Law & Order SVU “Dare” Sneak Peeks

Here are previews from Law & Order SVU “Dare” which will air on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 9PM ET on NBC. The videos feature Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, and Kelli Giddish.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Dare” can be found at this link.


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



SVU_19016Clip1_h264_sd_16x9 from Chris Zimmer on Vimeo.



SVU_19016Clip2_h264_sd_16x9 from Chris Zimmer on Vimeo.



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 “In Loco Parentis” Recap & Review

Update March 14, 2018 - a deleted scene has been added at the end of the recap. 
Update March 18, 2018 - another deleted scene with Philip Winchester has been added below.


In Law & Order SVU “In Loco Parentis”, Detective Sonny Carisi screws things up, both officially and unofficially. The episode took the overused story line of a “he said/she said” sexual assault on a college campus (in the hotbed of crime – Hudson University) and made it personal when Sonny’s niece is the victim. Eventually we find this is a storm of her own making; the twist is revealed that she lied about being raped…but that’s not the end of it. This was a great feature role for Peter Scanavino. We also saw new ADA Peter Stone show that he doesn’t need a lecture from Olivia Benson to win a case. Benson was in full brainwashing mode on Stone in this episode and I found her comments not only wrong but cringe-worthy (more on this later). Despite some issues that I had with both Benson and Carisi in this episode, I really enjoyed the quality of the production, which gets better with every episode and is a huge improvement over prior seasons.

The problem begins when Carisi’s niece, Mia, a student at Sex Crimes University Hudson University claims she was raped by fellow student Ethan. Ethan faces the university tribunal who suspends him for one year and he must vacate the school, effectively torpedoing his medical education. When Carisi’s sister Teresa tells Carisi about the rape, Carisi decides to pursue the matter criminally by opening a police investigation. Stone offers to get the school tribunal’s transcripts until enough evidence is found. Benson tells Carisi to stay off the case officially, and unofficially, not to screw it up.

Carisi screws it up.

It eventually is revealed that Mia lied about being raped. She told Ethan yes to sex but told her friend Renata she was raped to prevent Renata from getting mad at her;  Renata got the school involved. Carisi – wrongly in my opinion – tells Mia that she should apologize to Ethan and tells her to make it right. With Carisi’s legal education and his experience with how special victims cases can go wrong, he shouldn’t have encouraged Mia to contact Ethan at all and instead should have suggested to her and his sister that they get legal advice before doing anything. He also should have clued in Benson and Stone. My thinking is that Ethan could have enough for a civil case against Mia and even the SVU. But no, Carisi lets this play out, and when Mia tries the apology route, Ethan decides he’ll make things even by raping her. Of course, when Mia spills this information to Carisi, he tells her they aren’t going to say anything about what really happened the first time.  Nothing like compounding the mistake!

Things go from bad to worse at Ethan’s trial when the defense questions Carisi about the first rape claim. When Carisi balks at answering, the defense presses and Carisi is forced to admit that there was no first rape, that Mia lied to the school tribunal and to the SVU and the court. Welcome to “Sex Crimes” Peter Stone!

Of course, when back at SVU, Benson rips Carisi, telling him what matters in these cases is the credibility of the parties. I laughed at this, because Benson earlier lectured Stone on “no perfect witnesses” and the “less perfect they are, the harder we fight”. After her high-and-mighty routine with Stone, this has to be a huge embarrassment for her (I'll address this is detail below).

Stone later takes the high road with Carisi and lets the setback roll off him, telling Carisi that he told the truth and “only a irrational man acts rational when family is involved.” He adds they all have family secrets and Carisi told the truth when it counted. Carisi tells Stone he is not such a bad guy for a lawyer, and when Stone comments he heard Carisi had “the same disease,” Carisi admits he’s been cured. Is this a signal that Carisi’s legal aspirations will be dropped from now on? I hope so, because Carisi spouting legal advice to Barba was becoming annoying.

Back at court, Stone uses Ethan’s anger about how his life has been ruined by Mia’s first accusation which causes Ethan to implode on the stand and admits what he did to Mia.  Later, he is found guilty of rape in the first degree. Stone gets a WIN – despite all that sage advice from Benson and the lies from Carisi and his niece.

