Law & Order SVU “Her Negotiation” Sneak Peeks – Season Finale

Here are sneak peeks from the season 14 finale of Law & Order SVU, “Her Negotiation” which will air on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC. The previews feature Mariska Hargitay, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish, and guest stars Raúl Esparza,  Lauren Graham, and Pablo Schreiber.

Please note: These preview clips have a limited life and may be removed at any time, so catch them while you can!










Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Her Negotiation” Promo – Season Finale

Here is the promo for the season 14 finale of Law & Order SVU, “Her Negotiation” which will air on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC.





Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Her Negotiation” Cast Interviews & Behind The Scenes Videos (Season 14 Finale)

Here are cast interviews and a behind the scenes video for the season 14 finale of Law & Order SVU, “Her Negotiation” which will air on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC. The cast interviews feature Dann Florek, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish (with her dog), and guest stars Raúl Esparza and Pablo Schreiber. (Mariska Hargitay appears in the behind the scenes video.)   Enjoy!



















Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Brief Interlude” Recap & Review

This episode was clearly mis-titled. It should have been called "Law & Order SVU: Struck Comatose."  It wasn’t only Ariel Randolph who was rendered comatose in “Brief Interlude.” I suspect most viewers dropped into a coma-like stupor after watching the banal plot and tepid acting. If I didn’t know better, I’d say this episode was written by a computer script generator. There were too many times that the characters stated the obvious, the writing seemingly dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. One case in point was the scene where the CSU guy goes though an explanation of the tides and the route the boat took, and then Benson asks him, “Who dumped her in the rowboat?” I can’t imaging Benson really asking such a dumb question (which did not seem rhetorical). Most of Cragen's dialog has been reduced to stating the obvious and talking to the detectives as if they don't know how to do the basics in an investigation. And, when Benson found she was connecting to Ariel’s kids via the web chat, why did she introduce herself to the kids as a detective? It seemed odd – especially for someone who deals with special victims - that she would do so and risk alarming the children. I would have said I was a friend of their mother’s and that I needed to speak with their dad.

In real life, crimes can happen to people by people that are total strangers. The problem with this episode is that viewers had to traipse through a whole host of people who interacted with Ariel in some way before her death but who ultimately had nothing to do with it. It was a tedious process and a chore to watch. I had a bad feeling during the intro where a few minutes were spent in the club and some of the suspects were introduced to viewers. It’s a style of open that I have never liked for SVU; I prefer a mystery and felt the episode would have been far more interesting and suspenseful if it opened with the detectives in the park and allow viewers to learn along with detectives how this woman interacted with others before her death.

For Ariel, it wasn’t simply her giving the wrong man a half of a sandwich. She made several wrong decisions and as a result, she ended up dead, but not at the hands of acquaintances. She met up with the wrong people, took drugs, left the club alone, got into a car with a man that she didn’t know as well as she thought, and then decided to go off by herself. Were viewers supposed to come away with a message like “don’t go to New York alone” or “Don’t interact with strangers?” Usually I come away with something after watching SVU but in this case, I came up with nothing – except a lost hour.

Here is the recap:

Cast:
Mariska Hargitay – Detective Olivia Benson
Ice-T – Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Richard Belzer – Sergeant John Munch
Dann Florek – Captain Don Cragen
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Danny Pino - Detective Nick Amaro

Guest stars:
Tamara Tunie - Dr. Melinda Warner
Richard Thomas – Nat Randolph
Kerry Butler – Ariel Randolph
Russell Saylor – Charley Landry
Nick Mills – Phil Desapio
Max Baker – Colin Bennett
Bridget Barkan – Hooker
Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick – Wayne Randolph
Rhys Coiro – Santiago
Danielle Lieberman - Maureen Walsh
Christopher Sears – Todd Harper
Waymon Arnette – Jasper Barron
Ranjit Chowdhry – Hotel Manager
Julian Rozzell – Jerry
Tracy Westmoreland - Slick
Jesse Coleman – Grant Randolph



Ariel Randolph parties at a music club, and, in the ladies room, accepts a drug from another woman who kisses her on the cheek. Back on the floor, she kisses one of the band members and dances with him and another woman who kisses her on the neck. She gets uncomfortable and walks out of the club, alone.

