S21.E14: I Deserve Some Loving Too

[Xeliou66]

I thought I would go ahead and start the episode thread for tomorrow’s episode since there isn’t one. 

According to the synopsis - Rollins goes undercover to root out a government worker withholding green cards in exchange for sex. 

[ChristiKRN]

I believe this is Ice T’s 450th episode and Kelli Giddish’s 200th episode.  

I’m not sure as to why they have Rollins going undercover for the green card scam when they have Kat, who is just as pretty, younger and more ethnic-appearing than Rollins. Kat has shown that she can handle herself undercover during her 1st appearance on SVU in the season premiere.  Weird. 

[preeya]

10 hours ago, ChristiKRN said:

I believe this is Ice T’s 450th episode and Kelli Giddish’s 200th episode.  

I’m not sure as to why they have Rollins going undercover for the green card scam when they have Kat, who is just as pretty, younger and more ethnic-appearing than Rollins. Kat has shown that she can handle herself undercover during her 1st appearance on SVU in the season premiere.  Weird. 

Last week was Kat-centric. It's Rollins (ugh) turn in the lead box. Let's see how much ass-kissing between her and the saint.

[Xeliou66]

Rollins seems to be a writers pet, they love to shove her drama down our throats. I know Kim Rollins will be back soon which I’m dreading already, and that will be another episode centered around Rollins personal drama. The Rollins/Benson super mommy bonding scenes are the worst, let’s hope there aren’t many of them tonight. 

[mtlchick]

Well I didn’t hate this one, and I like the “cave cop.” But the anvils are falling that this becomes a case of Carisi getting jealous and eventually declare his feelings for Rollins. 

[breezy424]

I actually liked this episode a lot.  Saint Olivia took a step back.  Loved Carissi.  And I'm really liking the sergeant (sorry, I forget his name). 

I agree that Kat would be a better fit for the undercover.

Loved seeing Delaney Williams.  Almost as good as Elizabeth Marvel.

I wonder if the sergeant will return since they're hinting at a romance with Rollins.

[wknt3]

The Good:
The COTW. It was an actual sexually based offense and it was an angle that hasn't been done to death with Benson as the center, but with the other characters involved as something other than sidekicks. They found a way to use current events and take a stand without going OTT. And another non-affluent non-white victim!
The guest cast. As usual they found some great actors who elevated the material. Especially the Transit Sgt.
Deputy Chief Garland. It is nice to see a boss who is concerned with the big picture not portrayed as evil or needing Benson to keep him on the true path.
Carisi. He was really solid and felt like an ADA and not a cop who happened to be a prosecutor this week.
Rollins. It's a rare appearance for her in the top half of these posts, but she was used well and Giddish demonstrated that she does have great chemistry with the rest of the cast, And she acted like an experienced and competent detective throughout instead of, you know, Rollins.

The Bad.
Not enough Fin, We could have used more of his snark and cynicism. He seems to be absent in some episodes this season even when he appears. I wonder if they want to have him in more episodes while not paying him for more screen time? In which case they really need to use him better - a spice, not a garnish.
The open. Is this their clumsy attempt at balance by showing a guilty perp getting busted going viral on social media because urban citizens hate cops for no reason?
Rollisi. Not handled very well or subtly at all. I'd really prefer to see this left mostly to the actors and the audience rather than these clumsy attempts at UST.
The promo. Looks like a return to the affluent white women abused by rich and powerful white men and probably a "he said, she said". Yuck.
Another episode with a by the numbers story where the big guns take story credit where if anything the teleplay could have used a bit of (uncredited) punching up from the top brass and anyone on staff should have been able to handle the story.

Overall this was an actual good episode. B+/A- It wasn't anything new or special, but it was well executed, used almost the entire cast and the guest stars well, and not a rehash of the same storylines that have been run into the ground the last few years. Definitely one of the best episodes of this season, perhaps THE best, if only because it lacked any glaring flaws. Hopefully they can do a few more of these along with some episodes like MC did that try to tie back into the history of the series and the franchise before they put the show out to pasture and give it an honorable sendoff next year. I know, I know, but a fan can dream right?

