Friday, April 26, 2013

Law & Order SVU Renewed For Season 15

NBC Press Release
April 26, 2013


NBC ANNOUNCES FIVE DRAMA SERIES RENEWALS 
FOR NEXT SEASON
Dramas “Revolution,” “Chicago Fire,” “Parenthood,” “Grimm” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” All Returning for 2013-14 Slate


UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – April 26, 2013 – NBC has announced the renewal of five key drama series for the 2013-14 season: “Revolution,” “Chicago Fire,” “Parenthood,” “Grimm” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

All have been given 22-episode orders.

The announcement was made by Jennifer Salke, president of NBC Entertainment.

“On the verge of our 2013 fall scheduling decisions, we’re pleased to renew five drama series that will be important to our new season line-up,” Salke said. “We’re proud and very appreciative of all of the actors, producers, writers and directors who work so hard to deliver such high-quality work week in and week out. These complex shows represent a broad range of genres and tones, and all of them stand out for us in a television landscape now filled with one-hour series. We’re especially pleased to be renewing “Revolution” and “Chicago Fire” — two first-season successes — and there will be more returning series announcements made in the next couple of weeks.”

“Revolution,” the Monday night drama that centers on a family trying to reunite amidst a worldwide power failure, is executive produced by Eric Kripke, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk (“Lost,” “Star Trek”). The series is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Bad Robot Productions, Kripke Enterprises and Warner Bros. Television.

“Revolution” is the season’s top-rated drama on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox and top-rated new series among those networks in adults 18-49, scoring a 4.6 rating, 12 share and 11.8 million viewers overall in “most current” averages for the season to date. “Revolution” has teamed with “The Voice” to help improve NBC’s Mondays this season versus last by 24 percent in 18-49 (with a 3.6 rating vs. a 2.9).

“Chicago Fire,” from Emmy Award-winning executive producer Dick Wolf and creators Derek Haas and Michael Brandt, goes inside a Windy City firehouse and the lives of those who engage in one of our nation’s noblest professions.

In addition to Wolf, Haas and Brandt, executive producers also include Matt Olmstead, Joe Chappelle, Danielle Gelber and Peter Jankowski. The series is produced by Universal Television and Wolf Films.

“Chicago Fire” has topped its premiere audience of 6.6 million persons a total of eight times this season, and the only other new drama on the broadcast networks to have done it even once this season is NBC’s “Hannibal.” “Chicago Fire” originals have improved the time period versus year-ago results by 24 percent (“live plus same day”).

“Parenthood,” adapted from the 1989 feature film, examines the colorful Braverman family, and all its foibles and triumphs. The series is executive produced by Oscar winners Ron Howard and Brian Grazer (“A Beautiful Mind,” “Frost/Nixon”), Emmy winner Jason Katims (“Friday Night Lights”) and Lawrence Trilling (“Pushing Daisies”). The series is produced by Universal Television and Imagine Entertainment.

“Parenthood” grew this season versus last by 8 percent in adults 18-49 (to a 2.8 rating from a 2.6) and also increased by 8 percent year-to-year in total viewers (7.1 million vs. 6.6 million). This season’s last seven “Parenthood” telecasts beat both the ABC and CBS drama competition in the time period in 18-49.

“Grimm,” inspired by the classic Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, is a Universal Television and Hazy Mills production. The series was created by Stephen Carpenter, David Greenwalt, Jim Kouf. Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner and Norberto Barba also serve as executive producers along with Greenwalt and Kouf.

“Grimm” is Friday’s #1 series in adults 18-49 and is up versus one year ago by 14 percent in 18-49 rating (with a 2.4 vs. the year-ago 2.1, “most current”) and is up 12 percent in total viewers (6.9 million vs. 5.2 million).

“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” will enter its 15th season for NBC. The series chronicles the life and crimes of the Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department, an elite squad of detectives who investigate sexually based crimes.

“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” is a Wolf Films production in association with Universal Television. Dick Wolf is creator and executive producer. Warren Leight, Julie Martin and Peter Jankowski are also executive producers.

“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” originals this season have improved the time period versus year-ago results by 70 percent in adults 18-49 (“live plus same day”) and are building on the time slot’s lead-in by 31 percent in 18-49 and 70 percent in total viewers.