The next day, a woman with a stroller out on a jog sees two men standing over an unconscious woman laying in a rowboat on the stream. One of them tells her it is not a good day as the other goes through the unconscious woman’s things. They run off and the jogger calls the police.

Later, as the unconscious woman is being loaded into an ambulance, Benson arrives on the scene who tells her it is a female Jane Doe who is non-responsive but alive. There was blunt force trauma, bite marks, and bruises on her thighs and scrapes on her knees. There is no phone or wallet or jewelry and a jogger found her in a rowboat. Benson asks if people row on Gracie Mansion. There are no boat rentals. Benson says they have no way of knowing who she was or where she floated in from.

Later, Cragen, also on the scene, speaks with Benson and Amaro who recaps what they know. Amaro explains there were two male teens, one black and one white, hovering over her body and they ran as she approached. Meanwhile, Rollins and Fin speak with the jogger. Benson, Amaro, and Cragen continue to assess the scene. Fin and Rollins press the jogger for details and find out that she was there to buy Adderall from one of the boys, Jasper, who has a scrip for the drug. She says she has to go as she has a baby yoga class, but Fin tells her not today.

Meanwhile, Cragen comments there is no way to ID the woman and Amaro thinks with the way she was dressed she could be a working girl. Benson tells him he needs to get out more, everyone dresses like that now. Cragen tells Benson to go to the hospital in case the woman regains consciousness and Amaro says he will check the databases and missing persons. Cragen says he will tell One PP that the investigation I proceeding but they have to answer just a few questions: who, what, when, where, and why.

At Bellevue Hospital, while the woman lay in intensive care, Amaro tells Benson that the Jane Doe is not in the system and no one is reported missing. Benson says ME Warner thinks the woman was likely sexually assaulted and is collecting samples now; when a half naked woman washes up in the Mayor’s back yard, everybody jumps. Warner explains the woman’s injuries and that she had Ecstasy in her system. Warner says the woman had stainless steel stitching from a hernia, uncommon in this country. Amaro wonders if her prints are in ICE. Warner says the woman had at least two children and urges she find them fast, this could turn into a homicide.

Back at SVU, Amaro explains to Cragen ICE has no info on prints yet. Benson says there is no info on the boat. Cragen asks what harbor and aviation know and Rollins says if SVU can tell them when,  they can tell them where, and if they know where they can tell them when. When Cragen quips that is not as helpful as he would like, Warner says it would be more helpful if she were dead, and she explains that with rigor they could backtrack the time of death, Benson says she is glad they don’t have that. Cragen reminds them it has been 8 hours and they have nothing, and Rollins says it is almost three and schools are about to let out. When she makes a move to leave, Cragen stops her and asks about her “wing” but she insists she is good to go.

Back in the park, Fin and Rollins conduct a “sting” with Rollins dressing as a mom with a baby carriage who got a referral from a woman at a baby yoga class. She approaches Jasper and his friend and when she gets Jasper to agree to sell her drugs, she shows she is a cop. While Rollins arrests Jasper, the other kid runs off but Fin catches up with him and arrests him.

Back at SVU, Rollins and Fin question Todd who puts it all on Jasper. Meanwhile, Benson and Amaro question Jasper who puts it all on Todd. They detectives go back and forth with the suspects who deny raping the woman. Jasper says she had a hotel card.

Later, at the Times Square Motor Lodge, Benson and Amaro get the manger to open the door and also to give them the pass key for the  room safe. Benson also instructs him to give them the security footage and the record of all calls made to and from that room and her Wi-Fi use. They enter the room at it looks to be ransacked. Benson sees all kinds of new clothing and assumes the woman went on a shopping spree, and Amaro sees no money has been stolen. Amaro finds the woman’s Canadian passport in the safe – her name is Ariel Randolph who entered the country 4 days ago. Benson sees a power cord for a tablet and cell phone charger but no phone. Amaro thinks there is something that someone didn’t want others to see.

In another room in the hotel, Benson looks over the hotel Internet records and sees mp3 files which look like live music. Amaro, looking at surveillance videos, sees someone enter the room who is clearly dressed to mask his identity from the cameras. Benson clicks on a call going to the same video chat number twice a day and it connects to a young boy who wonders who is Benson and asks where is his mom. Another boy enters the picture and Benson asks to speak with their dad.

