S18.E06: Broken Rhymes

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

The CEO of a record label is questioned by police, and so is his protégé, because they may be linked to an assault involving a transgender student.

[EtheltoTillie]

What happened to last week's episode?  There was no listing. 

[WendyCR72]

4 minutes ago, GussieK said:

What happened to last week's episode?  There was no listing. 

Pulled because of the World Series. And this episode was renamed, apparently, from "Bad Rap".

[RafaelBarbas]

I liked this episode, a lot. I recognize Olivia for the first time in years.

Also, this bears repeating- thank you, Rick, for not showing the assaults.

Sassy Barba is life.

[CelticBlackCat]

This was a good, solid episode, all about the case.  I liked Olivia telling off the 10-year-old witness' mother and Olivia's scenes with Barba.  Good stuff with Finn, Rollins and Carisi too.

[EtheltoTillie]

4 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Pulled because of the World Series. And this episode was renamed, apparently, from "Bad Rap".

Oh, I see. Last week they showed a rerun from September. wonder how i missed it the first time.  I will go read the posts now. 

[wknt3]

The Good:
A solid script that focused on the case.
Good acting from the guest stars. This is pretty standard for the show, but it is still important, especially for a an episode like this where it would be easy to play it wrong.
The whole squad was involved even if Liv was still in the field too much. At least there was a little more delegation this week,
I recognized Barba as the character I love instead of some sort of pod person.
It explored shades of gray without blurring it's message.
Nothing about Liv's personal life unless I missed something in my sleep deprived post-election night haze.
Carisi and Barba were both rocking the suits!
They did make the right choice with the rescheduling after all. I wasn't ready to see a reminder of current events last night.

The Bad:
The opening scene was a little clunky and felt like a PSA at times. It would have felt more realistic if they kept the pronoun confusion and made the rest a little more subtle. I know there are conservatives in Manhattan, but there are a lot more people there that support transgender rights in the abstract, but don't do so well when it's not theoretical.
It's getting a little ridiculous that Fin is still presented as the expert on all things hip hop. It would have been hilarious if Carisi had heard of Hype, but Fin hadn't. He could still be the one to explain the rap world and how things have always worked and know the CEO's history, but not be up on everything going on today. And come on wouldn't in hilarious to see Ice T talking about how old school was better?

Overall this was the best episode of the season, and not by default like last week. This was an objectively good hour of television that compares with the better episodes of last season or any past season. Good job show!

[sockii]

For me this was the best episode of the season, so far.

First time in ages I actually recognized the Olivia Benson I used to love.

Nice use of the entire squad working the case—again, that's something that's been a rarity for far too long. And no personal drama in the background or foreground, either.

And continuing the best thing about season 18 so far for me: not forgetting that Fin is there and actually using him for more than a couple reaction shots and snarky comments.

[Primetimer]

Love and hip-hop don't go so well together when a label chief decides he can't with a rising star's girlfriend.

View the full article

[Spartan Girl]

I was drained from watching the election, so I didn't watch this too closely.  But I too loved Liv telling off the mother for preventing her child from telling the truth.

[skittl3862]

After all the trans stories done on SVU, I think they finally did well. A little preachy and PSA at times, but an actual trans actress? Not a sex worker? Supportive family? Supportive boyfriend? Everyone (except bad guys) using correct terms and pronouns? It was good to see to see how far we've come. Then I started imagining how that all could change, and it got a little too real for me. Not really the escapism I was looking for this week.

Raul Esparza always makes me happy though. He was especially good this week.

[Gigi43]

I'm so glad they didn't air this against the world series since I'm strangely terrible with on demanding shows I've missed. This was a genuine SVU episode not an hour of however Benson feels about a crime. 

[wknt3]

4 hours ago, skittl3862 said:

Raul Esparza always makes me happy though. He was especially good this week.

That'sbecause he actually got to play Barba instead of just another acolyte at the Church of St Benson.

[Monkeybball]

I really liked this episode, but from the first 5 minutes I said to myself: "Oof, bad writing."  I didn't understand Rollins' comment about how a crowded mall in broad daylight was the perfect place to attack Eva because she was transgendered?  That didn't make sense to me.  Was she saying it's perfect because it's "okay" to attack transgender people or what?  I think the bad writing thought came later but I see some clunkiness in the last few episodes that I haven't noticed in awhile.

