User Reviews

Before Inauguration Day of 2017 occurred it was possible then to view this SVU episode and say this is fantasy. Sadly it is not and if it makes those who voted for the current White House occupant uncomfortable than good.

A child who was farmed out for prostitution is dropped at an emergency room and Mariska Hargitay and her squad are involved. They are led to a real bottom feeding pimp who specializes in pre-pubescent girls played by Shane Patrick Kearns.

One of the girls they found with Kearns is Scarlett Lopez from Guatemala. As per our current policy she's been separated from her mother and somehow she came to New York.

The rest of this episode is a timely indictment of our current immigration policies and the cruelty with which they are administered. One wonders what kind of people voted for this and the judgment they will face from the guy they hold as a Deity who said something about "suffer little children let them come unto Me."

Big kudos for SVU and this episode.

Seeing all those young children locked up and incarcerated for doing nothing wrong is heartbreaking... I cried many times throughout the episode. So heartbreaking that human beings are treating other human beings this way. This topic needed to be brought to light.

An episode depicting the political climate and the impact it has on everyone. I really wish there was a way to rescue children that are pushed so hard that they've lost faith in humanity.

I hardly ever give a 10, but this episode deserves it. It had suspense, real evil, bureaucratic incompetence and several other plus points. However, I think that the key moment, when I had to reach for my Kleenex, was at the end, when Gabriella is reunited with her mother, but the other children are left behind in their cage. The policy which allows such cannot be justified. I am not surprised by the number of low votes the episode has received. I think they have been triggered by a co-ordinated operation by supporters of (the now former) President Trump. Return to welcoming immigrants - since 1492 they have been the lifeblood of the country.

These poor reviews are obviously written by people who are ashamed at what this country has become, but not able to admit it.

During this scene, elsewhere in the world this discussion is also going on. ... and other in... and another in world.

A: I think immigrants can take care of themselves. My great grandfather came to this country at the age of 12 from XYZW.

B: And I bet he didn't have public housing, food vouchers, and Medicaid.

O: Most of these people get jobs and jobs that Americans don't want.

A: Give us your tired, poor, crowded masses, your longing to breathe freely.

B: Yes, this is a great poem, but it's all garbage. My people came here 300 years ago in chains and I still cannot breathe freely.

I'm not sure why people are complaining about the political side of this episode. SVU has always touched on current events. Immigration and separating families at the border is a huge issue right now so of course they're going to do an episode on it.

Thanks SVU for showing the reality of what is happening to those poor children and their families. It was a very good and very emotional episode I cried like crazy. And here is an ancient proverb for those people who are saying that this isn't happening: "There is no worse blind man than the one who doesn't want to see. There is no worse deaf man than the one who doesn't want to hear. And there is no worse madman than the one who doesn't want to understand."

Season 20 actually started off very promisingly with the "Man Up"/"Man Down" two parter, which was very much needed after being so disappointed by the last two episodes of the previous season. The idea for "Zero Tolerance" was good and really did admire that it even dared go near a subject like this. Have always admired 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' handling difficult subjects though some episodes handle them better than others.

"Zero Tolerance" could have handled one of the tougher subjects of Season 20 much better than it did. It is an example of an episode that really had me for the first quarter but then lost me when it changed direction and became preachy. Other episodes had this started off well but lost its way badly when things became not what they seemed vibe, Season 9's "Avatar" immediately springs to mind, but "Zero Tolerance" is among the recent years worst offenders. As far as Season 20 goes, it is one of the worst episodes.

It does have good things. The production values are still slick and suitably gritty (without being too heavy in it). The music is not too melodramatic and is not used too much, even not being too manipulative in revelations.

As said, "Zero Tolerance" started off really well and harrowingly and despite not caring for the execution there is still appreciation for tackling a serious issue that's relevant today and worth addressing always. Most of the acting is fine, near uniformly actually.

However, the initial promise doesn't stay for very long and the episode in all honesty would have been so much better if it stuck with what it started off as. Because the finding family story that took over the case was nowhere near as interesting, lacked tautness and had too little tension or emotion. The legal scenes were very heavy handed and one-sided, with some very weak, unrealistic arguments, some of the weakest and most unrealistic in some time actually. It is true that 'Special Victims Unit' has touched upon many topical and political issues and there would inevitably be more of that in recent years, the thing is though that there were episodes that actually explored the issues in a take no prisoners and tactful way, rather than making it too much of a poorly thought out political statement.

