S25.E05: Zone Rouge

[txhorns79]

Airing February 22, 2024

Quote

A cryptic message sends SVU on a new track to find Maddie. Benson tries to help a federal agent when the case hits too close to home. Capt. Curry tries to make amends with Fin.

 

[Xeliou66]

Blah, a whole episode dedicated to St Olivia trying to find Maddie. This isn’t going to hold my interest, especially since the previous hour of L&O will be saying goodbye to the legendary Jack McCoy, I doubt I’ll be able to get into this episode at all - I’m really sick of the Maddie storyline and St Olivia saving the day. I just hope this episode ends that storyline. 

[MarylandGirl]

Also hoping it ends that storyline!

[MerBearHou]

On 2/19/2024 at 9:09 AM, Xeliou66 said:

Blah, a whole episode dedicated to St Olivia trying to find Maddie. This isn’t going to hold my interest, especially since the previous hour of L&O will be saying goodbye to the legendary Jack McCoy, I doubt I’ll be able to get into this episode at all - I’m really sick of the Maddie storyline and St Olivia saving the day. I just hope this episode ends that storyline. 

Oh, just wait till you see it…. St. Olivia in full-blown mode.  I actually laughed at one point.  

[Xeliou66]

This was horrid - full blown St Olivia worship at its worst, and a plot that I didn’t give a flying fuck about - I’m so sick of Maddie and I’m just relieved this storyline is over. Part of it may have been that I was so invested in the Mothership episode before it saying goodbye to the legendary Jack McCoy that I wouldn’t have been able to get into the SVU episode no matter what it was about, but it was bad regardless.

I am so sick of St Olivia taking it personally and always saving the day, complete with MH’s awful overacting and facial expressions, and that’s all this episode was.

Plus agent Sykes was unlikable, she had no right to jump down Carisi’s throat just because Carisi dared to point out they needed evidence, that was a Benson-like move, and I’m not thrilled that Sykes will be joining SVU. Plus Curry joining SVU is just ridiculous, why would a captain basically take a demotion to work under another captain as an investigator? I guess St Olivia is just so awesome everyone wants to work for her, but it’s absurd.

And Fin was an OOC jackass to Curry at the start for no reason. Plus no Bruno sucked.

Really the only part of the episode I liked were Carisi’s scenes, and I’m just happy the Maddie storyline is over, that way we don’t have St Olivia brooding over it all season. And it’s nice that McGrath has been written out, good riddance. But overall this was really weak and I didn’t care one iota about it. 

[MerBearHou]

There were how many detectives in that house where they miraculously found Maddie but only one takes off after the bad guy — St. Olivia running down the guy in the snowy woods.  Absolutely laughable.  

[Iguessnot]

44 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

There were how many detectives in that house where they miraculously found Maddie but only one takes off after the bad guy — St. Olivia running down the guy in the snowy woods.  Absolutely laughable.  

Not only that, but with a whole line of flashing cruisers, he's peeping in his usual window.

And that one perp trying to do a Lewis on Benson and Sykes--ludicrous.  Did Mariska write this cheesy episode? That final scene was obnoxious.

[wknt3]

The Good:
This obnoxious arc is over. Although it really defeats the purpose of the story, both apparent and stated, to have a victory so soon (even if it feels like this began before Meloni left the first time) and I fully expect callbacks I am just happy to see the end of this nonsense that is so far up it's own butt I feel like billing Mariska's health insurance for a colonoscopy.

Fin. Some old school Fin snark. I loooved that he ate the donuts "under protest" and was the only one willing to point out to Benson that she was acting more than a little unhinged. A little clumsy at times, but Ice-T at least can play the hits without going nuts unlike Mariska.

Carisi. Even if we are slipping back into the "evil 8th floor" nonsense on this night of all nights for the franchise, it was still good to see an ADA looking for a successful prosecution without being painted as the bad guy.

The Bad:
So we really are going through with 2 captains on the same squad?! Seriously? I mean previously we were asked to believe budgets were so tight we only had 3 detectives and even the extras were trimmed to the bone and now they can afford a captain's salary in a non-leadership position? I do like solving the casting budget issues by rotating recurring cast, and I like the actress, but this is just too much work for us as an audience to suspend disbelief for too little.

This is the worst Benson worshipping self-aggrandizing nonsense since Mariska literally staged herself as an angel (remember the brightly lit white outfit in that episode she directed?) with us expected to believe that she is an action hero and a psychiatrist all in one. And again we have someone who worked their butt off to get where she is and wants to go work for Benson just because she is so special?