At SVU, Amaro recaps that Ariel Randolph, 32, from Edmonton, is a music blogger and podcast host. Her husband, Nat Randolph, is 55 and a local celebrity in western Canada and hosts a show called “Canadian Days and Nights.” Benson adds that they have two sons; Wayne, 12, and Grant, 10. The family barely caught their flight and are en route now. Cragen wonders what a married mother of two was doing on her own in New York City. Fin replies that she told her husband she was here to do podcasts on something, and asks Rollins what she called it. Rollins explains it was the Caravanserai World Music Festival. Rollins states she was not lying about that, she had dozens of mp3s of different bands, most of which played during the festival last week. Cragen wonders when the last time the family heard from her, and Benson advises that it was the morning before they found her; they kept in touch and video chatted twice a day. Amaro says she told others that night she was going to pack and edit her podcast and her husband seems to have no idea about her night life. At home, she teaches piano and runs a PTA craft fair. Cragen comments she would not be the first spouse to keep a part of her life secret. Benson wryly comments it doesn’t mean she was asking for it. Fin wonders if she was into something other than fiddles and accordions. Cragen instructs them to find out what or who, and start with whoever ransacked her room. Amaro says the hotel manager says Ariel took out two keys when she checked in and maybe she has a friend. Rollins says she has several calls to several different phone numbers on her cell phone. Cragen tells her to track them down; the family gets there in 6 hours and he would like to give them some answers.

At the residence of Phil Desapio, Benson and Amaro speak with Phil about the phone calls who says he was editing her podcast and he just met her a week ago at a gig. He says she spoke to her recently about the Tomorrowland Festival and Ariel said she would join them. He did not know where she was, and has an alibi for last night. He said Ariel seemed like a groupie in search of a group.

NBC SVU Upfront Videos With Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish, Richard Belzer & Dann Florek

Here are videos from the red carpet of the 2013 NBC Upfront Presentation which was held Monday, May 13, 2013 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The videos feature Law & Order SVU’s Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Danny Pino, and Kelli Giddish.








Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU, “Brief Interlude” Preview Clips

Here are preview clips from Law & Order SVU, “Brief Interlude” which will air on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC. The previews feature Mariska Hargitay, Dann Florek, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish, and guest star Richard Thomas.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Brief Interlude" can be found at this link.




Please note: These video clips are available for a limited time only and must be removed shortly after the episode originally airs, so please catch them while you can!









Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

2013 NBC Upfront Photos

Here are photos from the red carpet of the 2013 NBC Upfront Presentation which was held May 13, 2013 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.  The photos feature Law & Order SVU’s Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Danny Pino, Kellli Giddish, and Dick Wolf,  plus Law & Order LA’s Megan Boone (for “The Blacklist”).  (Blair Underwood, from the new series “Ironside," also appears in a photo with Richard.)

Photos by: Charles Sykes/NBC © NBC Universal, Inc.

Photo by: Heidi Gutman/NBC © NBC Universal, Inc.

Photos by Jennifer Graylock/Getty Images

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

NBC Releases 2013-14 Primetime Schedule

NBC ENTERTAINMENT - PRESS RELEASE
May 12, 2013

DISTINCTIVE NEW FAMILY COMEDIES, ACTION-DRIVEN NEW DRAMAS AND QUALITY RETURNING SERIES HIGHLIGHT DIVERSE AND BALANCED 2013-14 NBC PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

Three New Comedies Anchor Thursday Lineup, With Sean P. Hayes and Michael J. Fox Returning to Their Sitcom Roots at NBC Coming Off Its Stellar Fourth Season, ‘The Voice’ Returns on Monday, Tuesday Riveting Drama ‘The Blacklist’ Earns Coveted Monday Lead-Out Timeslot From ‘The Voice’ ‘NBC Sunday Night Football’ Ready to Once Again Rock Ratings with Powerhouse Pigskin Schedule NBC Using Promotional Power of Winter Olympics to Launch Four New Series, Including Jason Katims’ Comedy ‘About a Boy’ and J.J. Abrams’ Drama ‘Believe’


NEW YORK CITY — May 12, 2013 — NBC has announced a new lineup of primetime shows for the 2013-14 season that provide a winning combination of popular returning series, fresh new comedies, compelling new dramas and the latest season of “The Voice,” the top reality program on television.

