S18.E03: Impostor

[Kel Varnsen]

I could help but wonder the whole episode how many actual rape cases were going on in NYC (many probably at Hudson U) that weren't being investigated or prosecuted because Olivia was chasing after this guy. And I can't also help but think that if you are going to have sex with someone you don't really know, that's fine, but you need to be aware that there may be some consequences to that.

On ‎2016‎-‎10‎-‎06 at 6:36 PM, CleoCaesar said:

Seems like that would be a very slippery slope (didn't Barba or the defense attorney say as much?). For example, guy meets girl in bar, they have sex. Girl later finds out that guy is trans/was born biologically female and feels violated. Could she claim rape because he didn't disclose his biological sex? Such a law would have SO many nuances and exceptions that I don't think it could realistically be workable across the board. Everyone in this episode seemed to realize that, except for St. Benson.

I also wonder what would happen if someone set up a lie, but a really bad lie and the person they had sex with was really dumb and fell for it. Like (and I know this is probably an exaggeration) if that guy told a really stupid woman that he was President of the United States, and she believed him. Would Olivia still try to arrest the guy for that.

Edited October 11, 2016 by Kel Varnsen

[TV Anonymous]

If pretending to be somebody a man is not to get to women's pants is a crime, then How I Met Your Mother was not a comedy. It was actually a crime drama where the criminals were the protagonists. I mean, this was the thing that Barney Stinson did every single episode. In fact, The Bro Code could have been considered the prima facie evidence of a serial rapist.

[mojito]

Though not very compelling, I'm glad they prosecuted this case, glad that we had no sympathy for the mother, glad the man wasn't convicted. 

I wonder if this woman was inspired by Forrest Gump's mother?

[katisha]

If this season continues along in the vein of this episode, the show needs to be taken out and shot and put out of its misery.  Oy, what a waste of time.  I'm pretty sure I heard Fonzie's speedboat revving up somewhere in the background, although some may say that actually happened YEARS ago.  I barely made it to the end of the episode and I had a feeling something bad would happen last-minute, only I predicted it'd be the mother, not the son.  

Things I liked?  Rollins' hair, some of Carisi, some of Fin.

Things I disliked?  Everything else.

[Kel Varnsen]

Also if lying to someone you have sex with is considered rape, what happens if both parties lie to each other? Can two people rape each other at the same time?

[Calamity Jane]

4 hours ago, katisha said:

If this season continues along in the vein of this episode, the show needs to be taken out and shot and put out of its misery.  Oy, what a waste of time.  I'm pretty sure I heard Fonzie's speedboat revving up somewhere in the background, although some may say that actually happened YEARS ago.  I barely made it to the end of the episode and I had a feeling something bad would happen last-minute, only I predicted it'd be the mother, not the son.  

Things I liked?  Rollins' hair, some of Carisi, some of Fin.

Things I disliked?  Everything else.

For me, Fonzie drove his boat through the show two or three seasons ago, whenever it was that Cragen left and Olivia took over.  Really they should have ended it when they lost Meloni.  His last episode was powerful and with a little more work could have been a good ending for the show.   Time to go before it gets completely ridiculous.  

[SunnyBeBe]

As an attorney, this episode was very annoying.  Regardless of how deplorable you may consider someone's actions, you don't charge them if they didn't commit the crime.  You look at the elements and if it's not there, it's not there.  Talk about having too much time on your hands.  Olivia go to park and try to find some real cases to work on. 

And Barba talking about how the state legislature was considering a new statute that might be passed at some later date....well, even so, you can't pass a law that makes something illegal that has already occurred.  It's call ex post facto laws and they are in violation of the Constitution.  

This prosecution was so over the top and really makes the show lose their credibility.  For all the victims, family members, etc. that Olivia and her crew has seen, why do they fail to spot a child in real desperation?  Even a novice would see how the negative effects on the families was far more likely than any positive outcome, EVEN  IF THEY won.  Just plain ridiculous.  They would have been reversed on appeal. 

