S21.E04: The Burden of Our Choices

[SarahPrtr]

2 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Skoda did the trifecta as he also hit CI early on. Made the franchise seem like the same universe versus the islands they found themselves on later. And with the same names involved in all 3, it never should have felt like that.

I totally agree about the difference between early/later episodes. Maybe that is also a reason as to why later seasons of SVU on DVD have been relegated to MOD versus earlier years... Probably less people buying. (Of course, I realize streaming may be a factor now, too.)

I just started watching CI and am enjoying it.  Especially loving the non-PC & SJW storylines.  Just the crime, detective work, finding the culprit, and punishment.  Most recently saw Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin in Marvel's Daredevil and also saw Jon Bernthal in one of the CI episodes.  Actually, there are many NY actors who have played multiple characters on all of the L&O franchises.  I thought that if SVU got cancelled, Peter Scanavino could play a detective in Brooklyn 99, like Dean Winters.  That would be awesome.

[WendyCR72]

9 minutes ago, SarahPrtr said:

I just started watching CI and am enjoying it.  Especially loving the non-PC & SJW storylines.  Just the crime, detective work, finding the culprit, and punishment.  Most recently saw Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin in Marvel's Daredevil and also saw Jon Bernthal in one of the CI episodes.  Actually, there are many NY actors who have played multiple characters on all of the L&O franchises.  I thought that if SVU got cancelled, Peter Scanavino could play a detective in Brooklyn 99, like Dean Winters.  That would be awesome.

Peter Scanavino actually appeared on CI in S5. This was when Vincent D'Onofrio/Kathryn Erbe started alternating with Chris Noth/Annabella Sciorra. Scanavino played a perp in the episode, "Diamond Dogs", Noth's/Sciorra's first as CI regulars (Noth appears in S4 in "Stress Position", setting up Logan's re-entry into the franchise!).

Kelli Giddish appeared in a Goren/Eames S7 episode, "Depths".

And, as mentioned a few times here, Raul Esparza (ex-ADA Rafael Barba) played another different ADA/perp in "Lady's Man" in S8.

Just some to look out for!  🙂

[Welcome5431]

On 10/18/2019 at 11:13 AM, tennisgurl said:

o do the writers just think that all religious people that arent main characters only talk in terms of religion? Because I grew up in rural Indiana, I know tons of super religious people, and most of them can go a few sentences without references to God or praying or Satan or miracles or whatever. Like, we get it show, they're super religious, can they have something more interesting to say now? Did the evil Ohio DA really call himself a "Simple Country Lawyer?!" Holy crap, what is this guy!? I was waiting fo

tThe dialogue captured speech patterns among the devoutly faithful people in the interior of the USA; rural to urban,, coastal too. They invoke the lord's name every other sentence, and if secular people do it, it's taking his name in vain. hegemony 

[Fellaway]

Still behind, by two eps now, but here's a deleted scene and related article:

SVU Addresses Benson's Past Pregnancy Scare

New detective on the team, eh?  I already don't like her, because she's in Carisi's spot.  Unreasonable, but, what can I say?  I'm all about Carisi.  Surprise!

[Pearson80]

On 10/19/2019 at 2:34 AM, Manda317 said:

About the new cop, it always annoys me when people blame old, white men for abortion laws. They may often enact them, but they do it with a lot of support from pro-life women, like the mother. Pro-life women are not uncommon like many people seem to think.

Old White men are the ones who make the laws so it makes sense that she would say that. I did not care about how strident the character was but she was right to say that.  

I did not care for the episode because it was filled with stereotypes.  Also the girl who was supposed to be 13 looked much older to me, they could have gotten an actress that looked the part to give it more gravitas.  I think the original Law and order would have done a much better job..

[JTM]

Like others, I started weighing "step-dad or pastor" as soon as the pregnancy was revealed.

And that peeved me off, even though I should know better by now. It was just so... cheap and easy. Instead of what could have been an interesting, nuanced episode -- perhaps looking at the weird irony that a 13 year old isn't old enough to consent to her body participating in sex with a 16 year old boyfriend, but has jurisdiction over whether her body participates in pregnancy -- we got STARK OBVIOUS girl-was-raped-by-stepdad, everyone with an ounce of compassion recognizes the validity of her choice.

Shows like this are one reason why actual choice as a simple right is under attack -- because the validity gets located in the circumstances.

[jabRI]

And even if Ohio is a bit of a backwater in terms of abortion rights, no way they'd let a stepfather raping a child get away with it.  They didn't need Carisi to show them the light, that was just ridiculous

[Diana Berry]

Catching up.  Yay sassy female cop.  Maybe she can couple with Carisi.

[12catcrazy]

This was the typical over the top melodrama L&O SVU we've come to expect.   And yeah, the actress playing the victimized girl looked considerably older than 13 - she is strikingly beautiful though.  

[Joe Hellandback]

1. Okay, I like this, a legal battle rather than a investigation. I'd have liked a little more in that the Ohio folks didn't have to be quite so holy. Them threatening to arrest the SVU was great, the shoe was on the other foot. 

2. Nice touch with her begging, yeah, bring the dog, that'll get the punters.

3. I'd have loved to have seen that the stepfather was innocent but I guess not on this show, not anymore.

4. So the newbie, seems over zealous, be interesting if the rest have to actually hold her back. 

5. So what happens the girl? Will her mum take her back after the abortion? I dislike the fact that it seems to be the women who champion abortion rights and the men that oppose. Also would have been interesting if Benson referenced Stabler. 

