S18.E08: Chasing Theo

[WendyCR72]

A 6 year-old boy disappears from his bed in the midst of a wild, drug-fueled party thrown by his mother. With a child's life on the line, the case causes Benson to scrutinize her own role as a mother.

[ShortyMac]

Too bad. I liked Tucker/Benson. 

[Spartan Girl]

I really didn't like Nadine and didn't buy her total 180 at the end of her suddenly trying to be a better mother.

And Tuckson is over. Let me borrow a quote from Aladdin: oh, there's a big surprise! I think I'm gonna have a heart attack and die from just from that surprise!

Seriously, why pair Liv with ANYONE at this point?!

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Welp, so much for Tuckson.

Are they ever going let Olivia find true love and be happy?

Are Carisi and Rollins are couple?

 

Seems that way to me.

[RafaelBarbas]

Hooray for the end of Tuckson and the start of Rollisi! I know Rollins has been paired with everyone and their brother at this point, but this and Declan were the only two relationships from her that have chemistry. 

I hated almost all the adults in this episode. Were we really supposed to feel sorry for the nanny in some way? Gag. I felt most sorry for the doctor mom but even then, not completely. Party mom can fuck off.

[WendyCR72]

Maybe Liv's true love is her job. Which, hey, many do love their work. But...yeah. Oh, and there's Noah. But I'm also of the opinion of "why bother?" at this late date. Even if this show goes another season or two, most of Olivia's dalliances do the same dance. Makes me wonder if there is even any sort of plan as to Benson's ultimate fate or not. So, and not because I give a damn either way, if this show did/does want Olivia in a relationship, why not just do the status quo with Tucker.

Oh well, not my show. Next!

[chick binewski]

Well, I liked druggie mom's hair. And I'd hang with Carisi eating spaghetti & watching reality TV.

I think the writers took the week off. After 18 seasons why bother to write another Benson romance if it's just going to flicker out in extremely dull fashion/

[StaceyNotStacie]

On 1/11/2017 at 10:29 PM, WendyCR72 said:

Maybe Liv's true love is her job. Which, hey, many do love their work. But...yeah. Oh, and there's Noah. But I'm also of the opinion of "why bother?" at this late date. Even if this show goes another season or two, most of Olivia's dalliances do the same dance. Makes me wonder if there is even any sort of plan as to Benson's ultimate fate or not. So, and not because I give a damn either way, if this show did/does want Olivia in a relationship, why not just do the status quo with Tucker.

Oh well, not my show. Next!

I do like that, in a sense, she chose herself (her job and Noah).  At this point, should the show end within the next year or two, they should just have her at a point where she is alone but happy with her life (maybe thinking about retirement or scaling back).  Maybe her final scene could be her taking Noah to school and she runs into a recently widowed Stabler, who is bringing his grandson or granddaughter to school, who happens to be in the same class or just attends the same school.  They're surprised to run into each other, say hello, and decide to grab a cup of coffee to catch up and just end it there.  People can think whatever they want as to what happens next.  

As for this episode, I suspected the nanny early on, but when they mentioned he was a sperm donor baby, I was suspicious that the donor had located them and kidnapped him.  It was hard to feel sorry for any of the people in the episode, with the exception of Theo.  I wish they would make up their minds with Rollins and Carisi.  Either they're getting together or they're not.  They need to stop teasing us with these scenes of them hanging out together.  Next thing you know, they'll have a scene similar to "Look Who's Talking" where the three of them are together and the little girl accidentally calls Carisi "daddy" because she doesn't know anything else.

[ForeverAlone]

For the most part, I enjoyed this episode, except for that unearned, saccharine ending with the non-custodial mom agreeing to help crazy mom to keep custody. Chick was a selfish mom, making very questionable parenting choices. Sure I didn't need some fight to break out between the two moms, but that whole reconciliation just felt out of place to me. I called the nanny as behind the abduction from her conversation with Carisi, so it was fun to see my initial intuition bear out. 

And bye bye Tuckson. I can't say I was ever thrilled about the relationship, but it didn't overly bother me. I thought what we saw was unnecessary relationship drama, because I think Olivia could have had a satisfying relationship AND still been a good, working mom. But as long as this show doesn't try and troll any hint of Barson (a coupling I am VERY opposed to), I don't really care what they do with Olivia's love life. I just think she could balance her different desires, and Tucker probably would have understood. 

