidney stone at the same time. I was not shocked that she told the truth. I found it interesting that the wife who appeared catatonic most of the time came to life when Benson told the truth; it was like she pegged Benson as the "bleeding heart" from the get-go and expected her to come to her rescue. Did anyone find it weird that Fin fishes? Lol, I just don't see it, but then again we know so little about his personal life due to the excessive focus on the "super mommies" (appropriate nickname via Xeliou 66). Did Benson admit to being raped by Lewis or someone else when she whispered about "hoping he didn't climb on top of her again"?

I'm guessing there's going to be a custody battle because they like personal drama for their 2 female leads. I believe I read earlier in the TV season that Rollins was going to have a lot of personal drama, esp later in the season.

A lot of hospitals nowadays offer a more home-like environment to give birth in order to draw in more patients. Heck, u have 1 come in and end up billing for at least two. The rooms at the hospital that I work at are huge with laminate flooring, small kitchenette, small dining table, rocking chair, recliner, and love seat; all are private rooms . The furniture is vinyl for obvious reasons. They are about the size of 2 regular double occupancy medical patient rooms.

Something tells me that Dr. Al's bank accounts are well-funded, so that if he wanted to significantly cut back on his hours or just retire he easily could. Being that he is in his fifties, (if you go by his portrayer's age) he may not work the crazy hours that a resident or junior cardiologist work anymore, as many established physicians don't. He needs free time for the hookers, you know.

I totally agree with you. Benson has demonstrated a lack of ability to clearly see that just because you were victimized it does not mean that you do not have any culpability for your actions. Huge transgression in telling these girls that they are not at fault for their actions; how does that play into their future decisions and actions? They missed getting psych evals on both girls, which showcases the lack of supporting cast this type of show needs. Maybe if they had a psychiatrist's educated opinion overriding Benson's plan, the stabbing would not have happened. I initially thought it was going to be a predictable episode, but there were enough plot twists to make it a decent episode. The 2 girls playing the sisters were really good. I agree that they performed better than some of their more seasoned scene partners, who rely on whispering (?concerned about people overhearing ridiculous comments) and open-mouthed stares (?too Botoxed to do anything else) to convey their emotions .

How awesome would it have been if the ME was Warner? They would have benefited from a Dr. Huang visit tonight also. They desperately need a supporting cast. The biggest twist was the older sister not realizing that she had been played by her sister. I do agree that the younger sister should have been held more accountable. I wish they had a scene between the sisters after all was revealed. Dr. Al had a weird expression on his face when Rollins ended things with him then it was like someone flicked a switch when he turned back around to her. It’s not the end of dr. Al. I have a feeling that it is setting up a “Rollisi” story arc. That would make me sick.

Oh my... not a shocker to see the girls portrayed as victims. Something that was a little unclear to me was if the younger daughter coaxed the older girl into killing the dad besides just telling her lies. If she did, then she should have been held more accountable. She is old enough to know right from wrong. Loved Carisi and fin again, especially the back and forth between them when they realized the story wasn’t adding up. Too much time spent on Rollins, baby daddy drama, and her labor. Wouldn’t be surprised if dr. Al sues for custody based on her history and amount of time she spends at the job rather than home.

YES!! I think I remember reading before the season started that it would be coming up again. I can't remember if it came from Julie Martin or Chernuchin. I have this mental image of Dodds Sr keeping track of all of SVU's misdeeds and plans to bring the hammer down on them at some point. And it's going to be ugly!!

Lol... that's not saying much about Rollins. I don't think Amaro ever slept with Kim; he had dinner with her to get her to admit to her lies so Rollins would get off the hook only. Fellaway, we are all allowed to have our opinions. It's all good - I just got done saying on another thread that I would like to see Stabler back one more time; I'm going to get crucified for that comment. This is going to sound strange considering that I loved Murphy, but I don't want him to come back for cutesy moments with Jesse and Rollins.