6/10

 

[Joe Hellandback]

On 10/18/2019 at 6:03 AM, Xeliou66 said:

Yeah this was about as bad as I expected. 

It was extremely cliched, preachy and didactic, with cardboard characters and lots of heavy handed rhetoric. They used extreme scenarios and views instead of trying to have a reasonable discussion about the abortion issue.

While I understood the points they were trying to make, using an extreme scenario of an Ohio DA trying to arrest Manhattan detectives and DA’s made the episode very unrealistic IMO, I don’t believe that some small town DA would have the power or the support to try to do all of that, not even anti abortion right wing politicians would try to pull a stunt like that off IMO.

And the Ohio DA was a walking cliche and felt like a parody of anti abortion fruitcakes, I like the actor who played the role, I remember him as the ME on CSI Miami for one, but the character was more of a caricature than anything. And I didn’t buy that he would suddenly grow a conscience and charge Jim with rape after a conversation with Carisi that had nothing to do with the case. The revelation of Carisi’s mom having an abortion was weird and out of left field, again I understood their point, that abortion is a complex issue and people can decide to have abortions for a variety of reasons, but it felt clunky and forced. I also didn’t buy that the mom would suddenly become supportive of Evangeline after one conversation with St Olivia, but I knew it was coming, very predictable. 

On other hand, the new detective came across as way too aggressive and foaming at the mouth with Benson and Carisi. I hope she dials things down going forward and isn’t just a female, left wing version of Stabler/Amaro.

The episode featured a heavy dose of St Olivia’s whispering and overdramatic facial expressions, which is beyond annoying. And Fin completely disappeared in the second half of the episode which sucked.

The episode was clunky, cliched and predictable. I understood the points they were trying to make, but I wish they would do so in a nuanced, subtle manner instead of using ridiculous scenarios, cliched characters and situations and extreme views and rhetoric. It could’ve been interesting, but it played out as clunky and cliched, as well as being very predictable. 

I never got the impression that Ohio weren't going to go ahead with the investigation, it was just that the baby came first. 

On 10/21/2019 at 1:59 AM, dttruman said:

She's got one thing going for her, she is better looking than Sipowicz.

Don't know, Andy became quite the unlikely sex symbol. 

[Joe Hellandback]

On 10/20/2019 at 11:15 AM, ShepardRahl said:

Yeah. It took her fuck all of five minutes to start crying "old white men trying to control muh body" while frothing at the mouth"HANDMAID'S TALE!!!" and doing everything she can to keep herself from shooting Carisi because he dare talk back to her.

My hope is that she will be depicted as going too far to make the rest of the SVU look more reasonable. 

[Joe Hellandback]

On 10/23/2019 at 5:06 AM, JTM said:

Like others, I started weighing "step-dad or pastor" as soon as the pregnancy was revealed.

And that peeved me off, even though I should know better by now. It was just so... cheap and easy. Instead of what could have been an interesting, nuanced episode -- perhaps looking at the weird irony that a 13 year old isn't old enough to consent to her body participating in sex with a 16 year old boyfriend, but has jurisdiction over whether her body participates in pregnancy -- we got STARK OBVIOUS girl-was-raped-by-stepdad, everyone with an ounce of compassion recognizes the validity of her choice.

Shows like this are one reason why actual choice as a simple right is under attack -- because the validity gets located in the circumstances.

I'd have preferred it that she was lying to try to guarantee her abortion?

[dttruman]

39 minutes ago, Joe Hellandback said:

Don't know, Andy became quite the unlikely sex symbol. 

I am still trying to figure that one out. I think that was an episode on "Unsolved Mysteries".

[alexvillage]

I’m going to jump in here because I am curious. I stopped watching this several years ago but it popped up on my Hulu and I decided to check it again. I picked this episode randomly so I am confused About the kids in the beginning. I know Olivia has a son and the baby is the other woman detective. But who is the other little girl? 

[illdoc]

48 minutes ago, alexvillage said:

the baby is the other woman detective. But who is the other little girl? 

Both hers. The older child was with a former squad lieutenant, the younger one was with a "cheats with prostitutes so I won't use a condom" ex-boyfriend.

[CrystalBlue]

On 4/28/2020 at 3:41 PM, illdoc said:

Both hers. The older child was with a former squad lieutenant, the younger one was with a "cheats with prostitutes so I won't use a condom" ex-boyfriend.

Former Squad Lt. was the delicious Donal Logue, playing Declan Murphy.

Edited May 8, 2020 by CrystalBlue
Chiming in as an FYI to alexvillage.

[Joe Hellandback]

On 1/1/2020 at 10:48 AM, dttruman said:

I am still trying to figure that one out. I think that was an episode on "Unsolved Mysteries".

I think maybe it was all the tragedy he experienced? 

On 5/8/2020 at 5:12 AM, CrystalBlue said:

Former Squad Lt. was the delicious Donal Logue, playing Declan Murphy.

Delicious? The Sipowiscz effect again. He certainly had his admirers on Gotham. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

The mother was disgusting.   After finding out her husband has been raping the girl since she was 11, she says she'll take the baby and raise him or her as the sibling to the 13 year old, and still have the stepfather there.    Did they ever do the DNA test on the stepfather?  

[Zoe]

6 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

 Did they ever do the DNA test on the stepfather?  

Yeah, I think it came up near the end of the episode. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

So it was the stepfather.    Bet the wife didn't dump him, and expects the daughter to associate with him.  

[Wizardpatch]

Whenever a stepfather is on this show, it is an easy bet that he is raping, molesting, murdering or hate crimeing someone.