Otherwise, I really liked the episode.  And the outcome.  I'm glad we got to see a case through to verdict (without a plea or a confession).  And I'm glad we got an ending that wasn't satisfying i.e. the "perp" didn't get hit with the result that the squad wanted.

I saw it coming I gotta say.  When Hype said "a coma?" And the guy who opened the door was super big.  Oh!  That was some clunky language....what the mom of the little girl who was a witness said.  Something like "What do those people think is going to happen when they go into whatever bathroom they want" or whatever they said.  Awkward writing.  It seemed like trying too hard to represent the bathroom issue.  Why interject that into this episode for like 2.5 seconds and do almost nothing with it? Cluuuuuunk----kyyyyy. 

[Badger]

 

5 hours ago, Monkeybball said:

I really liked this episode, but from the first 5 minutes I said to myself: "Oof, bad writing."  I didn't understand Rollins' comment about how a crowded mall in broad daylight was the perfect place to attack Eva because she was transgendered?  That didn't make sense to me.  Was she saying it's perfect because it's "okay" to attack transgender people or what?  I think the bad writing thought came later but I see some clunkiness in the last few episodes that I haven't noticed in awhile.

Otherwise, I really liked the episode.  And the outcome.  I'm glad we got to see a case through to verdict (without a plea or a confession).  And I'm glad we got an ending that wasn't satisfying i.e. the "perp" didn't get hit with the result that the squad wanted.

I saw it coming I gotta say.  When Hype said "a coma?" And the guy who opened the door was super big.  Oh!  That was some clunky language....what the mom of the little girl who was a witness said.  Something like "What do those people think is going to happen when they go into whatever bathroom they want" or whatever they said.  Awkward writing.  It seemed like trying too hard to represent the bathroom issue.  Why interject that into this episode for like 2.5 seconds and do almost nothing with it? Cluuuuuunk----kyyyyy. 

 

https://allisonslaw.wordpress.com/2015/03/08/6-3-280-lb-transwoman-and-martial-expert-punches-woman-when-she-questions-his-presence-in-the-womens-bathroom-woman-loses-5-teeth-and-accrues-60000-in-medical-expenses/

[MaryHedwig]

Did Eva shoplift (the choker) before sitting down to lunch?

[JyDanzig]

It was nice to have an episode where Benson's moral outrage was appropriately sized and targeted.  Every time she was disgusted and went off on someone, she was saying exactly what I wanted to hear.  So satisfying!  Quite a change from the rest of the dubious causes she's been running off on all season.

[Gigi43]

20 hours ago, Monkeybball said:

what the mom of the little girl who was a witness said.  Something like "What do those people think is going to happen when they go into whatever bathroom they want" or whatever they said.  Awkward writing.  It seemed like trying too hard to represent the bathroom issue.  Why interject that into this episode for like 2.5 seconds and do almost nothing with it? Cluuuuuunk----kyyyyy. 

 

I thought the womans terrible comments fit better than the clunky writing of previous episodes. One woman making those comment's to a cop are a lot more believable than supposed competent defense attorneys of previous episodes trying to get a Manhattan jury to "see past liberal agendas" just to have someone say it. The argument could be you just need one of them to end up agreeing but it felt widely out there a New York Lawyer would attempt that in a city jury pool. 

[wknt3]

22 hours ago, Monkeybball said:

what the mom of the little girl who was a witness said.  Something like "What do those people think is going to happen when they go into whatever bathroom they want" or whatever they said.  Awkward writing.  It seemed like trying too hard to represent the bathroom issue.  Why interject that into this episode for like 2.5 seconds and do almost nothing with it? Cluuuuuunk----kyyyyy. 

 

1 hour ago, Gigi43 said:

I thought the womans terrible comments fit better than the clunky writing of previous episodes. One woman making those comment's to a cop are a lot more believable than supposed competent defense attorneys of previous episodes trying to get a Manhattan jury to "see past liberal agendas" just to have someone say it. The argument could be you just need one of them to end up agreeing but it felt widely out there a New York Lawyer would attempt that in a city jury pool. 

Yeah it was better than previous episodes, but it was still clunky and unnecessary. As I said before it wouldn't have been hard to present her as a hypocritical liberal instead of the personification of an annoying Facebook comment. It would have been subtle, believable, and still made a point. Or they could have picked it up later and had her refusal to provide information become an obstacle to prosecution. It just stood out as a glaring example of bad writing in an otherwise very good script.

