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S17.E23: Heartfelt Passages

WendyCR72

By WendyCR72
in Law & Order: SVU

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FormerMod-a1

FormerMod-a1

Not enough Barba, but I suppose that's OK since he's still OK.  (fingers crossed)

I was surprised I felt for Dodds Jr so much.  I never hated him, but I've only been half watching this season.  I didn't think I'd be invested enough.

I do hope Olivia can be happy with her new family, and Paris.  Enough grief and despair already.

  • Love 15
swimmyfish

swimmyfish

They really dragged out Dodds' death,  but for no reason. I was so sure there would be a "classic" law & order twist, like we'd find out his fiancee wad poisoning him or something.  But no - he just staight-up died. And on his last day with the unit. Very predictable and pretty boring.

 

Did it look like Ice-T maybe didn't realize that cameras were rolling when he arrived on the hospital? Maybe his foot had fallen asleep or something, but he looked like a zombie trying to do a jig.

On the plus side, Peter Gallagher crying was really very sad. Again, you knew it was coming, but when he finally broke, I admit I teared up a little bit. 

So is that the end of the Barba storyline? And I'm glad Carisi will stay on the squad but the wrapping up of his becoming a lawyer plot was perfunctory at best.

  • Love 3
RafaelBarbas

RafaelBarbas

I CALLED THE BX9 TWIST!

How fitting that this was WL's last episode and it was a giant yank-the-chain for Barba fans. Like everything else he ever did.

Carisi is the biggest Gary Stu ever. Next season he'll literally don a cape and superpowers to save victims.

I was surprised that ending scene didn't have Noah falling over the rail into the water.

The big personal reveal was Olivia's middle name?????

I am so angry that the Barba threats went literally nowhere.

I am also angry that within one minute, Mini Dodds being shot was about Olivia to the point that Sr. Dodds was comforting Olivia about HIS SON being shot.

I wish Carisi would leave but I also don't want to hear his sanctimonious behavior as an ADA.

This episode was everything I feared it was: total shit. Sayanora Warren, hope the door slams you hard on the way out.

  • Love 3
minamurray78

minamurray78

I ended up falling for a bit of the hype for the finale, only to realize we hit the nail on the spoiler pics weeks ago, so we knew Dodds jr was going down. No surprise at all.

I was afraid something was gonna happen to Barba near the last 30 seconds, but I guess that's a plotline for next season. Also, will there be an increase in hostage crisis in SVU next season? what with Tucker's career change and all, which could be an excuse to get him on the show more often.

And Carisi stays in the squad too. To keep walking in on Benson and Tucker at all times apparently. Lol I jest, he's ok. He'll give you baby tips, legal advice, cook you dinner, take high res pics of your family, and donate blood as well. If only he would tone it down with the hair gel.

And is Finn finally gonna take the Seargent's exam? it's like about high damn time. 

  • Love 6
StaceyNotStacie

StaceyNotStacie

I also thought we were getting a proposal, with the answer being the cliffhanger. With the exception of Dodds dying, it felt like it could have been a series finale instead of a season finale.  

I thought it was a good episode.  I'm glad that the hostage portion only took half of the episode.  Everyone brought their "A-Game".   I'm glad that Barba was okay.  At first when Dodds Jr made it through the surgery, I thought that Barba was going to get it, but I could tell as soon as he started talking that something wasn't right and he most likely wouldn't make it.  I'm glad that Olivia noticed it and brought it to the doctor's attention.  I'm also glad that they showed her with the therapist at the end.  

Also, Barba looked pretty good in that jacket with the unbuttoned top button shirt at the end.

  • Love 8
Broderbits

Broderbits

I didn't care about Dodds when he was alive, and it really pisses me off that this character got a big fancy good-bye episode when a long-time fan favorite like Munch basically got a "here's your hat, what's your hurry". Plus Eliot Stabler only got a one sentence mention in passing YEARS after he left. This show has really gone down the toilet.

  • Love 5
Amethyst

Amethyst

Yeah, that promo gave everything away.  The only thing it didn't reveal was if Dodd Jr. would survive. 

