S24.E02 The Perfect Man

[DXD526]

Quote

It cracked me up that Shaw and Riley were prowling around the drug den wearing vests emblazoned with POLICE and they were miffed no one would talk to them.

I was waiting for them to get ganged up on and get their asses kicked, strolling in there like that!

[marc20]

20 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

Wow, great call it’s the same actress, I just looked it up! I didn’t even notice that! Different character, but it’s the same actress who played Bonnie/Amanda in Steel Eyed Death - the girl who assisted her psychopath boyfriend in the murder of the family but said she had no idea who she was or where she came from. It was kind of left open ended whether she was telling the truth about that - Skoda was skeptical but she did have head trauma that could’ve caused it, and they let her go to a mental hospital for an indefinite period of time. I didn’t piece it together that the perp here was played by the same actress! 

thank you, I wasn't sure...one of the remaining reasons why I continue to watch the old episodes is to spot actors who ended up appearing years later in another guest spot...I still get surprised even after watching them a dozen times each

 

..............

 

and here's a Wiki summary of her...

Emily Meade is an American film and television actress. She has appeared in films such as Twelve, My Soul to Take, Gimme Shelter, That Awkward Moment, Money Monster, and Nerve, and the television series Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Leftovers and Broad City. Wikipedia

Born: 1989 (age 35 years), New York, NY

Height: 5′ 6″

Edited October 13 by marc20

[Raja]

1 hour ago, Sake614 said:

Color me completely stunned that they allowed Olivia to lose, even just a little bit! All the camera shots of her shaking her head, or nodding her head during the trial had me 🙄.  And when the defendant wouldn’t take the plea, and Olivia came out to tell Price that the defendant is willing to plea to man 2 with a 5 yr sentence, I was like, when did you become her attorney and perhaps it’s time to hang up your badge if you’re no longer interested in upholding the law. I mean, do the show runners really think this is making her look sympathetic? Because I certainly don’t see it. 

In this case to Captain Benson punishing the individual killer wasn't as important as the theory that more criminals will go free because crime victims won't come forward if the state will then use their medical records against them.

[Sake614]

2 hours ago, Raja said:

In this case to Captain Benson punishing the individual killer wasn't as important as the theory that more criminals will go free because crime victims won't come forward if the state will then use their medical records against them.

I understand that point but she was advocating for the defendant even before she knew the cops used the local database. Even on the witness stand, it was ‘poor poor her, nobody believed her when she said she w@s raped, so she had no choice but to kill the big bad guy who was standing a good 10 feet away from her.’ I’m glad Price told the jury that the entire system failed the defendant but that was still no excuse for murder.

[Joimiaroxeu]

"The shooter didn't police his brass." Interesting turn of phrase for a cop to use in reference to a murder scene.

Mehcad looked like he's been working out. Maura is small but she was like a little kid walking next to him.

The guy the detectives searched for in the abandoned building was in decent shape for a druggie. He put up a pretty good fight with Shaw.

"I'm not Dixon." No joke.

Early bet that Laura Kingsbury is covering for someone. Probably the person who actually should be arrested. (Later: nope. Oops.)

Sounds like using the local DNA database is going to be Brady's critical failing. She sure doesn't need Saint Olivia Benson as her enemy.

So much annoying propping of Benson. Ditto comments upthread: Globally recognized expert? Seriously? Maybe if the globe is Neptune. And Benson's smirks when Price was questioning her were unprofessional.

First-degree manslaughter? Nah, the defendant straight-up decided to murder the guy when there were non-lethal alternative solutions.

IMO Benson undermining the DA's office via the press can't be allowed to let stand. I did not like seeing Price having to make nice with her at the end.

Edited October 13 by Joimiaroxeu

[shapeshifter]

1 minute ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Early bet that Laura Kingsbury is covering for someone. Probably the person who actually should be arrested. (Later: nope. Oops.)

I wondered (later) if the actress playing the perp was directed to act like she was covering for someone. 

[Raja]

5 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

"The shooter didn't police his brass." Interesting turn of phrase for a cop to use in reference to a murder scene.

Not if he was an army veteran. Other US military branches also. It would be like always saying magazine and never a clip because "this is my rifle, and this is my gun" 😇 Drill Sergeant.

