Law & Order SVU “Post-Mortem Blues” Promo

Here is the promo for Law & Order SVU “Post-Mortem Blues” which will air on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 at 9PM ET on NBC.

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Post-Mortem Blues” 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 UK “Hard Stop” Episode Information

Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order UK, “Hard Stop."


Law & Order UK “Hard Stop” Air Date April 23, 2014 (9 PM ET/8C Wednesday on ITV)


When a series of shootings claims one of their own, Ronnie (Bradley Walsh) and Joe (Ben Bailey Smith) have little time to grieve – they must catch the killer before he or she can reach the next people on the hit - list.

And in first place on that list is Henry Sharpe (Peter Davison), head of the Crown Prosecution Service. The link between all the targets becomes clear - the common factor is the case of Mark Glendon (Mark Bonnar) put away for the murder of his wife four years ago.

But he is still in prison, though soon to be retried. However, the police struggle to find concrete evidence that connects Glendon to the shootings and the race is on the catch the killer before the jury delivers their verdict.

Cast list
DS Ronnie Brooks - Bradley Walsh
DS Joe Hawkins - Ben Bailey Smith
DI Wes Leyton - Paterson Joseph
Jacob Thorne - Dominic Rowan
Kate Barker - Georgia Taylor
Henry Sharpe - Peter Davison
Mark Glendon - Mark Bonnar
Abby Glendon - Elinor Crawley

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My recap and review of Law & Order UK “Hard Stop” can be found at this link.



Promo for Law & Order UK "Hard Stop"

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 UK “Customs” Recap & Review

Law & Order UK celebrated its 50th episode with “Customs”, a story based on the original Law & Order episode “Ritual” (season 8, episode 10). “Ritual” was not one of my favorite episodes, I suspect due to the subject matter, which make me squirm just hearing about it. In “Customs,”  Safia Mahmoud kills her mother in law over her very real fear that she was arranging a procedure on Safia’s daughter Laila which would mutilate her genitals. There may be some weird customs in the world, but this one certainly is one of the most horrific, casing both physical and emotional trauma for any young girl forced into the procedure. In this particular case, the girl’s father is clueless about the real nature of the procedure and its after effects, likely only wanting it done for his daughter because his mother said so, and out of tradition.

Things seemed to have been going very well at CPS for Kate and Jake – until this case. Kate goes back to her defense mindset; she has difficulty keeping from the defense what she thinks are mitigating circumstances for the defendant's act of murder.  Kate goes behind Jake's back to convince the defendant to open up to her own attorney about her fears of female genital mutilation being arranged for her daughter.  Jake is clearly unhappy about this.   But, at the end, even Jake had to admit that Kate did the right thing by digging further into this case.

This episode had a great first half but a somewhat dull second half, despite the friction between Jake and Kate. I was hoping, as it was Law & Order UK’s 50th episode, there would be something thrilling to close the episode. But, based on some advance information on episode 7, I think we’ll be getting plenty of excitement to make up for it coming up on April 23, 2014. Stay tuned!

Here is the recap:

Cast:
Bradley Walsh - DS Ronnie Brooks
Ben Bailey Smith – DS Joe Hawkins
Paterson Joseph - DI Wes Leyton
Dominic Rowan - Jacob Thorne
Georgia Taylor - Kate Barker
Peter Davison - Henry Sharpe

Guest cast:
Gillian Saker – Kayleigh
Solomon Israel – Carl
Nicola Sanderson – SOCO Joy
Jessica Gunning – Angela
Gareth Snook – Giles Moss
Hara Yannas = Safia Mahmoud
Dhafer L’Abidine - Tariq Mahmoud
Ofrrie Haddi – Laila Mahmoud
Annael Mullion – Pathologist Eleanor
Glyn Pritchard – Graham
Akin Gazi – Dr. Yafeu Elsayed
Fraser James – Dr. Toby Marsh
Delroy Brown – Dr. Turnbull
Haydn Gwynne - Madeline Morgan
Gregory Floy – Judge Maisden
Shamaya Blake - Yasmin


A woman screams as she goes into labor. As her husband races her to the car to go to hospital, he sees a body laying on the ground – a person appears to have jumped. He calls for the police but then races to the hospital.