And yes, Carisi just seems like an awesome friend (though sadly I have never encountered a male like this in my real life). :) :) 

[Gigi43]

First of all I lost a  $1 to my father because we were watching together and for some reason in the first half I said "I bet you a dollar it's whoever the donor father is." Boo. 

 

I really hated Nadine and the ex wife should have used this to attempt to get custody at the end, not that Bullshit that took place.  I really don't know what was worse the "oh you probably think this is my fault" upon the cops seeing the drugs/booze or her speech about being a single mom. Rollins at least pointed out she's cutting out the other parent but it didn't feel...forceful enough. I don't know if Kelli's acting was too understated, the writing was off or Mariska being too overstated probably a terrible combination of all 3 but the episode had me being annoyed it seemed like it was just Benson taking it personally as a mom and Rollins was being forgotten about so Carisi telling Rollins he knows this got to her seemed like he'd been watching something different. I don't give these writers enough credit it's supposed to mean "Carisi knows her better than anyone" or some thing really planned out, its to me yet another example of them speaking the words of a point of view without any substance because they're trying to fit in too many. Hey at least now they won'thave to cram in awkward repetitive Tuckson scenes.

 

Seriously is Raul having personal issues that he's asking for a lesser work load? I was so excited to see him, in court, in the preview and that should not happen with a freaking series regular ADA.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Gigi43

[shapeshifter]

All through the episode I wanted to say that I knew exactly where Theo was because the boy who played him looks almost exactly like my grand nephew. And then, near the end, when they revealed that the Nanny was going to take him to the family farm where there were goats and chickens, I was really spooked because my grand nephew does live on a farm with goats and chickens with his Mom and Dad and sister, with both sets of grandparents nearby.

I thought the doctor mom actress did a good job with the material she was given. After she said the bit about wanting to take care of the pregnant mom, I saw in all her scenes that she was mothering the red haired mom, who, BTW, starred on that awful (IMO) Under the Dome show.

[skittl3862]

Oh well. It was...something while it lasted.

Why was the ending with the obviously negligent mother was swept aside like it's some happy resolution? Theo wants nothing to do with his mom because he's been brainwashed by the nanny. The doctor mom who hired a private investigator to sue for custody now wants be a happy family with her party girl ex who was passed out in a drunken stupor while her child was kidnapped. God help us if SVU be more concerned with child abuse than killing screentime with Rollisi (does ANYONE want this to happen?). Also, in a 2017 New York City family courtroom, I can't imagine why doctor mom, a same sex non-biological parent who raised him for 4+ years, wouldn't be considered as an option over foster care. They gave Benson a baby just because she found him on a raid.

 

22 hours ago, Gigi43 said:

Seriously is Raul having personal issues that he's asking for a lesser work load? I was so excited to see him, in court, in the preview and that should not happen with a freaking series regular ADA.

Yes.

Edited January 13, 2017 by skittl3862

[Snookums]

Who was Nadine in UTD? Was she in second season, after I bailed?

Well, Tuckson is dead, Long Live Tuckson. Crap. I like that they were pretty much adults about it and acknowledging they were in different places and all, but this whole water torture dripdripdrip of HOW IS IT GOING WITH TUCKER, LIV? and Liv all COMPLICATED LET ME LOOK OFF INTO THE MIDDLE DISTANCE was ridiculous. Just break them up if you're gonna. 

But there was, again, no reason for it! Why why why couldn't they just let Liv have this? Why with all the bullshit every single time with her love life? There's no reason, NONE, that they couldn't have a perfectly good relationship as easily as they were having a "two different places we triiiiieeeed" one. 

Because if there's anything that convoluted nanny plot should have conveyed it's that letting your job consume your life is a bad thing. If she was so damn worried she could have called the cops! She and her brother were in the country legally but this blew that out of the water. When you're building shrines to the kid you're nannying it's time to move on to another gig already. 

Nadine, although wearing to deal with, indeed, was at least not "just" a party girl who couldn't remember her kid's birthday or left him on top of the car and drove off or anything. She was trying to be a good mom in her way--she cared about Theo. She was just a little too used to having people around to pick up her slack. And Fran was the same, but in the opposite direction--too busy being responsible and such to actually get around to lightening her workload and  being a more hands-on parent rather then only complaining about how Nadine did it.

