S19.E22: Mama

[Xeliou66]

Decided to go ahead and start the episode thread for tonight. Sounds like a fairly interesting storyline about a rape claim made by a woman with Alzheimer’s.

[dttruman]

First few minutes scared me. I thought it was going to begin as a soap opera.

[dttruman]

Is it me or is Benson looking to nail somebody for a rape in the beginning, even though the preliminary evidence doesn't warrant it. Even with the possible obvious alzheimer's I thought they would take a more objective (or even a skeptical) approach. Where the hell is Olivet? She is definitely needed in this episode.

 

Does anyone else think this was a superficial investigation and did Stone do an impersonation of Barba in this episode?

Edited May 17, 2018 by dttruman

[shapeshifter]

For too many reasons to list this episode made me cry. Twice. I want Maddie and Max and Olivia to liven in a world where they can be best friends.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Fiona Flannigan was fantastic.

 

Rutanya Alda broke my heart in that one scene she did.

 

Nice to see Anne Archer and Hal Linden, loved me some Barney Miller.

Dollar Store Sinatra still looks like a FOOT, never liked him.

 

With that said, this episode was eh...

Edited May 17, 2018 by MrsRafaelBarba

[Diana Berry]

Color me impressed.  Very good episode.  I felt a bit weepy, too

[Fellaway]

Speaking to the subplot, seriously, what was the point of the whole Fin-has-to-leave-the-squad non-drama?  Back when he told Liv he passed the test and she said he'd need to transfer to another unit, I knew they'd get around it somehow, but, really, Show? This non-story was the best you could come up with?  

If Fin had the juice to stay just where he wanted, and as a sergeant, he should've just taken care of it to begin with.  That might have been more intriguing than this nothing.

Still wanna know why it was never suggested that Liv would need to transfer when she first made sergeant.  Oh, right.  She's special.  Asked and answered.

Still find Stone really, really bland and, after that scene in the courthouse with Liv, not much of an actor.

Edited May 17, 2018 by Fellaway

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Anyone get hit with the anvils dropping for Stone's sister?

 

Like mentioned above, the non drama with Fin was dumb.

Edited May 17, 2018 by MrsRafaelBarba

[wknt3]

The Good:
The COTW. Another one that really felt like classic SVU - a sexually based offense that allows the writers to explore a social issue/problem through an interesting investigation with a bit of a twist.
The guest cast was even better than usual. Of course when you give Anne Archer and Hal Linden a better than usual script that's probably to be expected.
I liked that they didn't give us Liv Ex Machina, but actually solved the problem with creativity after properly being shut down for not having enough legally despite a sympathetic victim and being on the side of the angels. They didn't have the judge let somebody who is obviously non compos mentis testify because Benson wanted it which they probably would have earlier this season ot have them nail Hal Linden for sexually assaulting her decades earlier because we should believe women which they would have last season. Just an emotionally satisifying story grounded in logic and realism. More like this please!
They've continued to find a way to make Benson tolerable. She's back to being a CO who is in the field a bit too much instead of single handedly doing everything. While there is still room for improvement we have dialed it back to where we were back in early Season 17, which is probably why the quality is at it's highest level since early season 17.
Fin's promotion. Yeah it was kind of half baked, but I liked it. Basically they just said screw it we never worried about the rules for Munch and Benson and promoted him. And perhaps this was actually a bit of follow up on the confrontation with Dodds that never went anywhere? Not sure why they couldn't have done it earlier this season and used his time in uniform as the in-story reason for his episodes off or why they didn't put him in the 27, but in the end it worked out so I can live with it.
Stone (without his sister). It is nice to see the DA making the legal decisions and thinking like a lawyer even when being swayed by emotion. And it was nice to see him coming up with the "outside the box" solution and suggesting it to Benson.

The Bad:
Stone and his sister is the new Benoah. Pointless family drama shoehorned into the episodes for an attempt at thematic resonance that leaves me totally cold.
The confession scene felt a bit like one of lesser episodes of CI or perhaps one of the Neal Baer episodes that landed in the valley between grounded and camp. I'm not sure if it was the script or the acting or what, but it just felt overdone.
Joe Piscopo. I hope he worked for scale, because if they used the casting budget that could have given us the additional characters that have been desperately needed to have him doing his tired act in an episode that was already stacked with top guest stars...