I also didn't buy the ex parte conversation between the Judge and Barbi.  A MOTION TO DISMISS should have been promptly granted PRE-TRIAL.  All that junk he talked about made no sense. The conviction would have easily been REVERSED on appeal and SANCTIONS on the Prosecutor.  Just a cluster F, in my book.

I really wish this show would not insult my intelligence again. 

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

The Man In The Mirror Is A Sleazy Pickup Artist On Law And Order: SVU

And the episode itself shows us two faces, with zippy dialogue and strong acting culminating in a cheap shocker.

[Risky Librarian]

On 10/6/2016 at 1:47 AM, Everleigh said:

I can't believe they're suddenly trying to pass Hudson off as some elite college and not the cesspool of murder and rape we've known it as. And now all of a sudden Hudson's impossible to get into when 99% of SVU's college age victims and perps have attended Hudson. You would think all the rapes and murders would have hurt their admission rates. 

I thought the premise of the episode was interesting but New York does not have a rape by fraud law so it really did seem pointless for Barba to try to prosecute something that isn't a crime in his state. 

Right? I'm pretty sure the only reason Hudson is so competitive is that it's literally the only college in New York City.

[Princess Lucky]

On 9/10/2016 at 11:14 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

As an attorney, this episode was very annoying.  Regardless of how deplorable you may consider someone's actions, you don't charge them if they didn't commit the crime.  You look at the elements and if it's not there, it's not there.  Talk about having too much time on your hands.  Olivia go to park and try to find some real cases to work on. 

And Barba talking about how the state legislature was considering a new statute that might be passed at some later date....well, even so, you can't pass a law that makes something illegal that has already occurred.  It's call ex post facto laws and they are in violation of the Constitution. 

Exactly! What was that? "Oh, they're considering passing a law at some point, so let's take this to trial right now!" And Barba said that like it made sense! Like failing to get a conviction (because there was no law prohibiting the perp's actions) would somehow help pass that law. And Benson even said something like, this isn't just about Paula Marshall, it's bigger. None of that made sense. Certainly not the fact Barba and Benson failed to consider the consequences of their actions (namely, that the perp would never be convicted and that a family would likely be ruined). All for a "cause". Over something that wasn't even a crime.

On 9/10/2016 at 9:23 PM, Calamity Jane said:

For me, Fonzie drove his boat through the show two or three seasons ago, whenever it was that Cragen left and Olivia took over.  Really they should have ended it when they lost Meloni.  His last episode was powerful and with a little more work could have been a good ending for the show.   Time to go before it gets completely ridiculous.  

In my opinion, when it comes to SVU ending on a high note, that ship sailed circa Season 9 (S6 if we're being honest, but S9 was a highpoint for me personally).  The last 3 Meloni seasons were atrocious, save for some hilariously over-the-top cases (Sharon Stone? Kim Greylek? Monkey in the basketball? Only Christine Lahti rescued some of those episodes, if you ask me). I actually think Seasons 13 and 14 were a huge improvement in terms of the cases, but in Season 15 the show took a nosedive (too much drama, too much torture porn). Seasons 16 and 17 were, at least to me, a return to form.

Season 18 so far? Dreadful. Not one episode I'd rewatch. And this is SVU. I've watched some of my favorite episodes, like, 6 times (speaking of hilariously over-the-top, I've practically memorized the Stamos episode, and I don't care who knows it). Anthony Edwards is my only hope, at this point. I've already given up on the Kim Rollins sure-to-be angstfest, that yearly reminder that Rollins may sometimes appear well-adjusted but is actually a hot mess. This episode (18x03) seemed promising, a good guest cast and a potentially fun premise, but they botched it. Which is becoming a pattern.

Also, the show NEEDS a new cast member. This configuration ain't cutting it.

[SillyOldClothCat]

Did they just set up a crossover episode with Catfish??

