Law and Order: SVU“Trials”
Original Air Date: September 23, 2008
Kara – TwoCents Staff Writer
kara@thetwocentscorp.com
This week, we’ve got three knockout guest stars in an episode that starts out with a little boy stealing a van and driving it through the streets of NYC. He’s desperate to get away from his foster parents and we get a lesson in the world of paid medical trials but don’t think for a second that’s the twist. Our beloved detectives each have their own issues going on in this premiere. Olivia’s having a rough time, Munch really, really wants to open a bar, Fin’s not transferring anywhere anytime soon and Stabler is on a one man mission to find out who stole his credit card.
Six Things That Made This A Great Season Premiere:
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[photo: Will Hart/NBC]
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Law and Order: SVU
ReplyDelete“Trials”
Original Air Date: September 23, 2008
Kara – TwoCents Staff Writer
This week, we’ve got three knockout guest stars in an episode that starts out with a little boy stealing a van and driving it through the streets of NYC. He’s desperate to get away from his foster parents and we get a lesson in the world of paid medical trials but don’t think for a second that’s the twist. Our beloved detectives each have their own issues going on in this premiere. Olivia’s having a rough time, Munch really, really wants to open a bar, Fin’s not transferring anywhere anytime soon and Stabler is on a one man mission to find out who stole his credit card.
Six Things That Made This A Great Season Premiere:
1. The guest stars. Now, usually you get one, maybe two big name guest stars. This week, we got three and they all knocked it right out of the park. Luke Perry and Julie Bowen played Noah and Gwen, a married couple fostering a young boy, Christopher, who has a serious attitude problem. Sara Gilbert gave a powerful performance as Caitlyn Ryan, a rape victim whose case has been cold for quite a few years and was handled by Benson. They all worked really well off of each other and I wish all episodes with big guest stars were handled this well.
2. Mariska’s performance. Okay, I’ll preface this by saying I spent a straight two minutes Sunday night during the Emmys saying, “She can’t lose! There is no way she won’t win that Emmy for that episode.” Unfortunately, she did lose. Sorry, Mariska. But let’s face it, there’s no doubt in my mind that she is one of the best actresses on television. She just nails it every week. This week, Liv had prison flashbacks from the episode “Undercover,” the one that Mariska should have won an Emmy for. Okay, okay, I’ll shut up about it. It’s clear throughout this week’s episode that Olivia was struggling and at the end, she finally goes to therapy. I like that they’re not just sweeping it away as if it was just a self-contained episode and she got help and all is well. All is not well and I’m glad they’re showing her continuing to deal with what happened.
3. There’s a new A.D.A. in town, Kim Greyleck and she’s very enthusiastic. She’s also played by Michaela McManus, who does a really nice job playing the eager to get her hands dirty A.D.A. As we hear countless times, she’s fresh from D.C. and seems more than ready to start her job. I’m going to guess that in the not too distant future, her eagerness gets knocked down a peg when she realizes how emotionally ravaging her job can be. I like her. I think they do a fantastic job on SVU of creating compelling A.D.A.s. I miss Casey, just like I miss Alex but I have a good feeling about Kim.
4. Munch talking about opening a bar with Fin. That was amazing. Please do. I can’t think of anything I’d like to see more than Munch trying to run a bar and all of the gripes and conspiracy theories that would be involved with it.
5. The twist. I’m sure we all called it when a creepy Luke Perry announced he came into Gwen’s life to change her locks after she was raped but it still was a nice twist. I got chills when he said, “I like to fix things.” The best part about the twist was how, at different moments, Caitlyn and Gwen realized he was their rapist. Sara Gilbert gave an Emmy caliber performance, especially in that moment when her character put together that her rapist was raising her son. It was a solid twist and didn’t feel forced or as if it was the whole point of the episode, like it sometimes does.
6. Stabler’s twist. Stabler’s side plot throughout the episode that someone had stolen his credit card seemed so unimportant and so forced that it had to be important. Turns out his daughter, Kathleen, stole his credit card and racked up lots of charges, including matching tattoos for her and her boyfriend. She storms into the precinct and demands he not press charges against her boyfriend. No apologies, no truthful explanation. Stabler tells her she’s getting the tattoo removed and she mutters, “You have a tattoo.”
Next week, Stabler is back to kicking down doors and it seems like his daughter is in trouble. There’s no way they’d let Stabler handle the case if one of his daughters was a victim but there’s also no way they’d be able to stop him either. We’ll see how this one turns out. It’ll definitely be an episode people talk about.
So, what did you think about the tenth season premiere? I know you’ve all got opinions on the new A.D.A. so give me your TwoCents about her in the comments!