Maybe it’s COVID tragic stories fatigue, maybe it’s because this wasn’t a special victims case - maybe both - but I could not connect with this episode at all. Not one bit. I disliked it more than any SVU episode I’ve seen in a long time. It’s not that I didn’t feel any sympathy or empathy for what everyone was going through. I think it’s more that I thought the entire situation with Vanessa Blake could have been resolved WITHOUT Benson’s de-escalating. I also am not a fan of the Rollins family drama. The episode was far too “soap opera” for my liking. This episode focused on two concurrent stories, neither of them resonated with me.
Typical impulsive Rollins, she brings her father to New York without thinking things through. Rollins’ father had a mini-stroke and Rollins brings him there while he recovers. Rollins’ mother isn’t coming. Carisi is there to support her, and brings cannoli for her father. Carisi still hasn’t told her about his relationship with Nicole. When Rollins asks about what he wanted to tell her before she got the news of her father, he avoids the situation. When her father takes a turn for the worse, Rollins has to deal with questions like power of attorney, living will, medical insurance, etc. Rollins doesn’t want him to be alone through all this, and gets protective of her father and suspicious when his current wife Amber shows up. After Rollins lectures Amber on all the care her father will need, Amber makes a quick exit. How exactly does Rollins expect to care for him or pay for it if he doesn’t have the right coverage or finances? I suppose that Rollins is forgiving her father for all the times he abused her mother, abandoned the family, and his drug/booze overdoses? Does she fully understand what she’s signing up for? We are talking Rollins here, so I doubt it.
Meanwhile, Vanessa Blake goes through a year of COVID by having her restaurant business dwindle, her husband leave her, her son alienated, and her mother dying from COVID, for which she blamed her son. (During this recap of her year, our ears are assaulted by music that overpowered the scene.) The last straw is the realtor pulls the plug on their restaurant (she is in partnership with Ira), finding a clause that allows the realtor to avoid the moratorium on evictions. She decides to take matters into her own hands and holds the realtor at knifepoint. Benson happens to be stopping in the restaurant for some take-out and hears from an officer that a woman in the restaurant has gone crazy and pulled a knife. Ira explains that Vanessa pulled the knife on the realtor because she didn’t want to face closing the restaurant. Benson decides to flash her badge and gain access. Inside, she sees two officers, one pointing a taser at Vanessa and another a gun. Benson says she knows Vanessa but Vanessa wants her out. Benson asks the two officers to step outside, she’ll handle this. She orders them to holster their weapons.
Here’s my issue with Benson’s interference: It doesn’t matter that she knows Vanessa; anyone unhinged enough to hold a knife (or gun) at another person could behave erratically at any time. I’m not in favor of using deadly force (unless absolutely necessary) but I found myself thinking that a quick taser shot on the part of the officer would have stopped Vanessa in her tracks. Instead, Benson decides to use her newly-learned skills of de-escalating and she prolonged the situation and the risk to others. I found myself thinking like this: taser – situation over quick; de-escalation – situation carries on for hours with a large number of law enforcement outside with crowds and media coverage.
Yes, Benson got the realtor out of the situation, but she put herself at risk. It’s possible that weighing on my mind was the real-life incident just days before where a 16 year old girl was shot by police as she tried to stab another girl. That officer had a split-second decision to make to avoid someone being murdered right in front of him. His fast action saved someone’s life, despite the fact he took another. Not every situation can be like this one with Benson where she knows the person holding the deadly weapon. Benson and Vanessa talk things out – there’s too much talking; I started to mentally tune out. During all this airing of grievances, Benson’s relationship with Ed Tucker comes up. Benson tells Vanessa that Tucker got cancer then killed himself. That’s not a very uplifting message to someone who is down on their luck.
Bottom line, Vanessa’s husband still isn’t there for her but she reunites with her son and the situation is diffused. Benson has saved the day again. Vanessa, under arrest, exits the restaurant to applause, a customer raised $35,000 on a Go Fund Me page and even the realtor chipped in. Benson tells Vanessa to remember it was the worst day of her life and she made it through. Sure, Vanessa lived through it but her problems are definitely not over. Garland tells Benson to take a few days and let someone take care of her. (So who exactly is going to do that for Benson?)
Thankfully, the hour ends.
25 comments:
This was by far the worst episode of SVU I’ve ever seen across any season. I can’t think of another that comes close.
My first thought when the episode began was.....Enough with Covid, I am So tired of it. But I was quite pleased with the direction the episode took. It’s time the trauma of being locked down for almost year is explored. People have been pushed to their breaking points, I truly felt for Vanessa and thought Olivia treated her with kindness and compassion. Good episode! But......If the writers are going to put Carisi and Rollins together, just do it or move on. It looks like Carisi has a new lady in his life so I’m not really sure why they keep harping on the possibility of a relationship between the ex partners.
