Wednesday, February 21, 2007

SVU Finds Several Needles in Several Haystacks


By Trublu
PTR Staff Writer

Haystack, as in, needle in a. That is what this episode certainly was characterized by, a search for a perp in a haystack. Charades in this episode went horribly wrong, with a mother discovering that her baby is missing. What is different about this episode, though, is that she immediately fingered somebody for the crime, her ex-husband (predictably). At least he has priors so that the interrogation will be interesting. When we get an interrogation. When the police finally catch up with him, we get a high speed chase.

I really liked this scene, actually, when Elliot jumped into the river after the bag because he thought the baby was in it. I had a tingly moment. The kid, however, is not in the bag; instead Elliot finds cocaine. (Not as heroic, saving a bag of cocaine, but oh well.)

Probably complimented by the previews pitting Laura against the world, I was starting to think at this point that Laura was involved in the disappearance of her son. The movie attendant saw a stroller with a plastic cover (not the baby) and the babysitter doesn’t see the baby the entire time he was there, doesn’t it sound odd? Cragen agrees with me about two seconds later, and Elliot is starting to think so too.

Cragen: Well, if it isn’t Cindy Marino, the poor man’s Heraldo.

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate SVU-land journalists? They’re always sleazebags. Journalist dude that tried to get Olivia to play “The Gross Fantasy Game” with him and then stole her case file, and that other journalist dude that almost got Olivia arrested. Marino is no different. When Elliot disclosed that they found Kendall’s sonogram in the garbage among the toys (stupid move, by the way) Marino took an exclusive interview with Laura and ultimately caused her to lose it and commit suicide.

Warner: It’s not blood. Strained peaches.
Elliot: You have a gizmo to test for baby food?

It’s time for another “The More You Know” session with M.E. Warner, and I’m positive that every viewer shouted “WHAT?” at their television screens by the end of the explanation. Brief recap though: Warner wants to use Kendall’s DNA and run only a few of his genes through the database rather than trying to get a match on all 46 chromosomes. So, there could be tons of matches (since she’d be running things like combinations of brown hair, brown eyes, and right handedness, things that millions of people have in common genetically). Let the perp in the haystack search begin.

I do love how Techy Morales argued against this, though. Dude is arguing that this violates people’s civil liberties… and yet just last week he was illegally hacking into a company’s computer system. Roll them eyes, Casey, roll them eyes.

Kendall being found at a fire station momentarily takes the heat off the search, but the fact that Patty delivered himself right to their doorstep afterwards is priceless. He drops Kendall off at the fire station after Laura dies because he knows he’ll get parental rights anyway. Either the smartest or the dumbest criminal, ever. It would have taken Elliot and Casey probably weeks to whittle down the seven siblings to just one suspect.

Loved Elliot’s attempt to keep Patty and Kendall at the 1-6 (Elliot: Do you have a car seat? Can’t let you leave without one.). Even better was Casey’s removal of Kendall through ACS on totally un-provable charges. (While Garret saw Laura’s bruises and Laura claimed that Patty beat her, there was no way to prove it with Laura dead.)

Runner: Elliot?
Elliot: Yeah, can I help you?
Runner: You’ve been served.
Elliot: Can you believe this Casey?
Runner: Casey Novak?
Casey: Yeah?
Runner: Cool! You just saved me a trip downtown!
*Casey purses her lips and makes the coolest face ever as she gets served. I fall out of my chair.*

So Elliot and Casey are both being sued. For $10 million. On a cop’s and ADA’s salaries, I doubt they can even afford to think about that amount of money. Of course, to the rescue… Judge Elizabeth Donnelly! (The viewer still not knowing how she became a judge in the first place.)

Donnelly: According to the suit, you conspired with Detective Stabler to deprive Patty of his civil and constitutional rights.
Casey: No! *Best answer ever!*
Donnelly: Pity, this guy sounds like a douche bag.


I never thought I would get to write that phrase in a review. Ever. *Bows down to Donnelly.*

Also something I thought I would never see, Elliot and Casey and Donnelly all sitting at the defense’s table.

Besides Donnelly kicking some major butt, I was extremely overwhelmed to hear the numbers, as fictional as they may be. Stabler apparently has a 97% closure rate: incredible for his line of work. And Novak, a 71% conviction rate? It’s insane! Forty one percent national conviction rate… somehow I fear that it may be the real number. Imagine, only 41%.

I guess they are helped in part, though, by idiots like Patty who flash evidence on the stand. Like the sonogram that was in the trash. I wonder how he got that…Even so, Casey still had to lie to get him to take a deal and give up his custody rights. But hey, she lied in the sake of justice, right? *My turn to roll my eyes.*

And perhaps the most crucial moment of the episode: Olivia gave Warner a sample to test with the sibling identification process she used with the Kendall’s earlier. And guess what? She has a brother! I literally whooped at this development. Got some angry phone calls from the neighbors, hearing all the racket I made during this episode. But finally! I have a feeling we will know exactly who Olivia’s father is by the end of this plotline, and about time too. They almost spilled it in season two, but I guess the head honcho decided we weren’t ready. Good choice, too. This confrontation will be so much sweeter now, six seasons and a lot of angst later.

The place names of the two episodes definitely signal toward a road trip. I have a feeling that Olivia is heading to Philly next week! The city of brotherly love… the writers so did that on purpose. I cannot wait to see this episode because not only is it personal, but it’ll challenge every single thing that Olivia stands for. Does she stand by her rapist brother? He has to be (violent) the chance for the writers to address the “inheritance” of violent behaviors is too good here for the writers to pass up. They did address it in a previous episode (suitably called “Inheritance,” 3.08), but the chance to connect it to Olivia and her fear of inheriting her past is gold. Or, does she stand by the victims, as she always has? She is a victim in every sense of the word. Pass the remote for this one, and set your VCRs as well!

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