S20.E08: Hells Kitchen

[dttruman]

This description is from IMDb, "A waitress from a trendy New York restaurant is sexually assaulted at an after-hours VIP party."

 

Sneak peak. It starts out by making it look like an Uber driver has committed a crime. I like how Fin says take them both down town. I believe someone else would have had the Uber driver arrested immediately and then prosecuted for rape at the night court proceedings

Edited November 6, 2018 by dttruman

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Tonight's episode was directed by actress Monica Raymumd.

 

Whom I think left the Chicago Franchise recently.

[Fellaway]

Okay, seriously, Show, why are Carisi and Fin no longer allowed to speak to victims?  Off to an unfortunately typical start for this season.

[dttruman]

Are the writers slowly and subtly trying to make Fin look bad? First that "pot" truck incident in a previous episode and now with him drinking on duty. I wonder what they are trying to do.

Does anyone else find this a little awkward, when Carisi* interviews a former victim about the intimate details? I thought this would be a perfect situation for Rollins or even Benson to do the interviewing

 

* I changed part of my comment because I misidentified Carisi interviewing the 3 victims, he only interviewed one and Fin interviewed another

Edited November 9, 2018 by dttruman

[WendyCR72]

25 minutes ago, MrsRafaelBarba said:

Tonight's episode was directed by actress Monica Raymumd.

 

Whom I think left the Chicago Franchise recently.

Yes, she played Gabby Dawson.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

We got a Pamela mention tonight.

 

Haven't seen Jacob Pitts since Justified ended.

Edited November 9, 2018 by MrsRafaelBarba

[Fellaway]

Sooo, we have Benson telling Stone how to do his job and Stone in the squad room telling the detectives how to do their jobs.  Oy, this show.

I wanna know what Fin said about Al.  And he was probably right.

Carisi was kinda awesome marching through the restaurant to arrest the chef.

I am officially done giving Stone a chance.  He is as interesting as a slice of white bread.  And he eats up way too much screen time.

This ep is kinda weird in that Liv isn't around much.

44 minutes ago, dttruman said:

Does anyone else find this a little awkward, when Carisi interviews the three former victims about the intimate details? I thought this would be a perfect situation for Rollins or even Benson to do the interviewing

Carisi only interviewed one of them, didn't he?  I thought Fin interviewed one and Rollins the third?  I'm glad Carisi was allowed to talk to a victim!  That's been the strict purview of Benson and Rollins this season.  I didn't find it awkward; that's the job he's trained and experienced at.

Edited November 9, 2018 by Fellaway

[dttruman]

10 minutes ago, Fellaway said:

Carisi only interviewed one of them, didn't he?  I thought Fin interviewed one and Rollins the third?

My bad! I thought female victims didn't like to reveal lewd details like that to a man.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

This is a mash up or two ripped from the headlines scandals.

 

Brett Kavenaugh

 

Mario Batali/The Spotted Pig.

Edited November 9, 2018 by MrsRafaelBarba

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Oh Lord, Alexandra Breckenridge plays Stone's accuser.

 

Imma need booze for this one!

[Fellaway]

Liv wasn't around as much this episode, but she managed to be around for all the big moments.  And, of course, we have to close it out with another Benson/Rollins bonding scene and their receiving thanks from the original victim.  (Because, goodness knows, Carisi and Fin are just there for grunt work these days.  No thanks for them!)  I know they only have five regulars on the show now, but they really need to shake up the character dynamics here.  It's been the same-old same-old, every episode, and it's getting boring.  Even in 18 and 19 they weren't stagnant like this and they only had five regulars those seasons.  And, please, let's get back to Carisi and Fin being equal members of the squad to Benson and Rollins.  These days, they're playing them as lesser.

I don't remember the exact phrasing, but I did enjoy Carisi's line to the bad DA about his best case scenario was not being a rapist, but covering up for one.  Great delivery!

