Show Analysis: Dr Huang Will See You Now

[25thID]

I liked Cabot, and I think Barba is ok. I think they let Cabot be an ADA, and have some sort of reign over her office, as well as let her lose some cases, to show that "life isn't always fair." I think that Barba is "just ok" is because, while he is a good ADA, and is very talented at his job, his character has been watered down. He started out as a very sharp, aggressive ADA who was quick and strong...but, not anymore. He still has some of those characteristics, but, it seems like he's only allowed to do what SVU wants him to do, and he goes with it.

All in all, Cabot had her flaws as well, but the writing was better for her, and she seemed to kind of have a separation between her life and job, and loved both. Barba seems like he just enjoys his job, is good at it, but it kind of seems like he's indifferent at times. I don't know how else to articulate it...I hope that at least kind of makes sense....

[Gigglepuff]

I liked them all. Cabot, Novak, and Barba. For me, Barba was my favorite. However, in recent seasons he's little more than Benson's lapdog. Cabot and Novak always stayed true to themselves, even with their flaws they were both good. You didn't get the sense from those two that they worked for the squad. Lately, it's as if Benson is Barba's boss, not the DA. Part of the problem is that they never really developed Barba as a character all that much. We saw some insights into him, but really, a lot of him is based on dapper suits and snarky one-liners. Not much substance to be honest. The writing for him is weak. 

Edited June 6, 2017 by Gigglepuff

[25thID]

When it's all said and done, I think Novak is my favorite. Whereas Cabot was pretty cutthroat, I think Novak also would go above and beyond, she (Novak) seemed more "human," so to speak. Cabot went the distance and beyond too, but, to me, she seemed kind of robotic and very cold and calculating, whereas Novak was calculating and could be savage, her humanity and vulnerabilities were more visible.

5 hours ago, Gigglepuff said:

I liked them all. Cabot, Novak, and Barba. For me, Barba was my favorite. However, in recent season's he's little more than Benson's lapdog. Cabot and Novak always stayed true to themselves, even with their flaws they were both good. You didn't get the sense from those two that they worked for the squad. Lately, it's as if Benson is Barba's boss, not the DA. Part of the problem is that they never really developed Barba as a character all that much. We saw some insights into him, but really, a lot of him is based on dapper suits and snarky one-liners. Not much substance to be honest. The writing for him is weak. 

I agree that Barba had/has so much potential, but the writers wussed out. We have gotten some glimpses into his past, but nothing substantial. Granted, I hate how they've turned this show into a soap opera, with the family drama, checkered pasts, etc., it'd be nice to get SOME insight into Barba- just to give us some history on him, and what his motivations are, as to why he chose to be an ADA, etc. We've gotten some weak insight in the episode where Barba visited his grandma, and with the friend who was running for office, but, like you said, he seems all flashy (but NICE!) suits, one liners, and an aggressiveness that comes and goes....and has mostly gone. Thank God for St Benson, our Lord and Savior that she is around to tell him how to do his job.

Edited June 6, 2017 by 25thID

[Gigglepuff]

Yeah, I look back now and kind of realize that my admiration for Raul as an actor colored my love for Barba. Really, there's not a whole lot of substance there. Not that I want this show to turn into more of a soap opera, but I feel as though Cabot and Novak were more layered than Barba. 

2 hours ago, 25thID said:

Cabot went the distance and beyond too, but, to me, she seemed kind of robotic and very cold and calculating, whereas Novak was calculating and could be savage, her humanity and vulnerabilities were more visible.

Exactly. Those two had more dimension, and it kind of pains me to say it because I'm a Raul fan. I think I wanted to like Barba as a character because of Raul, not because of great character development, if that makes sense. I loved Novak's toughness combined with her humanity. I really wouldn't mind another female ADA if/when Raul ever leaves the show. Also, someone that knows that they work for the DA, not for Captain Superstar Saint Benson.  