Highlights of the year-round schedule — which will be bolstered in February on the heels of the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia — include “Believe,” a new drama from J.J. Abrams and Alfonso Cuaron; the return of three-time Emmy winner James Spader in action thriller “The Blacklist”; and a comedy lineup that includes new series from “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood” executive producer Jason Katims, Will Ferrell, Bill Lawrence, Sean P. Hayes, and a return to NBC of one of the biggest TV stars of any generation, Michael J. Fox.

The new comedy additions are “Welcome to the Family,” “Sean Saves the World,” and “The Michael J. Fox Show” as well as midseason comedies “The Family Guide,” and “About A Boy.”

The new dramas are “The Blacklist,” “Ironside,” and “Dracula,” plus mid-season dramas “Believe,” “Crisis” and “Crossbones.”

NBC has also ordered dramas “Chicago PD” and “The Night Shift” and comedy “Undateable” as unscheduled midseason series.

New alternative series premiering during the 2013-14 season include “The Million Second Quiz” and “American Dream Builders.” Returning to the schedule are “The Biggest Loser” and “The Sing-Off.” “Food Fighters” has been ordered as an unscheduled midseason show.

Scripted series returning include “Grimm,” “Parenthood,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Revolution,” “Chicago Fire,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Community.”

Pick-up decisions on “Celebrity Apprentice” and “Hannibal” are still to be made in the next few weeks.

“The Voice” will kick off its fifth season in September on Mondays (8-10 pm. ET). The current cycle of “The Voice” has been primetime’s #1 show of the week on the Big Four networks, excluding sports, for four of six weeks thus far in adults 18-49.

The announcements were made by Robert Greenblatt, Chairman, NBC Entertainment.

“The overriding strategy this year was to develop enough strong comedies and dramas to take advantage of the promotional heft of the Winter Olympics and devise two schedules for the upcoming season: one for fall and a slightly different one for midseason. I’m pleased to say that our development groups — headed by Jennifer Salke (scripted) and Paul Telegdy (alternative/reality) — really delivered,” Greenblatt said. “This is the most robust and highest-testing slate of new shows we have had in years.”

Greenblatt continued, “And aside from our Olympics planning, we also wanted to create better flow and compatibility on each night, and deploy our strongest lead-in (‘The Voice’) to maximum effect.

“Sunday in the fall remains the night to beat with ‘Sunday Night Football.’ After football and the Olympics are over, we will launch two classy, attention-getting dramas in February: ‘Believe’ from J.J. Abrams, and ‘Crisis’ starring Dermot Mulroney and Gillian Anderson. We think it’s time for big dramas again on Sunday nights. And leading into these dramas at 8 p.m. will be an exciting home renovation competition hosted by Nate Berkus called 'American Dream Builders.'

“Monday and Tuesday will again dominate with ‘The Voice.’ Our highly anticipated new James Spader drama ‘The Blacklist’ deserves to go into the 10 p.m. slot on Monday, and we’re moving ‘Chicago Fire,’ a show we really believe in, to 10 p.m. on Tuesdays to benefit from ‘The Voice’ lead-in that will be at 9 p.m. in the fall.

“After the Olympics, however, ‘The Voice’ moves back to 8 p.m. on Tuesday so that we can launch two of our strongest new family comedies in the 9 p.m. hour: ‘About a Boy’ and ‘The Family Guide.’ Landing more comedy on the schedule is important and using ‘The Voice’ as a lead-in after the Olympics is the strongest way to do that.

“I believe we’ll have a more compatible Wednesday line-up with three dramas: ‘Revolution,’ ‘Law & Order: SVU’ and ‘Ironside,’ starring Blair Underwood, which is another new show we’ve very high on.

“Thursday will have a family theme, starting with a two-hour comedy block from 8-10 p.m. anchored by strong stars: Amy Poehler in ‘Parks and Recreation,’ Mike O’Malley in ‘Welcome to the Family,’ Sean Hayes in ‘Sean Saves the World’ and the new ‘Michael J. Fox Show.’ Then at 10 p.m. ‘Parenthood’ moves in to top off the night with what I know is the best family drama on television.

