S20.E23: Assumptions

[dttruman]

Episode description from Googling "Law and Order SVU season 20 episode 23, Assumptions"

The SVU searches for two suspects that were spotted fleeing the scene after a Muslim woman was assaulted inside a synagogue; Benson is dismayed to find that Rob Miller is out on bail.

This description is from "All Things Law and Order, Assumptions"

The SVU searches for two suspects spotted fleeing the scene after a Muslim woman is assaulted inside a synagogue. Meanwhile, Benson (Mariska Hargitay) is dismayed to find Rob Miller (guest star Titus Welliver) out on bail. Also starring Ice T, Kelli Giddish, Peter Scanavino and Philip Winchester. Also guest starring Peter Gallagher (Chief Dodds), Richard Kind (William Biegel), Nazneen Contractor (Nahla Nasar), Ted Sutherland (Ari Kaplan), Elise Hudson (Aida Galanis), Hadi Tabbal (Masud Faraj) and Bob Ari (Ezra Zuckerman).

[dttruman]

This has me wondering already when it comes to the title of the episode and it's description concerning Benson. Why is Benson so dismayed, when a suspected rapist is released on bond? Unless this Rob Miller threatened to kill the rape victim, why isn't he entitled to post bail? Does Benson now "assume" all rape suspects are not entitled to bail? I know it may seem unjust that a rape suspect (even if he is obviously guilty) is allowed out, but that's what the bail hearing is for and the astronomical amount that could be set for the defendant. Hasn't Benson seen this time and time again?

Will this episode be more about Benson's assumption of guilt concerning suspects or will it concentrate more on the investigation and the assumptions made concerning the already present tensions between Jews and Muslims?

[Fellaway]

It's kind of amazing that Rob Miller is still just out on bail, as fast as cases usually (and unrealistically) go to trial on this show.  It's also kind of amazing that they thought he was an interesting enough felon to bring him back to end the season with some patented Benson drama.  Hopefully the writing for these last two eps will be better than his previous ep.

15 hours ago, dttruman said:

Why is Benson so dismayed, when a suspected rapist is released on bond? Unless this Rob Miller threatened to kill the rape victim, why isn't he entitled to post bail? Does Benson now "assume" all rape suspects are not entitled to bail? I know it may seem unjust that a rape suspect (even if he is obviously guilty) is allowed out, but that's what the bail hearing is for and the astronomical amount that could be set for the defendant. Hasn't Benson seen this time and time again?

Sadly, it's in line with her being aghast that a mother could kill her child or that a child could kill her parent, and that all victims are 100% right and all suspects should go directly to jail for the rest of their lives.  It's like the woman hasn't been doing this job for 20-some years.  I'd suggest she's had one head injury too many over the years, but, unfortunately, it's just really bad writing.

Edited May 8, 2019 by Fellaway

[dttruman]

7 hours ago, Fellaway said:

Sadly, it's in line with her being aghast that a mother could kill her child or that a child could kill her parent, and that all victims are 100% right and all suspects should go directly to jail for the rest of their lives.  It's like the woman hasn't been doing this job for 20-some years.  I'd suggest she's had one head injury too many over the years, but, unfortunately, it's just really bad writing.

I have to think there is more to this story than what they mentioned in these previews. But yes, considering Benson attitude and less than objective investigating abilities of late, I believe we are justified in our preliminary assessments.

Since they aren't bringing Nikki Staines (Callie Thorne) back so Rob Miller can get back at her, it looks like Benson will be his main focus of revenge. So expect a double dose of Benson misery for the next two episodes.

Edited May 8, 2019 by dttruman

[auchic]

56 minutes ago, dttruman said:

So expect a double dose of Benson misery for the next two episodes.

 

[Fellaway]

17 hours ago, dttruman said:

Since they aren't bringing Nikki Staines (Callie Thorne) back so Rob Miller can get back at her, it looks like Benson will be his main focus of revenge. So expect a double dose of Benson misery for the next two episodes.

Ugh.  I think that says all we need to know about what's gone wrong with this show the last few years:  Nikki Staines' rape becomes all about Benson.

Prove me wrong, Show!

[dttruman]

Super bad omen to start it off, Noah makes an appearance.

Is it me or is Carisi being a little more forceful than he usually is during an investigation, when tracking down the two boys?

