Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Law & Order SVU “Shattered” Recap & Review

All Photos NBC

Law & Order SVU “Shattered” provided an exciting wrap up to the season as the detectives work a kidnapping case that quickly turns into a felony murder case when a kidnapper for hire gets killed while fleeing with the kidnapped boy. This sends the boy’s mother, played by French actress Isabelle Huppert, off the deep edge, and it’s not a long trip for her to get there as she was already wacky to begin with. Huppert did an excellent job playing the crazed mother.

A hostage situation occurs and I wonder if it was caused by a careless police officer, or careless writers. I always thought that police had security mechanisms on their holsters so someone couldn’t just pull out their weapon, but it seems like it is standard practice in the SVU universe for the police to have their guns unsecured. If there is anyone out there in law enforcement who can shed some light on whether a locking mechanism on the holster is a standard requirement or simple the choice of the officer, I would appreciate it. Regardless, this officer’s inability to maintain control over his weapon causes a hostage situation and results in ME Warner getting shot. It is important to note that season finales seems to be dangerous for supporting players on SVU – at least this year, they handled the scene much better than last season, when Tech O’Halloran got killed and Benson and Stabler just stood over his body and made a flip comment as if nothing happened.

The last half of the episode seemed too drawn out, and got too corny when Jo Marlowe, played by the stiff Sharon Stone, confessed to having cancer and a bilateral radical mastectomy. The scenery chewing goes to full throttle when she holds the body of the kidnapped boy to help disarm his mother. It was just a little too much for me.

Consistently excellent in the episode were Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni, who, as usual, are completely believable in their roles and they saved the episode. Almost all of the top billed stars make an appearance in this finale...all but Richard Belzer. Sometimes I get the feeling that John Munch is being eased out. I did have an issue with how Stabler handled the news that they knew Sophie was not the kidnapper. Why would he even risk telling Sophie she was set up - a red flag that Paul was behind it and meaning he was also responsible for Nicholas’s death - while Sophie was still armed? If anything, I would have thought that it would have been better for him to lie or mislead her about who was behind it (such as saying they had the real person behind it already in custody), at least until they got the gun out of her hands.


Here is the recap:

After almost getting run over by a cab, Nicholas Olsen is pulled into a “Gary’s GoofORama” van and witnesses call 911. When SVU Detectives Elliot Stabler (Chris Meloni), Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Fin arrive on the scene, they get conflicting stories from witnesses. They don’t know the identity of the boy.

At the precinct, the detectives, along with Captain Don Cragen (Dann Florek) and ADA Jo Marlowe (Sharon Stone), look at footage taken from video camera in the area. They can see the van clearly but not the kidnapper. They can see the van is from Gary’s GoofORama. Later, they arrive at the store and they arrest a clown - Gary - who says he has been there all day. His van is there and he says he hasn’t run it in six months. Fin calls Stabler - he found the real van, but the boy is not inside. When they get to the scene, the van has been torched. They find a boy’s backpack with a schoolbook from Whitethorne Academy.

In Principal Carol Huston’s office, she identifies the boy as Nicholas Olsen, a 3rd grader. He lives with his father, Paul. Huston thinks Nicholas’s mother, Sophie Gerard, who is French and unbalanced, kidnapped him. Paul has sole custody and got a restraining order against her. She has been a repeated problem for the school. They later see Sophie on a surveillance video talking to Nicholas outside the bus. Later, at the precinct, they have a police officer who can lip read translate what Sophie is saying. She tells him to remember whatever happens, don’t be scared. Paul Olsen (D.W. Moffett) comes in, irate. They ask for his help, and he says Sophie is not his wife and did not believe in marriage, she is an anthropologist and is obsessed with matriarchal cultures. She left them to go off for her work. She wanted to take Nicholas to China with her and he said no and she went crazy. The minute she got on that plane to China he changed the locks on the doors and filed for sole custody.

Later, at Sophie’s (Isabelle Huppert) apartment, Benson and Stabler ask to talk to her inside and she lets them in. They tell her it is about her son and denies seeing him earlier in the day, but they show her photos of her from the video. She says Paul has filled Nicholas' head with lies about her, and Stabler notices suitcases. He tells her she is coming with them and as he grabs her to lead her out, she asks them to tell her what happened to her son.
When they get her to the precinct, Paul is there and when Sophie says she is Nicholas’ mother, he yells out she is not, and outlines how she has been ignoring her motherly duties and said she abandoned her child. She says she came back, and when the arguing escalates, Cragen has them both separated and removed. Cragen tells Fin to toss Sophie’s place.

