Last night on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Hilary Duff played a young mom whose baby was first missing and then found dead. I tuned in because I couldn’t resist the promo ads featuring Duff screeching at her mother, played by NYPD Blue’s Gail O’Grady. Hoo boy, what a nutty episode: Duff’s character was portrayed as a partying, self-absorbed single mom (the episode was called “Selfish”), and her performance was good, a model of restraint compared to a bellowing, grimacing O’Grady, who seemed to be getting her working-class acting tips from Archie Bunker.
Mid-way through the episode, the plot nearly became a different episode, as Duff faded into the background and L&O commenced a storyline about how Duff’s baby had died from measles contracted by another kid in a public playground. The mother of that kid was one of those parents who doesn’t believe in vaccinating her offspring. That woman was tried for murder. Stars Chris Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, and the L&O:SVU regulars engaged in a lot of yawny debate about vaccination, pro and con. The whole thing reminded me why SVU is my least-favorite Law & Order franchise: Give me the cranky scoldings of Sam Waterston on the original, crispy version, or the new tangy flavor of Criminal Intent’s Jeff Goldblum any time.
Even Duff looked bored by the end. Maybe she was pondering her upcoming new version of Bonnie and Clyde during the vast stretches when she had no lines.
Did you watch? What did you think?
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I thought it was a very good performance by Duff. Granted, it was no “Robbin Williams”, but it was will good.
I was intrigued by the story of the mother refusing to immunize her child.
Good episode, but it practically had no character advancement with the cast, which is odd because the finale is coming.
http://tvdonewright.com/2009/04/29/tv-tonight-wednesday-april-29th-2009/
SVU is your LEAST favorite?? Are you insane?! It is far and away the best, with the least cliched performances and the most intriguing storylines. Granted, I’m sure an episode involving H. Duff was probably not the best (I didn’t watch), but typically SVU delivers the best of the L&O franchise, in my opinion.
I couldn’t agree more about SVU being the worst of the bunch, at least for the last few years. I can’t comment about last night’s episode because I stopped watching the show last year. Too much Olivia and not enough Fin and Munch.
I thought that was a GREAT episode. Did anyone catch the off-the-cuff Lizzie McGuire snipe? HI-Larious! (I have a tween daughter – otherwise, it would of went over my head!) I believe the jury felt “natural mom” was credible and made the right decision, her son was non-symptomatic, but vaccines DO SAVE LIVES!
I’ve always found the eps where the DA’s office is determined to find someone (anyone) culpable for someone’s death a bit of a stretch. This was really pushing it. My partner who’s an RN was all “This is DUMB. I cant watch anymore” and stomped off. The ending was equally over-wrought. Bottom line? Going out in public poses certain risks for everyone. I believe people catching something and dying from it are acts of God, not neglegent homicide.
I thought Hillary Duff did a very good job. I was somewhat surprised by her performance as I was when she appeared on Ghost Whisperer. SVU is an awesome show! I would also like to see more Fin and Munch.
SVU has been my favorite of the L&O bunch for a long time, but last night’s ep was RIDICULOUS! First was the way too obvious link to the Caylee Anthony case then a woman is charged with murder for not vaccinating her kid? Murder? And the explanation for the (extreme) murder charge was that its an election year! I can’t believe such a poorly written episode made it on the air.
Hard to believe Hilary Duff as another character when she’s wearing her trademark five-pound false eyelashes. For a lower-class single teen mom, she looked, she looked like a millionaire singer. The measles plot point was a bore, and you could see the ending coming a million miles away. I hate Dick Wolf’s “special topic” episodes, when he decides to cram statistics down our throats.
Who dies in the season finale, that’s what I want to know!
I agree, more Fin and Munch!! They aren’t going to kill one of them off are they??? There is supposed to be a main character death!!
“Even Duff looked bored by the end. Maybe she was pondering her upcoming remake of Bonnie and Clyde duting the vast stretches when she had no lines.”
What is “duting”?
It’s funny that the article you linked us to makes a point to say Duff’s movie is not a remake, yet you made a point to call her Bonnie & Clyde a remake. Way to be consistent with your colleagues!
play the svu drinking game with friends at your own home. it’s easy, any time stabler crosses the line, you shotgun a beer. any time olivia comforts/bullies a victim into making the right decision, you shotgun a beer. it’s fun for everyone!
SVU the worst of the L&O series???? Shush your mouth EW!!! My husband would be outraged, it’s his fav of the bunch and he’s a MAJOR L&O junkie who watches each on reruns over and over and over and SVU is the best from the bunch!!!
