I thought the Iraq stuff was pretty even handed.
The pro-war voice was heard more often, but I’m not entirely sure it’s the voice we were meant to listen to.
Yeah, the pro-war guys were just louded but I don’t think they completely ignored the other side of the coin. All things considered, I think they did a pretty good job with the war stuff…
Except forcasting Robert John Burke as the Reserve guy. He’s the IAB guy on SVU! The L&O universe could implode!
That lady was kind of sad. Hell, Goren was kind of pitiful too. I thought it was a really good season opener.
So… are they setting up Goren to go schizo by the end of the season? I keep waiting for it but they never seem to have the sack to do it.
They’ve talked about his crazy mom before. I don’t think it’s going anywhere other than to explain why he’s kind of quirky. And when I say “kind of” I mean “puts the Columbo quirks to shame”.
Random news, notes, and opinions on what’s going on in L&O world:
- Saw about the last half of the first of Wednesday’s episodes. What stood out for me was that general on the stand doing his best, “You can’t handle the truth!” tribute ("Forget all this PC crap! We’re talking about Muslims!"
and Southerlyn getting all anti-war on Branch and even daring to bring up how the US initially supported Afghanistan when the Soviet Union invaded them, which paved the way for the Taliban to rise to power (that’s one of those things I think we’re supposed to be unaware of). My joy in Southerlyn’s position and rant comes not only from it agreeing with my stance on Dubya and Cheney’s Dude, Where’s My Oil Excellent Adventure, but from knowing that Branch’s portrayer, Fred Thompson, is a former Republican Senator whose real stance likely mirrors his character’s. Thompson/Branch having to take that for those few seconds was beautiful.
In a similar vein, I know that Ron Silver, who played the defense attorney, is actually quite conservative and even appeared at the Republican National Convention. I’m not sure if having to play a character who has to trumpet the Abu Gharib debacle and the war on terror as a justifiable murder defense is a sign of Dick Wolf tossing a non-partisan bone(two conservatives covering both the pro and con of the Iraq War) or a testament to Silver’s dedication to his craft.
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As for the second episode, I’m glad to see that we’ve reached the point where anyone and anything connected to 9/11 isn’t beyond reproach. It’s not that I have a grudge against them or anything, and it’s not that I have an entire stand-up routine waiting patiently on my hard drive waiting for the official signal that the event has crossed the border from insensitive to edgy so I can bust it out and get a head-start. But when we’ve reached the point where these women’s stories can be used as a mere backdrop to a regular murderous jilted-ex case shows that our anxiety over the day’s events may finally be ebbing and our section of the world is feeling less terrorized. If that’s good normalcy or bad complacency is up for debate.
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I also noticed what Paul did about Branch and McCoy both giving Southerlyn a, “If you can’t stand the heat…” dismissal over both episodes and also think this may be laying the groundwork for Rohm’s leaving later this season. I just hope they don’t make her getting blown off a weekly moment leading up to D(eparture)-Day; something as expected as some couple making small talk about NYC life finding the body, the suspect getting read their Miranda Rights leading into the half-hour commercial break, and evidence that would make the case a mere formality and the episode end 20 minutes early getting tossed out. That wouldn’t be an exercise of subtlety.
How is Southerlyn making her escape? The dismissals and her seeming sensitivity to the defendants’ plights in both episodes makes one think she’ll leave and become a defense attorney. But that’s been done twice already(Robinette and Jamie Ross), so hopefully Wolf will concoct something fresh. How about she throws a case and gets disbarred? Or she joins the ACLU? (I can imagine how Branch would take that…) Or, playing on McCoy’s lecherous past, she claims that he repeatedly tried to (INSERT OBVIOUS LEGAL BRIEFS JOKE HERE) and sues the NYC DA office? If they’re going to disrespect and bench her, she might as well take them down and permanently smear the office on the way out. All not likely, but just some ideas to make another characters’ rotation out something memorable.
THE NEXT BULLET CONTAINS A RUMOR THAT, IF TRUE, MAY BE A SPOILER. SO IF YOU HAVE EVEN THE SLIGHTEST WORRY ABOUT THOSE THINGS, COVER YOUR EYES, MARIAN!!
- I read speculation on another message board that it may turn out that Fontana is gay. Something about him sticking his pinky out while drinking in one of the two episodes (I missed it) is supposedly a quiet hint. Since I can’t imagine he’ll be showing up to work in a zebra-striped suit and a feather boa and tired because he was up all night watching the all-month musical festival on Turner Classic Movies, and Green and Van Buren don’t seem like the types to have Neanderthal conflict with it (Branch on the other hand…), it won’t be some huge distracting to-do that I’ll have a problem with.
