S18.E10: Motherly Love

[WendyCR72]

A bit of a break before this airs. And it's the 400th episode!

In the series 400th episode, a teenage boy uses a rifle to save his mother from her attacker, only to learn the target was someone he knows.

[RafaelBarbas]

Great episode! Upsetting, but fantastic. The actors knocked it out of the park. Fantastic 400th episode.

[Primetimer]

The show celebrates a milestone with a MarHar-directed take on the predator-shrink trope.

View the full article

[MerBearHou]

Holy cow, that was a good one.  Very, very gripping.  Well done.

[CleoCaesar]

I kept expecting some chilling twist, like the son planned it out from the beginning or something like that. Otherwise, it felt like a pretty standard episode, structure-wise.

[themightykazoo]

Found the acting really sub par.  The son's acting was the worst even worse than Mariska's. Nothing special at all for the 400th episode The lack of any real twists also subtracted from my viewing experience. I expected something to happen but it all played out exactly as it said it was going to. Loved the defense lawyer because I love The Wire but Buchanan should have objected to almost everything Barba said as it was mostly Barba talking and yelling at the defendant rather than asking anything. Still that part was fun to watch.

As soon as the episode starts you will know how it will end. Nothing unexpected happens at all. Well Benson walking back into court with the kid witness was kinda unexpected. She is dressed in a white jacket and has like a white glow around her from the back lighting making her look angelic as she whisks the son in to save the day.

 Naming the black shooting victim Trey made me roll my eyes seemed like a cheap way to guarantee sympathy. Not as super liberal as some episodes and Carisi sounded so much like Al Pacino while interviewing Luke at the beginning that I was entertained but quality of show continues its downward spiral.

Edited February 9, 2017 by themightykazoo

[Spartan Girl]

This was the best episode of the season so far. Leave it to the 400th episode to remind us why we loved this show.

I got some serious Gone Girl vibes while watching this. Nicole was Amy Elliott Dunne to the teeth. What she did to those kids and messing with her own son's head...I thought I'd seen it all on this show, but that was nauseating. I was so afraid that poor kid would kill himself, so I was really glad he stood up and testified against her at the end.

Stuck in my craw that the bottom-feeding slut shamer Buchanan was trying to act like he was suddenly patron Saint of rape victims. At least the jury ultimately didn't buy it. Still, if we never get the Trump episode, can we at least get an episode where Buchanan finally gets what's coming to him?

Good that Liv went home to Noah instead of going for a drink after the trial. Wouldn't have blamed her if she went for the wine though...hell, I need a drink after watching that!

[StaceyNotStacie]

That mother was a piece of work. I'm surprised they didn't try to use the narcissistic personality disorder diagnosis in the case, especially after the ex-husband mentioned it. I'm glad that she was found guilty. I was afraid that she was going to get away with everything and the son would end up committing suicide. 

[themightykazoo]

7 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

I got some serious Gone Girl vibes while watching this. Nicole was Amy Elliott Dunne to the teeth. What she did to those kids and messing with her own son's head...I thought I'd seen it all on this show, but that was nauseating. I was so afraid that poor kid would kill himself, so I was really glad he stood up and testified against her at the end.

Thank you. I was like who is she supposed to be looking like during the trial and I could not place it. Yes exactly right Gone Girl.

I was hoping that a twist would happen and that the mother would turn out to be a victim and the cops would be exposed to their own prejudices but yeah mom was an evil lady just wasn't exciting because it was obvious early on and nothing changed during the episode to make you question it.

[yogi2014L]

I loved this episode!! Called it right from the beginning tho, that the mom wasn't actually being raped. 

But still, amazing episode. 

[Gigglepuff]

When did the show change its name to the "Olivia Benson Hour"? Seriously, enough Benson, and enough making it all about Benson, all time. Is this the best they could do for their ultra-special 400th episode?  

