S24.E22: All Pain Is One Malady

[WendyCR72]

Season finale. Airing May 18, 2023:

Quote

In the search for a revenge-for-hire crime ring, Benson and Stabler combine forces on a case that has now spread globally. Fin and Bruno help a victim assaulted a second time. Jet's plan to hack the dark web backfires and puts the team in danger.

 

[dttruman]

Is the Chief acting like too much like the biggest jerk of all time.?Why wasn't Benson there to talk to the 14 year old kid's mom? It seems like she would be the best one to sympathize with her because they both have sons?

[wknt3]

The Good:
It's nice to see they are keeping going with the trend of having cases worked by the entire squad and giving them all a role to play. Also with having everyone as a competent professional and keeping the UST in the background.
Bruno. The best addition to the show in quite some time, mostly because they didn't feel the need to give him any soapy sub-plots or make him into a complete idiot to make Benson look better or try to make things more "interesting". It's nice to see someone other than Fin can be both empathetic and an investigator.
The guest cast. The victims were all well played and nuanced.
Carisi. I wish we had gotten more of him, but I ilked what we got.

The Bad:
A crossover as a season finale? As if we needed more evidence that TPTB care more about trying to keep OC going than the viewers of the original show. Of course it's not like there was much in character arcs for the season to wrap up so maybe it doesn't really matter much.
While the B plot case was solid old school SVU the main case and big crossover dragged. Like seriously ground to a crawl. Maybe Jet's virus got into the writers' room laptops?
McGrath. He's back to being a jerk without enough depth to even rise to one dimensional and there were a lot of times where they wasted opportunities to have him make good points.

Overall this was a solid episode. Not as good as last week since the A plot was almost entirely marking time, but decent enough. At least they ended demonstrating some amount of competence in writing and they seem to have a plan for the future.

[Diana Berry]

Muncy we hardly knew ye.  Wow what an unceremonious send off .  So I’m hoping that means Bruno will become permanent and don’t mind the churlish.  Or is this opening Amanda to come back?

so was Elliott letting Liv go or declaring his love? So confused 

[pezgirl7]

I wasn’t paying 100% attention, so I didn’t realize that Muncy was leaving until the very end when she was packing up her stuff. Does anyone know the reason for her being written off the show? I thought it might be due to the viewers not liking her character. Fingers crossed for Bruno joining full time next season!

[Diana Berry]

20 minutes ago, pezgirl7 said:

I wasn’t paying 100% attention, so I didn’t realize that Muncy was leaving until the very end when she was packing up her stuff. Does anyone know the reason for her being written off the show? I thought it might be due to the viewers not liking her character. Fingers crossed for Bruno joining full time next season!

I rewatched at the beginning she told velasco she got an offer on a DA task force ( uh yea ) with unlimited OT and a car. 
 

I really like Bruno teamed with Finn.  Velasco with Churlish or Amanda if TPTB bring her back. 
 

side note seen a lot of shows that were cancelled recently then get picked up because of the viewers. Viewers want Amanda back so it wouldn’t surprise me.

[mommalib]

So they went with the big scary Black man stereotype tonight, with this shows history I guess I shouldn't be surprised. And they can miss me with the Benson and Stabler crap. 

[WendyCR72]

20 minutes ago, Diana Berry said:

side note seen a lot of shows that were cancelled recently then get picked up because of the viewers. Viewers want Amanda back so it wouldn’t surprise me.

I think it is less about Amanda and more that there are only so many newbies that can be worked in and keep the bottom line down. Between Velasco, Bruno, Churlish, and Muncy, it probably came down to which newbie least caught on and was shown the door.

Because in the end, the issue of budget is still hanging over the show in neon letters. And Kelli Giddish would still be expensive as a full timer.

And with the strike, God knows when the show will return, so there are still a lot of variables at play.

On another note, you'd think I would have caught this LONG before now, but the first letters of their last names basically sums up my feelings on the Elliot/Liv merry-go-round.

BS!

Because if the PTB wanted the E/O drama, they should have just put Stabler back at SVU. The crossover stuff just annoys folks more than most, and things will only be more disjointed since OC only has a 13-episode season commitment versus SVU and the Mothership. Time to let OC thrive or fail on its own merits.