[CelticBlackCat]

17 hours ago, MaryHedwig said:

Did Eva shoplift (the choker) before sitting down to lunch?

I wondered that too!  I've been wondering ever since but haven't had time to watch the epi beginning again.  I thought she had left the choker on, and proceeded onto her date who stood her up.  Although I don't approve of shoplifting, Eva still did not deserve to be brutally raped and subsequently dying, thus being brutally murdered.  For all the real Evas in this world who have met a similar fate, God bless and RIP.  No one deserves that.

[tvfanatic13]

On November 11, 2016 at 4:46 AM, MaryHedwig said:

Did Eva shoplift (the choker) before sitting down to lunch?

I thought that too. But then I figured that we just didn't see her pay for it. If she had shoplifted it, I think it would have come up. 

[CelticBlackCat]

3 hours ago, tvfanatic13 said:

I thought that too. But then I figured that we just didn't see her pay for it. If she had shoplifted it, I think it would have come up. 

Maybe it was a continuity/editing failure.  They didn't think we'd notice? :D

[MaryHedwig]

OK. Inquiring minds want to know. I watched this episode a second time to see if I could be any more sure.  When Eva first goes into the stall, doesn't she take a sanitary napkin from her purse? Wasn't she still a anatomically a male?  She would have had no need for a napkin even if she had anatomically transitioned to a female, correct?

This is at least the second time that SVU has portrayed transgender parents as being supportive (also in 17: 3 Transgender Bridge.) I love it!!!!

Edited November 13, 2016 by MaryHedwig

[love2lovebadtv]

1 hour ago, MaryHedwig said:

OK. Inquiring minds want to know. I watched this episode a second time to see if I could be any more sure.  When Eva first goes into the stall, doesn't she take a sanitary napkin from her purse? Wasn't she still a anatomically a male?  Would she have had no need for a napkin even if she had anatomically transition to a female, correct?

This is at least the second time that SVU has portrayed transgender parents as being supportive (also in 17: 3 Transgender Bridge.) I love it!!!!

I thought that too at first.  But then I thought maybe it was a package of wet wipes. 

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, love2lovebadtv said:

I thought that too at first.  But then I thought maybe it was a package of wet wipes. 

It was a package of wet wipes. I use them and even recognized the package color. 

[love2lovebadtv]

On 11/13/2016 at 6:16 AM, shapeshifter said:

It was a package of wet wipes. I use them and even recognized the package color. 

Ahhh, I guess they did that to throw us off. 

[Monkeybball]

Does anybody know if the actress who played Eva is actually transgender?  She was absolutely gorgeous.  If not, I wonder why they didn't use a transgender actress.  I know the part was relatively minor in terms of actual screen presence, but with the presence of several fairly famous transgender women in the entertainment industry (models, actresses, etc) I'm sure they could have found someone.

ETA: My comment earlier about the thing Rollins said was not to imply that transgender people don't get attacked in bathrooms (or in high volumes in general).  I just thought it was weird that the dialogue basically went like this:

Benson: A crowded mall in the middle of the day? Helluva place to attack someone.

Rollins: OR....the perfect place.  She's transgender.

 

Soooo, the fact that she's transgender still makes A CROWDED MALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY the *perfect* place to attack someone?  I think regardless of who you're attacking, a crowded mall in the middle of the day is less than ideal.

Edited November 16, 2016 by Monkeybball

[CelticBlackCat]

Maybe Rollins meant that attacking a transgender person in a crowded mall would make a statement to all those who are at the mall and will surely hear about it.  That may be reaching, but that's the only thing I can think of.  Oh, wait, I just thought:  Maybe since the mall was so crowded, the attacker would not stand out from the crowd, just blend in while he makes his getaway.

[CelticBlackCat]

59 minutes ago, Monkeybball said:

Does anybody know if the actress who played Eva is actually transgender?  She was absolutely gorgeous.  If not, I wonder why they didn't use a transgender actress.  I know the part was relatively minor in terms of actual screen presence, but with the presence of several fairly famous transgender women in the entertainment industry (models, actresses, etc) I'm sure they could have found someone.

ETA: My comment earlier about the thing Rollins said was not to imply that transgender people don't get attacked in bathrooms (or in high volumes in general).  I just thought it was weird that the dialogue basically went like this:

Benson: A crowded mall in the middle of the day? Helluva place to attack someone.