Overall this was probably the best episode of the season. They seem to have been going for a more old school SVU feel this season and they really nailed it here. Touching without being preachy, the whole squad investigating a sex crime and finding the bad guy through actual police work and then the police and DA working within the system to put him away. Good job show!

Edited May 20, 2018 by wknt3
accidentally deleted a few words when posting

[dttruman]

40 minutes ago, Fellaway said:

Speaking to the subplot, seriously, what was the point of the whole Fin-has-to-leave-the-squad non-drama?  Back when he told Liv he passed the test and she said he'd need to transfer to another unit, I knew they'd get around it somehow, but, really, Show? This non-story was the best you could come up with?  

If Fin had the juice to stay just where he wanted, and as a sergeant, he should've just taken care of it to begin with.  That might have been more intriguing than this nothing.

Did they add this at the last minute and took out the scene where Benson would still be pushing Stone to indict the guy on the word of Fiona Flannigan's character? Other than that I think this Fin bit was a total waste. It added nothing to the plot or are they setting up Benson and Fin for a romantic escapade?

[dttruman]

7 minutes ago, wknt3 said:

Joe Piscopo. I hope he worked for scale, because if they used the casting budget that could have given us the additional characters that have been desperately needed to have doing his tired act in an episode that was already stacked with top guest stars...

I think they wasted Joe's character, just like they wasted Wayne Knight's character in "Service". Both characters were hardly used, IMO. A waste of talent on both their parts.

[Xeliou66]

Very mediocre episode. The storyline of a rapist targeting the elderly and those losing their memory could’ve been done much better, instead we had a ton of filler and a rushed investigation. 

The whole subplot with Fin was just wasted time and it took Fin away from being involved in the case, which sucked. Stone wasn’t even on until the end, aside from the one pointless scene with his sister. And the whole storyline with Max was just strange, it took away a lot of time from the investigation and felt more like a Hallmark movie than an SVU storyline. And the Sinatra impersonator was a waste of time as well. 

The actual case and investigation was good and interesting but it should’ve been delved into deeper instead of having a bunch of disjointed subplots.

I was glad we didn’t get any Benson worship, but she still irritates me and I’m sick of Rollins being shoved down our throats as well. More Fin and Stone please. Carisi was good though. 

The episode just felt weird, good premise but average execution.

[dttruman]

1 hour ago, MrsRafaelBarba said:

Nice to see Anne Archer and Hal Linden, loved me some Barney Miller.

Barney Miller, now there is a show that touched on social issues in a low key comedic setting. Do you or anyone else remember when they addressed the "rape" issue. Now that was a classic.

I thought for sure you would nail Benson, because she started to treat Stone like Barba.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

29 minutes ago, dttruman said:

Barney Miller, now there is a show that touched on social issues in a low key comedic setting. Do you or anyone else remember when they addressed the "rape" issue. Now that was a classic.

I thought for sure you would nail Benson, because she started to treat Stone like Barba.

He also caved to her demands quickly.

Stone was basically an afterthought in this episode.

 

Next week's promo shows him on the scene in a bulletproof vest.

Ummm, Why?

[The Wild Sow]

Oh, thank God Barney Miller wasn't a rapist!  And, hey, we DO know what he was like 50 years ago!  (43 or so years, anyway.)

They did "woman with dementia recalls decades-old sex crime" with Jane Powell/Bess Sherman back in Season 4's Vulnerable.

1 hour ago, MrsRafaelBarba said:

Dollar Store Sinatra still looks like a FOOT, never liked him.

 

Who, Sinatra?  Or Joe Piscopo?! 

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, dttruman said:

It added nothing to the plot or are they setting up Benson and Fin for a romantic escapade?

Why do you want to hurt me?

[ForeverAlone]

There were some interesting old school throwbacks to this episode. So much so, that I was sort of expecting/hoping this episode to have the same kind of genuinely shocking ending from season 2, "Pique" (the episode that introduced us to the wonder that was Dr. Huang). It was very obvious Henry was both under the thumb of his mother and sexually obsessed with her, so no surprise how it all played out. Granted it ended with a whimper, but it didn't really gather any momentum during the hour.

Overall I had mixed feelings about this episode. The acting from the guest stars was very good, but the story really sort of stalled for the first 30 minutes and then rushed to an ending. 

