S20.E01: Man Up/S20.E02: Man Down

[dttruman]

The episode description from IMDb tells me it's going to be more of a soap opera, than anything else.

"A teenager refuses to name his attacker; Benson and Rollins reveal major life changes."

[dttruman]

IMDb episode description

"In the conclusion to the season premiere, ADA Stone blames himself for the shocking verdict in Sam's case, and before Benson can offer help, Sam makes a tragic decision."

By the description, it looks like Stone may have gone to court a little prematurely. I wonder if Benson may have pushed him into it, just like she always did to Barba?

[Xeliou66]

Is there any way to merge the 2 episode threads into one, it would be easier to just have one thread for the 2 hour premiere. 

I’m worried that Stone will be off because he’s still grieving his sister, and Benson will have to save him the way she does everyone else. 

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Oh Peter....

[SuzieQ]

9 minutes ago, MrsRafaelBarba said:

Oh Peter....

How bout it!! Mr. Squeaky clean looking a little tarnished...................I literally burst out laughing when the 2nd one walked in.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Stone is a big ole freak.

 

Nice body Mr. Winchester.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Time to add another Detective to the squad.

[dttruman]

13 minutes ago, SuzieQ said:

How bout it!! Mr. Squeaky clean looking a little tarnished...................I literally burst out laughing when the 2nd one walked in.

Is this a little omen that Stone is no longer diligent and is now taking a "Who Cares" attitude?

[MrsRafaelBarba]

6 minutes ago, dttruman said:

Is this a little omen that Stone is no longer diligent and is now taking a "Who Cares" attitude?

 

 

My theory.

 

Stone is  lonely, father and sister are both dead.

Nobody special in his life to love.

 

Last season while having a drink with Carisi, he said something quite telling.

 

While discussing their jobs, he wondered out loud is that all there is?

 

He's trying to dull the grief and pain with booze and random sex.

 

JMO.

[dttruman]

Well it didn't take long for Benson to go into one of her little lecturing speeches. I thought it would be Rollins trying to convince the mother to testify, but NO, it had to be Benson.

Before the trial, wouldn't Huang (had he still been there) have interviewed the kid, so they would have known what they were up against?

Edited September 28, 2018 by dttruman

[MrsRafaelBarba]

5 minutes ago, dttruman said:

Well it didn't take long for Benson to go into one of her little lecturing speeches. I thought it would be Rollins convincing the mother, but NO, it had to be Benson.

Before the trial, wouldn't Huang have interviewed the kid, so they would have known what they were up against?

Yes.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Oh shit.

[dttruman]

14 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

Is there any way to merge the 2 episode threads into one, it would be easier to just have one thread for the 2 hour premiere. 

I’m worried that Stone will be off because he’s still grieving his sister, and Benson will have to save him the way she does everyone else. 

I am sorry, my bad.  I didn't know exactly what to do, so since there were two titles.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Kelli's second pregnancy shouldn't have been written into the show.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Sandrine Holt is so bland.

[dttruman]

Was that a "Freuding Slip" when Benson told the officers to get the father out of "her" squad room? Or is it Haritay's sneaky way of saying that this is her show?

[dttruman]

It looks like the victims' families will be suing the father and his successful business that he built up all by himself, so he better file for Chapter 11 real fast

[dttruman]

Is it me, or has this crime that covers both episodes been just a minor importance, but a convenience so that the SVU squad can discuss personal issues? Bottom line, this was a soap opera episode.

Edited September 28, 2018 by dttruman

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Noah needs his little ass beat.

[dttruman]

1 minute ago, MrsRafaelBarba said:

Noah needs his little ass beat.

Totally inconsistent? At the beginning he was all sweets, being the cute kid. Now at the end, he becomes Benson's next personal issue that she will discuss ad nauseam  with the other detectives at work.

[wknt3]

Covering both parts of the opener in one post, because I don't really have that much to say and unlike NBC and SVU I'm not going to expand to two parts just because it's the season opener if I don't have the content.

