I've been watching this show off and on since it aired. Every time I get back into it, I find myself binge watching nonstop. The episodes are compelling... but... honestly, you guys used to know that rape can happen to everyone. There used to be a time where Benson would have done anything and everything to make sure that everyone got their justice, not just women. I love and always will love Benson and what she does for the victims and cases that come across her desk. Yet, lately, it kind of feels like Benson has taken an unrealistic (for her character anyway) turn. I get in the past three to four years that Benson has been through a lot. That is bound to change a character and the way they develop. However, even so, a character should ultimately remain true to who she is at her core. Here, the whole scene of convincing Steve to plead guilty to a charge he was not guilty of went over my head. This is mostly because that is not something Benson would do. The Benson I know would find a way to bring justice without convicting an innocent person. Fetishes are always a controversial subject, but here, there just seemed to be a biased feminazi of a writer for this episode. I don't know. Perhaps with what is going to happen with Noah will put Benson back on the right track, but I just see her going in a direction that we won't like. That seems to be what Hollywood does now. Law and Order SVU is not the first show in the 2010s to try to make a character more interesting by placing him/her in situations that just outright destroys said character. I feel like writers are trying to get Benson so unlikable that the audience will be happy to see her go. Please don't do this. I love her, and I definitely love her as a mom. Just let her be happy. It would be nice to turn on the television and see some happiness actually unfold for a change in a TV show. Also, please, please, get back on the right track, producers. You guys used to know that rape can happen to anyone, but lately... it seems to shine an unnecessary negative light on men, especially with this one. I guess I'm just a little mixed here. The episode was good, but it just doesn't hold true to the show's original intent anymore. It was supposed to focus on rape in general, not just rape on women, which IS a problem - a very common one. But shows like this would also help male victims come forward in reality as well. I want to see more episodes like that as well. Rape is not something to be taken lightly no matter what gender it is. I'm sure I'm alone here, but still...
7 Reviews
The episode foreshadows an unravelling
insideout0987 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Benson, bludgeoning her way through the high and mighty realm of the preternaturally righteous, forced a defendant to take a plea under the pretense that he would be helping a victim he clearly cared about get justice. This clearly crossed the line and any solid defense attorney would have torn her to pieces. Her job is not to try cases. it's to get the facts and present them as they were revealed. Ultimately, Heather was guilty as charged, which was the right decision, but I don think The Monster's career was over when it was obvious he was set up. If anything, he'd be even bigger. He was sincere in his testimony and clearly liked the "rape victim" on a very personal level. As for Carisi and Rollins, Rollins' character has always been on thin ice emotionally, and her out-of-nowhere one night stand served to emphasize her very flawed character, edging now towards oblivion. I wouldn't be surprised if she robs banks on the side. On a related note, the fact that there were zero repercussion from the bar fight involving she and Carisi is beyond me. And then there's the endless saga of Noah, now a victim of an apparent kidnapping. And no, I don't think her grandmother was behind it. Moving along, this was a very bizarre episode overall, and one I would never care to re-watch. It was all over the place, from the stereotyping of West Virginians to the exploitation of a man with no harmful intent, it left me kind of wondering who was at the helm of the show when it was written.
Intent
bobcobb30113 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This was a good episode of Law and Order, but like so many SVUs it quickly went off the rails. If they stayed focused on the MMA fighter and social media star and the matter of rape we would have gotten some good courtroom scenes. Instead we had a weird ripped from the Canadian headlines catfish plot, Corisi and Rollins getting in a bar fight in the South for some reason, and it just got way too over the top.
And please stop with the Noah stuff. #WheresNoah will not turn the ratings for the show around.
And please stop with the Noah stuff. #WheresNoah will not turn the ratings for the show around.
Something Stupid
yazguloner14 March 2022
We are watching a story that cyber crime can extend to sexual crimes. It is meant to be told that the deceptions that are made behind the computer are not just pure stupidity, but malicious intent and revenge.
It is an interesting and important article on social media, fans and followers agenda. As Barba said, "The Internet has made the world a smaller place. But some people still get lost in it."
Especially Heather Parcel... Katy, Monster, Attorney Phillip Altshuler... again the guest stars are great.
Conclusion, "It isn't fair..."
In the scenes of Rollins and Carisi partnership, it smells like a sweet town movie. This episode is the first spark of the Rollisi fire.
The question Rollins asks is important: "You know I'm human, right?" Because the character of Rollins is the symbol of the lifestyle we are used to in men but strange when we are women: has two children but is not married, two children have separate fathers. Gambling, addiction, drinking, bar, entertainment, free sex, responsiveness, assertive speech e.t.c
She is like a representation of a female character that we would only look at as human beings. That's why she is one of the strong characters in Svu.
It is an interesting and important article on social media, fans and followers agenda. As Barba said, "The Internet has made the world a smaller place. But some people still get lost in it."
Especially Heather Parcel... Katy, Monster, Attorney Phillip Altshuler... again the guest stars are great.
Conclusion, "It isn't fair..."
In the scenes of Rollins and Carisi partnership, it smells like a sweet town movie. This episode is the first spark of the Rollisi fire.