Stabler questions Sophie and she denies taking him, and she says Nicholas is afraid of Paul and must travel for her work and that Nicholas understood. Meanwhile, Benson is talking to Paul who says kids need routine and Sophie despises the conventional and she thinks Nicholas would be better with yak herders than at Whitethorne Academy. She never abused Nicholas but became violent with Paul and nearly cut off his foot with an axe. Yet she tells Stabler the axe is ceremonial and not a weapon. Paul says she is a pathological liar. As Marlowe watches Paul, Fin tells her Sophia’s place was a gold mine of evidence.

Marlowe enters to speak to Sophie and confronts her with a French passport for Nicholas, and she booked a ticket for her and him to Beijing, one way. She just wanted her boy back and he would love it there. Stabler continues to press her and she says she does not know where he is, saying they search her house and they know he is not there, and she denies having an accomplice. Marlowe asked why she borrowed $50,000 from her parents two weeks ago and the day the money was transferred she tried calling a prepaid cell phone, and a week later she withdrew $25,000 to pay whoever she hired to take Nicholas. When Stabler presses her on who she hired, she says he said it wouldn’t happen so soon, a man told her he could get Nicholas back and she would be there so he would not be afraid. He said never to tell his name and address. They continue to press her, warning her Nicholas is in danger, and she admits it is Jason Culross.

Later, Benson says Sophie has a right to be afraid, Culross was a Green Beret who specializes in covert ops. He signed on with Blackwater in ’05 and worked in Afghanistan for 4 years handling kidnap and ransom cases. His file address is a PO Box in Brooklyn, but he owns a warehouse in Red Hawk. Cragen wants ESU to handle it as Culross is a mercenary, but Stabler reminds him that he was trained by marines as well.



At the warehouse, Stabler and Benson enter and see evidence that Culross has been working to get Nicholas. They see someone in the office, but it turns out to be a set up, and Stabler turns to see Benson laying unconscious on the floor. Culross (Esau Pritchett) yells out, saying they picked the wrong place to rob, and he has a gun on them. Stabler announces he is NYPD and to drop his gun. He apologize and says he did not know he was a cop, and Stabler punches him, knocking him out. Later, with Culross restrained, they question him and he says Sophie hired him to recover her son, explaining that he locates and retrieves children taken by non-custodial parents. Once he found out Paul was Nicholas’ biological father he told Sophie he could not help her but she is obsessed with her son, and the $25,000 is non-refundable and claims what he does is not illegal. He is doing what law enforcement can’t and was in Brazil last night. While Stabler gets a call, Culross tells Benson that Sophie asked for him to refer her to someone else and he said he does not know any criminals. Stabler says that Sophie found someone on her own; her credit card was just used to rent a motel room on Long Island and a man checked in with a little boy.

They race to the Goodnight Motel in Jericho with police backup. They evacuated all rooms around the one in question including a maid who was servicing the rooms. They storm in but no one is there, and Benson sees a door to an adjoining room. She enters to find a woman bound and gagged. The woman said she was attacked by the man in the next room who took her clothes and her car keys and put the kid in her cart. They realize the maid they thought was servicing the rooms was their kidnapper.

Later, they see him leave on surveillance video, dressed as the maid and with the maid's cart. They already issued a BOLO for the maid’s car, and on the video they see the kid, scared, being put into the car. They hear on the radio that they have the car in sight and are in pursuit. We hear a crash and the officer radios that the chase has ended and he needs harbor, aviation, and an ambulance right away. When they get to the scene, a car is being pulled out of the sound. The driver is dead. They open the back door to the car but say nothing.

Back at SVU, in one room, Benson goes to tell Paul the news that Nicholas is dead, and Stabler, in another room, tells Sophie, who collapses in shock. Paul is throwing furniture and Sophie wails at Stabler. Cragen and Marlowe watch in silence.