The Good:
If I didn't have this set to record my DVR would have cut off the end of The Good Place. Those 30 seconds or so were definitely the high point of the two hours in my book.
Fin! He is still the voice of reason, and the only one on the squad who can put his feelings aside and just do his job. Pure comic gold that while Liv was panting and agonizing over getting older while making her patented constipated face to show her inner turmoil, Fin just drives up and makes the arrest.
It was nice to see Carisi be the one to realize what was going on with the school shooting and make the takedown. Bonus points on a major incident not directly caused by SVU's incompetence and made worse by the squad ignoring tactics and procedure!
It was nice to see Stone was still the one making the legal decisions and not just doing what the squad wanted.
While it set up the soapy personal life subplots and there was definitely some filler to stretch it out to double length it wasn't as bad as I feared.

The Bad:
A rare subpar week from the guest cast. I thought the father and the younger son were good, the older brother and the mother were bad and just about everyone else was bland.
Rollins for all the reasons we've already discussed when we heard the writers plans, even if it wasn't as central to the episode as I feared.
More BenStone teasing. We really really really need to stop doing the scene with them in the bar every episode.

Overall it was kind of meh, Decent concept, but didn't really do anything special with it. Plus there was a lot that just seemed kind of muddled. Was there supposed to be some kind of intentional parallel between Stone and the father seeking refuge in outdated tropes of traditional masculinity to fill a void in themselves? Are we supposed to believe that a toddler having a temper tantrum is really thematically related? WTF was going on with the heart to heart chat between Benson and Rollins? Were they just trying to see of they could piss off viewers no matter what their ideological persuasion? A lot of it fell flat to me in a way. And I didn't see anything that got me excited for the rest of the season. Not as bad as it could have been isn't really good enough for a season opener.

[ChristiKRN]

I thought Peter Scanavino did a good job tonight, especially in his scenes with Sam.  Prime example as to why he should have more of a presence on the show.  Carisi has come a long way from his 1st episodes. 

I would be in an alcohol-induced coma right now if I drank every time I heard the word "rabbit".

In addition to trying to beat the longest running record, SVU was also trying to set a record tonight with how many hot button  topics could be addressed in 1 show.  Rape/incest, mass school shootings, abortion...  

I was surprised when they implied that Benson may have had an abortion in the past, considering how early on in the series she has expressed interest in having a child. 

If these 2 episodes were of any indication, we are going to be given a heavy dose of personal drama this season.  There were times during the episode that it seemed the main storyline took a backseat  or served to prop the personal issues.   

[WineCheeseChocolat]

Well that sucked.

I called the school shooting when Sam was standing in the doorway and ominous music was playing.

Stone was way too unbalanced and angsty although the actor is fine.

The quick Stone/Carisi scene at the bar was a highlight and I’d love to see those two together more.

Other highlight was Benson moaning to Fin about feeling her age and he’s all like “we’re getting older, that’s life” and walks away.  If Fin did 10 years in Narcotics and was in the Rangers in ‘92, he’d have to be older than Benson by a few years I’d guess yet he’s not acting like he’s been given a death sentence.

17 minutes ago, ChristiKRN said:

I was surprised when they implied that Benson may have had an abortion in the past, considering how early on in the series she has expressed interest in having a child. 

Did she really though? The first time I saw her express serious interest in motherhood was in S9 when she told Stabler she had tried to adopt. It could’ve been interesting if it was part of her past from the earlier seasons with regards to all her motherhood/parentage issues but now we’re sick of her personal issues so it just feels tired. Plus, it’s just another plot device to prop up B/R as besties and give Rollins extra angst over a pregnancy THAT NEVER SHOULD’VE BEEN WRITTEN IN IN THE FIRST PLACE. Seriously, they should’ve dressed Kelli in loose black clothes and then shipped Rollins off to Atlanta (and WTF that she wouldn’t be able to get an abortion in Atlanta, it’s a major city, not a backwater) for some family emergency.

