S20.E13: A Story of More Woe

[dttruman]

Got this from "All Things Law and Order". Benson tries to help two teenaged sisters after their father is killed. Meanwhile, Rollins goes into labor. Guest starring George Newbern (Dr. Al), Talitha Bateman (Laura Moore), Alex Kramer (Greg Callahan) and Zoe Colletti (Britney Moore). Air date 1/31/19 as mentioned by Xeliou66.

This is from Googling, Benson and the team investigate a father's murder after his teenage daughters call in a home burglary that turns into an attempted assault; when the team speaks with the medical examiner, the details don't add up.

Let the speculation begin!

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2019 by dttruman

[Xeliou66]

This could be interesting, I would like it if one or both of the daughters were evil perps that fooled Benson at first with their lies and it’s eventually revealed they are truly bad. However I have a feeling it will turn out that they are victims and St Olivia will come to their rescue.

This is the episode where Rollins will give birth, I hope it doesn’t take up too much time and I don’t want to have more Rollins/Al drama, but I have a feeling we will.

[Fellaway]

3 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

This is the episode where Rollins will give birth, I hope it doesn’t take up too much time and I don’t want to have more Rollins/Al drama, but I have a feeling we will.

I'm all for Rollins/Al drama, if it's of the variety of her telling him to hit the road, never to be seen or heard from again.  Otherwise, I vote Hard Pass on any Rollins/Al story. 

Rollins has horrible taste in men.

[ChristiKRN]

3 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

This could be interesting, I would like it if one or both of the daughters were evil perps that fooled Benson at first with their lies and it’s eventually revealed they are truly bad. However I have a feeling it will turn out that they are victims and St Olivia will come to their rescue.

This is the episode where Rollins will give birth, I hope it doesn’t take up too much time and I don’t want to have more Rollins/Al drama, but I have a feeling we will.

It would be a twist for this show if the daughters are actually the criminals.  I might fall off my chair if I see it.

You know as well as I do that Rollins giving birth is going to be prominently featured just like it was last time around. Dr. Al is first billed in the guest cast.  I might get a concussion from falling off my chair again if it was only briefly mentioned. 

[wknt3]

31 minutes ago, Fellaway said:

I'm all for Rollins/Al drama, if it's of the variety of her telling him to hit the road, never to be seen or heard from again.  Otherwise, I vote Hard Pass on any Rollins/Al story.

I'd also accept Al getting custody of the baby and leaving town. Maybe have her take leave and get therapy - basically hit the reset button again.
 

Quote

Rollins has horrible taste in men.

I don't know if I can agree entirely. I'd go for Donal Logue and I'm a straight male...

[GordonGartrelle]

42 minutes ago, wknt3 said:

I'd also accept Al getting custody of the baby and leaving town. Maybe have her take leave and get therapy - basically hit the reset button again.
 

I don't know if I can agree entirely. I'd go for Donal Logue and I'm a straight male...

  QUOTE

Rollins has horrible taste in men.

I don't know if I can agree entirely. I'd go for Donal Logue and I'm a straight male...

Okay, so you are not blind.  For whatever reason, that chubby redhead makes that look work.  But look at how he went out. 

Rollins told him "You don't have to be part of our kid's life" and he pretty much responded with a "Great, cause I have a job out of town, but if you need anything let me know and I will make it back."

[Fellaway]

2 hours ago, wknt3 said:

I don't know if I can agree entirely. I'd go for Donal Logue and I'm a straight male...

I have nothing against Donal Logue, but Declan Murphy?  Oh, yeah.  I disliked him from the get and he never did anything to make me change my mind.  In fact, the dislike only got worse.  Then there's Amaro.  I'm a straight female and DP is definitely my type, physically.  But Amaro?  Definitely another hard pass based on his personality and Stabler-lite anger issues.  And Dr. Al?  I dunno, for me, the cheating, and with sex workers at that, and immediately assuming she would get an abortion say all there needs to be said about him.