Way to drop an anvil at the end, with Bad DA saying wait till it happens to you to Stone.  Then the very next ep...  I dunno, I think time between that line and the ep with Stone being accused would've been more effective.  Definitely more subtle.  I guess subtlety is not this show's strong point.

[dttruman]

I thought this might be one of their better ones. There was only a smidgen of St Olivia, which made it better. Unfortunately, we will probably get a double dose or maybe even a triple dose of her next week. The plot pretty much stayed on course, but I thought they were going to make it tough on the initial sexual assault victim. She was downing liquor with her fellow employee, so that could have made her case less solid.

[Fellaway]

31 minutes ago, dttruman said:

My bad! I thought female victims didn't like to reveal lewd details like that to a man.

I imagine there are some victims who would prefer to talk to a female detective, but not allowing male detectives to talk to victims would really hamstring any man on the squad from performing effectively.  They do receive training for the job, probably especially with dealing with the victims since they're the Special Victims squad.  And we've seen the male detectives doing it over the years many times.  Not so much this season!  I'm really getting provoked with the way they're reducing Carisi and Fin this season, not just in their onscreen time but in what they're shown doing.

Edited November 9, 2018 by Fellaway

[dttruman]

10 minutes ago, Fellaway said:

Way to drop an anvil at the end, with Bad DA saying wait till it happens to you to Stone.  Then the very next ep...  I dunno, I think time between that line and the ep with Stone being accused would've been more effective.  Definitely more subtle.  I guess subtlety is not this show's strong point.

I wonder if they are going to reuse a plot from a previous episode. Benson's step bother was accused of rape at one time, but Benson got him off because the so-called victim's sister blamed him for it and framed him, if I remember right. I wonder if this is how she will get Stone off?

Edited November 9, 2018 by dttruman

[rhys]

Noah continues to be a little shit. He can stay off my screen.

[dttruman]

13 minutes ago, Fellaway said:

I know they only have five regulars on the show now, but they really need to shake up the character dynamics here.  It's been the same-old same-old, every episode, and it's getting boring.

IMO, I agree with you up to a point, but I think it's because their budget is limited and MH likes to throw in her personal agenda stuff.

[wknt3]

The Good:
Fin and Carisi  working the case. Once again every scene they were in together felt like the show I used to love.
Fin! He deserves a separate and second mention this week, because he was just that awesome with some great snark and just generally being a no bullshit professional.
Carisi too. I loved his contempt for the Brooklyn DA and his reaction to the chef lashing out with "you're fired!" See show you can be political without dropping on anvils on our head.
The guest cast did a really good job this week even when the writing sagged.
Stone. It was nice to see him acting like a DA and explaining that righteousness doesn't get convictions.
It was nice not having Benson doing everything and People's Choice Nominee Mariska Hargitay actually going more of the Sam Waterston route where she was the star and more actively involved in the case than those in the role before her without doing everything herself and not overacting every scene.
Minimal soapy personal life subplots.
The Brooklyn Nine-Nine promo right before the show started. It will be nice that NBC will have a consistently good show about a NYPD detective squad on Thursday nights!

The Bad:
Another clumsy "thematically related" Benoah scene that added nothing to the plot.
Boy there was some clunky dialogue this week. The show has been on for 20 years and these issues are more in the news than ever so why do we have Rollins reading a textbook to us about how victims react?
We're back to SVU operating completely on their own. No mention of Stone talking to his bosses or Chief Dodds?
In an episode that was refreshingly light on St. Benson worship we relapse into the ending scene where the victim comes in at the end to admit that she has brought them salvation and grace and they never should have doubted the gospel she was preaching. I would have loved to have had a scene instead where they talk about how they used the wire to get a warrant and found the underwear, but they probably won't be able to convict the DA and will just have to settle for exposing him for his hypocrisy. That would have really felt like classic SVU.
The promo at the end. Not looking forward to this one. And it just seems like these two episodes should be a little farther apart.

Overall this was a solid "ripped for the headlines" SVU episode. One of the better episodes of the season and definitely shows how the show has improved since the depths of Season 18 when they were basically trying to do this plot in like 20 of the episodes, but couldn't pull it off.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Hopefully after Stone is cleared he'll finally get some professional counseling.