[Princess Sparkle]

I feel like what SVU is attempting to do this season - at least based on the episodes so far - is have cases that at less black and white, and have some more shades of gray.  HOWEVER, they have missed the mark so thoroughly on all of the cases so far that it's ruined what could have been very thought provoking episodes.  There could have been a good "rape by fraud" case here, but this absolutely wasn't it, and that "shock" ending was laughable.  I also had a nagging feeling throughout the whole episode that SVU had already tackled a "rape by fraud case", but I think I was thinking of the Robin Williams episode, which was more sexual assault by proxy.  

This is through no fault of her own, but I will always think of Paula Marshall as "Back Show Killer!" from the Veronica Mars recaps at TWOP and therefore, I had such a negative reaction to her for the whole episode.  And this is no fault of his, but I have such a hatred for the film version of The Chocolate War that seeing anyone from it causes a visceral reaction for me, so seeing Wallace Langham made me just as angry as seeing Paula Marshall.

Side note - I would eat artisan pickles with Carisi every day for the rest of my life.  Now I wish they hadn't done the Rollins/Amaro relationship, because Kelly Giddish and Peter Scanavino have much better chemistry together.  And I like Rollins, so I don't want her characterization on the show to be "sleeps with all her co-workers".  

[Princess Lucky]

21 minutes ago, Princess Sparkle said:

I feel like what SVU is attempting to do this season - at least based on the episodes so far - is have cases that at less black and white, and have some more shades of gray.  HOWEVER, they have missed the mark so thoroughly on all of the cases so far that it's ruined what could have been very thought provoking episodes.  There could have been a good "rape by fraud" case here, but this absolutely wasn't it, and that "shock" ending was laughable.  I also had a nagging feeling throughout the whole episode that SVU had already tackled a "rape by fraud case", but I think I was thinking of the Robin Williams episode, which was more sexual assault by proxy. 

Agreed. The elements are all there, but the end result is always lacking. In this episode, they could have made the guy into something more than a sleaze. I appreciated that they gave us a less than perfect victim who made a terrible choice, but the context was strange. From the promos, I had assumed the guy actually assaulted her, that's why she was in the hospital. Like, what if he had initially tricked her, and then she found out the truth? And then he raped her anyway? And what if his argument was "she consented before, so this can't be rape"? And what if the judge was behind the times, so he agreed (like a stealth Nate Parker episode, know what I mean?) so Barba had to prove that that initial consent was based on fraud, so it shouldn't hold up?

9 minutes ago, Princess Sparkle said:

Side note - I would eat artisan pickles with Carisi every day for the rest of my life.  Now I wish they hadn't done the Rollins/Amaro relationship, because Kelly Giddish and Peter Scanavino have much better chemistry together.  And I like Rollins, so I don't want her characterization on the show to be "sleeps with all her co-workers".  

I still don't know why they bothered with Rollins/Amaro. It had potential, but it was never properly mined. We never even saw them kiss (did we?), they barely interacted even though they were sleeping together (I'm not sure I'd call what they had a relationship), and he left without a one-on-one goodbye to her. If someone had missed that one reveal (and if you did, go back and watch it, because damn, Danny Pino), I don't think you'd know they were supposed to be an item instead of just dancing around it. So pointless, and it never went anywhere.

With Carisi, it's the opposite. They've had a lot of nice, supportive moments, a lot of cuteness, but it's been forever and they still haven't gotten it on. What are they waiting for? It's starting to get to that weird place where a relationship might "ruin their friendship" etc etc. (and please spare me from such a moment, show). And, even if they do get together, who's to say it'll be any different than Rollins/Amaro? Rarely mentioned and never seen? Because only Tuckson is important, apparently?*** Why bother?

I did love Rollins with Murphy. That was the only relationship (if you want to call it that) that made sense personality-wise (less toxic than Rollins/Amaro and less saccharine than Rollins/Carisi). And it was also the most chemistry KG has ever had with anyone, in my opinion. I still wish they were dating long-distance, or something. It'd be a nice dynamic to revisit on occasion (based on Donal Logue's shedule). We could even see Rollins struggling with fidelity, if the writers didn't want to saddle her with a permanent significant other.