I liked Carisi and Rollins at the end. I hope they're  really good friends, and not in the euphemism sense. They just clearly like to hang out together.

2 minutes ago, Snookums said:

 

Edited January 12, 2017 by Snookums

[MaryHedwig]

Quote

But there was, again, no reason for it! Why why why couldn't they just let Liv have this? Why with all the bullshit every single time with her love life? There's no reason, NONE, that they couldn't have a perfectly good relationship as easily as they were having a "two different places we triiiiieeeed" one. 

The crime of the week taught us that two parents, even if they are a party girl and a workaholic doctor, are better than one so why couldn't Tucker retire and be a stay-at-home father to Noah? Doesn't Olivia need some parental backup?

Edited January 16, 2017 by MaryHedwig

[RafaelBarbas]

23 minutes ago, skittl3862 said:

Rollisi (does ANYONE want this to happen?)

Me!

[CelticBlackCat]

Thankfully Tuckson is over.  The "it's complicated" non-drama was more annoying than anything.  I never got the feeling that Tucker was ready to settle down to play daddy to Noah while the wife goes to work, and Tucker wanted a full-time relationship and didn't want to share, which I can fully understand.  I never got there being chemistry between them, so it's best that it's over.

I too thought the nanny was the kidnapper or involved in it from the beginning.

As for Carisi and Rollins, I think that their foundation of being friends only at first can work better than a hot and steamy sex attraction that will fizzle out.

[wknt3]

The Good:
The actress playing doctor mom. I didn't quite buy the ending, but she almost sold it and given what she had to work with writing wise that was quite the achievement.
Rollins. I can't believe I am saying this, but the way they handled here personal issues with this case was probably my favorite part. It was subtle, believable and well handled. Even the ending scene was nice and I'm not a big Rollisi fan. I would have liked to see Fin show a little more empathy, but overall it was a good job.
It was nice that Liv wasn't on scene from the beginning.

The Bad:
I don't expect explosions, but couldn't we at least allow Tucker to call Liv out on her bullshit? I mean I know Mariska has completely taken over the show, but even during a breakup we have to have to have him worshiping at the altar of St. Benson?
The way they beat over the head with Liv T!I!P! as a single mother. You can handle it without going over the top - you did it with Rollins this very episode. Just another piece of evidence for the theory that the problem is not the writers, but Mariska gaining almost complete control.
As long as we're talking about St. Benson and bad writing - the scene where the little girl asks about what's going to happen and her response is "there's going to be a hearing tomorrow morning"? This is supposed to be super mommy, the victim's advocate, the most sensitive and empathetic detective ever and all around special snowflake? I was just waiting for her to follow up with a jargon filled discourse on the nuances of family law.
Noah and the return of the world's most patient babysitter.
No Barba.
Fin. Ice T seemed to be just going through the motions even more than usual. There wasn't even any particualrly memorable snark and they missed an opportunity to show off his chemistry with Kelli Giddish and have him do some actual acting.
The way just about everyone not on the squad was an unlikable caricature or stereotype. And it didn't seem to be a deliberate choice.

Overall it was pretty much a repeat of last week. A plot a bit too reminiscent of the transition between SVU 1.0 and 2.0 for my taste(outlandish, but not too over the top and they didn't try to push it with another shocking twist like having doctor mom hire the nanny to kidnap the kid), competently executed, but dragged down more than usual by the insistence on focusing on how sensitive and special Benson is rather than telling entertaining stories.

[wknt3]

7 hours ago, MaryHedwig said:

Doesn't Olivia need some parental backup?

Olivia never needs backup! If she doesn't need backup for hostage situations or undercover operations or confronting violent psychopaths why would parenting be any different?

Edited January 12, 2017 by wknt3

[Primetimer]

So it's no surprise that when he gets kidnapped, the squad's mommies are Taking! It! Personally! Related: Liv is the worst at boyfriend.

View the full article

[gesundheit]

That was bizarre. They were playing it like we should feel sad for Theo not getting to see his nanny anymore. Nadine was a crap mom, but the solution to that is calling CPS to scare some sense into her (which, by the way, seemed to exist deep down), not building a shrine to the child and then stealing him in the middle of the night, smearing his blood on the furniture, and taking him to another country. She was taking him away from TWO parents, not just the negligent one.