Later, DS Ronnie Brooks arrives on the scene and SOCO Joy is already there. The dead person is a white female and the only thing on her is her phone. DS Joe Hawkins also found nothing, and when he looks at the body, Ronnie notices the woman was not wearing a coat, despite the cold.

At MIU,  Ronnie speaks with DI Wes Leyton and explains the data on the phone was mostly in Arabic and Wes tells him to get a translator. Joe tells Ronnie the phone was registered to a Ranya Habib, and he has an address. Ronnie asks Joe how is his Arabic, and Joe says something in Arabic. Ronnie is impressed, that is, until Joe tells him it means “My hovercraft is full of eels” and that he is a big Python fan. Ronnie asks where they are going, and when Joe says Highgate, Ronnie tells him “no dead parrot jokes.”

At the home of Ranya Habib in Highgate on Thursday, March 20, police are taking out evidence and Joe shows Ronnie that he found a note in Arabic with a couple numbers – 779 LHR 355. Ronnie wonders if it is a flight number. Ronnie says he will see what they neighbors have to say.

Ronnie speaks with a neighbor Mr. Moss who says Ranya was not very tolerant and he heard her last night having an argument with somebody at about 11. The talking was in Arabic and it was like listening to burning cats. Her husband died years ago. Joe approaches and after Ronnie gives Moss his card, he walks off with Joe, commenting he was well rescued.

Back in the flat, Ronnie looks at the document Joe gave him and comments 900 grand and Joe says Habib Imports can be anything. Ronnie looks at a diary planner and sees dinner last night with Tariq, who Wes says is her son, and that today was all blanked out with the letters “YE.” Ronnie looks at the rest of the diary and notes that Ranya is very busy for someone planning to “clear her diary.”

As Ronnie walks down the stairway he smells bleach. He speaks with Moss again and asks who cleans the stairwell and he says they have someone who comes Tuesdays. Ronnie then turns to Joe and asks if this smells three days old to him and Joe doesn’t answer and Ronnie says it does not. Ronnie tells Joe to get the boys over her and get the place forensicated, wondering if the argument turned nasty.

At the Mahmoud home in Muswell Hill on the same day, Ronnie give his condolences to Ranya's son and wife. Their daughter enters and her mother tells her they must leave the men to talk. As they leave, they asks Mahmoud the last time he saw his mother. He explains she came for dinner last night and left just after 10. She seemed normal and cannot believe she would take her own life. They asked about the YE in her diary and her tersely asks how should he know. Ronnie reminds him they are only trying to do their job,

At the mortuary, the pathologist, Eleanor, says Ranya did not die of a suicide. The skull fracture, her injuries, and the fact there wasn’t enough blood on the road aren’t consistent with a fall form that height. It is more like a fall down a stairwell. Given her body temp at the time they found her, she had been dead at least a couple hours. Ronnie suspects she was pushed down the stairs and dumped at the other location. Joe’s phone rings and then he informs Ronnie the numbers on the paper were from a flight number 779 at 3:55 from Arab Air to Heathrow and Ronnie suspects YE was the person flying in.

At the airport, Ronnie and Joe find that there were two people with the initial YEs on the note that was due to fly in then. One was a 12 year old travelling with a family and the other was Yafeu Elsayed in from Cairo for 3 days. They see him on the video coming into customs and he is meeting Ranya. They get his immigration card and flight history which is very extensive. Ronnie sees he is staying at the Sovereign Hotel in London. Ronnie gets a call from Angie and then tells Joe the Sovereign can wait as they race off.

