Oh, Mother!

The #42 Minutes

Let's work backwards...

Nobody wants to see Mariel go to prison for killing her mother and Barba slips up by stepping into a crowded elevator while talking on the phone. The caller is concerned about the death penalty and Barba agrees that punishment would not exactly fit the crime but he says this in the presence of jurors (c'mon, Barba you didn't notice Miss Funky Blue Glasses of all people?) so a pissed-off Judge Barth declares a mistrial. Barba's in trouble, but a more palatable version of justice is served. We'll see how this factors in to the arrival of Peter Stone in a few weeks.

The case begins when SVU is called to a special needs school to investigate a rape, but the actual crime lies elsewhere, in the actions of Mariel's mentally-ill mother who, had she not been bludgeoned to death, probably would have spent the rest of her life in a hospital. You know it's bad when even the doctor emerges, stunned, from the interrogation room and says, "Uh, guys, this woman is seriously fucked up there's no way she can be held responsible for her actions no matter how egregious they may be."

I paraphrase, of course.

Assessment

Two weeks after the kidnapping, Mother and Son Benson are still reeling from, as Fin called it "road trip with Grandma." Noah doesn't want to sleep alone and he's having Sheila dreams and Liv's having flashbacks and I'm no child psychologist but Eddie-in-jail surrounded by police cars seems to indicate Noah won't so easily forget what happened and OMB will not be able to ignore it away.

The pessimist in me predicted Benson's inner turmoil would be cast aside or minimized, but it wasn't and it was beautifully written and acted.

HOWEVER...

One thing that annoys the hell out of me is when there is too much of a contrived effort to connect the cases with the squad's personal lives. Of course, it's fiction and we only have #42Minutes, so everything's contrived, but there is a glaring distinction between Sheila and Dawn, and Barba and Benson implicitly acknowledging the similarity of the two mothers was a big-time, eye-roll-worthy stretch and if Benson lets that woman back into her life my head will explode and SVU will be down a viewer which isn't such a big deal because ratings are pretty good. My hope is Sheila spends her twilight years in federal lockup and I can't imagine Benson road-tripping for visits.

Ordinarily I find Benson's compassion and gigantic heart endearing, but those qualities occasionally come around to haunt her and my concern for her well-being is manifesting as anger and I really hate being angry at anyone, especially OMB.

Hello, Doc Warner and welcome back, but WHERE THE HELL HAVE YA BEEN? We couldn't get one little line about why we haven't seen her since Season 17 and for someone who was a hashtag subject she sure didn't get much screen time. Since Benson's apartment was open for business, I thought maybe she would join the party but everything I think about this show ends up either wrong or not happening so IDK why I even try anymore.

Safe to say The Little Mermaid won't be queued up in the Benson household anytime soon...or ever.

Quotable:

"The law says she's guilty, but your heart says she's not."
Dear Barba and Benson, the two of you have a combined fifty or so years in law enforcement...buck up...you know at least one juror is going to dig in and refuse to convict.

"Not what he wanted."
"You. Are. Hurting. Her."
PAGING DR. LINDSTROM!

"You're a single mom. You're a full time cop. Your life is not easy. It's okay to say that out loud every once in a while."
Will someone please embroider that on a pillow for Liv as well?

Get with it, Dad.

Wardrobe:

Speaking for the minority, I prefer Benson in her work clothes.

Tracking Tucker...

I'm not EVEN gonna mention Liv sleeping ALONE on the hospital sofa...

Oh wait, I just did.

Maybe Noah will leave Eddie in a taxi in the coming weeks...that elephant is too painful.

Hey! That's Ed's!

Head Scratchers:

1. For once the Rollins-Olivia convos didn't have their typical edginess, but why exactly did Rollins go to Liv rather than mention her initial skepticism about Dawn to Fin? I'm intrigued...maybe we'll get some Finlivia power struggle tension and I have not abandoned hope for a Sergeant Rollins.
2. No Christmas tree?
3. Mariel's Dad...what a punk

Kelli, you so awesome!

Is It Next Wednesday, Yet?

Even though I nearly dozed off a few times  (and, no, not because of the booze), I suppose Pathological's lack of suspense was a needed respite after last week's torture. The episode was more bridge than captivating case--hopefully all this Sheila mess will fade and everyone else can have their turn with drama with Barba apparently next in line for the wringer.


"Some can cooperate...and others prey on each other..."
We'll see how this plays out in the sky next week.

"I don't know what the fuck to do."