The second half felt patchy.  I was expecting that guy who threatened Barba to show up at the hospital and poison Dodd Jr. or something, because there was no way that guy was leaving the hospital intact.  The moment he started slurring, you could tell he was screwed.  But I didn't think he was going to die, just stay trapped in a vegetative state.  Sad either way.  Very sad closeup on Alice (the fiancee) wearing an engagement ring for a wedding that will never take place.

So is that going to be an arc next season, Barba being threatened by that guy?  Now that Dodds Jr is dead at the hands of the former CO, it doesn't seem like there's going to be some all-out war between SVU and NY's finest after all.

  • Love 2
minamurray78

minamurray78

Yeah, Dodds Sr. was right about that, Munson was a Co and they should have checked the house themselves before he was released, rather than going by his wife's word, who btw was none the wiser about the husband's misdeeds till she got a doctor's note.

Peter Gallagher was great. His character was an ass and a half all season, but when he broke down, I felt for him.

I've accepted the fact i probably won't be quitting the show, not as long as Finn is around I tihnk. I leave for a while, but eventually I catch up.

  • Love 5
Snookums

Snookums

(edited)
Quote

A proposal fake out?  that was an odd ending

It was so odd that I read it as kind of a dry run, where Tucker was watching Olivia to see if she freaked out at the idea (I mean, COME ON, how obvious does he have to be?) So now he knows she's committed, she's not going to bug out or wall herself off, and he can propose in front of the Eiffel Tower. Ten bucks says they come back on the Season 18 premiere married, having done the deed in Paris. 

AND THEY FINALLY KISSED! About damn time! Man, if I was Mariska I'd have been ragging the writers as to when I could smooch on Robert John Burke already!

Well, not going to lie, I teared up. Gallagher really brought it, the constant hearty "he's gonna pull through" sloooooooowly tattering until it just wisped away and he was left completely bereft. And Liv walking down the hall in complete silence while her squad watches and realizes that no.

Lots of strange setup to the whole Dodds Jr exit, to the point where I was wondering if the writers were actively spoofing the whole thing: his last day on the job? His mom's in an ashram? His new fiancee? They did everything but book him an around the world cruise.

Edited by Snookums
  • Love 15
skittl3862

skittl3862

(edited)
6 hours ago, Broderbits said:

I didn't care about Dodds when he was alive, and it really pisses me off that this character got a big fancy good-bye episode when a long-time fan favorite like Munch basically got a "here's your hat, what's your hurry". Plus Eliot Stabler only got a one sentence mention in passing YEARS after he left. This show has really gone down the toilet.

I think because in the cases of Munch and Stabler, the show wanted to leave the door open for the future. Dodds was expendable. Andy Karl hasn't been around long enough for anyone to care if he never comes back. Richard Belzer has come back twice now. Even Chris Meloni has said he'd want to come back before the series finale. A big goodbye episode seems too final for a universe where they're technically still around, just off-screen.

Is this the first time one of the squad has died during the whole L&O franchise? I can't remember the other shows. It's not really a L&O thing; their main characters all get graceful (living) exits. I didn't care about Dodds Jr, and knew Andy had to leave for Groundhog's Day, but I think it was moving to realize this has never happened before on SVU. I liked how Dodds Sr was all over the place in this episode. He truly believed there was no way that his golden child would die like this.

Glad to be wrong about my Olivia speculation. Also- I never ship characters. Joss Whedon killed my little fangirl shipping heart when Angel left Buffy. I don't get invested in character ships- real or imagined- and let the writers take me on their ride. whatever the end may be. But damn, I wanna see hiatus webisodes of Olivia and Tucker in Paris, and adopting a dog for Noah.

I really like how the show has handled Benson and Tucker. The slow progression of their relationship over the past 2 seasons was (surprisingly) subtle and realistic, without sucking up screen time (e.g. Noah) or coming out of literally nowhere (e.g. "Is this because I'm a lesbian?"). I know the L&O franchise has never been about their personal lives, but Benson always got the short end of the stick on SVU. For 12 seasons, all we got was "Oh, Benson's dating this guy off-screen who we're clearly never going to meet because the writers didn't even give him a name when she called to cancel their date" all while Stabler's kids were popping up in every other episode. It's about time she gets a stable LTR with someone worthy of her.