 

Then get back on track.

 

Another Detective really needs to be added, preferably Female.

cough...Kylie Bunbury...cough! 

[Fellaway]

4 minutes ago, rhys said:

Noah continues to be a little shit. He can stay off my screen.

Indeed.  Makes you question Liv's mothering skills.  The kid has been nothing but a brat this season.  Makes me also worry that they're leading up to more Noah drama later this season.

4 minutes ago, dttruman said:

IMO, I agree with you up to a point, but I think it's because their budget is limited and MH likes to throw in her personal agenda stuff.

Oh, I'm definitely not advocating for  them to bring on more characters.  Definitely not.  Because I know they'd just take the necessary screentime away from Carisi and Fin.  What I want is for them to mix it up with the characters they do have.  Let's see Carisi and Rollins being friends again.  Let's see old-timers Fin and Benson commiserating with each other.  Let's have Carisi lead on a case.  Let's have Benson taking a backseat and Sergeant Tutuola liasing with Stone on a case.  Let's have Fin and Carisi doing friend stuff, instead of just working cases together.  It would've been nice to actually see that scene where Fin says something derogatory about Al, for instance.

Oh, well, maybe after KG's maternity leave.

[Zoe]

Hah, as soon as the other ADA came on screen I said to Mr Zoe, "what were they thinking, he looks just like the chef!"

Sheesh, their ripped from the headlines sure has a fast turnaround.

[rhys]

5 minutes ago, Zoe said:

 

Sheesh, their ripped from the headlines sure has a fast turnaround.

Man, isn't that the truth.

Also a new detective is a great idea. A black woman or native American or a Latina. I'm on board.

[WendyCR72]

24 minutes ago, dttruman said:

I know they only have five regulars on the show now, but they really need to shake up the character dynamics here.  It's been the same-old same-old, every episode, and it's getting boring.

The show is 20 seasons in. To quote a Barenaked Ladies song, "It's all been done before."

[Fellaway]

34 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

The show is 20 seasons in. To quote a Barenaked Ladies song, "It's all been done before."

Yeah, but I'm not asking for originality, just that they mix it up with the character dynamics.  They used to.  The characters/partnerships did different things, sometimes with different people, from week to week.  This season, not so much.  Fin and Carisi do the leg work, Benson and Rollins interview the victim, Benson harangues Stone, Stone wallows and drinks (At least we didn't have that this week, but it looks like it's back to form next week.), victims thank Benson, Benson and Rollins bond, Noah brats.  Every episode it's the same, they just swap in a new crime.  Put different people together, Show!  Have them do different things than they did the week before!  It's not that hard!  

[Xeliou66]

This was the best SVU episode of the season, and one of their better ones in a long time, a very good ripped from the headlines episode that felt fresh despite SVU handling similar subject matter before.

Fin and Carisi are awesome, they make the show worth watching by themselves, their scenes are always entertaining and the one good thing about Rollins’ pregnancy is that we get a lot of Carisi and Fin in the field working together, they were especially awesome tonight.

Stone was very good, it was nice to see him acting as a prosecutor and getting a lot of screen time, and no drinking/womanizing. Unfortunately next week we are going full blown Stone personal drama. 

Benson took as much of a backseat as we will ever see from her in this episode, and that was very nice, and Mariska’s dramatic facial expressions were toned down for the most part. I didn’t like the ending scene of St Olivia worship, I wish that the show had just ended with the squad discussing the case instead of the victim coming to the station to thank St Olivia. And please get fucking Noah off the screen, the brat adds nothing to the show, they just love showing Benson playing mommy.

A reference to McCoy and Dodds would’ve been nice since the case had political implications with Hodges being involved. 

Overall this was one of SVU’s best episodes of the last couple of seasons, a good storyline that was solid from start to finish.

Edited November 9, 2018 by Xeliou66

[Bexx88]

Law & Order: Chicago Justice Unit is super unengaging.