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Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Law & Order SVU “Traumatic Wound” Advance Photos

Here are advance photos for Law & Order SVU “Traumatic Wound”. which will air on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC. The photos feature Mariska Hargitay, Richard Belzer, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish, and guest stars Raúl Esparza, Eion Bailey (as Frank Patterson), Robin Lord Taylor (as Dylan Fuller), Lola Kirke (as Gabby Shaw), and Andrew Halliday (as Jonathan Shaw).


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Traumatic Wound" can be found at this link.











Photos by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC © NBC Universal, Inc.






Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU "Brief Interlude” Episode Information





Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order SVU, “Brief Interlude"; Tamara Tunie guest stars:


Law & Order SVU “Brief Interlude” Air Date May 15, 2013 (9 PM ET/8C Wednesday NBC)


THE SVU DETECTIVES REACH A SERIES OF DEAD END LEADS WHEN AN UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN IS FOUND UNCONSCIOUS IN THE RIVER

Detectives Benson and Amaro (Mariska Hargitay and Danny Pino) are called to the scene when an unconscious woman with signs of physical trauma is found in a river near the Mayor’s home. With the victim in a coma, the squad races to identify and account for her prior whereabouts. They uncover a wild side to an otherwise normal wife and mother, and the investigation reaches an unsettling conclusion. Also starring Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Dann Florek (Captain Donald Cragen), Kelli Giddish (Detective Amanda Rollins) and Tamara Tunie (M.E. Melinda Warner). Guest starring Richard Thomas and Kerry Butler.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Brief Interlude" can be found at this link.






Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Girl Dishonored” Recap & Review


Sometimes when an episode is influenced by real life headlines, it can make it more interesting. Sometimes the real life story sucks the life out of the episode by telling the story far better than could fiction. The latter was the case with Law & Order SVU “Girl Dishonored” which seemed to draw from the recent Steubenville (Ohio) High School rape case. That news story received plenty of nationwide news coverage, and, as a result, this episode of SVU seemed all too familiar. It wasn’t helped by a pedestrian story, which, despite the unfortunate suicide of a rape victim late in the episode, seemed like something we’ve seen many times before on SVU. I suppose there are only so many ways to tell the story about rape on college campuses, which sadly has been an issue for decades.

I’ll be the first one to admit that I prefer story lines that include a little action in them and this episode had zero. Thankfully, we did have Raúl Esparza to bring some snap to the legal scenes. No fault of his, but even those scenes plodded along, suffering from predictable dialog. Raúl is a wonderful addition to SVU; he can bring even the most dull scenes to life. Case in point: when Barba questioned the Dean in front of the grand jury, Raúl made Barba’s disgust very evident.

I’m a little confused about what I assumed was a hospital to which  Lindsay was first taken after the rape.  Would a hospital nurse really take instructions from a campus security man saying it was OK for a possible rape victim to shower before doing a rape kit? Even if this was some sort of campus clinic, I can’t imagine a nurse taking instructions or advice from non-medical personnel.

There were important messages embedded in this episode that we’ve heard before but bear repeating:  No means no, don’t record your bad behavior, and crime should never be swept under the rug. This episode seemed geared toward the younger end of the targeted demographic and one can only hope that some of these messages will hit home.  As crimes like this continue to occur and people still used their cell phones to record inappropriate behavior,  I am not optimistic the messages will always stick.

The end of the episode included scenes inspired by Project Unbreakable that works with survivors of sexual assault, photographing them holding a poster with a quote from their attacker.


Here is the recap:

Cast:
Mariska Hargitay – Detective Olivia Benson
Ice-T – Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Richard Belzer – Sergeant John Munch
Dann Florek – Captain Don Cragen
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Danny Pino - Detective Nick Amaro

Guest stars:
Raúl Esparza - ADA Rafael Barba
Skyler Day - Renee Clark
Colby Minifie – Lindsay Bennett
Robert Clohessy – Leo Barth
Carrie Coon - Talia Blaine
Maryann Plunkett – Eileen Bennett
Christina Haag – Dean Meyerson
Lenny Platt – Travis Holmes
Alice Ellis – Alyson
Ryan McGinnis - Joe
Linda Emond – Dr. Emily Sopher
Laurine Towler – Counselor Melissa Braxton
Julia Udine – Erica
Jake Boyd _ Wesley Grimes
Ben Hollandsworth – Carter Pressman
Hayley Griffith - Hannah


At the SVU squad, Benson is getting ready to leave and Rollins comments that she looks nice, asking if she has a date with Cassidy. Benson replies “Sort of” - they are taking his mom out to an early bird dinner, and that Cassidy will make it up to her later. Rollins asks if they are getting serious, and Benson explains that she wouldn’t say they are picking out China patterns but it is a nice fit. Benson asks what Rollins will be doing and Rollins replies she will be at home picking out China patterns; she is still refurnishing her cleaned out apartment and her neighborhood on Friday night is a bunch of college kids getting drunk.

