If it wasn't for the over-the-top acting and the cheesy directing that includes the camera trying desperately to love Mariska Hargitay every possible moment rather than stay focused on the actual events, this wouldn't be a bad episode. No, it's nothing as tight or interesting as those of SVU's glory days -- long gone now -- but it at least has the courage to show what happens when someone is falsely accused and then dragged through the mud because rather than actually assume innocence until proven guilty, the current thinking is for the mob to equate an accusation with guilt. Still, the episode suffers from what all SVU episodes do, which is even when the squad is so obviously wrong, the worst thing that ever happens is they have some somber dramatic moment at the end to think about their actions. When will they get sanctioned or a disciplinary note in the file? It's the usual pseudo-comeuppance that has actually helped to bring about the current mob mentality with consequences.
Review of Dissonant Voices