“On Fridays, anchored by ‘Grimm’ at 9 p.m., we will have a more fun genre night with the limited-series ‘Dracula,’ starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers at 10 p.m. In the spring, ‘Crossbones’ — with John Malkovich as the infamous pirate Blackbeard — replaces ‘Dracula,’” said Greenblatt.
Jordan Wertlieb, President of Hearst Television and Chair of the NBC Affiliate Board, commented, “This schedule is another example of NBC's continued commitment to restoring prime time to its traditional leadership position. I am sure the investment in partnering with some of the most recognizable names in television will be obvious and exciting to the affiliates.”



NBC FALL 2013-14 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET)

MONDAY
8-10 p.m. – “The Voice”
10-11 p.m. – “THE BLACKLIST”

TUESDAY
8-9 p.m. – “The Biggest Loser” (New Day and Time)
9-10 p.m. – “The Voice” (New time)
10-11 p.m. – “Chicago Fire” (New Day and Time)

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. – “Revolution” (New Day and Time)
9-10 p.m. – ”Law & Order: SVU”
10-11 p.m. – “IRONSIDE”

THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. – “Parks and Recreation” (New time)
8:30-9 p.m. – “WELCOME TO THE FAMILY”
9-9:30 p.m. – “SEAN SAVES THE WORLD”
9:30-10 p.m. – “THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW”
10-11 p.m. – “Parenthood” (New Day and Time)

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”
9-10 p.m. – “Grimm”
10-11 p.m. – “DRACULA”

SATURDAY
Encore programming

SUNDAY
7:00-8:15 p.m. – “Football Night in America”
8:15-11:30 p.m. – “NBC Sunday Night Football”

NBC MIDSEASON 2013-14 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET)

MONDAY
8-10 p.m. – “The Voice”
10-11 p.m. – “THE BLACKLIST”

TUESDAY
8-9 p.m. – “The Voice”
9-9:30 p.m. – “ABOUT A BOY”
9:30-10 p.m. – “THE FAMILY GUIDE”
10-11 p.m. – “Chicago Fire”

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. – “Revolution”
9-10 p.m. – ”Law & Order: SVU”
10-11 p.m. – “IRONSIDE”

THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. – “Parks and Recreation”
8:30-9 p.m. – “WELCOME TO THE FAMILY”
9-9:30 p.m. – “SEAN SAVES THE WORLD”
9:30-10 p.m. – “THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW”
10-11 p.m. – “Parenthood”

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”
9-10 p.m. – “Grimm”
10-11 p.m. – “CROSSBONES”

SATURDAY
8-10 p.m. – Encore and specials programming
10-11 p.m. – “Saturday Night Live” (Encore)

SUNDAY
7-8 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”
8-9 p.m. – “AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS”
9-10 p.m. – “BELIEVE”
10-11 p.m. – “CRISIS”

2013-14 NEW SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

New Comedies
“ABOUT A BOY”
Based on the best-selling Nick Hornby (“High Fidelity,” “An Education”) novel, writer Jason Katims (“Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood”) and director Jon Favreau (“Iron Man,” “Revolution”) present a different kind of coming-of-age story. Will Freeman (David Walton, “Bent,” “Perfect Couples”) lives a charmed existence as the ultimate man-child. After writing a hit song, he was granted a life of free time, free love and freedom from financial woes. He’s single, unemployed and loving it. So imagine his surprise when Fiona (Minnie Driver, “Good Will Hunting,” “Barney’s Version”), a needy single mom and her oddly charming 11-year-old son, Marcus (Benjamin Stockham, “1600 Penn”), move in next door and disrupt his perfect world. When Marcus begins dropping by his home unannounced, Will’s not so sure about being a kid’s new best friend, until, of course, Will discovers that women find single dads irresistible. That changes everything and a deal is struck: Marcus will pretend to be Will’s son and, in return, Marcus is allowed to chill at Will’s house. Before he realizes it, Will starts to enjoy the visits and even finds himself looking out for the kid. In fact, this newfound friendship may very well teach him a thing or two that he never imagined possible — about himself and caring for others.