Conclusion-wise, it was fine, it did seem like Nadine was scared/shamed into not only stepping up but also including Theo's other mother in the parenting (because, duh, she can still have a damn party on nights when her ex has the kid! Seems so simple!), but this whole "poor kid can't see PyschoNanny anymore!" sadness was absurd.

Great, Liv, stay married to the job, see Noah almost-never, and kick out one of the only other active adult figures in his life who actually cares about him. That sure is putting the kid first! Snooze. (Seriously, when the COTW was literally wrapped up with a single parent realizing it was silly to think she could do it on her own, they let this be the Tuckson conclusion? Bizarre.)

Carisi can do better.

[12catcrazy]

I don't want Rollisi.  Now thats out of the way, the actress who played the doctor mom is Zoe McLellan, looking almost unrecognizable from her role as the badly missed Meredith Brody on NCIS New Orleans.  

[Monkeybball]

UGH! As soon as the breakup happened, I screamed: "WILL BENSON EVER BE HAPPY?!"  When the episode was over, I booed at the TV.  You CAN'T give me sexy Ed Tucker and then take him away like that!  Robert John Burke is the DEFINITION of a silver fox!

Okay, so I called the nanny the minute she got off the elevator the next morning.  I told myself to stop it cause it wouldn't make sense, but I immediately knew it was her.  And I don't know why.  I actually thought she was the boy's mom in the opening part of the episode.  That was sad.

I think we were right when we spoke earlier on this forum that this season is mostly going to be about "gray" situations.  I mean how many of us actually had sympathy for the nanny?  I know I did.  And I'm like stop it, she's a kidnapper.  But man if she didn't seem like the person that boy should have been with.  And the first mom, Nadine, became more likable towards the middle and end.  And the doctor mom was great too.  Much more cloudy than I'd usually expect to be in episodes like this.

ETA: I LOVE that Carisi's idea of a good time is watching super trashy reality tv.  He's perfect.

 

ETA 2: I thought it was CRAZY the scene where Rollins was in the office with Benson and said something along the lines of: "I can't imagine what they're going through.....their kid, out, just missing like that, and they have no idea?"  I was like REALLY GIRL aren't you an SVU detective?!?!?!?!!!  They've done that a couple of times this season and a few times last season with Carisi and Rollins and it's like, I think supposed to be indicative of some character trait (for Rollins it's the fact that SHE HAS A KID NOW....we get it) but I'm sorry, it's so out of place on this show.  And THEN: "Hey, what about Tucker, you too good?" Like, I know I just brought up how mindbogglingly horrible this situation is that there's a kid out there missing, but let me check in on your love life real quick.  UGH. NO WAY JOSE.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Monkeybball

[BlueJayFan]

10 hours ago, RafaelBarbas said:

Me!

Me too. And if we can't have Tucson, then I want her to hook up with Voight from Chicago PD. That was pure chemistry!

[Sarah D. Bunting]

I'll cosign that.

[gus]

I loved Tucker and Benson, but given the characters as they're written, the breakup made sense. My biggest regret is losing the hope of seeing Stabler's head literally explode if he ever comes back for a guest appearance.

[swanjun]

Man, the hugger whose face we see in that image looks a lot like Alyson Hannigan. Like, Buffy season five era.

[MaryHedwig]

Quote

Noah and the return of the world's most patient babysitter.

Liv better have set up a 401K and full benefits for Lucie. Liv is stealing her 20's slacker years.

Did Liv call Lucie "hon" on the phone?

[FozzyBear]

I would like to take a moment and thank our intrepid recapped, Ms Sara Bunting, for pointing out the hilariously over the top reaction Olivia had to Noah climbing on a counter. Kids do that shit all the damn time. It's truly not a big deal. From the reaction you would have thought she found Noah playing with her gun or something. It was so dumb it took me a minute to decide if the show wanted us to think Olivia was worried that Noah would fall or that he would get extra cookies and poison himself with refined sugar (you know she's THAT mom). What the hell? Why does Olivia constantly act like such a dim bulb? Anywho, that's all I got because my Internet went down 1/2 way through and I have to finish up tonight.

Edited January 14, 2017 by FozzyBear

[SunnyBeBe]

I've become so critical of Olivia that I actually cheered when she broke up with the guy.  It's not that I'm crazy over him, because wasn't he a huge jerk at one time? Anyway, I yelled RUN for your life at the tv.