After the trial, Benson visits Stone in his office – she finds him changing his shirt (shades of the scene with Jack McCoy changing his pants while Claire Kincaid is in his office, I think in the Law & Order episode “Second Opinion”). She thanks him for not “beheading” Carisi, to which he replies “what good would he be to anyone without a head?” She asks if that is his plan to “charm” his way into their hearts and he thinks it could work. She counters they are New York City police detectives and they can see through charming. He says it’s a shame. He comments he hear Noah is a ballplayer and offers to get him all the Mets tickets he wants, and Benson says “You are good”, obviously in the charm category. Peter Stone WILL be good if he continues to take this paced approach to his job and not letting himself be derailed by the SVU. Personally, I want to see more of the charming Peter Stone.

Mia decides to leave the university for a while. Had she not done that on her own, if I were Hudson,  I would have thrown her out for lying to the tribunal. Of course, this is Hudson, where standards seem to be pretty low.

Now, onto Benson’s sanctimonious lecturing.  When Stone admits to Benson he hasn’t prosecuted any college-age assaults, Benson says “It’s rarely a clean narrative, right? There could be alcohol involved, the victim can feel conflicted, there could be memory loss, there’s self-blame, it’s complicated.” What an insult to Peter Stone. He may not have prosecuted any college age assaults, but he’s not an idiot. Anyone in his position would surely be aware of what has happened on college campuses over the years – and decades – and Benson did not need to explain this to him. He was being more than kind to her when he told her he would follow their lead, a classy response in my opinion.

But this isn’t the end of it from Benson. The Benson attempt at brainwashing continues when she meets up with Stone at Forlini’s restaurant for a drink (she can’t stay for dinner). Here’s the dialog, with my comments inserted:

STONE – Look, what you do, working full time as a Lieutenant and being a single mother, that must take more energy than I can imagine. And you, what I mean is, you make it look effortless. [I groan loudly here. I know he’s trying to charm her, but it sounds like just another instance where we have to hear about the superwoman that is Olivia Benson]

BENSON – Okay, you don’t have to flatter me.

STONE – I’m just telling you how I see it.

BENSON – Okay. Carisi’s niece is telling the truth. She may have been unclear the first time, but the second time, I believe her.

STONE – I do too. But she’s still an imperfect witness. [Just wait Stone, you haven’t heard the half of it]

BENSON – Welcome to Sex Crimes. [Sex Crimes? Really? I thought that term went out many seasons ago. Special victims are not all sex crime victims.] Look Stone, there are no perfect witnesses. They leave out part of the story, they can’t remember, they feel guilty, change their minds, they blame themself, they think it’s their fault. But that’s why we’re here. To fight FOR them and the less perfect they are, the harder we fight. Look, nobody asks a robbery or a homicide victim if she wanted it. Nobody says “hey, why was she walking down the dark alley, why was she wearing a dark skirt, nobody implies that the crime was somehow her fault. [Her comments regarding robberies or homicides are off the mark. People who are robbed have been challenged about their judgment and whereabouts or actions at the time of the robbery, and homicide victims can’t be asked anything because they are DEAD. That said, the whereabouts and actions of homicide victims at the time of death can also be brought into question. Benson’s gender bias is showing as she refers to all victims of sexual assault, robbery, or homicide as female-specific.]

STONE – [with a look on his face that Benson doesn’t understand that a prosecutor needs some semblance of evidence to go to trial] I’m just used to having more evidence before I go to trial.

BENSON – You have the victim’s word. We go to trial so the victim, the survivor, can look her rapist in the eye and tell the world her truth. We go to trial so she can be heard. The truth. That’s what heals. If you’re going to trial because you want to win, you’re in the wrong place. [Oh pul-leeze! No prosecutor goes to trial to simply to give the victim a voice and to look the attacker in the eye. They want JUSTICE. Trials are traumatizing for the victim.   Has Benson forgot how many cases were lost and the victims were devastated? Sure, the truth can come out but if the evidence is bad, the case is lost and the victim never gets the satisfaction of seeing justice served, causing further trauma to the victim. A good prosecutor goes to trial to WIN, not to simply make a point. Benson needs to get off her high horse and deliver Stone better cases that helps the victims get justice.]


My advice for Peter Stone: Stay charming and tune out Benson’s emotional pontificating. Listen to what she says but take it with a grain of salt. Don’t get stuck in Benson’s web…look what happened with Barba.