(And with the aforementioned strike, it is a huge question of if any show will have its full season, which will likely lead to more sorting out behind the scenes.)

[Xeliou66]

I’ll post all of my thoughts on the season finale crossover here 

This was actually better than I expected - the case was interesting enough and the crossover elements worked well for the most part. Benson didn’t annoy me as much as normal.

Best part of the episode was Fin and Bruno, they make for an awesome pairing, I loved them tracking down the serial perp. I really hope they bump Bruno up to opening credits next year - he’s great. I liked seeing him and Fin take the lead by themselves on a case and talk to victims and get their statements and act on their own without St Olivia swooping in to save the day. Always nice when it’s not all Olivia.

I like having a full squad finally - it’s very nice to have a room full of investigators instead of just a few like they had for so long. I do wonder if Rollins is returning, maybe even part time, I’m not sure - I have to say I will not miss Muncy if she leaves and it looks like that’s the case - she was by far the weakest character who was hard to take seriously at times. They can bump Churlish up to full time as well - she’s become a lot more likable since the start and it’s nice to have another investigator. I wonder if the showrunners saw that people reacted a lot more positively to Churlish and especially Bruno that to Muncy. Velasco is solid and I hope the whole plot about St Olivia having a grudge with him over his past is over. I wouldn’t mind seeing Rollins come back just to have another face in the squad, I’ll take her over Muncy any day. 

Carisi wasn’t used much but he was good when he was on.

McGrath was an even bigger dickhead than normal tonight, storming around and berating people, basically because he wanted to take the glory of catching all the perps. I miss Dodds/Garland every time that douche shows up.

The OC detective getting killed off was sad, and it felt tacked on almost. I guess OC/Stabler dealing with a new case is how they’ll explain OC not being on when the new seasons start. They are hell bent on dragging the Benson/Stabler relationship out until the very last episode of the shows when they’ll inevitably get together. It gets old. At least St Olivia wasn’t nearly as irritating tonight as normal and shared the spotlight with others.

Not a bad season finale - this season was very uneven with a lot of mediocrity, but this wasn’t a bad way to end it, and hopefully the show will have more consistency in season 25 - I’m not hopeful but at least this season finale didn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth the way most have lately. 

[Frisky Wig]

Uh, if you’re investigating a crime, especially a rape/sexual assault, it might be best to take the person to a secluded room or somewhere as private as you can to question them, especially if they’re male and/or young and/or seem scared/reluctant to talk. DON’T question them with a bunch of people nearby, in earshot, including a bunch of nosy busy-bodies hanging out behind some police tape! 

[Raja]

51 minutes ago, Frisky Wig said:

Uh, if you’re investigating a crime, especially a rape/sexual assault, it might be best to take the person to a secluded room or somewhere as private as you can to question them, especially if they’re male and/or young and/or seem scared/reluctant to talk. DON’T question them with a bunch of people nearby, in earshot, including a bunch of nosy busy-bodies hanging out behind some police tape! 

For career long professionals of a very specialized unit to question the boy rape victim with bystanders standing a few feet away was criminal in itself. I'm half surprised that the extras didn't have their phones out recording the police 

 

[wknt3]

6 hours ago, pezgirl7 said:

I wasn’t paying 100% attention, so I didn’t realize that Muncy was leaving until the very end when she was packing up her stuff. Does anyone know the reason for her being written off the show? I thought it might be due to the viewers not liking her character. Fingers crossed for Bruno joining full time next season!

We had some image quality issues going on, so I actually didn't realize she was leaving when she talked about the job offer. And I really like Bruno, but I don't think she's being replaced full time. If Kevin Kane doesn't find another gig that leaves him unavailable he will most likely be there a little bit more.
 

6 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

I rewatched at the beginning she told velasco she got an offer on a DA task force ( uh yea ) with unlimited OT and a car. 
 

I really like Bruno teamed with Finn.  Velasco with Churlish or Amanda if TPTB bring her back. 
 

side note seen a lot of shows that were cancelled recently then get picked up because of the viewers. Viewers want Amanda back so it wouldn’t surprise me.

Some viewers want Rollins back. At least an equal number were tired of her. Probably more don't really care. In any case she's not coming back unless Mariska takes a sizeable pay cut.
 