Edited February 14, 2020 by wknt3
revised and extended my remarks

[Xeliou66]

That was probably the season’s best episode, it was a solid story from start to finish. 

The case was interesting and another different type of case, I like how they’ve at least made the effort to have a wider variety of cases this season, and this one was pretty good. 

All of the characters got good roles and the screentime was evenly split which was nice. No worship of St Olivia was nice as well, as was the fact that they did a story that touched on social issues without being overly preachy. 

I really liked the courtroom scenes, this was the best SVU has done courtroom scenes in a while, Carisi is good in his role as ADA, I was nervous about this at first but he’s good in that position, and it was nice to see Buchanan back, he’s a great adversary and always fun to watch, the courtroom/legal stuff was really good.

Everyone got something to do and was good in their role, screentime was evenly split even though a bit more of Fin would’ve been nice.

Garland was really good as well, I like him a lot, I like having someone above Benson who isn’t a bad guy-stuck up bureaucrat and isn’t constantly lectured by Benson. Garland is sharp and cool, and he’s been a nice addition this season. 

I liked the transit cop who worked with them and who might start dating Rollins, he was very good.

The only bad part was the hint at Carisi being interested in Rollins at the end - I really don’t want to see a love triangle between Carisi-Rollins-transit cop, that would be an epic disaster, and Rollins and Carisi have zero romantic chemistry and I don’t know why they want to shove that pairing down our throat, Rollins and the transit cop have more romantic chemistry and I liked him and wouldn’t mind a relationship between Rollins and him, but please stop the hints at Carisi and Rollins having feelings for each other. I also didn’t like the references to Kim Rollins, maybe because I’m already dreading her return, and why did they shoehorn in a Hadid reference, she adds nothing to the show and it was a useless reference. At least they didn’t trash the DA’s office in this one, that was an improvement. 

Overall this was probably the best episode of the season and a definite improvement over the last few, with no glaring weaknesses, a solid storyline from start to finish, nice courtroom scenes and nice roles for each character. 

[ChristiKRN]

I agree that this was a solid episode; good storyline.  I liked the new cop; is he going to be a regular or recurring cast member?  It seems like he is heading for a relationship with Rollins-dear God. He needs to be forewarned that Rollins isn’t a fan of birth control or he will be baby daddy #3.  The title of the episode seemed not only to be a favorite saying of the green card guy but it seemed to be a thread for Rollins-Carisi (who looked like a forlorn puppy watching Rollins and new cop)-new cop.  Nice to see Buchanan and the judge (?Cantano) again.  My favorite scene was between Carisi, Buchanan, and green card guy at Carisi’s desk; I believe Buchanan may have had his tail between his legs when he left the office.  That was especially satisfying, considering how condescending Buchanan was towards Carisi earlier in the episode.  

My only knock is that Fin didn’t get much airtime despite it being Ice T’s 450th episode.  There was certainly no lack of scenes for Giddish for her 200th.  Disappointing.  

[Gigi43]

This is wasn't the best episode they've ever done and yet still the opposite of their worst episode ever, Imposter. IDGAF about people "desperate" for their kids to go to a certain (crime filled) college. These women who were actually vulnerable with fears of their families being deported,  maybe taken from children and a government worker is saying you have to have sex to stay? Yup. This guy is slime who deserves to go away. 

 

I liked that Buchanan continues to be good in the courtroom even though his client was trash. During the rants about fake marriages my guilt pleasure 90 Day Fiance addiction did enter my head with the more blatant fraud ones. I'm glad they had one husband/wife who were sweet and stuck it out. I'm so glad to see courtroom scenes whenever they can spare them.

 

The guy who played O'Tool was definitely in the show before I want to say as a Dad of a boy who did something during the Stabler years. Can't place the exact episode.