Not surprised Barba's plot is left hanging. 

Spoiler

He wants out.

Edited by skittl3862
  • Love 5
WendyCR72

WendyCR72

  • Author
19 minutes ago, skittl3862 said:

Is this the first time one of the squad has died during the whole L&O franchise?

Well, technically he was the captain, not a detective, but Danny Ross of L&O: CI was killed while undercover on a case in S9 in "Loyalty" (the final [at the time] episodes for Goren/Eames before Jeff Goldblum's Zack Nichols took over solo).

ETA: Also forgot ol' Max Greevey, Mike Logan's first partner on the Mothership all the way back in the second season opener. (So you can understand why that one slipped my mind!) Greevey was murdered before he could testify in some trial and Logan went out of control for a bit...

  • Love 3
WendyCR72

WendyCR72

  • Author
4 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Max Greeley also died on the mothership in the second season premiere. It's much more dangerous to be an ADA. Claire and Alex both died.

Hee, yeah. As you see, I did remember poor Max Greevey and edited it in. As for Claire and Alex, at least Alex's death was a ruse for Witness Protection for a while. Poor Claire wasn't as lucky. Sigh.

biakbiak

biakbiak

(edited)
6 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

Hee, yeah. As you see, I did remember poor Max Greevey and edited it in. As for Claire and Alex, at least Alex's death was a ruse for Witness Protection for a while. Poor Claire wasn't as lucky. Sigh.

Oh I meant Alexandra Borgia from the mothership who was straight up murdered because of a case. Weirdly I forgot about SVU Alex "dying"! But seriously the mothership had at least two other guest stars who were ADAs murdered, who knew it was such a dangerous job!

Edited by biakbiak
  • Love 3
WendyCR72

WendyCR72

  • Author

Jeez, you're right. Forgot about Alex Borgia's violent end. Alex Eames of L&O: CI should consider herself damned lucky (I know it's a character, but considering the L&O-verse context here!) that she was the only "Alex" that survived pretty much unscathed.

Although she did get tortured in "Blind Spot", so...

As for this episode, listing them all, at least Dodds died in good company.

  • Love 1
RafaelBarbas

RafaelBarbas

Wasn't sure where to post it but this seemed a good spot. I was thinking about this season and how WL had said the theme was transitions but that didn't seem right to me.  The only ones to actually transition were Amanda and to a degree Fin. Lieutenant would have been a transition for Olivia, if she had been acting as a normal sergeant before this and this was her first time commanding the squad on her own- but it wasn’t. So no change there. Barba being under pressure is not a major transition, and even if it was it was hardly shown enough to count. Carisi passed the bar, but again, with him staying in SVU, how big a transition/change is that?

Amanda transitioned by becoming a mother; Fin MAY have transitioned by becoming a grandfather, but even then we haven’t seen it, so it doesn’t fit under this season’s theme regardless.

No, the real theme that came across in the episodes was trust. Where it should be given (the Amanda/Carisi friendship and possible relationship); where it shouldn’t be given (Rollins and her family); where it is earned (Tucker/Olivia) where it is lost (Olivia and George; Olivia and Barba at some points); where it is in doubt but ultimately stabilizes (Tucker/Olivia; Olivia/Amanda). Where it is betrayed on a less personal level (Rudnick the M.E. being a serial killer; Barba being targeted by the police department he’s supposed to work with). What it can do for you when you have it (Amanda gaining a companion and caretaker for Jesse) or when you lose it (Barba having a 24/7 detail).

Just saying.

  • Love 8
Everleigh

Everleigh

(edited)

Dodds Jr.'s death was surprisingly well done and emotional. I knew he was a goner as soon as Fin warned him about the dangers of the terrorism task force last episode, but I wasn't expecting to actually care. And just when I was starting to like the guy. 

Chief Dodds initial denial about the gravity of his son's condition and eventual breakdown was heartbreaking. Peter Gallagher really brought it. The scene of Olivia approaching the detectives in the empty hospital hallway was quite powerful too. 

Carisi seems to have a habit of unintentionally interrupting his co-worker's private moments. And of course Carisi is O-negative and can donate blood because he's perfect and I love him for it. Happy he passed the bar but even happier he'll be sticking with SVU.