5 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

I think it is less about Amanda and more that there are only so many newbies that can be worked in and keep the bottom line down. Between Velasco, Bruno, Churlish, and Muncy, it probably came down to which newbie least caught on and was shown the door.

Because in the end, the issue of budget is still hanging over the show in neon letters. And Kelli Giddish would still be expensive as a full timer.

And with the strike, God knows when the show will return, so there are still a lot of variables at play.

Yep. A combination of budget issues and the fact that any young female detective that has been brought in in the past decade or so, must be portrayed as s clueless newbie and stereotype of the kids today for some reason or other (Stares in Mariska's direction...) and then get dropped when they shockingly don't catch on. It seems clear that they realize having Benson and a regular cast of 3/4 co-leads with 1 or 2 of them off most weeks is not workable so they have come up with the solution of filling out the squad with recurring cast members to save even more while having enough bodies to do an investigation without us wondering where everyone is. So Velasco or Muncy had to go and despite their best efforts in the second half of this season they hadn't trashed that character as badlly.

[The Wild Sow]

23 minutes ago, wknt3 said:

I rewatched at the beginning she told velasco she got an offer on a DA task force ( uh yea ) with unlimited OT and a car. 
 

DEA.  Drug Enforcement Administration.  Not "DA."

[EtheltoTillie]

I did not understand the point of having the spree rapist attack our poor vengeance victim.  So they could artificially link the two stories?  So they could tell us about this gross concept of people with a target on their back--the re-victims? 

[slowpoked]

This finale was ok. It's hard to take it as an explosive finale when it crossed over to OC, but it is what it is. Liv getting shot early was actually good because it was a reason to sideline her and let the OC team take over on the final chase. My gosh, I had thought that Benson getting shot was the season finale - will she or will she not survive?! Eeek, good thing we're spared from that.

It's not cool PTB is baiting the audience that Rollins may get back. Buyer's remorse? It's such a weird plotline to spring on Rollins when back when she was a detective she was longing for a "normal" life. Although I do miss seeing her friendship with Benson. I thought for awhile when Carisi was being pensive with Benson, that he had heard through the grapevine that Amanda was telling her cop friends she's been unhappy in her professorial life. 

As great as it was to see Amanda - I know, I know, I'm the only Rollins fan in the world - her role would have been better served for George Huang. Now that would be a deep SVU pull. But maybe he's no longer profiling.

[StaceyNotStacie]

This crossover overall was well done. I enjoy the Elliot and Olivia scenes as an occasional thing. 
 

Am I the only one who expected Amanda to give birth during the ordeal just to create more drama (or is that coming up for sweeps in the future)? 

[Hedgehog2022]

On 5/18/2023 at 11:12 PM, Diana Berry said:

Muncy we hardly knew ye.  Wow what an unceremonious send off .  So I’m hoping that means Bruno will become permanent and don’t mind the churlish.  Or is this opening Amanda to come back?

so was Elliott letting Liv go or declaring his love? So confused 

Toodles Muncy...worst new character ever on this show...and after being schooled by Benson in appropriate wardrobe for SVU detective she reverts back to flannels and last night a crop top. Have some consistency SVU actors. Her "promotion" seemed unrealistic to me. But maybe they didn't know how to write her out. Glad to see Bruno back...hope he gets a full time spot. Ditto for Amanda.

As for the other stuff last night...#1: This was a multi department operation that also included the FBI and FBI SWAT. No way that with an operation like this, that even Interpol was involved in, that the FBI wouldn't have had a helicopter overhead for surveillance during the conflict and a fully equiped EMT ambulance or medical unit with several EMTs and other medical personnel on site to perform emergency care AND a triage set up with a MedVac chopper on standby. Instead all they could provide was one person with a small bag of bandages? That was truly astounding. Give me a break.

Secondly...so the cop who got shot in the neck is paralyzed from the neck down but the kid who gored himself with a huge sword lives and seems to be in fairly good shape with the exception of being wheelchair bound... how stupid do these writers and show runners think we are? And obviously the father of the paralyzed cop (I don't know his name since I don't watch the Stabler show) "pulled the plug" at his son's request. No arrest, he just walks away. 

And the "Chief" seems unhinged and unstable...always in a tizzy and yelling. Enough of this guy, find someone else to play him who comes off as professional and more controlled. The current character needs to be on mood stablizers.