Before the final scene, I honestly thought this show was setting Fin up for a Mike Dodds exit. Granted that would be one crappy way of getting rid of the character with the second longest longevity on this show, but you never know. But since it was all resolved off screen (and who knows if we will ever be privy to the reasons behind it all), I was left feeling like what was the point of this entire subplot? 

And I still have a feeling Stone's sister is going to die in the season finale. If so, I will wonder why it needed to happen at all, and if it doesn't happen, I will wonder why the show has spent so much time on this subplot. Sure, I get that Peter is the showrunner's pet, but surely there are other ways to develop his character. 

So I guess I can sum up my feeling about all the subplots: what was the point of it all?

Edited May 17, 2018 by ForeverAlone

[WendyCR72]

As an aside, nice to glimpse Hal Linden. Still remember his rather skeevy CI role, as a father having an affair with his own daughter's fiancé, and while tonight's subject was just as heavy (in a more emotional way), as I said, it was good to see him.

Ditto Rutanya Alda, a franchise stalwart at this point. I think she has been on all three series (Mothership, CI, SVU) at various points in the franchise's history.

I would have been a lot more surprised about Anne Archer had I not been spoiled at TV Line. So I guess she is still acting, obviously. Cool. Though I'll forever associate her with Fatal Attraction, to be honest!

[wknt3]

7 hours ago, dttruman said:

Did they add this at the last minute and took out the scene where Benson would still be pushing Stone to indict the guy on the word of Fiona Flannigan's character? Other than that I think this Fin bit was a total waste. It added nothing to the plot or are they setting up Benson and Fin for a romantic escapade?

No they are not. Ew! I'm pretty sure that this was just cleaning up the mess that they made before by giving us this nonsense with Fin not being able to stay in the squad if he took the promotion. I'm not sure why they went that way in the first place, as a negotiating tactic giving them a way to write out the character easily (even though Ice-T has made it clear he's more than willing to work with them and will do what he has to to stick around until the end) or pointless realism (given that they never did this with Fin or Benson) or some other reason (general stupidity? Mariska didn't want it? cheap angst? a misguided attempt to restore realism?) but it's good that they decided to just do what they should have done in the first place. And they did so in a way that kind of pays off another piece of dead end misguided plot stupidity too with the subtle reference to Fin having contacts and leverage on Dodds. It's the KFC spork of SVU subplots - not elegant or pretty by any means, but functional and lets move on to something tasty.

 

5 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Why do you want to hurt me?

Why indeed?

 

[Bexx88]

9 hours ago, ForeverAlone said:

 

And I still have a feeling Stone's sister is going to die in the season finale. If so, I will wonder why it needed to happen at all, and if it doesn't happen, I will wonder why the show has spent so much time on this subplot. Sure, I get that Peter is the showrunner's pet, but surely there are other ways to develop his character. 

God, I hope she dies. Sure, we’ll have a few episodes of Stone manfully squinting with emotion, but it’d be worth it in the long run. Even better would be for them to come to their senses and drop the storyline without comment next season, but I expect we’ll find out Stone has an estranged half brother tragically cursed with gout instead.

[LittleIggy]

I’m glad Hal Linden’s character wasn’t the rapist. Max visiting Maddie with her favorite flowers was sweet.

[dttruman]

13 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Though I'll forever associate her with Fatal Attraction, to be honest!

I fell in love with her from "LifeGuard" with Sam Elliott. She was his high school girlfriend.

Edited May 17, 2018 by dttruman

[dttruman]

13 hours ago, ForeverAlone said:

Before the final scene, I honestly thought this show was setting Fin up for a Mike Dodds exit. Granted that would be one crappy way of getting rid of the character with the second longest longevity on this show, but you never know. But since it was all resolved off screen (and who knows if we will ever be privy to the reasons behind it all), I was left feeling like what was the point of this entire subplot? 

Here is what might of occurred. Ice-T was going to do his shtick with his new show "In Ice Cold Blood", so they were writing him out with a graceful and honorable departure as a sergeant. But at the last minute, he may have decided he still has some time on his hands to continue with SVU or the producers thought they still needed him real bad and they made him an offer he couldn't refuse. So whatever the case, they wrote him back into the series  just as fast.