[Everleigh]

Really don’t care about Stone’s sulky grieving. Let’s move on quickly, please.

Rollins needs a refresher on birth control. We’ll probably see this new kid as much as we see her first one so I don’t really care either way, but I’m honestly surprised they didn’t choose to just hide her pregnancy as much as possible and then send her away for a few episodes considering we’ve already been here with her. 

Olivia having had an abortion when she was younger actually makes sense for the character. 

Have they always been allowed to say “pussy” or did they just get it through the censors? With the number of times it was dropped tonight it felt like a shiny new toy the writers were having fun with. 

2 hours ago, dttruman said:

Totally inconsistent? At the beginning he was all sweets, being the cute kid. Now at the end, he becomes Benson's next personal issue that she will discuss ad nauseam  with the other detectives at work.

Small children aren't exactly known for their consistency. 

[HollyG]

3 hours ago, dttruman said:

Before the trial, wouldn't Huang (had he still been there) have interviewed the kid, so they would have known what they were up against?

Yes, and this show needs him back very badly. Now that Mr. Robot is ending, maybe he'll make an appearance here & there. 

[Xeliou66]

For the most part an average episode, with a few bright points. The first half was much better than the second.

Best parts were Fin and Carisi by far, they were both great and did their jobs well, I liked Carisi talking to Sam and I liked Fin having his conversation with Benson in the office, he is always awesome. 

This episode was filled with personal shit, Rollins’ pregnancy of course, Benson/Noah and Stone’s grief. And it all dragged the show down, I’m so sick of personal drama. 

I HATED the scene between Benson and Rollins where they discussed gun control and abortion, it was heavy handed and filled with cliches, and Benson had a lot of nerve telling Rollins it was her choice what to do and then using emotional pressure to try to convince her to keep it. Benson needs to fuck off and realize it’s not her choice and none of her business, she can’t tell everyone how to live their lives. 

Stone is well on his way to being a Benson puppet, he only prosecuted John the second time because Benson wanted him to, and he is clearly starting to get emotional about cases. 

I liked the new shrink, I hope they use her frequently, a psych expert is something this show sorely needs. I liked the reference to Olivet as well. 

Speaking of references, why couldn’t we get a Jack McCoy reference, Stone talked to the DA but only referred to him as the DA, and on the phone he called him “sir” which was weird, no one calls McCoy that. Why couldn’t Stone have called him “Jack” instead or referenced McCoy by name after he got off the phone? Very poor writing not to give the fans a mention of a beloved character when they had the chance. 

Why was the son still living with the family? Why wasn’t CPS called and Sam put in a foster home? Why was the wife still living with the husband after testifying against him? None of that made any sense at all and seemed incredibly odd. 

This would’ve been a good episode had it ended after the first half, perhaps ending with Sam committing the school shooting. But the second half was just terrible with heavy handed preaching and cliched dialogue, Stone turning into a puppet, a weak legal case with Stone miraculously getting a conviction, and the awful Noah scene at the end.

The Mothership did an episode in season 10 called Loco Parentis that handled similar subject matter far better. 

Edited September 29, 2018 by Xeliou66

[QueenMab]

Wow! Two hours of same old shit. Hey Benson! That accessory you adopted so you could have a male you could have total control over not so cute now that he's growing up and getting personality and thoughts of his own, is he? And Hey! Rollins...we know you love to screw, how about taking responsibility for your sexual behavior and indulging in some birth control? Menage a trois? I must have blinked and missed it....might have been the high point of my viewing experience. If they can make Stone enough of an emotional trainwreck, we'll have Barba Remix. Swear to God Benson, stop with the phone sex worker whispering and speak like a grown woman or I'm going to end up hurting my tv. What case? That all over the map excuse for a sex crime conviction? OY! That's all I got out of this latest episode of a Primetime soap. 