[GordonGartrelle]

20 hours ago, Fellaway said:

I have nothing against Donal Logue, but Declan Murphy?  Oh, yeah.  I disliked him from the get and he never did anything to make me change my mind.  In fact, the dislike only got worse.  Then there's Amaro.  I'm a straight female and DP is definitely my type, physically.  But Amaro?  Definitely another hard pass based on his personality and Stabler-lite anger issues.  And Dr. Al?  I dunno, for me, the cheating, and with sex workers at that, and immediately assuming she would get an abortion say all there needs to be said about him.

Fellaway, I feel like if we search deep enough we can go at this all day, LOL.  Lets not forget her sponsor who she was dating and was also was sleeping with another woman.  And hold up...................................didn't Amaro sleep with her sister?  Or was it just flirting?

I think Amanda's men problem comes from the fact that by meeting her mother, you can tell she was raised in a very damsel in distress household.  Amanda is trying to fight against that.

And speaking of Danny Pino, yes he is very good looking.  As a fan of the Shield and Cold Case, he should really do the 10 years challenge because he has not changed a bit, not even a different hair style.

[ChristiKRN]

The scene when Amaro/Danny came out of Rollins' bathroom in just a towel was somewhat wasted because the actors appeared awkward and didn't sell it.  I didn't like the relationship between Amaro and Rollins anyway but it was worth it for a glimpse of Danny in nothin' but a towel.  :)

Now that Gotham is over ( at least filming), I wonder if there are any talks to bring back Donal/Declan for an episode or short stint.  I know I have said it many times, but I hate that they made him Rollins' baby daddy #1 because it limits his role and just added to personal drama.   But it has been at least 3 years since he was last appeared, so that ship may have sailed.  

[GordonGartrelle]

14 minutes ago, ChristiKRN said:

The scene when Amaro/Danny came out of Rollins' bathroom in just a towel was somewhat wasted because the actors appeared awkward and didn't sell it.  I didn't like the relationship between Amaro and Rollins anyway but it was worth it for a glimpse of Danny in nothin' but a towel.  :)

Now that Gotham is over ( at least filming), I wonder if there are any talks to bring back Donal/Declan for an episode or short stint.  I know I have said it many times, but I hate that they made him Rollins' baby daddy #1 because it limits his role and just added to personal drama.   But it has been at least 3 years since he was last appeared, so that ship may have sailed.  

Has he at least been mentioned.  Or is it going on 3 years since he's seen Rollins and the baby?

[Xeliou66]

Murphy hasn’t even been mentioned since his appearance in Community Policing. I hated that they made him Rollins’ baby daddy as well because it limits his role to nothing more than personal drama, I wish he had become the squad leader on a permanent basis, he was really good in that role in season 15. 

[ChristiKRN]

Funny that we are having this conversation about Declan.  Donal just tweeted this evening:   "I would love to pay a visit to the @nbcsvu crew" in reply to someone asking him if he would come back.  I loved him as the squad leader also, so any future episodes limiting him to just Rollins and Jesse scenes or a scene checking in on Benson would be a major letdown.  Not that Donal wouldn't rock those scenes. :)

Anyway, here's to hoping that the 2 daughters in this episode are evil spawn and that there is less than 10 seconds spent on Rollins' birth and Dr. Al.  

[balmz]

this episode will be woe because we have to put up with a rollins plot :P

[CrystalBlue]

On 1/22/2019 at 2:52 PM, wknt3 said:

I'd also accept Al getting custody of the baby and leaving town. Maybe have her take leave and get therapy - basically hit the reset button again.
 

I don't know if I can agree entirely. I'd go for Donal Logue and I'm a straight male...

I'd definitely go for Donal Logue and I'm a straight female.  ;)  

[SarahPrtr]

On 1/24/2019 at 9:44 AM, GordonGartrelle said:

And speaking of Danny Pino, yes he is very good looking.  As a fan of the Shield and Cold Case, he should really do the 10 years challenge because he has not changed a bit, not even a different hair style.

Cold Case! Yes!!!  Glad to have found another fan :)

[Fellaway]

On 1/23/2019 at 5:44 PM, GordonGartrelle said:

Fellaway, I feel like if we search deep enough we can go at this all day, LOL.  Lets not forget her sponsor who she was dating and was also was sleeping with another woman.  And hold up...................................didn't Amaro sleep with her sister?  Or was it just flirting?