 

Besides Sergeant Tutuola and Detective Goren has the franchise any other know military veterans?

[Joimiaroxeu]

1 minute ago, Raja said:

Not if he was an army veteran. Other US military branches also. It would be like always saying magazine and never a clip because "this is my rifle, and this is my gun" 😇 Drill Sergeant.

So policing your brass is a miltary expression?

[Raja]

12 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

IMO Benson undermining the DA's office via the press can't be allowed to let stand. I did not like seeing Price having to make nice with her at the end.

Not if 1PP agrees with her and not Mr. Baxter.  She can take the wrist slap while sending message to New York, Brooklyn and the other DA's.

2 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

So policing your brass is a miltary expression?

Yes, "policing" in general is cleaning the area before you leave. On the firing range you have to return the brass which they weigh. If not within an acceptable range then CID would open up an investigation looking for theft.

[Joimiaroxeu]

1 minute ago, Raja said:

Not if 1PP agrees with her and not Mr. Baxter.  She can take the wrist slap while sending message to New York, Brooklyn and the other DA's.

Well as far as I'm concerned that's some bad business, letting one lieutenant in one division in one borough force a policy on all the boroughs by using the press as a bully pulpit. Even if 1PP does agree with her, she needs more than a slap on the wrist.

[Xeliou66]

4 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Well as far as I'm concerned that's some bad business, letting one lieutenant in one division in one borough force a policy on all the boroughs by using the press as a bully pulpit. Even if 1PP does agree with her, she needs more than a slap on the wrist.

I agree Benson was way out of line, but that’s nothing new for her - she repeatedly interferes with cases to push an agenda, and sometimes makes up charges just to send a message - like the time she bullied Barba into prosecuting something that wasn’t even a crime when the guy was lying about who he was to get women to sleep with him, and when she arrested the ICE agent just for doing his job. Benson should’ve been removed from command so many times now it’s not even funny, but MH’s ego is huge and the showrunners have their heads so far up her ass they can’t see, so Benson is portrayed as a perfect beacon of light and hope. I was pleasantly surprised here that things didn’t go 100% Benson’s way. I’ve come to absolutely despise Olivia Benson over the last few years and she was just as irritating in this episode as she always is.

Minus Benson this episode was really good though. 

[leocadia]

On 10/11/2024 at 10:41 AM, GiandujaPie said:

At first I thought the perp, the rape victim, was being stalked by the app, as it was mentioned that once you started "dating" Eli, if you tried to break up with him he would follow you around on all your social media and try to get you back together.

This would have actually been a more interesting story to me!

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, leocadia said:

This would have actually been a more interesting story to me!

On 10/11/2024 at 10:41 AM, GiandujaPie said:

At first I thought the perp, the rape victim, was being stalked by the app, as it was mentioned that once you started "dating" Eli, if you tried to break up with him he would follow you around on all your social media and try to get you back together.

I think the story would've been better if we (and the detectives) had been led to believe she was being stalked by an app, and then it turned out it was a real person. 
It seems like this👆 might have been the original plot.
🤔🧐🤷🏻‍♀️

[FozzyBear]

On 10/11/2024 at 7:41 AM, GiandujaPie said:

At first I thought the perp, the rape victim, was being stalked by the app, as it was mentioned that once you started "dating" Eli, if you tried to break up with him he would follow you around on all your social media and try to get you back together. I guess it's kind of like the way ads for items you searched for pop up on all your other internet activity. So I thought that she got confused and thought she was being stalked by the guy in real life when she saw him even though they had never actually met, he was just the face of the app. But it turns out they actually were dating in real life! LOL 

I don't understand the point of the app. So you get to have a pretend AI boyfriend who will text you and call you? If he sends you gifts, is the cost of the gifts included in the app's fees? Why would anyone pay for something like this? Just so you can get daily texts as if you had a real boyfriend? 

She absolutely should have taken the deal. Not sure why Olivia blames Price for charging her the way he did, and it's not his fault the defendant didn't take the deal. 

Thank you! I didn’t understand the point of the app as either a piece of technology or as a plot devise.