 

As a short woman I hated the way Benson kept leaning down to talk to the abused woman. Bitch we aren't children just speak.

 

I like the guest cop Hasim way too much to have him get involved with Rollins. Some one save this man! Break out her personal file and her sisters record.

Edited February 14, 2020 by Gigi43

[dttruman]

On 2/13/2020 at 10:28 AM, ChristiKRN said:

I believe this is Ice T’s 450th episode and Kelli Giddish’s 200th episode.  

I’m not sure as to why they have Rollins going undercover for the green card scam when they have Kat, who is just as pretty, younger and more ethnic-appearing than Rollins. Kat has shown that she can handle herself undercover during her 1st appearance on SVU in the season premiere.  Weird. 

  Your point is well taken, but if they would have explained Rollins' undercover role a little better, I believe Rollins would have been a corrruptable guard and Tamin would be involved with that Green card scam

[mommalib]

I really like Garland. 

[librarian29]

11 hours ago, Gigi43 said:

This is wasn't the best episode they've ever done and yet still the opposite of their worst episode ever, Imposter. IDGAF about people "desperate" for their kids to go to a certain (crime filled) college. These women who were actually vulnerable with fears of their families being deported,  maybe taken from children and a government worker is saying you have to have sex to stay? Yup. This guy is slime who deserves to go away. 

 

I liked that Buchanan continues to be good in the courtroom even though his client was trash. During the rants about fake marriages my guilt pleasure 90 Day Fiance addiction did enter my head with the more blatant fraud ones. I'm glad they had one husband/wife who were sweet and stuck it out. I'm so glad to see courtroom scenes whenever they can spare them.

 

The guy who played O'Tool was definitely in the show before I want to say as a Dad of a boy who did something during the Stabler years. Can't place the exact episode.

 

As a short woman I hated the way Benson kept leaning down to talk to the abused woman. Bitch we aren't children just speak.

 

I like the guest cop Hasim way too much to have him get involved with Rollins. Some one save this man! Break out her personal file and her sisters record.

The actor who played O’Toole, Jeremy Bobb, was in Lessons Learned. He played one of the men who had been abused  years ago at that private school.

[853fisher]

I also thought this was one of the better ones of the season, although I felt O'Toole's last speech went a little over the top.  Throughout the episode his predation seemed not to have much to do with immigration, except inasmuch as their status made it easier to take advantage of the women he victimized.  The despicable little speech about an immigrant invasion seemed shoehorned in, a kind of cheap moment somehow.  For me, it was akin to Serena Southerlyn's "is this because I'm a lesbian?"  Dropped in out of nowhere, not addressed further, just kind of off somehow.

 

I let myself hope for a few seconds during the "hmmmm, that officer filling in with us really did great work, what an interesting person..." conversation that perhaps we would be getting a new face in the squad.  I guess we don't know that we won't.  I wonder whether the show really thinks more viewers would rather Rollins get a boyfriend than the unit get another cop, and I wonder whether they'd be right.

Edited February 15, 2020 by 853fisher

[SarahPrtr]

21 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

The only bad part was the hint at Carisi being interested in Rollins at the end - I really don’t want to see a love triangle between Carisi-Rollins-transit cop, that would be an epic disaster, and Rollins and Carisi have zero romantic chemistry and I don’t know why they want to shove that pairing down our throat,

Yes!!!  Thank you!!!  It's been over 5 seasons ffs, Let That Shit GO!!!!!!  WTF is wrong with the writers??!  Where's their creativity?!  This is so much worse than on-again-off-again couples on TV.

[Kel Varnsen]

Decent episode although I did wonder why they could only find 3 women where the agent had assault or tried to assault. They said the guy had been in that job for 20 years and there should have been records of all his cases shouldn't there?

Also what was the point of the opening scene and that bit with Olivia and her doorman? Why did we need to see him reminding her that he had a bunch of her mail?