Edited May 20, 2023 by Hedgehog2022

[slowpoked]

54 minutes ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

Toodles Muncy...worst new character ever on this show...and after being schooled by Benson in appropriate wardrobe for SVU dectective she reverts back to flannels and last night a crop top. Have some consistency SVU actors. Her "promotion" seemed unrealistic to me. But maybe they didn't know how to write her out.

They just didn't know how to write this character. I guess they want her to replace Rollins, but also don't want her to be a very similar character. I just never bought her being tomboy and all of a sudden being so loyal to Velasco. I would have preferred that Kat stayed.

54 minutes ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

And the "Chief" seems unhinged and unstable...always in a tizzy and yelling. Enough of this guy, find someone else to play him who comes off as professional and more controlled. The current character needs to be on mood stablizers.

This! Olivia has a good point about laying low until they figure out the reach of the perp. He's a classic "see forest for the trees" guy. Everytime he's on, I wonder why they would replace Garland with him. This is one of those times where I miss Garland's measured wisdom. Sure, he butted heads with Liz too but he was mature enough to not throw a tantrum. If they are tight for budget, why not move Garland into a recurring role instead of a regular? They way they torpedoed that character was stupid. 

Edited May 19, 2023 by slowpoked

[Cloud9Shopper]

I was so bored halfway through the OC portion of the crossover that I just started fast forwarding to get to the EO stuff. 

So not that I wanted Olivia to be on the brink of death, but they hyped up her getting shot to end up in urgent care and out of the hospital within less than 24 hours? I mean, I’ll take Elliot carrying her and all but come on now. Also I did not know they treated GSWs in urgent care but I am not a doctor, so maybe they treat minor ones there IRL? 

I can’t take Rollins seriously as a professor and a “consultant.” I like her character fine but she seemed barely confident and like she was about to cry when talking to the mother. Couldn’t take her seriously.

The last scene with Olivia and Elliot looked like it was ripped out of a fanfic. “The compass to find your way to happiness” and the “Liv, Love, Laugh” sign. Haha. So corny. Much cheese. And I write fanfic so no shade but that’s just what it reminded me of.

I think I’m just over this show. Back to my regularly scheduled reruns on USA. 

[Iguessnot]

McGrath is just ridiculous in how he keeps screaming for everything to be solved immediately.  They write him as some jackass who has no idea about the realities of police work, crime investigation and crime solving. They might as well have him say "we have 20 minutes left in this episode, so wrap it up."

Otherwise, I really enjoyed this crossover. Pretty good writing and a real ensemble effort. Even Olivia and Elliot were able to interact without being too cringy.

[DaynaPhile]

Was the federal judge that got killed a judge we knew? I didn’t watch OC between last week and this week. And it seems I’ll have to watch the OC ep that continues after this if I want to see Liv get shot?

[Raja]

6 hours ago, DaynaPhile said:

Was the federal judge that got killed a judge we knew? I didn’t watch OC between last week and this week. And it seems I’ll have to watch the OC ep that continues after this if I want to see Liv get shot?

Where as the first two hours were more like the traditional crossover, a character or two shows up on the other show the second 2 hours of the crossover event played out much like the season's opening three part crossover and the episodes were fully integrated. Beyond the promo scenes some of the SVU soap spilled over into the concluding hour on OC.. 

[Diana Berry]

On 5/19/2023 at 6:46 AM, The Wild Sow said:

DEA.  Drug Enforcement Administration.  Not "DA."

Thanks my bad I caught that on another board.  I was wondering if a DA task force meant Carisi would get stuck with her.

[wknt3]

On 5/19/2023 at 6:46 AM, The Wild Sow said:

DEA.  Drug Enforcement Administration.  Not "DA."

 

3 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

Thanks my bad I caught that on another board.  I was wondering if a DA task force meant Carisi would get stuck with her.

Come on! You really think the 8th floor is going to give Carisi help investigating cases?

[lavenderblue]

As another of the Rollins fans in this vicinity, I was glad to see her back the last two weeks, but also ultimately annoyed by her usage. I don't really buy her in this new role (Huang absolutely would've been a lovely returning face), but it was also the most lackluster tease. "Oh let's have two scenes where she makes it clear how much she misses being a cop and can't tell Carisi! Anyway got those out of the way, Benson/Stabler luv time." I understand if they're considering finding a budget-friendly way to bring Giddish back on in some capacity and want to test those waters, but it just felt like this half-told storyline. At the very least throw in a scene discussing this with Carisi himself to round things out a little.