[sockii]

I was bored. Compared to previous "landmark" episodes like "Authority" and "Manhattan Vigil" (which I liked despite the repurposing of Season 1 footage)? It only showcased to me how far the show has fallen and become little more than a vanity project for Mariska.

[Xeliou66]

Decent episode overall. I knew it was going to be strange when a "Viewer Discretion Advised" thing popped up just before the episode, I didn't really see why it was needed, I didn't find it anymore disturbing or explicit than other SVU's. 

Other posters have said as much that the case was fairly predictable without any big twists, it least until the mom's bizarre change of her testimony during the trial. Also the writing seemed to be off in places, for example Barba should've placed more emphasis on the pictures of the mom and victim, because the mom's story about how the kid apparently climbed into her bed and took pictures of her while she was asleep was total bullshit. We should've had a scene of prosecution testimony about that, I'm sure Barba told the jury but more emphasis should've been placed on it. And then when the mom changed her testimony, that's when it got weird, Luke's word alone on redirect shouldn't have been enough for an automatic conviction. They all should've expected him to deny his mom's story of him being a cold blooded killer, Barba still should've cross examined her. The writers seemed to write themselves into a corner where they didn't have enough time for everything so they ended it quickly. Also we knew the mom was lying about not saying she was being raped, I think it would've been better had we not seen that and the episode started with SVU responding to the scene. 

Also, Mariska overacted terribly again, her scene in the car with the son and her final scenes in the courtroom were cringeworthy she was so overdramatic with her dialogue and expression. Really a problem with the show now, Mariska needs to start putting some effort into not acting like a soap opera actress. It makes Benson all the more unlikable and she is constantly on a soapbox, which is what Mariska wants the show to be IMO. 

Best part of the episode was Barba and Buchanan and the courtroom scenes, they always add spark and interest to the screen when they are on and those are the most interesting parts of SVU. They've really toned Rollins down and made her much more professional as of late, which is much better than her screwing up investigations while screwing the whole squad. Fin and Carisi were good like they usually are. 

The mom was such a manipulative bitch, I'm glad she was convicted. She reminded me a lot of another female psychiatrist from an episode around season 11 who had manipulated a troubled teenage boy into sleeping with her and eventually fathering her kid, they even looked somewhat similar. Anyone remember that episode? 

[Gigi43]

I was kind of hoping we'd see an old face for the 400th especially Munch or Cragen since  they existed even longer on Mothership/Homicide.

 

But hey, they had me. When the mom said she wanted to tell the truth, I thought great another  case where they can't  be bothered to do a verdict. I'm glad I was wrong. But OF course Benson had to go home to her son and no other detectives that are parents. I don't want this show to turn into both Benson and Rollins taking everything  personal or Finn to start more but I'm  sick of the JUST Benson showcase especially  when Rollins is an even newer parent. 

 

Barba makes awesome courtroom faces! 

Edited February 9, 2017 by Gigi43

[Vicky8675309]

I really like episodes that include court room scenes, especially those that center around the court room.

[sockii]

21 minutes ago, Xeliou66 said:

The mom was such a manipulative bitch, I'm glad she was convicted. She reminded me a lot of another female psychiatrist from an episode around season 11 who had manipulated a troubled teenage boy into sleeping with her and eventually fathering her kid, they even looked somewhat similar. Anyone remember that episode? 

"Conned" from Season 11, yep. A few of us have been talking elsewhere about the similarities (though I liked that episode a lot more for how it utilized the full cast, and had the subplot of Fin & Ken's relationship.)

[Xeliou66]

Yeah I remember that one, one of the better later Stabler episodes and I remember it did involve Fin and his son. 

I agree with the other poster who said they wanted to see old faces back for the 400th, I would've liked had they done a case that brought back Munch or Cragen, who like they said were around even before SVU was, as a callback to the show's past. Even Huang or Warner would've been nice. I miss seeing all of those characters in episodes, it used to be much more of a team effort. Around season 15 it became all Benson centric and everyone else started disappearing, with Rollins getting some soapy drama as well. 