I love Benson and Tucker together but I'm sort of glad he didn't propose because I can't really see Olivia as someone's wife (Not that there's anything wrong with being someone's wife.. I recently got engaged to be someone's wife in fact, it's just hard to wrap my head around Olivia Benson being married after seeing her single for 17 years). The getting on bended knee and delivering a speech about how much Olivia has changed his life and then having him not propose was weird though. I do hope they stay together though and hopefully now that he transferred to hostage negotiations, their relationship will be less of an issue and we'll see more of him next season. 

Part of me was expecting them to pull the ol' switcheroo and have Dodds Jr. survive the shot and kill Barba at the last minute instead. Glad they didn't go for the shock factor because Barba is much more valuable to the show. I do wonder if the new showrunner is going to pick up on the Barba being threatened storyline next season or just drop it since he didn't start it. Would be kind of a shame not to see it through. I want to know who sent the BX9 guy. 

Edited by Everleigh
  • Love 9
Laethe

Laethe

I´m  sad that excellent acting from Andy and Peter Gallagher was overshadowed by Olivia´s angst
and her personal issues. I didn´t expect that they would stretch Dodds Jr.´s leaving to almost
the whole episode and give him such a big farewell. I like the character despite him being 2-
dimensional but at the time they got to the funeral I was too bored and frustrated with writing
that I had no emotions at all. Anyway Dodds Jr. should watch more TV so he would know that
acting like a hero on your last week at work almost always get you killed. :) It was so
predictable that the fact they actually killed him is the biggest surprise of the episode for
me. Is it a thing or they created something new here? :) 
Not developing a character for the whole season and then expecting that people will be
devastated over his death is quite a logic. Warren can thank heavens that Andy and P. Gallagher
sold this BS. It also bothered me that the initial case was just a ploy for another hostage situation and it didn´t go anywhere. 
Barba´s hugely over-hyped storyline was there just by the way and was scrapped in three scenes.
So thank you for nothing. I especially liked how annoyed Olivia was that she has to deal with
Barba´s threats again. Although I hope they won´t drop the story because it has a lot of
potential. 
Tucker and Benson got into a relationship few episodes ago and they almost got engaged. It
just underlines the tragedy of what this show has become. Pleasing shippers, babies everywhere and
lazy writing.  

But the biggest lesson I take from this episode is that if you keep up with licking your idol´s
boots long enough he might give up and you became great friends with him. You know just like
realistic human relationships work. Overall great job. 3/10. And last episode looked so promising. :/
Good riddance, goodbye Warren. 

stillbored

stillbored

(edited)

I really enjoyed this episode. I know Liv was beating herself up about it for not checking to see Munson had a weapon, but I don't even know if they legally could search him. They weren't there because of a domestic violence issue (nor has there ever been a domestic violence issue). They were there because the wife just wanted back up in leaving just in case of his temper (but the wife had never said if he had struck her before). I'm not sure why it took the wife so long to get home. Wouldn't she have rushed home , grabbed the kids, packed a couple of essentials in a suitcase and have time to leave before her husband was able to raise enough money for bail (but  apparently she had enough time to pick up a rental car?)

(I did laugh when Rollins called Liv to say "we have a little situation going on up here" and Liv resonded "yea well, me too" - then they panned out to see the ambulance, swat teams, cop cars)

I can't believe they  killed little Dodds, as soon as he started slurring his words I knew he was gone. Did we know he had a fiance? It just seemed a bit weird that Dodds would have a fiance who lived in Chicago cos I always got the impression that Dodds had been in NY his whole life/career. The hospital seen was heart breaking, especially seeing big Dodds finally break down. I feel that up until that point he was trying to distract himself from the situation. Liv walking down the hallway was emotional, I didn't think I'd be so upset at his character dying. The funeral was heartbreaking - why wasn't Fin carrying the casket? Was he not the right height? (I loved how Liv confessed to Rollins that Dodds had admitted he had leaked that tape).