I was very happy to see Muncy go and would be totally cool with Bruno and Churlish getting bumped up. 

[Diana Berry]

9 hours ago, wknt3 said:

 

Come on! You really think the 8th floor is going to give Carisi help investigating cases?

Ya never know

Edited May 21, 2023 by Diana Berry

[Irate Panda]

Ugh this Chief guy is so annoying, and do you know how annoying you have to be for me to notice when you are in the same episode as Muncy, Benson, and Churlish? Did he ever think maybe these people could solve the crime quicker if he wasn’t flying off the handle every 2 seconds?  So glad to get rid of Muncy, she stinks, and do you know how much you have to stink for me to notice when you are in the same episode as Benson, Churlish, and the Chief! 

[Zaffy]

Well, to my surprise, I actually enjoyed the 4 episodes of this case.
There was the usual unrealism and over the top moments, but still it was quite good.

The great villain was interesting, although the horrific part of the story was how many people actually
embraced and used his site. 

My biggest issue was how they just stormed the bad guy's lair like cowboys  a saloon.
They heard him shooting, they knew he has cameras watching them  and they just walked in plain sight so he could shoot them easier.
Those Organized Crime police officers are officially  the Stormtroopers of the L&O franchise.

RIP officer Whelan..that your Dad euthanized you just  a few hours after you went out of surgery, while you were still emotionally fragile and shocked. Well it is not an easy thing to be quadriplegic, but they should at least give you a few months so you could be pretty sure if you would like to join the great oblivion or not. Just saying.

Btw, FBI is not really good at guarding targets right? "Let's all stay inside a car so the bad guy(s) can neutralize us easier."
Why not?

I guess Rollins will be back? it is kind of weird she suddenly became a profiler or whatever, but I like the actress
and I wouldn't mind her at least having a recurring role.

And last but not least...
I am ready for Benson and Stabler to be a thing. They are ready. They are actually a very cool couple already.
That scene where Benson was shot and was guiding "blind" Stabler through the restaurant was the best of the episode.
What is the problem and they are not pairing them? This has become ridiculous.  
I was never a shipper, but I think they are there now, it is time. JUST DO IT writers. 
I am having deva vu, I have written the same thing for last season's finale.. oh well..

[WendyCR72]

10 hours ago, Zaffy said:

What is the problem and they are not pairing them? This has become ridiculous.  
I was never a shipper, but I think they are there now, it is time.

You sort of answered your own question. Many in the audience are not 'shippers; many are. So in pairing E/O, it risks alienating a portion of the audience that watches for the cases, just as it risks it in NOT pairing them for the other half.

Frankly, I think alluding to the POSSIBILITY is a fair compromise 'til the end of the show. Then the audience - whichever segment - can imagine the outcome.

[Raja]

10 hours ago, Zaffy said:

Btw, FBI is not really good at guarding targets right? "Let's all stay inside a car so the bad guy(s) can neutralize us easier."
Why not?

Four of them, which the truck driver turned super assassin,  from playing video games I guess who was watching a website for a job with a 24 hour clock came prepared to neutralize before even moving on to his actual targets. That was far beyond the rape a nanny that the story started with

[slowpoked]

On 5/20/2023 at 1:31 PM, lavenderblue said:

As another of the Rollins fans in this vicinity, I was glad to see her back the last two weeks, but also ultimately annoyed by her usage. I don't really buy her in this new role (Huang absolutely would've been a lovely returning face), but it was also the most lackluster tease. "Oh let's have two scenes where she makes it clear how much she misses being a cop and can't tell Carisi! Anyway got those out of the way, Benson/Stabler luv time." I understand if they're considering finding a budget-friendly way to bring Giddish back on in some capacity and want to test those waters, but it just felt like this half-told storyline. At the very least throw in a scene discussing this with Carisi himself to round things out a little.

I don't know how the writing of this kind of series goes, but I'm actually curious if they had intended Rollins to be IN the season finale AFTER just writing her off in Ep9. I mean, that's barely a minute to bring someone back who was just written off in the same season. That's why I think there's some remorse going on behind the scenes, especially as Muncy didn't exactly work out. I appreciate the mentions every now and then, considering she is connected to one of the regular characters, but something just felt off bringing her back this fast. 