A special and separate entry for all of the Benson whispering while she makes a constipated face. Really makes me think that they have given up on all of the good work they have done over the last half decade or so reeling in Mariska a bit.

Overall this was painful. Simply dreadful from start to finish with every scene reflective of the worst aspects of the past decade of the show. It was mostly competently executed as far as the plot mechanics are concerned, but that only makes it worse. If it was rushed and sloppy I would at least believe they were bailing out, but it feels like this was the plan all along. Because we couldn't actually see the squad doing a good job, but not having the case go down or only being solved after the victim was hurt or killed. What a flaming pile of turds.

Edited February 23 by wknt3
ducking autocorrect

[cfinboston]

12 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

There were how many detectives in that house where they miraculously found Maddie but only one takes off after the bad guy — St. Olivia running down the guy in the snowy woods.  Absolutely laughable.  

NGL. I was hoping Fin somehow headed him off and clotheslined him. 

[cfinboston]

When this ridiculous story began I literally called it that Liv would have to be the one to find her and hug her while whispering, "Maddie". The other cops get to the farmhouse but instead of running in and getting her they just wait for Liv.

Liv and Maddie nodding at each other at the press conference was painful cringe. If nothing else she's been kidnapped for a month, doped up on fentanyl and sold to a pervert. Is she really up for a press conference? 

 

[Ohiopirate02]

Is this the last of the Maddie saga?  I ask because there has been zero follow up to the Maddie Sex Doll (TM) modelled from supposedly private pictures.  Someone on Mom's friends list is a perv, are we going to get some closure on that? Or are we supposed to forget the middle of that episode?

[Iguessnot]

Fin walks in, sees the donuts and asks Velasco if he made the donuts. All a clumsy setup to introduce the self-demoted captain. But WHY would Fin assume those were homemade donuts? He would have only asked who brought the donuts. If self-demoted captain chose to then say she cooked them herself, ok. 

[bamlou]

14 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Is this the last of the Maddie saga?  I ask because there has been zero follow up to the Maddie Sex Doll (TM) modelled from supposedly private pictures.  Someone on Mom's friends list is a perv, are we going to get some closure on that? Or are we supposed to forget the middle of that episode?

YES! I had the same questions. They seemed to have completely ignored that this is how the story started, which was actually the more intriguing part of the case for how warped it was and the loose threads they couldn't figure out.

Maybe it was case closed when they found that warehouse of the dolls in the first episode? But it seemed like they hit a dead end as to who the was running the larger business and only caught the underlings/customers.

And maybe I'm remembering this wrong, but I thought the guy who had originally kidnapped her was some doll obsessive who wanted to have the real Maddie. I must have missed when she also somehow got entangled in this trafficking ring.

[MerBearHou]

55 minutes ago, cfinboston said:

NGL. I was hoping Fin somehow headed him off and clotheslined him. 

Would have LOVED that scene and Olivia's face when Fin stole her thunder!

[Iguessnot]

8 minutes ago, bamlouie said:

YES! I had the same questions. They seemed to have completely ignored that this is how the story started, which was actually the more intriguing part of the case for how warped it was and the loose threads they couldn't figure out.

Maybe it was case closed when they found that warehouse of the dolls in the first episode? But it seemed like they hit a dead end as to who the was running the larger business and only caught the underlings/customers.

And maybe I'm remembering this wrong, but I thought the guy who had originally kidnapped her was some doll obsessive who wanted to have the real Maddie. I must have missed when she also somehow got entangled in this trafficking ring.

I had mentioned in the original thread that those dolls had to be in production for some time since they were expensive, shipped from overseas and were deemed a best seller. There was a timeline issue that was ignored then. They are not going to address it now because the whole point of the arc is Olivia worship.

[Ohiopirate02]

10 minutes ago, bamlouie said:

YES! I had the same questions. They seemed to have completely ignored that this is how the story started, which was actually the more intriguing part of the case for how warped it was and the loose threads they couldn't figure out.

Maybe it was case closed when they found that warehouse of the dolls in the first episode? But it seemed like they hit a dead end as to who the was running the larger business and only caught the underlings/customers.

And maybe I'm remembering this wrong, but I thought the guy who had originally kidnapped her was some doll obsessive who wanted to have the real Maddie. I must have missed when she also somehow got entangled in this trafficking ring.

You are not remembering it wrong.  George from Canada was hired by him to kidnap the real Maddie after he somehow found out his precious doll was modeled after a real girl who just so happens to live in NYC.    