Afterwards, Cragen asks Fin if there is anything on the kidnapper, and Fin says his name is Keith Bradman, 35, from Toledo and he has a record. Stabler will pull the phone records to connect him to Sophie. Cragen tells Benson it is time to get a confession, but she balks, saying Sophie has been through a lot. Marlowe reminds her Nicholas was killed in the course of a kidnapping and that is felony murder and Sophie is just as culpable. Benson and Marlowe go in to talk to Sophie and she seems in denial as if Nicholas is still alive. Later, Dr. Huang (B.D. Wong) says Sophie has become psychotic and has broken from reality. She may be like this for days or months. He thinks the unreality of it – sitting talking only to cops – has facilitated her retreat into fantasy. He tells them to make it real for her. Benson enters the room and tells Sophie they are leaving to see Nicholas.

Benson, Marlowe and Sophie get to the morgue where ME Warner (Tamara Tunie) is standing near a covered body on the table. She pulls the sheet back to show Nicholas's face and Sophie says it is a dream. She picks up the medal he is wearing on his neck and said it was supposed to keep him safe and asks if she can take it, and Warner nods yes. She puts it around her own neck and kisses him. Marlowe asks her to tell her what happened and she says she has nothing to say and does not know Keith Bradman. But Paul walks in and is upset to see Sophie there, and the officer with him said Paul asked to come here. As a fight ensues and they try to keep Sophie and Paul apart, she grabs the officer’s gun and holds it to Marlowe’s head. Benson has her gun on Sophie and orders her to put her gun down, but Sophie tells her to put hers down. She does, and kicks the gun over to Sophie and orders all of them out, and when Paul asks what is wrong with her and has she gone completely insane, Sophie fires the gun and Paul ducks. ME Warner collapses to the floor, shot. Sophie refuses to call for an ambulance.

Back at SVU, they are still working on the kidnapper’s phone records and Cragen tells Stabler that shots were just fired in the morgue and Sophie has barricaded herself inside. Stabler races there. Meanwhile, Benson tries to help Warner and Marlowe tries to talk Sophie down. Marlowe also moves to assist Benson with Warner. Outside, the cop apologized to Stabler that she got his gun, and says ESU is out on another call. Stabler says they are not waiting. He yells in to Sophie and then asks the cops to get him the blueprints to the building. She threatens to shoot all of them, and Warner struggles to breath, she says she needs a chest tube. Sophie thinks it is a trick but Warner tells Marlowe what to get to help her. Benson says she doesn’t know if she can do this and Warner says then she should get ready to watch her die. She walks Benson through the process and Warner screams in pain as Benson makes the incision and then inserts the tube. Warner can now breathe.

Marlowe asks Sophie what she wants and she wants her son back. As Sophie and Paul argue, she shoots the gun and Paul says she is out of her mind. When she tells him not to talk to her like that in front of her son, Marlowe placates her and tells Paul that Sophie is right and he should apologize to Nicholas. He goes along with it, and the Marlowe says Warner is losing a lot of blood and she would not want her son to see this and be upset. Sophie tells Benson to take Warner out. Benson calls for medical assistance and Benson wonders if there is another way in there. The cop says Stabler already found it, and we see Stabler is heading into the ductwork.

The phone rings in the morgue, and Marlowe tells Sophie to answer it but she refuses. Marlowe answers it and says that Sophie doesn’t want Benson to keep calling as Nicholas is sleeping. Paul tries to talk to her but she hits him with her gun. When Marlowe says that Sophie is scaring Nicholas, Sophie tells her not to play games with her, he is not sleeping or scared, he is dead. Marlowe asks Sophie to tell her about Nicholas. Sophie goes on about him, and Marlowe distracts her with allowing her to talk out more while Stabler continues through the ductwork. She continues to point the gun at Paul and says without Nicholas her life is over. When Marlowe tries to be sympathetic, Sophie says she knows nothing, but Marlowe admits that last year she got diagnosed with cancer, a very aggressive kind and she had to have a bilateral radical mastectomy. Stabler hears this while still in the duct. She had reconstructive surgery but it wasn’t good enough for her lover and he would not look at her or touch her and she died inside. She couldn’t go to work and spent 6 months on the couch sleeping in her clothes and she lost herself. She tells Sophie she understands and it is not easy she has to change. She came back to work and in the last month she found herself and Sophie can find herself and she has to for Nicholas. But Stabler’s phone vibrates and they all turn to hear the sound. Sophie shoots at the duct and Stabler ducks for cover. Marlowe tells her she does not want to do this. Stabler sees the text message on his phone from Cragen which says, “It was Paul. He hired Bradman. Got credit card in Sophie’s name.”