Back at MIU, Ronnie and Joe, with Angela nearby, discuss whether Elsayed is Al Qaeda and Joe tells Wes Ronnie’s terrorist radar is bleeping. Ronnie mentions there are multiple payments from Ranya’s account to various recipients including £6,000 to Elsayed, yesterday she picked him up from Heathrow and then they found her dead. He adds in the last 12 months, Elsayed has been to the Yemen, Libya, and Syria, and they can’t rule terrorism out. Wes tells him to tread carefully.

At the Sovereign Hotel, while Joe searches the room where Elsayed was staying, Ronnie speaks with a worker who knows nothing. Joe finds a receipt for sodium bicarbonate and nitroglycerin and Ronnie comments that is homemade explosives and he could have made that in the hotel room. Ronnie recalls Elsayed had another bag with him and wonders where is the other bag? The worker hasn’t seen it but when Ronnie asks if he knows where Elsayed was going, he points to the Tower Bridge, visible out the window. Ronnie puts in a call to Wes but has to leave a message for Wes to call him, it is urgent. Joe cautions Ronnie that they don’t know for sure, but Ronnie tells Joe to think about it: the risk of not taking action Is far greater. He gives Joe instructions on calling in other authorities.

Law & Order SVU “Post-Mortem Blues” Episode Information

Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order SVU, “Post-Mortem Blues.”


Law & Order SVU “Post-Mortem Blues” Air Date April 30, 2014 (9 PM ET/8C Wednesday NBC)

SERGEANT BENSON (MARISKA HARGITAY) FACES THE AFTERMATH OF THE BEAST’S FINAL ACT

In the moments after William Lewis’ death, Sergeant Benson (Hargitay) is rescued by the SVU squad, but her torment continues. The Internal Affairs investigation of her actions is deemed inconclusive, and with no evidence to corroborate her story, Prosecutor Derek Strauss (Greg Germann) convenes a grand jury and calls for Benson’s arrest. With increasing pressure from Lt. Tucker (guest star Robert John Burke) and Lt. Murphy (Donal Logue) to save herself any way she can, Benson must choose between her convictions and her badge. Also starring Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Danny Pino (Detective Nick Amaro) and Kelli Giddish (Detective Amanda Rollins). Also guest starring Elizabeth Marvel (Rita Calhoun), Bill Irwin (Dr. Lindstrom), Michael Potts (Sgt. Draper), Tamara Tunie (M.E. Warner), Curt Bouril (Det. Carlson) and Nikki Estridge (Det. Delano).

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My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Post-Mortem Blues” 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.

Donal Logie Lands Recurring Role In “Law & Order: SVU” As Acting Commander of the Special Victims Unit (NBC Press Release)

NBC Press Release
April 10, 2014

DONAL LOGUE LANDS RECURRING ROLE IN ‘LAW & ORDER: SVU’

AS ACTING COMMANDER OF THE SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT

Photo by Michael Parmelee/NBC © NBC Universal, Inc.

New York – April 10, 2014 – Actor Donal Logue (“Sons of Anarchy,” “Vikings,”) will star in a recurring role on NBC’s hit Wolf Films/Universal Television series “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Logue will continue his role as Lieutenant Declan Murphy, acting commander of the New York Special Victims Unit. He is slated to appear through the end of the season. “Law & Order: SVU” airs Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Logue guest starred as Murphy earlier this season when he crossed paths with Detective Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) while working undercover (“Gambler’s Fallacy). Murphy joined the SVU as acting commander during this evening’s episode (“Beast’s Obsession”).

