The “Thumperian Principle” states, “"If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all.” I usually don’t take instructions from fictional animated rabbits, but by taking Thumper's double negative statement literally, I decided to continue with my review Law & Order SVU “Gridiron Soldier.” This episode deals with a hazing and ends with a football player coming out as gay. This is not the first time a TV show has dealt with hazing or football players/sports figures being sexually abused or coming out as gay. Recently, college footballer Michael Sam came out as gay, which resurrected talk about whether the NFL is ready for an openly gay player. As this discussion had been out there for quite some time before Sam came out, it’s not like SVU is tackling any new ground here. The scene where the player came out as gay was at the end of the episode and felt like the scene was an afterthought to capitalize on the recent real life news story.
This episode also covered the increasing problems that Detective Amanda Rollins is having with her gambling addiction, a topic also teased in the promo for the next Law & Order SVU episode, “Gambler’s Fallacy”. While I suspect this Rollins drama was included this week to set up for the next episode, this element of the current episode felt shoehorned in and awkward. One can only wonder if, as there has been no news of Kelli leaving the show, this whole gambling thing is not some ruse for some kind of undercover operation or some other double-secret plan. I must admit my curiosity is piqued as to how Rollins will get out of her impending mess that was teased in the promo for the next episode. (But we all know how those NBC promo teases go, frequently taking scenes out of context.) Rollins was also the center of attention in “Gridiron Soldier” as she was acquainted with the uncle of the victim of the week, a plot point that added value only in that Rollins wanted to take this case Because.It.Was.Personal!, while initially Benson did not. I can’t quite verbalize what felt wrong with this episode, just that it felt too contrived and too disjointed.
I’ve gone on record before to say that I don’t care for overly long opens on Law & Order SVU. When I saw the clock tick off over 5 minutes before the opening credits rolled, and nothing I saw grabbed me, I knew that this episode wasn’t going to be one of their best. The acting was amateurish and stiff, the writing equally so, and I never felt invested in any of the characters. That includes Rollins; the gambling storyline - at least right now – is too predictable.
Benson’s comment to Cedric about the sports bar and hockey was inappropriate, showing a stereotypical view of gay men that they don’t like sports. Since we had an episode about rape jokes last week, I find it disappointing that Benson made a gay joke – and a bad one at that. (If it wasn't a joke then the comment was doubly inappropriate.) It could have been all in her delivery; I could easily see Munch making that comment. I miss Munch a lot - he's the only one on the show that had real comic timing.
To proactively deflect the questions I will get from the Raúl Esparza fans: I have no idea why his name is in the opening credits when he wasn’t in this episode and his appearances have been so spotty this season. It’s a shame, as Raúl is the spark that this show so sorely needs.
I struggled with this review. Frankly, the episode bored me. I know some readers may wonder how I can be a fan and then write such a negative review. Being a fan of a show doesn’t mean that one has to love every episode. Sometimes tough love is in order. I think this series can – and has – done much better and it pains me when I watch an episode that is a dog (no offense to guest star Frannie or dogs everwhere).
Here’s the recap:
Cast:
Mariska Hargitay – Sergeant Olivia Benson
Ice-T – Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Danny Pino - Detective Nick Amaro
Raúl Esparza - ADA Rafael Barba
Guest stars:
Winston Duke - Cedric Jones
Glenn Morshower – Coach Bill Becker
Greg Finley - Eddie Thorpe
Glenn Fleary - Larry Jones
Michael Mastro – Judge Serani
Tabitha Holbert – ADA Rose Caliay
Jason Cerbone – Terrence Quinn
Toni Campisi - Attorney
Leigh-Ann Rose – Tanya
Thomas Sadoski - Nate Davis
Luke Guldan - Bucky Dinucci
Ty King – Jerome Fields
Nicole Coulon – Zoe
Jake Choi - Tylee
Eric Kappenberg - Anthony Parker
Junior Mendez – Freddy
Brennan Taylor – Detective Tom Haley
Preston Ellis – Jack
Rollins is in a bar watching a basketball game and freaks out when a referee's call doesn’t go the way of the team she bet on, and she loses.
