X.VI--It's Not Always Hudson's Fault

The #42Minutes

SVU is called to a scene where a young woman who later identifies herself as Grace Walker is found beaten and raped. Benson, fresh from a workout (because of course she has time for regular training sessions) joins Carisi and they head to the hospital, gather preliminary details, and fan out across Manhattan to find the rapist. Problems arise quickly, though. Grace gave inaccurate and misleading information, she turns out to be homeless, but not homeless-homeless (right, Sonny?), she uses fancy words...her identity is not adding up. The detectives soon figure out Grace is actually Sophie--a promising young college student--but can't figure out why the fuck she'd trade the sorority house for the streets.

After a second attack, this one at the hands of her shelter boyfriend Tommy, Grace is taken to the hospital again. She doesn't recognize herself in a photo, says her parents are dead but can't remember their names, and recognizes her Dad... Season 20 Dr. Huang interviews Grace and diagnoses dissociative fugue even though, apparently, Benson had already done so.

These two are competent and pretty.

We're all suspicious of the Dad, but it's actually a professor who raped Sophie, sending her spiraling downhill (although I'm still not giving Dad a total pass, he was weird), which we figure out when Benson takes her to campus and plays a SVU-version of hot-and-cold. Sophie describes being violently raped by a professor, and incriminating blue ink stain is still on the sofa cushion, ugh, but the guy is dead so all this healing Benson promised doesn't seem like it's going to pan out but she's Olivia fucking Benson so, in the end, we're led to believe Sophie is in a much better place both geographically and psychologically.

Verdict

I'm not sure what it says about the state of the show when, during the credits, I shrug and mutter "could have been worse."

The writers treated Sophie's mental illness with dignity rather than portraying her as a liar or making her a terroristic killer. Aimee Spring Fortier and Mariska Hargitay were phenomenal on the screen together. For me, the more personal side of Benson is almost always cringe-worthy and uncomfortable, and at the very beginning of the scene I groaned--not this again--but the conversation was not at all awkward (even though y'all coulda thought of a different name for Benson's live-in boyfriend...Billy? Come on).

I was surprised the episode didn't delve deeper into sexual assault at homeless shelters and among the homeless in general. It also didn't make a big deal about Carisi driving Grace/Sophie home. Even though Carisi was professional and did nothing wrong, I thought maybe something more was going to develop with what I thought was an odd decision. Benson let a confused, battered rape victim be driven home by a male detective?

I loved Carisi in this episode because he was back to his original characterization of zealous, no-nonsense, go-get-the-bad-guy detective rather than the whiny, too-angry brat he's become in the past couple of seasons.

The transition from Sophie flipping the table in Benson's office to Sophie at the professor's grave happened too abruptly. I would have liked to see more of how Benson convinced her to go there, but I guess we have to leave room for Stone's on-screen melancholy.

I promised myself I would not devote more than a sentence to Stone so instead of repeating my cycle of complaints about the character, I will reiterate the prediction that his sex-as-coping habit will somehow come back to haunt him either in the courtroom or during an SVU investigation and I really hope that happens and I hope Barba returns to either prosecute him or clean up the mess.

I'm still giggling at Fin snatching himself a pot brownie, gratis.

Quotable:

"I was with a bear claw." We're over the OMB fitness arc, too, Carisi.

"In my experience..." Yeah, we get it, you all have seen some horrible shit but can we start using some different words?

"Every family needs someone with a truck." Stone, this is the most valuable thing you've ever said. 

"If you don't mind stand up and turn your ass around." Fin was on FIRE with the not-taking-any-bullshit sass in this one. Why is he the only one who consistently gets in-character dialogue?

"The past is over and done with."
(OMB) "Sometimes."
I hate these seemingly-insignificant, wistful comments of Benson's because I read too much into them and then twist my mind into a pretzel for days trying to dissect the underlying meaning in One. Fucking. Word.

"Peter." If he absolutely has to be on the show...I'm all for more of OMB scolding Stone. 

"He's dead, but you're not."

Eye Roll Quote of the Night:

"Definitely a college word."
Oh, FFS people.

Oh, and I admire and revere RBG as much as the next person, but now we have an 8 x 10 in the office? What's next? One of those Fat Head life-size cutouts?

Is it Next Thursday, Yet?

Ugh. Are they doing a version of the 2012 UWS nanny murders? I really hope not because that crime still gives me nightmares but it looks like they are because a bunch of blood in a kid's bedroom is never good news.

Until then, Imma go back and rewatch the mug-smashing scene just to make sure Liv didn't sacrifice the RBG one though I got the sense OMB is not entirely unfamiliar with this method of "letting it all out" so she probably has some cheapo generic ones sitting around...