Edited May 10, 2019 by dttruman

[Gigglepuff]

Hmmm....MAGA hat is making me think of the Jussie Smollet case...

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Where is Stone? 

[MrsRafaelBarba]

4 minutes ago, Gigglepuff said:

Hmmm....MAGA hat is making me think of the Jussie Smollet case...

Looks like they're going that route. 

[Gigglepuff]

So far, it's seeming like a Jussie/Covington Catholic mashup. 

[MrsRafaelBarba]

She said All About the Benjamins 

Oh and she's a lesbian.

[Gigi43]

12 minutes ago, Gigglepuff said:

Hmmm....MAGA hat is making me think of the Jussie Smollet case...

I think they're doing Covington Catholic and Jussie in one case.

I also wonder if maybe this was in mind when they were still thinking of doing a Hate Crimes spin-off. It would fit and one episode this year was suppose to introduce it right? This Rob Miller reappearance could be our punishment it didn't happen. 

[dttruman]

26 minutes ago, Gigglepuff said:

Hmmm....MAGA hat is making me think of the Jussie Smollet case...

15 minutes ago, Gigglepuff said:

So far, it's seeming like a Jussie/Covington Catholic mashup. 

12 minutes ago, MrsRafaelBarba said:

Oh and she's a lesbian.

Did they miss anything?

[Gigglepuff]

Just now, dttruman said:

Did they miss anything?

It's like playing Bingo! 

[dttruman]

Oh my god, I can't  believe Stone had Nahla Nasar testify with that kind of testimony! He 's lucky he got the ex on the stand.

Edited May 10, 2019 by dttruman

[Gigglepuff]

"You were raped." 

We definitely have Bingo now. 

[MrsRafaelBarba]

This episode is a pot luck stew.

[Gigglepuff]

Just now, MrsRafaelBarba said:

This episode is a pot luck stew.

Yep, and now with a dash of Sharia Law on the side. 

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Titus Welliver lurking like a Dentist with the Ether.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Stone's  final episode will be all about Benson.

:BARF:

[Gigi43]

Did Nahla get hit with a pebble?! Because Sharia wasn't mentioned enough they had to add in a weak stoning?! Good greif the writers were drunker than usual for this one. What didn't they shove down our throats this episode? 

Two doses of Noah is also unforgivable. 

Edited May 10, 2019 by Gigi43

[MrsRafaelBarba]

2 minutes ago, Gigi43 said:

Did Nahla get hit with a pebble?! Because Sharia wasn't mentioned enough they had to add in a weak stoning?! Good greif the writers were drunker than usual for this one. What didn't they shove down our throats this episode? 

Two doses of Noah is also unforgivable. 

It happened so fast.

What a hot mess this episode was.

[dttruman]

They meshed a lot together for this one, but it wasn't all that bad. The only deficiency was some of the unrealistic situations or circumstances that occurred.

Nahla Nasar's secret life that she guarded so close, but trusted a whole lot of bar patrons to keep that secret.

Stone having Nahla testifying that Masud Faraj was the one who sexually assaulted her by the way he grabbed her hair even though she never saw his face.

Why did defense counsel let Masud testify, she already proved that Nahla was a liar by the hoax she perpetrated.

Oh and Benson did her "Over-the-top" victim support shtick again

So unbelievable!

Edited May 10, 2019 by dttruman

[The Wild Sow]

On 5/7/2019 at 10:17 PM, Fellaway said:

.  It's also kind of amazing that they thought he was an interesting enough felon to bring him back to end the season with some patented Benson drama.  

Yeah, well, they would be wrong about that!

I had to look back over this season’s earlier episodes just to remember who the heck Rob Miller was!

[Xeliou66]

I thought this episode was surprisingly decent as I’m usually very wary of political themed episodes, but this one surprisingly wasn’t very heavy handed.

All of the characters were used nicely and had good moments, Carisi and Fin were good as always, Rollins wasn’t irritating, Stone was probably the best he’s been all season tonight, the St Olivia stuff was kept to a minimum for the most part, and it’s always a pleasure to see Dodds.

There was a good investigation plus good courtroom scenes, I liked that there was actual suspense as to who did it and it required a lengthy investigation and it was nice to see the inside of a courtroom again, Stone was great and this was a reminder of how I will miss him when he’s gone after next week, he hasn’t been used that well this season and but he was great tonight. Plus it was nice to see a familiar face as the judge. 