[Fellaway]

I am not as opposed to the show portraying the squad's personal lives as others, as long as they keep it in balance with all the squad members getting their share of air time and that it doesn't usurp the case of the week as the focus of the show or tip over into soap opera.  That said, I'm just gonna get this out of the way up top:  I am so completely over Noah drama that I don't care if we don't see that kid again until he's going away to college.  I'd prefer it, actually.  I get they want to show Olivia having more in her life than just the job these days, and I'm cool with that, but here's a note, Show:  There is more to life than work and kids for women, and you've been to this well ad nauseam.

And speaking of kids, must we go there again with Rollins?  She wasn't planning on having another and isn't sure she wants to?  She has heard of a little thing called birth control, hasn't she?  I realize, even using birth control, things can sometimes go awry, but twice for her?  With what she knows goes on in the world?  What does that say about her brains?  I hope this guy was at least clean of STDs and HIV, given his history, and I hope she keeps her eyes open about him.  Can't even say his looks make him worth keeping around.

I repeat, Show, there is more to life for women than work and kids.  Sheesh.

I had to roll my eyes at the threesome thing with Stone.  Way to be edgy, Show.  If you really want to be edgy, next time make the third person a man.  And, seriously, if Stone is hitting the sauce (I guess because of his sister.) and getting this anguished over losing cases this soon in his tenure with SVU, perhaps he's not cut out for the job.  My take on his deciding to prosecute the father, though, was that that was all on him and not based on any pushing from Benson.  Much as I think it was straining credulity that the case got to court and that he won, I do appreciate that Stone, the lawyer, was calling the shots and not being told what to do by Benson.  More of that, please, Show.

Not surprisingly, I loved Carisi being the one to find the kid and talk him down.  His being able to make connections with people like that is one of the things I love about him, and I think that got lost in 18 and 19.  Glad to see it back!  Also loved the conversation between Fin and Olivia about not being as young as they used to be.  His acceptance of it seemed fitting for our laid back Fin, and Olivia's bridling at it seemed in character for her as she always expects the best from herself.  They did a good job of giving everyone in the squad substantive material to work with this week, and I hope that'll continue the rest of the season.  Fin casually driving up just in time to catch the bad guy at the beginning, after Carisi and Olivia chased him down, even seemed old school SVU.

Speaking of old school SVU, I kept expecting one of their patented twists to come up, like it wasn't the father that raped the kid, but the brother or even the mother.  (The way she was hanging over him in bed was creepy.)  But, alas...

A few quibbles:  Carisi came to the bar obviously looking for Stone, but, when he found him, um, why?  Nothing in that convo indicated why he was looking for him.  Also, why did the squad show up to the school shooting, a purely tactical situation at that time?  By their conversation with the principal, it seemed they didn't even know Sam was the shooter at that point.  And Dylan Walsh, didn't they say he's a recurring character this season?  Is he coming back?

All-in-all, I liked this ep better than most from 18 and 19.  They've certainly still got room for improvement, but I think they've taken some steps in the right direction.  I hope they continue that way, but, really, I'll just be happy if they get Carisi back to who he was pre-18 and 19 and give him plenty of action and story of his own. 

[dttruman]

5 hours ago, ChristiKRN said:

In addition to trying to beat the longest running record, SVU was also trying to set a record tonight with how many hot button  topics could be addressed in 1 show.  Rape/incest, mass school shootings, abortion...  

Well said! The "mass school shooting" itself should have been an entire episode, but to them it was just a trivial matter, so they could add in Benson's thoughts of guilt for accidentally causing someone to break their leg.

[dttruman]

3 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

Stone is well on his way to being a Benson puppet, he only prosecuted John the second time because Benson wanted him to, and he is clearly starting to get emotional about cases. 

The only thing missing was Benson taking up (a lot) more dialogue and face time convincing Stone (a la Barba), it's really the father's fault and he must be prosecuted.

 

3 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

Why was the son still living with the family? Why wasn’t CPS called and Sam put in a foster home? Why was the wife still living with the husband after testifying against him? None of that made any sense at all and seemed incredibly odd. 