I think Amanda's healthiest "relationship" may have been with that bartender in West Virginia.  Fun, one and done.  I don't recall Amaro sleeping with Kim, but I could well be wrong on that.

I guess I'm at a table for one, but I definitely don't want Murphy back in any capacity.  Hate him as Jesse's father, hated him as squad leader.  I hope we are one and done with him, too.

[ChristiKRN]

5 hours ago, Fellaway said:

I think Amanda's healthiest "relationship" may have been with that bartender in West Virginia.  Fun, one and done.  I don't recall Amaro sleeping with Kim, but I could well be wrong on that.

I guess I'm at a table for one, but I definitely don't want Murphy back in any capacity.  Hate him as Jesse's father, hated him as squad leader.  I hope we are one and done with him, too.

Lol... that's not saying much about Rollins.  I don't think Amaro ever slept with Kim; he had dinner with her to get her to admit to her lies so Rollins would get off the hook only.  

Fellaway, we are all allowed to have our opinions.  It's all good - I just got done saying on another thread that I would like to see Stabler back one more time; I'm going to get crucified for that comment.  This is going to sound strange considering that I loved Murphy, but I don't want him to come back for cutesy moments with Jesse and Rollins. 

[Fellaway]

On 1/26/2019 at 7:25 PM, ChristiKRN said:

This is going to sound strange considering that I loved Murphy, but I don't want him to come back for cutesy moments with Jesse and Rollins. 

Could make for some interesting family dinners.  Rollins and Jesse and Frannie and the new kid and Dr. Al and Murphy...  I bet Murphy would hate Dr. Al.  Still don't wanna see it, though.  ::g::

[dttruman]

On 1/22/2019 at 5:15 PM, Fellaway said:

I'm all for Rollins/Al drama, if it's of the variety of her telling him to hit the road, never to be seen or heard from again.  Otherwise, I vote Hard Pass on any Rollins/Al story. 

 

On 1/22/2019 at 5:50 PM, ChristiKRN said:

You know as well as I do that Rollins giving birth is going to be prominently featured just like it was last time around. Dr. Al is first billed in the guest cast.  I might get a concussion from falling off my chair again if it was only briefly mentioned. 

What are the chances of him being in the delivery room? What are the chances of him being in the room next to the delivery room with a nurse?

[dttruman]

On 1/22/2019 at 1:51 PM, Xeliou66 said:

This could be interesting, I would like it if one or both of the daughters were evil perps that fooled Benson at first with their lies and it’s eventually revealed they are truly bad. However I have a feeling it will turn out that they are victims and St Olivia will come to their rescue.

This is the episode where Rollins will give birth, I hope it doesn’t take up too much time and I don’t want to have more Rollins/Al drama, but I have a feeling we will.

It could be one of those preferred scenarios for Benson, where she gets most of the minutes, to stand up for the abused victimized sisters. I got a feeling there will be a trial, Stone will be an adversary again, and Benson will be testifying again in a situation that is best suited for the shrink. I noticed Dr Lisa Abernathy wasn't listed in the credits, but maybe they have another replacing her.

Edited January 29, 2019 by dttruman

[dttruman]

On 1/26/2019 at 1:18 PM, Fellaway said:

I think Amanda's healthiest "relationship" may have been with that bartender in West Virginia.  Fun, one and done.  I don't recall Amaro sleeping with Kim, but I could well be wrong on that.

I don't think they will ever let her be happy, they will always make her a train wreck. What I don't understand is, she is one of the main characters. She is suppose to be likeable and since she is law enforcement, she should be responsible also. I know main characters are suppose to be a little flawed, but Holy Cow! I am trying to figure out which part of the audience she appeals to.

[UNOSEZ]

Assumimg something horrible happened to the little girls before they offed their dad Does anyone remember the last time the victims weren't white females?... This show is still in NYC right? 

[Fellaway]

17 hours ago, dttruman said:

What are the chances of him being in the room next to the delivery room with a nurse?

Hah!  Now that would be some entertaining Rollins/Dr. Al drama!  Honestly, I don't know what Rollins is on about with Dr. Al.  She's never seemed the forgiving or trusting sort to me.  Maybe it is all about what she implied in an earlier ep, about being tired and wanting to be taken care of, but that doesn't seem like Rollins either.  