Have there been any other gay characters in the L&O universe? The medical examiner Rogers always comes off as rather manly, but I vaguely remember an episode where Briscoe was playfully flirting with her. Their discussion became about make-up and Lennie remarked that she’d look good if she wore some. Rogers almost blushed. I also have a fuzzy recollection of Liz Olivet, the old court psychiatrist, remarking about how some female seagulls show lesbian tendencies, a clue on her orientation. But she probably was saying that regarding a co-worker or a patient. And I know BD Wong is openly gay in real life, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his SVU character is also. After all, most movies have token straight romantic interests, and we know everyone in Hollywood is queer…
SPOILER PART OVER. YOU CAN OPEN YOUR EYES NOW…OH WAIT, IF THEY’RE CLOSED YOU CAN’T READ THIS. I HOPE THOSE WHO WANTED TO REMAIN PURE ALSO HAVE ESP. BUT IF THEY DO, THEN COULD ALSO READ THOSE LAST PARAGRAPHS! I’LL STOP NOW…
- I saw that the new Trial By Jury spin-off was able to snag Bebe Neuwrith to play the ADA. We all know she’s awesome as the icy ballcruncher with a buried level of humanity, so that could be fun.
I just wonder if NBC can resist the temptation to get Kelsey Grammer to appear to play opposite her. Maybe even have him appear as Frasier Crane again to keep that streak of him playing the character going. It would work as long as we get the scene where Crane’s on the witness stand trying to remain calm while Neuwrith grills him. Eventually he breaks and lets loose his classic, “OH, FOR GOD’S SAKE, WOMAN!!”
Tonight’s SVU is pretty mediocre. Good performances, and BD Wong gets a lot of stuff to do, but this episode is Belzer and hot redhead ADA free. Boo to that, I say.
Although any episode where Stabler gets a witness to confess by using the whole “This is AMERICA” angle is okay by me.
Ok, you know what, I need to stop making judgements before an episode is over. That bit with Stabler was too cool for words, and I hope Dick Wolf has the balls to make this an arc rather than being resolved by the end of next week. Awesome.
I can’t remember any L&O story in recent years that lasted longer than an episode. I guess Goren Vs. Olivia D’Abo.
Anyway, that episode was a Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa away from having every TV stock Asian actor in it. Pretty good episode, though. I liked how Benson would blatantly talk into her sleeve while she was trailing Red Leather Jacket. Way to blow your cover, genious.
Yeah, but Stabler’s always walked a thin line between cop and vigilante, and it seemed like with this episode in particular, they were going out of their way to portray him as on the edge, especially with Loren Dean.
And, I mean, come on, when ICE-T looks at you like “That was cold, man,” you know that’s something you don’t walk away from.
Quote:
| Originally Posted by Rath/Brendan And, I mean, come on, when ICE-T looks at you like “That was cold, man,” you know that’s something you don’t walk away from. |
Cross-poster!
Yeah, any time kids are involved Stabler goes off his rocker. It’s the same thing with Benson and rapists. You gotta have that “I’m going CRAZY and will KILL YOU” episode every now and then.
Quote:
| Originally Posted by gravedigger I can’t remember any L&O story in recent years that lasted longer than an episode. |
Not much of an example, but there was a little bit (very little) of carry over from that “guy other than Otis who is obsessed with Olivia” episode.
Pretty good episode. The Candice Bergan cameo wasn’t too over the top.
I expected something to happen to the Corrections Officer or his family. But I didn’t expect them to just leave it hanging with no conclusion like they did.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a little tired of the “untouchable” organizations. Like the Russian Mafia or the prison “Brotherhood.” I mean, I know those guys are bad-ass, but you have to think just once the good guys come out on top.
I mean, when’s the last time they did an episode where someone’s family was threatened, nobody took it seriously and everything turned out ok?
So this week on CI we get to VOTE on whether Goren’s nemesis lives or dies. The rules seem dumb and kind of convoluted. I mean, watching the show with an ending and then deciding? What? I hope she lives.
You can watch both endings to CI at the NBC website in some manner of horrific streaming video. Here’s a link to a write-up of those endings: [http://www.nbc.com/nbc/Law_&_Order:_…rs_choice/](http://www.nbc.com/nbc/Law_&_Order:_Criminal_Intent/viewers_choice/)
I’m a dreaded Undecided on this right now. On one hand, it’s interesting to think what they’d do with Goren thinking she got away again. On the other hand, they kind of painted themselves into a corner with Wallace’s motivation. I’m afraid they’ll have to turn her into a one-note character now. Plus, the death ending showed that Goren can throw down when he needs to rather than just be the creepy smart guy.
We won;t be seeing this down under for at least a year Im guessing - but I sure am gonna miss Lenny’s opening quips at the beginning of every episode.
I have no problem admitting Im an absolute fucking L&O multiverse whore.
So what was with last night’s SVU? I really enjoyed it quite a bit, but it was sorta hokey and really fast-paced, like an issue of a Law and Order comic book. I kept expecting Batman to show up. I wonder if they had a new director or something.
Not to say it was bad- it had some of the best “Awesome!” moments so far this season though. Benson busting out the light in the closet was great, and man do I love it when Stabler goes nuts.
That was a Kansas “ripped from the headlines” killer. Guy from the 70s called “BTK” (beat, torture, kill) who stopped for about 20 years then resurfaced recently. Cops assume he was in jail for something else the last 20 years and just got out. Same as in the episode, BTK signed his notes (no riddles as far as I know) in a certain way that was never released to the press.