Very good and obvious questions that should have been answered by the writers.

 

3 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

Speaking of references, why couldn’t we get a Jack McCoy reference, Stone talked to the DA but only referred to him as the DA, and on the phone he called him “sir” which was weird, no one calls McCoy that. Why couldn’t Stone have called him “Jack” instead or referenced McCoy by name after he got off the phone? Very poor writing not to give the fans a mention of a beloved character when they had the chance. 

A great opportunity, but they needed that precious time for their soap opera moments.

[dttruman]

3 hours ago, QueenMab said:

If they can make Stone enough of an emotional trainwreck, we'll have Barba Remix. Swear to God Benson, stop with the phone sex worker whispering and speak like a grown woman or I'm going to end up hurting my tv.

I have a feeling we a going to be in for a bumpy ride for this roller coaster soap opera season. So you better put your tv repairman on speed dial.

[cfinboston]

10 hours ago, dttruman said:

Well it didn't take long for Benson to go into one of her little lecturing speeches. I thought it would be Rollins trying to convince the mother to testify, but NO, it had to be Benson.

Before the trial, wouldn't Huang (had he still been there) have interviewed the kid, so they would have known what they were up against?

 

I always loved Huang. He made a lot of important contributions, so why was there no replacement for him. It's like...it's nice if we have a department shrink but we don't really need one? Had he been there would he not have questioned if a kid who volunteered at an animal shelter really wanted to go hunting? How was that not ever a red flag?

Also remembering way back to the beginning of Mothership, and you have to really know your L&O history. Ben prosecuted a doctor in "Prescription for Death" who he knew practiced drunk. During the trial he had Greevey follow him to lunch and watched him drinking. At the end, Greevey asks how he knew the defendant would be drinking during the trial and Stone says his dad was an alcoholic.

Edited September 28, 2018 by cfinboston

[cfinboston]

Maybe the "Sir" was a Ben Stone throwback. He called everyone sir including defendants. 

[preeya]

What a convoluted mess. A double premier opener, WHY? It just seemed as if it went on and on and on. We almost had an entire double episode without mention of NOAH, and then he goes and assaults his mother.  Guess we'll be seeing a lot of problem child scenarios in the future.

[Bexx88]

12 hours ago, SuzieQ said:

How bout it!! Mr. Squeaky clean looking a little tarnished...................I literally burst out laughing when the 2nd one walked in.

That was genuinely hilarious. Like they needed to make sure we remembered that even in grief he’s really, really sexy. Two people sexy! With abs!

[Aethera]

Hey guys, since these aired together, I merged the threads.  If 2 episodes air the same night, they get a single thread :) 

[UNOSEZ]

Well we got a new shrink so that's good... There is only so much of sad wife/ older son  I could deal with... I just couldn't deal with them by the end of the episodes... I'm ready for some new detectives... Like I've said before I miss the days when the csu techs and the taru techs and the M. E  and detectives all got in in the case... 

[Gigi43]

I'll gather my thoughts on the rest of the episode later but damn for a liberal female heroine we're supposed to see Liv as, showing Rollins the video of Jesse reminded me uncomfortably of those fake planned parenthood places that force girls to look at sonograms of the fetus as they convince them to change their mind. Holy shit for a show in its 20th year that would have made more sense 20yrs ago. But of course it's really about Liv pushing her personal stuff on people and if she regretted of course Rollins eventually would too even though every situation is different and they are different people.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Aw, Liv and Stone aren't together now? And he's turned into some kind of sex and booze hound? Hmm.

Rollins knocked up again. Sigh. Congrats to Kelli though.

I don't think I've ever seen Peter Scolari play such a despicable character.

So what's Noah's deal? Is this where Liv gets to agonize some more about nature vs. nurture? Oh boy.

Quote

Rollins needs a refresher on birth control.

Right? At least the baby daddy isn't another of her coworkers. There probably aren't many left that she hasn't already slept with though. ?