This episode was decent, but it was a disappointment for the 400th. The show has been screwed up with the schedule dates because of the Trump episode, which I hope airs at some point. 

[themightykazoo]

The Trump episode would be good if it was made 5 years ago. They have a lot of CEO  rapes a woman episodes already that could be Trump.  I hope they air it as well cause I think it would all focus on  tape he made bragging to a friend 12 years ago. Would be another parody type episode like the one they made about GamerGate or the chat room raping Yachtsmen. I love the episodes where SVU tries to cover a subject that is popular at the time. The writers are usually so uninformed and so much older than the people they are trying to speak to that it usually just comes across like a parody cue the Police Squad music. I hope they would let Speed Weed produce the Trump character assassination episode. ( I know its already made)

"What did they do to you?" "They leveled up." Rollins and Victim

"Damn campers"-Ice T once considered a gangster. You just cant make dialect like this up.

Edited February 9, 2017 by themightykazoo

[Xeliou66]

You are right on about how some SVU episodes in recent years feel like comedic parodies of real life events instead of a serious drama. The Gamergate was one of the worst ever, it was laughable and pissed off everyone, both gamers and the feminists involved, and it was just a total fucking joke, it honestly felt like a comedy show. The Ray Rice episode was another one like that. 

I mainly just want to see the Trump episode to see the meltdown Trump and his snowflake minions will have on Twitter and to see how they do the story. 

[chick binewski]

I thought this was an incredibly lazy episode and Mariska probably shouldn't direct again. The scene on the courthouse steps was especially clunky. The plot was clear from the opening scene and I don't know why this show continues to run on fumes.

I thought Benson's chin-trembling at bad mothering was a callback to her own mom, which bugged b/c I'm STILL annoyed they used Elizabeth Ashley for only one episode. 

[SuzieQ]

I saw where this was going from the first time the mom talked to Benson. You could just tell she was a whack job. Not a bad episode but after all the hype about being the 400th, it was nothing special.  Nice to see Barba kicking butt, like he used to.

[themightykazoo]

23 minutes ago, Xeliou66 said:

I mainly just want to see the Trump episode to see the meltdown Trump and his snowflake minions will have on Twitter and to see how they do the story. 

I think we are called Oompa Loompas and the other side are called snowflakes but his twitter overreactions would be hilarious as would be his comeback directed towards Mariska. Trump is nothing if not hilarious when he wants to be. Still get cracked up with what he said about Rosie O'Donnell

[WendyCR72]

Hey, all! Let's table the whole "what would Trump do?" bit and stick to the episode at hand as it skirts dangerously close to the politics line. Thanks!

[themightykazoo]

1 minute ago, WendyCR72 said:

Hey, all! Let's table the whole "what would Trump do?" bit and stick to the episode at hand as it skirts dangerously close to the politics line. Thanks!

You are right. My bad

Edited February 9, 2017 by themightykazoo

[WendyCR72]

4 minutes ago, themightykazoo said:

My bad

It wasn't directed solely at you, so you're fine.  :-)  Just nipping this in the bud now so as to save your lovely mod (that's me!) from any future headaches later! 

[themightykazoo]

We need a spin-off focusing on what happens after Barba retires. The Law offices of Barba and Buchanan, Buchanan Barba attorneys  at law both sound pretty good to me.

[Snookums]

Wowsers. 

I agree the ep's eyes were bigger than its stomach as far as evidence goes--why on earth weren't those pictures introduced into evidence?--and since they weren't going for a twist they had the whole  Perry Mason "noooooooo I must tell the truuuuuuth" thing which is pretty played out, but the acting as a whole was pretty solid; exceptions for Mariska's auto-chin-tremble and Barba's aria on the courthouse steps. Both felt very out of step with rest of the show.