[gesundheit]

Wouldn't it be glorious if the United States had anywhere near as robust a passenger rail system as the SVU writers' room has given it in their imagination?

Poor Velasco with the awful exposition. "Tanya Garcia." "The girl we found OD-ing in that bag in that hotel room back in January?" Ouch. (And why did they even clarify that at all? There never would've been a question that they had an ID witness! But of course we needed everyone else to be dumb as a brick again so Olivia can have the genius eureka moment.)

And by the way, great news! Tanya's fine, the trauma and drugs are no match for aftercare from Olivia Benson!

13 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

There were how many detectives in that house where they miraculously found Maddie but only one takes off after the bad guy — St. Olivia running down the guy in the snowy woods.  Absolutely laughable.  

"Perp on the run -- let's send the 60-year-old in couture shoes!"

So uh... what happened to the showrunners' big promise back in 2020 that they were going to start presenting IAB in a new light? Since rooting out dirty cops and police corruption is actually a good thing and shouldn't be presented otherwise? Guess they abandoned that. Sure, they might want to have an opposing opinion on the squad to be more realistic, but zero chance Fin would be the loudest advocate of Blue Wall of Silence out of everyone. 

Why so much drama about identifying a boy vs a girl? This is a allegedly a bunch of enlightened people who are conversant in vics who identify anywhere along the gender spectrum, but apparently now it's grounds for self-flagellation if you can't tell that a short-haired girl is a girl on first sight.

I'd love to be grateful that the Maddie storyline is over, but unfortunately the "Olivia's personal feelings aftermath" has only just begun.

[Ohiopirate02]

7 minutes ago, gesundheit said:

And by the way, great news! Tanya's fine, the trauma and drugs are no match for aftercare from Olivia Benson!

 

Olivia was too busy self-flagellating over not stopping George in that delivery truck and comforting Maddie's parents to offer any aftercare to Tanya.  Probably a good thing in the long run for St. Olivia to forget about her so quickly after saving her.

[bamlou]

33 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

You are not remembering it wrong.  George from Canada was hired by him to kidnap the real Maddie after he somehow found out his precious doll was modeled after a real girl who just so happens to live in NYC.   

Got it, thanks. So I guess it's along the same series of coincidences/convenient plotting that similarly led the guy on the train who got Maddie's note to also happen to be a drug dealer who also happened to have a connection to George and also happened to sit right behind them the whole train ride lol.

With stronger writing I can often accept these types conveniences (or they're masked better) to enjoy the ride, but there were some leaps along the way to wrapping up this story that were harder to ignore. 

[pezgirl7]

I think what bugged me the most was Fin exclaiming "There's no one here!", not once, but twice, when they were inside the house. He said it right before Olivia was going to go into the basement and of course Olivia ignored him and ended up being Maddie's savior. 

[gesundheit]

Also pretty handy that Liv just has full-time live-in childcare for her son that makes it easy to just hop a plane on a whim with no notice to the caregiver

[StaceyNotStacie]

I was surprised that they actually solved the case during the episodes. After seeing the OC previews last week, I thought that Elliot was going to find Maddie for Olivia. 
 

I liked the FBI lady that was working with Olivia. I missed whether or not they found her missing sister and was wondering if the cold case would be a potential story in the future. 

[illdoc]

22 minutes ago, StaceyNotStacie said:

I missed whether or not they found her missing sister

Found remains, took a year for DNA, not her. Two years later some kids found some Polaroids of her. She (the FBI agent) "no longer feels her in the world", so I guess she figures she's dead, but Olivia promises to "continue to investigate".

[MerBearHou]

I find these two new female hires to the squad kind of headscratchers -- Liv can just add whomever because she finds their stories compelling?? 

I'm so glad the Maddie obsession is *likely* over for Olivia. 

With the new DA being added over on the Mothership L&O, how long do we give it till there's a crossover where Tony Goldwyn's character gets all moony-eyed over the irresistible Olivia?  Bets anyone?  

[Xeliou66]

4 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I find these two new female hires to the squad kind of headscratchers -- Liv can just add whomever because she finds their stories compelling?? 

I'm so glad the Maddie obsession is *likely* over for Olivia. 

With the new DA being added over on the Mothership L&O, how long do we give it till there's a crossover where Tony Goldwyn's character gets all moony-eyed over the irresistible Olivia?  Bets anyone?  

Oh god please don’t make the new DA fall in love with Benson the way almost every other man has. I’m glad Jack McCoy went out without ever becoming a Benson bot the way so many became. I am disappointed we never got a McCoy/Carisi scene though. It will be interesting if the new DA is ever mentioned on SVU, McCoy was name dropped a couple of times since the revival. 