Stabler drops into another area of the morgue and opens the door and walks inn, gun drawn, and yells for Sophie to listen to him, he is on her side. He says he knows she is innocent and that the hiring of Bradman was just a set up to make her look guilty. He tells her it is over and she puts down the gun. Instead she points the gun at Paul and says it was him, as he says no, Stabler is lying. She accuses Paul of murdering her son, and he says she was going to take him away to China. He cries and says he did not mean for this to happen. She puts the gun to his head and tells him to tell God in person. But Marlowe, who is now holding Nicholas’ body, tells Sophie no, her son needs her. She drops the gun and Stabler retrieves it and gets Paul out of the room. Marlowe hands Nicholas to Sophie and she cradles his body and sing a lullaby to him. As Benson and Stabler look on, we fade to black.

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

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.




38 comments:

Esaul said...

All in all, this episode was a bit too much. They've had better finales in the past years, and I was disappointed. I love Warner's comment as she was getting out of the morgue though.

Did you see the advertisement for L&O:LA? Bahhh. Lame. :(

Rose167 said...

Sharon Stone did absolutely nothing for me in this episode. I think that her guest spot on this show was wasted; it was over acted, poorly written and very inconsistent. She either really annoyed me or simply bored me. The bit where she picked up the boy was too much for me as well. I hope next season SVU can find a full-time ADA, because they can't keep up this revolving door game forever.

I agree that Chris and Mariska were fantastic, I think that the core cast saved the episode from what it could have become. Some of the writing was a bit clunky when Warner got shot, but generally I thought the episode was pretty good.

I wish Munch had been there, I don't understand why he's never around. He's a great character and I miss episodes like the ones with Amy Solwey or the one where he reads Oh The Places You'll Go to the little girl. He deserves a lot more screentime.

Unknown said...

I enjoyed the episode. I was glad B.D Wong made an appearance, I like his character. I hope they bring Cabot or Novak back. These new laywers (although Greylek wasn't given a chance) are not really doing it for me.

@Esaul I too was kind of peeved with the LO:LA commercial. They barley advertised Law and Order and now this. Its not the same. For a second I thought it was going to be the origional law and order but after that I was completely disgusted with myself for even getting my hopes up. Although the preview for L&O "season" finale looked good.

Anonymous said...

I was upset it was too much and drawn out and I kept thinking in my head "What in the world?" and "Why is holding that child?!?" and I felt a little sorry for Jo but it was a little over the top,over dramatic and whatever else you want to call it.

Anonymous said...

Okay, at least Dr. Warner didn't die. She doesn't deserve to (well, neither did O'Halloran, but killing off a principle character like Dr. Warner would be really cheap)...

"Back off vultures, I'm not dead yet"=Best quote of the season.

Also, I thought there would be a reason that Marlowe would only be on for 4 episodes (like she'd be fired, or killed). Instead, are they just gonna start season 12 with a new ADA and no mention of what happens to her? I hated it when L&O would do that in the original.

Finally, L&OLA looks lame. I hope it falls on its sorry-assed face; teach NBC a lesson for canning the original :)

Anonymous said...

I was so hopeful... I really wanted Olivia to get shot or something. In eleven seasons, nothing serious has EVER happened to her, unlike all other cast members. Something better happen in season 12.

Amaya said...

I thought this was one of the better episodes of the season. I really liked it until the end when Marlowe talked about her cancer. I was into the episode until that snapped me out of it. And picking up the boy ... WTF.

And, my god, I love Tamara Tunie. Melinda's a tough-ass woman; I'm sure she'll make it.

"Back off, vultures; I'm not dead yet." So. Full. Of. Win.

Anonymous said...

I was SO hopeful for this episode! I really wanted Olivia to be the one who got shot... I mean, NOTHING serious has ever happened to her in eleven seasons! (i.e., getting injured. Obviously Simon was serious, etc.) But all the other characters have been injured in SOME major way... except Olivia. Seriously, somthing better happen in season 12!

Mike said...

Olivia getting throat slashed is never serious.