Did find a lot of the dialogue very preachy, especially in the far fetched final third where the too much of a political statement criticism most applies. Most of the pacing is rather pedestrian, due to a complete lack of tension and suspense and too much emphasis on the soap-operatic and padding feeling personal life stories. Especially with Rollins. Most of the SVU are not used well, Carisi coming off best. Fin is the character that makes the most sense but he's underused. Olivia comes off worst, her holier than thou, I'm always right and condescending attitude has been old for quite a few seasons now and it's close to intolerable level here. Sadly it's very prominent in the episode so it's impossible to ignore.

Overall, starts promising but goes downhill too early and crashes and burns in the final third. 4/10.

I like this show and this epsiode and no not for the politics never even notice much of it since i don't keep up and i do have to say been a fan since season 1 and this had me get teary eyed a few time all the way until she is reunited with her mother, who cares if it's right or left i know i don't as long as they keep me entertained ill keep watching so far the first 3 episodes have been amazing and i hope they continue this way

Great episode - and the triggered Don guys in the reviews/comments make it even better.

Some years back, with the previous showrunner, I wrote a negative review for both an episode and the series generally. It was completely off the rails.

The new showrunner has almost completely fixed it. It's back to being as great as it was. It's got "hero cops" who are trying to do the right thing, it focuses on realistic situations, and it shines a light on disturbing real world issues.

I've been meaning to post something positive about it for a while, as it's been pretty consistently good again with the new showrunner. This episode reminds me of the quality it was hitting 15 years ago. Incredibly well done, well written, and of course well acted.

Law and Order is back!

I have been watching svu since it started. While scrolling through the reviews, i saw many saying to stay out of politics. I thought this episode had many layers, it started out typical, but progressed to the child. This is actually happening to thousands of "illegal children" as i am writing this. It is not fake news, many of the kids are lost. Who knows how many children are in the exact same situation that were on the episode. Kudos to law and order, to show the plight of special victims.

This was easily one of the best episodes of SVU I've seen, and I've seen every episode since the pilot (and over half of them several times)...I haven't cried so much at an episode of this show in a long time. A lot of you whiners on here complaining about the show being too realistic threatening to stop watching the show - all seasons of the show have had episodes that were very close to reality. Also, no one cares if you stop watching, I'm amazing you've unglued your mouth from Trump's rear end long enough to watch a full episode of television that doesn't air on Faux News, anyway.

I used to love this show but it's become way too preachy. They need to stick what the show used to be. Benson used to be one of the best characters now she makes the show virtually unwatchable.

This is a show that likes to touch on real world issues in tune with the plots they use for special victims cases. Not everyone will agree with the views of the writers and director but that does not make it a great show.

They need to stop with the politics and come up with a story. We watch shows to have a different reality and escape the events of the day. Not to be reminded.

A story about one of the "kids in cages." It's a heartbreaking story about our countries zero tolerance policy and how a young girl is affected.

The Law and Order franchise has always been inspired by real stories. For the last two years the reviews of this show have been one complaint after another because of the subject matter. That's the world we live in. That is what we have become. If it bothers you that much to see a fictional, but honest, view of how politics impact real human beings, stop watching. This show has evolved with the times. If you can't, just watch Fox News 24/7. That is fiction at its best.

This show took a stand, the right one, and did it well. I have to believe some confused or hateful heart out there, somewhere, changed their beliefs after watching.

We shouldn't be locking kids up, and this really gave a good take on how awful it is.

Big country has a power enough to be a gentle country. wall doesn't need for USA.

The writers allowed their political views and lack of knowledge to write a story that is completely inaccurate. Unfortunately people who believe television are misinformed. Agents do not RIP children from their parents. People, regardless of whether or not they're illegal or a United States citizen, if they perform an act that is against the law, they get arrested. Their children DO NOT get to go with them to jail. If these individuals JUST WENT THROUGH A PORT OF ENTRY, they would NOT be separated from their families UNLESS they have a previous criminal background. If they have entered the US illegal previously, they would more than likely be detained and their children sent to a detention center. In addition, the last scene where those children are on mats, with the fences around them is when they are processed through the system when they first get here, NOT after. Is this sad, absolutely. Some people do want to come here to make a better life for themselves and their children. However, there are laws that must be followed but it appears as though people just want to cherry pick every law they do or don't like or that benefits them.