[dttruman]

6 hours ago, Fellaway said:

 Because I know they'd just take the necessary screentime away from Carisi and Fin.  What I want is for them to mix it up with the characters they do have.  Let's see Carisi and Rollins being friends again.  Let's see old-timers Fin and Benson commiserating with each other.  Let's have Carisi lead on a case.  Let's have Benson taking a backseat and Sergeant Tutuola liasing with Stone on a case.  Let's have Fin and Carisi doing friend stuff, instead of just working cases together.  It would've been nice to actually see that scene where Fin says something derogatory about Al, for instance.

Oh, well, maybe after KG's maternity leave.

You are asking for the moon here. If we got all this, it would have to be a 2-hour special each week and maybe even need a crossover with another series.

[Fellaway]

32 minutes ago, dttruman said:

You are asking for the moon here. If we got all this, it would have to be a 2-hour special each week and maybe even need a crossover with another series.

Well, I didn't mean it all had to be in one episode.  ::g::  But mixing it up never used to be a problem on this show.  They did it fine in the early seasons and in the Leight years.  (Can't speak to the years I didn't watch after I couldn't take Stabler anymore.)  And you won't hear me calling for a crossover.  We've had enough of that with Stone and his CJ cohorts already this season!

Edited November 9, 2018 by Fellaway

[dttruman]

4 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

And please get fucking Noah off the screen, the brat adds nothing to the show, they just love showing Benson playing mommy.

 

6 hours ago, Fellaway said:

 Makes you question Liv's mothering skills.  The kid has been nothing but a brat this season.  Makes me also worry that they're leading up to more Noah drama later this season.

 

6 hours ago, rhys said:

Noah continues to be a little shit.

I think they are setting us up for a Benson episode in the future. Where because of Noah's rebelliousness, Benson find some drugs on him later, and then child welfare gets involved. This allows Hargitay to explore the depth of Benson mental and emotional stablility.

[IOU Payne]

Back in the day, Noah would have been offered two options for dinner: Take It or Leave It.  My mom, who was not a cop and therefore didn't adopt an annoying, whispery tone when she was disciplining me or my brother, would have made some snarky comment about not running a restaurant. Liv's parenting makes me very cranky. What about the "Three bites and you're out" rule, after which the kid is invited to make themselves a PB sandwich if they won't eat the main course? And why did this get to me more than the rest of the episode?

[dttruman]

1 hour ago, Fellaway said:

Well, I didn't mean it all had to be in one episode.  ::g::  But mixing it up never used to be a problem on this show

I meant squeezing in one of these situations and doing a quality job of it. After all, Benson's presence will still be the majority of the episode. I am still trying to figure out if this episode was an anomaly or a gift to the other cast members and guest stars

Edited November 9, 2018 by dttruman

[dttruman]

4 minutes ago, IOU Payne said:

Back in the day, Noah would have been offered two options for dinner: Take It or Leave It.  My mom, who was not a cop and therefore didn't adopt an annoying, whispery tone when she was disciplining me or my brother, would have made some snarky comment about not running a restaurant. Liv's parenting makes me very cranky. What about the "Three bites and you're out" rule, after which the kid is invited to make themselves a PB sandwich if they won't eat the main course? And why did this get to me more than the rest of the episode?

You better get out your Sunday's best, because you'll be called in to testify when Benson is brought up for child neglect or something. I think Noah developed a bad attitude because he couldn't stand that annoying whispery tone.

[Fellaway]

24 minutes ago, IOU Payne said:

Back in the day, Noah would have been offered two options for dinner: Take It or Leave It.  My mom, who was not a cop and therefore didn't adopt an annoying, whispery tone when she was disciplining me or my brother, would have made some snarky comment about not running a restaurant. Liv's parenting makes me very cranky. What about the "Three bites and you're out" rule, after which the kid is invited to make themselves a PB sandwich if they won't eat the main course? And why did this get to me more than the rest of the episode?

Have we ever seen her once discipline this child?