I was sooooooooo worried that they were about to kill Warner off. You just can't tell these days what they will do. Lately that's what the series finale means: what character is being killed off? I thought it would have been Jo though. LOL

I really didn't see the twist coming. Though I noticed how he was not emotional at all in the morgue with his dead son just a few feet away.

I thought it was pretty good. I can't believe they hyped Marlow's "big secret" and that's all it was. I thought maybe she was the one that kidnapped the kid.. or SOMETHING juicy. I guess she's going to be our new ADA..

Rose167 said...

Olivia was sexually assaulted and abducted in Season 9, poisoned in Season 8, almost killed in Season 7 and has used deadly force twice. She's also dealt with the death of her alcoholic mother, all that crazy that went on with her brother, motherhood/baby issues and was given responsibility for a seriously ill baby recently.

I know Elliot has been injured more often, but I think she's had her fair share of hurt over the years.

Joanne said...

It was a good episode, but way too drawn out and overwrought. The hostage scene was too long and slow but it was a nice chance to see some fantastic acting by Tamara Tunie and Mariska. The fear on Mariska's face as she had to handle the scalpel and Tamara's pained sounds and shocked expression, great stuff. And I like Stabler like this, tough yet held together.

The Jo 'bit reveal' was kind of lame. Or maybe it was Sharon Stone's exaggerated delivery of the lines, I don't know. Either way, she didn't really work with the show so hopefully we won't see her again.

Would the lack of Munch have to do with Belzer being busy with other jobs? He seems to have other projects and he also writes books, so perhaps it's time off that he has requested? I hope so, anyway. The thing that sucks about not having Munch is that it also severely limits what they can have Fin doing.

Anyway, decent wrap up to an on-off sort of season. The cancellation of the mothership is a pity but hopefully something good can come of it, like good ideas/writers going to SVU?

daniel said...

i too agree that the episode was good, but i really hope that sharon stone does not stay on for next season.

Overall i thought this season was good (needed more munch) but the rotating ADA's were too much i rekon- i just hope stephanie marcg comes back full time next season doubt though.

thanks for the great recap (also for the whole season) all things.

Joe S. Walker said...

Not a bad episode, and as a fan of French cinema it was cool to see Isabelle Huppert on SVU. I think they missed a trick with Marlowe's big confession - the episode could have ended with Stabler saying something about it and her telling her it was all BS she made up on the spot...

(Perhaps it's going to be the explanation for Sharon Stone's absence next season, assuming she doesn't return?)

Anonymous said...

I didnt like this episode but i thought it was a great season! i really liked most of the episodes this season. Olivia does deal with her fair share of injuries. she got her throat slit by that rapist, sexually assaulted, shes had a gun to her head several times (like at the airport), she was framed for murder and that guy broke in her appartment and tried to kill her! but all in all a good season. but definitely could have done more with the finale.

Anonymous said...

Actually, the guy who framed her for murder tried to kill himself--not her--to help ensure the evidence against her stands and to escape revenge from the biker gang who knew the truth. He framed her because he thought that she set him up to get raped repeatedly by Clyde VanDyne.

Of course, he didn't know that Warner already figured out the DNA evidence was fabricated, found the tech who did the fabricating, the PI who followed her, and other evidence.

Even if he had died, there was a good chance that the ADA would've dismissed the case, and even if he did press on, Liv would've been acquitted. The DNA evidence was the main reason she was arrested, and once Warner testified that it was false, it would've been over.

Anonymous said...

Did you guys watch the same episode I did? Because what I saw was nothing less than the worst episode in L&O history. Sharon Stone sucked. The plot sucked. The acting sucked. The whole thing sucked. The show has officially jumped the shark. I wish they would get rid of SVU instead of the mothership, cause this season of SVU was the flat out worst in recent memory.

Shelly said...

I thought the first 40 or so minutes of this ep were pretty good, esp considering the dreck we've seen from this show most of the season. There were a couple of excellent moments - when Elliott and Olivia were listening to the car crash over the radio, and when they showed them telling the parents what happened to the boy.

But you guys are right... the last 20 minutes seemed to last 60. We can all hope Sharon Stone is NOT back next season...

And while we're on the subject of next season, I have to rant about, surprise, NBC... lol... regardless of the reason and all the behind-the-scenes negotiating, the bottom line is, the Mothership won't be on NBC next year. This show has bailed them out more times than they probably can remember, yet their promos on during SVU still mentioned next week will be the SEASON finale. They spent ER's entire last season honoring that show, and L&O is getting absolutely no "love" from the network... errrr...