[25thID]

I agree. I like Raul, although I admit I've never seen any of his other work, but he does seem talented, which makes his character such a waste. Like you said, I don't want this to be any more soap opera-ish, but most other ADAs had more layers, even though their characters weren't really featured too much. Even the temp ADAs had some depth to them, like Sharon Stones' ADA had some sort of back story (however awful her acting was) that made the episodes she was in work, or at least make us care (somewhat) about her.

Just throw us a bone! Tell us a little bit about Barba and just why and how we should like/hate/whatever him. Give us something to go on so that we can connect to him somehow, even if it's to throw tomatoes at him. Often times, especially in show like this, a little goes a long way

[ForeverAlone]

Rafael and Alex are my two favorite ADAs, though Rafael is my number one favorite. I wish there was some serious enough case to warrant them being co prosecutors, just because I would love to see them work together.

[Xeliou66]

Barba is by far the best ADA SVU has ever had, he has the most personality, the most passion, and Raul is a great actor and does a great job with the character. I liked Novak a lot as well, she had a good blend of being a hard prosecutor and also a human with a softer side. Alex Cabot was too one dimensional for me, a she gave off a cold, bitchy vibe who was very cocky and wanted to go after everyone hard. She was a decent ADA but just one dimensional with only one side to her and no depth IMO. 

Barba is great, he just needs to be in every episode and they need to stop having Benson give him orders. I'm sick of the show being basically a PSA for the Joyful Heart Foundation. 

[WendyCR72]

I liked Alex Cabot best. But Rafael Barba is good, too.

[Redskinsfan]

LOL,,I just noticed my mistake on the title and fixed it. I like Barba because I think he is tough but fair. I also like when he doesn't like someone he give them that look .Don't think Alex was cocky she was just confident she would  always win.

Edited June 7, 2017 by Redskinsfan

[watcher1006]

Remember Michaela McManus as Kim Greylek? I had a hard time remembering that one, I think she just lasted one season and didn't seem to make much of an impression.

I liked Stephanie March very much, I think she had the role during a period when the show was fresh and had really hit its stride. I tend to feel that Rafael Barba could be more impressive in the ADA role but I agree with those who feel that it's become too much Mariska Hargitay's show. Organizationally, the squad room is different - when the show still had Dann Florek as Captain Cragen he took care of administration while mostly in the office. Olivia Benson has the office now, AND is still in the field. Little wonder she's become so dominant.

There was a string of female ADAs for this show stretching all the way back, when you think about it, to the recurrring Angie Harmon as Abbie Carmichael in Season 1, although she wasn't officially an SVU ADA. As the first male SVU ADA Barba has a hard-driving competence while being realistic, not getting overly emotional about the cases or getting too preachy.

[QueenMab]

You forgot about EADA David Haden, whom Benson promptly started banging while they were working on a case. Thanks to her, David Haden had to resign and join a Task Force or something before Bayard Ellis publically handed him his ass....thus making room for Barba....more ADA fun for Benson who apparently doesn't learn :)

[Redskinsfan]

Haden had to quit because of that major  prositiute ring scandal that got Cragan arrested and sent to jail he didn't know that his people like Paula Foster were involved with Delia Wilson and Ganzel.

[QueenMab]

No he didn't. Benson struts into Hadens office, Haden is cold , official, she wonders why, he says ask Bayard Ellis, she does, Bayard Ellis says he has a lawsuit lined up for a Project Innocence client because he knows about her and Haden, says give him one reason why he shouldn't move forward with it, Benson proceeds to grovel and say it was unprofessional of her, she should have known better and she'll never do it again, Ellis buys it, Haden resigns and has a Special Task Force job offer and he's taking it, Haden and Benson meet in a bar, Haden says its over, "just friends", and Benson says OK, " so the whole thing just never happened", he says yeah, and about a week or two later Benson walks into a Brooklyn courtroom, meets Barba and " oops she did it again". That's the episode I saw.