Cast:
Mariska Hargitay - Lieutenant Olivia Benson
Ice-T - Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Peter Scanavino - Detective Dominick “Sonny” Carisi, Jr.
Philip Winchester – ADA Peter Stone


Guest stars:
Rachel Bay Jones - Teresa Carisi
Ryann Shane - Mia Toscano
Sam Vartholomeos - Eli Hartley
Tijuana Ricks – Dean Lisa Baldwin
John Rothman - Judge
Susie Essman - Arlene Heller
Dominic Comperatore – Steven Hartley
Barbra Wengerd – Jane Hartley
Rachel Finninger – Renata Schaeffer
Amanda Debraux – Hillary Baker
Bjorn Thorstad – Mitch Jackson
Zeus Taylor – Andy Rayburn
Jason Liebman – Stuart Green
Jennice Fuentes – Susan Trask
Steve Boghossian – Foreman


Deleted scene with Kelli Giddish, Peter Scanavino, and Philip Winchester:



Deleted scene with Philip Winchester








All Content (Recaps, Review, Commentary) Copyright © allthingslawandorder.blogspot.com unless otherwise noted

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 “Dare” Promo

Here is the promo for Law & Order SVU “Dare” which will air on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 9PM ET on NBC.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Dare” 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 “Send In The Clowns” Episode Information

Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order SVU, “Send In The Clowns.”

Law & Order SVU “Send In The Clowns”March 21, 2018, 2018 (9 PM ET/8C Wednesday NBC)

When a student (Mallory Bechtel) disappears during a school trip to New York City, the cops race to find a mysterious masked man. Meanwhile, Fin (Ice T) and Stone (Philip Winchester) both get visits from family. Also starring Mariska Hargitay, Kelli Giddish and Peter Scanavino. Also guest starring Ernest Waddell, Migs Govea, Amy Korb, Will Sasso, Wendy Hoopes, Eric Tabach and Erik Jensen.

# # #

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Send In The Clowns” 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 “In Loco Parentis” Sneak Peeks

Here are preview clips from Law & Order SVU, “In Loco Parentis” which will air on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 9PM ET on NBC. The videos feature Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Peter Scanavino, and Philip Winchester.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “In Loco Parentis” can be found at this link.

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




SVU 19015 Clip2_h264_hd from Chris Zimmer on Vimeo.



SVU 19015 Clip3_h264_hd from Chris Zimmer on Vimeo.



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 “In Loco Parentis” Photos

Here are advance photos from Law & Order SVU, “In Loco Parentis” which will air on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 9PM ET on NBC. The photos feature Mariska Hargitay, Kelli Giddish, Ice-T, Peter Scanavino, Philip Winchester, Ryann Shane as Mia Toscano, Rachel Bay Jones as Teresa Carisi, Sam Vartholomeos as Eli Hartley, and Susie Essman as Arlene Heller.

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “In Loco Parentis” can be found at this link.

Photos by: Michael Parmelee/NBC 2018 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

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 “Chasing Demons” Recap & Review

Whenever Brian Cassidy appears, mayhem ensues. In “Chasing Demons,” Brian can’t control himself on the witness stand, causing the mistrial of a doctor who had been sexually abusing young boys. But that’s only the start. It’s always great to see Dean Winters reprise this role as it usually means the episode will be filled with trouble, which seems to follow Cassidy wherever he goes. He’s the SVU version of the Charlie Brown cartoon character “Pigpen” where a cloud of dirt and dust follows him everywhere. In this case, most of that trouble is of Cassidy’s own making.

The episode takes a different, and welcome, approach by opening up with a trial already in progress. It looks like Stone has things under control, but Cassidy blows up on the stand and then gets suspended, just minutes into the story. Of course, Cassidy, who has horrible impulse control, makes the dumb mistake of visiting the pervert doctor who is later found dead. As the story progresses, Cassidy sucks Benson into his mess, and explains he found the body and was then knocked out, getting blood on him. Benson decides to allow Cassidy to stay at her place while they investigate. Did Benson make the right choice here? I suppose that she knows Cassidy well enough that she felt comfortable in risking her career for him. Then again, why let someone who is drunk AND bloody into your home where your young, recently kidnapped son is sleeping? And what kind of security does Benson’s building have that someone can just walk in and get access to her apartment door? I suppose Cassidy still could have had a key to the door or pass code from when they lived together.