The Tucker / Benson/ Noah scene was adorable. I thought for sure he was about to propose when he ended up so casually on one knee. (And it looked like Liv might have though that too). I think I like Benson being with Tucker. Although I swear at times he acts more "fatherly" than "boyfriendly". He seemed to be good with Noah which is nice. (I can't believe her middle name is Margaret? 17 seasons to figure it out, and that was all they could come with??)

I do think this is one of the best finales they've had in a while, especially since it didn't leave us with a cliff hanger.

Edited by stillbored
  • Love 7
wknt3

wknt3

The Good:

The execution. It was well acted by everybody, the funeral scene was technically well done, and they actually pulled off Barba being both tough and scared at the same time. I also really liked Rollins in this episode and think they've done a great job salvaging the character this season. It was nice to see Bill Irwin again too.

The Bad:

Everything else. Like most of us it seems I was expecting some sort of twist, but no they really did give everything away. They couldn't be bothered to actually do much with the Barba plot, or Carisi or much of anything else. Ice-T seemed weirdly checked out. Getting Tucker out of IAB is great, but making him a full time hostage negotiator is a really bad idea since the last thing I want is another hostage situation. Why not bias crimes or some other unit in Manhattan? You know give him a reason for showing up occasionally as an ally of the squad working on a case, but still with the opportunity for conflict to arise? I also just can't care too much about St. Liv the martyr. This was better done than much of what MH and WL have given us and not so obviously Liv's own fault, but it's just been so overused that even when it's well done I can't get worked up.

Overall this was a pretty good finale actually. Better than I thought they could do without a twist. I'm hoping next year delivers on the potential shown this season.

  • Love 4
shapeshifter

shapeshifter

10 minutes ago, stillbored said:

...I'm not sure why it took the wife so long to get home. Wouldn't she have rushed home , grabbed the kids, packed a couple of essentials in a suitcase and have time to leave before her husband was able to raise enough money for bail...

I was wondering about this too, but I think you just answered it:

10 minutes ago, stillbored said:

...(but  apparently she had enough time to pick up a rental car?)...

The husband had his car, which I'm guessing was the only car. The only other reasons for her to get a rental car would be if her car was not in running condition, or maybe if it was in the controlling husband's name--either of which could be true, but were not mentioned, so I'm going with Occam's Razor (she doesn't have a car of her own). And maybe she thought renting a car would be faster than taking taxis. Probably not, but she likely wasn't thinking too clearly with so many revelations on her mind.

  • Love 2
Princess Lucky

Princess Lucky

Carisi is staying so the finale was A+ in my book, but everything else was eh.

So, Dodds just got engaged, he got a transfer, and it was HIS LAST DAY? Seriously? Didn't 30 Rock do an episode about this with Michael Keaton? It was so obvious I was expecting a twist. But as soon as they said he was going to make it I realized that was the (non-)twist, that he was dying anyway. Andy Karl never did much for me in this role (and he was never given much, to be fair) but the way he played the slurring of the words was masterful. And how about Peter Gallagher? The denial and the realization and the way he broke down. I didn't cry for Dodds, but I did cry for his father.

The thing with Munson's wife was weird. In the last episode she was 100% on his side, and then she found out he had given her an STD so she instantly turned against him? And that whole thing with his temper, what was that? Last week she was saying what a great guy he was, and this week she was acting like an abuse victim. They didn't set that up well enough. They should have planted some seeds last week, showing that she was in denial or overcompensating, but they played it like was totally blindsided because her sweet hubby was a rapist.

Barba was barely in the episode, but I like the fact the death threat is an ongoing thing and it'll continue in season 18. I did not like the fact no one seemed concerned about him at all, except Carisi (who is a saint and is concerned about everyone).

Speaking of, I'm glad Barba has officially stopped being an asshole to Carisi. When he suggested that ADA spot, part of me thought 'NOOO Carisi don't leave' and part of me thought 'aw, Barba thinks Carisi has what it takes to become an ADA'. I liked all their little moments, sharing that drink and Carisi being the only one working Barba's case. That's such a fun dynamic, especially now that the respect is mutual, since Barba got his head out of his ass.

Rollins and Fin were barely there, but I did like that we got resolution on that tape thing (with Dodds leaking it). Benson didn't apologise, but it was close enough.