16 hours ago, dttruman said:

It could be one of those preferred scenarios for Benson, where she gets most of the minutes, to stand up for the abused victimized sisters.

That's most likely, but count me amongst those hoping they're evil perps.  Maybe Benson thinks they're victims and defends them, but in a classic L&O twist, they were guilty of... whatever all along and Benson was wrong!  I miss the days when Benson could be wrong.

13 hours ago, dttruman said:

I don't think they will ever let her be happy, they will always make her a train wreck. What I don't understand is, she is one of the main characters. She is suppose to be likeable and since she is law enforcement, she should be responsible also. I know main characters are suppose to be a little flawed, but Holy Cow! I am trying to figure out which part of the audience she appeals to.

I always felt the same way about Stabler.  His issues should have had him off the force many times over, but he was a "hero" of the show.  I think he was the worst offender, but during the Cragen years, they played fast and loose with legalities a lot on that squad.  They got away from that during the Leight years, or, at least, the kind of fast and loose that had no repercussions, but they seem to be swinging back to a lot of old school SVU tactics in the Chernuchin regime.  They probably think they aren't crossing any lines, that it's all just good drama and Rollins is flawed, but still one of our "heroes."  Rollins has always danced on that line, but she crossed it for me last season when she hit a cuffed suspect, and it's just been downhill since.  

I am so hoping for better from Leight and Hate Crimes.  My only problem now is how to get Carisi over to that show...

[Fellaway]

9 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

Assumimg something horrible happened to the little girls before they offed their dad Does anyone remember the last time the victims weren't white females?... This show is still in NYC right? 

White females and usually privileged white females.  There have been a few, this season and last, that had non-white, non-female, non-privileged victims, but not many.  It certainly doesn't look like NYC.

[UNOSEZ]

7 hours ago, Fellaway said:

White females and usually privileged white females.  There have been a few, this season and last, that had non-white, non-female, non-privileged victims, but not many.  It certainly doesn't look like NYC.

I really don't remember any this season.. I'll have to look on Hulu and skim the current season... I agreed with your earlier point about stabler getting away with so much... In the early days he was my least fav character... But at least back then we had a team of ppl doing work... A real shrink... An M.E doing medical stuff.. Techs with all sorts of specialized skills.. D.A's  who didn't just do whatever the team (Benson)  wanted...  detectives with different opinions and a more realistic NYC... Now the show is aggrieved white women.. And the horrible (and usually wealthy)  white men who hurt them... Maybe their precinct got smaller and only covers the richest part of Manhattan.... I can't imagine the powers that be, the execs and the long-running talent don't notice the change... So unfortunately this must be on purpose 

[dttruman]

10 hours ago, Fellaway said:

That's most likely, but count me amongst those hoping they're evil perps.  Maybe Benson thinks they're victims and defends them, but in a classic L&O twist, they were guilty of... whatever all along and Benson was wrong!  I miss the days when Benson could be wrong.

Would SVU do two episodes in a row where the man (husband or father) of the family would abuse or sexually abuse the females in a family?

In this episode the question is raised if the daughters were abused and killed their father.

I jumped ahead and found this about the next episode called "Part 33" from the "All things Law and Order" site.
"As Stone (Philip Winchester) prosecutes the case of a woman who killed her abusive husband, Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and her squad wrestle with the duty of testifying against her".

I don't think they would do two in a row, so I'm leaning your way and thinking these two girls are evil perps.

[illdoc]

2 hours ago, dttruman said:

I jumped ahead and found this about the next episode called "Part 33" from the "All things Law and Order" site.
"As Stone (Philip Winchester) prosecutes the case of a woman who killed her abusive husband, Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and her squad wrestle with the duty of testifying against her".

Incidentally, that woman is white (imdb on the guest stars you named in the other thread). I think the closest thing we've gotten to "a person of color" this season is the Hispanic girl from "Zero Tolerance".

[Fellaway]

22 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

I really don't remember any this season.. I'll have to look on Hulu and skim the current season...

Yeah, there was at least one boy victim, at the beginning of the season, but he was white and privileged.  Otherwise, I only remember the little girl in Zero Tolerance, as illdoc mentioned.  I don't get it.  Are they that blind to what they're doing there, whether intentional or not?