13 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Why do you want to hurt me?

Sorry, I will try and stay away from those kind of conjectures.

[dttruman]

4 hours ago, Bexx88 said:

God, I hope she dies. Sure, we’ll have a few episodes of Stone manfully squinting with emotion, but it’d be worth it in the long run. Even better would be for them to come to their senses and drop the storyline without comment next season, but I expect we’ll find out Stone has an estranged half brother tragically cursed with gout instead.

Is it me or is Stone's sister getting better? From bedridden, to getting up and walking around with her brother. Is it possible for her to make a miraculous recovery?

[Bexx88]

25 minutes ago, dttruman said:

Is it me or is Stone's sister getting better? From bedridden, to getting up and walking around with her brother. Is it possible for her to make a miraculous recovery?

Next week: She gets better, they release her, she immediately breaks down and kidnaps Noah, Stone has to shoot her while removing his shirt like the Action ADA he is. 

[MamaMax]

17 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

Very mediocre episode. The storyline of a rapist targeting the elderly and those losing their memory could’ve been done much better, instead we had a ton of filler and a rushed investigation. 

The whole subplot with Fin was just wasted time and it took Fin away from being involved in the case, which sucked. Stone wasn’t even on until the end, aside from the one pointless scene with his sister. And the whole storyline with Max was just strange, it took away a lot of time from the investigation and felt more like a Hallmark movie than an SVU storyline. And the Sinatra impersonator was a waste of time as well. 

The actual case and investigation was good and interesting but it should’ve been delved into deeper instead of having a bunch of disjointed subplots.

I was glad we didn’t get any Benson worship, but she still irritates me and I’m sick of Rollins being shoved down our throats as well. More Fin and Stone please. Carisi was good though. 

The episode just felt weird, good premise but average execution.

Oh yes we did. Maddie INSTANTLY fell in love with St Olivia and then gave her the necklace in the end. 

[Gigi43]

Okay producers you addressed learning Stone had a daughter enough already. It doesn't add anything sorry.

 

Rollins and Carisi were on the case yet of course it's Liv who is her best friend with the daughter watching on. Glad Fin isn't leaving (so far?) but that was basically a waster of a story. I'm not sure is he now a Sargent just in SVU instead or did he just stay a Dective? 

 

The perp gave me old school L&O crazy damaged creep vibes not like the cardboard cut outs we've been given. I have to admit the ending with Max (felt so bad for him!) bringing Mattie flowers was so sweet and got to me which this show so rarely does.

 

What was the point of Joe Piscopo? Whenever I see him I always think of Al Bundy getting into a TV studio by telling the security Piscopo is trying to get in who then grips his nightstick and yells "PISCOPO'S HERE AGAIN! "

Edited May 18, 2018 by Gigi43

[DesertCyclist]

17 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

a father having an affair with his own daughter's fiancé

What a minute... wut?

[WendyCR72]

15 minutes ago, DesertCyclist said:

What a minute... wut?

Yeah, the Criminal Intent episode from Season 2, "Suite Sorrow". Hal Linden played the hubby of the hotel magnate murdered with his high-strung daughter accused, and the affair was one of the other puzzle pieces.

[dttruman]

1 hour ago, MamaMax said:

Oh yes we did. Maddie INSTANTLY fell in love with St Olivia and then gave her the necklace in the end. 

If this wasn't made in St Olivia land, I think the daughter would have taken it back so she could pass it down to the next generation at some point. Some Benson zealot may defend it and say that it was a gift for Benson for solving rape case and bringing the rapist to justice. But I would say she (the daughter) would have to reward Carisi and Rollins also,  but that will never happen. I just thought it was too unrealistic for Maddie to give that gift especially to Benson because my aunt had Alzheimers and she had virtually no short term memory at all.

[dttruman]

52 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

Yeah, the Criminal Intent episode from Season 2, "Suite Sorrow". Hal Linden played the hubby of the hotel magnate murdered with his high-strung daughter accused, and the affair was one of the other puzzle pieces.

I think his character was only the father by marriage of the high-strung daughter. That would make it less creepy.

[Xeliou66]

1 minute ago, dttruman said:

I think his character was only the father by marriage of the high-strung daughter. That would make it less creepy.