Elsewhere, a group of girls, dressed only in bras and panties, are going through a sorority hazing ritual for Nu Iota Pi to be NIPs – or “nipple girls.” One girl, Lindsay Bennett, looks less than happy about what she has to do. Later, the girls arrive at a party and is not wearing green as she is supposed to. She’s told it is a traffic light party, red means you are taken, yellow mean maybe, and green is DTF. A guy puts a green sticker on Lindsay’s chest. Another girl points out Travis to Lindsay and reminds her that she wanted to pledge. Lindsay takes a drink for courage. Afterwards, in another room with Travis, he obliges her taking a photo of his genitals for her pledge to her sorority. He explains their pledges have to do worse, they need video of “poonspeeding”, adding that she doesn’t want to know. But when she moves to leave, he asks her what’s the hurry, she’s cute, and green means go. He kisses her and then lays her on the bed and invites two of her friends in and they rape her.

Later, a couple walk out of the party onto the roof of the building and Joe hears crying. He sees Lindsay on the ledge and asks her to get down. She asks which way is down. He begs her to come down but she moves to step off the ledge as he yells “Don’t!”

At the hospital Leo Barth, campus security director, greets Rollins and Fin who want to speak with Lindsay. He tells them he will save them the paperwork, it is hell week for the frats and she were drunk, walking around a roof ledge and a good Samaritan grabbed her but she is fine now. Fin explains that they got the call so they have to follow up, Leo says she is pretty “stoonad.” Lindsay’s mother Eileen approaches them who says she is the one who called as she thinks Lindsay has been raped. Leo tells her it is a campus security matter but she wants her to talk to real police and Lindsay is now lucid. Fin tells Leo they will keep him in the loop.

Eileen explains to the detectives that Lindsay called at 2AM and was in hysterics and crying that she wanted to come home. Lindsay said she had sex and did not want to, explaining that Lindsay is shy and home schooled and she should have know Lindsay was not ready for the parties, the city, drinking. Fin walks off with Eileen.

Rollins speaks with Lindsay in the hospital room and is surprised her mom called the police, she doesn’t recall what she told her. All she recalls is that she was talking to Travis in the room, the door was opened and he asked to kiss her. He started to move too fast and she asked him to slow down as she never went all the way before. She said stop and two other guys came in, and after that it happened to quickly, they were on top of her. The boys are in the frat – she thinks Carter and Wesley – she did not get a god look at their faces. She tried to say no but Travis forced her mouth open and the other two – one in front and one in back and it hurt so much. She heard them laughing and high fiving each other. She asks Rollins not to tell mom there were 3 of them. Rollins tells Lindsay to get a rape kit and then she can shower and get cleaned up. Lindsay explains that she already showered, the campus security told the nurse it was OK. He never asked if she had been raped. She had marker on her body and she wanted to get it off, it is part of hell week, the sisters circled her body fat. If she makes trouble they will not let her pledge.

At the Nu Iota Pi sorority house, Benson speaks with a sorority member who says Lindsay had to get a picture of Travis’ “thing” and maybe Lindsay got embarrassed because she got slutty. Another girl explains to Amaro it is hell week and some girls get too drunk.

Back at SVU, Rollins explains that Lindsay is a freshman, was home schooled from upstate, she was a virgin, was hazed by her sorority, she drank too much and was gang raped by 3 Tau Omega brothers. Benson adds that her sorority sisters admit Lindsay was assigned to get a photo of Travis’ ”package” and they are slut shaming her for anything else that happened. Amaro adds that Travis is a Rhodes scholar heading to Oxford. Rollins adds that once Lindsay got her trophy pic, he put the moves on her, got aggressive, and two other brothers came in out of nowhere. Lindsay is pretty sure of the ID – Wesley Grimes and Carter Pressman. Fin said she was very drunk and the rape kit is a mess, the nurse let her shower before they got there and campus security was doing their best to make this go away. Cragen adds they have seen this before; the school circles the wagon and the frat boys laugh it off. Cragen says no more, go after them hard.