***disclaimer: I love Bobby Burke and I support Tuckson

[wknt3]

On 10/9/2016 at 4:14 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

As an attorney, this episode was very annoying.  Regardless of how deplorable you may consider someone's actions, you don't charge them if they didn't commit the crime.  You look at the elements and if it's not there, it's not there.  Talk about having too much time on your hands.  Olivia go to park and try to find some real cases to work on. 

And Barba talking about how the state legislature was considering a new statute that might be passed at some later date....well, even so, you can't pass a law that makes something illegal that has already occurred.  It's call ex post facto laws and they are in violation of the Constitution. 

 

8 hours ago, Princess Lucky said:

Exactly! What was that? "Oh, they're considering passing a law at some point, so let's take this to trial right now!" And Barba said that like it made sense! Like failing to get a conviction (because there was no law prohibiting the perp's actions) would somehow help pass that law. And Benson even said something like, this isn't just about Paula Marshall, it's bigger. None of that made sense. Certainly not the fact Barba and Benson failed to consider the consequences of their actions (namely, that the perp would never be convicted and that a family would likely be ruined). All for a "cause". Over something that wasn't even a crime.

 

What was that? It was "Benson says it should be rape so it's rape". I have no problem with an ADA pushing the envelope. It may not be realistic, but it's a well established part of the L&O universe. But in the past it's never been quite so blatant, when they pushed too far they got slapped down, and there was always a colorable claim rather than a straightforward "this is what the law SHOULD be so we're going to prosecute." I wish they had taken the time to somehow make it an extremely borderline case according to current law that Barba then decided to prosecute as rape in order to show the need for the new law knowing it would be dismissed and that he would have settle for the actual crimes that were committed. And that they made it clearly Barba's decision alone. I think everyone else has been more true to character this season, but they've gutted Barba to keep building up Benson. 

Edited October 11, 2016 by wknt3

[betsyboo]

Between last week's unnecessary burning/killing of the daughter, and this week's completely unnecessary suicide, I may have FINALLY reached my breaking point with L&O: Perverts. I watch a lot of crime shows, read a lot of serial killer books and these two eps left a baaaad taste in my mouth. I miss Stabler. I miss Alex. (Don't get me wrong, I <heart> Barba.) I miss the police work.

[Lizzing]

I was half watching Bull on CBS earlier and the case of the night was the alleged murder of a rapist by his victim, who were both students at Hudson U.  Hudson was shown to have other multiple rapes as well as a whole team doping on steroids and a likely murderous coach.  So if even a dumbass CBS procedural knows Hudson is a crime hellmouth, so should SVU's idiot mother. LOL!  (I don't really like Bull, but the use of Hudson gave me such a laugh in light of this SVU ep, I actually kept in on until the end.)

[kelslamu]

I couldn't believe the woman hadn't looked up the picture and info on this guy right after she met him.  I don't think they did it immediately, but maybe I'm wrong.  Don't they say a guy should make sure of a girl's age before they go for it?  Saying she said she was 18 is never enough.  I do think he should have been in trouble for  impersonating the man, but I would have thought the man being impersonated would want to press charges himself.  This whole episode didn't fly for me.  I thought it really strange Barba even went with it.  

[katisha]

15 hours ago, Princess Sparkle said:

Side note - I would eat artisan pickles with Carisi every day for the rest of my life.  Now I wish they hadn't done the Rollins/Amaro relationship, because Kelly Giddish and Peter Scanavino have much better chemistry together.  And I like Rollins, so I don't want her characterization on the show to be "sleeps with all her co-workers".  