[QueenMab]

Actually two episodes. She meets Barba in the next episode " Twenty Five Acts" where its very obvious Barba wants Benson from the get go. The time frame between the two is about two weeks.

[ForeverAlone]

We don't actually see David Hayden on the show after Bayard Ellis outed their relationship in season 13. We hear that he resigned in the season 14 premiere episodes, but their relationship ended in season 13 after Bayard mentioned it. By season 14 premiere, she just starts up with Cassidy again.

[QueenMab]

Yep...but Haden and Benson had a scene in a bar ( where else?) where they talked about it and ended it. And Harry Connick went to his own talk show.

[angel1008]

I was just watching another one, "Bad Blood".  Jesse Gunther, whose brother taunted him to kill a gay man.  In his drunken stupor, he thought he was killing his POS brother.

[25thID]

The episode where an accountant serial killer was just on. It had a Detective John Hawkins as a supplemental detective who locked up the wrong person for the murders....anyways, my point to this, is that when the squad finally got the right guy, Cabot was in the squad room. The squad was trying to hold the perp, and she said there wasn't enough evidence, and what they had was circumstantial, so they couldn't hold him, and IF they tried to convict him at trial, they'd lose, big time. I don't see that happening now with Barba. As much as I like the character, Barba seems to be a lapdog for St Benson, and does everything she says, without question. I kind of don't get that (but I kind of do, since St Benson can do no wrong, and it isn't her that will be laughed out of court), that he goes ahead with little to no hesitation or consideration, and then HE'S the one who has to deal with the fallout/depreciation of character/reputation. I liked that Cabot (and others) would at least sometimes stand up to the squad and say: "Give me more to work with, so we can nail this guy" instead of: "Okay! I'll gladly take on this case that shouldn't even be considered! I hate my reputation and job!"

[MaryFM]

Barba all the way. I started watching SVU with him, and when I got to see the old episodes I HATED Alex. I thought she was an on-and-off character who was there to annoy the protagonists. Once I got to watch more episodes with her, I disliked her a little less, but I don't think I'll ever like her. Since I got to know Rafael first, it's been always natural to me that he was "part of the team" and that's one of the reasons why I disliked Alex. I was like, "Which side are you in, bitch?" XD

I guess it's easier to like the characters you first knew, those who made you love the series. I still miss Amaro, and though I am OK with Elliot, I prefer the episodes in which Olivia is the only star. ;P

[Redskinsfan]

M onlyy problem with Alex was that she always looked surprised when she lost.

[DollEyes]

One of the saddest SVU episodes is "Baby Killer," about a little Latino boy who finds a loaded gun and accidentally kills the little Black girl who had a crush on him. The boy didn't even know that the gun was real, let alone loaded, he just pointed it at the girl to scare her.  After the boy was acquitted, it lead to a protest that threatened to become a race riot until the victim's mother gave a statement telling the protesters to "go home [and] love [their] children." Later that night, the boy was killed by a Black boy, who screamed, "You can't kill a sister and just walk!" as he was taken away in handcuffs, leading Benson to say, "It never changes, does it?" Stabler's reply: "Welcome to the Gaza Strip," in reference to the Israel/Palestine conflict. 

[Jstephens613]

I like Barba best because to is more willing to work with SVU and looks for every small detail that can go toward prosecution.  I love Raul because he can say more with his facial expressions than words, although he has a wicked sense of humor as well.  The fact is the last few episodes of Season 18 show some of his personal side, I believe it shows him to be human.  He went the distance to get a conviction on someone with great risk to his career (gave money to an addict so she could testify and send the bad guy to jail).  There was also a scene where Olivia hands him Noah, and he doesn't know what to do with the child, and just holds him in the air.  The partnership that has developed between SVU & ADA's office says he really gets what they are up against, and he is there to support them.  I didn't get this with the other ADAs; it was almost "no" at first request.  His manner shows his frustration sometimes of not being able to step up because of legal restrictions. Raul is a very experienced (stage) actor, who also sings and dances quit well.  He has a quiet sexiness about him that shows he is very comfortable in his skin.  This comes through in his roles.  