X.V: Who needs detectives when you have a fit tracker?

The #42Minutes

A couple of classic #SVU tropes return in what seemed to be a 42-minute long attempt to prove beyond a reasonable doubt Rollins and Benson can and will be BFFs. As Benson and Rollins whine about physical fitness and single motherhood, the squad investigates a rape homicide, quickly zeroing in on the charismatic con man (trope 1) Arlo who leads a women's empowerment group called Accredo. similar to the most rigidly-structured street gangs, there's only one way to get out, so when one of the women, Vicky, wants to leave, she's killed and the brand (trope 2) signifying she's one of them, is cut out of her flesh.

At first Vicky's old bf, Brad, looks guilty because, after all, he does have Vicky's blood on his clothes, but there's no DNA on his knives, but knives are a dime a dozen, but Brad's on camera with one of the Accredo girls the night of the murder so, duh, he's been framed.

At least Benson gets to read Rollins a story. Poor Noah.

Arlo's wife and a jilted, now-broke, ex-husband give the squad more incriminating evidence, Gina cracks a bit, but the real kicker is Lila's fit tracker data because it soooo proves murder.

Rollins, trying really, really hard in her last week before desk duty, sort of assaults a witness/perp and then gets Arlo's lawyer/sycophant-turned-traitor to turn him in before he can flee the country. Win for #SVU and win for us because...no Stone. Yay!

Except...this was one of the least suspenseful #SVU eps ever. I suppose the only thing better than an ep so controversial it bitterly divides fans is an ep which sparks no conversation at all?

Verdict

The Rollivia shippers must have been bouncing up and down with delight at this one. Stone gets the night off (wonder how he spent it?) and Fin and Carisi sing backup as Benson and Rollins lead the investigation. Sure Rollins is pregnant and they're short staffed and maybe it's what he prefers, but at what point is Fin going to be like, hey? I'm the fucking Sergeant. When am I going to get to pass on moving the furniture? And, Benson, your fit-tracker stalking trainer woulda preferred you get off your ass and go move it, and, btw, we don't need to know he's going to yell at you for not running. This isn't the Benson personal life I was hoping for.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Mariska and Kelli on screen together as friends or as chummy single mothers Does. Not. Work. These actors simply don't have that type of chemistry. Benson demeanor comes off as, "I know I should care and I want to care but I really don't and just fucking deal with it and also do your job, Amanda." And Rollins' is, "I'm so fucking bonkers in the head I don't know which way is up and why is this Arlo guy so good at yanking out my innermost demons and also, I hate my mother and I hate myself for hating her."

This week in Benson desk accessories...WHO TOOK NOAH FISHING? I think you know where I'm going with this...

Rollins seems to come to self-realization of her own at the end, hopefully for good, because goddam she's on my nerves once again.

Noah hanging up on Benson was hilarious. But he's probably mad because he's too old. The real Noah should only be in preschool.  Even if I were to go along with aging the kid and taking away my beloved Jack, Benson went to PRESCHOOL last year to see Ms. Smiley before everyone went all apeshit over Noah's bruises so how he skipped to first grade, IDK, especially since he was all but mute for a while.

Quotable:

Hearing Carisi say "fugly" made me giggle.

"But you're conflicted, aren't you. I can see you're terrified about losing control, about being vulnerable. You've been hurt badly in your life. And I'm sorry about that." You can say that to 90% of people and be spot on or at least conjure some self-doubt.

This week in Fin Sass:
"It's not tough to see why she dropped your ass."
"They got a lotta mashed potatoes up in Sing Sing."
"A foot on her neck?"
"As you were."

This week in Benson wisdom:
"I run my unit."
"Most people in here are in here because they believed a man's lies."
"You can get out by the time you're fifty. And believe me, that's a lot of life left." (Take that, mid-life crisis).


This week in lines hearkening-Tucker:
"plays golf, talks sports, drinks bourbon, smokes cigars..."
"I was scared to be...alone."
"Arraign this prick." (I will forever associate  Benson saying "prick" with her describing Abraham as an "angry prick" to Tucker...that was so hawwwwwt.)

Just call Ed, will ya?

Wardrobe:

Carisi's at his best when standing around clad in polka dots.

Pointless scene/convo of the week goes to:

I thought we'd established long ago Rollins had a crappy home life?

Overacted, overdramatic line of the week goes to:

"the data is uploaded...to the cloud..." Writers, why must you give OMB the eye roll lines?

Is it Next Thursday, Yet?

Well, for me, it's more like is it Friday night or Saturday morning yet?

Will Rollins' cardiologist become Benson's cardiologist? In the doctor-patient sense, I mean. Will Benson become this annoying, fitness-obsessed boss and make everyone do squad health challenges? Damn...that trainer's muscles. I bet Tucker would like her to make dinner and do squats with him.