[MrsRafaelBarba]

I am cackling right now!!!!!

[dttruman]

Just now, MrsRafaelBarba said:

I am cackling right now!!!!!

It looks like they are putting a lot more drama into Rollins' delivery than what I expected.

[Fellaway]

I'm just gonna say it again, Show.  Carisi is a lawyer.  Not to disparage Fin's abilities (and it certainly doesn't take a lawyer to find such an amateur time spelling mistake), but wouldn't it have been better to have the lawyer on the squad do the line-by-line read of the guardianship paperwork?

Tired of the show trying to erase that part of Carisi's characterization.  It's about all he has these days.

So far, the ep is twisty, but predictably twisty.  And these felons are certainly not a brain trust.

[dttruman]

Glad to see Fin getting more of an active part in the first half of this,

[MrsRafaelBarba]

9 minutes ago, dttruman said:

It looks like they are putting a lot more drama into Rollins' delivery than what I expected.

It's become a soap opera.

[dttruman]

Is it me or is Benson starting to resemble Cragen in her behavior now?

I should have clarified this better. She only did it for a couple of seconds.

Edited February 4, 2019 by dttruman

[Fellaway]

2 minutes ago, dttruman said:

Glad to see Fin getting more of an active part in the first half of this,

I did like when he and Carisi were checking out the breaking in scenario and their alternating "Crap"s.  Hee!  They really are a dream team.  Rollins and Benson, not so much.  I'll be glad when Amanda has the baby, if only for the sake of shaking things up when the squad interviews victims.

Glad Rollins turned down Dr. Al, but!  That whole storyline turned out to be a whole lot of nothing, if that's the end of it.  Maybe Dr. Al is gonna sue for custody?

Greg's girlfriend?  You are all kinds of stupid.

[dttruman]

5 minutes ago, Fellaway said:

Maybe Dr. Al is gonna sue for custody?

They will, when they want to soap it up a lot.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Al took the rejection quite well, think this is the calm before the storm.

[dttruman]

Overall, not bad at all. Given the time they were allowed for the investigation, I thought they did a decent job. Twisty, but not too twisty. I am still not getting a good vibe between Rollins and Carisi.

[ChristiKRN]

Oh my... not a shocker to see the girls portrayed as victims.  Something that was a little unclear to me was if the younger daughter coaxed the older girl into killing the dad besides just telling her lies.  If she did, then she should have been held more accountable.  She is old enough to know right from wrong. 

Loved Carisi and fin again, especially the back and forth between them when they realized the story wasn’t adding up.

Too much time spent on Rollins, baby daddy drama, and her labor. Wouldn’t be surprised if dr. Al sues for custody based on her history and amount of time she spends at the job rather than home.  

[Fellaway]

It was an okay ep.  Twisty, yet predictable.  Lighter on the Rollins drama than I'd been expecting, thankfully.  A better spread of Carisi and Fin throughout, which is always welcome.  (Maybe they're getting a clue we like Carisi and Fin?)  A nice "family" moment at the end, with a noticeable and welcome absence of Dr. Al.  I figured he was doomed when Rollins apparently didn't even call him when she thought she was in labor the first time.

As to the case, I thought justice was well-served with Greg, and I'm fine with the way they dealt with the older sister.  The younger sister?  I dunno.  Romeo and Juliet delusions are one thing and she was obviously abused by Greg.  That's one thing.  Conspiring with him to get her sister to kill their father by saying he was raping her, then not having any guilt or remorse afterwards are quite another.  Maybe it stemmed from the abuse, but... I wouldn't take that for granted.  I hope her counselors look closely for any -opathies that may have preceded her abuse.

[Xeliou66]

This was a good episode. Some nice twists and detective work, good use of all the characters, and not too much soap surrounding Rollins giving birth. 

I liked how the cased was twisted and it wasn’t immediately obvious, the dynamic duo of Fin and Carisi were awesome once again, Stone was good, and Benson wasn’t irritating. 

I did think that the girls got off slightly easier than they should have, especially Laura. Brittany believed that her dad was raping her sister so I can understand not putting her in juvenile detention due to the mitigating factor, but Laura’s lies resulted in the murder so I think she should’ve spent some time locked up even though Greg was the one who was manipulating her. 