[Sake614]

Does Mariska have it in her contract that she must get 20 extreme close ups per episode? I understand Maddie being grateful and feeling a special bond with Olivia since Liv saved her and I’m sure Maddie’s parents told her all about how supportive Liv has been since she disappeared. But please, I beg you, ENOUGH! Now Sykes is joining SVU because she needs a change? So there are two captains, a sergeant, an FBI agent and two detectives assigned to Manhattan SVU. That’s quite a roster.

part of me was hoping they wouldn’t find Maddie, but another part was hoping they would just so this damn story could be over. Now I just hope it is.,.except Liv will likely spend the rest of the season hunting for Sykes’ sister. Who of course will be alive and when Liv finds her, she and Sykes both kneel and kiss Olivia’s ring 🙄

[wknt3]

3 hours ago, gesundheit said:

Also pretty handy that Liv just has full-time live-in childcare for her son that makes it easy to just hop a plane on a whim with no notice to the caregiver

Hey now. Let's not give the writers any impression that the viewers think that ignoring Noah's existence is a BAD idea! I do wonder though if IAB has ever investigated how Benson can pay her child care bills. I mean Lucy is now retired at 27 after all those 80 hour weeks and not having to pay NYC rents since she was always either sleeping on Benson's couch or in protective custody...
 

55 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I find these two new female hires to the squad kind of headscratchers -- Liv can just add whomever because she finds their stories compelling??

No - they are adding themselves and pulling strings to do so because Benson is just so special that everyone wants to go work for her.

[MarylandGirl]

Yeah, that was...a lot of Olivia worship. I was fully expecting at the end for Maddie to walk over and give her the "Maddie" bracelet.

Also, is the one that Maddie was wearing the one from the sex doll that Olivia took? As I imagine Maddie's original one that they found is in evidence?

Sykes (right, that's the FBI agent?) seems a bit...unhinged. I mean, understandably so. But I'm expecting her to completely lose it on a perp. I do wonder if they'll find her sister at some point.

Just seems weird to be adding two characters to the squad at basically the same time. Seems like it could have made more sense to have Sykes work at, say, the NYC field office and be a regular SVU consultant? Like Fritz on The Closer, say.

I want more Bruno!

[Wizardpatch]

Did the drug smuggler's baby mama want the cops to arrest her boyfriend? Because she was talking so badly about him and how he may be in cahoots with George. I thought she was overall ok being with him but that was taking shit-talking too far. 

[slowpoked]

So SVU got all of the sausage party criticisms, that they're now overcompensating having two women join the squad?! Will Mariska be able to take it that she won't be the lone woman on the opening credits scene?!

Thanks @Ohiopirate02 for the reminder. I was irked all throughout the episode that it seemed SVU forgot the bigger scandal of Maddie being an unwilling sex doll and it became the usual SVU and FBI chase-the-traffickers episode. 

Hopefully this is the end of the Maddie saga. Thank God it only took five episodes. Hey, it could have been worse!!!

[Ohiopirate02]

28 minutes ago, slowpoked said:

 

Thanks @Ohiopirate02 for the reminder. I was irked all throughout the episode that it seemed SVU forgot the bigger scandal of Maddie being an unwilling sex doll and it became the usual SVU and FBI chase-the-traffickers episode. 

 

What really irks is knowing the show would have delved into this issue deeper in its past form.  Back when the writers cared about the Order part of the shows title.  It's a legitimately terrifying idea that is probably technically legal.  It sucks that it got dropped to focus on St. Olivia.

[Zaffy]

I watched the first 5 mins and then I  Fast Forwarded near the end where they were giving a press conference with the underage victim present !!!!!!!
This show has returned back to really-stupid level. For a few seasons it was  in "almost silly" mode. Oh, and someone should tell Mariska that she is not doing any favors to her legacy and soon SVU will be titled as SNU (N for narcissists, in case you dint'd get it). 
I mean, Mariska, you make a character strong with good writing not just by patting yourself in the back while you admire yourself in front of a mirror.

[Cotypubby]

Oh god this was garbage. Mariska has turned this show into trash with all the self-worship she forces on it.

Of course a whole squad of police arrive at the perp’s house, search inside and say “There is nothing inside, no one’s here!” just so Olivia can be all “I need to see for myself! Oh look she’s right here down these open stairs in this not-at-all hidden basement room!” 🙄 Only the magic of Saint Olivia can think to look in the basement.

