Thursday, October 17, 2024

Law & Order SVU “Divide and Conquer” Discussion Topic



Here is the discussion topic for Law & Order SVU “Divide and Conquer” which aired on Thursday, October 17, 2024. Please feel free to add any feedback you have about this episode in the comments!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

SVU is on a roll!! Another great episode all around- the writing, the acting- all so good. I was glued to my screen. Only 3 episodes in but I haven't been able to do my thing of calmly waiting a few days to watch. I'm eager to see the next ep right away. I like this problem

Rollins' appearance felt organic. Like she really does exist in that world even when we don't see her and is not just there when we do.

I especially loved the content around the way this survivor was coping. It was not an approach I've seen explored a lot so the story was interesting on that point alone but even more so by how the show went about it.

In this ep I see a look at one motivation for secrecy after a sexual assualt- to be helpful instead of the problem; to shield the other person from your unraveling. You don't want to be that person that others hv to carry so it is important to be ok right away. The lighthearted, "Don't be a martyr Nora" just before the home invasion foreshadows how Nora handles her assault. It leads to Benson's more in-depth convo at the bar. Basically saying, "No seriously, don't be a martyr. You hv a right to take up space" I loved how this all came together.

Last week was about an assault that happened years before the police knew. This one, they were involved almost immediately. Both succeeded in showing the enduring effects of SA and how long it takes to fully recover. Personally I appreciate this acknowledgement that healing is not linear and it is does not happen overnight. I think that has been really coming through and I'm sure helps survivors feel more seen.

The scene w Nora and Liv at the bar and the last scene w N, L and Amanda I think were the scenes that distinguish SVU from other cop shows. Outside of these it's another exciting cop episode but these scenes make it the reason why SVU has such a following.