The political stuff wasn’t that terrible, it was somewhat cliched and it was a definite mash up of Jussie Smollett, Covington Catholic and the victim being based on Ilhan Omar. But they handled the political stuff okay, not great but okay, which is better than I normally say about SVU. 

I really liked Fin’s lines about free speech, he’s awesome and always the voice of reason.

On the negative side:

2 scenes of the Demon Brat, which always detracts from the episode, and it’s setting up a season finale to be all about an “it’s personal” case for St Olivia, which I’m dreading already. I don’t find Rob Miller all that compelling anyway. 

I really could’ve done without the 2 St Olivia speeches to the victim, those scenes are always brutal, at least they were fairly brief.

As I said above, the political stuff was somewhat cliched, clunky and stereotypical. At least it wasn’t as heavy handed as SVU political episodes usually are.

This was a good episode overall, I was surprised that I came away actually liking the episode. There was a good use of every character, good investigation plus trial and the storyline was decent, albeit somewhat cliched. Noah plus the obligatory St Olivia sermons to the victim detracted from the episode though.

Edited May 17, 2019 by Xeliou66

[wknt3]

The Good:
Fin. Awesome as usual, bringing desperately needed logic and snark. Although we could have used a little more snark, he made up for it with extra professionalism and unflappablity.
Carisi. It was a good week for the show's other actual elite detective this week. I like that we got to see him working with everyone this week. It's nice to see that the chemistry with Rollins is still there and I hope that they go back to it when WL comes back (as long as they keep the Fin & Carisi scenes as well!)
Fin and Carisi. Even though I've already praised them individually the SVU dynamic duo deserves its own mention as well. Whenever they are on screen, investigating a case it feels like "real" SVU and the L&Overse and it's something I can enjoy without remorse or irony. The scene in the lesbian bar was worth the price of admission.
Rollins. Not that she was great or anything, I was just happy that they didn't have her go all Fox News just to artificially create tension and drama.
Stone. Solid courtroom scenes, and well used throughout.
Dodds. Always good to see him and it was nice having someone there in the "politicaally savvy CO" role for Benson to play off of. Too bad we don't have that full time. I hope that Eyebrows of Justice are not another cost cutting casualty next season!
The case. It could have been a disaster, but instead it was actually interesting and pretty well handled. I wish that it could be expanded without all of the setup for Benson vs. the Big Bad.

The Bad:
Benoah. Especially the scene at the end. Just a thought, if you're at the center of one of the most emotionally charged cases ever in NYC and a dangerous individual who has come after your family is released from jail, maybe you shouldn't sit in the middle of a crowded restaurant with your back to the door?
Benson Stuff. All the usual. Another thought - the one thing that the Zionist Jewish and Sharia observing Muslim communities can agree on is idolatry is a sin and we shouldn't follow false prophets.
Rob Miller. This show has never done supervillains well. And this is no exception.
Not looking forward to next episode.

Overall this was a surprisingly good episode that demonstrates once again that it could be a really good show pretty easily if Mariska could get over herself. Maybe next week will be a pleasant surprise as well? Probably not, but we can always hope right?

Edited May 10, 2019 by wknt3
fixed typos and cleaned up phrasing

[preeya]

Two things I got from this mess:

1. Noah can spell b.e.l.i.e.v.e. BUT his guardian angel said he should "sound it out" therefore he should have said b.e.l.e.e.v.e. (beleeve).

2. Noah only eats restaurant spaghetti.

[dttruman]

4 hours ago, wknt3 said:

Dodds. Always good to see him and it was nice having someone there in the "politicaally savvy CO" role for Benson to play off of. Too bad we don't have that full time.

I wish they had spelled out the complete meaning of the "Memo". Right now it's still up in the air and they can twist it any direction they want to fit whatever agenda they decide on.

[gesundheit]

Can someone remind me of the Rob Miller case? I know I saw it but I'm blanking on details.

This was okay. There was an actual mystery to be solved, complete with twists. I did think they went overboard by basically making the victim actually anti-semitic instead of just opposed to Israeli policy, they sure seemed to be taking a side on Ilhan Omar with that. Yikes.

