Last night, Law & Order: SVU featured a plot about an organization that justifies sex between adult men and minors (boys or girls) as a civil right. Tomorrow night, Law & Order will air an episode about the murder of a doctor who performs abortions on pregnant women in their third trimester.
Hot-button issues are central to the L&O franchise, and this week’s topics don’t get any hotter. SVU, in an episode entitled “Hardwired,” had a stepfather (The Wire’s excellent Jim True-Frost) molesting his stepson (Cruz Santiago) to the horror of the boy’s mother, played by Rosie Perez in a performance that NBC promoted heavily.
The plot took a twist when, having established the stepfather’s crime well before the half-hour mark, the stepdad proposed cutting a deal with the prosecutors in return for a bigger fish: the leader of Our Special Love, a pedophile civil-rights group, whom the stepfather says has many members and much kiddie porn to which he can lead the team.
My problem with this hour is the one I usually have with SVU, even as I know it’s the reason it gets bigger ratings and more kudos these days than the original Law & Order: Its heroes — Mariska Hargitay’s Benson and Christopher Meloni’s Stabler — are called upon to express extravagant shock and anger at all the dreadful details. I always think, these cops see despicable things like this week-in, week-out; have they never developed any emotional restraint, let alone a veneer of professional dispassion? Nope: there was Stabler, throttling a school coach whom he mistakenly thought was the perp early on in the episode, calling the guy a “kiddie-diddler” and a “scumbag pedophile.” And this was of a man who turned out not to have committed this particular crime. Do Stabler and Benson never learn to dial it down a notch? Yes, I know, I know: the coach did have a child-molestation record; my point is, again: unprofessional conduct always takes me out of the drama, no matter how well-written. From Rosie Perez, I expect out-sized emotion, and she did that mother proud.
I hope you’ll also watch Law & Order tomorrow. The episode called “Dignity” begins with the murder of a doctor who performs abortions — he’s shot while praying in church.
The killer is represented in court by an anti-abortion league lawyer played by Richard Thomas with perfectly calibrated restraint. Indeed, this is the performance NBC should be touting this week: Thomas is nuanced where everyone around him is encouraged to take sides and squabble. It’s all rather too neat: The show’s two cops, Lupo and Bernard, and its two Assistant District Attorneys, Cutter and Rubirosa, each take either a pro-life or pro-choice stand… at least, initially.
I don’t want to give more away; let me just say that by the end of this Law & Order, the drama runs more deeply, more effectively, because characters behave like humans. They think and reconsider; they debate and shift their positions slightly, this way and that. And I think you’ll be surprised at the low-key but still quite shocking final scene.
Did you watch SVU last night? What did you think? Will you watch a Law & Order with this theme?
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Who watches “L&O” anymore?
I believe it’s Jim True-Frost
I have to admit that I do watch SVU. While Stabler and Benson’s characters and reactions remain predictable, I’m still entertained. I would rather watch SVU as opposed to CSI or NCIS. Sure, those other shows have CGI, extravagant gun fights and showdowns, but the storytelling from the L&O franchises is what keeps me watching. SVU’s, “the pedophile did it” inevitability does get old, but I’m invested in the entire cast to include Munch and Fin (my man!). I was hoping to see a little something between Stabler and Paxton, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.
Ditto. I love the cast of SVU and can easily get sucked into one of the endless marathons on the USA network. I tried to give Modern Family a try, but I found myself missing SVU…
Every Tuesday! WOO-HOO!!!
I agree I would rather watch SVU
I still watch L&O. I watch all 3 versions. I actully like Criminal Intent the best. I like getting the criminals perspective. SVU is so depressing, but I still watch.
I’m a little over SVU. How many times have they accused someone of committing a crime then learn it was someone else? You’d expect them at this point to at least say to themselves, “well, maybe he didn’t do it”. And the name calling was stupid. When Olivia threw one of the pedophiles in the holding cell and called him a name I rolled my eyes. Benson and Stabler can be too self-righteous and Stabler beating up on suspects is getting old.
Also, the ending rang false to me. I’m I the only one who thought there should have been a mistrial after that boy started yelling in the courtroom. How is the jury supposed to disregard a molested boy crying for his mother and saying the defendant was responsible for his stepfather raping him?