However, the creepy thing is that, lurid and oily tints of SVU aside, there are plenty of people just like Mom out there. People who do just the worst, most shortsighted, horrible shit, to their loved ones, because they are an empty, sucking pit of neediness and self-absorption. And they take it to absurd unbelievable levels because in their minds, everything they're saying is totally justified and they need everybody to see how much they're suffering and put upon.

The mom's story? It was one thing to say that her son shot Trey in anger--that would have worked. But the whole he was jacking off because he wants me? Classic NPD. She doesn't hear how grotesque it would sound to a normal person. She knows it's bad, but only in the sense that her son "deserved" to be punished for "betraying" her, and he could "make it up to her" by going to friggin' prison. That's what seems like a totally normal thing to this kind of mind.

[SuzieQ]

23 minutes ago, themightykazoo said:

We need a spin-off focusing on what happens after Barba retires. The Law offices of Barba and Buchanan, Buchanan Barba attorneys  at law both sound pretty good to me.

When Mariska rides off into the sunset with Noah, who just survived a gang shooting as well as a dive off the kitchen counter, that would be a great spinoff!

[lylabee]

Gotta believe this episode was ripped from Pamela Buchbinder case (it was featured on Dateline or 48 Hours a few years ago). She was a psychiatrist who (allegedly) brainwashed her younger cousin/patient to get him to kill her psychiatrist ex. The cousin admitted attempting to kill the ex and was convicted (of attempted murder). I don't think Buchbinder was never charged with anything, though. As usual a lot of the details are different, but the basic framework seems pretty similar.

[themightykazoo]

21 minutes ago, lylabee said:

Gotta believe this episode was ripped from Pamela Buchbinder case (it was featured on Dateline or 48 Hours a few years ago). She was a psychiatrist who (allegedly) brainwashed her younger cousin/patient to get him to kill her psychiatrist ex. The cousin admitted attempting to kill the ex and was convicted (of attempted murder). I don't think Buchbinder was never charged with anything, though. As usual a lot of the details are different, but the basic framework seems pretty similar.

I think there is a season 9 episode where Casey Novak mentions and reveals the plot of episode 400.  I think it is just SVU copying SVU which it has done before. She talks about about a husband walking in on a wife and her lover. The wife calls rape, husband kills the lover and the wife is than convicted of murder. I do not see the resemblance except extremely loosely to the Pam Buchbinder case in Miami. In that case Buchbinder wanted her cousin to murder someone so she could collect some money. The mother in this episode did not want Trey dead at all just didn't see a way to explain to her son and panicked and yelled rape. Anyone know the episode title from season 9  that I am talking about?

[Xeliou66]

A poster on IMDB says the episode that Casey mentioned a similar case in was Streetwise. 

But this case did have lots of similarities to the case in Conned, so yeah SVU kind of ripped off their own material tonight as they frequently do now.

I was glad that Benson didn't bully Barba into taking a weak case to court like she does frequently, but it was still Benson heavy and I am so tired of Mariska's overdramatic acting and preachy tone with everyone, I used to like Benson, but this Benson that we've seen mostly since season 15 is the bossy, bitchy, preachy, melodramatic Benson and I'm tired of it. I think it is because of the fact that Mariska has so much control over the storylines now that she can basically do whatever and SVU is basically a soapbox for her to preach and overact. 

[themightykazoo]

Thanks just saw that thread. Streetwise makes sense with the Charles Manson type angle. Conned was a good episode. It had the plot twists this episode sorely needed. I actually consider the finale from s14 the end of the show. These episodes are just the nervous twitches of a dead animal.  There are still some good episodes but they are few and far between. It feels like every week I am just disappointed and grasping at smaller and smaller parts of the old SVU to still give me a reason to tune in.

I love Law and Order and I thought SVU was the most entertaining of the franchise and I enjoy talking to people about this show but it is just not the same.