Meow Mix 2.0. Ha. First of all, I wish! Meow Mix was great! But it cracked me up that they went into the bar and had the ominous closeup on the women's embrace and then had Carisi and Finn all "oooooo lesbians" like it was 1991 or something. (Same with the idea that a Muslim councilwoman could hang out in there and it'd be their little secret. Gay bars aren't private places behind unmarked doors anymore, SVU writers room! Anyone can go there! Good grief. That shit would be all over Twitter and Instagram.)

That poor defense attorney having to actually give a "he didn't rape her!" closing argument after his ridiculous outburst on the stand about how he should have killed her.

Edited May 10, 2019 by gesundheit

[dttruman]

58 minutes ago, gesundheit said:

Can someone remind me of the Rob Miller case? I know I saw it but I'm blanking on details.

Rob Miller is that high powered attorney who gave another lawyer some (GHB or something) and raped her. The episode was "Blackout".

1 hour ago, gesundheit said:

Meow Mix 2.0. Ha. First of all, I wish! Meow Mix was great! But it cracked me up that they went into the bar and had the ominous closeup on the women's embrace and then had Carisi and Finn all "oooooo lesbians" like it was 1991 or something. (Same with the idea that a Muslim councilwoman could hang out in there and it'd be their little secret. Gay bars aren't private places behind unmarked doors anymore, SVU writers room! Anyone can go there! Good grief. That shit would be all over Twitter and Instagram.)

It's funny how the writers expect us to believe that a bar room full of Lesbians are so dedicated to Nahla Nasar, they would keep her secret.

1 hour ago, gesundheit said:

That poor defense attorney having to actually give a "he didn't rape her!" closing argument after his ridiculous outburst on the stand about how he should have killed her.

Was Stone more ridiculous,  when he let Nahla admit she couldn't see who raped her, but she could tell by the way the person pulled her hair? Wow, that is rock solid eye-witness evidence? Or was letting her client testify, just after proving Nahla is untrustworthy because of that hoax? I believe these writers have some swampland they want to sell us also

[preeya]

2 hours ago, dttruman said:

Was Stone more ridiculous,  when he let Nahla admit she couldn't see who raped her, but she could tell by the way the person pulled her hair? Wow, that is rock solid eye-witness evidence?

I was thinking at the time, that she was going to describe his "tool of the trade" to ID him.

[preeya]

3 hours ago, gesundheit said:

Can someone remind me of the Rob Miller case? I know I saw it but I'm blanking on details.

Summary for S20.E18 "Blackout" read like this: When defense attorney Nikki Staines is raped after a police charity event, Benson reluctantly looks to her own for a suspect.

[Ms Blue Jay]

It's crazy how I don't remember the second half, and Titus's role, in this episode at all:

https://allthingslawandorder.blogspot.com/2019/03/law-order-svu-blackout-recap-review.html

[gesundheit]

14 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

It's crazy how I don't remember the second half, and Titus's role, in this episode at all:

https://allthingslawandorder.blogspot.com/2019/03/law-order-svu-blackout-recap-review.html

Yeah, that barely jogs my memory. Must've been one of those episodes I had on in the background while getting dressed or doing dishes or something. Guess it's time for a rewatch!

[preeya]

5 hours ago, dttruman said:

I wish they had spelled out the complete meaning of the "Memo". Right now it's still up in the air and they can twist it any direction they want to fit whatever agenda they decide on. 

Found this re: The Memo

We finally get some closure on a memo from Chief Dodds that Fin used as a bargaining chip to help Benson in the episode "Flight Risk" (season 19). I believe that Fin also may have used this same memo to stay at SVU in his new job as Sergeant. We still don’t know the contents of the memo, but it seems to confirm the assumption that it involved the questioning of Benson’s fitness as the head of SVU. Now that Dodds knows that Benson is aware of this memo, its powers may be diminished. But Benson must be concerned that the contents are still damaging as she questions whether she should be worried about her job.

I have no idea what it means.

[dttruman]

2 hours ago, preeya said:

I was thinking at the time, that she was going to describe his "tool of the trade" to ID him.

But the way she describe the hair pulling, it sounded so generic, and that anybody right handed could be accused of that rape. Now if she would have said something like, it felt as if he was braiding her hair or something more complex or unique, I would say she has more credibility.

Edited May 10, 2019 by dttruman

[txhorns79]

22 hours ago, dttruman said:

Nahla Nasar's secret life that she guarded so close, but trusted a whole lot of bar patrons to keep that secret.

