Nooch.11 Culture Shock

The #42Minutes

What initially presents as a terrorist investigation turns into an SVU case which turns into a a Barba-led trailblazing mission to dismantle "sexist, misogynistic pig" workplace culture. As an enduring, all-encompassing fix, it doesn't exactly work, but, as he put it, "the wheels are turning" and leaked grand jury proceedings end up hitting Optimum Air where it hurts most. Unfortunately the company's financial downfall doesn't seem like it will translate to any far-reaching substantial change (shocker) and will most likely be disregarded as an isolated incident.

The fight continues...

Also, Fin's onto Chief Dodds' shade and the rest of us will be theorizing about the mystery memo for the rest of the winter.

Be honest, how many of y'all have tried to piece together that upside down inside out text?

Assessment

Sorry, guys, but all I could think about in the first minute was filming that scene and people shouting "LEAN TO THE LEFT. OKAY, NOW LEAN TO THE RIGHT. FLIGHT ATTENDANT! DROP YOUR TRAY! SEATBELTS EVERYONE! SEAT! BELTS!"

Fake airplane scenes are cheesy 90% of the time on any show, and this was no exception. Like...while everyone was excoriating Tara for putting the lives of over 100 people in danger I'm thinking, uh, guys, there were 30 tops. And also why are we bothering with locked cockpit doors when future terrorists can use the beverage carts as battering rams?

Sooo...Flight Risk exemplifies my problemo with SVU making a statement about the egregious and unforgivable doings of real-lifers. In case anyone out there was still ignorant about how corporations and businesses establish and get away with maintaining sexist, toxic, and demeaning means and methods of operation, this episode preached it plain as day.

The manual reads:

1. Embellish minor infractions and contextualize them so the victim appears incompetent, foolish, and derelict in duties.
2. Recite laudatory (yet insubstantial) talking points and platitudes such as "I have two daughters" and "I let my assistant have the day off so she could attend the women's march."
3. Disregard and/or trivialize complaints and debase the plaintiffs.
4. Resolve allegations with empty promises and/or monetary compensation (anything that avoids bad press or the legal system)
5. Have confidence in public outrage's ephemeral nature.

This week in OMB WTF faces...

The episode would have been more interesting if...

A. It focused on Barba's culture-changing crusade...he and Benson pushing all the prickly corporate buttons and maybe being told to stand down but they don't (sort of like in Institutional Fail) and Barba's path away from the show is a political one. I really thought at the end he was going to tell Benson he was running for office.

B. NYPD's own culture was called into question and whatever the hell is going on with Benson and that memo unfolded alongside the case against Optimum Air and the episode ends with Benson and Rollins sitting in her office, bewildered, because how in the hell didn't they notice they, too, were under siege by their employer's very own boys' club?

In other news, Rollins is D.O.N.E. with pilot worship.

For the record, CEChauvinist Petruchio, er, Fleming and his Mengele-esque memo made my skin crawl.

Quotable:

"I felt cheap...devalued."
"I could shrug it off."
In a nutshell, the only ammunition women have to fight back.

"Jurors don't like difficult women."
Not only jurors, OMB.

"An interesting marketing strategy if this was the sixties." The scene at Optimum's headquarters and Benson's what-the-serious-fuck reactions were priceless.

"Come tomorrow there's gonna be a new t-shirt...Logan Carter, rapist."
Cue eye roll. Carisi, you nerd.

And in the Dodds (yes, Fin, we want you to cut him) file...

"They don't need Special Victims inventing a defense for her." Fuck you, Dodds and excuse me is this statement not grounds for him to be reassigned? Damn.

"If there's one thing I hate, it's a hypocrite." See above.

There are plenty of openings for Dodds to be a bad guy. Even though he and Benson seem to be in one of their periods of detente, he's not (nor has he ever been) 100% on her side. We needed neither a memo nor interview rumors to know this, but it's nice to be reminded and I'm excited for all of this to play out...

Thanks but no thanks on the welcome back hug, Amanda.

Appearances

Welcome back gray trench and red blouse with the silver clasps and hello camel blazer!

Benson's clearly (and admittedly) exhausted. Did anyone else notice how unenthusiastic she was as Barba presented his grand plans for changing the world?

Petition for the immediate return of bangless Benson. C'mon, people.

Tracking Tucker

What I would've given for a freshly-showered Tucker to come waltzing into the living room while Dodds was there...

And I can't believe Barson Tweeps didn't go ga-ga over this (then again, I probably have most of those people muted)...

Excuuuuuse me but the only hand Benson is supposed to touch when looking at a phone is TUCKER'S!

Head Scratchers

1. Now Dodds is at the apartment? Sheesh. Can I get a fucking invite? I'll tidy up...

2. Is my Cassidy-as-Fin's-Source theory correct? I actually hope not because my stomach turns thinking about how the writers could make OMB buy Cassidy's attempt at redemption and go running back into his arms and that would be so ridiculous and OOC but I really do think these people hate me that much.

Is It Next Wednesday, Yet?

Important, poignant story? Yes.
Gripping television? No.

Loose threads abound, though...

Is Barba's departure temporary or permanent? Punitive or self-imposed? Will Stone be friend or foe? Is McCoy's return Munch-esque or something more meaningful than a cameo? How long will Fin keep whatever he knows from Benson and will his gallant deed end up backfiring? Can I not be constantly dreading Bensidy 3.0?

What the hell else are they going to do to Liv?

In the meantime, would it be possible for OMB to get some fucking sleep in the next two weeks?