melon

I watched it, but didn’t particularly enjoy it. Wheatley’s role has run it’s course, same with his ex wife. A fugitive giving away millions of dollars to strangers is unrealistic. Still hoping for an old fashioned LE vs La Cosa Nostra battle, although I’ve accepted that it’ll never come. Until then, the Ellen Burnstyn storyline has the most potential for me.

Being an MMA fan, I had high hopes for this episode. However, I simply didn’t enjoy it as much as some other well respected contributors here. I didn’t find the plot very believable. On a side note, I liked it better when there was tension between Benson and her boss.

Put me on the side of the posters that dislike having Noah in the story line, even if it's minor. But that is the advantage of using the DVR to record the show, which allows me to fast forward through scenes I dislike.

As I was watching the episode, I was thinking that it was the best episode of the season....until the ending. I'm still wishing to have more female villains because the series is simply too predictable. Even at the end, I was hoping the prostitute would somehow be punished for blowing off her meetings with her probation officer. I'm hoping to have more intense story lines. We could have had a prostitute actually pull the trigger, then have her say that she was forced into it by her pimp. Or have a prostitute call and set up the multiple homicides but let one of the victims be close to an SVU detective, and let SVU fight among themselves over whether the prostitute should get off with probation.

You basically took the words out of my mouth. Except I also like Finn. I need more time to get used to Kat. I'd like to see plots where Benson automatically believes everything the "victim" claims, only to find out that she is lying out of spite, or for a payday. Something, anything to keep us guessing. Years ago there was an episode with Estella Warren and Lynda Carter where the two of them were con artists that fooled everyone, and I thought it was one of the best episodes of the series.

Agreed. But she should have left voluntarily or involuntarily. Even she was surprised she could stay in the end. This lady didn’t even properly apply as her application was simply being pretty. She received the coveted home through corruption. This type of corruption is what upsets other low income applicants that follow proper procedures. I read the NY Post on a daily basis and this story would have been front page news in NYC. The single mother would have been referred to as “the prostitute” and the public (and other applicants) would be outraged that she was allowed to stay. The idea that she didn’t enjoy being a prostitute wouldn’t change things. But I get it. Being pretty has its perks in both TV land and IRL.

This was by far the best episode of the season. Meloni was especially good as he was forced to help protect the people that destroyed his family. Good or bad, I continue to tune into this series. However, I still don't see the connection to real world organized crime. I can't tell if Wheatley is mob connected or a made man. Because, in the mob, there's the rule of omerta, which has been rarely seen here. Bekhar flips. Angela flips. Now, Richard tries to flip. Only a matter of time before crybaby Richie flips. Usually, when you become a rat, you have to tell everything. Does that mean Richard will have to throw his kids under the bus? In the mob, there's also the rule of never going against your family, but....Wheatley whacks his dad. Angela tips off the cops that Richard has stolen vaccines. Richie tries to get his dad killed. Wheatley has his step son whacked. Zero family loyalty here, there's just a bunch of Fredo's. MCC is notorious for corrupt guards. Sneaking in a cell phone is small potatoes. I think there was a serious editing mistake with Morales being in two places at once. I can't tell if the police are behind Bell, since they showed up to support her. Or if they're against her because her partner is suing NYPD. Looking forward to season 2, episode 1.

1. I am consistent about law enforcement staying in their lane when it comes to family matters and victims wishing to be left alone. I had the same response last week when Garland and the team strong armed the husband to end his marriage and press charges, when he didn't want to (at least, initially). 2. I am against the police (Finn) conducting an interview with a small child without the mother being present. Especially when the questions are geared towards if the mom is a prostitute. Last week, I also didn't like it when Garland had the victim's young son over dinner and obtained information that he used against the mother. 3. The "ignore and move along" concept has a lot to do with an understaffed and overworked squad. With that combination, cases without evidence of a crime and without an obvious victim are put on the back burner behind more pressing cases. In this case, the johns clearly had no interest in the boy. 4. I think Dick Wolf wanted us to debate this case and set up the characters where good points can be argued on both sides. He did the same thing last episode with the large man and small wife.