This made me laugh.  She's very public about that huge secret that she thought could destroy her career and family life.  Are we supposed to believe that no patron in the place took a picture of the high profile, very controversial councilwoman hanging out without her hijab on?

[shapeshifter]

On 5/9/2019 at 9:32 PM, MrsRafaelBarba said:

She said All About the Benjamins 

Oh and she's a lesbian.

*rolling eyes* (in agreement)

On 5/9/2019 at 10:39 PM, Xeliou66 said:

2 scenes of the Demon Brat, which always detracts from the episode

I actually like the young actor. The writing for him, not so much.

The edited and unedited versions of the video of Nahla's confrontation with the teens were not different enough. 
Olivia's unmitigated support for Nahla at the end was the frosting on the cake of this episode's offensiveness to me.

[Xeliou66]

54 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

*rolling eyes* (in agreement)

I actually like the young actor. The writing for him, not so much.

The edited and unedited versions of the video of Nahla's confrontation with the teens were not different enough. 
Olivia's unmitigated support for Nahla at the end was the frosting on the cake of this episode's offensiveness to me.

What I found somewhat offensive about the episode was how they seemed to make the councilwoman explicitly anti Semitic at least at the start, it seemed like the writers were trying to directly condemn Ilhan Omar by having this character pick a fight with the teens and say things about “those people”. I’m honestly somewhat surprised they took on the issue at all given how controversial anything related to Israel/Palestine is, and I wonder if the network demanded the writers slant things to condemn the anti Israel character. 

But overall I thought the episode handled political stuff better than the show normally does (that’s not saying much though) and I did like the episode, I thought the case was compelling and all of the characters were used very well. 

[dttruman]

17 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

What I found somewhat offensive about the episode was how they seemed to make the councilwoman explicitly anti Semitic at least at the start, it seemed like the writers were trying to directly condemn Ilhan Omar by having this character pick a fight with the teens and say things about “those people”. I’m honestly somewhat surprised they took on the issue at all given how controversial anything related to Israel/Palestine is, and I wonder if the network demanded the writers slant things to condemn the anti Israel character. 

Do you think they were trying to portray her as sort of  "renegade" or progressive type Muslim? I'll tell you one thing, those teen boys (or characters) didn't exactly help the Jewish cause either. The extremists from both sides were spotlighted, like they did in that one episode of a "Ann Coulter" type getting raped during a riot. Here, the moderate Jews and the moderate Muslims were conveniently left out.

Another thing that they left out was the consequences Nahla should have faced for the "set up" or  hoax confrontation with the teens.

I was also surprised Benson didn't have the teens arrested in the beginning, when they were talking about how much evidence they had against them. It was mentioned that they had opportunity and motive, and that is more than what Benson had on Stone when she arrested him for rape.

Edited May 12, 2019 by dttruman

[tennisgurl]

They were just throwing everything into this episode! Jussie Smollett, Covington Catholic and Ilhan Omar, all of which turned out to be basically a red hearing for the actual crime, that was a Sharia law style honor attack by her evil ex husband. I mean, all the rest of it was basically just window dressing for the actual crime, which is actually pretty classic SVU, so I cant complain too much. I felt uncomfortable by them actually making the IIhan Omar stand in a full on anti Semite and not just critical of Israel in the conflict with Palestine, as well as having most of the Jewish characters we met being full on Islamophobic. Yeah there are certainly factions in both groups that are both of those things, but also plenty that are not, and it all came off as "yeah all these minority groups are just as full on racist and hate filled as anyone else" and that isnt exactly something I really want to see on television, especially because, again, it was all pretty much a red herring. That all being said, I did still like the episode more than the last batch of episodes, and at least its different than the never ending deluge of "pretty rich white woman victim, evil rich white guy in a suit rapist" that we`ve been stuck with almost all season, and it did have some decent twists and turns that kept me guessing, which is certainly a step up than the last few episodes. 

Olivia still did her stupid victim voice again, but at least Fin and Carisi got some good screen time and got in some funny banter and some actual logic into the case, which is so often lacking in this show when St. Olivia is in charge. And I like having Dodds around to deal with the political ramifications of everything going on, and his increasing frustration over this clusterfuck of a case, and trying to get the NYPD out of it in one piece. "Why couldn't it just be some alt right thugs?!"

