S20.E09: Mea Culpa

[wknt3]

1 hour ago, Fellaway said:

I, too, don't understand where they're going with Rollins.  We went from her knowing exactly the kind of man Al is and her awesome "I'm having this baby, and I don't need anything from you." just a few episodes ago to "I'm tired and want to be taken care of, even if he's a cheating lowlife.  But he bought me flowers and spoke nicely to Jesse!"  Maybe if we'd seen anything in the eps to warrant that transition it might make sense, but we didn't and it doesn't.  This is not the way to portray a human, yet empowered, woman, Show, and it doesn't ring true to Rollins.

I understand where they are going - right back off the rails and down the crapper. What I don't understand is why they are throwing away all the work they did rehabilitating the character after her previous baby daddy fiasco and stupid choices in her personal life. As far as "ringing true" it's hard to say - she's been written so inconsistently over the years that there isn't anything they could do that there isn't something in her past they could point to as justifying it.

[Xeliou66]

Rollins has never been written consistently or very well, she’s always been rather all over the map, they rebuilt her some in season 18 and then trashed her again last season and are continuing to do so. She’s always been all over the map, and her relationships with the others have been all over the map, the only relationship that’s been written consistently for her is her relationship with Fin. 

I’m beyond sick of Rollins, I’ve always found her to be an unprofessional screw up and a judgmental self righteous asshole a lot of the time as well, she should’ve been fired long ago for her unprofessional behavior, and I’m sick of her being shoved down our throats now, she’s the number 2 main character behind Benson, and she’s suddenly become Benson’s BFF after they clashed for several seasons. Mariska’s influence over the writing has badly damaged the show, it’s clear she has a lot of control with what they do and as a result the show feels inconsistent and sloppily written at times in order to make Benson look good, center everything around Benson and push whatever agenda Hargitay wants to push. 

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎13‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 11:44 PM, CrystalBlue said:

Why do they have to put this "Peter in Peril" storyline on our TV screens?  We know that Stone isn't a rapist, just a randy guy who is supposedly having threesomes and hitting on young hot honeys because he's grieving over the death of his sister.  FWIW, Philip Winchester may have a nice body, but his face doesn't fit the way they've written the character.  It seems uncharacteristic of his persona, and being Ben Stone's son, at least to me anyway.

I think there will be more PC preaching or SJW-ing from The World According To Benson in the episode.  That can only explain why they're going this route.

Forgive me, FWIW?

On ‎16‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 3:09 AM, dttruman said:

A little intrigue to start with, then it jumps right to the Rollin's soap opera.

I wonder with the rape case he is presently prosecuting, if he suddenly has a change of prospective after going through this incident that happened in the past.

Will the moral of this episode be, "Who is responsible if 2 adults are extremely intoxicated and have sex, is there actually a rape if nobody is at fault?"

Could not have put it better, one rule for some....

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎16‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 3:23 AM, MrsRafaelBarba said:

I'm calling it now!

 

Stone's former teammate raped that woman, while he was passed out drunk.

Thought exactly the same upon first meeting. 

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎16‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 3:37 AM, dttruman said:

Didn't they say this happened 12 years ago? How can they both be so sure about that incident, since they were both drunk and the time lapse?

Because in SVU world (or SJW world) victim's memories get better over time. Plus when accusers get drunk it excuses them everything but not the accused.

On ‎16‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 4:51 AM, wknt3 said:

The Good:
Phillp Winchester's performance. He did a good job making a silk's purse out of a sow's anus (this story can only wish it was good enough to be a sow's ear!) Probably his best work of the series so far.
Fin, Carisi and Rollins reacting to the accusations. It was believable - conflicted and nuanced.
Alexandra Breckenridge also gave a really good performance in an episode where the writing and directing were not necessarily conducive to doing her best work.
Fin - he continues to be the rock of professionalism and common sense even when everyone is getting bogged down in philosophizing and personal angst.

The Bad:
So the one subplot they managed to find time for was Rollins' continuing stupidity and her interminable baby daddy drama?
Once again SVU just does what it wants without any supervision or even a nod to being part of a larger world. Even back in the campiest, twistiest Barr years I seem to remember them at least having a line of dialogue about the brass or the DA's office. But I guess that now Benson is a law unto herself?
Another hostage situation. Really???? At this point they shouldn't call ESU they should call FFSU.
Way too much of Julie Martin's clunky sermonizing and spending too much time promoting an agenda instead of compelling drama.
Pretty much the entire last 30 minutes or so were a waste of time. I think we all figured out what really happened that night (maybe we should be elite detectives?) and it was pretty much ridiculous overused nonsense plot devices and speechifying to get us where we all knew we were going.
The OTT Benson worship throughout the episode, which I guess is only to only to be expected when Mariska directs.

Overall this was better than what I expected thanks to some fine acting from the non-Hargitay cast and Chernuchin not being willing to let his pet character be completely trashed, but the fact that it wasn't as bad as the previous heavily promoted sweeps episodes devoted to promoting People's Choice Nominee Mariska Hargitay and stroking her ego doesn't mean that it was good. Better than "Motherly Love" or "Something Happened" is not a high bar to clear after all. We can only hope this ends the "Stone expressing his grief by womanizing and acting out" arc and that the show gets back on the generally positive course it was on before this episode.