Must be a US-centric reference because I have no clue what they are but I'd eat them if Carisi was there for sure. ;)

I like Rollins as well.  I know she is not a popular character around these parts but funnily enough, the reason I relate to her is that I too had a gambling issue quite a few years back (I gave up cold turkey 9 years ago next month - woot!) and so often nothing is ever shown in TV shows about women having gambling problems, only male characters.  But I also don't want her seen as the "town bike", so to speak.  They haven't let her loose on Fin yet (and they'd better not or I really AM done with this show) or Barba but the list of her work colleague conquests is getting rather long for such a small work team!

[Iguessnot]

After seeing the boy on the ground, Olivia looks up at the balcony and for the life of me I can't figure out what that strange object was. Looked like some weird gyroscope. Was it connected to his death?

[DaynaPhile]

18 hours ago, Iguessnot said:

After seeing the boy on the ground, Olivia looks up at the balcony and for the life of me I can't figure out what that strange object was. Looked like some weird gyroscope. Was it connected to his death?

I believe it was a member of CSU leaning over the balcony with a camera. 

I'm having a hard time with Olivia trying to make everything bigger than it is. I'm astounded that she insisted on prosecuting and Barba just said "fine, you win". It's like he's tired of fighting with her. The two of them fighting is one of the reasons I used to. Love the show! Where's the snark?! Where's the battle of words in his office? I'm having a hard time liking this. 

 

Oh, and no one cares about Noah's sad verbal skills and a prestigious preschool. 

Edited October 18, 2016 by DaynaPhile
Adding new comment

[love2lovebadtv]

On 10/6/2016 at 1:47 AM, Everleigh said:

I can't believe they're suddenly trying to pass Hudson off as some elite college and not the cesspool of murder and rape we've known it as. And now all of a sudden Hudson's impossible to get into when 99% of SVU's college age victims and perps have attended Hudson. You would think all the rapes and murders would have hurt their admission rates. 

I thought the premise of the episode was interesting but New York does not have a rape by fraud law so it really did seem pointless for Barba to try to prosecute something that isn't a crime in his state. 

Yes! I thought that Hudson all of a sudden being this elite school was pretty insulting to those of us who have watched L&O and L&O:SVU over the years. 

Was that the Columbia campus? Sure looked like it. 

On 10/6/2016 at 0:28 AM, LittleIggy said:

Any epi with that much Barba in it, I'll watch.

And he was no way good looking!

Wasn't he the weird lab guy on CSI? 

2 minutes ago, love2lovebadtv said:

Yes! I thought that Hudson all of a sudden being this elite school was pretty insulting to those of us who have watched L&O and L&O:SVU over the years. 

Was that the Columbia campus? Sure looked like it. 

Wasn't he the weird lab guy on CSI? 

Yes, it's him: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Langham

[love2lovebadtv]

On 10/6/2016 at 7:06 AM, wknt3 said:

The Good:
The guest stars.
Fin - "I pretended I was Melle Mel" LOL I wonder if Ice T helped them with the old school hip hop reference?
They seemed to be aware that they were pushing the envelope and they even allowed for some internal debate.
The chemistry between Rollins and Carisi. I still don't think it's a great idea to pursue a relationship, but I have to admit that the actors really do work well together.

The Bad:
More Noah drama (but offscreen! yay!) I would think given his history that if his only cognitive issue was being slightly behind in verbal skills that would be very good. Maybe you don't spend quite as much time reading to him as you think given that you are constantly in the field, are in court for every case, consult with Barba on everything, and do all the paperwork and command stuff that was a full time job for every previous CO? Just a thought.
Was Barba supposed to be heavily medicated or something? This is right in his wheelhouse and he seemed to be meekly following Liv's lead, his conversation with the judge seemed really subdued, and he didn't really pithily summarize the legal issues.
They really should have used another fictional college or made the school's history an explicit part of the story. We joke about it, but like a lot of you it was a problem for me this time.
The ending. It was unnecessary and didn't really seem to serve any explicit story purpose. Unless this is the wakeup call for Liv that leads her to take down the crusading a notch and maybe go back to policing in which case all is forgiven!