[Spartan Girl]

On June 17, 2017 at 11:18 AM, DollEyes said:

One of the saddest SVU episodes is "Baby Killer," about a little Latino boy who finds a loaded gun and accidentally kills the little Black girl who had a crush on him. The boy didn't even know that the gun was real, let alone loaded, he just pointed it at the girl to scare her.  After the boy was acquitted, it lead to a protest that threatened to become a race riot until the victim's mother gave a statement telling the protesters to "go home [and] love [their] children." Later that night, the boy was killed by a Black boy, who screamed, "You can't kill a sister and just walk!" as he was taken away in handcuffs, leading Benson to say, "It never changes, does it?" Stabler's reply: "Welcome to the Gaza Strip," in reference to the Israel/Palestine conflict. 

Why the hell did the boy's parents let him play outside unsupervised when there were plenty of crazy people out there pissed about the verdict?

I also was mad that the lynch mob didn't seem to comprehend the revelation that it was an honest-to-God accident. If it were an adult shooter, I'd understand, but this was just a little kid!!! He wasn't a sociopath or dangerous to anyone, unlike the kid that shot him on purpose.

I can't even watch that episode now. Once was enough.

[Princess Sparkle]

I will throw in the moment that actually legitmately made me cry when watching an SVU episode - the end of Transgender Bridge when Darius gets convicted and his mother bursts into tears. That one punched me right in the gut, because his mother sounded so anguished. 

[WineCheeseChocolat]

1) Damaged - Missy's adoptive family tried so hard to give her a normal life after the hell she went through as a child, but all the love in the world couldn't change the fact that it was just too late for her and she became a monster herself. The end was chilling - she looked so coldly at the detectives and said "You can't kill me. I'm already dead."

2) Runaway - The squad jumps into the investigation involving addicted, dead and throwaway street kids and by the time they find the cop's daughter, she's dead too. Although the 30-something+ detectives undercover at the teenage rave was good comic relief. Why the eff did Stabler yell Jill's name from across the room instead of getting closer to her and then grabbing her?

3) Mercy - I felt really bad for the mother who I honestly believe didn't care about the affair being uncovered and just wanted to spare her child suffering. Really, there's no good options in that type of scenario. Cabot prosecuted the mother to the best of her abilities but was so conflicted. Her and Munch on the courthouse steps at the end - "What if it was your daughter? What would you have done?" "Whatever l could."

4) Guilt - Cabot never got justice for the victim and goes through the episode getting more and more dishelved and distraught while violating civil liberties and kicking ass at the same time.

5) Grief - Who played Ray Bevins? He was amazing and stole the show from Taking It Personally Stabler. 

6) Most of the Dani-era episodes were extremely depressing, probably to show us how she couldn't hack it, but Uncle was the one that killed me the most due to Belzer's acting. It was abundantly clear there more so in any others that Munch's dark humor jokster personality was a cover to hide very deeply-seeded pain.

7) True Believers - Liv Taking It Personally is pretty annoying by now but I felt for her in this one, as well as the victim who didn't get justice. Then her and Bayard outside the courthouse - such a wasted opportunity to not explore them in favor of Wooden Affect Haden.

8) What was the old school one with the stressed out social worker? Not the S17 one, which was sad in and of itself (that poor little girl) but the one where the social worker kills herself in front of Fin. Then Fin and Warner have this exchange:

W: Are you ok?

F: I'm cool.

W: But are you ok?

9) Dissonant Voices - The whole squad minus Rollins steamrolls over the innocent music teacher and his life is ruined. Then Rollins is all "Tell yourself what you want. This didn't have to happen." and turns and walks away in disgust.

10) PTSD - I thought MH played the Undercover fallout stuff really well. This got me, when the divers found the baby's body.

Cragen: There was no fluid in the lungs. He was dead when he went into the water.