[tennisgurl]

I don't love them doing a crossover for the season finale, but it was still a good episode. Having Olivia shot right away was a good call if they had to do it at all, they could get the Olivia drama and some of the obvious Olivia/Elliot shipper bait out of the way fast, and it meant that the OC characters could have some time to shine. The case itself was really interesting and twisty, good acting from both the main and guest cast, lots of solid police work without much needless personal drama, I was really interested in the case and I liked how it played out. 

They might as well have added in a title card where they told us that Muncy had to go, her planet needed her, and that she died on her spaceship. What an awkward and unceremonious end for her, I didn't even like Muncy and even I think she deserved a better send off if she had to go at all. I get that its a budget thing, they can only have so many actors and they probably axed the one who the audience took to the least, but I wish that they had just made her a better character instead of just getting rid of her, especially as she hasn't been too bad lately. 

I felt bad for all of the victims, but wow that poor teenage boy. Not only was he sexually assaulted, but the cops questioned this clearly traumatized and humiliated kid right in the middle of the street with a million people around watching, and then his mom was just awful when she heard what happened, hopefully at least Bruno got through to her. 

The chief was back to being a total asshole, and not only an asshole but a complete idiot. How does screaming about focusing on New York arrests help to actually solve the problem? Its clearly established that this is an international operation, the only way to get the arrests he wants is to work the whole case. Idiot. 

The feds really need to reconsider a few things if they can so easily be bested by a random trucker with a gas mask. 

The suicide PSA at the end made me chuckle very inappropriately considering being suicidal was the least of that guys issues. If you or a loved one are dealing with feeling like you want to make an evil murder/rape for hire website out of a nialistic sociopathic desire to hurt the world and then impale yourself with a sword after a police standoff, please seek professional help. 

[CrystalBlue]

The show could have ended with tourist ads for the states that allow euthanasia for people too.  Gallows humor.

Poor Whelan.  He had a seemingly loving and supportive wife too.  He must have decided what his limit line would be in his life before being shot in the line of duty.

[love2lovebadtv]

On 5/18/2023 at 9:54 PM, dttruman said:

Is the Chief acting like too much like the biggest jerk of all time? Why wasn't Benson there to talk to the 14 year old kid's mom? It seems like she would be the best one to sympathize with her because they both have sons?

I was glad Fin and Bruno talked to the mom instead of Benson. Hope to see more of the whole team in action instead of sitting back while Benson is a therapist, investigator, lawyer, etc. Fin saying that being gay doesn't work like that hit differently since the mom likely perceives him as a strong male figure. And Bruno sharing a bit of his experience growing into a man was especially powerful based on the mom talking about trying to raise a man. 

Benson would have made it more about her emotions and Noah rather than understanding and addressing the mom's concerns.

On 5/19/2023 at 12:29 AM, Xeliou66 said:

I’ll post all of my thoughts on the season finale crossover here 

This was actually better than I expected - the case was interesting enough and the crossover elements worked well for the most part. Benson didn’t annoy me as much as normal.

Best part of the episode was Fin and Bruno, they make for an awesome pairing, I loved them tracking down the serial perp. I really hope they bump Bruno up to opening credits next year - he’s great. I liked seeing him and Fin take the lead by themselves on a case and talk to victims and get their statements and act on their own without St Olivia swooping in to save the day. Always nice when it’s not all Olivia.

More Fin and Bruno, please. They have a good rapport with each other and with the victims/families. 

On 5/19/2023 at 11:34 AM, slowpoked said:

As great as it was to see Amanda - I know, I know, I'm the only Rollins fan in the world - her role would have been better served for George Huang. Now that would be a deep SVU pull. But maybe he's no longer profiling.

Agree 100%. I love Rollins, drama and all (though I want to see her balanced and not distressed) but psych consultant she is not. 

On 5/20/2023 at 12:09 AM, DaynaPhile said:

Was the federal judge that got killed a judge we knew? I didn’t watch OC between last week and this week. And it seems I’ll have to watch the OC ep that continues after this if I want to see Liv get shot?