Overall I think they did about as well as they could have with a challenging concept. They might have been able to do a little better with presenting the legal issues and how this was different from the normal lying that just about everyone does, but my biggest problem with this episode is something I don't think can be solved by any single episode - Benson/MH's out of control ego.
 

I'm pretty sure Ice T had his hand in that line. It was funny as hell!

The kid's death was totally unnecessary. 

And I'm surprised/disappointed that Liv is not in tune with Noah's cognitive situation. Reading to your kid helps all children.  For a kid like Noah, she should be expecting to do more. The kids who end up in foster care (has she adopted him - can't remember) often have a lot of other issues, and foster parents have to expect to spend lots of time taking them to appointments, getting extra help, etc. This is the case even with many kids who aren't in foster care so why is she so surprised? 

On 10/11/2016 at 2:24 PM, Princess Sparkle said:

I feel like what SVU is attempting to do this season - at least based on the episodes so far - is have cases that at less black and white, and have some more shades of gray.  HOWEVER, they have missed the mark so thoroughly on all of the cases so far that it's ruined what could have been very thought provoking episodes.  There could have been a good "rape by fraud" case here, but this absolutely wasn't it, and that "shock" ending was laughable.  I also had a nagging feeling throughout the whole episode that SVU had already tackled a "rape by fraud case", but I think I was thinking of the Robin Williams episode, which was more sexual assault by proxy.  

This is through no fault of her own, but I will always think of Paula Marshall as "Back Show Killer!" from the Veronica Mars recaps at TWOP and therefore, I had such a negative reaction to her for the whole episode.  And this is no fault of his, but I have such a hatred for the film version of The Chocolate War that seeing anyone from it causes a visceral reaction for me, so seeing Wallace Langham made me just as angry as seeing Paula Marshall.

Side note - I would eat artisan pickles with Carisi every day for the rest of my life.  Now I wish they hadn't done the Rollins/Amaro relationship, because Kelly Giddish and Peter Scanavino have much better chemistry together.  And I like Rollins, so I don't want her characterization on the show to be "sleeps with all her co-workers".  

I really hated the Rollins/Amaro hookup. And you're right, it would make it hard for her to now have something with Carisi. And that's too bad because Rollins and Carisi have such a great relationship, I would be happy to see her get a good guy. And he is totally family oriented and would love to be part of her life. 

[Iguessnot]

On 10/18/2016 at 6:40 PM, DaynaPhile said:

I believe it was a member of CSU leaning over the balcony with a camera. 

 

Thanks. I had deleted my recording so I was struggling with On Demand to pull up the still shot. It was still a very strange directing decision. All my focus went to trying to figure out what was on the balcony and frankly it wasn't the most effective height for a suicide. At that height there would have been a greater chance for a debilitating or paralyzing injury. 

We know how good the actors are and it is sad to see all the awkwardly acted scenes in this season. It's like watching pod people.

[skittl3862]

On 10/20/2016 at 0:16 PM, love2lovebadtv said:

And I'm surprised/disappointed that Liv is not in tune with Noah's cognitive situation. Reading to your kid helps all children.  For a kid like Noah, she should be expecting to do more. The kids who end up in foster care (has she adopted him - can't remember) often have a lot of other issues, and foster parents have to expect to spend lots of time taking them to appointments, getting extra help, etc. This is the case even with many kids who aren't in foster care so why is she so surprised? 

I think it could just be that Benson knows how far he's come and knows how much improvement he's made, but doesn't realize that he's average, or below average, when the NYC private preschools want only the above-average children, because then they can brag how their alumni go to Ivy League universities (and Hudson apparently) and charge a lot of money. Most middle class suburban preschools just want 3-year-olds who can walk, talk and use the bathroom.

And as someone who used to work in early childhood development, most parents tend to overestimate their children's abilities, especially firstborns.

[bethster2000]

On 10/9/2016 at 7:03 AM, katisha said:

If this season continues along in the vein of this episode, the show needs to be taken out and shot and put out of its misery.