[dttruman]

57 minutes ago, Fellaway said:

Have we ever seen her once discipline this child?

Yeah, with that annoying whispery tone.

[Josette]

10 hours ago, Fellaway said:

It would've been nice to actually see that scene where Fin says something derogatory about Al, for instance.

I thought we did.  Wasn't it when Fin made the crack about cardiology money and then said he thought Amanda preferred men with some edge (as opposed to Al the cardiologist)?  I think that was what the apology was for.

Edited November 9, 2018 by Josette

[HunterHunted]

11 hours ago, Fellaway said:

Sooo, we have Benson telling Stone how to do his job

It's even worse than that. She told him how to do her job. She told him that he had to dig deeper. Seriously WTF? The district attorney's office has investigators whose work is supposed to supplement the primary investigation done by the police. It presumes that the police have actually turned over an investigation that is capable of being prosecuted or sustain a grand jury indictment. This is something Liv and the SVU did not do.

[dttruman]

46 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

It's even worse than that. She told him how to do her job. She told him that he had to dig deeper. Seriously WTF? The district attorney's office has investigators whose work is supposed to supplement the primary investigation done by the police. It presumes that the police have actually turned over an investigation that is capable of being prosecuted or sustain a grand jury indictment. This is something Liv and the SVU did not do.

Well apparently, the investigator who worked for the DA's office died awhile back, Lenny Briscoe. Since they haven't found a replacement, the writers figured it was O.K. to assign it to SVU.

[dttruman]

11 hours ago, Fellaway said:

Let's have Fin and Carisi doing friend stuff, instead of just working cases together.

I don't think this will happen, that is left for Benson and Rollins. Both Carisi and Fin are becoming more and more superficial. They may have their moments, but it wouldn't surprise me if they are using a stopwatch to make sure they deliver their lines fast enough.

[Xeliou66]

53 minutes ago, dttruman said:

I don't think this will happen, that is left for Benson and Rollins. Both Carisi and Fin are becoming more and more superficial. They may have their moments, but it wouldn't surprise me if they are using a stopwatch to make sure they deliver their lines fast enough.

We did a get a reference to Fin and Carisi being at a Knicks game earlier this season, but yeah Benson, Rollins and Stone get all of the personal stuff while Fin and Carisi get nothing. 

 

2 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

It's even worse than that. She told him how to do her job. She told him that he had to dig deeper. Seriously WTF? The district attorney's office has investigators whose work is supposed to supplement the primary investigation done by the police. It presumes that the police have actually turned over an investigation that is capable of being prosecuted or sustain a grand jury indictment. This is something Liv and the SVU did not do.

That pissed me off as well, Stone should’ve responded by telling Benson to have her people dig deeper into the situation. 

[illdoc]

Since they spent maybe two minutes on each Brooklyn victim, would it have killed them to make one black??????? Instead, we get more white special victims. Sigh.

[SarahPrtr]

14 hours ago, Fellaway said:

 I know they only have five regulars on the show now, but they really need to shake up the character dynamics here.  It's been the same-old same-old, every episode, and it's getting boring. 

When they brought in Carisi, Peter Scanavino said that his character is there to "shake things up a bit." But now that it's been over four seasons, they need someone else.  Tbh, I don't recall Carisi being much of a 'shaker'.  He was just new and didn't know the dynamics of the squad.  That's not just him personally, but any cop who starts at a new precinct. 

 

14 hours ago, Fellaway said:

Indeed.  Makes you question Liv's mothering skills.  The kid has been nothing but a brat this season.  Makes me also worry that they're leading up to more Noah drama later this season.

Liv is going to bring up the whole "I was a product of rape, it's in my genes, so I don't want to get aggressive with my kid" thing and also how Noah also came from an unstable background, so she's trying to be different with him.  Blah blah blah.  So, who's the adult and parent here???

 

Full disclosure - I come from a very violent background and my father is a sadistic psychopath, and I grew up around addicts, but I'm a decent, law-abiding citizen and a productive member of society.  I don't go around analysing every single thing I do because of my family.  I know right from wrong and make decisions accordingly. 