I never supported a Benson/Stabler romance either; in my opinion, they had chemistry as partners/co-workers only. They would have been toxic for each other and it would have destroyed their partnership. I am glad they never went down that road with them. I liked Tucker with Benson also; he was mature enough for her and was supportive in episodes such as Townhouse Incident and Heartfelt Passages. Don't get me wrong - I didn't want to see it front and center. I always joked that it would be funny for the series to end with Benson marrying Tucker, then Stabler coming back and promptly keeling over when he saw who she was marrying. Honestly, I would like to see many of the characters come back for the final episodes. Munch, Cragen, Huang, Amaro, etc. And yes, even Stabler; he was such a huge part of the show for so long. My opinion only: I think it would be a travesty for him to not come back to tie up the show's final bow (don't get too mad at me for saying that :)) . Sorry, I know that is not a popular opinion but I would like to see him one more time to find out what he has been up to and/or contribute something to a storyline , but not to come back as Benson's great love.

Funny that we are having this conversation about Declan. Donal just tweeted this evening: "I would love to pay a visit to the @nbcsvu crew" in reply to someone asking him if he would come back. I loved him as the squad leader also, so any future episodes limiting him to just Rollins and Jesse scenes or a scene checking in on Benson would be a major letdown. Not that Donal wouldn't rock those scenes. :) Anyway, here's to hoping that the 2 daughters in this episode are evil spawn and that there is less than 10 seconds spent on Rollins' birth and Dr. Al.

The scene when Amaro/Danny came out of Rollins' bathroom in just a towel was somewhat wasted because the actors appeared awkward and didn't sell it. I didn't like the relationship between Amaro and Rollins anyway but it was worth it for a glimpse of Danny in nothin' but a towel. :) Now that Gotham is over ( at least filming), I wonder if there are any talks to bring back Donal/Declan for an episode or short stint. I know I have said it many times, but I hate that they made him Rollins' baby daddy #1 because it limits his role and just added to personal drama. But it has been at least 3 years since he was last appeared, so that ship may have sailed.

They didn't even mention the fabulous duo of Fin and Carisi, but Stabler and Beck are on the list?! Benson and Rollins at #4 is kind of ridiculous, too. They never got along until Benson started allowing Rollins to do what she wants without any backlash. I agree with Xeliou66 that Fin and Munch were the best. Obviously, the Stabler and Benson partnership was a main focus of the series for >50% of its duration, so it's not surprising that they are #2. Dysfunctional at times, but they usually had each other's back.

It would be a twist for this show if the daughters are actually the criminals. I might fall off my chair if I see it. You know as well as I do that Rollins giving birth is going to be prominently featured just like it was last time around. Dr. Al is first billed in the guest cast. I might get a concussion from falling off my chair again if it was only briefly mentioned.

In particular the last few seasons. I wonder how much drama they are going to summon for this birth, considering she had a placenta abruptio with the last one. Judging by the title of the episode, I'm guessing a whole lot of drama. I was hoping they were going to just mention that Rollins had the baby offscreen and that would be it. Is it too much to hope?

In the SVU universe, a girl/woman would never willingly have sex with an older man and then enjoy threesomes on a routine basis <eyeroll>. In this case, because she was underage, she would have been deemed unable to make that decision for herself to stay with someone older than 18. I think the good doc was in medical school, so he was obviously in his twenties. Overall, I thought it was an OK episode; not good or great but not horrible. Let's put it this way, it was better than some of the crap we have had to watch in the past couple of years. As soon as they started to talk about a missing person named Cece, I quickly figured out it was Sadie. like most of you. The older woman who rented out her home to the doctor years earlier was so oblivious; I agree with everyone who wondered why she didn't ask any questions of Fin and Carisi. Like, why they had interest in the doctor, why they wanted her to leave them alone in her basement and, oh yeah, why they were ripping apart the paneling in her basement without asking permission?? The reunion scene with the dad and Sadie/Cece was touching, but she was just as guilty as the doctor. Her role in the crime was downplayed so she can play the victim. I don't buy it. She couldn't have been too brainwashed if she recognized her dad right away. Any decent defense attorney would have been able to get both the doc and Sadie off; where's Buchanan or Calhoun?. I'm guessing the search warrant that they originally had covered looking for the drugs found in Ava's bloodwork. Therefore the notebook and flash drives with all the threesome partners listed would not have been admissible and anything stemming from that info would be thrown out, such as finding the dead body behind the paneling which was done without the homeowner's permission and a search warrant. I may be overthinking this, so please correct me if I am wrong. I find myself nit-picking episodes over details like this. Maybe I just need to stop this and maybe I would enjoy the episodes more.