I don't think we've seen the judge but she resembled RBG. Or did I imagine that?

On 5/21/2023 at 9:50 PM, WendyCR72 said:

You sort of answered your own question. Many in the audience are not 'shippers; many are. So in pairing E/O, it risks alienating a portion of the audience that watches for the cases, just as it risks it in NOT pairing them for the other half.

Frankly, I think alluding to the POSSIBILITY is a fair compromise 'til the end of the show. Then the audience - whichever segment - can imagine the outcome.

I love hearing that not everyone is an EO shipper. I watch the shows for the cases with a little personal stuff sprinkled in but I have no interest in seeing EO. I'm not interested in rehashing the way Eliot left. I like them as friends/colleagues.

[Amazee-Dayzee]

I am very much aware that people absolutely HATE Muncy even though I don't really have an opinion on her (and people hated her character on Days of our Lives also) but its annoying when we get regulars lasting for only one season when the Squad Room is bare and St. Olivia is moaning about being understaffed. We only had Muncy until the end of this season. Jamie Gray Hyder, Demore Barnes and Philip Winchester didn't last that long either. It just gets annoying after a while. I am honestly expecting Octavio Pisano to go next as well as any newcomers for season 25 not staying long either. I know its because of budget issues but the only person I can think of as being safe is Mariska at this point.

Don't get me started on also killing off good characters so that Olivia can stay on the trauma merry-go-round and come out as a stronger woman. Mike Duarte was a perfectly good character who didn't have to be killed off. We didn't need to lose Simon either. Also Mike Dobbs even though Andy Karl was leaving should have been left alive also.

Final point. How long until the McCann family either gets murdered or turned evil. I swear its an unwritten rule somewhere that Olivia and Noah can only have each other as family members and nobody else until the series finale when she and Elliott inevitably get together. That was why they killed off Simon. Why we haven't seen Olivia's sister-in-law, namesake niece and step-nephew and why they wrote Sheila Porter as unhinged. So you KNOW that Noah's half-brother and his adoptive family won't be in the picture for long.

Sorry for all of that. These things really do annoy me to no end. Even if the budget is the reason why we can't retain many new characters then they need stop adding them or having Olivia point out how understaffed the squad is. Killing off good characters to give Olivia angst needs to stop also. As well as giving Noah biological family members since they will ultimately be insane or get killed off for more Olivia angst.

[webruce]

I can't right now watch the OC crossover episodes because of my familys cut back in our tv package. SVU episodes are still viewable, but OC are not. So ofcourse I get confused when you talk about both shows episodes at once. So I will have to wait on some of my takes from the story lines. 

But I do think McGrath was being an idiot. All the hustle to get the perps put away kinda took away from the rest of the case. Jet didn't screw up. 

Benson and Stabler do sometimes talk to much about their history. 

I did think Finn and Bruno talking to Manny Lopez about his rape, infront of the bystanders, was not cool. But I was surprised that with today's thinking on Gay or not, and Martha his mom thinking he won't be a "man" now because he was forced to service a man? It shouldn't change him really, I don't think, unless he had that in him to begin with. Does that make him the male version of Kate Wallace, where people can "see" that you are vulnerable to being used? I think it is both hogwash. It was nice that Bruno tried to tell her how to treat her son. Having someone like Randy Gordon's case, mixed in, is something that must happen at times and the only reason he was intertwined was that he picked Kate Wallace as a victim. I thought when he was on the bench,  that he was a cop watching Kate and she was scared for no reason, boy was I wrong. 

I liked seeing Rollins,  surprised she is so knowledgeable so quickly. And without seeing OC yet,  I can't give more of a summary. 

I didn't catch that Muncy was actually leaving. I figured she would make up her mind at the end to stay. I wasn't happy Rollins was leaving, and sure all the replacements start off awkwardly, but were falling into place. But I don't like that the budget makes it so some team members have to play musical chairs per episode. Do the sponsor sightings game if you have to to cover it, so be it. Finn with a Mountain Dew, or Benson asking for a Cutty Sark on the rocks. It is usually more real then a generic drink. 

Also them and the FBI watching Larry, Sandy etc., working, seemed like they were at the office 24/7. I guess Jason Bettencourt going to work on the hard drive thoughts will have to wait until I see the OC. 

Edited October 6, 2023 by webruce
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