At the Tau Omega frat house, Amaro speaks with Travis who admits they hooked up but it was not his proudest moment. But he adds Lindsay came into his room wearing green and she asked him to unzip for a photo and she was DTF. Amaro asks if he checked with Lindsay before they triple teamed her, and Travis says a walk of shame is one think but calling it rape?

Benson speaks with Wesley who says Lindsay wanted it and that she said no as is “no don’t stop, please don’t stop. ”

Fin speaks with Carter who said Lindsay got three guys off and thinks these girls get wasted so they can experiment sexually and she is embarrassed. Fin says she is not embarrassed, she was raped. Carter said she went into Travis’ room and got down on all fours on his bed. Fin asks if that was before or after she invited him and his buddy in. Carter says that was the invitation, the door was open.

Travis tells Amaro whatever that girl told her mother or the cops,  she was into him. Amaro says they are going to confiscate their cell phones, iPads, etc. Travis shows Amaro a topless photo of Lindsay that was from Snapchat and he took a screen grab and thinks Lindsay wants some more.

Rollins speaks with Lindsay about the photo and Lindsay says he asked her to and he said he wanted to hook up again. Rollins rolls her eyes and Lindsay explains the photos was supposed to disappear in 7 seconds. Rollins replies that nothing disappears from the Internet ever. Lindsay says Travis posted it on TSU underground and they are calling her a slut and saying she is spreading STDs. Rollins says they can try and make that stop but cautions her not to contact those guys again. Lindsay frantically tells her the whole frat is texting her and she shows Rollins the messages. Lindsay says she can’t do this, she made a mistake and what happened last night she wanted it and that pressing charges will make it worse and she knows what happened to Renee. She explains that Travis Holmes happened to her, last year, everybody talked about her and how she cried rape and the school did not believe her and she went crazy and they locked her up in a psych ward.

Back at SVU, Benson informs them that the photo that Lindsay snap chatted went viral at TSU marked “slut of the week.” Cragen thinks there goes their case, and Fin says she is backing off her complaint. Amaro says the frat guys also posted photos of Lindsay flirting with Travis at the party. Benson notes Lindsay is clearly drunk, and Cragen says the photos do not help her story. Benson replies “so boys will be boys and girls get raped?” Rollins adds that Lindsay is scared and told her there was a girl last year, Renee, who last year alleged rape and no one believed her and according to school rumor she has been institutionalized. Cragen asks what they know about Renee. Benson finds something from last spring, another photo similar to Lindsay’s marked “slut of the week” . Cragen tells them to find her.

At LaGuardia Psychiatric Hospital, Rollins tells Benson that Renee Clark committed herself in January. Dr. Emily Sopher stops them and says they just got their message and today is not a good day. Benson explains Renee is a potential witness in a rape investigation. The doctor says not now, and, through a window, shows them that Renee has already been sedated, today is her first round of ECT, Rollins asks if electro-shock therapy will affect her memory, and the doctor replies it is a possibility Benson tells the doctor to stop it now, and the doctor informs her it is not up to her, Renee asked for this therapy, it is her choice. They watch as the procedure begins,

Law & Order SVU “Traumatic Wound” Promo

Here is the promo for Law & Order SVU “Traumatic Wound”. which will air on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Traumatic Wound" can be found at this link.





Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Law & Order SVU “Girl Dishonored” Promo

Here is the promo for Law & Order SVU “Girl Dishonored” which will air on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 9PM ET om NBC.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Girl Dishonored" can be found at this link.






Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Law & Order SVU “Poisoned Motive” Episode Information



Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order SVU “Poisoned Motive”; Kathryn Erbe guest stars.

Law & Order SVU “Poisoned Motive” Air Date May 8, 2013 (9:01PM ET/8:01C Wednesday NBC)

LIEUTENANT ALEXANDRA EAMES (GUEST STAR KATHRYN ERBE) RETURNS TO HELP THE SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT WHEN A STRING OF SHOOTINGS IS LINKED TO FIN'S (ICE-T) PAST AS A NARCOTICS OFFICER. 