My wife and I were saying the exact same thing!!!
Agreed, there should have been a mistrial (instead of 3,000 years in prison or whatever ridiculous number they came up with.) It was entertaining though.
If not a mistrial then definitely grounds for having the conviction tossed on appeal.
Agreed…it was my exact thought, especially since they didnt remove him right away and kept letting him talk…definitely grounds for mistrial or prosecutorial misconduct
I absolutely love SVU and I think the issues they deal with are definitely relevant to today’s society. And how the police deal with the crimes depends on their own personal experiences. Benson takes rape harder because of her mother and Stabler has a hard time with crimes against children because he’s a father. My uncle is a cop and any crime having to do with a child always takes more out of him emotionally because of his kids. And how they deal with the perssure and emotions are hard and, while some do end up depressed and burnt out, some take that emotion and make themselves better cops.
I’m an ex cop and my wife is an active cop…I can tell you from firsthand experience that NONE of these shows are very realistic. Excessive force, conduct unbecoming, cover-ups and corruption would have brought down many of our favorite characters. It is entertaining to watch, however.
Anytime I hear about a child being harmed, I over-react. In our local area, a young girl was kidnapped and murdered. Her body was found in a dump. It made the national news. The governor attended the news conference, along with the Chief of Police. I don’t have a problem seeing Benson and Stabler show their rage and distain. Because, kiddie rapist/murderers don’t get any sympathy with me.
I hope you are never accused of something you did NOT even do and get treated that way!
The problem is they show their rage and distain on ALL of their suspects…even the ones that are innocent. Here’s a though, how about you build a solid case and find out who really commited the crime and *then* start getting mad at them.
Stabler still hasn’t learned out to control his anger after all these years. He should have been suspended for his behavior, yet nothing ever happens with him. SVU has gotten worse because they forgot how to tell a good story, instead making it all about Chris and MAriska.
I like what L&O has been doing this year and I think they are trying to focus on the story. Last week’s episode Reality Bites was fantastic. I think this show deserves more attention from NBC.
Totally agree. I can not even watch SVU anymore!!! It used to be my favorite.
SVU episode was not aired by the Detroit NBC affiliate. No explanation as to why.
I do not understand the appeal of these shows. Week after week of such depressing stories. If I want to get depressed watching TV, then I watch the beautiful people (and writing) of “Mad Men”.
I agree, Ken, that is primarily why I stopped watching “SVU” long ago. Benson and Stabler were getting on my nerves, and I finally called it quits years ago when they locked a claustrophobic perp in a closet to elicit a confession and they suffered not so much as a wrist-slap for it (the illegal move wasn’t even mentioned). I much prefer the sublety of “Original Flavor”.
I did watch the show, which sometimes I switch it off because of the subject matter, but because they were positive for the subject not against, I did watch. The fact that they allowed the gay guy to act as if he was against the pedophile was interesting, as because of Hollywood here, I would not have thought this side of the issue would come out – but do people realize that if we pass the discrimanation act against gay,lesbian, etc that this will include pedophiles also? I hope that at least it may have opened eyes to what will happen if this becomes law – are we going to be a society that loses all moralities and condone – the “whatever” you want to do cause. This issue bothers me a lot and until there is proof that these are lifestyles you are born with and you can’t help, rather than just immorral issues then we need to be very careful. I have tried to say this without being inappropriate or judgemental.
So, you thought that since this was “Hollywood” at work, the gay character would be a fan of the pedophile? Mmmkay…
I agree with Jennifer- I can’t believe that you think that because it’s Hollywood that they’d be endorsing child rape. Just because a bunch of New York and European based filmmakers supported Roman Polanski.. doesn’t mean that Hollywood does.
Beyond the slanted Hollywood angle, what you’re basically saying is, “since ‘A’ has traits of ‘B’, ‘B’ also must be ‘A’”. In other words, you think pedophiles should be grouped together with gays and lesbians, because some pedos go after kids of the same gender. That’s the exact argument some Christians use to support Proposition 8, and it’s absolutely ridiculous. Just because some people are gay DOESN’T mean they’re on the hunt for kids their own gender. That’s not to deny that some pedos classify themselves as gay, but most GLBTs prefer consenting adult partners to have sex with, like their heterosexual counterparts. Even an episode of South Park showed why that argument is absurd.