[Sake614]

Apparently even Fin was too inept to lookin the basement 😟

[wknt3]

On 2/24/2024 at 10:27 AM, slowpoked said:

So SVU got all of the sausage party criticisms, that they're now overcompensating having two women join the squad?! Will Mariska be able to take it that she won't be the lone woman on the opening credits scene?!

She still will be the only woman - this is mostly about the show hearing the criticism that only 5 cast members with 1 or 2 off for multiple episodes wasn't enough so there are now 4 regulars and recurring cast members rotating in and out. I will bet that there will not be another younger actress added to the regular cast even if one of the current cast departs however as it seems like Mariska will not allow that for any length of time.

[Xeliou66]

10 minutes ago, wknt3 said:

She still will be the only woman - this is mostly about the show hearing the criticism that only 5 cast members with 1 or 2 off for multiple episodes wasn't enough so there are now 4 regulars and recurring cast members rotating in and out. I will bet that there will not be another younger actress added to the regular cast even if one of the current cast departs however as it seems like Mariska will not allow that for any length of time.

I honestly am fine with them adding in more recurring characters, at least the squad will feel more complete, I just wish they would do it in a realistic way instead of having an IAB Captain and an FBI agent basically make lateral moves to work for St Olivia - I find that absurd, and it’s just more Olivia worship that the show can’t get enough of. What happened to Churlish? Just when I started to warm up to her, she disappeared with zero explanation. 
I really wish they would bump Bruno up to the main cast, best new character since Carisi, and he’s in just as many episodes as Fin, Velasco and Carisi - only MH is in every episode - so it’s weird how Bruno isn’t in the main cast yet.

[wknt3]

38 minutes ago, Xeliou66 said:

I honestly am fine with them adding in more recurring characters, at least the squad will feel more complete, I just wish they would do it in a realistic way instead of having an IAB Captain and an FBI agent basically make lateral moves to work for St Olivia - I find that absurd, and it’s just more Olivia worship that the show can’t get enough of. What happened to Churlish? Just when I started to warm up to her, she disappeared with zero explanation. 
I really wish they would bump Bruno up to the main cast, best new character since Carisi, and he’s in just as many episodes as Fin, Velasco and Carisi - only MH is in every episode - so it’s weird how Bruno isn’t in the main cast yet.

I completely agree that adding new blood is needed and that more recurring characters is a good thing. And that the way they are going about it is beyond ridiculous. I mean I can understand bad choices motivated by money (not making Kevin Kane a regular) but I can't forgive bad writing motivated only by laziness and the idea that Benson is the messiah of victims everywhere.

[Zaffy]

Soon she won't be Saint Olivia anymore... she will be upgraded to Goddess Olivia

[Tachi Rocinante]

Jordana Spiro was good.  I liked her in the Mob Doctor show.  It seems she may show up from time.to time, which could be interesting. 

[jabRI]

I completely lost all hope when hobo George started on with his mind games...'you lost her' and 'you lost someone too, who was it'? like why can none of them just be as stupid as we know they are.

And of course Maddie was missing for a month and not assaulted.  Guess the demographics wouldn't work any other way?

[tennisgurl]

Wow, St. Olivia got to give the heartwarming "its ok sweetie" victim rescue hug AND she got to be the only one to chase down the perp through the snow, getting the big arrest! What an absolute hero! She's truly the one cop in the world who can save all of the (pretty young white female) victims of the world! 

That was embarrassing, the amount of Olivia workshop was over the top even by this shows standards. Of course we find an FBI agent to work the case who coincidentally has a tragic past that matches up with this case so she can join Olivia in Taking It Personally. Of course everything lines up so that Olivia can have the big hero moment. Of course FBI agents and captains all want to drop everything to become acolytes of our lord and savior Olivia. Of course she gets a last moment where she exchanges a smile with Maddie who's wearing the bracelet. Of course she was trafficked for a month and the worst injury she got was a haircut. 

This was awful, the only good thing about it was that we are hopefully done with this whole stupid arc and will never have to hear the name "Maddie" dramatically yelled and/or whispered ever again. So many questions that I don't care about being answered. What did the sex dolls have to do with anything? How did this traffic guy find Maddie? Did Olivia tell Maddie, as she returned her bracelet, that she pulled it off a sex doll that looked like her and she's been wearing it all month? Did Maddie think "I've been kidnapped, drugged, and bought by sex predator in a murder cabin, and somehow this is the creepiest thing that's happened to me"? Who the hell is watching Noah?