Logue's versatility and talent makes him one of the most well respected and loved actors in the business. He currently stars in the HISTORY series “Vikings” as King Horik and will star in the upcoming Fox series “Gotham” as Detective Harvey Bullock. He previously starred in series such as “Sons of Anarchy,” “Copper,” “Terriers,” “Life,” “The Knights of Prosperity,” “Grounded for Life” and “ER." Logue broke out in the feature film world starring in "The Tao of Steve" as the larger-than-life, philosophizing lothario. The film was praised by critics and debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, where he won a Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance. Other film credits include "Blade," "The Runaway Bride," "Reindeer Games," "The Patriot," "Comic Book Villians," "Just Like Heaven," "The Groomsmen," "Ghost Rider," "Zodiac," "Max Payne," "Oliver Sherman," "Charlie St. Cloud" and "CBGB," opposite Alan Rickman and Malin Ackerman.

Logue made his directorial debut with the independent film "Tennis, Anyone?" which premiered at the US Comedy Arts Festival. He wrote, starred, and directed the film about two Hollywood has-beens who try and find meaning in their lives through a series of celebrity tennis tournaments.

“SVU” returns with new episodes beginning Wednesday, April 30 (9-10p.m. ET). In “Post-Mortem Blues,” the SVU must deal with the aftermath of William Lewis’ suicide when the IAB investigation into Sergeant Benson’s (Mariska Hargitay) actions is inconclusive. Her nightmare continues as a lengthy trial and insufficient evidence puts her career in jeopardy.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is a Wolf Films production in association with Universal Television. Dick Wolf is creator and executive producer. Warren Leight, Julie Martin, Jonathan Starch and Peter Jankowski are executive producers.

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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 “Beast’s Obsession” Recap & Review

Olivia Benson is in big trouble. Not only does “Beast’s Obsession” bring back her nemesis and psycho-torturer William Lewis, but Benson makes some decisions that put her career - and her life - in jeopardy. The story was told in a fast-paced, high-energy manner unlike anything SVU has seen in a long time. Viewers,  like Sgt. Benson,  may have experienced an unsettled feeling when Lt. Declan Murphy entered the SVU squad room and announced that he’s in charge, albeit temporarily. His steamroller attitude is exactly what the detectives need. Unfortunately for Benson, it's not what she thinks she needs. She wants to get Lewis on her own terms and with Murphy calling the shots, she’s not in control anymore.

That’s where Benson makes her huge error in judgment. The error wasn't that she lied about beating Lewis while he was cuffed to the bed and later lying about it under oath. This could easily be explained away as some sort of post-traumatic stress reaction when it first happened,  which continued during her on-going therapy.  It could be rationalized that at the time of trial, she simply was not well enough to face what she’d done. Benson’s error in this episode was ditching her detail and thinking she could go solo, a choice which nearly cost her her life.

Again, Mariska Hargitay showed her exceptional acting skills. The terror in her face seemed very real, as was her revulsion of Lewis. This story line brings even more opportunities for her character; she’s going to be under the microscope because of her perjury at trial and because she let herself get abducted by Lewis. This is not conduct becoming of a Sergeant and Benson will not be let off easy. Mind you, many of these things could be legitimately explained away by PTSD, but it should be an interesting ride for Benson as the story plays out.

While on the subject of things being explained away, Lewis may think he made it look like Benson shot him, but a simple test for gunshot residue and its patterns should put that issue to bed. He should have it all over his hand and there should be none, or little, on hers.

This was a well written episode with plenty of tension and drama.  While Mariska clearly had the bulk of the action, everybody had something to do which was critical to the case.  It was also refreshing to get the cast out on various locations.  SVU can get so dull when too many scenes are indoors or on a set.  The location shots added much visual interest and drama.  Pablo Schreiber also did a fine job, although in all honesty, I am glad his character is now dead.  Recurring villains bore me.

There's a problem with SVU and most crime shows:  it's an unwritten rule/plot device that if you get a protective detail, you’ll either be killed anyway or you’ll be able to ditch your detail with ease because those working the detail are stupid, or distracted, or both. (In this episode, they were both.) For once, I would really like to see a protective detail not screw up.