 I've never seen anyone more fickle in my life. And to have a young child and you still say that your job is who you are?  OMG.....maybe, it's just me, but, I can't imagine that for a person, especially at her age.  Don't you start thinking of downsizing at some point?  I suspect that she thinks she's much better at her job than she actually is. Enjoying your career is one thing, but, being that OCD.  It's not healthy and doesn't create a good home environment for a child.

Even with all of her experience, most of the time she seems to be indecisive and still trying to get it together. And then before you know it, she's out in left field somewhere on a campaign for what she thinks the law SHOULD BE.  

 She'd have more time on her hands, if she could stop feverishly prosecuting people who did things that are NOT CRIMES.  (Not referring to this episode, but some previous.) She has this whole fantasy land in her mind where the penal code is her playground. Is that healthy for a kid?   IMO, she needs to learn to lighten up.   I guess all those glasses of wine didn't do much for that. 

Oh, this episode just aggravated me.  Kids don't have any rights when it comes to neglectful parents.  If they are so damn resilient, why are there so many screwed up adults walking around?   

I'd don't mean to sound harsh or angry. I'm not an angry person, but, sometimes she does this to me. lol 

Edited January 12, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[gryphon]

I like Rollins and Carisi as friends.  Limited Ice T and No Barba?  This better not become a habit, show.

How old is Noah now?  To me, it doesn't appear he even likes Benson most of the time. It is tough to coach kids, but a smile as mom is hugging you shouldn't be too tough, right?  Hell, what do I know. I'm typing through my grief of missing Barba. 

[catrice2]

This episode is so poorly written.  It was obvious at the start who took the child, and were those drugs just lying around? Wouldn't that warrant more than just social services being involved?  What was the point of the nanny even coming back and "pretending" to find him missing? 

 

I could care less about Olivia or her home life.  This show was never as great as the original, or even Criminal Intent in my opinion ( in the early years) ,but the Olivia show is just boring.   How many times can she be raped, kidnapped, attacked or just have a crappy relationship...and who cares? I hang on for Ice T and it was Captain Cragen and Munch (sp)  Amanda is annoying and should be in some type of therapy, rehab or locked up.  They got rid of my eye candy Danny Pino....so what is really left?  Tucker was attractive in an older man way, but of course he had to go!  This must be about Olivia alone and her love of the job! 

[Sake614]

So I see Martyr Olivia is back. 'Noah needs 100% of my time and attention.' And then she goes off to work and leaves him with a nanny. 

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with having a nanny or going to work. There isn't. But if she doesn't want to be in a relationship with Tucker anymore, she should just say it, and not use the kid as an excuse. Because I'm pretty sure nothing bad is going to happen to Noah if there's a man in his life. Except that Olivia would have to share, and clearly she doesn't want to do that.

i knew I recognized dr. Mom from someplace but damn! That was really Zoe McCellan? In a million years I wouldn't have figured that out. 

[shapeshifter]

11 hours ago, PreviouslyTV said:

So it's no surprise that when he gets kidnapped, the squad's mommies are Taking! It! Personally! Related: Liv is the worst at boyfriend.

View the full article

LOL:

Quote

. . . Noah just clambered up on the counter to help himself to some cookies (and she [Liv] reacted like she'd come upon him naked on the roof, twirling her and Tucker's guns like Wild Noah Cody or something). . .

[LittleIggy]

12 hours ago, BlueJayFan said:

Me too. And if we can't have Tucson, then I want her to hook up with Voight from Chicago PD. That was pure chemistry!

Oh, yeah! You just know they hooked up the last time they were together!

[CelticBlackCat]

3 hours ago, Sake614 said:

So I see Martyr Olivia is back. 'Noah needs 100% of my time and attention.' And then she goes off to work and leaves him with a nanny. 

So true!

I still don't get why St. Olivia is out running around at crime scenes, etc. and not staying in her office commanding the post.  Cragen didn't do that.  She must think that her squad needs 100% of her time and attention too!

[MaggieG]

I'm just curious as to what kind of job Nadine had. Did they ever say? She had a pretty nice loft, could afford a nanny and was planning on moving to Ibiza.

On a shallow note, Rachel Lefevre has a beautiful head of hair.

That English boyfriend was a douche but he did make me laugh with his "I was watching football. Real football" line.