Two surprise sniper attacks on the NYPD leave the SVU squad scrambling for answers. When the link between the shootings appears to be Detective Tutuola (Ice-T), he reconnects with his former Narcotics partner (guest star Yul Vazquez) in order to uncover a possible motive tied to their old cases. As the violence continues, Lieutenant Eames (guest star Erbe) joins the investigation and the Special Victims Unit races to hunt down a killer no one saw coming. Also starring Mariska Hargitay (Detective Olivia Benson), Dann Florek (Captain Donald Cragen), Danny Pino (Detective Nick Amaro) and Kelli Giddish (Detective Amanda Rollins). Guest starring Jessica Camacho, Emilio Rivera, Cathy Moriarty, 2 Chainz and LaLa Anthony.

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Poisoned Motive" can be found at this link.









Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Richard Belzer Makes Some SVU Wishes

Here is a short video of Richard Belzer (Law & Order SVU) talking about some things – if given the chance - he’d like to do on Law & Order SVU.





Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Law & Order SVU “Girl Dishonored” Advance Photos

Here are advance photos for Law & Order SVU “Girl Dishonored” which will air on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 9PM ET. The photos feature Mariska Hargitay, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish, Raúl Esparza, and Skyler Day (as Renee Clark).


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Girl Dishonored" can be found at this link.










Photos by: Michael Parmelee/NBC © NBC Universal, Inc.


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Law & Order SVU “Traumatic Wound” Episode Information





Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order SVU, “Traumatic Wound”:


Law & Order SVU “Traumatic Wound” Air Date May 1, 2013 (9:01PM ET/8:01C Wednesday NBC)

THE INVESTIGATION OF A GANG RAPE AT A CONCERT TAKES AN UNEXPECTED TWIST. JEFFREY TAMBOR GUEST STARS.

A suburban teen is brutally assaulted when a concert turns into a mob scene. Friends and eyewitnesses give mixed accounts of the event, and Detective Amaro (Danny Pino) finds himself trying to save the reputation of the prime suspect, a fellow military veteran (guest star Eion Bailey) whose fractured memory could hold the answer to why the girl was targeted. Starring Mariska Hargitay (Detective Olivia Benson), Ice-T (Odafin Tutuola), Richard Belzer (Sergeant John Munch), Kelli Giddish (Detective Amanda Rollins) and Raúl Esparza (ADA Rafael Barba).

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Traumatic Wound" can be found at this link.









Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Notice: My Coverage of Ice-T Has Discontinued

I am discontinuing any active coverage of Ice-T on my web sites All Things Law And Order and These Are Their Stories. There are several reasons for this, but the decision was made easy when he blocked me from his Twitter feed yesterday. Those of you who don't have Twitter have asked for the details on what happened, so here they are:

It started when Ice-T posted a photo with someone called 2 Chainz, both holding glocks. 2 Chains held a glock to his head,  Ice-T pointed his at the camera. I am supporter of the Second Amendment, but I also believe in responsible gun ownership. While I felt that photo was in bad taste, I considered the source and let it go.

Yesterday, I saw the following tweets show up in my Twitter feed for Ice-T (caution: expletive):


Growing very tired of grown adults acting like juveniles, I replied with the following:


Ice-T blocked me from his Twitter feed in a virtual nanosecond.  (Mind you, all that does is keep his public tweets out of my feed and keeps him off my followers list, but I can still go to his Twitter page and see all his public tweets.)  It was very disappointing that he would take such action, considering all the coverage I've given him over the years, at great cost to me (and none to him).  As he apparently felt the need to make a statement by blocking me, I feel I must also make the statement by discontinuing covering him.

His hypocrisy became evident when he later tweeted this:



Ice-T may think he’s writing this to apply others who diss him, but it also applies to himself. He needs to take a serious look in the mirror;  his often angry replies and swift use of blocking people who speak their minds to him means that he’s the one who is thin-skinned.

This morning, he added this:


Again, Ice-T should take a look in the mirror. He may feel like his reaction and response to the first tweet (the tweet where a woman called him a name) was justified, but he forgets the saying “two wrongs don’t make a right.” His response to the name calling was to take the low road and call names right back. That behavior belongs on the preschool playground. (By the way, my "two wrongs" example actually sounds more like simple math than his example.)