The  soap box part you mention and the horrible acting have just put it in it's grave. I see a lot of people are on here supporting this episode and I cannot understand it at all but I can respect that others still enjoy this show.  I still love SVU but I am pretty embarrassed to show new episodes to people who don't watch it that often. This episode I will not be re-watching and I think I would actually turn the channel if this came on again when with other episodes I usually change to SVU if I can.

Edited February 9, 2017 by themightykazoo

[Xeliou66]

Yeah it took a downhill turn in season 15 and hasn't recovered. That was when Mariska started getting more influence over the show and turned it into her personal soapbox. I still watch because I love the L&O franchise and SVU is the last remaining show in this legendary franchise but it isn't that good any more. It has had a couple of good episodes this year but overall most of them have been weak. I've liked about 3 or 4 episodes of the first 10. There are way too many he said/she said cases with rich white people, there is very little investigation in a lot of episodes, and the whole show feels like a personal vehicle for MH to preach. 

[themightykazoo]

I agree with everything you said. I have even considered going to Law and Order UK to get my CLUNK CLUNK fix. Those 6? 8? seasons are all new to me and hopefully would have that old Law and Order spark that I am missing. There just is nothing like the twisted weird nasty feeling that SVU would leave you with. The way almost every episode ends on a bad note the feeling in your stomach after watching a couple episodes. The only episodes that end on a good note are when a child is returned or something horrible happens to a rapist and even that can feel sick knowing its another human being. SVU was certainly one of a kind CSI tried to do some of the horrible subject matter that SVU was able to do successfully for so long but nothing really gets into that almost unbelievable nasty factor like this show.

Edited February 9, 2017 by themightykazoo

[wknt3]

The Good:
Solid acting from the guest cast as usual. I thought that the actor playing the son was a little shaky at times, but given his age, the challenging material, and what I expect was not always the most helpful direction ("let's do another take and this time gaze on me a little more adoringly") it's more than understandable. This is the kind of episode that could have gone off the rails very easily so it was really important even if it was something that this show usually does well.
Barba! Rocking the suits, being awesome in court, and in charge of the legal side again. Is Pod Barba gone for good? Let's hope so,
A good script with a relatively straightforward plot well executed. I really don't think we needed anymore twists. Remember where we ended up before when they thought that we needed 4 or 5 or 10 plot twists per episode? For the first time in a few episodes it didn't feel like they were shooting a first draft.

The Bad:
Much too little Fin. Not much in the way of snark and if you are going to promote the heck out of a milestone ep shouldn't your other longstanding character get some spotlight too? Especially since he's the perfect one to talk about how much they've seen, but there's always more out there so they'll keep going?
Law & Order: Benson in full effect. Actually I should probably call it L&O: Mariska so nobody gets their hopes up for a new spin off starring Robert Guillaume. I didn;t think they could possibly make it more about her, but they did. I didn't pay much attention to the credits, but once I came here and saw the talk about Mariska directing it all made sense. I thought maybe "we will" had caused some sort or allergic reaction and I had become hypersensitive to the Benson worship porn, but no it really was worse than usual. The way the son's climatic testimony was shot to focus on Liv more than him, the lighting on her in the white jacket to literally make look angelic, the Shatneresque line readings, the final scenes in the empty courtooms, I realize now that we owe the SVU directors a debt that we never knew existed. And that for all the criticism I have directed her way Mariska's ego is bigger than I thought.

Overall it was a good episode although not a particularly good anniversary episode. The quality of the script gives me hope, but realizing that Mariska thinks she should get MORE focus crushes that hope. Because she is far and away the biggest problem with the series and the only one that can't be fixed since she has all the power.

[TaraS1]

9 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

Also, Mariska overacted terribly again, her scene in the car with the son and her final scenes in the courtroom were cringeworthy she was so overdramatic with her dialogue and expression. Really a problem with the show now, Mariska needs to start putting some effort into not acting like a soap opera actress. It makes Benson all the more unlikable and she is constantly on a soapbox, which is what Mariska wants the show to be IMO. 