Oh, and the annoying newbie guy who annoys everybody and leaking info to the press? GET RID OF HIM. NOW.
Hilary Duff acted surprisingly well. The episode plot line was a bit of a bore.
I thought Hilary Duff did a great job. I like that she has consistently tried to stretch herself as an actress, unlike some other singers who play a version of themselves all the time. I would have liked for the s/l to be more Hilary and less story about the other mom. This is also not my favorite Law and Order show and I mainly watch the epi because of Hilary.
wow, SVU is my favorite, FAVORITE of the franchise. and the only one i watch regularly. kinda surprised you didn’t mention that the first part of the episode was ripped from the headlines, based on the Caylee Anthony case. then it went into a totally different story about a totally different issue. an issue that people have serious opinions about.
I watched this new episode, it was good, Hilary Duff acted really well. SVU is by far my favorite L&O show, I do not like CI its so boring. But SVU needs to show more Olivia, the past few episodes this season had a lot of Stabler and little Olivia. She is also a main character and the only female detective character so she needs to be shown alot as well and have plenty of scenes like Stabler does.
Yeah who the hell is the newbie in the M.E. office? Stabbler needs to lay a smackdown on him fast.
. Please let it be the D.A. (Not Cabot, the new one)
I didn’t know someone was dying in the finale
http://tvdonewright.com/2009/04/29/tv-tonight-wednesday-april-29th-2009/
Horrible episode. I hate when they do a 180-turn on the story and it becomes about something else entirely. The writing on SVU is the pits, and the stars are beginning to creak with weariness. Horrible.
Hilary Duff was nowhere near the entitled monster that Casey Anthony is are you kidding me.
i love l/o svu!!! i heard it was going to be about the “anthony” case and it led to something differant.. it was dumb.. they could of done alot betterrr……
The worst law and order i have ever seen and mad i wasted a hour of my life to watch it . built us up to knock us down .
I love SVU; however, it has been showing some really bad episodes. This one started out promising and became ridiculous! No way would the mother be charged for murder for not vaccinating her child. I wonder if that is a statement regarding Jennie McCarthy and Jim Carrey’s campaign against vaccinations.
I’m so glad I don’t watch this kind of junk. Only read this “article” due to the episode supposedly being a take on Casey Anthony. In the end, sounds like horrid writing! Quick, let’s get in as many controversial topics as we can! Why watch this MickyD’s tv, isn’t the “news”/real story entertaining or sensationalistic enough these days?
well, technically, she got charged with negligent homicide.
I love the original L&O and sometimes I cringe that it’s attached to SVU in any way. SVU is SO bad most of the time – almost every week is the same-the coroner appears creeping up behind the cops out of no where dropping some bizarre forensic bombshell; everybody is happy at the end, there’s some moralizing, then the phone rings and ominous music cues up. The character lowers the phone sadly with a cryptic remark like “I guess Antonio had a different plan….” Final scene is our heroes driving up amidst sirens and lights and the inevitable tragic, ironic ending. Too bad because the squad is actually made up of some good characters/actors. Hmm, but obviouly I’m WATCHING….
I used to loooove L&O back in the early days when it actually was controversial and didn’t always have the nice tidy wrapped up endings where the DA wins every single case and then rides off into the sunset. There have been too many episodes to count where I would NEVER have found the defendant guilty of the charge the DA was going for based on the evidence presented. The defense attorneys are ALWAYS portrayed as morally corrupt scheisters (not sure about that spelling) whom I would turn into a Regulation Committee for their ineptness if they were representing me. I know it adds to the drama, but I think the whole franchise last lost its touch. I don’t watch any of them anymore, not even the original L&O because I’ve grown bored with its formula.
I used to be a L&A watcher. Afer last nights epsiode I sincerely dooubt I’ll ever watch it again. How ridiculous to portrait a mother who makes a tough decision on whether or not to vaccinate her child as a “murderer”. If that wasn’t ridiculous enough the main character frequently uses comments like “that woman is a lunitic.”
A better line of questioning for the defense attorney would have been like this: ” So let me make sure I understand this. Your daughter was vaccinated and died of Measles, the other infected child (daughter of Mother on trial) didn’t have the vaccination and still lives a healthy happy life? Sounds a little ironic.
rsp
Wow…I love SVU, ridiculous or not. but i love how people are dogging it, yet they have stopped watching it. if so, then stop talking about it, and stop knocking it. i find that rude. I love the show no matter how ridiculous it is, it is TV, not reality. if i wanted reality, i would turn on the news.