18.400

Quick Recap:

After an argument with Daddy, Luke Ubers home and hears desperate-sounding whimpers echoing through the house. We all know the sounds are coming from his mother, because, you know, Motherly Love (which is a creepy title, by the way) and also the episode description. Grabs rifle. Goes to kitchen. Mom cries rape. Luke fires. Hello, Detective Perry. Do come back, sir. But keep your hands off OMB. She's reserved for Tucker (for real, I'll get over this soon, bear with me, people).

Season 18 hasn't exactly given me reason to be optimistic, but the writers brought their A- game with this one and the episode was beautifully shot. Well done, Mariska Hargitay! But that's not surprise. She can do no wrong in my book.

Anyway, the case began unfolding rather predictably and I was rolling my eyes and frowning and pouring more wine because of course the mom is the predator. Right? Right. At 9:22 p.m. I had the case solved, or so I thought. Proof:

So I was pleasantly surprised when Julie started weaving us a tale of multiple sexual assaults, narcissistic personality disorder, a father who threw his son to the wolves, well, wolf, and Dr. Psychopath Keller meeting her match in Lieutenant Olivia Margaret Benson. I say "Julie" even though you-know-who was credited as a writer, but I concluded he was responsible only for Trey Franklin's lines.

However, the trial becomes trickier for Barba and the squad than originally planned because, remember, we're dealing with a psychopath here, and, again, I leveled an inaccurate prediction:

In the end I suppose justice was served with the guilty verdicts except that Luke Keller needs to be immediately delivered to Doctor Lindstrom and stay on his couch for the better part of the rest of his life but, then again, why in the hell would he trust another shrink? Or his father? Who is also a psychiatrist? Daddy Keller ticking off the list of warning signs was one of the few things in the ep that made me raise my eyebrows. Seemed like worthless dialogue to me, but maybe not considering he mentioned a manipulated custody hearing, but Luke is a teenager and could've escaped Mommy Dearest, but then again she's been toying with his psyche for a long ass time. Alright, I'll let Dad off the hook.

This episode was, appropriately so, a Benson showcase--her empathy with victims, her skills in the interrogation room, her ability to read people, and her growing comfort with being in charge. #BadassBenson showed up in this one, and I hope we get more of that as the season continues. 

Ramblings:

Who else said, "Oh give me a fucking break, another troubled black kid," when Nicole Keller was describing Trey? Because I did. Because that plot line's never been used on SVU before.

It only took one round of crocodile tears for me to absolve Luke of any crime, but Aaron Sanders, hats off to you for perfectly capturing the kid's anguish and confusion as well as the journey from devoted to devastated son.

Manor Hill Academy? See Season 14 "Lessons Learned" and it was there where the detectives meet Ethan who turns out to be another Dr. Keller victim and did anyone else think the school was going to somehow be involved given its history with shielding sexual predators?

Love, love, love, love the camera angles in the courtroom as the testimony stuck pretty much to what was planned and then veered off course thanks to an unctuous Buchanan and the accused recognizing that the jury was simply not buying defense attempt #1 (semen on a towel where the mom said the "attacker" wasn't is a teeeeeeeny bit incriminating).

THANK YOU Madame Director for getting the camera to mimic the tangled, chaotic testimony, cutting from character to character, without the audience feeling whipped about in a frenzy, and I cannot stress enough how much I did not miss the shots of the detectives sighing helplessly in the gallery that previous S18 directors seem to looooooove.

The tug of war between Benson and the rapist was priceless. I really felt like OMB was in a groove in this ep and she looked GORGEOUS even though she's going through a tough breakup (passive aggressive dig intended) in addition to wondering what the hell she got herself into with this whole being a mother thing.

PERFECTO on the shot of Benson and Luke from the front of the sedan. Quintessential Benson victim counseling scene. Beautiful.

"I just want to be with my boy." Did you say "boys?" As in Noah and Tucker? Okay, okay, okay, I know she didn't say it and this is getting old but not having #Tuckson in my life has been devastating.

Don't tell me that as Benson looked around Judge Barth's courtroom that she wasn't thinking about the day Johnny D initiated his own suicide-by-cop. That was also the first episode in which Tucker called Benson "Olivia."

Okay, I'll stop.

Ain't No Party Like An #SVU Party:

$9.99 bottle of Cabernet. Candle by World Market. Indonesian Teak.

Quotable:

"Not interested in your psychobabble but thank you so much for sharing." 

#Barba Sass

Doc Keller is pissssssed; she can't seem to get a leg up on these people

"Hard to give up on your mother no matter how sick she may be."

R.I.P. Serena (P.S. GASP some degree of continuity, albeit subtle)

"That is deeper than lying, man. That is pathological."

When even Lieutenant OMB is astonished, then you know we're really dealing with a sicko.

"Definitely more wrong here than dirty socks."

Ya think?

"Excuse me? Mr. Barba?"

I have a special place in my heart for Carmen, and that actor sure is lucky that she only needs to remember those lines.

Fashion

Typically I'm drooling all over Benson's smart blazers and blouses, but AMANDA FREAKING ROLLINS with the leather blazer and the sa-weet trench wins the night.

White blazer. Odd season for it, but who am I to judge?

Fic Writers Could Fill In The Blanks With:

I said I'd stop.

But seriously...Detective Perry could get a little love on fanfiction.net if ya'll are bored fixing #Tuckson.

Ok, I lied.

Is It Next Wednesday, Yet?

OMG, consecutive SVU eps! Wowser!

I would like to remind everyone that we are coming up on a year since the ARM GRAB on Valentine's Day and also the lurid demise of Hank Abraham, but whatever.

Once upon a time, September 6, 2016 to be exact, RE said he wasn't entering his new role with a plan to completely change the show. We all know that was a lie; however, we are getting almost halfway through the season, or at least we'll be there by the next break (don't even get me started on BREAKS. Do people at NBC or whoever makes those decisions sit around plotting how badly they can jerk around one of their most successful shows just to test its breaking point?)

Anyway....Barba's secret. I'm looking forward to the reveal and I'm sure it's more than his middle name, BUT given that RE seems intent on demolishing everything my beloved best friend in the world Warren Leight built (I may be exaggerating a tad on the label), I'm worried his #SVU days are numbered. Will Carisi step into that role? Perhaps Detective Perry joining the squad? His lines...something about him seemed to indicate he would have a recurring presence but I'm too lazy to IMDB it. I'll leave that to the allthingslawandorder lady.

PAGING CHIEF DODDS! I swear I saw a Julie Martin tweet something along the lines of "things need to be said" between Dodds and Benson, so, uh, (subtle hand raise), when's that going to happen? 

Hockey, anyone?