No he was actually her bio father, and he was sleeping with his daughter’s fiancé, the engagement was all a set up the 2had organized actually. Creepy episode. 

[dttruman]

2 hours ago, Gigi43 said:

I'm not sure is he now a Sargent just in SVU instead or did he just stay a Dective? 

Yeah, I have a couple of questions about that since I know nothing about the hierarchy of law enforcement. All I remember from another source was that Wojo took a long time to pass his Sgt's exam on Barney Miller.

[dttruman]

5 minutes ago, Xeliou66 said:

No he was actually her bio father, and he was sleeping with his daughter’s fiancé, the engagement was all a set up the 2had organized actually. Creepy episode

I know this has nothing to do with SVU, and only the CI episode, but I thought I would ask it anyway. Who ended up with the hotel. Father kills wife, daughter kills father, and daughter goes to jail. Who wins?

[WendyCR72]

40 minutes ago, dttruman said:

I think his character was only the father by marriage of the high-strung daughter. That would make it less creepy.

As @Xeliou66 said, he was her bio father. So extremely icky!

[WendyCR72]

12 minutes ago, dttruman said:

I know this has nothing to do with SVU, and only the CI episode, but I thought I would ask it anyway. Who ended up with the hotel. Father kills wife, daughter kills father, and daughter goes to jail. Who wins?

No one? Maybe the hotel was sold.

[Xeliou66]

42 minutes ago, dttruman said:

I know this has nothing to do with SVU, and only the CI episode, but I thought I would ask it anyway. Who ended up with the hotel. Father kills wife, daughter kills father, and daughter goes to jail. Who wins?

The daughter killed both the mom and the dad in that one, the dad just manipulated her into killing the mom, knowing she was mentally unstable, he set up the whole situation along with his lover/would be son in law, so he could gain control of the hotel and it’s finances and share it with his lover I guess. That was a twisted but great episode! I have no idea who got the hotel, it was probably sold. 

[WendyCR72]

3 minutes ago, Xeliou66 said:

The daughter killed both the mom and the dad in that one, the dad just manipulated her into killing the mom, knowing she was mentally unstable, he set up the whole situation along with his lover/would be son in law, so he could gain control of the hotel and it’s finances and share it with his lover I guess. That was a twisted but great episode! I have no idea who got the hotel, it was probably sold. 

I thought the husband killed the wife. Eh, moot now. But still.

Anyway, glad Mr. Linden played someone a bit "better" this time around!

[Xeliou66]

57 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

I thought the husband killed the wife. Eh, moot now. But still.

Anyway, glad Mr. Linden played someone a bit "better" this time around!

No it was the daughter who injected the mom with an OD of Botox and left her to drown, she did it because the dad had manipulated her fears and issues hoping she would kill the mom and go to jail so he could gain control of the money.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

8 hours ago, dttruman said:

I fell in love with her from "LifeGuard" with Sam Elliott. She was his high school girlfriend.

I liked Anne Archer in the Narrow Margin remake.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

7 hours ago, Bexx88 said:

Next week: She gets better, they release her, she immediately breaks down and kidnaps Noah, Stone has to shoot her while removing his shirt like the Action ADA he is. 

:Flatline:

 

Phillip Winchester seems like a nice guy IRL, so I'm trying to give him a chance.

 

But this post has me wheezing.

[Fiero425]

5 hours ago, dttruman said:

Yeah, I have a couple of questions about that since I know nothing about the hierarchy of law enforcement. All I remember from another source was that Wojo took a long time to pass his Sgt's exam on Barney Miller.

Little remembered anecdote of "BM" is Charles Haid originally auditioned and was cast as Wojo IIRC! Haig went on to become just as iconic later as Renko in "Hill Street Blues!" ;-)

[Fiero425]

10 hours ago, dttruman said:

I fell in love with her from "Lifeguard" with Sam Elliott. She was his high school girlfriend.

Sam hotter IMO! lol! ;-)  - - https://www.bing.com/images/search?cid=cs_1zOJxuuM7edyXoQ2wclSWg&q=Lifeguard+1976+Film&cq=Lifeguard+1976+Film&FORM=IRCRIC&crslsl=0 - -

[dttruman]

8 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

The daughter killed both the mom and the dad in that one, the dad just manipulated her into killing the mom, knowing she was mentally unstable, he set up the whole situation along with his lover/would be son in law, so he could gain control of the hotel and it’s finances and share it with his lover I guess. That was a twisted but great episode!