[spunky]

I’m really hoping that the USCIS character wasn’t based on a real person, because he was disgusting. I like Carisi better when he’s being an actual ADA, instead of being lovesick over Rollins. Speaking of Rollins she was a lot more tolerable this week. I’m liking Rollins potential love interest, even though I think he’d be a better addition to the unit.

[tennisgurl]

One of the better episodes this season, it managed to be about sexual abuse and a topical issue but in a way that fit well together and wasnt super over the top about the message. Well, until the scummy green card guy started ranting about immigrants stealing their jobs and medicare and stuff, because I guess the show thought we didnt quite yet get what a piece of crap this guy was. Other than a few weird scenes and plot threads like that, I found this to be a very engaging episode. 

Lets start with the good. The case of the week was interesting, wasnt another story about affluent white people in a he said/she said story, the acting from the guest cast was great, and I found all of the stories to be really well done, if pressed for time. I liked the diversity of the victims involved and the differences in their individual cases, and it took a few turns, but was mostly a straight forward case without anything too melodramatic happening. I did end up wanting to know what happened to the women who got pregnant and the Irish couple, but at least we got to see a happy ending with the one couple who had a daughter. The guy playing the bad guy was remarkably scummy, and the courtroom scenes were quite well done as well, especially as compared to a lot of courtroom scenes this season, which hardly seem to exist sometimes. 

This was probably the best Rollins episode all season, even though I continue to roll my eyes at them so often casting her as the "hot chick" in undercover jobs despite her very limited abilities as an undercover cop. She was actually competent and responsible and likable, and not being all crappy to her co-workers for no reason or flying off the handle or just generally being unprofessional. I also liked the new transit cop, he was really likable and interesting and I especially liked his scene with the husband where they were speaking Hebrew to each other. He has a lot of personality, and I hope that he shows up again, either reoccurring or as a new addition. This squad still seems terribly understaffed! 

Carisi also had a lot of good scenes, and he is finally starting to feel like an actual ADA, getting the feel for his courtroom persona, and learning how to really think like a lawyer and not a cop. 

I still like Garland a lot. 

This isnt specific to this episode, but I cant stand how Olivia talks to victims, leaning down towards them and whispering platitudes and telling them how they should be feeling. It just feels so condescending and inauthentic, like she is talking to a little kid and not a grown person who has gone through something awful. Olivia really wasnt too bad this week, probably because she was more on the back burner, but I just cant stand that victim voice. I dont think that someone who has been horribly treated wants to feel like they arent being taken seriously. 

What the hell was that opening? Why are we watching Benson get her mail? Why are we watching some random guy tell her to smile? Just to throw in some other random "dont forget, patriarchy bad!" moment? Why bother when the rest of the episodes makes that point but a million times more effectively? Why do we have this random bit where a bunch of people scream at the cops for arresting the skirt creep and it goes viral? That literally never came up again! I thought there might be a payoff, where we find some evidence on that video that the skirt guy ditched, or the guy playing the race card with the video would effect the trail, but nope, it was just random! It was just to...remind us that if we see someone seemingly getting the crap kicked out of them by the cops, we should just let the cops go about their kicking? After we just did an episode about corruption in Vice?!? The opener was weird, and hardly even tied into the episode, beyond the skirt guy getting caught, which we could have easily done without Benson's morning walk and the "New Yorkers hate cops" aside. 

No to Carisi and Rollins drama. No no no!

[wknt3]

On 2/14/2020 at 12:29 AM, Xeliou66 said:

The only bad part was the hint at Carisi being interested in Rollins at the end - I really don’t want to see a love triangle between Carisi-Rollins-transit cop, that would be an epic disaster, and Rollins and Carisi have zero romantic chemistry and I don’t know why they want to shove that pairing down our throat.

 

On 2/14/2020 at 10:26 PM, SarahPrtr said:

Yes!!!  Thank you!!!  It's been over 5 seasons ffs, Let That Shit GO!!!!!!  WTF is wrong with the writers??!  Where's their creativity?!  This is so much worse than on-again-off-again couples on TV.