Writer Jason Katims, director Jon Favreau, Tim Bevan (“Les Misérables,” “About a Boy”), Eric Fellner (“Les Misérables,” “About a Boy”), Liza Chasin (“Les Misérables,” “About a Boy”), Robert De Niro (“About a Boy,” “Meet the Parents”) and Jane Rosenthal (“About a Boy,” “Meet the Parents”) serve as executive producers. “About a Boy” is a production of Universal Television, Working Title Television, True Jack Productions and Tribeca Productions.

Law & Order SVU, “Her Negotiation” Advance Photos

Here are advance photos for the season 14 finale of  Law & Order SVU, “Her Negotiation” which will air on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC. The photos feature Mariska Hargitay and Dean Winters.

Photos by: Michael Parmelee/NBC © NBC Universal, Inc.

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU, “Brief Interlude” Advance Photos

Here are advance photos for Law & Order SVU, “Brief Interlude” which will air on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC. The photos feature Kelli Giddish and Tamara Tunie.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Brief Interlude" can be found at this link.

Photos by: Michael Parmelee/NBC © NBC Universal, Inc.

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Brief Interlude” Promo

Here is the promo for Law & Order SVU, “Brief Interlude” which will air on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC.

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Brief Interlude" can be found at this link.









Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Poisoned Motive” Recap & Review

Law & Order Criminal Intent – oops, sorry, I mean SVU – "Poisoned Motive" was an episode that had no special victims. It did start with the shooting of SVU’s own Amanda Rollins by a sniper, right outside the SVU precinct. This episode DID feel more like a Law & Order Criminal Intent episode, even throwing in Alex Eames to enhance the vibe. This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially for Criminal Intent fans. The episode was rapidly paced, getting Rollins’ shooting out of the way quickly so fans didn’t have to wait long to see what the NBC promos and photos had already shown. The story provided a look into Fin’s undercover narcotics background and the ripple effects from his narcotics partner taking a bullet for him years ago. It seems now TWO people have taken a bullet for Fin; hopefully he will be doubly appreciative of and attentive to both his new AND his old partners.

There was plenty of action early on and the investigation moved quickly. Maybe I’ve been watching crime shows for too long, but the minute Gloria came into the picture, I knew she was the shooter. I have mixed feelings about the use of Gloria’s video message. I did like that the writers used a slightly different technique to work toward the climax. However, we already had a good idea of why she was shooting people;  listening to her give her reasons in the video,  while she and the others made their next moves,  slowed the pace. Did the writers think that her story was too complicated to follow so they had to recap it?

There were a few minor things that bugged me. In a previous episode this season, “Deadly Ambition,” Fin and Rollins handled a training exercise poorly, which got Rollins shot in the exercise. In “Poisoned Motive,” there was something about how Benson and Fin walked into the massage room that made me think that they detectives weren’t properly watching who was around them, especially after chasing those women out of the room. Did Fin plant that gun? I assumed he did, as they made a point of showing him get a gun just like it out of his desk drawer, and then showed the gun prominently as he “discovered” it on the couch. I know that detectives can deceive when interrogating others, but are they permitted to plant evidence, even it if is to simply get someone to talk?  And, since when is it OK to beat up someone in a prison holding cell and hold their head back and threaten to remove their eyes?  I guess when a shooting involves “one of their own” it’s OK to throw out the rule book. Just for once, I would like law enforcement (in any crime show) not to go off the rails when “one of their own” gets hurt. It gets…old.

I also wondered why, after Gloria refused to answer the telephone in the Hamill household that suddenly, after Mr. Hamill arrives on the scene and Amaro asks him to dial again that Gloria decides to answer? If she didn’t answer his previous calls, what made her pick up this time?

All that said – I really DID like this episode. It moved, it had an interesting, “outside the box” story, it had nice location shots, and it had Kathryn Erbe!