I just posted my recap/review. I really didn't like this one AT ALL.
Totally agree with you. It was awful. And the fact Mariska went on about how beautiful it was is baffling. Aside from the fact it’s her show. It was just an excuse for Hargitay to assault us with her declining acting skills.
Contrapasso comes to mine from season 19.
Not nearly as bad as True Believers (one of the absolutely worst episodes of ANY television series), Screwed, or Guardians and Gladiators, but still pretty bad.
Next week: Benson gets on a motorbike and does a jump across a tank of water with a shark in. Or she may as well do. Really staggeringly awful.
I guess I'm alone in loving it! It was so good to see police solving a problem without shooting anyone. And it was such an understandable scenario - I'm sure we all know business owners whose lives have been turned upside down by the pandemic. It felt real because it could all easily happen to anyone. I thought it was nice to have an episode that wasn't extreme, it was a story that I could identify with.
I didn't like this episode either. It felt too contrived as far as Benson just happening by this place when this was occurring. I don't think she was right to insert herself into this situation. Did she and Kat just finish a class on de-escalating and was that one course enough? Did she have training before this? Again, too contrived that this happened right after her class. Many people have had their lives turned upside down in the food service industry but how many decide to take someone hostage at knife point because of it. I would rather have seen FIN get involved than another "Benson saves the world" episode.
Rollins family drama bores me. I'd have more respect for Rollins if she left her abusing drunk druggie dad to fend for himself with his new wife.
I would have rather seen the cop taser Vanessa and get it over with.
I know this was not an svu case but realistically, sometimes cops get dragged into things outside of their department. Also I don't mind seeing family drama. SVU is not just about the cases or victims, but people who run the squad and I have always been interested in seeing who they are as a whole, not just on the job. The announcement says these are their stories, referring to the people who run the squad not just the cases. It can be over done though.
That said, I appreciate the message of de escalating. Not everyone needs to be shot, tased or killed. Alot of that going on when it is not needed. Some do need social services. I don't think every cop who uses the taser or gun is bad, but it is a good message in our current climate.
I also appreciate the covid storyline because it has gutted a lot of small businesses. This wasn't my favorite episode but I didn't mind it either.
It seems strange that everyone practically expects sonny and Amanda to be together. Not sure how I feel about it. I got tired of him chasing after her, but now that he has a new girlfriend, I feel strange for some reason.
Number one show
I liked it too! Honestly, what resonated with me is the fact everything that happened to Vanessa, could happen to anyone. She just snapped and needed someone to bring her back to earth.
S1E4
Selfie bomb dot. High class living. Teen OD. Suspect interrogated w/evidence. Jet’s internet withdrawal. Jet hits streets w/detectives? She is at computer screen? Traced OD pkg obtained w/o in-person physical due to telemedicine. Instant text order trace. Wheatley all-camera access. Selfie dig. Jumper suspect to rat. Shadow deal. Hip CI re: tracking. Rat confirmed. Distracted driving. Selfie found. Convo with ex-partner. CI visit to posh home. Fake-fakery. Toast. Put down trade. Nailed as CI by Wheatley. Table tension. Family scrutiny. Too close close ups. A waitress in designer dress poking around discovered by Wheatley; the setup. Stupid “Karen” act. Bug planted. Live feelings shared. Fading vision of wife share w/frenemy talon dive using fake son’s death, I dislike her even more. Stabler’s alone. Selfie person to email photos(?) Single guy fridge already? Call to Liv. Bomber revealed. F.E.A.R. (For everything a reason)
FYI - I've been deleting some comments lately - some are spam, but some don't make sense and some are just crossing the line of civility. There are varying opinions about this episode and I enjoy hearing what people liked and disliked about it. But there's no place for name calling here. The one thing about Law & Order SVU is that it is often polarizing!
I would hope that if there was an option to use force or de-escalate that de-escalation strategies would be used even if it would take longer. Especially now that we know that some officers cannot in a volatile moment distinguish between a taser and a gun.