Much like you, I don’t really understand what it does. It sends you video and text messages based off of your internet searches? Is it banking on the idea there are enough men and women out there that want the sensitive hipster Aiden from Sex & the City guy Eli seems to be to keep the business afloat or are there other Elis you can pick from (Eli 1.0 is really not my type)? What’s the point of Eli not letting you break up? Is it all just a hard sales pitch to get you to renew your contract? Speaking of…$80 a month! Holy Hell that’s expensive. I don’t spend that much on my boyfriend and he’s an actual person. 

I don’t get it as a plot device either. Like why? Why is it there. Why couldn’t he just be a guy she went on a few dates with. I kept waiting to find out that he used the app to track her location so he knew where she would be and then show up but it didn’t seem to matter. 

But then they didn’t address things I had questions about. Like how did they both end up in the park? Did she lure him there to kill him? Was it a coincidence? Did he follow her there and she got scared? Was he stalking her? Or did he have a reason to show up to the same yoga studio? Were the letters the main thing (not that the letters were ok) but was he sending gifts? Showing up at her home? Was he talking to other people about her? What was happening exactly.

i have questions.

Edited October 15 by FozzyBear

[wknt3]

On 10/13/2024 at 3:13 PM, Sake614 said:

Color me completely stunned that they allowed Olivia to lose, even just a little bit!

They always do try to call bullshit on Benson's nonsense when there is a crossover and make sure to point out that she is not automatically right. I think Rick Eid is working out some of his trauma from his season running SVU.
 

21 hours ago, Raja said:

Not if he was an army veteran. Other US military branches also. It would be like always saying magazine and never a clip because "this is my rifle, and this is my gun" 😇 Drill Sergeant.

 

Besides Sergeant Tutuola and Detective Goren has the franchise any other know military veterans?

There are a number through the franchise. Off the top of my head there are a few that come to mind. Briscoe was a corporal in the army. Stabler served in the USMC. Ceretta aluded to military experience, but I don't think they specified branch. Cragen was in the army during Vietnam. Amaro from SVU was an Army veteran involved with prisoners in Iraq. There are probably more that someone here with a better memory will point out. And there is some ambiguity with Fontana - Farina served in Vietnam and the character is largely based on him, and he talks about his time in Vietnam with a suspect, but tells Green he was making it up and it's not really clear if he is running a game on the suspect or doesn't want to share painful memories with Ed.

Edited October 14 by wknt3
fix typo

[Raja]

9 minutes ago, wknt3 said:

And there is some ambiguity with Fontana - Farina served in Vietnam and the character is largely based on him, and he talks about his time in Vietnam with a suspect, but tells Green he was making it up and it's not really clear if he is running a game on the suspect or doesn't want to share painful memories with Ed,

The other show but that  game is what I suspected about Fin when he went with the story about being a Ranger in Mogadishu  to try to get someone to talk to him.

Stabler I should have remembered from his tattoo and  Organized Crime last season.

Edited October 14 by Raja

[Chaser]

It’s amazing just how bad Benson has gotten. It’s sad what they’ve done to her character. And it’s really sad this episode is considered knocking her down a peg. I wanted someone (THE DA - Who should have been furious with her) to point out if this is how she chooses to conduct herself if she doesn’t agree with the law, then she should turn in her badge. 

Edited October 15 by Chaser

[Spartan Girl]

3 minutes ago, Chaser said:

It’s amazing just how bad Benson has gotten. It’s sad what they’ve done to her character. And it’s really sad this episode is considered knocking her down a peg. I wanted someone (THE DA - Who should have been furious with her) to point out if this is how she chooses to be a conduct herself if she doesn’t agree with the law, then she should turn in her badge. 

When she was ranting about how Laura had no reason to trust the system blah blah blah, I was shouting, “Then why do you still work for NYPD?! What’s the point of working for a system you think is worthless?!”

[paigow]

L & O has played jury nullification several times...

Stone vs. homophobic cops

McCoy vs. pro life Reverend

[blackwing]

I must not have watched much TV in the week leading up to this episode, because I wasn't aware that Saint Olivia was showing up.  As soon as I saw her face, I just groaned.  Then for the rest of the episode I was fervently hoping for a resolution because I really didn't want a crossover episode where I would be forced to watch the conclusion on SVU.

I know that Hugh Dancy gets a lot of criticism here, but I thought this was a particularly strong episode for him and Nolan Price.  He was firm and convincing.