The whole thing about the councilwoman being in some secret double life lesbian bar was ridiculous, what is this, 1956? Are lesbian bars super secret underground bars where everyone in there is sworn to secrecy to keep everyone in the closet and hate having cops around scaring their clients off because...being gay is illegal in New York now? No way would this have not gotten out by now, that shit would have been all over Twitter in about three seconds, even if she was just in he background of a selfie someone took and posted onto their Instagram! She didnt even bother to put on Superman glasses or anything to hise her secret identity!

That poor defense attorney still having to try and say her client might be innocent and people are making assumptions after her client...after he was just frothing at the mouth screaming about how he should have killed her for being gay. She actually did all that with a straight face! It was nice when she found out her parents still accepted her though, even if some dick with some pebbles was conveniently there to start tossing stones at her.

Does this show really need another super villain? And this guy, really? Is he that different than any of the other evil rapist white guys in suites we`ve had this season?

Edited May 13, 2019 by tennisgurl

[tvfanatic13]

My cousin played the tabloid owner eating the banana. I didn’t know he was going to be on it so I was pleasantly surprised to see him on my favorite show. 

[dttruman]

11 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

That poor defense attorney still having to try and say her client might be innocent and people are making assumptions after her client...after he was just frothing at the mouth screaming about how he should have killed her for being gay. She actually did all that with a straight face! It was nice when she found out her parents still accepted her though, even if some dick with some pebbles was conveniently there to start tossing stones at her.

That courtroom outburst was "pure Perry Mason", where he confessed everything. I thought they should have given a little more attention to her parents, to show how moderate Muslims react, but they chose to give it to that jerk with the rocks.

5 minutes ago, tvfanatic13 said:

My cousin played the tabloid owner eating the banana. I didn’t know he was going to be on it so I was pleasantly surprised to see him on my favorite show. 

Did he have to stay quiet about his appearance and the plot (and outcome) too?

[tvfanatic13]

1 hour ago, dttruman said:

That courtroom outburst was "pure Perry Mason", where he confessed everything. I thought they should have given a little more attention to her parents, to show how moderate Muslims react, but they chose to give it to that jerk with the rocks.

Did he have to stay quiet about his appearance and the plot (and outcome) too?

He didn’t say anything about it when I saw him a few weeks ago but that is fairly typical for him. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

I felt uncomfortable by them actually making the IIhan Omar stand in a full on anti Semite and not just critical of Israel in the conflict with Palestine, as well as having most of the Jewish characters we met being full on Islamophobic. Yeah there are certainly factions in both groups that are both of those things, but also plenty that are not, and it all came off as "yeah all these minority groups are just as full on racist and hate filled as anyone else"

As a member of one of those groups by birth rather than practice, the offensiveness was off the charts. I can't really explain it; it's just the way it felt.

This show could be much improved by more Finn, Carisi, and Dodds and if they gave Olivia a personality transplant.

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎5‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 11:42 AM, dttruman said:

This has me wondering already when it comes to the title of the episode and it's description concerning Benson. Why is Benson so dismayed, when a suspected rapist is released on bond? Unless this Rob Miller threatened to kill the rape victim, why isn't he entitled to post bail? Does Benson now "assume" all rape suspects are not entitled to bail? I know it may seem unjust that a rape suspect (even if he is obviously guilty) is allowed out, but that's what the bail hearing is for and the astronomical amount that could be set for the defendant. Hasn't Benson seen this time and time again?

Will this episode be more about Benson's assumption of guilt concerning suspects or will it concentrate more on the investigation and the assumptions made concerning the already present tensions between Jews and Muslims?

What the show needs is more ambiguity, whilst it is rightly is sympathetic to victims it means they always have to portray the accused negatively. Never going to change as long as Mariska and her agenda is in charge. 

On ‎5‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 3:17 AM, Fellaway said:

It's kind of amazing that Rob Miller is still just out on bail, as fast as cases usually (and unrealistically) go to trial on this show.  It's also kind of amazing that they thought he was an interesting enough felon to bring him back to end the season with some patented Benson drama.  Hopefully the writing for these last two eps will be better than his previous ep.

Sadly, it's in line with her being aghast that a mother could kill her child or that a child could kill her parent, and that all victims are 100% right and all suspects should go directly to jail for the rest of their lives.  It's like the woman hasn't been doing this job for 20-some years.  I'd suggest she's had one head injury too many over the years, but, unfortunately, it's just really bad writing.

You wonder if it's the writers or the producer overruling them?