Benson: I'll be sure to tell the grandmother. Maybe she can stitch it on a pillow.

I felt really bad for Benson who was struggling so much with her own assault and the Marine's mom who lost both her daughter and grandchild in a brutal way.

Edited June 25, 2017 by WineCheeseChocolat

[WineCheeseChocolat]

Both Cabot and Novak had the heart and raw grit that Barba lacks and both Cabot and Barba had the mad skillz that Novak lacked. So Cabot still wins out for me. Not that Barba lacks heart per se (Community Policing, Depravity Standard both showed his heart and passion) but he's never ripped my own heart out like Cabot did in Guilt, Mercy. I would rank them Cabot, Barba, Novak. I enjoyed them all. And I would say Cabot has an edge because in earlier seasons, she worked with and squared off against awesome recurring characters like Donnelly and Petroversy. My teenage self wanted to be a prosecutor because of Cabot and McCoy until I realized it wasn't all getting justice for victims and trading snark with judges. You know, not all fun.

Edited June 24, 2017 by WineCheeseChocolat

[Redskinsfan]

The whole episode of Lost Traveler was sad.

[WineCheeseChocolat]

This is why I really appreciate the ridiculous campy episodes, i.e. Wildlife, Zebras, Wet. I need a break from the depressing sometimes.

[WineCheeseChocolat]

On 6/6/2017 at 6:00 PM, ForeverAlone said:

Rafael and Alex are my two favorite ADAs, though Rafael is my number one favorite. I wish there was some serious enough case to warrant them being co prosecutors, just because I would love to see them work together.

That would be perfection. They are/were so talented in the courtroom. Pit them against Calhoun and have Petroversy preside. No Buchanan though. I always want to sock him. 

What was the story with Cabot at the end btw? How did she get out of the WPP? Then she left to help rape victims in the DRC, came back, had a fallout with B/S during one of the unStabler kiddo drama episodes, hung out for a bit in S13 and went ice-skating with Benson which was weird and kinda adorbs at the same time then disappeared? I missed watching a lot of episodes in real time so I didn't get all the wandering in and outs of the ADAs.

I remember people on TWOP just hated Novak when she came on. I obviously preferred Cabot but I never got the intense dislike. Novak had a scrappy quality that was fun to watch and I liked that she could poke fun at herself. She wasn't the most talented ADA but I admired her passion. (Taking on Donald Rumsfield was awesome.)

Edited June 24, 2017 by WineCheeseChocolat

[ForeverAlone]

We never got any solid explanation for what happened to Alex and Casey. We saw them occasionally in season 13, and we had no indication they were caught up in the Delia Wilson hooker scandal. So you could imagine they still work at the ADA office, but if so, no reason why they wouldn't have been in season 14. So maybe they left for other job opportunities in the legal field.  It's just like Warren chose to push them aside for Barba in season 14, after bringing them back on a recurring basis. It's all sorts of weird and I wonder if there was any behind the scenes reason for it, or if Warren just used the opportunity to bring Raul into the show when it presented itself. I mean, I wonder what Warren would have done for the ADA position if Raul's musical hadn't flopped hard and made him available to come work on the show. Would he have continued to use Alex and Casey, or would he have brought in someone new? 

Edited June 25, 2017 by ForeverAlone

[WineCheeseChocolat]

Ok, I'm just going to pretend Cabot went back to Africa or left the DA's office to work for a refugee nonprofit because the idea of her hanging around without interacting with SVU is kind of heartbreaking.

 

Novak I thought was ousted during the Chester Lake scandal at the end of S9. Greyleck arrive premiere of S10. Novak came back around the round of musical ADAs?

[ForeverAlone]

Yes, Casey was in a couple episodes in season 13, but she had actually come back earlier than that. I want to say season 12, because I think Elliott was still part of the team.