During the first hearing in the judge's chambers regarding the admissibility of the evidence that was obtained from the local database, I think the defendant was actually in the chambers with her attorney.  There were definitely two women for the defence.  If it was her, why?  Seemed very unusual since she is not a lawyer and she would have no reason or ability to speak to the judge.

So Saint Olivia testified that this woman believed she was doing the right thing according to "her truth".  Isn't that pretty awful if she is considered a "leading expert" on matters involving raped women and yet is a captain in the police force who is charged with upholding the law?  It's bad if she is trying to make a distinction between "truth" and "her truth".  Basically justifying any kind of action from a woman who has been ill-treated.  Every defendant will now be trying the "Saint Olivia defence".  Didn't work this time, but maybe next time with different facts and the Saint as a defence witness again.

I am glad we didn't have to see much of Maroun.  After last week's episode when she basically freaked out and almost confronted a witness despite knowing it would get her disbarred, it is obvious that cases involving battered/raped/killed women are triggering to her.  I was disappointed that there wasn't a line saying she had been suspended by Baxter for fourteen days, or put on administrative duty.

[Xeliou66]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

I must not have watched much TV in the week leading up to this episode, because I wasn't aware that Saint Olivia was showing up.  As soon as I saw her face, I just groaned.  Then for the rest of the episode I was fervently hoping for a resolution because I really didn't want a crossover episode where I would be forced to watch the conclusion on SVU.

I know that Hugh Dancy gets a lot of criticism here, but I thought this was a particularly strong episode for him and Nolan Price.  He was firm and convincing.

During the first hearing in the judge's chambers regarding the admissibility of the evidence that was obtained from the local database, I think the defendant was actually in the chambers with her attorney.  There were definitely two women for the defence.  If it was her, why?  Seemed very unusual since she is not a lawyer and she would have no reason or ability to speak to the judge.

So Saint Olivia testified that this woman believed she was doing the right thing according to "her truth".  Isn't that pretty awful if she is considered a "leading expert" on matters involving raped women and yet is a captain in the police force who is charged with upholding the law?  It's bad if she is trying to make a distinction between "truth" and "her truth".  Basically justifying any kind of action from a woman who has been ill-treated.  Every defendant will now be trying the "Saint Olivia defence".  Didn't work this time, but maybe next time with different facts and the Saint as a defence witness again.

I am glad we didn't have to see much of Maroun.  After last week's episode when she basically freaked out and almost confronted a witness despite knowing it would get her disbarred, it is obvious that cases involving battered/raped/killed women are triggering to her.  I was disappointed that there wasn't a line saying she had been suspended by Baxter for fourteen days, or put on administrative duty.

The defendant frequently attends motion hearings in chambers with their lawyer, it makes sense since they are the person on trial and sometimes the judge wants to hear from them directly about certain matters such as interactions with police. The defendant is usually in chambers with their lawyer when the judge goes over stuff so that wasn’t really unusual.

St Olivia drove me nuts here as usual, and it’s another example of how unfit she is to lead a police squad, she doesn’t care about following the law and she’s ridiculously biased. And yes she believes any woman who has been the victim of a sex crime has the right to break the law, this has been shown over and over on SVU. She’s just too biased to be an effective police officer, and no one calls her out on this. 

I agree this was a good episode for Price, he did a good job and it was refreshing to see him stand up to St O. I like Price more than many viewers do, he can be hit or miss but he’s not a bad character IMO and he was good here, I like how he laid out the facts for the jury in his closing argument. I’m glad no reference was made to Maroun’s behavior in the previous episode, that was too melodramatic, and Maroun just doesn’t add much. I enjoy Baxter and his scenes a lot.

As for a couple of other points, I think the victim was hanging around in areas the defendant frequented hoping to run into her. His app was weird I agree but it tied into the victim’s character - he seemed to get obsessed with women he liked and didn’t know how to move on if rejected, and he was using his real life experiences to build his app about how to be the “perfect boyfriend” to try to figure out what women wanted from him instead of just moving on. I didn’t really feel sorry for him, he was creepy and should’ve just moved on instead of being persistent with women, but the killing wasn’t justified, killing is a last resort and the perp had many other ways of dealing with the situation other than shooting him in the head.