Some news stories teased a surprise return of a character, but regular readers of my blog who watched the preview clips were not surprised to see Donal Logue return as Lt. Declan Murphy. Donal’s presence was obvious in one of the preview clips released by the network which I posted on my site a over a week ago. It also does not take a rocket scientist to realize there is no way, even in the fictional world of SVU, that Benson would be allowed to lead this case.  Logue's presence in the preview clip was a tip off for observant fans. When Donal was in “Gambler’s Fallacy” I mentioned that SVU would move up a notch if Donal was a regular, so it was great to hear the news reports after the episode aired that his character will recur.

It was slightly amusing when Lewis tells Benson that he assumed Cassidy was out of the picture as he and Benson had no chemistry; there were quite a few SVU fans out there who felt the same way and were very vocal about it.  Cassidy may not have been Mr. Right for the long term, but he did serve as a stabilizer for Benson during a very rought time.

A glaring error: the timeline is not right. If SVU is going to continue to use the scene title cards with dates, they must be more accurate with the time frames. At the end of the episode “Psycho/Therapist” in the scene where Lewis is going to the hospital ward - which was partly repeated in “Beast’s Obsession” - it shows the time as “4 months later” from the end of Lewis’ trial. Since Benson states in this episode that her testimony against Lewis was on January 6th, four months from that date would be the beginning of May. Yet, this episode puts Lewis entering the hospital ward on March 30, which is only about 3 months.

Here is 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:
Pablo Schreiber - William Lewis
Donal Logue - Lieutenant Declan Murphy
Renee Elise Goldsberry – Martha Marron
Alex Hernandez – Carlos 'O.G.' Hernandez
Lily Pilblad – Amelia Cole
Nikki Estridge = Detective Delano
Curt Bouril - Detective Carlson
Lily Pilblad - Amelia Cole
Natalie Racoosin – Lauren Cole
Shiya Ribowsky – Dr. Abraham
Sarah Bisman – Bronwyn Freed
Mario D’Leon – CO Jerez
Sarah Street – Dr. Janice Cole
Oberkong K.A. Adjepong – Nwankwo
Matt Wood – Officer Kenneth Parker


Bronwyn Freed, a woman who servced as a juror during William Lewis' trial,  bakes cupcakes laced with drugs and then delivers them to the prison where William Lewis is being held, giving some to Lewis and some to the guards. She visits Lewis in the visiting area and they embrace. Later, Lewis eats the cupcakes and gets ill and falls to the floor. Soon he is being raced to the hospital ward with Dr. Janice Cole at his side. Shortly afterwards, a guard at his hospital room falls unconscious. Meanwhile, Lewis is in a parking garage, dressed in hospital scrubs and he has a set of car keys giving him access to a white car.

When other officers arrive on the ward, they find Lewis gone and a nurse tied up and hanging by her arms in a supply closet. Officers flood the parking garage but Lewis is nowhere to be found.

Olivia Benson is getting a cup of coffee from a street vendor and gets a video message form an unknown caller. She takes the call and sees it is William Lewis, who says “Morning sunshine. I missed you” and the call ends. A strange look comes over her face.

At SVU, with a buzz of activity going on around her, Benson tells everyone to listen up, and tells them what they have so far. She explains that at approximately 10:45 last night, William Lewis, complaining of chest pains, was transferred from Rikers to Bellevue prison ward where all attempts to resuscitate him failed. Rollins adds that 10 minutes after he was pronounced dead, he suddenly came back to life on the gurney and was held overnight for observation. At some point, Lewis convinced the DOC officer to un-cuff him. Lewis then snaps the officer’s neck and Lewis was discovered missing at 8:45 this morning. Amaro asks how Lewis got out of that ward, and Benson replies they still don’t know. Benson explains his nurse was found raped and hanging in the closet, and that she is still unconscious. Her cell phone, car keys, and purse are missing and when Rollins explains there is an alert out for the car and starts to give the car info and license number, Fin explains not to bother, Lewis will ditch it before he escapes Manhattan. Benson does not think he will be leaving Manhattan; that Lewis called her and said he misses her. Lt. Declan Murphy enters the room and states this is why he has been ordered to take command of this unit. Benson doesn’t know what he is doing there and when Murphy finds One PP did not call her, he says with sarcasm, “That’s classic.” He explains that she cannot lead a manhunt when she is the target of the man she is hunting. She says she knows William Lewis better than anybody, and Murphy replies he will be relying on that. She counters he is their suspect and this is her unit, and Murphy says no longer, as of this moment he is acting commanding officer of SVU;  Benson looks stunned. He immediately outlines the situation and gives orders to the others, telling Benson she is not going anywhere. He tells Benson she will stay at SVU or go to a hotel and intelligence will provide 24 hour protection until Lewis is apprehended. Benson claims she does not need protection but Murphy says it is not her decision. He points and asks if that is the captain’s office, saying he will be needing it.