I forgot about the daughter killing the mother, it's been such a long time. But at the end do you guys think that Goren should have been held partly accountable for the fathers death, because he set up that whole confrontation at the end?

4 hours ago, Fiero425 said:

Sam hotter IMO! lol! ;-)  - - https://www.bing.com/images/search?cid=cs_1zOJxuuM7edyXoQ2wclSWg&q=Lifeguard+1976+Film&cq=Lifeguard+1976+Film&FORM=IRCRIC&crslsl=0 - -

Unfortunately that is not Ann Archer in the picture, that is Kathleen Quinlan.

Edited May 18, 2018 by dttruman

[dttruman]

4 hours ago, Fiero425 said:

Renko in "Hill Street Blues!" ;-)

Memorable!

[Fellaway]

All that "I love you" business to Olivia on the part of Fionnula Flanagan's character was absurd.  I mean, why not Rollins or Carisi (Just to mix it up, Show?) or her own poor, devoted daughter?  But, no, that poor, devoted daughter just smiles beneficently and lets Olivia keep the necklace without a second thought, like even she thinks it's Liv's due.  (Yeah, you tried real hard to give that necklace back, didn't you, Liv?)  And we're left with another round of Olivia is better and more special than anyone, simply because she exists.

With all the grumblings out here on the interwebz on the egregious escalation in the amount of Olivia worship the last couple seasons, part of me would like to think the show was being all ironic there and giving us a bit of a tease, because it really was that egregious, but, yeah, no.  I doubt the show is really that lacking in self-awareness, but, somehow "Olivia is a saint and the be-all to end-all" has become everyone's party line.  They need an uprising.

[Xeliou66]

1 hour ago, Fellaway said:

All that "I love you" business to Olivia on the part of Fionnula Flanagan's character was absurd.  I mean, why not Rollins or Carisi (Just to mix it up, Show?) or her own poor, devoted daughter?  But, no, that poor, devoted daughter just smiles beneficently and lets Olivia keep the necklace without a second thought, like even she thinks it's Liv's due.  (Yeah, you tried real hard to give that necklace back, didn't you, Liv?)  And we're left with another round of Olivia is better and more special than anyone, simply because she exists.

With all the grumblings out here on the interwebz on the egregious escalation in the amount of Olivia worship the last couple seasons, part of me would like to think the show was being all ironic there and giving us a bit of a tease, because it really was that egregious, but, yeah, no.  I doubt the show is really that lacking in self-awareness, but, somehow "Olivia is a saint and the be-all to end-all" has become everyone's party line.  They need an uprising.

The show, or Mariska more likely, has no self awareness, I don’t think Mariska has any clue how much of an egomaniac she looks like now, she really thinks everyone loves the Benson Hour and that she is making a huge difference in people’s lives and bringing justice to rape victims everywhere. I’ve said for a while this show only tries to appeal to a certain group of people, those who love Benson/MH and her preaching and agendas. 

[dttruman]

3 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

The show, or Mariska more likely, has no self awareness, I don’t think Mariska has any clue how much of an egomaniac she looks like now, she really thinks everyone loves the Benson Hour and that she is making a huge difference in people’s lives and bringing justice to rape victims everywhere.

I have a feeling the finale maybe a perfect example of this.

[Xeliou66]

1 hour ago, dttruman said:

I have a feeling the finale maybe a perfect example of this.

It probably will be. 

Its truly amazing how huge Mariska’s ego has become, at times it feels like the show is nothing more than a PSA for her foundation, it was really telling when she said she can’t tell the difference between herself and Benson! She’s just playing herself and using the show to promote herself, and it has damaged the quality of the show badly.

[QueenMab]

I actually thought Benson would put the necklace in the daughter's hand and say something appropriate like " I can't, this belongs to you". $18,000 a month for senior living in NYC??! Jaysus H! No wonder Barba's abuelita wanted to stay in her crappy apartment! He would have had to get his suits at Men's Wearhouse. Olivia the Goddess to all humans has gotten waaaay old. I guess if the ADA can't hop in bed with her, he doesn't exist. Stone is a beefcake non-entity. That's all I got from this "episode".