Being disabled myself, "Disabled" really hit home with me on first watch, though have never gone through anything like the victim goes through, and continued to do so on the other re-watches. Yeah it is that great an episode that despite being such a tough subject it is warranting of multiple viewings. You know an episode is good and powerful, when you feel every ounce of sympathy for the victim and absolutely detest the ones that hurt her in such a horrible way.
"Disabled" struck me as a wonderful, powerful episode on first watch and in all my previous viewings, and it still is. It is one of those outings that truly broke my heart and made me feel angry, which 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' in its prime did so well. Along with "Shadow", "Disabled" is the closest the now uneven Season 11 comes to evoking the spirit of prime-'Special Victims Unit' and what it is all about. All about the case, the victim and those involved in her situation, complete with two of the greatest guest turns not just of this season but also of the show's mid period.
My only issue with "Disabled" is Teddy Sears, who comes over as too bland and arrogant and the character of Blaine doesn't have the charisma or personality of the previous DAs. So far he is just there and not much more.
So much is fantastic. For one thing, we have two truly amazing guest performances. Including one of the most hateful supporting characters in 'Special Victims Unit' history in Janice, embodied by a truly chilling Jill Scott as you've never seen her before. Lisa Arrindell is absolutely heart-wrenching as a vulnerable person that was immediately easy to relate to and root for, demonstrating the power of conveying so much emotion while saying nothing (which is not easy to do). The regulars are very good indeed, particularly Mariska Hargitay, but this is another one of the Season 11 episodes where the supporting cast are even better.
The case is one of the season's most emotionally powerful in a way that made my blood curdle, clap my hands over my mouth and brought tears to my eyes. This time it is all about the case, which as said is thoroughly absorbing, not obvious at all and so rich in emotion, and the victim and her circumstances. With no over-heated SVU regular soap opera and for the first proper time this season to have the SVU behaving dilligently.
Furthermore, as always at this point of the show, it's a slickly made episode, the editing especially having come on quite a bit from when the show first started (never was it a problem but it got more fluid with each episode up to this stage). The music is sparingly used and never seemed melodramatic, the theme tune easy to remember as usual. The direction is sympathetic enough without being too low key on the whole. It is very thoughtfully and uncompromising scripted, with no sugar-coating and to me it wasn't over-dramatic.
Overall, wonderful. 9/10.
"Disabled" struck me as a wonderful, powerful episode on first watch and in all my previous viewings, and it still is. It is one of those outings that truly broke my heart and made me feel angry, which 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' in its prime did so well. Along with "Shadow", "Disabled" is the closest the now uneven Season 11 comes to evoking the spirit of prime-'Special Victims Unit' and what it is all about. All about the case, the victim and those involved in her situation, complete with two of the greatest guest turns not just of this season but also of the show's mid period.
My only issue with "Disabled" is Teddy Sears, who comes over as too bland and arrogant and the character of Blaine doesn't have the charisma or personality of the previous DAs. So far he is just there and not much more.
So much is fantastic. For one thing, we have two truly amazing guest performances. Including one of the most hateful supporting characters in 'Special Victims Unit' history in Janice, embodied by a truly chilling Jill Scott as you've never seen her before. Lisa Arrindell is absolutely heart-wrenching as a vulnerable person that was immediately easy to relate to and root for, demonstrating the power of conveying so much emotion while saying nothing (which is not easy to do). The regulars are very good indeed, particularly Mariska Hargitay, but this is another one of the Season 11 episodes where the supporting cast are even better.
The case is one of the season's most emotionally powerful in a way that made my blood curdle, clap my hands over my mouth and brought tears to my eyes. This time it is all about the case, which as said is thoroughly absorbing, not obvious at all and so rich in emotion, and the victim and her circumstances. With no over-heated SVU regular soap opera and for the first proper time this season to have the SVU behaving dilligently.
Furthermore, as always at this point of the show, it's a slickly made episode, the editing especially having come on quite a bit from when the show first started (never was it a problem but it got more fluid with each episode up to this stage). The music is sparingly used and never seemed melodramatic, the theme tune easy to remember as usual. The direction is sympathetic enough without being too low key on the whole. It is very thoughtfully and uncompromising scripted, with no sugar-coating and to me it wasn't over-dramatic.
Overall, wonderful. 9/10.