I really shouldn’t care what those two people masquerading as adults have to say. But when one of them makes a point to tweet his response to a few hundred thousand followers, can he really be that naïve to think someone wouldn’t talk back to him? Apparently Ice-T can dish it out but he can’t take it.

After getting many emails of support when I announced on Twitter and Facebook that I won’t cover him on my blogs any longer, I decided that it was the right time to do a little housecleaning and scrub my web sites of Ice-T. Readers will likely see the effect more on “These Are Their Stories” where I’ve given coverage to his activities/TV shows outside of Law & Order SVU. I’ve removed all photos and videos of Ice-T from that site and won’t be adding any more. On All Things Law And Order, I will eventually remove many (if not all) individual photos of him, unless he’s in a photo with another person or if it is a publicity still from NBC. Video interview clips of Ice-T on my YouTube channel are no longer available for viewing. Clips where he’s featured with other cast members will likely remain publicly available. While I can’t avoid mentioning his character in recaps and reviews, I won’t be including photos of his character in those recaps. Last but not least, don’t look for his photo on my blog headers.

Thanks for your understanding and your support!

Chris


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Photos: SVU Cast on Location SPOILER WARNING

Here are a few photos of the cast of Law & Order SVU filming in New York City on April 10, 2013. The photos feature Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Danny Pino, and Kelli Giddish.

SPOILER ALERT – Don’t look at these photos unless you 
want to be spoiled. You have been warned!








Photos by Bobby Bank/WireImage







Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Kathryn Erbe Returns to SVU in May Episode

TVLine.com reports that Kathryn Erbe (Law & Order CI) will return to Law & Order SVU during May sweeps. Read the full story on TVLine.com: "Law & Order: SVU Exclusive: Kathryn Erbe Returns for 'Big' Fin Episode" 



Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Law & Order SVU “Girl Dishonored” Episode Information




Here are the episode details for a new Law & Order SVU, “Girl Dishonored” with guest star Raúl Esparza.


Law & Order SVU “Girl Dishonored” Air Date April 24, 2013 (9 PM ET/8C Wednesday NBC)

A RAPE ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS UNCOVERS A SCHOOL BOARD THAT HINDERS THE INVESTIGATION, GIVING WAY TO MORE TRAGEDY.

Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and the detectives of the Special Victims Unit investigate the alleged rape of a sorority pledge on a college campus. Their attempts to piece together the events of the crime are thwarted by drunk students and conflicting accounts. As the detectives pursue the case, they unearth a widespread university culture of school administrators and students that look the other way instead of protecting their own. Also starring Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Dann Florek (Captain Donald Cragen), Danny Pino (Detective Nick Amaro), Kelli Giddish (Detective Amanda Rollins) and Raúl Esparza (ADA Rafael Barba).



My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Girl Dishonored" can be found at this link.








Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Ice-T Talks Fin & SVU (Video)

Ice-T talks about Law & Order SVU and his character, Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola,  in this short video.


UPDATE: I have decided to remove this video of Ice-T; he no longer represents the high standards of my web site.



Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Law & Order SVU “Born Psychopath” Recap & Review



Psycho kids are not new to the Law & Order brand; the topic has been covered in 2 excellent episodes, Law & Order “Killerz” (season 10) and Law & Order SVU “Conscience” (season 6). In my mind, the bar was already set very high for this epiode.  Despite this being one of the most predictable hours of Law & Order SVU, “Born Psychopath” was still interesting, primarily due to the compelling characters and the actors who played them.

BD Wong reprised his role of Dr. George Huang; sadly his character was not used to the storyline's full potential. The question of whether Henry Mesner could possibly have been born a psychopath or if something made him that way was given light treatment, and possibly Dr. Huang could have been better utilized to highlight this issue. (Maybe seeing more of Huang's actual tests would have been beneficial.)    On the surface, Henry’s upbringing seemed normal, living in a nice home and appearing to not want for anything. Henry has a pushover for a mother, a father who focuses too much on his work, and a younger, innocent and trusting sister. There’s nothing abnormal about this but there  is a question whether Henry’s behavior started when his sister was born (which meant he had to share his parents’ attention) or if he was born with psychopathic tendencies, or if his parent's permissive attitude only gave any psychopathic tendencies room to grow.  I would have preferred more scenes with Dr. Huang to explore this issue rather than having scenes with yet another ADA, which frankly added little to address the nature vs. nurture argument. An annoyance – the ADA's name was never mentioned. I find this rude to viewers, especially when a character appears in more than one scene (I found the name only by a Google search).