Forgive me, FFSU?

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎16‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 1:58 PM, wknt3 said:

After sleeping on it, I'm feeling like I wasn't harsh enough in my assessment of this episode. I let my relief that this wasn't the total clusterfuck I was expecting distract me from the fact that this episode not only failed to convey it's intended message, but was actively harmful to the cause. The only people who seem to equate "believe women" and "credible allegations merit serious investigations" with "disregard due process and convict on no evidence" are the Fox News crowd and SVU. It would have been pretty easy to do this right - don't jump to arrest, have Stone be the one to tell the squad that he's consulted with his bosses and they are convening an investigative grand jury and maybe find another out other than "it was his scummy friend and she just didn't remember"? You would make the intended point, show how those who actually believe themselves innocent actually want a full and fair investigation and maybe not suggest that the most high profile victim smearing in recent memory was right. In comparison to the way it unintentionally undermines the cause it wants to be advocating, the great acting, the ridiculous plot devices, etc. are pretty insignificant.

Not to stray into mod-unfriendly political territory but surely Fox News are the reverse, it was they who were rightly sceptical of the Kavanaugh accusations and even about the Weinstein trial (although they delight in his association with the Clintons etc). It was everyone else who adopted a 'Bensonian' attitude? 

[Joe Hellandback]

1.  I knew Stone's womanizing was going to catch up with him one day! I had high hopes for this ep, that Stone at the end would go back to the original rape case with a new attitude due to his own suffering. Who knows, maybe he still will?

2. The original case is so weak it needs steroids! The accuser says she doesn't remember what happened, the accused does remember and contradicts her. So you're talking about a complete lack of evidence vs actual evidence? Benson says no woman would put herself through the criminal justice system if she was lying despite all the other false accusers she's dealt with over the years who've done exactly that? The judge seems to take umbrage at him, she's supposed to be neutral. What the victim says is so blatantly what Benson has coached her to say it reminds me of that scene in Chicago. She even says that the detectives TOLD her that she was assaulted (when she's still drunk/traumatised and suggestible) rather than letting her tell them, how did the defence solicitor miss that? (see 'Episodes/Ideas You'd Like to See' Thread)

3. The moment this allegation is made the entire squad should automatically recuse itself as being friends with Stone and emotionally involved in the case.

4. Especially as didn't this all take place in Chicago? Surely they have jurisdiction? 

5. If Benson is all about the victim's rights why does she keep hounding them and forcing them to give testimony even though it can wreck their marriages/lives? Plus forcing her to keep changing her story, saying it didn't happen then claiming it did which is meat and drink to the defence. Also when we question her how about we all sit down and listen to her story without interruption rather than continually butting in to influence her account?

6. Surely the husband must at very least have been charged with illegal weapons possession? 

7. Once again it's Olivia Benson hostage negotiator?

8. Unless that bar is across the road from the police station how in hell do they react so fast?

9. So glad the little girl doesn't turn out to be Stone's daughter, that was a storyline we really didn't need. 

10. Amanda and the Doc, well at least it's something different?

11. What is Carisi's problem? 

12. So Benson's justification for arresting the suspect is that she persuades him to commit perjury until he eventually says yes and then denies the rape saying it was consensual? In what universe?

6/10

Edited December 13, 2018 by Joe Hellandback

[Fellaway]

3 hours ago, Joe Hellandback said:

11. What is Carisi's problem? 

The writers.

[dttruman]

6 hours ago, Joe Hellandback said:

The original case is so weak it needs steroids! The accuser says..

And all the other points

Welcome to our world of frustration!

[wknt3]

12 hours ago, Joe Hellandback said:

Quote

Another hostage situation. Really???? At this point they shouldn't call ESU they should call FFSU.

Forgive me, FFSU?

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=FFS

[CrystalBlue]

FWIW = For What It's Worth.

[Spartan Girl]

I fucking hate Olivia. The victim’s story had more holes than Swiss cheese, and she automatically assumed it was creditable. I’m not giving her brownie points for apologizing to Stone for not believing him when it turned into Stone and the show giving her a tongue bath for being such a great detective instead of telling her to go fuck herself. This is why she never learns.

[Xeliou66]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

I fucking hate Olivia. The victim’s story had more holes than Swiss cheese, and she automatically assumed it was creditable. I’m not giving her brownie points for apologizing to Stone for not believing him when it turned into Stone and the show giving her a tongue bath for being such a great detective instead of telling her to go fuck herself. This is why she never learns.

Amen to this!! St Olivia’s biases have just gotten way worse over time, and the show refuses to acknowledge them, instead portraying her as someone who can do no wrong. I guarantee this is because of Mariska’s huge ego and her taking over the show - used to at least people could disagree with Olivia and not be vilified for it, and Olivia wasn’t portrayed as some holy figure who’s always right. When Mariska became a producer and the show starting revolving solely around her, this changed, and now Olivia is portrayed as a perfect beacon of light. I can’t stand her either.