Granted, I've thought MH was a horrible actress for years, but she took it to a whole other level with the scenes you mentioned.  I'm not even a fan and I still felt embarrassed for her in that courtroom scene with the son.  

9 hours ago, sockii said:

I was bored. Compared to previous "landmark" episodes like "Authority" and "Manhattan Vigil" (which I liked despite the repurposing of Season 1 footage)? It only showcased to me how far the show has fallen and become little more than a vanity project for Mariska.

ITA, and it's such a bummer considering how interesting the rest of the main characters are when written for properly, and how interesting the show could still be with less focus on Benson.  It's why I dumped Elementary years ago....TPTB allowing an amazing supporting cast to be overshadowed by the lead actor doing the same schtick week after week.  Makes for a dull show.

[QueenMab]

I'm wondering if they actually do read the comment boards because I saw a couple of things we have criticised were gone.  Benson's eyeliner, and most importantly, leaving Barba the Hell alone to be a lawyer, not her cop partner every step of the way. She didn't lean her big tits in his face and order him because "its the right thing to do" but there she was in court all day with the rest of the squad lined up like choirboys...really stupid.  It was a same old same old as far as episodes go. Its still all about Benson.

[sockii]

11 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

Also, Mariska overacted terribly again, her scene in the car with the son and her final scenes in the courtroom were cringeworthy she was so overdramatic with her dialogue and expression. Really a problem with the show now, Mariska needs to start putting some effort into not acting like a soap opera actress. It makes Benson all the more unlikable and she is constantly on a soapbox, which is what Mariska wants the show to be IMO.

Going back to this post to add another comment—besides the cringeworthy acting in those scenes from Mariska (which I totally agree with you about), that scene in the car just boggled my mind. Like...here they are, dealing with a case of a middle aged woman being inappropriate with a teenage boy. And Benson thinks it's appropriate to be alone in a car with that woman's son, having such an intense and almost intimate conversation? She really should know better than that after all of these years. I can't imagine that would be allowable.

I mean, remember in the episode "Doubt" when Stabler got in serious trouble with a female rape victim? Because he took her home when that was against policy, walked her up the stairs to her apartment, and then she accused him of being inappropriate with her?

It's horribly sloppy writing, and Benson is just about the worst CO that SVU could have at this point.

[Sarah D. Bunting]

With the hand on the shoulder? Yeah, that was not okay.

I'm still annoyed by the "be with my boy" line reading. You're the director; get them to rewrite that slop.

[themightykazoo]

10 hours ago, SuzieQ said:

When Mariska rides off into the sunset with Noah, who just survived a gang shooting as well as a dive off the kitchen counter, that would be a great spinoff!

Ride off into the sunset? I thought it has already been confirmed by MH and supported by the 17-18th seasons that the show will end with  the clouds parting and Benson ascending to heaven in her white jacket, a choir of angels backed up by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing Olivia Olivia Olivia. Her last act to create world peace and end rape (except prison rape which she seems to be a huge supporter of).  It will look pretty similar to the ending of The Matrix. She could even hang up a phone saying, "We will" to a victim before floating up and out.

Edited February 9, 2017 by themightykazoo

[Xeliou66]

Yeah I agree with what other people are saying about how bizarre that scene with Olivia and the teenage kid in the car was. Totally inappropriate and forced, once again it was just "Benson is the only one who can save the case" and it was inappropriate for a detective to be having such an intimate, private conversation with a teenage witness like that, especially when the case involved was about a middle aged woman taking advantage of teenagers.  I hated the way the courtroom scenes constantly flashed to Benson and her overdramatic expression. I think we can all agree it's the Mariska hour now and the show is just a vehicle for her. 

I have noticed that Benson is no longer bossing Barba around which is good, I wonder if the backlash was so strong that they stopped doing that. 