Rollins: OR....the perfect place.  She's transgender.

 

Soooo, the fact that she's transgender still makes A CROWDED MALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY the *perfect* place to attack someone?  I think regardless of who you're attacking, a crowded mall in the middle of the day is less than ideal.

Sabel Gonzales is a Filipino transgender model/actress, so yes, the show used an actual transgender person.

https://transgender.wiki/sabel-gonzales/

Edited November 16, 2016 by CelticBlackCat
Added link to video

[Monkeybball]

2 hours ago, CelticBlackCat said:

Sabel Gonzales is a Filipino transgender model/actress, so yes, the show used an actual transgender person.

https://transgender.wiki/sabel-gonzales/

good, i'm glad they did that.  it made me think of Fallacy in season 4, where the actress was just a really pretty girl with a deeper voice and then tied little scarves around her neck to make her seem like she was hiding an adam's apple. of course that was in 2003, boy how times have changed!

[millennium]

It was cheap, sensational and exploitative.   They create a story revolving around a transgender person and don't even give her more than a line of dialogue, but make sure to play up her sex appeal (for the inevitable "fooled ya" reveal) and then highlight all the gory details of her slaughter, i.e., "raped with a pipe" and "perforated colon" (just in case you were wondering how far up it went) and "her skirt pulled up over her ... you know."

Just another riff from the transgender cliche book.   Until a few years ago, the transgender person was always the crazy murderer who'd have a wig ripped off by the hero at the climax.   Now on SVU, transgender people are the murdered.   Wasn't the last transgender story on this show about a white transgender girl who gets pushed off a bridge by a black guy?   Now this one with a light-skinned transgender girl who gets raped and killed by a black guy.  What are you trying to say, SVU?

This show also promotes a disturbing trend in transgender portrayal in TV and movies: lookism.   I suppose I shouldn't be surprised since lookism permeates every aspect of television today but the fact is most transgender people are not transgender models, yet the only transgender people getting roles in TV and movies today are those who not only look like real women but are even more attractive than many real women.    It leaves a false impression with a public that is not very informed about transgender life that transgender girls are all knockouts.   And that the average person can't tell the difference.   I wish that was the reality but it's not.   Many transgender people can't sashay down the mall being an object of lust and envy like Eva was.  Many transgender people are happy just to get through the mall without being harassed or mocked.   Many transgender people have to cope with snickering and pointing and rude comments because they're too tall or too broad or just too damn male looking to pass.

There's a reason why the transgender stories on SVU and other TV shows almost always feature transgender teens -- because many of them are still very androgynous looking at that age and can more easily pass as biological females.   But someone who starts transitioning at 40 or older?   Not so much. 

Shows like SVU won't cover that side of the story though because it's not sexy or titillating.  It's just kind of sad and pathetic.   So instead they do these exploitative storylines under the guise of raising awareness, but all they're really doing is giving us Hollywood's version of what it means to be transgender, which is ultimately a disservice to our community.

Oh, and employment for transgender people is very difficult, with no less than 50% of transgender women employed in the sex industry because they can find little else.    I can't imagine ANY transgender woman tearing up a check for $50,000.

Edited November 17, 2016 by millennium

[Monkeybball]

18 hours ago, millennium said:

It was cheap, sensational and exploitative.   They create a story revolving around a transgender person and don't even give her more than a line of dialogue, but make sure to play up her sex appeal (for the inevitable "fooled ya" reveal) and then highlight all the gory details of her slaughter, i.e., "raped with a pipe" and "perforated colon" (just in case you were wondering how far up it went) and "her skirt pulled up over her ... you know."

Just another riff from the transgender cliche book.   Until a few years ago, the transgender person was always the crazy murderer who'd have a wig ripped off by the hero at the climax.   Now on SVU, transgender people are the murdered.   Wasn't the last transgender story on this show about a white transgender girl who gets pushed off a bridge by a black guy?   Now this one with a light-skinned transgender girl who gets raped and killed by a black guy.  What are you trying to say, SVU?