 

 

7 hours ago, IOU Payne said:

Back in the day, Noah would have been offered two options for dinner: Take It or Leave It.  My mom, who was not a cop and therefore didn't adopt an annoying, whispery tone when she was disciplining me or my brother, would have made some snarky comment about not running a restaurant. Liv's parenting makes me very cranky. What about the "Three bites and you're out" rule, after which the kid is invited to make themselves a PB sandwich if they won't eat the main course? And why did this get to me more than the rest of the episode?

Back in The Good Ol' Days, parents didn't try to be friends with their children.  There was a clear line of You are the Child and I am the Parent, so You Do As I Say, Or Else.  No negotiating, no pleading, certainly no begging!!!  I remember in the pilot episode of Who's The Boss (early 80s!), Jonathan wanted to eat sugary cereal for breakfast and Tony wanted him to have eggs instead and Jonathan said "Yuck!  Isn't there anything else?" who which, Tony replied "Yeah!  Hunger!!"

 

It would be nice to see Fin and Carisi interacting away from the squad on non-police matters, but I think we would like them more if they were all done off screen and they just talked about it afterwards.

[CrystalBlue]

3 hours ago, illdoc said:

Since they spent maybe two minutes on each Brooklyn victim, would it have killed them to make one black??????? Instead, we get more white special victims. Sigh.

I took the similarities of the Brooklyn victims to be that the restaurant owner had a type.  Each woman had short-ish, dark brown hair.  I think they all had brown eyes too, not completely sure on that, but they did have a similar look about them.

We learned that Carisi had a date at a very expensive restaurant costing him $200 and that it was worth every penny!  ;)  Not just the food, apparently.

When Noah gets bratty, Olivia acts like she doesn't know what to do or say.  I too think they're pushing another Benoah dramarama on us with Noah getting out of control in some fashion.  Ugh.

Edited November 9, 2018 by CrystalBlue

[dttruman]

4 hours ago, illdoc said:

Since they spent maybe two minutes on each Brooklyn victim, would it have killed them to make one black??????? Instead, we get more white special victims. Sigh.

 

1 hour ago, CrystalBlue said:

I took the similarities of the Brooklyn victims to be that the restaurant owner had a type.  Each woman had short-ish, dark brown hair.  I think they all had brown eyes too, not completely sure on that, but they did have a similar look about them.

I think this may be a good legit reason why this scum-bag didn't go after a black girl. Besides the previous mentioned similarities, he may have also liked his victims white.

[illdoc]

1 hour ago, CrystalBlue said:

Each woman had short-ish, dark brown hair.

Wasn't the current victim (Kayla) a redhead???

[balmz]

episode was ok, i thought that  what was going to happen was the one da didn't prosecute the guy because the guy had instead raped him when he was a teen and it was too painful and he didn't hand the other cases over to another da because then he would have had to tell what happened, also with noah i still have a feeling they might be hinting at a plot where noah was being abused by someone and Olivia overlooks it and that explains his behaviour or maybe it's a subtle joke, he hated olives like how we hate OLIVia .

Edited November 9, 2018 by balmz

[Fellaway]

9 hours ago, dttruman said:

Yeah, with that annoying whispery tone.

Yeah, they've definitely shown her admonishing him, but I don't think we've seen her actually follow it up with any discipline?  If he likes pizza so much, maybe he should have it taken away for awhile after that display with his dinner.  The way he talks to her this season speaks of a kid who always gets his way, and if he's like this now, I'd hate to see him when he hits puberty.

8 hours ago, Josette said:

I thought we did.  Wasn't it when Fin made the crack about cardiology money and then said he thought Amanda preferred men with some edge (as opposed to Al the cardiologist)?  I think that was what the apology was for.

Oh, I missed that!  I thought he was talking about something he'd said in a previous conversation.  I wonder if he knows about the cheating.