On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 10:44 PM, Stacey1014 said:

I do like that, in a sense, she chose herself (her job and Noah).  At this point, should the show end within the next year or two, they should just have her at a point where she is alone but happy with her life (maybe thinking about retirement or scaling back).  Maybe her final scene could be her taking Noah to school and she runs into a recently widowed Stabler, who is bringing his grandson or granddaughter to school, who happens to be in the same class or just attends the same school.  They're surprised to run into each other, say hello, and decide to grab a cup of coffee to catch up and just end it there.  People can think whatever they want as to what happens next.  

You have no idea how badly I want this to happen!

Edited January 13, 2017 by MaggieG
Forgot to add something

[Sake614]

23 hours ago, BlueJayFan said:

Me too. And if we can't have Tucson, then I want her to hook up with Voight from Chicago PD. That was pure chemistry!

Now I know why she broke up with tucker. She's been carrying on a long-distance romance with Voigt. I'm there! they were amazing together. She can even move to Chicago. Surely they're in need of the best damn SVU detective ever to detect!

[beaker73]

On 1/11/2017 at 10:03 PM, Spartan Girl said:

I really didn't like Nadine and didn't buy her total 180 at the end of her suddenly trying to be a better mother.

And Tuckson is over. Let me borrow a quote from Aladdin: oh, there's a big surprise! I think I'm gonna have a heart attack and die from just from that surprise!

Seriously, why pair Liv with ANYONE at this point?!

I believe Liv pairs well with a bottle of pinot. 

[Gigglepuff]

Ugh. This episode. Ridiculous outcome in my opinion. Let me get this straight. Party mom, who is rightfully accused of being neglectful and surrounds herself with questionable people at best, is planning on moving to Ibiza with her son. The straight-laced mom was suing the party mom for custody, then the kid goes missing after a drug fueled party, and when the kid is found safely, the straight laced mom agrees to drop the custody battle and they all live happily ever after?  OK then. Love how this show wraps up complicated situations with a neat little bow. 

I predicted it was the nanny, so obvious, same with the PI. As soon as they talked about the man at the party taking pictures I figured he was a PI and that there would be some sort of custody issue at hand as well. Why show, must you slam us over the head with overly contrived plots? If the nanny was so concerned about little Theo, you'd think that she'd be in touch with Dr. Mom and tell her about how neglectful party mom is. Maybe be a witness for Dr. Mom in the custody battle? But nope! Let's have nanny build a shrine to the kid, arrange his abduction, and then plan on driving thousands of miles across the country and then cross an international border with a child she abducted. Yeah.....And even if they wanted to do a nanny kidnapping her charge story, must it be sooo over the top? I mean, the shrine? Crossing international borders? A shrine!!?? C'mon. The writers must think the viewing audience is stupid, which, maybe we all are for watching this show. 

God, Liv is annoying. She's not a good cop, never mind a good leader. I don't know, she just doesn't seem to have the same leadership qualities that Cragen had. And why must every single thing be ultimately about Liv? Carisi with a gun to his head is about Liv. The affection Theo showed to his nanny, and how he preferred his nanny over his mother? Also about Liv in the end. Let's face it, every single thing is about her. 

I also laughed, cringed, and rolled my eyes at Liv's hilarious overreaction to Noah on the counter incident. Like others have already mentioned, you'd have thought that he'd found her service revolver or something. And kudos to whomever it was upthread that joked about Noah and refined sugar. Yeah, she is "that mom"!! I laughed so hard at that line.

Liv says she wants to make Noah her priority, yet she tells Ed that her job is who she is before she says a thing about Noah. She wants to give Noah all the attention and time that she has...well, we'll see if she does that, or if she continues to be the hero who can't take a tiny step back from being the hero in every work situation. Oh wait, there's literally no other cop in the world that can do what she does, so that likely won't happen. Only time will tell though. 

I was actually fine with the Tuckson break-up. I was neither a fan nor a hater of the ship, but I always did like Ed's character. Yes, he crossed the line a few times over the course of the show, but man, which of these characters hasn't? I don't understand why some in the fandom refer to him as the bad guy or "villain" without realizing that Liv and others in the SVU have done plenty of questionable and down-right terrible things. What's funny to me is how the fandom perceived that Liv was somehow too good for Tucker or making a mistake by being with him. Honestly, the same could be said on his behalf. I dunno, maybe I'm in the minority, but I really don't see how Liv is some great catch and that men should be falling over themselves to have a chance with her. 