Anonymous said...

Aside from the "stiff acting" which others have brought up, the writers hired really need to take a completely different approach to patch up numerous events.

The twist with Warner getting shot was unprecedented but still a good finale for SVU. The hostage scene was to me "unrealistic." Touching on the point of the disregardful writing, the event wouldn't have happened if the office had protected his own firearm during the physical restraining of the husband. Another would be the traditional film technique with a perpentrator or enemy holding a weapon but reluctant to fire it or uses it to taunt the victim(s). As a former cop, Jo Marlowe could have disarmed her immediately after the gun was put to her head. Even if the distance was infeasible, Olivia even managed to draw her firearm and point it at the Sohpie Gerard. During the time when the assailant is fresh with a weapon, she could have put in several rounds into her and ended the situation with no innocent people put at grave risk. During Stabler's appearance also was under the guidelines of film. As dangerous it was, when Sophie finally was convinced the authorities weren't after her it became evident that a new round of anger was to be unleashed, Stabler was authorized to apply lethal force.

The above named only the holes in the scene. Had it been a real life involving four people whether presently or formerly involved in police work and trained to deal with hostile situation involving the threat of grave bodily harm and/or death, none of the innocent would have been harmed. I would suggest to the writers that if they would attempt another scene where a main character were to be placed in such circumstances, to make use of all realistic priviledges.

Anonymous said...

That episode was utterly ridiculous. Police try to talk first. Yes. But the second your lift that gun up, you're dead. She shot randomly. Waved the thing around. Shot the ME. Even pressed the gun right into her husbands head for gods sake and Stabler doesn't take the head shot?! WTH!!!! In a real situation, She would have been shot dead long before even half that scene took place. Utterly ridiculous. Stupid. Horrible episode. Breathtakingly over the top, unbelievable and just plain stupid. This episode jumped the shark not once but half a dozen times in the last 15 minutes. In fact, the last 15 minutes were far more ridiculous that Fonzi and his shark stunt. I mean really, the lung operation. Please. Utterly ridiculous. Even a trained EMT couldn't pull that off. I know it's just TV and they take liberties, but that last 15 minutes was off the charts unrealistic and STUPID.

Jason Rule said...

What the hell, man. I have no idea what I watched. All drama, no plot. I don't understand why this would even be put out. Isabelle Huppert is a fine actress, and she does manage to make the best of a bad situation (and by that I mean lines). Part of me was wondering if Girard would shoot Marlowe, then get shot by Stabler. Better than than shooting Warner. Seriously. YOU. DO. NOT. MESS. WITH. MELINDA. WARNER. EVER. If she died, I bet she would have come back as a ghost to haunt the crap out of Girard. Also, not sanitizing or at least wiping your hands before jabbing a scalpel into human flesh? GRIEVOUS MEDICAL ERROR. Yes, there was a loaded gun, but still, something, ANYTHING.

At first watch, I thought that whole cancer story was a ploy by Marlowe, improvised on the spot. That's how it was delivered, anyway. Every single cliche possible was in this episode. No Law, No Order.

Fire the writing staff. Ban all plotlines that gear towards the baseless needs of shippers. GIVE US MORE MUNCH. SERIOUSLY.

Also, last time I checked, Michael Moriarty was alive and well. Just bring back Stone. Or Robinette. Or any of the classic era people.

Rant over.

Esaul said...

Moriarty and Wolf don't like each other at all. So that'll never ever ever ever happen in a gajillion years. Plus I thought him leaving was the best. I love McCoy.

Jane said...

I thought the SVU season finale was a notch better than last year. Having said that, most things stated are true (exception being Olivia not having anything bad occur). I wished Balcer was taking over SVU to re-energize the series.
I am in the camp of more "Munch!" although I get the feeling that Belzer is happy having a relegated role so he can spend time doing other things.
I was happy to see B.D. Wong, I wish they would utilize him more.
Tunie definitely had the best line of the night.
I appreciate all of the work that Meloni, Hargitay, Florek, Tunie, Wong, Ice-T and Belzer put forth.
IMHO, the series needs a reset button to get some creative energy to keep the viewer glued.

Anonymous said...