Dark humour but it was a bit comical that Liv was trying to calm a woman on the brink because her restaurant went under by ordering from another restaurant. Like, "look I know how horrible it is to lose your business. Why don't we order from somebody who's business is still up and running? That might help"
I'm gonna assume that this ep was shot a long time ago in Bethlehem but still surprised that they left in this end scene of a police captain basically describing Vanessa's beh as "having a bad day" as this was exactly the scandalous phrase said by a police spokesperson after the Atlanta spa shootings. Countless ppl are facing indescribable hardships right now and it is understandable that someone might reach a desperate point but does not excuse beh like this. She held someone at knife point then escalated to gun point. Unlike Liv, I do think there was "mental capacity to form intent" There would be grounds here for pre-meditation. She was decompensating, yes, but she still had the presence of mind to make a plan. She didn't have an impulsive moment where she pulled a gun on the realtor out of the blue. She planned it and made her way from one location to another with this plan in mind. Also, ppl who are truly "out of their mind" do not at all think they are out of their mind. They cannot recognize their insanity. However, I do like the overall portrayal of the highs and lows of the pandemic still ongoing for millions of ppl and the pt that it didn't all end with the rollout of vaccines. There's still so much economic and psychological fallout from the past year. Even the whole banging pots out the window- I had forgotten about that. This pandemic has ppl oscillating betw weary and optimistic. I would expect some Covid stories from time to time as there were 9/11 stories after 9/11. Art imitating life
I had the same thoughts as those expressed here about the convenience of coming across this restaurant that she clearly hadn't visited in a while to not know its closed down but just so happens to visit the day of this hostage situation. And how many times is Liv going to be a hostage? I seriously was waiting for the part at the end where she out of breath says, "Where's Noah?" I think Vanessa brought it up instead. Plus she's the protagonist we know she's gonna make it out alive. (1/2)
Oh lawd- the Rollins drama. Was always invested in her troubled character and storyline but like I said- I've grown weary w the current direction. Also disappointing to realize that what seemed like finally allowing Rollisi to go separate ways if even for a while is instead now some kind of love triangle. It feels like they're trying for Elliot-Liv-Kathy 2.0. And that's even if they keep Nicole around. Starting to think she might just be like the Arabic guy who's in to Rollins that has only appeared twice just to create a more dramatic backdrop for the Rollisi storyline. Feels like Nicole is being used in this way too. Disappointing
The last time we saw Kim it felt like they were trying to force us to excuse Kim for her outrageous abusive beh. I mean srsly- she's a sociopath. Worse, it felt like it was Rollins responsibility to let bygones be bygones, you know the light stuff like framing your sister for murder and fraud and almost costing her her badge many times. Now it seems like they're doing this with the dad. Even the explanation that the mom wasn't there cuz she was watching 3 kids not that maybe it was uncomfortable to be there w the man who would have beaten her bloody and squandered her money. Amanda casually making calls to the mom to get financial info like none of this dynamic is bizarre. And I'm sorry but I can't let go- why is Amanda's mother caring for her children!?! I thought Amanda had a nanny. I mean she could even ask Lucy. But the mother has always come off as incredibly dysfunctional and irresponsible. Not to mention the hostility she has shown Amanda and even Jessie not wanting to say hi to her on the phone. Just feels negligent on Amanda's part to be leaving her kids with her mom. The mom snuck Kim into her house and kept it secret. How does she know she won't do smthg like that again and not have some unsavoury individual around her child. I feel like I'm missing smthg. It just feels like a complete re-write of this character who would betray Amanda in a heartbeat.
I just have trouble investing in this storyline about the father. And even tho the plot was the sick father the main purpose seemed to be about Rollisi with all the one-on-one time and comforting and so many assuming that they're a couple. It really was more about that than the internal conflict of 'having to' support your abusive father whom you've had a dysfunctional rel with. And mini pt- surprised in a more liberal city like NY that a clinician just presumes out loud that somebody is somebody else's husband- so many scenarios- they could be involved but not married, she could be gay and the husband thing assumed she was straight, Carisi might not be identifying as male... I just think professionals would be more careful of making those comments than say A's Dad or his wife.
Mixed feelings towards this ep. I like how they covered the struggles this pandemic has caused, especially the opening sequence that took you through a whole year of pandemic. It was very moving. And although the story was about a restauranteur I think many viewers could identify with the challenges and pain including having to say goodbye to a loved one over FaceTime. But there was too much excusing of her beh in the end She even emerges to a round of applause. And well the Rollins stuff- nuff said. (2/2)
@Unknown - parts 1 & 2 - Interesting, well thought-out observations. The more I turn over this episode in my head, I think the Rollins stuff in this episode turned me off to the whole episode. There's something about how Rollins has been presented over these years that has been so inconsistent and muddled. I haven't been able to connect with the character at all, and I don't think I want to yet because they haven't given me a good enough reason to!
Sorry but this episode was long and drawn out. It was made to feel like asoap opera. I feel for all that vannesa went through. I understand that this past year due to covid has played havoc on many lives. And yes she definetly needed help and understanding. Yet there is a point where enough is enough. I do not condone violoence or anything that brings about unnecessary death but taking a situation like this out for hours disrupts many lies. Loads of backed up traffic causing huge delays in people getting to and from work their livlyhood. Famlies experiencing nelect and worry due to huge crowds covid rampant. Bensen was out of place. The hours and manpower. The officer with the tazer could have took a quick shot at lower area and had it settle in less than 10 minutes. Vannesa would be alive. No excessive force. Little to no brusing and everyone gets to where they belong and manpower is back out on tne streets to handle next situation. Afterall there are others who deserve help and understanding as much as vannesa. And please telling someone they just had the worst day of their life. What a good pep talk. Just could have said remember you survived. That is the point to survive. The manager was right a go fund me account could of been created before vannesa lost it. Vannesa herself could have created one. Remeber to recieve help and understanding got to ask. Not once did vannesa ask for help.