That NBC always touts SVU over L&O isn’t surprising – NBC always does everything backwards. It’s a little depressing that SVU gets such higher numbers than L&O. L&O is the much better one of the two, and SVU is so over-acted and over the top that it’s become a joke.
I love everything about L&O – it’s much watch TV for me.
It’s really too bad that more people seem to prefer the overdone SVU over the more subtle L&O. Why can’t more people appreciate quality?
Both shows are overdone, which is exactly the point. The original Law an Order is no more or less subtle than any other in the franchise.
I gave up on both of these shows, SVU partway through the seventh season and the mothership when Elizabeth Rohm was ADA.
I started watching the original again last year and loved it. The characters really work well together, and they are fairly complex and interesting.
I tried watching SVU again starting with the season premiere this year, and I couldn’t even make it through three episodes. It was just way too melodramatic for my tastes. (Everyone seemed to Take!It!Personally!) I prefer more subtlety, thanks.
I really wish more people would try out the original again, but I’m not holding my breath waiting for it to happen.
One of the BEST episodes I’ve ever seen!
I love SVU !!! alex is back !!
Rosie Perez was great – that was such real emotion and raw anger.
Great show !!
Personally, I think SVU’s purpose is to entertain. Nothing on television is 100% accurate. I think SVU, through its characters, shows what we would all like to do to someone we found out was molesting our children. No, it’s not legal but who cares it’s tv.
I loved SVU the first 5 seasons but it really started going downhill after that. I finally gave up after that horrible Robin Williams episode a few years ago. The writing is a joke and I can’t bare to watch it anymore. The original L&O has gotten much better however and I’ve finally started watching again after a 3 year hiatus.
Dear Ken,
Please tell EW that the incessant pop-up advertisements have got to go. Every time I click on a page I get that F’ing Fancast advert and it is annoying as H*ll. In fact, I’m pretty much going to stop coming to this site until it goes away.
Hello… it’s a FICTIONAL TV SHOW… who care’s if the ending was not realistic. FICTION = NOT TRUE. This show is great and still going strong.
SVU used to be a lot better, but for the past few seasons, it’s been really sloppy. The ‘online game’ episode is what really made me want to drop the show. The reruns are much more preferable nowadays.
There is one big difference between the 2 shows. L&O makes you think, and SVU insults your intelligence.
Dignity was awful. It made the the victim look like a murderer by tossing in someting that wasn’t even relevant to the case among other pro-life sentiments. It made the shooter looks like a hero. For shame.
I thought this was an interesting episode and well acted. I like that some of these episodes don’t show everything as being black & white, 100% good or bad. Life is full of gray areas, and L&O usually keeps that in mind. This is a contentious issue, and no ending was ever going to resolve it – it would have been insulting if they had tried to.
I still watch the regular “Law & Order” and it is my favorite. The current cast is excellent except for maybe jeremy sisto, and this seasons stories have been really good. They seem to be finding their footing again after a bad couple of seasons with the frequent cast changes
SVU has always bothered me but this season is over the top. I can’t watch anymore. I wish NBC put more effort behind the original,maybe move it to tuesdays instead of fridays.
The episode dignity focuses on seriously disabled babies, but it is a well known fact that many late term abortions are done for mental health reasons on healthy babies. Ron Fitzsimmons of NARAL stated that most of his partial birth abortions were done on healthy babies. Google his name.
Just to clarify. Ron Fitzsimmons also claimed most partial birth abortions were done on healthy women too. Many late term abortions are done on healthy babies and healthy women using the claim ” mental health”. Roe vs Wade defines the late term health exemption so broadly that a late term abortion doctor can claim stress as a health issue and a baby can aborted at 9 months.
i hate them all. it never has a good ending or it has no ending at all to where you are left with open ended questions. if a victim is found guilty due to protecting themselves they are sent to prison but if a murderer has a good lawyer and evidence is not seen the murderer gets off!!!