**Blogged while sipping @Cometeer coffee and debating whether or not it's time to turn on the heat in my house. Photos inserted at work while listening to War and Treaty's latest album. Strongly recommend.
Wednesday: The Hype
Maybe it was the week off or the fact I was lucky enough to escape to the beach for a few days, but I hadn't been sitting around counting the days until a new episode. Also, we've been busy at work planning for yet another reopening which may or may not happen, so, nothing personal, SVU.
Thursday--The #42Minutes:
Not a ton of suspense this week. The story kept circling back to do-gooder Perry, so he was easy to peg as the culprit early on. Call me comletely wacko, but the shot of him slowly putting on his glasses sealed his guilt for me. IDK why. Maybe it reminded me of the guy in 911 right before he tried to run over Olivia with his car. This episode touched on a few important but overlooked Covid realities. Clearly, Lexi was already battling fragile mental health before the pandemic, and quarantine--its morbid side and boredom-inducing side-- intensified her struggles. The apartment was rife with tension between and among the roommates, but being cooped up together and the deadly threat of Covid exacerbated an already volatile situation. Oh, and, Brad's on thin ice with his fiancée who's upset about their wedding being postponed, but, given Brad's maturity level, the fiancée may actually be dodging a bullet. Silver linings.
I'm wondering why this episode, which was filmed first, wasn't aired first (in not being glued to entertainment news as I've been in years past, I could have easily missed something). It felt like a season opener--Benson reminding Fin to mask up after she remembered to text him details rather than hand off a piece of paper (but she was maskless and cool with getting in Lexi's face in interrogation later), Carisi is not yet as unhinged as he was in episode one, and the detail at the end about Sean being left sitting in Rikers seemed like an apt precursor to Guardians and Gladiators.
The hit-or-miss inconsistent use of masks continues to bug me, but I suppose I'll have to get over it and appreciate there's a Season 22 at all.
Oh, and I apologize, but I was way too amused at the nun's expression she made when she realized she was wearing a pilfered dead girl's sweater.
Checking In With:
Kat: Sweet leather jacket, Officer! Attire aside, I felt bad when Carisi shut her down after she railed against the media and the double standard imposed on Lexi. Again, an example of why this had first episode of the season vibes--Carisi beginning a slow boil and taking out his frustrations on Kat whose comment was absolutely correct if irrelevant at the moment. This could be an ongoing issue between the two of them, especially as Carisi becomes more and more susceptible to rage.
Carisi: See above. Am I going to end up loathing this beloved character?
Dr. Warner: She doesn't get much screen time but she (and the makeup crew) did the most with the minute or so. She's exhausted, stressed, overwhelmed, and has zero patience for Fin's questions. I've always liked the chemistry between the two of them and it was delightful to see Melinda again, even for only a moment and under these circumstances.
Rollins: I like her more and more this season. She's no-nonsense without the sanctimony that often causes me to roll my eyes and tell her to shut the fuck up. She identified with and perhaps had some empathy for Lexi in a way, again, that showcased her skills rather than her deep south roots. And though she clearly has no sympathy for lockdown-breaking activities like Quarantine Speakeasies, she treated Lexi with a certain degree of compassion and respect which we often don't see from Rollins, especially when she's angry and annoyed.
Fin: His best part of the night was the response to Benson's office-bugging question. Both he and Mariska Hargitay shine when they get to act out these little moments of levity.
Benson: No, your office isn't bugged, Captain, but can you blame them for watching and listening? Everything about you is gorgeous! Captain Benson is steady, confident, and deftly directing a case that really should not have been SVU's but fell into their laps both due to professional courtesy and a department stretched thin by protests and increased incidents of violent crimes. Now everyone knows I'm a sucker for reading too much into Benson's personal life, so was her conversation with Inspector Rossi more friendly than it should have been? Is there more there or was what I saw simply mutual warmth and compassion in a time of crisis? Do we know this guy Rossi? Or were the favors Benson owed him merely a pretext to take the case?
Guest Stars/Supporting Cast: This group was nicely written and expertly cast. Singularly and as a whole their work offered a snapshot of how Covid has disrupted the lives of twenty-somethings who are beginning to find their way in the world and how quarantine forced them each to wrestle with their worst secrets, realities, fears, uncertainties, and pain. Everyone has his or her own experience weathering and reacting to the pandemic, but zeroing in on Brad, Lexi, Maria, Sean, and Perry made me think more about how terrifying these past nine months must have been for young people newly navigating the waters of adulthood.
That's a Wrap
Barba in 2021.
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
And there's a hand my trusty friend!
And give me a hand o' thine!
And we'll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.
Be safe, follow the rules, keep reading my Fic, and blog you next year!