Quote

Speaking of old school SVU, I kept expecting one of their patented twists to come up, like it wasn't the father that raped the kid, but the brother or even the mother.  (The way she was hanging over him in bed was creepy.)

Yeah, it was too obvious that it was the dad. I expected it to be the brother or some uncle who doesn't show up until the third act.

[UNOSEZ]

So.. How many episodes before we get like a minority victim on this show... 3 episodes for me.. 

[WineCheeseChocolat]

2 hours ago, Gigi43 said:

I'll gather my thoughts on the rest of the episode later but damn for a liberal female heroine we're supposed to see Liv as, showing Rollins the video of Jesse reminded me uncomfortably of those fake planned parenthood places that force girls to look at sonograms of the fetus as they convince them to change their mind. Holy shit for a show in its 20th year that would have made more sense 20yrs ago. But of course it's really about Liv pushing her personal stuff on people and if she regretted of course Rollins eventually would too even though every situation is different and they are different people.

I know, right?! It’s a different situation having an abortion when it’s your first kid than when you already have one that your limited time and resources would be taken from if you had another.

Also found it manipulative that Benson kept trying to get Noah to say ILY. He’s too young to recognize the difference between loving someone in the moment and loving them but not liking them in the moment. She’s teaching him he should just pander back what women want to hear. She obviously wants to raise a boy with integrity but that’s no way to do.

Benson used to be one of my favorite characters and I keep hoping she’ll get tolerable again but don’t think it’s going to happen.

[Everleigh]

56 minutes ago, WineCheeseChocolat said:

 

Also found it manipulative that Benson kept trying to get Noah to say ILY. He’s too young to recognize the difference between loving someone in the moment and loving them but not liking them in the moment. She’s teaching him he should just pander back what women want to hear. She obviously wants to raise a boy with integrity but that’s no way to do.

2

I thought she was just stressing that she still loved him even though he did something wrong and got reprimanded for it. 

On another note, is Rollins not planning to tell the good doctor he's the father? Dude obviously makes a shitty partner but he might be a decent father and the kid deserves a shot at having a relationship with his or her dad. 

[illdoc]

13 minutes ago, Everleigh said:

Rollins not planning to tell the good doctor he's the father? Dude obviously makes a shitty partner but he might be a decent father and the kid deserves a shot at having a relationship with his or her dad. 

Not to mention child support! Think she gets any money from her other baby daddy? With two kids, she'll probably want a bigger apartment. Where's all the extra money going to come from?

[Everleigh]

5 minutes ago, illdoc said:

Not to mention child support! Think she gets any money from her other baby daddy? With two kids, she'll probably want a bigger apartment. Where's all the extra money going to come from?

Right? A cardiologist who can afford high priced hookers must make bank. Put your personal feelings and pride aside and get that money for your child. 

I wonder if Donal Logue's character, whose name I forgot, pays child support even though he's not involved in Jessie's life. He could know he's a trainwreck and want to spare his child by staying out of her life but if he was even half-way decent he'd be sending some financial support her way. 

Anyway, Rollins really knows how to pick 'em. 

[preeya]

2 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

I don't think I've ever seen Peter Scolari play such a despicable character.

Did I miss something? I didn't see Scolari.

[WineCheeseChocolat]

Quote

I thought she was just stressing that she still loved him even though he did something wrong and got reprimanded for it. 

The first time, absolutely, the second time it seemed like she was trying to get him to say it back. Just my the way I read into which could’ve been colored by how annoyed I was by the episode in general.

[Gigi43]

Is Dylan Walsh SVU's favorite terrible dad to make him the monster dad for the 20th opener? Previously he shot and killed his two little kids, and his wife and I think the mistress because his double life unraveled, which Stabler took very!personally!.

 

Love Fin driving up to the crime scene and basically being all "yeah, we are getting old, it happens" with Liv.

 

2hrs of SVU always seems too long. 2 parters are fine, god help me I think I even prefer the Chicago crossovers because at least you get different characters to hate. 2hrs straight of this Liv is just so much.