But anyway, run, Ed, run!!! Go find a woman without the plethora of unresolved issues Liv has and enjoy retirement. I just hope the show doesn't do something sappy and show Liv getting involved with another man right away. If they ever show her in a relationship again, I'm hoping that it will be with someone totally new. She needs to stop dating guys she works with, directly or indirectly. 

[Risky Librarian]

Did I miss something? How was that an SVU case?

Bye Ed. I'll miss you, but you are hot and attentive and deserve way better. Go forth and be free, that Liv may run into you again with a pleasant woman that was able to make a little room for you to get in the damn door.

5 hours ago, MaggieG said:

On a shallow note, Rachel Lefevre has a beautiful head of hair.

Right? Sheesh that woman's hair is gorgeous. (On an equally shallow note, part of me kept waiting for her to say something about her "wicked curveball" and then I was sad and wanted to drink myself to sleep.)

27 minutes ago, Gigglepuff said:

I dunno, maybe I'm in the minority, but I really don't see how Liv is some great catch and that men should be falling over themselves to have a chance with her. 

No doubt. I mean, she's fine, but she LOOKS like she is in no way open for business. Maybe that's the draw, that men see that she's not really receptive and they want to be the one to reverse the trend. *shrug*

[halkatla]

"Gloria what you did is a crime"

"Nuh"

Puke.

[illdoc]

SVU doesn't just deal with sex crimes, they deal with cases involving children (and probably disabled as well). Granted, 90% of their cases are sex crimes, but sometimes they do other ones too.

[Sake614]

7 hours ago, beaker73 said:

I believe Liv pairs well with a bottle of pinot. 

And that's  another story that was completely dropped. She was absolutely on the verge of alcoholism last year.  Every time we saw her at home she had an open bottle of wine, or an empty bottle and was starting on her 2nd. Alone. She has a tough job and a stressful one. She wouldn't be the first cop to find solace in a bottle and it could have been interesting to see how she and the squad handled it. Hell Tucker could have helped too. Instead it's like it never happened. 

I don't need to see every aspect of her home life but if the shoe insists on having it be part of the story, at least give MH something to play instead of the stupid drama with her boyfriend du jour.

[Lebanna]

I actually didn't like the whole Tucker/Olivia relationship because of Noah - I know Tucker has suddenly transformed into a sweetheart on the show, but in real life, especially considering Noah's background (unfairly, as genetics are not destiny), he'd be sure to be the step-father from hell. I always imagined that 'The boy needs discipline', 'Your son is going off the rails' and 'You're not my real dad' would be daily screeches in Benson's ear during minor youthful transgressions until, miserably, she took Tucker's advice and shipped Noah off to military school, leading to him resenting her and deciding that his bio-mom would have loved him more, breaking Benson's heart.

Ok, yes, I have a ridiculously overactive imagination. No, I don't have first hand experience. But I have seen, too many times, what happens when someone marries someone who loves them but doesn't respect their children, or their role as those kids' parent and main source of love and support. I just see Tucker, as an alpha-male with long time work experience of seeking out flaws in others, as maybe not successful step-dad material to an adolescent boy. He'd probably never agree to adopt Noah, but somehow still think it was his job to tell Noah what to do and undermine his mother's authority. So I'm glad I can just forget about this theory now. It was depressing.

So, yes. I think it's fair that as a parent, you can decide that your kid shouldn't have to share their parent, unless that parent can be sure that they are sharing their child with someone who will accept that the kid will be at the center of their lives until he or she is grown and often beyond. It's a huge sacrifice, but a very valid lifestyle choice. And, in this particular story as written, Tucker loved Liv but didn't necessarily understand what she and Noah needed from him. It's actually not a bad message.

I do have enormous respect for step-parents who really do the work. Actually, I think Carisi would be an awesome step-parent. He'd have it all figured out in the first two weeks and be cheerfully prepared to put himself second.

Edited January 14, 2017 by Lebanna

[stillbored]

It took me a while to figure out where I knew dr. Mom from. The nanny having a shrine was a bit over the top. 

I didn't mind Tucker and Benson together (even if he did seem a lot older then Benson - on account of one of them dyes, and the other doesn't). They've been together for nearly 2 years. I was expecting Tucker to retire, move in with them, and be Noah's full time dad. I feel bad for Noah who seems to have gotten used to Tucker being in his life and now he'll no longer see him (although I thought it was odd that at the end, Noah referred to him as "Tucker" and not "Ed".)