6 hours ago, dttruman said:

I don't think this will happen, that is left for Benson and Rollins. Both Carisi and Fin are becoming more and more superficial. They may have their moments, but it wouldn't surprise me if they are using a stopwatch to make sure they deliver their lines fast enough.

Yeah, it's frustrating me a lot, especially since Carisi is why I watch this show on a regular basis.  It's why I'm so strongly opposed to them bringing on any new blood.  We get precious little Carisi time as it is, and I'm afraid they'd do away with him entirely if they brought on a new detective.  It's a real waste of a great character, too.  He had so many compelling moments in the Leight years, even when he was just in a supporting role in a scene.  I really don't think the current regime even knows who Carisi is as a character, and I'm beginning to think they don't care.

[ChristiKRN]

I thought this was one of the best episodes of the past few seasons; take it with a grain of salt, considering what we have been served up during this time frame.  It's always good to see the dynamic duo of Fin and Carisi more involved with the case. Who needs Benson and Rollins when you have those two investigating and interviewing victims and suspects?  <I'm surprised that I was not electrocuted by the SVU gods for typing that comment>

I am OK with the tiny doses of personal lives that were interjected in the episode, such as Fin taking a potshot at Dr. Al and hearing that Carisi had a worthwhile date at the restaurant. It's when they go overboard and have multiple scenes dealing with personal issues, like they tend to do with Benson, Rollins and now Stone, that it is nauseating.    And I agree with everyone who said that we are being set up for a major Noah storyline arc (no pun intended ;)).  I think what we will see in the series finale is Liv retiring so that she can deal with Noah's problems.  I'm also dreading the Rollins' labor and delivery episode which I am expecting will have Benson at her bedside and wiping her brow. 

Is the statute of limitations for sexual assault  in NY still 5 yrs? Why were they pursuing an arrest against the ADA who let the chef get off with the other rapes for this? Or were they arresting him for letting the chef off? The woman was attacked as a teenager, and she looked closer to 30 than 20-22 when she came into to report the crime. 

[Gigi43]

Well, this episode could have been much worse. I wasn't expecting this to turn from Mario Batali to Brett Kavanaugh, and I like they wove the two together. Carisi got to slap cuffs on someone with a sarcastic dig at "you're fired." I don't think Fin's "cardiology money" or "not Rollins'  type" matched the level of apology but I like that side things can happen entirely not involving Liv. I can't remember who Rollins disclosed the doctor getting hookers too in that episode where she was extremely out of line with the prostitute victim. Where the episode lost me was Liv telling Stone to dig deeper (what the actual fuck?) and then the victim coming to thank Liv at the end.

 

 

 

I thought something was going to come from the highschool victim and her friend having different accounts of the party. Did I misunderstand that they said different things? The victim said there were like 10 people and someone brought tequila the friend said there were 40 and a keg. But by the time they got to that it was so late I figured someone was going to confess anyway. I get there is a level of arrogance with these kinds of people but if the DA and chef had apparently had a habit of double teaming girls in high school would an svu DA, of all people, have been dumb enough to wear a wire thinking only that one incident would come up and nothing else?

 

But overall still a good episode. The little misdirect in the beginning with the network diners and then Uber driver felt like old school SVU, even though the preview gave away the chef part.

[ChristiKRN]

1 hour ago, Fellaway said:

Yeah, it's frustrating me a lot, especially since Carisi is why I watch this show on a regular basis.  It's why I'm so strongly opposed to them bringing on any new blood.  We get precious little Carisi time as it is, and I'm afraid they'd do away with him entirely if they brought on a new detective.  It's a real waste of a great character, too.  He had so many compelling moments in the Leight years, even when he was just in a supporting role in a scene.  I really don't think the current regime even knows who Carisi is as a character, and I'm beginning to think they don't care.