We also see Nick Amaro become more involved in his new-found son's life. His family day presentation at Gil’s school where he shows he wears a bullet-proof vest telegraphed that later in the episode that vest would be put to the test. It also served as an excuse for Amaro to later appear shirtless for a short while. (SVU fans can now debate whether Meloni’s or Pino’s physique makes for better eye candy.) Another point of debate: unlike Stabler, it seems that Amaro won’t shoot a kid. Was that a dig at Stabler, or was foolish for Amaro not to think this was a situation to shoot a kid? A head shot from Henry at that close range would have likely killed Amaro, and if he was thinking that the recoil would only allow Henry to get off one shot, it wouldn’t have mattered much if Amaro was dead AND Henry had time to get his hands back on the gun before the police got into the room, leaving someone else to kill a kid.

In this episode, we have two parents who are blind to their monster of a child, even when he has his own game called “monster.” Can parents really be this clueless? It is hard not to think of the shootings at Sandy Hook,  CT., where one parent’s handling of a troubled child eventually led to the deaths of many children and adults. I suppose that there are people out there who are that naive. But not all troubled kids are psychopaths and parents must not be afraid to get help in understanding whether the child’s behavior is normal or signals deeper issues. A personal story: in the late 1960s, my younger brother (now deceased) slammed a door on my left hand (twice).  I was bracing myself on the door and had my left hand inside the door by the hinges. (After he slammed the door on my hand he opened the door up and slammed it again.) I broke/fractured three fingers and 40+ years later I can still hear the bones crunch and remember the pain. At the time, I screamed and nearly fainted from the pain; he thought it was hilarious. He did later regret what he did and thankfully he quickly “grew out” of his “psycho-like” phase. I wonder, though, had he not changed his behavior, what would my parents have done with him? Sad to say, they may have acted more like the Mesners than I would like to admit.


Here is the recap:

Cast:
Mariska Hargitay – Detective Olivia Benson
Ice-T – Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Richard Belzer – Sergeant John Munch
Dann Florek – Captain Don Cragen
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Danny Pino - Detective Nick Amaro


Guest stars:
BD Wong – Dr. George Huang
Hope Davis - Viola Mesner
Ethan Cutkosky - Henry Mesner
Alex Manette - Tom Mesner
Larisa Polonsky - Irina Janovic
Andrea Navedo - Cynthia Mancheno
Jessica Phillips – ADA Pippa Cox
Adam Dannheisser - Adam Burke
Kiley Liddell/Brooke Liddell - Ruby Mesner
Jaden Matthew Rodriguez – Gil Mancheno
Sarah Megan Thomas - Leah
Kyle Sutton - Toby Burke
Emily Dorsch – Hannah Schwartz
Jessica Zinder – Alanis Grey
Andrea Gallo - Nurse
Caleb McLaughlin – Boy
Jerome McIntosh – Fire Fighter



At the Mesner household, Viola Mesner, her husband Tom, the nanny Irina, and the two kids Henry and Ruby, get ready for the day. Henry wants to go to school with his mother, so Viola caves in and has Ruby go to preschool with Irina. Ruby tells Irina she has to pee, and Irina is frustrated as she just put Irina’s tights on. Viola and Henry leave as Irina deals with Ruby,

Later, Ruby is in the school nurse’s office where Ruby complains that her head and her tummy hurts. The nurse notices a bump on Ruby’s head and a large bruise on her side.

Meanwhile, Amaro is at Gil’s school for family day and he explains his job, and, upon being prompted by a question, shows his bullet-proof vest. Gil refers to Amaro as his “uncle.” Amaro gets a phone call and has to leave, but promises Gil they are still going to see the Rangers the next day.

At the hospital, Benson apologizes for pulling Amaro away from his son, and Amaro whines that Gil does not know he is his son. Benson explains a doctor found bruising on Ruby’s torso and swelling on her hip and that she has a cracked rib that occurred within the last 12 hours, plus some other marks. Viola is waiting there and Tom is en route from Hartford. Amaro decides to talk to Viola and has Benson talk to Ruby.

In a separate room, Ruby tells Benson that she fell, but when Benson continues to press, Ruby said she was with a monster who pushed her and then the monster told her to shut up.