[skittl3862]

3 hours ago, illdoc said:

SVU doesn't just deal with sex crimes, they deal with cases involving children (and probably disabled as well). Granted, 90% of their cases are sex crimes, but sometimes they do other ones too.

People forget that. During the Stabler Years, up to 1/4 of the episodes each season had child cases. Now we get maybe one a year. I'm not sure if Stabler, the resident father character, leaving caused the shift in tone or Warren Leight just didn't care about those stories anymore. It's unfortunate. Those were some of my favorite episodes during the 1.0 years.

 

2 hours ago, stillbored said:

I didn't mind Tucker and Benson together (even if he did seem a lot older then Benson - on account of one of them dyes, and the other doesn't). They've been together for nearly 2 years. I was expecting Tucker to retire, move in with them, and be Noah's full time dad. I feel bad for Noah who seems to have gotten used to Tucker being in his life and now he'll no longer see him (although I thought it was odd that at the end, Noah referred to him as "Tucker" and not "Ed".)

Julie Martin tweeted that the child actor calls him Tucker and they couldn't convince him to change. I will give them that because it's kind of cute.

For a moment, I wondered if Olivia seeing doctor mom promising to help party mom for the sake of Theo convinced Olivia that having someone else in her life to help with Noah would be a positive, and maybe relying on your nanny too much could be a bad thing, and if Tucker wants to retire, he could help with Noah, who he obviously enjoyed spending time with in the finale and the premiere. Nope. Too nuanced for these writers. Olivia has to be the martyr who does it all on her own.

[Iguessnot]

I've missed  most of Tucker/Benson episodes but no one has mentioned any problems between them so what was anyone supposed to make of that breakup? Should all married people who have a child divorce immediately because the child is a priority? If one person of a couple opts for retirement, a breakup is necessary because they are at different points in their lives? Liv's priority is Noah so retirement is NOT a possibly because she's all about her job 24/7. Liv's nanny will continue to be on 24 hour call because the kid loving the nanny more than the moms didn't seemingly enter Liv's consciousness at all.

[SunnyBeBe]

How old is Olivia's character?  The actor is 52, so I would guess that she's playing someone who is younger, say.......47? The way she explained her breakup as the job is who she is, really did not add up to me.  Yes, I know that women have careers and may love their profession, but, when you approach your late 40's. you sort of settle down a little. Or maybe, that's just within my profession.  After that many years of intense work, you start wanting to scale it down, reduce the hours, the stress, etc.  And that is what I have observed with all of my colleagues.  I've never known anyone at that age, with a young child, with that many years of serve, that obsessed with MORE intense work.   Maybe, she's a very severe narcissist. That might explain it. 

[WineCheeseChocolat]

Quote

I feel bad for Noah who seems to have gotten used to Tucker being in his life and now he'll no longer see him (although I thought it was odd that at the end, Noah referred to him as "Tucker" and not "Ed".)

I took it as a possible sign that Noah and Tucker never bonded much during the Tuckerson relationship, and maybe Liv was kind of disappointed in that and thought it was better to end things before Noah did become attached. I don't know if Tucker has grown kids or never had kids but plenty of people contemplating retirement are not real enthused about jumping into full-time parenting of a small child and maybe wasn't willing to be a daddy at this point (reasonable) and Benson wasn't ready to date someone who wasn't willing to do that (also reasonable).

Although, as someone remarked upthread, I also wonder if SVU is in serious danger of finally getting cancelled and the writers wanted Tuckerson over because they want to bring Meloni back for their series finale and plan to do a "will Benson/Stabler rekindle their friendship or something more" tease.

As far as the actual case, how fitting that the squad has two single mothers to TakeItPersonally and Theo just happened to have two moms.

Edited January 14, 2017 by WineCheeseChocolat

[MaryHedwig]

Quote

I've never known anyone at that age, with a young child, with that many years of serve, that obsessed with MORE intense work.   Maybe, she's a very severe narcissist. That might explain it. 

Within the canon of the story, I think we are to believe the Olivia is more obsessed with work than the average workaholic 40-something because of her family-of-origin. She is after all the product of rape, and seems, sadly, assigned to spend her live processing this.

Edited January 16, 2017 by MaryHedwig