Agreed. Why is this the only thing Warren Leight had kept from the years he was gone? Because this is the one thing where resetting makes total sense. Rollisi was fun when it was a product of the actors' natural chemistry and the writers left it all as subtext once they realized there was something there (if you think back at the time it was largely a product of Rollins' personal lfe being sidelined as they were trying to put her back on the rails and Carisi being written as almost unbelievably nice and accommodating) but once they started putting it on the page explicitly it stopped being fun.

 

On 2/14/2020 at 6:59 AM, Gigi43 said:

As a short woman I hated the way Benson kept leaning down to talk to the abused woman. Bitch we aren't children just speak.

To be fair Benson talks down to everyone even if she has to look up at them to do it!

Honestly though I think it's probably another example of Mariska losing any degree of subtlety in her acting and her obsession with showing Benson physically connecting with every victim no matter if it makes sense or not. And the fact that when you can't move your eyes because the top half of your face has been paralyzed by excessive botox the only way to meet your scene partner's eyeline is to contort your body.
 

On 2/14/2020 at 6:24 PM, 853fisher said:

I let myself hope for a few seconds during the "hmmmm, that officer filling in with us really did great work, what an interesting person..." conversation that perhaps we would be getting a new face in the squad.  I guess we don't know that we won't. 

We won't. We were lucky they replaced Carisi. Especially as he was a Sgt. and that would be a lot of bosses on one squad. This isn't Major Crimes! (Too bad as that was a much better show when it was cancelled than SVU is now.) Although now that you mention it I wonder if this was a screen test for Hate Crimes? The scuttlebut is that the reason that series was in limbo was that the NBC pinheads were interfering in casting and Dick Wolf was not having it so it's possible that we are seeing more cops from outside the squad to try to prove to the network that the actors they want work. It would also explain why the top brass were taking credit for another by the numbers story since it would mean that they would not to pay full writer royalties for the character if that series ever goes.

Quote

I wonder whether the show really thinks more viewers would rather Rollins get a boyfriend than the unit get another cop, and I wonder whether they'd be right.

Sadly those two options are not mutually exclusive!

Edited February 17, 2020 by wknt3

[ChristiKRN]

Social media is abuzz about Rollisi more than anything else about this episode.  It seems the majority of SVU fans are clamoring for them to get  together as a couple rather than remain friends.  It is painful seeing one of my favorite characters, who is truly a decent guy,  crushing on and getting jealous over another character who is not worth the time of day.   It’s technically not even a solid friendship as it seems that he is always there for her but I can’t think of 1 instance when she supported him.  What is wrong with strong platonic working relationships like Fin/Benson? I was in the minority that preferred that Stabler and Benson kept their relationship platonic also.   Let Carisi find someone who appreciates him (preferably off-camera or seldomly seen) and let her continue her trend of banging random guys.  Tornado Kim comes to town in a couple of weeks so I’m sure Carisi will be at Rollins’ side again.  All I can say is that Rollins must have the most flexible nanny in the entire world that can handle her work schedule and her dating life; at least she was smart enough to get knocked up by 2 men who are able to easily afford child support to pay for the nanny’s hours.  

 I did like the transit detective; it looks like he is going to be coming back.  Leight does like to bring Broadway stars on board, so maybe he will stick around.  Hopefully, he will be there for SVU support rather than as solely Rollins’ latest boyfriend. 

One final note on the Rollisi thing: I would much rather the writers focus on a strong, multi-layered storyline/case of the week than the abyss known as Rollisi.  I sometimes catch an older episode and it makes me nostalgic for a good storyline.  I know it must be difficult to keep things fresh after 21 years but use a little creativity as the social and legal  landscape is always changing. 

Sorry for my ranting. 

Btw, where is dttruman this week? Hopefully she/he is ok. 