The last scene of this episode was so inconceivably badly written and acted that I'm still shocked...

RR said...

"Shattered" - The WORST Law & Order episode ever.

All soap opera... and none of what makes Law & Order different.

The mother would have been downed, period. Seems the entire episode was based on having it be a women's issues platform, matriarchy, motherhood, breast cancer. I'm not against a women's episode, but I am against BAD SOAP OPERA. L&O is not a daytime soap. As another poster said, I rooted for the take down shot from the very first.
The cops don't gang up on one combatant, they are sure to control both of them, not leave the mother free to grab weapons. And they don't put down their weapons so easily, they take the shot. It was a Bad soap opera script... renders future viewing of SVU totally pointless. NBC should definitely replace the writers of that episode, put them back on daytime over-drama.

They'll have to rethink next season... it can't last much longer with such bad, bad episodes. Would have made more sense for Stone's character to get terminally shot.

I would say SVU has run its course of sex crimes... the audience is getting as desensitized from the limited case type, as the real cops must be. They should have canceled SVU, and bring back the original L&O which has a broader base of cases to work... ripped from the headlines. There's only so many pedophiles/rapists to arrest... their stories don't vary enough... so SVU is resorting to bad soap scripts. That can't last... so maybe a major cast change is in order. What's so sacred with SVU? The other L&O's change.

The reason Munch isn't onscreen as much... is that chronic sarcasm gets to be grating. The people around it get tired of the evasion from answering a simple question with a simple answer, instead of the too-cute clever banter... they stop having time/patience for it ...that's why Lennie Briscoe's cracks were one-liner conversation enders, instead of snide interruptions. I like Munch, but he just needs more script then solely sarcastic conspiracy jabs.

At least Huang's new hairstyle is better than the crewcut he's had.

Joanne said...

"What's so sacred with SVU? The other L&O's change."

I think SVU is very dependent on the cast, and part of the success has been the stability of the main characters. Probably to the point of it being a liability to the storylines as the writers are sort of complacent.

Chris and Mariska are a huge factor for many viewers which makes it not so much like the other L&O's but more like a Mulder and Scully thing (and X-files promptly got axed without the pair...). I for one watch shows because of the people, which may or may not be the wrong reasons but either way I'm positive that there are many who are the same. I doubt I'd watch SVU without at least Mariska.

Anonymous said...

I know the worst olivia gets is getting cut or knocked out i want to see how she would react to being shot so won`t they let her get shot already! I know it sounds mean and everything but u want to see some action and all she gets is by a knife! Why won`t they let her get shot or at least somethin serious like getting chocked and almost diein or somethin! Really do they think she`s gonna suck or somethin! Come on Christopher Meloni`s gonna leave the show after season 12 so they better let somethin tragic happen!

I also wonder how there gonna end season 12 with Christopher Meloni leavin and all I wonder if there gonna let him leave the team or die, but I hope it`s somethin good. If they let him die I wonder where that`s gonna leave Kathy and the kids? If anyone has any suggestions I would LLLLLOOOOVVVEEE to know! I can`t wait but im still so sad that he`s leavin cause he was one of the main people and he acts so good. I just wish he would stay on the show anmd do whatever he wants to do. :(

I hope somethin tragic happens though. So if anyone would like to comment please give some suggestions!!!! Ican`t wait until season 12 I hope so much things happen.

I know it might sound mean or even wrong but I hope that Elliot goes to jail or dies cause that would be so tragic and it would make season 12 one of the best seasons ervver. I hope that somebody gets seriously injured or somethin cause nothin so far is as good as I hope it will be in season 12! When Elliot or Fin or even Munch gets hurt Olivia always makes sure there okay I just want to see someone else do that for Olivia and the best person to do that is her partner! So please have somethin tragic happen so that it will be the best season ever! I know that Dick Wolf isn`t readin the comments but still I LOVE law and order svuu better than any of the other ones.

I love law and order ci but I liked Goran and Eemes better than the other new people cuse im used to them and they are the best and funniest partners but I still like Benson and Stabler better than any one else on any of the three law and orders! Thewy are the best partners together and they act so real together like there rwally out there today catchin criminals and they act so much like partners.

I hope Christopher Meloni changes his mind and doesn`t leave cause im gonna cry if he really does I hope he just does what he wants while on the show. It will be tragic if theyt have another season or few without him cause it`s sad when someone leaves the show. I really didnt care whe Lake did but he wasnt on there that long!