Here is the recap:

Cast:
Mariska Hargitay – Detective Olivia Benson
Ice-T – Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Richard Belzer – Sergeant John Munch
Dann Florek – Captain Don Cragen
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Danny Pino - Detective Nick Amaro

Guest stars:
Kathryn Erbe - Alexandra Eames
Yul Vasquez – Luis Montero
Jessica Camacho Gloria Montero
Cathy Moriarty-Gentile – Lt. Howard
Jennifer Lim - Mrs. Chang
2 Chainz – Calvin "Pearlie" Jones
La La Anthony – Ana Tejada
Emilio Rivera – Escobar
Fredric Lehne – Warden Jones
Karl Kenzler – Sam Hamill
Coy DeLuca – Earl Talley
Colin Crest - Tom Hamill
Noelle P. Wilson – Giselle Hamill
Harry Chambarry - Doctor


At the SVU squad, the detectives are all busy bringing in a group of girls while Rollins attempts to fingerprint the woman who was holding them – Mrs. Chang. When Rollins tells them to take Chang to central booking, Captain Cragen says One PP wants a “show and tell” with her, adding that “Dragon Lady” sells papers so make sure that the cars are washed and the doors unlocked. When Amaro and Fin discuss wearing ties, Cragen adds that the spotlight will be on Rollins who was lead on the case. She humbly replies that it was a group effort. Benson approaches and informs them that the girls are talking and they will give statements. Fin tells her she’d better fix her lipstick.

As Rollins leads Mrs. Chang out of the precinct, and the other detectives follow with other suspects, a crowd of reporters and photographers take photos and yell out questions. But, from another view, someone is looking at the detectives through a scope. As Fin puts Chang into the car, Rollins heads over to the driver’s side. A shot is fired and Rollins is hit, falling against the car. As she slumps to the ground, everyone ducks and some bystanders scream. Fin attends to Rollins and points Benson and Amaro to a nearby rooftop where the shots originated. As Benson and Amaro race to the building, Fin calls in a 10-13, saying an officer was shot and instructs them on what they should do, all the while applying pressure to Rollins wound as she lay bleeding.

Benson and Amaro get to the rooftop yet find no one. They look down on the scene. Meanwhile, Fin carries Rollins to the back seat of a car and drives off

Later, Rollins is in a hospital room, under pain meds, and Fin walks in. She holds up the button for the pain meds and tells him it doesn’t hurt. He explains it was a shoulder wound, straight through and through. She’s loopy from the meds and smiles about it being a through and through. She asks if he got the guy that shot her, and then she falls asleep. Fin leaves the room to find Cragen and the detectives and other police waiting for word. He tells them she feels no pain; the bullet hit muscle and came out her upper back. There is no permanent damage, and ask if there are any leads. Amaro says there was nothing on the roof and there are no witnesses; he just melted away, Benson adds they are checking cameras and license plate readers. Amaro explains CSU pulled one 45 caliber full metal jacket slug from the sidewalk and it was pancaked so they won’t get much from ballistics. Fin thinks a 45 is a long range for a pistol. Amaro replies that one bullet and a rooftop sniper means this is a targeted hit. Benson wonders if they got everyone in the organization involved from Rollin’s bust. Fin replies that the Dragon Lady was mouthing off to Rollins. Cragen suggest they go and bring her back from central booking.

Back at SVU, Benson and Fin bring Chang back into the interrogation room, who complains about the disgusting conditions in the cell. Fin tells her it is 5 star compared to where she is going. She says she will post bail and be home in time for her Mets. When Benson brings up the attempted murder of a police officer, Chang looks surprised and Fin suggests her people did it and she is an accomplice. Chang counters that if one of her people did it, that pretty lady would be dead and those messages she got weren’t threats. Benson asks what were they, and Chang says her girls were happy and they wanted the detective to leave them alone.

Back at the hospital, Fin comments to Rollins that she did get threats from Chang’s people. Rollins replies it was just a few texts, to which Benson says Rollins did not report. Rollins says she did not want TARU and IAB going through her phone and when Cragen asks why is that, she explains that there were friendly reminders from people to whom she owed gambling debts. Cragen asks if there are any other surprises, and Rollins says nothing. Cragen suggests he step out of the room for a cup of coffee. After he leaves, Fin tells Rollins that they need to see her phone and have to follow this up. She says OK, and then says she heard from Earl Talley, and idiot friend of her sister’s who is mad she shot Jeff, saying it is hot air and she can take care of it herself. Benson replies – says the girl who is sitting in a hospital bed with a hole in her shoulder. Fin tells her they have this.