I agree that Leight was skilled at bringing in new characters, such as Barba and Carisi, and developing them properly.  I don't think that Barba would have imploded like he did under Leight' s watch.  I also don't think that a character with such a high moral standard like Carisi would have done some things like he has over the past few seasons if Leight was still in charge, such as telling his niece to lie under oath or hitting on Rollins.   Carisi seems to be very popular with SVU fans, so I'm not sure why they tend to put him in the background.  Fans also seem to like what Fin brings to the table.  Rollins in general and Benson's dominant presence in every episode  seem to have mixed reactions, but they still like to push those two.  I'm seeing mixed reactions about Stone being featured as much as he is, but we are still seeing quite a bit of him.  

[wknt3]

19 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

The show is 20 seasons in. To quote a Barenaked Ladies song, "It's all been done before."

 

19 hours ago, Fellaway said:

Yeah, but I'm not asking for originality, just that they mix it up with the character dynamics.  They used to.  The characters/partnerships did different things, sometimes with different people, from week to week.  This season, not so much.  Fin and Carisi do the leg work, Benson and Rollins interview the victim, Benson harangues Stone, Stone wallows and drinks (At least we didn't have that this week, but it looks like it's back to form next week.), victims thank Benson, Benson and Rollins bond, Noah brats.  Every episode it's the same, they just swap in a new crime.  Put different people together, Show!  Have them do different things than they did the week before!  It's not that hard!  

Exactly. I don't think anyone is looking for them to cover new issues or types of crime (that's how we end up with primates in sports equipment and other craziness after all) we are looking for something other than the same 4 well defined characters playing the same roles and reacting predictably (unless they decide to write them acting wildly out of character to create conflict and novelty.) There is definitely value in telling the same story in a different way with new characters bringing fresh eyes and a different feel. Many of the really good episodes of the last couple seasons of the mothership were essentially repeats of old plots that were interesting because of new protagonists and relationships. When Andy Karl was there it didn't feel so claustrophobic and repetitive. It would feel a lot fresher if they had a new detective to be horrified and shocked, to interact with the squad in new ways, etc. Heck now that they have adult supervision and are bringing back the idea of showing us CSU, psych experts, etc. instead of having Benson do everything herself and maybe mentioning that she told them what tests to run and the results, it would add a lot if they made a couple of the recurring and gave them new and different personalities and quirks.
 

8 hours ago, dttruman said:

Well apparently, the investigator who worked for the DA's office died awhile back, Lenny Briscoe. Since they haven't found a replacement, the writers figured it was O.K. to assign it to SVU.

I could have sworn they did find at least a couple of replacements for Lennie at some point. Ones with experience dealing with these types of crimes even. My memory must be playing tricks on me.

[Fellaway]

23 minutes ago, ChristiKRN said:

Is the statute of limitations for sexual assault  in NY still 5 yrs?

I think NY did away with the statute of limitations for forcible rape?

17 minutes ago, Gigi43 said:

I get there is a level of arrogance with these kinds of people but if the DA and chef had apparently had a habit of double teaming girls in high school would an svu DA, of all people, have been dumb enough to wear a wire thinking only that one incident would come up and nothing else?

Yeah, that was lame.  Did Bad DA really think the chef guy was gonna roll over and say he did the DA's rape, too, just because the DA kept saying he did?  I guess he found out how far the chef was willing to go for friendship.

10 minutes ago, ChristiKRN said:

I'm seeing mixed reactions about Stone being featured as much as he is, but we are still seeing quite a bit of him.  

I find the actor playing Stone to be totally lacking in charisma and only a so-so actor.  And the way they are trying to force us to Love!Him! from the get with all the family drama, etc. is having the opposite effect on me.  Easing him in over time would've been better for him and for us.  Let us get to know him before expecting us to love him.  And they never gave Barba, a far more interesting character, this kind of airplay.  Stone is really eating the show.

I will never not find the current regime's insistence on pushing CJ on us to be inexplicable.  It was a failed show.  How is that going to help SVU's ratings or make it a better show?

All in all, this ep wasn't the worst of the season, though it did highlight consistencies of this season that are bringing it down.  And it's too bad the Brooklyn DA turned out to be bad.  He would've been more interesting than Stone as Manhattan's SVU ADA.