I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this episode. It showed how to deescalate what could have been a disaster.
I agree with you.
Much of it didn't make sense because it wasn't a typical SVU episode, but it did present what it's been like for
so many. I wonder why all
of a sudden the Captain is out on all of the calls? I don't remember Captain Cragen being out of the precent so much or being a hostage. Same goes for Sonny always with them, but he the ADA? I liked him better as a cop. I don't want him with Rollins. She's too messed up for him. She's hooked up with creepy guys and not give him the time of day. I can't stand the fact that let's her sister, Kim get away with everything. No matter what she does, Rollins makes excuses for her "But she's my sister." So? She needs to grow some olo's and kick Kim to the curb! I'm sorry. I love SVU. Rollins seems to be the only one who hasn't really changed. Well, she did change her face, but she needs to stop allowing herself to be victimized by her family. Grow up Amanda. Olivia, stop putting your life in jeopardy in hostage situations. If you don't, and get killed, Noah will be going to live with his crazy ass grandmother!
[poster of the 2-part comment]
@Chris - Yes her story has been inconsistent and now it's beginning to seem that there is a re-write of her family history altogether. And I mean, everyone's gonna be drawn to a diff character for diff reasons. Liv to me has always been painted as the ideal so it was interesting to have a character as complicated as Amanda. Also, I find the characters with trauma and difficulties more interesting. This includes Liv but I think Amanda brings the added real-world element of struggling to fit in and to be understood even as she shares her story and just going through so much alone. Unlike Liv her trauma is more muddled and easier for ppl to misunderstand (also a very real world thing) unlike Liv whose bad exp tend to be more visceral and more clear that she was hurt. Liv tends to be rallied around very easily where Amanda tends to have a lot to resolve on her own. Even her kidnapping story. There's a scene near the end where everything seems chill in the precinct, calm. Carisi and Liv are talking over some coffee C asks L if she's heard anything and L says no. The whole thing is just a notch over nonchalant & u just know if this was Liv missing everybody would be out in the field turning the place upside down till she was found. I also tend to be tuned into how ppl's trauma shows up in their lives so things like the guy she slept with in the motel (that I think was meant to be a "poor Carisi" moment) I see it very, very differently. So for me I've liked her as flawed as she is and was happy to come to her defence. But more and more it's difficult to know who this xter is and what really is canon. She's become so one-dimensional with this whole thrust into Rollisi. And I'm not against Rollisi but it's overkill at this point
I've noticed a pattern with some of the bigger more traumatic things that have happened to her:
Sexual Assault: alluded to in Fall Finale; 'covered' in the Winter premiere
Giving Birth/Nearly dying: goes into distress right at end of Fall finale; we must wait till winter premiere to see if she made it
Therapeutic Kidnapping: is kidnapped right at end of fall finale; must wait till winter premiere to see what happens
Really they just use her to have a big fall finale and something to anticipate in the new year. Doesn't seem to have any more purpose than that as there is never any follow-through on these big plots they give her. Meanwhile Liv had a whole episode "PTSD" covering her struggles after Sealview, the William Lewis was covered across several seasons and can still come up and currently we're on the eve of avenging a dead brother she barely knew. I get Amanda's not the main character and they have to keep Liv's stuff prominent. But then don't bother to give Amanda these big plots you're not gonna explore. It's hard to invest like I used to when I know so many of the more interesting stories have been abandoned after 1 ep. For me she was such a layered character but hasn't been that way for a while. Her story is so disjointed. We're leaping ahead to her having healthy rels with her abusive family without seeing the progression and I'm not sure what I'm looking at any more
It's too bad. This used to be the character I was in to the most.
I love reading everyone's different opinions and their reasons for them. I will admit I stopped watching a couple of seasons after Christopher Meloni left. I have recently started watching the past episodes. I've missed so much so reading the comments is very enlightening. While I appreciate what they may have been trying to convey with this episode, I did not like it for many of the same reasons that others have stated.
Lots of people have commented talking about de-escalation, but all seemed to have missed the most important issue (instead focusing on the amount of time), Olivia kicked out a couple of cops who had the ability to react if necessary while there was a *civilian* in danger! With all the (legitimate imo) sympathy generated for Vanessa, that was an extremely irresponsible move.
Post a Comment