We saw an ME!!!! That thrilled me given that we have so few recurring characters and we rarely see the ME even when we should, it was awesome to see them actually go to the morgue and talk to the ME.

I’m hoping this is the last we see of Dr Al, but I’m afraid it won’t be, he may sue for custody or harass Rollins. 

No demon brat was nice.

[ChristiKRN]

20 minutes ago, Xeliou66 said:

This was a good episode. Some nice twists and detective work, good use of all the characters, and not too much soap surrounding Rollins giving birth. 

I liked how the cased was twisted and it wasn’t immediately obvious, the dynamic duo of Fin and Carisi were awesome once again, Stone was good, and Benson wasn’t irritating. 

I did think that the girls got off slightly easier than they should have, especially Laura. Brittany believed that her dad was raping her sister so I can understand not putting her in juvenile detention due to the mitigating factor, but Laura’s lies resulted in the murder so I think she should’ve spent some time locked up even though Greg was the one who was manipulating her. 

We saw an ME!!!! That thrilled me given that we have so few recurring characters and we rarely see the ME even when we should, it was awesome to see them actually go to the morgue and talk to the ME.

I’m hoping this is the last we see of Dr Al, but I’m afraid it won’t be, he may sue for custody or harass Rollins. 

No demon brat was nice.

How awesome would it have been if the ME was Warner?  They would have benefited from a Dr. Huang visit tonight also. They desperately need a supporting cast.

The biggest twist was the older sister not realizing that she had been played by her sister. I do agree that the younger sister should have been held more accountable.  I wish they had a scene between the sisters after all was revealed.

Dr. Al had a weird expression on his face when Rollins ended things with him then it was like someone flicked a switch when he turned back around to her.  It’s not the end of dr. Al.  I have a feeling that it is setting up a “Rollisi” story arc. That would make me sick.

Edited February 1, 2019 by ChristiKRN

[tennisgurl]

Am I a horrible person that, when Liv was telling Brittany that none of this was her or her sisters fault, I was kind of like "well...there is some fault to go around here..." because Brittany did murder her father based on nothing but what her sister said, and her sister did apparently manipulate her sister into brutally murdering their father so she could be with her boyfriend, apparently without remorse. Yeah, Brittany thought her sister was being abused and clearly has a temper (given how she got all stabby with the creepy neighbor) and Laura was being groomed and abused by a predator at a young age, but its not like they did nothing at all here. I can especially feel for Brittany, but if the implications are that Laura deliberately manipulated her sister into killing their father so she could be with her boyfriend, and she was apparently fine with all of that, thats pretty damn cold. Romeo and Juliet disillusions notwithstanding, she got off super easy. But pretty white girls must now be victims always!

That all being said, the main person at fault was clearly creepy neighbor guy. I knew as soon as he showed up that he was evil, because the father being sexually abusive seemed too obvious, but some white guy had to be the villain, so this guy will do. The actor was good at being nice in some scenes, and switching to creepy really quickly. That girlfriend was all kinda of dumb! Kinda of cracked up at the judgmental looks Carisi and Fin kept shooting her. And the case was pretty good, if somewhat predictable. 

Not too much drama with Rollins and her baby, but while the baby daddy might have been nice about things now, I am waiting for him to try and take the baby or start being a stalker or something or a deadbeat dad. cant avoid that yummy personal drama! The end with everyone was nice though. And I love Carisi and Fin as a team so much.

Edited February 1, 2019 by tennisgurl

[CrystalBlue]

So the girls' father was innocent and he never abused or had sexual contact with the daughter(s), right?  I think the girls got off very easy.  Mandatory counselling.  Well, they both have a screw loose and need it.  At least they have Greg behind bars for a long time.

I said Amanda's line out loud right before she said it:  "I don't love you."  She's living with Al after having moved her daughter Jesse in with her, right?  I guess Amanda will be apartment hunting now.  I noticed she was wearing the engagement ring.  I hope she gives it back and moves on.

Fin and Carisi were great as a team.

[The Wild Sow]

5 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Am I a horrible person that, when Liv was telling Brittany that none of this was her or her sisters fault, I was kind of like "well...there is some fault to go around here..."