[Redskinsfan]

On 6/24/2017 at 6:27 PM, WineCheeseChocolat said:

This is why I really appreciate the ridiculous campy episodes, i.e. Wildlife, Zebras, Wet. I need a break from the depressing sometimes.

Wet is campy but it also kind of sad because of the way Emma's grandmother treated her at the end of the episode. She was more upset  and worried  about Emma's victim daughter being left without a mother then Emma.

[sockii]

Novak is my favorite ADA on SVU, but between Cabot and Barba I have to go with Cabot. I liked it best when there was a woman ADA, I admit, and just in general I prefer the older seasons—so that colors my appreciation of the various ADAs as well.

[Redskinsfan]

Nicki in "Stranger" was also a pretty nasty girl she killed her own sister Heather and said she was kidnapped. She also tried to Kristen the girl who pretended to be Heathe.

[wknt3]

On 6/24/2017 at 6:53 PM, WineCheeseChocolat said:

I remember people on TWOP just hated Novak when she came on. I obviously preferred Cabot but I never got the intense dislike. Novak had a scrappy quality that was fun to watch and I liked that she could poke fun at herself. She wasn't the most talented ADA but I admired her passion. (Taking on Donald Rumsfield was awesome.)
 

I think it was a combination of a couple things that created the backlash. Replacing a popular character with someone sort of similar, but not quite the same and the writing starting to decline in quality during her tenure. Not fair, but it's not uncommon. Call it the Fontana Effect.

[Redskinsfan]

Saw "Damaged" again on Saturday Night. I still think Courtney Lane was scarier because there was red flags about Missy because of her past. There was no indication that Courtney was that evil of a teenage girl until the end.

[sockii]

On 5/29/2017 at 10:18 PM, Redskinsfan said:

5.Dana Lewis.- FBI agent who was able to hide her murderous secret for almost 30 years.

 

For me Dana Lewis wins the Worst Character Assassination by Warren Leight Award. I hated that they ruined one of my favorite recurring characters by making her a murderer (and for reasons that felt completely out of character.)

"Best" Female Villain for me will probably always be Marilyn Nesbit from "Home"—the mother who abused her kids, told the two youngest that their older one had been killed (when he was instead in foster care), then ordered the middle kid to kill the youngest...just GAH pure evil through and through. Brilliantly acted but I can barely stand seeing that character's face on my tv screen any time I catch that episode airing.

[Xeliou66]

I may be the only SVU fan on the planet that didn't mind the twist of Dana Lewis being a killer. I never liked the character, her fake accent was annoying, she seemed very cliched and remember when she almost killed Stabler when she fired towards the guy who raped her even though he wasn't armed? After that I certainly didn't think it was out of character for her to become a killer. The problem I had with that episode was how it was made obvious from the promos that Dana Lewis was the killer and was going to be arrested. 

What about the judges wife from Justice as one of the worst females? She killed her own daughter because she was upset that her husband had molested her daughter for years. Disgusting bitch. Also the mom from Tortured who beat her son and gave him brain damage and pretty much turned him into a killer. She was made more chilling by how normal and likable she appeared at first, only to turn out to be a total monster.

[Spartan Girl]

7 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

What about the judges wife from Justice as one of the worst females? She killed her own daughter because she was upset that her husband had molested her daughter for years. Disgusting bitch. Also the mom from Tortured who beat her son and gave him brain damage and pretty much turned him into a killer. She was made more chilling by how normal and likable she appeared at first, only to turn out to be a total monster.

Hated both of them, especially the judge's wife from "Justice". The worst part was how quick she was to blame her daughter for everything, that she "seduced" him. At 11 years old. And that she had the nerve to play the victim about it, acting like her daughter betrayed her when it was the other way around.

[WendyCR72]

9 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Hated both of them, especially the judge's wife from "Justice". The worst part was how quick she was to blame her daughter for everything, that she "seduced" him. At 11 years old. And that she had the nerve to play the victim about it, acting like her daughter betrayed her when it was the other way around.

That monster should have been sterilized. As it was, she was a miserable piece of filth.