Agreed 100%.

I was date-raped in college.  I do not think the acts depicted in this episode constitute rape.  At all.

[Eliza422]

Ug, why did I rewatch this train wreck tonight? 

[bethster2000]

On 10/7/2016 at 1:40 AM, Princess Lucky said:

SVU is losing me. I practically made myself watch this episode, Thursday night, because I didn't want to fall behind.

 

In our house, it has gone from a show we would sit down on the couch together to watch, two cats snuggling, something we enjoy together to a show we have on the DVR that we have on the background sometimes as we compute or eat dinner.  It's just not compelling viewing any longer, and neither of us can stand Benson.

p.s. Bring back Amaro.

[dttruman]

On 10/5/2016 at 10:07 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Jesus, where do I even begin?

While it was interesting that the show finally addressed what I like to call the Revenge of the Nerds controversy of rape by deception, I wished they didn't have to execute it by desperate mothers sleeping with a guy they thought was a college official to get their kids into a pricey school. No question, the guy was a predator and a scumbag, but seriously?!

I mean, I felt bad for the victim, but I felt worse for her family. Especially at the end. Really, show, you had to have that poor kid off himself because of the shame?!

At least Carisi is acting more like his usual, lovable self.

Holy Cow, how did Benson get off scott free here since she was the one who pushed for the arrest and rape charges. She pressured the lady to testify even though she was very apprehensive about it, and she browbeat Barba to prosecute even though the judge gave him fair warning of about the very important lack of evidence. It's too bad we never got to see the aftermath and results of the boy's suicide, that Benson is responsible for. It's funny how the writers and producers leave out Benson's punishment or consequences for her irresponsible behavior and lack of professionalism. No reprimand, no suspension, nothing, she gets to continue on with her crusade to punish a man who may or may not have had done something to a woman, even though with all the facts in, no one is at fault at all .

[dttruman]

On 10/6/2016 at 7:06 AM, wknt3 said:

Overall I think they did about as well as they could have with a challenging concept. They might have been able to do a little better with presenting the legal issues and how this was different from the normal lying that just about everyone does, but my biggest problem with this episode is something I don't think can be solved by any single episode - Benson/MH's out of control ego.
 

I thought they spent too much time setting up the scenario and even more wasted time as Benson coerces the lady to testify and as she badgered Barba to prosecute. They could have gone more in depth on the legal issues with the extra time. Well said on the "out of control ego" by the way.

[dttruman]

On 10/7/2016 at 11:01 AM, Princess Lucky said:

I wish the show had given more nuance to the legal aspect of this case. Not "this this rape, and the law is behind the times" but "what is this, exactly?" Less preaching and more creative thought. I bet Barba could have nailed this guy on five different charges (just not rape). This is becoming a trend this season. Interesting cases which are given a very superficial treatment. Wasted potential.

I wonder if they also could have introduced the other side of this from a women's prospective. Where the woman has a kid, not with her husband, but some other guy and the husband doesn't find out until later. I think SVU had an episode like this and with also a real melancholy ending

[Xeliou66]

Don't even get me fucking started on this pile of trash episode that belongs at the top of SVU's Hall of Shame - one of the 5 worst episodes ever, period. Benson bullying Barba into prosecuting something that is NOT ILLEGAL, Barba goes along with it because he became Benson's little puppet around this time, and of course nothing good comes from it but the son of one of the so called "victims" (who actually willigly slept with the guy because she thought he would get her son into college) kills himself because of the shame. Way to totally ruin peoples lives to push an agenda St Olivia!! This episode is a prime example of why people have come to loathe Benson and it featured all of her worst characteristics. In reality a judge never would've let this go to trial and would've berated Barba for bringing charges - and yeah St Olivia should've been suspended for this disaster and Barba as well. 

I noticed this episode was coming on today, this is one of the few episodes I always skip when it's on, it's so stupid and so infuriating.