Meanwhile, Coach Becker meets football player Cedric Jones, who is being recruited. He puts Cedric in a limo with two women, Zoe and Tanya, in the back seat, who Becker said are Cedric's hostesses.
Later, the person with which Rollins made the bet meets up with her on the street as she walks her dog Frannie, and he mentions the tough call the ref made. The dog barks at him as Rollins promises to get him his money.
Elsewhere, in a hotel room with Tanya and Zoe, Cedric tells them he is already committed to Georgia Tech but the ladies have some drinks and playtime with him to try to change his mind.
At Nate’s bar, Rollins has a drink and he gives her some money to bail her out, and she promises to work overtime to pay it off. He knows she is good for it but has one condition: he wants her to come to a meeting with him.
Meanwhile, at a group dinner, Coach Becker continues the hard sell to Cedric but Cedric sounds very reluctant.
At the meeting, Rollins recounts a story of her father’s gambling to the group.
Back with the coach, he introduces Cedric to other players: Eddie, Bucky, and Jerome. He explains to them Cedric’s reluctance. He suggests they give Cedric a tour after dinner. During the tour, they take Cedric to the weight room, where he is told it turns boys to men. They bring in the two girls and they seat him in a chair and blindfold him.
Later, back in the SVU squad room, Benson gets on Rollin’s case about Rollins being in the top ten in the city for overtime. Rollins makes her explanations but Benson suggests it’s the beginning of the year and it is best to bank these hours. Rollins then explains it is credit cards and the holidays, but Benson advises her to go through her for now on. As Rollins chats with Fin, a man enters and introduces himself as Larry Jones from Loganville and that Rollin’s mother told him where he could find her. Rollins seems happy to see him, she hasn’t seen him since high school and that they used to run track together. Larry explains his nephew Cedric came to New York City and has gone missing; he was at a football recruitment trip and did not make his flight back. Fin seems to think it’s his first time in New York and maybe he met a girl and partied. But Larry disagrees. Rollins says they will track his cell phone and check with the school. As Fin takes Larry aside for coffee, Benson asks Rollins what this is all about, and when Rollins explains the issue, Benson asks what he is doing at SVU. Rollins adds Larry is from her home town and she promised she would look into it, saying she won’t put in for it. Benson tells her to do what she has to do.
At the Hudson University practice field, Coach Becker is talking to a small group from the press as Rollins and Fin approach and they discuss Cedric. Becker says this happens sometimes when the kids come to the big city. He did not see Cedric leave the dinner. When Fin asks if drinks were served, Becker reminds him the kids are 18. Becker says when Cedric missed his pick up at the hotel he called police and the ERs but there was no sign of him. He calls over Cedric’s assigned chaperone, Eddie Thorpe. Eddie tells them that he did not see Cedric leave and then says he smelled alcohol on his breath, and he gets the feeling he came there to party. Becker cautions Eddie that they don’t know that. When the coach walks off, Rollins asks Eddie why, if he was his host, he didn’t keep an eye on Cedric if he thought he was drinking, and Eddie explains that Cedric was built like a tank and he thought he could handle himself. As Eddie goes to practice, Rollins sees that they got a ping on Cedric’s phone at a bar on 8th Avenue in Chelsea. Fin wonders how well Larry knows his nephew.
Later, at the Gym Sportsbar, the bartender give Amaro Cedric’s phone, which he had been holding. He says Cedric had an ID and with a body like that he was not going to tell him no. One guy tried to talk to Cedric and the guy got too close and he saw Cedric swinging at him and he pushed his way to the front door, so the bartender called the cops.
Rollins and Fin are at a police station where they have been having problems with gay bashing in that area. Plainclothes were in the area when they got a gay bash call and Cedric came out of the bar. It took four guys to get Cedric down and they had to tase him. Rollins explains she has history with the kid and asks if she can take him and she is told to be their guest. Cedric is in the cell and Rollins explains who she is and why she is there. He asks her not tell his uncle.