Overall I think this was actually one of the best and most compelling episodes of the revival. 

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, blackwing said:

I am glad we didn't have to see much of Maroun.  After last week's episode when she basically freaked out and almost confronted a witness despite knowing it would get her disbarred, it is obvious that cases involving battered/raped/killed women are triggering to her.  I was disappointed that there wasn't a line saying she had been suspended by Baxter for fourteen days, or put on administrative duty.

But Baxter doesn't know that Maroun tried to go after the witness, right?
That might come back to bite Price for hiding from Baxter? 

Maybe next episode we'll get a line about how Maroun was off this week's case because of the subject???

[Xeliou66]

1 minute ago, shapeshifter said:

But Baxter doesn't know that Maroun tried to go after the witness, right?
That might come back to bite Price for hiding from Baxter? 

Maybe next episode we'll get a line about how Maroun was off this week's case because of the subject???

I doubt it will come back to bite Price given that Maroun didn’t actually do anything improper. I doubt there will be any more lines going forward about it, and I’m glad of that, episode 1 was just too soapy for me. And Maroun wasn’t off this case, she was second chair on it she just didn’t have many lines. 

[torqy]

Gave up on SVU years ago. After watching this episode, it seems Hargitay's acting consists of grimacing and shaking her head.

[CrystalBlue]

23 minutes ago, torqy said:

Gave up on SVU years ago. After watching this episode, it seems Hargitay's acting consists of grimacing and shaking her head.

And whispering.

[Zaffy]

I gave up on SVU last season cause of Olivia and her obsession with M (don't even dare to write her name in case she reappears) but on this one I was 100% with Benson. Cause as much as St Olivia is annoying, this doesn't mean  her badly written character should affect my judgement for the case of the week.
I do not think murder is the answer, but at the same time I understand how much unprotected are (usually) women when they have to deal with stalkers and creeps. Restrain orders are a joke that usually does not work and there are so many cases where the stalker ends up hurting or even killing the victim, despite the latter's complains to the police. 
The system had failed the accused in every way making her not trusting it anymore and taking the law in her own hands.

That was actually a very good episode, something I haden't said for L&O for quite some time.

Edited October 22 by Zaffy

[LGraves65]

On 10/11/2024 at 11:31 AM, KittyKat425 said:

I basically stopped watched SVU and only Law and Order because of Olivia Benson and yet, there she is. Please make her stay in her own lane.

Saaaame. It's so strange that a character who is supposed to be an advocate and a hero makes me cheer for rapers and murderers. Good job, writers!

[SAS]

On 10/13/2024 at 7:10 PM, Joimiaroxeu said:

IMO Benson undermining the DA's office via the press can't be allowed to let stand. I did not like seeing Price having to make nice with her at the end.

Price has to do a lot of things he doesn't want to do in that office XD

[Joimiaroxeu]

On 10/25/2024 at 5:08 AM, SAS said:

Price has to do a lot of things he doesn't want to do in that office XD

And Hugh Dancy probably has to put up with Mariska doing a crossover from SVU to upstage him at least once a season. 🤨

Edited October 28 by Joimiaroxeu

[januaryman]

Rita didn't seem like the same character here - her lines could have been read by anybody. She was more fun on SVU. 

[SAS]

On 10/27/2024 at 10:24 PM, Joimiaroxeu said:

And Hugh Dancy probably has to put up with Mariska doing a crossover from SVU to upstage him at least once a season. 🤨

After episode 7, where Price once again has to comply with a strategy he argued vehemently against but is ordered to follow and then has to take ALL of the flack for it, I kind of want an episode where some nutter goes after Price for a thing he was forced to do but never wanted to in the first place so it comes OUT that it was never his idea. Though I guess that's the chief burden of being the EADA. People think you make all the calls on your cases and you actually don't.

I did like Price calling Olivia out at every turn in this ep, though. Get 'er. She was WAY out of line. Also...... she was talking about how the police never even took a statement or filed charges........... SHE is the police. If the other precinct or whatever dropped the ball and then she found out about the case... couldn't SHE take a statement and open an investigation? Isn't that what her unit DOES? Maybe I'm missing something because I don't watch SVU but. What would stop her from investigating this girl's rape back when she got involved?

Edited Tuesday at 04:03 AM by SAS