They should have had Rollins and Carisi argue that the victims weren't complaining and that there were more important cases to work on. Because that is what real life detectives would say, IMO. After the tennants found out what they had to do to keep the apartment, did they have the choice to leave? If the answer was yes, and they chose to stay, then how is this trafficking? I can't imagine Machado forcing the women to stay, especially since there are plenty of hard luck women in shelters that would jump at a chance to live in a luxury building that's harder to get accepted into than Harvard. Speaking of Machado, in theory, how do you think she was compensated for recruiting the tennants? Was she paid cash, or given favors on the political level that would assist her mission to help the needy?

My thoughts: 1. idk why SVU took such an interest in prostitutes in a nice building, especially when they wanted to be left alone. I said this about the previous episode, are there so few cases of real victims (rape, pedophiles, etc ) that they have time to go fishing for crimes? Apparently, if there was evidence of luxury items and fancy food, then SVU would have dropped it? 2. Machado was a good villain, it was a good episode title. I found it realistic that she thought she was helping the women by having them improperly cut the line over the hundreds of honest applicants (I think it's 650-1 acceptance rate). If Machado let the "victims of trafficking" look at the apartment, tell them what is involved- I wonder what their reaction would have been? 3. I like that Machado received a slap on the wrist. But I don't think that the "victims" should be allowed to stay in their apartments based on them obtaining them illegally. Or at the least, have a cut away to the story hitting the media with interviews of many legal applicants complaining that have been waiting for something to open up, while working 2-3 jobs. IRL this would be a huge story because sex sells. 4. I like that Garland is being put through the ringer. He wasn't my first choice- that was Benson. But I wanted someone to go through hell in the department for the Trayvon arrest and for criticizing their department/officers. I also see Garland retiring with full benefits and Benson being elevated. I hope he doesn't die from natural causes, though. 5. Overall an excellent episode but not enough push back from the perps. Only the unhappy prostitutes fought back while being investigated. The johns and perps rolled over immediately. But kudos for having 2 episodes where the villain was a woman.

I completely agree with that. OTOH, the trend on L&O these days seems to be that white cast members don't have white partners. Stabler + Angela, Benson + Garland, Carisi + Garland's estranged wife?

Or how about when in the interrogation room, close talker Stabler would put his face 3 inches away from a dude's face and whispers, "Come on, you killed her, right?" Or, "If you admit what happened, then we can help you." Or Olivia whispers, "You weren't man enough to satisfy the victim and that's why you killed her, right?" And then the perp starts spilling his guts.

The texting aspect didn't fit into the plot because it's not real life. She had the acquittal in the bag, IMO, before sending the texts at the worst possible moment. It's similar to when perps spill their guts and confess to crimes when the squad has nothing to convict them on. But it allows the episode to wrapped up into a neat 1 hour package. I'm hard to please because I don't like the season long storyline with the OC series, but I also don't like unrealistic convictions quickly obtained without evidence either.

That sloppy open mouth kiss right afterward was very strange. It was probably written by Wolf to show that Wheatley is a narcissistic egomaniac who takes loving himself to another level. And in a way, that way of thinking led to his downfall.

Richie seems so out of place to be an associate for a mafia family. He doesn't seem to have street smarts- he didn't even have suspicions about Gina. He doesn't have what it takes to be in the muscle part of the family, even though he just whacked Gina. Remember that Gina took the gun away from Richie, in what about to become a very embarrassing situation. And I don't think he could stand up to tough interrogation by LE. Bell just mentioned Gina's name and Richie was about to cry like a baby. He needed a pep talk from his sister to stay quiet. Imagine if and when LE tells Richie that he's actually under arrest for the murder of Gina? With the hit man and Gina gone, it will be hard to pin this murder on Richie. Angela will try to convince Richie to flip on dad because Richie is too soft to serve time. I agree that he's too soft. OTOH, Angela flipped when she could have beaten her charges. That would have been a tough case to prove, unless Richard really has those incriminating tapes of Angela.