Anonymous said...

In all the years I have been watching SVU there has never been a more dissapointing episode. The script, actors, everything! What on earth is a woman that old doing with an 8 year old boy? All I wanted to do was look away when she was holding the boy but at the same time I wanted to see what else could make this epsiode even worse! May SVU learn from their mistakes and NEVER abuse their audience like that again. The true victims were the millions shaking their heads wondering where their hour went....

Anonymous said...

What a crappy show. The crazy teenagers have completely ruined it. Even Executive Producer Neal Baer sounds like one on his twitter! What a shame. I used to love this show....

Anonymous said...

Chris Merloni is leaving!?! That will completely ruin the show! SVU should not be cancelled for any reason though. Benson and Stabler keep the show going. I do agree that the show could use more action such as Olivia being shot (not dying). Can you say horribly over the top acting when it comes to sharon stone? SHE NEEDS TO LEAVE! BRING CASEY NOVAK BACK!!!!! and the plot stunk but having Melinda get shot? really? NO! NO ONE HARMS MELINDA WARNER! I LOVE HER SHE IS AN AMAZING ACTRESS...she needs to stay on the show. so to sum it up... bad acting from stone, more action, less sharon, keep merloni, bring back novak, and warner needs to live.

Jason Rule said...

@Anonymous (the most recent one)

Chris Meloni is staying on for season 12+. Most of this was based on comments in an interview taken out of context. His option rides on whether NBC picks up the show for a 13th season.

There hasn't been any info from Diane Neal on whether she is definitely coming back, but Stephanie March is definitely not coming back. I'll wait to see how this new ADA is coming along before I pass judgement.

Warner did survive, and early whispers indicate that Tamara Tunie is coming back for Season 12.

Keir said...

What a disapointment.My wife and I resumed our watching of SVU as we've just moved to Germany from China (I should point out that the necklace is obviously from the Mosuo in Hunan province, not Tibetan), and the first couple of episodes were well done compared to the way things had been going. But this was nonsense. Over-the-top melodrama, music and lines with a crazed French woman who happends to have a doctorate and is provided with the funds from prestigious organisations to travel the world researching tribes.I kept looking at my watch to see when it would turn out that this woman- crazed, sociopathic to the point of semi-autistic,capable of murdering people and hiring others to help her kidnap her child to take with her to China to live with tribes (it was hard enough for me to live eight years in Peking)- was actually innocent and it was the husband who came up with the idea of kidnapping the child independent of the wife and beat her to it. It wasn't until the final act where one male (child) is dead, the man himself laid low by a blow from a passionate femme fatale straight out from Medea, another shot but able to direct another to make inch cuts into her, and the final one declaring that her masectomy made her stronger that I saw where it was going.

Anonymous said...

This epi was good for the first 20-30 minutes or so...

Then, UGH! The whole hostage scene was a complete waste of time. After the third time that somebody could have easily disarmed her, I just fast-forwarded.

Worst epi of SVU ever.

And I agree: More Munch! (and the Fin that goes along with that, too).

Michele said...

I cried like a baby!!! This was by far the saddest episode for me, the hospage situation was a little long but the ending was shoking and super sad for me as a mother, I'd be the same even worse... I cried bc it was so intense!

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know what the french word that sophie told nickolas means?

Pavalion said...

What exactly was the the lullaby song by Sophie?

Unknown said...

holsters that leo (law enforcement officers)use, are *retention* holsters. meaning that there are usually one or more sequences to get the firearm unholstered. there are several levels of retention used. this article will give you an idea of what that means and some of the levels used. if you research more, there will likely be more out there to find. this article is not complete in its information about retention holsters. enjoy your research and learning about said item.... Deborah

Elizabee said...

Holster question: look up SLS ALS holsters. Unless you're familiar with a specific holster, it's darned hard to remove a gun. This has happened a couple of times in the L&O universe and it's very unrealistic (Treat Williams as the retired football dude). Not as unrealistic as an episode where Benson and another officer go to Florida and check their guns at a facility by simply laying them on a counter and walking away. Uh, no.

Christian said...

I just want to say about the part where it says "they see the kid, scared being put into the car" I would whrite it like this "being put into the back seat of the car".