[SuzieQ]

8 hours ago, themightykazoo said:

I agree with everything you said. I have even considered going to Law and Order UK to get my CLUNK CLUNK fix. Those 6? 8? seasons are all new to me and hopefully would have that old Law and Order spark that I am missing. There just is nothing like the twisted weird nasty feeling that SVU would leave you with. The way almost every episode ends on a bad note the feeling in your stomach after watching a couple episodes. The only episodes that end on a good note are when a child is returned or something horrible happens to a rapist and even that can feel sick knowing its another human being. SVU was certainly one of a kind CSI tried to do some of the horrible subject matter that SVU was able to do successfully for so long but nothing really gets into that almost unbelievable nasty factor like this show.

I loved L&O UK!  I used to watch it occasionally when it was on BBC.  Some of the cases are even a British version of the American cases. That would be a good binge watch show.

[devious455]

I expected this episode to be more special when it's supposed to be such milestone. Something that would hit more home and leave some impact on the main characters. This was just another standard episode and that tiring over-hype on every social media for weeks didn't help. 

Beside that I like some parts, story was interesting, the twist was pretty unpredictable but the overacting ruined it for me. Guest stars were fine, even the kid actor was ok but Mariska.. was simply too much. She clearly needs a skillful director to tone her down so she can pass as decent actor. She unfortunately wasn't able to do that for herself. We don't need to see her acting all shocked when mother figuratively throws her son under the bus, we get that it's horrible. The closing scene when she almost start crying when she remembers she has a son too. Ugh. I don't have anything against Mariska but it got too far. And other actors unfortunately don't step up their games either. Most of them seemed bored in the first half of the episode. At least Barba saved it with some sass. Quite forgettable episode for me. ((On a different note: poor Barba asked Benson out and she declined, run, bb, run, she is a mess :D))

[CleoCaesar]

14 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

Also, Mariska overacted terribly again, her scene in the car with the son and her final scenes in the courtroom were cringeworthy she was so overdramatic with her dialogue and expression.

Ha! No kidding. That Betty Boop "surprised" face was just awful. As she was bugging her eyes out and covering her nose with both hands, I almost said out loud, "What is this, a silent film?".

[SuzieQ]

8 minutes ago, devious455 said:

The closing scene when she almost start crying when she remembers she has a son too. Ugh. I don't have anything against Mariska but it got too far. 

This, exactly! That fake cry thing was cringe worthy.  I'm pretty neutral on her, not a big fan but don't hate her the way some do, but she was borderline pathetic in that last scene.

[skittl3862]

16 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

Decent episode overall. I knew it was going to be strange when a "Viewer Discretion Advised" thing popped up just before the episode, I didn't really see why it was needed, I didn't find it anymore disturbing or explicit than other SVU's. 

I think either because they showed her being raped. Well, "raped". Normally they don't show actual sex acts with the semi-nudity and thrusting.

5 hours ago, sockii said:

Going back to this post to add another comment—besides the cringeworthy acting in those scenes from Mariska (which I totally agree with you about), that scene in the car just boggled my mind. Like...here they are, dealing with a case of a middle aged woman being inappropriate with a teenage boy. And Benson thinks it's appropriate to be alone in a car with that woman's son, having such an intense and almost intimate conversation? She really should know better than that after all of these years. I can't imagine that would be allowable.

I mean, remember in the episode "Doubt" when Stabler got in serious trouble with a female rape victim? Because he took her home when that was against policy, walked her up the stairs to her apartment, and then she accused him of being inappropriate with her?

It's horribly sloppy writing, and Benson is just about the worst CO that SVU could have at this point.

Yes. And she invited him to dinner. How is this remotely appropriate? Why couldn't this scene have taken place in his house with his dad present?

Why did the defense attorney infantilize the son on the stand? "You were confused about what was going on." He's a 15 year old boy. He probably watches more porn on a daily basis than the entire courtroom combined. Of course he knows what sex is.