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎5‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 3:51 AM, dttruman said:

Oh my god, I can't  believe Stone had Nahla Nasar testify with that kind of testimony! He 's lucky he got the ex on the stand.

In fairness such a high profile case would always have made it to court no matter how weak the witness. 

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎5‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 4:39 AM, Xeliou66 said:

I thought this episode was surprisingly decent as I’m usually very wary of political themed episodes, but this one surprisingly wasn’t very heavy handed.

All of the characters were used nicely and had good moments, Carisi and Fin were good as always, Rollins wasn’t irritating, Stone was probably the best he’s been all season tonight, the St Olivia stuff was kept to a minimum for the most part, and it’s always a pleasure to see Dodds.

There was a good investigation plus good courtroom scenes, I liked that there was actual suspense as to who did it and it required a lengthy investigation and it was nice to see the inside of a courtroom again, Stone was great and this was a reminder of how I will miss him when he’s gone after next week, he hasn’t been used that well this season and but he was great tonight. Plus it was nice to see a familiar face as the judge. 

The political stuff wasn’t that terrible, it was somewhat cliched and it was a definite mash up of Jussie Smollett, Covington Catholic and the victim being based on Ilhan Omar. But they handled the political stuff okay, not great but okay, which is better than I normally say about SVU. 

I really liked Fin’s lines about free speech, he’s awesome and always the voice of reason.

On the negative side:

2 scenes of the Demon Brat, which always detracts from the episode, and it’s setting up a season finale to be all about an “it’s personal” case for St Olivia, which I’m dreading already. I don’t find Rob Miller all that compelling anyway. 

I really could’ve done without the 2 St Olivia speeches to the victim, those scenes are always brutal, at least they were fairly brief.

As I said above, the political stuff was somewhat cliched, clunky and stereotypical. At least it wasn’t as heavy handed as SVU political episodes usually are.

This was a good episode overall, I was surprised that I came away actually liking the episode. There was a good use of every character, good investigation plus trial and the storyline was decent, albeit somewhat cliched. Noah plus the obligatory St Olivia sermons to the victim detracted from the episode though.

You wonder how Fin would deal with people saying The N Word as free speech?

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎5‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 11:59 AM, wknt3 said:

The Good:
Fin. Awesome as usual, bringing desperately needed logic and snark. Although we could have used a little more snark, he made up for it with extra professionalism and unflappablity.
Carisi. It was a good week for the show's other actual elite detective this week. I like that we got to see him working with everyone this week. It's nice to see that the chemistry with Rollins is still there and I hope that they go back to it when WL comes back (as long as they keep the Fin & Carisi scenes as well!)
Fin and Carisi. Even though I've already praised them individually the SVU dynamic duo deserves its own mention as well. Whenever they are on screen, investigating a case it feels like "real" SVU and the L&Overse and it's something I can enjoy without remorse or irony. The scene in the lesbian bar was worth the price of admission.
Rollins. Not that she was great or anything, I was just happy that they didn't have her go all Fox News just to artificially create tension and drama.
Stone. Solid courtroom scenes, and well used throughout.
Dodds. Always good to see him and it was nice having someone there in the "politicaally savvy CO" role for Benson to play off of. Too bad we don't have that full time. I hope that Eyebrows of Justice are not another cost cutting casualty next season!
The case. It could have been a disaster, but instead it was actually interesting and pretty well handled. I wish that it could be expanded without all of the setup for Benson vs. the Big Bad.

The Bad:
Benoah. Especially the scene at the end. Just a thought, if you're at the center of one of the most emotionally charged cases ever in NYC and a dangerous individual who has come after your family is released from jail, maybe you shouldn't sit in the middle of a crowded restaurant with your back to the door?
Benson Stuff. All the usual. Another thought - the one thing that the Zionist Jewish and Sharia observing Muslim communities can agree on is idolatry is a sin and we shouldn't follow false prophets.
Rob Miller. This show has never done supervillains well. And this is no exception.
Not looking forward to next episode.

Overall this was a surprisingly good episode that demonstrates once again that it could be a really good show pretty easily if Mariska could get over herself. Maybe next week will be a pleasant surprise as well? Probably not, but we can always hope right?

They missed a trick at the lesbian bar, they should have had Benson or Rollins there and some girls making eyes at them or Finn being distracted by 2 girls kissing and Carisi goes 'Hey!' to him.