The question Rollins asks is important: "You know I'm human, right?" Because the character of Rollins is the symbol of the lifestyle we are used to in men but strange when we are women: has two children but is not married, two children have separate fathers. Gambling, addiction, drinking, bar, entertainment, free sex, responsiveness, assertive speech e.t.c
She is like a representation of a female character that we would only look at as human beings. That's why she is one of the strong characters in Svu.
Criminal Intent
TheLittleSongbird22 December 2022
"Intent" covers a very hard hitting topic that is also not easy to talk about or explore. It doesn't sound like new territory for 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit', especially considering what 'Special Victims Unit' is all about (or at least meant to be) but generally the show did it pretty well with exceptions. Remember on first watch being rather mixed on it, admired and appreciated that it tackled such a difficult and relevant issue but finding the story execution very flawed and not focused enough.
On rewatch, "Intent" fared slightly better, instead of just mixed it went up to moderately liked it but only just status, despite feeling similarly about what was good about it and what was not so good about. In ranking Season 19, "Intent" is somewhere in the middle. Really admired that a topic as scary as this was tackled and it needed to be in a way, and appreciated it, but at the same time there was room for it to be executed better than it turned out if the second half was as good as the first.
The good things will be talked about first. It is shot with the right amount of intimacy without being claustrophobic and that the editing has become increasingly tighter over-time has been great too. The music doesn't get intrusive or overwrought, even when the episode gets more dramatic. The direction doesn't try to do too much and is understated but never flat or unsure. The acting throughout is very good from all.
Writing is generally thought provoking and tight, not resorting to melodrama. Enough of the story compels and has some nice tension and intrigue to begin with, it was easy to care for what happens at the end. The first half is very intriguing. Rollins and Carisi are a great teaming and Barba as ever is a breath of fresh air.
Conversely, there is again too much of the Olivia and Noah plotline which slows down the episode too much. While there is some advancement, the subplot is pretty dull.
While finding it interesting on the whole and liking the first half, much of me didn't buy how the prime suspect so easily caved in and once the truth is revealed one answers out loud why too. The truth felt too much like a cheat, didn't think it particularly plausible that a plan so elaborate was carried out by the person in question and so expertly (i.e. The catfishing) considering their level of education.
In summary, uneven episode but liked it enough to moderately recommend it. 6/10.
On rewatch, "Intent" fared slightly better, instead of just mixed it went up to moderately liked it but only just status, despite feeling similarly about what was good about it and what was not so good about. In ranking Season 19, "Intent" is somewhere in the middle. Really admired that a topic as scary as this was tackled and it needed to be in a way, and appreciated it, but at the same time there was room for it to be executed better than it turned out if the second half was as good as the first.
The good things will be talked about first. It is shot with the right amount of intimacy without being claustrophobic and that the editing has become increasingly tighter over-time has been great too. The music doesn't get intrusive or overwrought, even when the episode gets more dramatic. The direction doesn't try to do too much and is understated but never flat or unsure. The acting throughout is very good from all.
Writing is generally thought provoking and tight, not resorting to melodrama. Enough of the story compels and has some nice tension and intrigue to begin with, it was easy to care for what happens at the end. The first half is very intriguing. Rollins and Carisi are a great teaming and Barba as ever is a breath of fresh air.
Conversely, there is again too much of the Olivia and Noah plotline which slows down the episode too much. While there is some advancement, the subplot is pretty dull.
While finding it interesting on the whole and liking the first half, much of me didn't buy how the prime suspect so easily caved in and once the truth is revealed one answers out loud why too. The truth felt too much like a cheat, didn't think it particularly plausible that a plan so elaborate was carried out by the person in question and so expertly (i.e. The catfishing) considering their level of education.
In summary, uneven episode but liked it enough to moderately recommend it. 6/10.
An almost repeat of an episode in season 10
marysammons-422207 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
If you've watched season 10 Liberties you'll get the gist of this episode. In that episode a stalker sets up the woman who rejected him to get raped. In this episode an obsessed fan set up her crush to rape a social media influencer he had been chatting with online.
Catfish
bkoganbing8 December 2017
I learned one thing about the internet, a new term. When one e- mails someone pretending to be someone else it is called catfishing. After Golly Golightly is raped by martial arts boxer Steve Howey after an investigation it is determined that both were set up by someone else. The fake e-mails said that Golightly has a rape fantasy and Howey was purportedly doing what she wanted.
This one really belonged to computer crimes more than SVU. The e- mails were sent by this sad sack of a teen Tenea Intriago who wanted some attention and used her lap top to get it. Golightly is a teen media queen and Howey is a prominent sports figure.
The wild thing is that Intriago comes across like such a sad sack that even Rafael Barba admits he might acquit her if he was on the jury. But it is Barba who finds the real rationale behind what is going on with Intriago. She's a sad sack, but a dangerous one.
This one really belonged to computer crimes more than SVU. The e- mails were sent by this sad sack of a teen Tenea Intriago who wanted some attention and used her lap top to get it. Golightly is a teen media queen and Howey is a prominent sports figure.
The wild thing is that Intriago comes across like such a sad sack that even Rafael Barba admits he might acquit her if he was on the jury. But it is Barba who finds the real rationale behind what is going on with Intriago. She's a sad sack, but a dangerous one.
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