[Redskinsfan]

22 hours ago, sockii said:

For me Dana Lewis wins the Worst Character Assassination by Warren Leight Award. I hated that they ruined one of my favorite recurring characters by making her a murderer (and for reasons that felt completely out of character.)

"Best" Female Villain for me will probably always be Marilyn Nesbit from "Home"—the mother who abused her kids, told the two youngest that their older one had been killed (when he was instead in foster care), then ordered the middle kid to kill the youngest...just GAH pure evil through and through. Brilliantly acted but I can barely stand seeing that character's face on my tv screen any time I catch that episode airing.

Yes what they did to Dana Lewis was very frustrating,was watching the "Raw" episode yesterday  the other day and just had to SMH knowing what her future was going to be.

[WendyCR72]

I'm sure she was probably already mentioned, but Marilyn Nesbitt from "Home" was also a piece of work! Not feeding her kid, so he has to rummage through garbage. And then when it looks like she would lose custody, she convinces her older son to kill the younger son after filling their heads about worst-case foster home scenarios.

She was vile.

I do recall another son - the oldest - was always said to be dead but showed up alive, etc. That whole case was just miserable from beginning to end.

[Gigglepuff]

Situations when one of the members of the elite squad or their colleagues should have been fired or at least demoted.  

[QueenMab]

Are you serious? Every show the past five years for starters. This is a nightime soap. Not even trying to "be real".

[Gigglepuff]

True, @QueenMab. I guess if we made it into a drinking game we'd all be wasted  during most episodes recently. 

One incident that sticks out in my mind is the episode where Benson and Stabler were in the middle of a car chase, trying to catch a rapist. She takes a phone call about her brother, while driving, and because of her distraction, she didn't follow the directions Stabler gave her. The suspect got away and raped another victim. 

[QueenMab]

Gigglepuff...I wasn't being snarky with you I hope you know, its just....c'mon, every "relationship", the whole sitting in court like choirboys, Rollins making sure both Carisi and Benson knew her baby "isn't Nick's in case your wondering" meaning they knew she was screwing her partner...SO against the rules..the whole Benson/Barba whatever, immoral, unethical and unprofessional on every level that Barba would have had his ass handed to him by the DA and the Bar Assoc. a hundred times, if not fired by now, Benson the train wreck who, IRL would have been busted back to meter maid long ago...your right. If this was a drinking game we would be shitfaced in five minutes!

[sockii]

1 hour ago, Gigglepuff said:

One incident that sticks out in my mind is the episode where Benson and Stabler were in the middle of a car chase, trying to catch a rapist. She takes a phone call about her brother, while driving, and because of her distraction, she didn't follow the directions Stabler gave her. The suspect got away and raped another victim. 

That's one of the biggest ones that sticks out in my mind, too. I think because it wasn't even about "bending"/violating the rules to try to catch a perp. That was Benson putting her personal life first, and thereby allowing harm to come to another as a direct result of her inattention.

I can handwave away a lot of tv contrivances—one has to, if you're going to be a fan of police/legal procedurals. But to me that incident was just the most egregious of many examples of why Benson was never even a good tv cop.

[QueenMab]

Know any female officers or detectives? Benson is a joke to them. IRL, Benson would be considered a disgrace and an insult to every woman wearing NYPD Blue. The rules are tough on women. They have to be more than straight up because if they're not, they get called out and get their chops busted big time...not rewarded with promotions like "Benson's World".

[Gigglepuff]

1 hour ago, sockii said:

That's one of the biggest ones that sticks out in my mind, too. I think because it wasn't even about "bending"/violating the rules to try to catch a perp. That was Benson putting her personal life first, and thereby allowing harm to come to another as a direct result of her inattention.

That's it exactly! She put her personal life first in that situation. We often see how one of the quad members takes something personally and then behaves inappropriately, but in this case, Liv's phone call about her brother was her putting her personal life ahead of her job while on duty.