As for Benson/Tucker, as soon as he said "Olivia Margaret Benson" I, like everyone else, thought he was going to propose. Maybe that was the shocking twist. That a tv character used their significant other's full name without proposing afterwards. Now that is shocking.

Overall, a solid finale. It could have used a little more Barba and a little less Dodds, but it was good. I'm looking forward to season 18.

  • Love 6
Chit Chat

Chit Chat

Damn, that was sad.   It was a good episode though, IMO.  Even if they had searched Munson when they entered the house, there's no guarantee that he had the gun on him at that moment.  He could've gotten it from a drawer or somewhere else when their attention was focused on the wife and kids.

I thought Barba was toast when he confidently said that no one was going to get him while in the middle of all those cops at the bar  after the funeral.   My mind was screaming, "watch out for the one rogue cop!"

  • Love 10
Bananna

Bananna

Overall, I thought it was a solid episode. Like everyone else, I thought Peter Gallagher was really good and for the first time I really felt anything about his character. I may also have teared up a little.  On a completely unrelated note, I'm looking forward to seeing Andy Karl in Groundhog Day.

Are they saving the rest of the Barba plot for Season 18? I found it interesting. Brad Garrett was underused, I always forget that he can act. I really don't care about Liv/Tucker, or that being with Liv has taught him to trust people. I feel like they're trying to get another spinoff, Law & Order: Hostage Crisis.

Of course Carisi is an O-negative, because he is just that great.

  • Love 4
Gigi43

Gigi43

(edited)

Right up until Dodd's actually died I was expecting him to recover only for someone to get the call Barba was dead, just because with the promos and everything Dodd's dying was so obvious. I never really warmed to Dodd's but I didn't dislike him either. He was just kind of there to me all season. I know Andy Karl has some projects lined up and I hope to see them turn out well for him. I get it was at his own funeral so no point in being too mad and Rollins was in a spot where she was obviously feeling for the guy but she took the news about him leaking that video better than I would have.

 

So, Barba's been getting threats all season? Gee, that sounds like a plotline we could have been watching instead of him being missing for entire episodes. I'm happy that Barba is okay yet at the same time, if he had actually gotten attacked (not killed!) at least that would be something more resembling a story.

Edited by Gigi43
  • Love 2
lavenderpenguin

lavenderpenguin

(edited)

I may be in the minority, but I enjoyed Dodds Jr. and I'm sad to see him gone. I wish they had just left it open-ended, with him recovering (or the possibility of recovering) in the hospital. It's just sad to think that he had to die in such a preventable, stupid situation. It especially bugged me that the wife's FATHER was a police chief (or whatever, can't remember the exact title) and yet she was basically like, "Oh well they have history, so he's not comfortable being there when I leave." Uh, what? Your own father doesn't want to meddle in this. Then maybe that's a sign you should have packed your kids up while your monster-husband was still at trial and hit the road, instead of waiting around for him to make bail. And then the hilariously long conversation she had with Olivia, while her husband was like 2 feet away in the living room. 

Edited by lavenderpenguin
  • Love 8
innocuouspuff

innocuouspuff

Aw, lil' Dodds.

Not surprised by Tucker's announcement because the show's position on IAB has shifted and he wasn't the bad guy he used to be. Instead, how many crooked cops did we have this season? A lot. But hostage negotiation ugh, pls no more hostages.

Was surprised by the lack of proposal after he looked up at Liv so soulfully, though. That director was trolling us hard.

  • Love 3
psychoticstate

psychoticstate

Damn you, show.  I liked Dodds Jr.  I knew when he was locked in that house he wasn't getting out alive because it was his last day (anvils were dropping everywhere.)  I'll admit, even with my black heart of goo, I was still crying.  Andy Karl and Peter Gallagher really brought it. 

It was one of the weirdest season finales though - - the end really felt like a series finale.  I haven't cared for Tucker until this episode.  Good job. 

I'm glad Barba wasn't offed but he's clearly not out of the woods yet.

Carisi is pretty close to being perfect.  I love him. 

Based on this show and the Mothership, NY is an extremely dangerous place to be if you're wearing blue or an ADA.  Sheesh.

  • Love 2

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