 

I will hand to SVU the school shooting was better than I thought this show could do. It was nice to see Carisi get a big moment talking the kid down.

 

Uhg to the Noah stuff. Pushing Liv and she absolutely seemed annoyed Noah, a young child, didn't say ILY back the second time she said it. Are we getting a return to "Noah can't escape the genes of his father (Johnny whatever.)" Liv can over come her genes we get speeches from her to victims about it every few seasons, but Noah Liv's adopted kid can't? It rubbed me the wrong way we got the latest Noah drama in same episode she revealed she once had an abortion she regretted but maybe that's just because I found what happened with Liv and Rollins so egregious and not in line with the Olivia Benson that debuted 20yrs ago (as in the part of the showing Rollins the video, not that Liv had an abortion once that actually fits with her past.)

 

Why, WHY, can't shows just ignore actresses pregnancies?!

[Fellaway]

1 hour ago, Everleigh said:

I wonder if Donal Logue's character, whose name I forgot, pays child support even though he's not involved in Jessie's life. He could know he's a trainwreck and want to spare his child by staying out of her life but if he was even half-way decent he'd be sending some financial support her way. 

Declan, who I hope we never, ever, ever see again.  When he came back that one time, briefly, after he found out about the kid, he told Rollins that he was just a phone call away, whatever she needed, so I would presume that'd include child support if she asked for it.

Seriously, Show, don't ever bring him back.

28 minutes ago, Gigi43 said:

Why, WHY, can't shows just ignore actresses pregnancies?!

If only.  They ignored MH's, so why not KG's?  Are they saying that's the only thing they can think to do with her?  I guess they think baby drama makes good show (Not necessarily, Show.), but, personally, I can't get past how two unplanned pregnancies for Amanda Rollins, SVU detective, makes her look.  I mean, I know her personal life has always been a trainwreck, but come on.

[Everleigh]

8 minutes ago, Fellaway said:

Declan, who I hope we never, ever, ever see again.  When he came back that one time, briefly, after he found out about the kid, he told Rollins that he was just a phone call away, whatever she needed, so I would presume that'd include child support if she asked for it.

Seriously, Show, don't ever bring him back.

If only.  They ignored MH's, so why not KG's?  Are they saying that's the only thing they can think to do with her?  I guess they think baby drama makes good show (Not necessarily, Show.), but, personally, I can't get past how two unplanned pregnancies for Amanda Rollins, SVU detective, makes her look.  I mean, I know her personal life has always been a trainwreck, but come on.

Oh yeah, Declan Murphy! I remember now and I second your plea to hopefully never have to see him again. That character was just....ugh. And when you consider Amanda's history with her old boss from Atlanta assaulting her, the fact that she slept with and get knocked up by her superior Murphy always made me uncomfortable. 

MH's pregnancy was during the Neal Bear era where Olivia was not allowed to have a personal life so of course, they hid her pregnancy. The two subsequent showrunners really overcorrected and leaned too much into the personal side of things, but I never begrudged Olivia becoming a mother since we found out it was something she was interested in back in season 8 or 9 or whatever it was. Personally, I would have rather seen her foster or adopt an older child in the system because I think it would have made more sense for the character, but whatever. 

When we first learned Kelli's second pregnancy was being written into the show and not hidden I thought maybe Amanda was going to come to realize she wants more children and intentionally get pregnant but instead it was more of an Opps! I did it again! scenario and not to put all the responsibility on her, because it takes two people to make a baby, but I do seriously have to wonder what her birth control method is. 

[UNOSEZ]

Are fin or carisi ever gonna find any love... Ice-t been on the show like 19 years.. Has he ever had a significant romantic interest... I mean I know carisi at least pined for Rollins.. But he hasn't had any real luck there... Benson has had a gaggle of beau's... Same for Rollins and good for them but what about the fellas... They did the same to Barbara who I woulda assumed was a lady slayer but you couldn't tell