I enjoyed the barroom scene with a drunk Cassidy whose voice is dripping with sarcasm when he told Benson she has to “do her thing” because she “is the best”. It’s as if Brian Cassidy is channeling all the fans of the show who get annoyed that Benson must always be perfect.

We discover that Cassidy has been “chasing demons” his whole life as he was the victim of sexual abuse by his little league coach. His father beat up the coach when he found out. (We don’t hear for sure but I suspect the coach was never brought up on charges.) Cassidy explains this is the reason why he left SVU years ago - he couldn’t handle it. Long time viewers knew Cassidy couldn’t hack the type of SVU cases, and now we know why.

Cassidy also tells Benson she is the love of his life but that she was never going to bare her soul to him. Benson seems to be happy only when she is with Noah; maybe at this point in her life she feels that a relationship with a child is “safer” for her than a deep, meaningful relationship with an adult? She never struck me as a person who could open up completely to anyone but at least she admits she wasn't going to do so with Cassidy.

I found Rollins' outrage over the situation amusing. She comments to Benson that Cassidy is “notorious for making really bad decisions” which describes Rollins perfectly as well. Thankfully, Cassidy calls her on this issue when Rollins says that Cassidy is covering his ass and to hell with everybody else.  Rollins still doesn’t get it, saying her situation was different. Rollins and Cassidy, in my opinion, are cut from the same mold.

While Cassidy was hiding at Benson's, Rollins was tasked by Benson to take Noah to breakfast and then to school. I wonder who was watching Rollins’ child while she did this? It seems like Benson’s child care needs take precedence over everyone else’s, which I know annoys the Rollins fans.

We also get two tidbits about the new ADA Peter Stone. He explains he played for the Cubs for a very short while until an injury permanently sidelined him and this deeply affected him.  He also says that he took this ADA position as something came up after his father died that he “didn’t see coming.” I’m sure we’ll hear more about this in a later episode.

Detective Holiday was mildly annoying, maybe because she was so quick to assume that Cassidy was a racist,  plus she seemed to have a major chip on her shoulder.

It may be my imagination, but I think we had more yelling between characters in this episode than in  any SVU episode in a long, long time. The only people that seemed to keep their cool were Fin and Carisi (who apparently needs to find a new dry cleaner).

Note: this is the first appearance of Philip Winchester in the title credits.

Update March 4, 2018 - an extended scene with Dean Winters and Philip Winchester has been added after the recap highlighting an extended "confession" from Brian Cassidy.

Here is the recap:

The episode opens on February 13 with a trial of Dr. West in progress, who has been sexually abusing boys. Peter Stone is prosecuting; he got the case two weeks ago from Barba. Benson provides compelling testimony, but when Brian Cassidy gets on the stand, the defense brings up sexual relationships that Cassidy had with prostitutes while he was undercover. One was murdered and one accused him of rape, of which he was cleared. The attorney brings up a beating that West received when he was arrested and Cassidy explains West resisted. The attorney said Cassidy smashed West’s face on a desk and called him a monkey, and Cassidy says this is a lie. The attorney continues to press his buttons and Cassidy becomes so enraged that he leaps up and begins to yell about what West did to those boys and all the other ones, saying West is lucky he didn’t put him in a goddamn body bag. The defense moves for a mistrial and gets one and the defense gets lowered bail for his client. Cassidy says he is sorry.

The families of the young boys are furious that Cassidy has created his setback, not to mention new ADA Peter Stone, who can’t contain his anger with Cassidy and suspends him.

Carisi and Rollins, and separately, Benson and Stone, speak with the parents of the abused boys about this setback to try to calm their upset and give them hope for a new trial. Understandably, they aren’t taking the mistrial well.

Later, Benson gets a message summoning her to McCaffree’s Pub to calm down a very drunk Cassidy who is in a fighting mood. She tells Cassidy that he doesn’t think, the doctor might walk because of Cassidy’s “epic tantrum” and she doesn’t think the families can handle another trial. He tells her she has to talk to them and “do her thing” because she “is the best”, saying this in a sarcastic tone. She tells him to go home but he says he IS home.

Later that night, Benson is startled awake by a banging on her apartment door. It’s Cassidy, still looking drunk but is now bloodied. He says he needs her help.

Law & Order SVU “In Loco Parentis” Promo

Here is the promo for Law & Order SVU “In Loco Parentis” which will air on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 9PM ET on NBC.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “In Loco Parentis” 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.