Edited February 17, 2020 by ChristiKRN

[Xeliou66]

2 hours ago, ChristiKRN said:

Social media is abuzz about Rollisi more than anything else about this episode.  It seems the majority of SVU fans are clamoring for them to get  together as a couple rather than remain friends.  It is painful seeing one of my favorite characters, who is truly a decent guy,  crushing on and getting jealous over another character who is not worth the time of day.   It’s technically not even a solid friendship as it seems that he is always there for her but I can’t think of 1 instance when she supported him.  What is wrong with strong platonic working relationships like Fin/Benson? I was in the minority that preferred that Stabler and Benson kept their relationship platonic also.   Let Carisi find someone who appreciates him (preferably off-camera or seldomly seen) and let her continue her trend of banging random guys.  Tornado Kim comes to town in a couple of weeks so I’m sure Carisi will be at Rollins’ side again.  All I can say is that Rollins must have the most flexible nanny in the entire world that can handle her work schedule and her dating life; at least she was smart enough to get knocked up by 2 men who are able to easily afford child support to pay for the nanny’s hours.  

 I did like the transit detective; it looks like he is going to be coming back.  Leight does like to bring Broadway stars on board, so maybe he will stick around.  Hopefully, he will be there for SVU support rather than as solely Rollins’ latest boyfriend. 

One final note on the Rollisi thing: I would much rather the writers focus on a strong, multi-layered storyline/case of the week than the abyss known as Rollisi.  I sometimes catch an older episode and it makes me nostalgic for a good storyline.  I know it must be difficult to keep things fresh after 21 years but use a little creativity as the social and legal  landscape is always changing. 

Sorry for my ranting. 

Btw, where is dttruman this week? Hopefully she/he is ok. 

I disagree that the majority of SVU fans want a Carisi/Rollins hook up, I think most do not, however the ones that do, the “shippers”, tend to be more vocal than other SVU fans and like to push their preferred ship on social media a lot. I HATE the thought of a Carisi/Rollins romance as I loathe screw up trailer trash whore Rollins while I really like Carisi, and I don’t like romance on what supposed to be a crime procedural, and there isn’t an ounce of romantic chemistry between Carisi and Rollins. It makes me sick that that’s what the show is trying to force on us and that that’s what people are taking away from this episode, which was the season’s best episode other than the brief hint at a Rollins-Khaldun-Carisi love triangle. I liked Khladun and wouldn’t mind if he dated Rollins as long as they didn’t go with Carisi being jealous of them. I don’t know why they want to ruin Carisi by putting him with Rollins, it goes back to Rollins being a writers pet IMO.

dttruman posted on this thread above, so they are okay. 

[CrystalBlue]

On 2/13/2020 at 7:58 PM, mtlchick said:

Well I didn’t hate this one, and I like the “cave cop.” But the anvils are falling that this becomes a case of Carisi getting jealous and eventually declare his feelings for Rollins. 

I got a concussion from those anvils hitting me over the head.

[CrystalBlue]

I was thoroughly engrossed in the story.  I too like the transit cop.  It was cool that he has such a diverse background and bonded with the husband by speaking Hebrew.  I also would like to know what becomes of the Irish couple.  Methinks they both get deported for perpetrating the fraud.  I really hope the pregnant wife is carrying her husband's child.

Buchanan was really good in court even though his scrumbag client deserves to get convicted.

Carisi really shined as ADA in and out of the courtroom.

Even though Fin got short shrift this week, at least he had one of the best lines about it never being what it looks like when Patrick's guy pal revealed the true story!

[Joe Hellandback]

1. Yeah, gotta bash ICE again, the ep with the kids in the cages just wasn't enough

2. I like the Transit Sgt, could he be considered as a replacement for Kat?

3. Speaking of whom, wouldn't she have been better as the lure with her foreign appearance and accent?

4. Trust me, neither the redhead lesbian nor her beard are from Belfast, David Boreanaz had a better Irish accent.

5. So did they arrest the boyfriend of the witness who beat her up? 

7/10