Oh, I'll just be horrible with you, because when Liv said, "...and it's not Laura's fault either....." I was screaming, "YES IT WAS!"

 

Did Britney stab Greg with a butter knife?  

[wknt3]

The Good:
Fin & Carisi. I know I say this every week, but they are the only part of this show that seems to be firing on all cylinders every week. Whenever they are screen together working a case it feels like old school SVU and part of the  Law & Order universe and sadly that just isn't true for the other parts of the show.
Solid acting from the guest cast. Especially the sisters who did a better job of subtlety and nuance than some of their older counterparts.
A solid case that kept me interested throughout.
Stone - not a ton of him this week, but he was acting like an ADA should, making the legal decisions and telling Benson afterwards instead of her telling him what to do.
We got to see the squad consulting an outside expert! Nice to see that they still have ME's. Next step show - let's bring back CSU. Or at least remember they exist. For instance if you had a line from the initial detective about how they were still waiting on CSU for whatever reason you want to come up with it would make sense for Fin and Carisi to be the ones to realize that the girls story doesn't make sense when they come back after the credits.
Rollins baby drama wasn't nearly as bad as I expected/feared. Even the whole squad as family scene at the end was actually decent. I'd be willing to move from partial to full credit on this point if they are actually getting rid of Dr. Al and not setting up more relationship drama for Rollins.
The preview at the end. Stone telling Liv to keep her agenda out of the courtroom made me so happy. Even though I'm fully expecting that this is the NBC promo monkeys lying to us again and that Benson will win in the end them being willing to actually put this on film gives me more hope that they might actually try to fix what is fundamentally broken than I've had in a long time.

The Bad:
They really should have made the father more messed up. It would have made everything more believable if he was more neglectful and dysfunctional. The daughters would have been more vulnerable, it would have made the probation and counseling for both the girls feel like less of a copout, made the squad look better accepting the story at first, etc.
They really should retire the sting that goes sideways, but still ends up OK. At this point it's almost as ridiculous as the hostage situations. At least Fin could see what was coming.
Whispering constipated Benson and yet another episode where only the women are capable of empathizing with and talking to the victims. I know that there are practical reasons for this, but Rollins has her subplots so maybe let Carisi handle an interview? Or give us a recurring newbie detective?

Overall this was quite good. A solid B+ that took a good idea and (mostly) realized the potential. I hope they can keep this up and maybe even build on it, especially the way they actually had a fairly significant soapy subplot, but kept in the background and focused on the COTW instead.

[dttruman]

37 minutes ago, The Wild Sow said:

6 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Am I a horrible person that, when Liv was telling Brittany that none of this was her or her sisters fault, I was kind of like "well...there is some fault to go around here..."

Oh, I'll just be horrible with you, because when Liv said, "...and it's not Laura's fault either....." I was screaming, "YES IT WAS!"

 

Did Britney stab Greg with a butter knife?  

Benson has become too much of a victims advocate and it's interfering with her job performance.

14 minutes ago, wknt3 said:

They really should retire the sting that goes sideways, but still ends up OK. At this point it's almost as ridiculous as the hostage situations. At least Fin could see what was coming.

I almost want to blame Benson for that attack in the diner. She knew what Brittany was capable of doing, and yet she let her continue "off script" and she was getting angrier and angrier. I am surprised Benson didn't quote herself to Fin (from Remember Me), where victims are entitled to get revenge.

Edited February 1, 2019 by dttruman

[dttruman]

28 minutes ago, wknt3 said:

Solid acting from the guest cast. Especially the sisters who did a better job of subtlety and nuance than some of their older counterparts.
A solid case that kept me interested throughout.

Agreed!

[Gigi43]

I liked the older sister went off script when confronting Greg. We usually get people just following a Benson script. So she honestly thought the father was abusing her sister but did the sister know anything about Greg's plan? I missed some of it.

 

Glad there wasn't another drama scare labor with Rollins. Also love she always mentions Frannie in her family, as she should.

 

So if the preview for next week isn't misleading and that Stone/Benson scene actually plays out with Stone finding a backbone,  I may just want to write a love letter to a factional character!

[milner]

Please refresh my memory. Who is Frannie.   Her sister?