This show also promotes a disturbing trend in transgender portrayal in TV and movies: lookism.   I suppose I shouldn't be surprised since lookism permeates every aspect of television today but the fact is most transgender people are not transgender models, yet the only transgender people getting roles in TV and movies today are those who not only look like real women but are even more attractive than many real women.    It leaves a false impression with a public that is not very informed about transgender life that transgender girls are all knockouts.   And that the average person can't tell the difference.   I wish that was the reality but it's not.   Many transgender people can't sashay down the mall being an object of lust and envy like Eva was.  Many transgender people are happy just to get through the mall without being harassed or mocked.   Many transgender people have to cope with snickering and pointing and rude comments because they're too tall or too broad or just too damn male looking to pass.

There's a reason why the transgender stories on SVU and other TV shows almost always feature transgender teens -- because many of them are still very androgynous looking at that age and can more easily pass as biological females.   But someone who starts transitioning at 40 or older?   Not so much. 

Shows like SVU won't cover that side of the story though because it's not sexy or titillating.  It's just kind of sad and pathetic.   So instead they do these exploitative storylines under the guise of raising awareness, but all they're really doing is giving us Hollywood's version of what it means to be transgender, which is ultimately a disservice to our community.

Oh, and employment for transgender people is very difficult, with no less than 50% of transgender women employed in the sex industry because they can find little else.    I can't imagine ANY transgender woman tearing up a check for $50,000.

Wow. You bring up a really interesting point. I did think it was interesting just how damn "passable" Eva was. I wasn't even sure if she was trans at all. And you're right, that's not the norm. Even IF you happen to have the model good looks, you might still have the physical attributes of male (I.e. Height, build....a la Laverne Cox). 

I have to say, one thing I found especially ....rude I guess? was when Eva'a boyfriend made the remark of "I guess he likes her just the way she is." That did not sit right with me. Because he said it almost as if he was surprised - dude, you're dating her too pre-op, wtf? I thought that was a yucky comment for him to make - especially because he seemed to be the one who wanted her to get the surgery. Who knows what she wanted because, like you said, she had one line. 

[Iguessnot]

On 11/16/2016 at 1:49 PM, CelticBlackCat said:

Maybe Rollins meant that attacking a transgender person in a crowded mall would make a statement to all those who are at the mall and will surely hear about it.  That may be reaching, but that's the only thing I can think of.  Oh, wait, I just thought:  Maybe since the mall was so crowded, the attacker would not stand out from the crowd, just blend in while he makes his getaway.

But was it a mall? I wasn't paying much attention, but I thought Eva was in a restaurant on a main street of New York. I don't remember that bathroom looking like a mall bathroom. The minute Rollins said that line I was confused but was to lazy to rewind. 

[DaynaPhile]

Favorite part was when Barba rolled his eyes at his nagging wife and said "ugh, you're not going to let me get out of here, are you?" 

[skittl3862]

On 11/17/2016 at 5:09 AM, millennium said:

This show also promotes a disturbing trend in transgender portrayal in TV and movies: lookism.   I suppose I shouldn't be surprised since lookism permeates every aspect of television today but the fact is most transgender people are not transgender models, yet the only transgender people getting roles in TV and movies today are those who not only look like real women but are even more attractive than many real women.    It leaves a false impression with a public that is not very informed about transgender life that transgender girls are all knockouts. 

Like you said, lookism. Most of the cis women on TV are more attractive than real women too. Sabel Gonzales is just as thin and pretty as every other young actress who has played a rape victim on SVU.

[katisha]

Finally watched this episode the other day and I've got to say, though we know the bar has been set quite ridiculously low, that was the best episode this season by a country mile.  It was the most like an old school SVU episode and word to all those who said Olivia was more like the Olivia of old than preachy St Olivia of about the past six seasons.  More like this, please!

On a side note, when are we going to hear what they're doing with Tucker?  

Edited November 28, 2016 by katisha

[shapeshifter]

On November 16, 2016 at 11:58 AM, Monkeybball said:

...

Benson: A crowded mall in the middle of the day? Helluva place to attack someone.

Rollins: OR....the perfect place.  She's transgender.

 

Soooo, the fact that she's transgender still makes A CROWDED MALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY the *perfect* place to attack someone?  I think regardless of who you're attacking, a crowded mall in the middle of the day is less than ideal.

Just re-reading this again, and I think I may know what they were going for (and failed at): I think the writers were trying to have Rollins imply that the majority of mall shoppers wouldn't get involved if the victim was transgendered. Having a small-boned transgendered actor who looked like an average, albeit attractive young woman didn't help, if that is in fact what they were going for.