Meanwhile, Viola wonders why, if the school said Ruby was OK, that the police got called. Amaro explains that the unexplained injury requires reporting. Viola explains that Irina took Ruby to school and her husband left for work and she took Henry to school. Ruby was fine when she saw her last, it was Henry having the meltdown about Irina taking him to school and Ruby agreed to the switch. Benson enters the room and asks if Viola can tell them what happened but Viola says Ruby was fine when she left. Irina is new and Henry wanted to go with his mommy. She adds there have been some miscommunication with Irina about her hours and whispers that Irina is illegal. After drop off, Irina works for another family in the building. Benson asks if Viola has noticed any behavioral changes in Ruby lately, and Viola says no, Ruby is her easy one. When Benson asks about nightmares or bed wetting, Viola admits Irina said Ruby has had some accidents. When Viola asks if she can take Ruby for her piano lesson and that Henry has swim class, Benson says no, Viola will need to cancel the piano lesson and they will have someone bring Henry here to the hospital.

At the residence of Leah Thomas, Fin and Rollins speak with Irina who says Ruby was OK but Ruby did fall down some stairs. Ruby had spilled milk and she told Ruby to get new tights and she went into the laundry room. When she heard Ruby cry, she found Ruby halfway down the stairs but did not see her fall. She did not tell Viola as Ruby said she was not hurt and she was not supposed to leave the kids alone. She said Henry did not hear Ruby cry, he was sitting eating waffles, smiling. Leah returns home and asks what is going on, and Rollins explains it is just a routine matter.

Back at SVU, Benson explains to Captain Cragen about Ruby’s injuries and that a “monster” pushed her down the stairs. Amaro says the exam showed some healed bruising and an old spiral fracture, Benson adding there were 4 ER visits in the last year. Ruby had a concussion from a fall, a finger pinched in a door, and two  burns. Viola is an AmEx VP and Tom is a systems engineer with Amtrak; they have been married 14 years and Henry is 10 and there have been no domestic violence reports. Fin and Rollins enter and Fin explains that Irina claimed she was doing laundry when Ruby fell down the stairs. Rollins explains Irina is there illegally from Soviet Georgia and she has worked for the Mesners for 5 months, Benson adding it is for all of one of Ruby’s ER visits. Rollins said Irina works for another mother who has reported no problems. Fin says Irina did not see it happen but also did not tell the mother. Rollins explains the father had gone to work, the mother was in the shower, and Henry was at the table. Cragen instructs them to talk to Henry and examine him, concerned that no one is looking out for the girl. He adds they should talk to the neighbors, teachers, doormen, and keep the 2 kids at the CAC until they sort this out.

Later, at the Child Advocacy Center, Benson and Amaro speak with Henry, who says he was eating waffles before he heard Ruby yell upstairs. When they ask about Irina, he gets coy and says he should not talk about it. But when Amaro assures Henry he is not in any trouble, he says he saw Irina at the top of the stairs and she was trying to get Ruby’s tights on and Ruby was cranky. Benson continues to assure him and Henry says Irina made her mad face and pushed Ruby down the stairs. When Amaro asks Henry if he is sure it was not an accident, Henry states that Irina told Ruby to shut up, and then she pushed her. He adds that saying to shut up is not nice. He said he ran back to the table and Irina came back to get the ice bunny, and Henry didn’t say anything. He begs them not to tell his mom, adding his dad always gets mad when they have to switch nannies.

Meanwhile, Cragen and ADA Pippa Cox watch the questioning from another room and Cragen wonders that with Henry’s age if he swearable. Cox says there is a lot of detail and she will see what the judge rules. As Irina is illegal, Cox tells Cragen to pick her up, they don’t need another bad nanny headline. Once they get the full statement from the Mesners they can take their children home.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Law & Order SVU “Born Psychopath” Advance Photos

Here are advance photos for Law & Order SVU “Born Psychopath” which will air on Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at 9PM ET on NBC. The photos feature Mariska Hargitay, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish, and guest stars BD Wong, Ethan Cutkosky (as Henry Mesner), Andrea Navedo (as Cynthia Mancheno), Alex Manette (as Tom Mesner), and Hope Davis (as Viola Mesner).

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Born Psychopath" can be found at this link.










Photos by: Michael Parmelee/NBC © NBC Universal, Inc



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