The other teenage boy's line that "He killed his god" was absolutely awful and should have been cut long before it made it to air. This episode subject matter was not that deep, and with the exception of that line, the boys weren't portrayed as anything more than normal friends.

If I were on that jury, I don't think I could have convicted her beyond a reasonable doubt. The "naked selfies"- from what I saw, it could have been a boy taking a selfie with a sleeping woman to show off to his friends. He could have gone upstairs and jerked off on the towel in her bedroom. He could have been raping her. There was no smoking gun evidence. As a viewing audience, Benson's repeated assertions that she knew something was off about the mom, and her reaction to the pictures obviously sway us towards SVU's perspective, but I don't think they made a very good legal case. Even with her switching defenses on the stand and admitting guilt for statutory rape, I don't think they made a case for murder based on the evidence. The kid being a sensitive nerd who didn't want to shoot Bambi's mom while hunting doesn't mean he couldn't have snapped when he saw his friend having sex with his mom. The only people who know what happened were the dead kid, the shooter and the mom.

I liked the scene with the homicide cop and Fin with Trey's parents. It was a little heavy-handed, but it was better than all the years of lily-white Cragan, Benson and Stabler brushing off (completely legitimate) concerns of racial bias from NYPD. Like that's crazy talk to even suggest because the cops are always the good guys. It's 2017. We've seen the videos. We know they're not. I'm glad SVU is acknowledging that to balance out the pro-cop propaganda on Blue Bloods.

Overall, I liked it. A few clunky lines and the son was a terrible actor, but the plot was good. Not really a landmark episode as others have said, but to be honest, I don't remember 100, 200 or 300 being particularly noteworthy either. 

Edited February 9, 2017 by skittl3862

[JyDanzig]

5 hours ago, wknt3 said:

For the first time in a few episodes it didn't feel like they were shooting a first draft.

My feelings exactly.  I really liked this one.  As others have said, I would also have enjoyed an episode with some more "anniversary" tropes (return of old characters, reflections with Fin on the long journey they've had at SVU, etc), but this season has been such a lackluster disappointment, I also think there's a lot of value in a straight-up story that is well-told.  This was satisfyingly twisty to me, though they were character instead of plot twists... twists from the angle of what depths the villain would sink to, rather than shock the audience with some reversal that changes everything we thought we knew.

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I also think Mariska has a good visual sense as a director.  That shot before they get in the car, with Benson and the kid standing on the street and the Empire State Building in the background between them... gorgeous.  I also liked the last shot of the empty courtroom.

I'm also really fed up with Buchanan generally and have been thinking it's time to retire or at least waaaay pull back on that character -- but even he didn't bother me this week.

54 minutes ago, SuzieQ said:

I loved L&O UK!  I used to watch it occasionally when it was on BBC.  Some of the cases are even a British version of the American cases. That would be a good binge watch show.

I loved the way they would retrofit stories from 90's NY to work in modern London -- there always had to be something added to explain why the CCTV footage couldn't solve the crime immediately.  I just realized there were 2 or 3 seasons produced after I thought the show had ended... anyone know if they are streamable in the US somehow?

Edited February 9, 2017 by JyDanzig

[SuzieQ]

It's not on Netflix.  On Amazon , it can be purchased by season on DVD only.  :(

[themightykazoo]

Do the rules allow me to post links to streaming sites? It is easily got by less than savory means or so I have heard. A simple Bing search of what you want will come up with many places to stream and download. I once heard someone somewhere on another board on another site in another lifetime saw it on Primewire and Putlocker. It is on Dailymotion as well.

Edited February 9, 2017 by themightykazoo

[JyDanzig]

Thanks!  I'm so Pollyanna-ish it never even occurs to me to check the illicit sources... and the few times I've tried it, I seem to end up with only viruses and not the shows I'm seeking... but I did love L&O: UK, I think I'm motivated to give it another try.  :)