This is what's running through my mind after the episode. Great.

XX.II: "Just Don't Forget Me"

The #42 Minutes

The episode opens like so many SVU episodes have opened--dark night, unsuspecting cabbie, up-to-no-good white dude visiting from the midwest, and a drugged victim on a gurney. It doesn't take long for the squad to track down the driver, the perp, and the other perp who has in his possession at least half a dozen sex slaves including nine-year-old Gabriela who was separated from her mother when they crossed into Texas from Mexico. Maria, her mother, is in detention and Gabriela had been placed with an (interracial--that's very 2018 of you, show) couple in New Jersey but she ran away in hopes of returning to Texas. The squad's not sure where to house her. Rollins wants to take Gabriela home to which Benson says, no, no, I'm the only one who gets to do stuff like that (and also Stabler, too) and I'm not referring to Noah (remember Calvin and the little boy from "Paternity"? Oh and also the girl who set Beck's couch on fire but Benson wasn't there for that...anyway...why bring up Beck?).

Eventually a federal agent arrives to take Gabriela to kids-taken-from-their-parents lock-up and Benson has him arrested for kidnapping. We all know this is a legal long-shot, but that's not really the point, Benson's playing with her heart more than her head and Stone calls her out on it but then he meets Gabriela, she shows him a drawn picture of her house in Guatemala and Stone's like fiiiiine. After Judge Millbanks predictably sides with the federal government Stone hops on a plane to call in some favors from Jefferies, using some childhood sea turtle metaphor to seal the deal. Gabriela and her mother are reunited and welcomed to America by Benson who remains in the middle of the barracks for a moment staring in disbelief at the kids in cages and she just welcomed the Sosas to America but this can't really be America, right?

Verdict

Man Who? Someone please tell me why this wasn't episode one?

Truth be told, SVU has never made me reach for the tissues. But there I was yesterday afternoon jogging on the treadmill and struggling to breathe as Benson kept repeating "fuerte" to a crying Gabriela.

Benson's outburst was so poignant and brave and badass...you could tell Mariska wasn't merely playing a role in that scene. 

Lately I've been anti-ripped from the headlines episodes because they end up feeling preachy and cheesy and almost diminish the weight of the issue at hand. Zero Tolerance, however, was impeccably written and performed. The script laid bare how the current administration has unconscionably and recklessly abandoned all semblance of morality and humanity in the name of "rule of law", and it did so without over-politicizing debates over the border crisis.

The issues in 30 seconds...well done!

In less important news, Rollins tells Dr. Al she's pregnant (but, I must point out, she doesn't explicitly say he's the father and I'm still not convinced the kid isn't Carisi's) and his first impulse is to suggest abortion which appalls Rollins because...well...what an ass...then again, she's probably kicking herself for thinking a few sweet minutes of reading to Jesse equates to Dr. Al wanting to step up and be a family man.

Poor, left-out Carisi...the last to know.

 By the end of the ep, Rollins (thanks, in part, to Gabriela I suppose), decides she's having the baby and she tells Al to take a hike...hopefully for good because I'm not interested in season-long baby Daddy drama especially since we're not allowed to have #Tuckson drama. 

The Rollins-Gabriela scenes were all great, but this one was my fave. And maybe Jesse would like a little brother?

In the "Stone is Forever on My Nerves' Category..."

Okay, so Peter came through with the connection that eventually freed Maria and Gabriela but does he have to have that pitiful, pensive look on his face all the damn time?

This week in anguished OMB faces...

Oh, and, P.S.--A #Tuckson, at home, on the couch with a glass of wine debrief after that presser woulda been soooooo much better than Dr. Al and Rollins drama. And Benson choking back tears at the end...gawwwwwwwd....

Quotable:

"Stop treating me like a ride along."

(after Carisi suggests a non alcoholic beer) "What's the point?"

Oh, Rollins, I alternately love and hate you, but there was nothing but heart emojis for ya in this episode. 

"You know me, all work and no play." Yeah, right, Peter. 

"I promised Ken and Alejandro I'd babysit tonight." Fin, you are such a liar. 

"Why la Migra take her, Miss Amanda?" GABRIELAAAAAA, you're killing me!

"What are we doing here? The government ripped this little girl out of her mother's arms. Somebody...somewhere needs to stop this!" 

Is it Next Thursday, yet?

Petition to reduce all of Stone's wistful childhood stories that always miraculously dovetail with the case to deleted scenes clips on YouTube!

Other than that...I'm stocking up on salted caramel chocolate chip ice cream and looking forward to trying to stay up until 10 next week.