As he makes himself at home in the captain’s office, Benson enters and Murphy asks her about the conversation with Lewis. Benson explains Lewis said nothing else. She comments that he was really pronounced dead, but Murphy quips that Lewis rose like Lazarus. As he begins to hand her stuff from the desk, she asks if this is temporary, and Murphy explains everything is, including her command here. As she gets a look of disbelief on her face, he goes on to says she knew someone would come in here eventually. Her protective detail comes in, Detective Delano and Detective Carlson and how they will shadow her. Benson comments that just for the record, she did not request this. As Benson removes her stuff from the office, Murphy says it won’t last long, they will get this guy.

At the Bellevue Hospital prison ward on Monday, March 31, Amaro and Fin speak with the doctor who explained Lewis’ treatment and what happened. They thought it was a heart attack,. But toxicology shows he had 3 grams of propranolol in his system. 150 times the therapeutic dose.

Fin speaks with Lewis’ cellmate Carlos about how it happened, and while a guard searches the room, he finds the plate of cupcakes hidden in the bed. Carlos has no idea how they got there.

Later, Fin speaks with Bronwyn (cupcake lady) who explains she gave Lewis the spiked cupcakes because he has been having anxiety attacks and he was wrongly convicted. She has a prescription for the drugs.

Law & Order UK “Bad Romance” Episode Information

Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order UK “Bad Romance.”


Law & Order UK “Bad Romance” Air Date April 16, 2014 (9 PM ET/8C Wednesday on ITV)

A bloody hotel room and a stolen credit card lead Ronnie and Joe to Charles Hutton (James Wilby), a member of the wealthy upper classes who dotes on his wife Camille, and daughter Georgia (Lucy Boynton).

Without a body it is difficult to ascertain the crime, but before long, Ronnie and Joe have enough evidence to suggest that Georgia gave birth in the hotel room – but where is the baby now?

Georgia and her boyfriend Rufus (Greg Austin) are difficult enough for Jake and Kate to prosecute but to make matters worse the defence counsel turns out to be an old nemesis of Jake’s, Maitland Cosby (Joseph Milson). But as the evidence against the young couple stacks up, how far will Georgia’s father go to protect her future?

Cast list

DS Ronnie Brooks - Bradley Walsh
DS Joe Hawkins - Ben Bailey Smith
DI Wes Leyton - Paterson Joseph
Jacob Thorne - Dominic Rowan
Kate Barker - Georgia Taylor
Henry Sharpe - Peter Davison
Charles Hutton - James Wilby
Maitland Cosby - Joseph Milson
Georgia Hutton - Lucy Boynton
Rufus Barton - Greg Austin

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My recap and review of Law & Order UK “Bad Romance” 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 “Beast’s Obsession” Advance Photos

Here are advance photos from Law & Order SVU “Beast’s Obsession which will air on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 at 9PM ET on NBC. The photos feature Mariska Hargitay, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish, and Pablo Schreiber.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Beast’s Obsession” can be found at this link.

Photos by: Micahel 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.