Some reviews of the episodes in the early seasons have said how much better they were compared to those in the later seasons in which (in the opinions of the reviewers) the show became soap-opera-ish and centered too much on the characters' own lives and problems. That may be true (I'm watching the series from the start and haven't gotten to those later seasons yet), but this episode, which centers entirely on the travails of the Stabler family, is pretty close to perfect.
Ellen Burstyn as Elliot Stabler's mother simply owns every second of her three long scenes, and Allison Siko, whom I hadn't thought much of one way or the other until now because she had never been called on to be much more than a placeholder -- a competent-enough actress wearing a sign that says "Sulky Teenage Daughter," in effect -- is a revelation once she's given the opportunity to show us what she can do. I also enjoyed Fiona Dourif (daughter of actor Brad Dourif) in her brief appearance as Det. Nikki (not Mikki) Breslin; it's a pity that to date she hasn't appeared again on the show.
Ellen Burstyn as Elliot Stabler's mother simply owns every second of her three long scenes, and Allison Siko, whom I hadn't thought much of one way or the other until now because she had never been called on to be much more than a placeholder -- a competent-enough actress wearing a sign that says "Sulky Teenage Daughter," in effect -- is a revelation once she's given the opportunity to show us what she can do. I also enjoyed Fiona Dourif (daughter of actor Brad Dourif) in her brief appearance as Det. Nikki (not Mikki) Breslin; it's a pity that to date she hasn't appeared again on the show.