Two Ladies & Their TVs

We love our shows so much we created a blog for it.

L&O: SVU "Ripped"

I’ve been mulling this one over all day, trying to decide if I liked it or not, and as much as it pains me to do so, because you know Stabler’s part of my t.v. harem, I’m afraid the answer is not.

That’s not to say that there weren’t good things about the ep.  I’ve enjoyed the actor who played Pete in the past (I last saw him in “Miracle”).  I was torn in the beginning as to whether Luke, his son, actually couldn’t remember whether he’d hit Pam or not.  As soon as I saw the steroids, I thought, “Yep, uh-huh, that’ll do it.”  Surprise!  Olivia actually apologized to Stabler, and acknowledged that he was right about something.  As this was a Very Special, For Your Consideration Episode, I think it’s very clear now that Christopher Meloni’s a good actor.  And Cragen finally stopped being wishy-washy and actually made Stabler take a vacation.

The bad was mainly the continued de-Stablerization.  Since miss merserene and I have gone on endlessly about it here, I won’t say much more except “Poo on you, TPTB.”

Here’s where we get into tricky territory.  Yes, child abuse is horrible.  As much as I laugh at “Degrassi: The Next Generation” and joke that I would NEVER send my kids to that school, I know how serious the problems in this world are.  But this show used child abuse almost like a fallback.  Such talented writers, and this was the best they could come up with to explain Stabler’s rage?  Moreover, it’s been how many years, with absolutely no mention, for it to come to light?  I don’t believe, even though Stabler’s a “manly-macho” cop, that it never would have come up before.  If TPTB are patting themselves on the back, they should stop and start hitting themselves over the head.  Maybe that’ll restore their creativity.

Stabler made mention several years ago, at the end of an ep (and a very good, disarming performance), of how he hit his oldest daughter once when she was little.  But that’s all we’ve heard.  What would have made Stabler’s admission more plausible is if he spoke about how he channeled the rage toward perps to keep it away from his kids.

I just plain don’t buy it.  It’s too easy for writers to do that—in fact, in the book I’m working on now, I’m dealing with two types of sexual abuse, but I’m treading very carefully.  I don’t want to be formulaic, because what happens in real life is very different than what you see onscreen.  Last night felt very formulaic, and an easy way to tie up Stabler’s loose ends.

What I found very credible was how Stabler didn’t outright tell Cragen that he was seeing MSM for counseling (although, wow, did she not have any patients when he barged in?  I kept expecting her to check her watch).  I watched a documentary years ago about cops and psychological problems, and many would rather kill themselves than seek help.  If they do, and others find out, they risk being assigned a desk or let go.  So, in that I found it very realistic that Stabler would keep it to himself, or at least from the Captain.

If this is it, then the last two years of SVU have been a joke.  Next week, it’s no or barely any Stabler, and Olivia and Fin.  Um, what the hell’s up with Belzer?  Is he spending all his time in France now?

Posted by: athenawj at 12:57 | link | comments (2)
it s all drama

Comments:

#1  12 October 2005 - 18:16

 

Dammit, I had this response all typed out and poof it went...

Anyway, my reaction upon the revelation that Stabler had suffered child abuse was like, "WTF?" Though no where as ridiculous as Serena's revelation that she was lesbian, it was just about as left field as it could've been. Because it IS so clichéd, I wasn't expecting the writers to use that. Alas, they did, and it wasn't a satisfying answer at all.

I still can't stand MSM; that Stabler went to her was a little odd. I had this weird fear that perhaps he was kinda infatuated with her.

And telling Stabler to take a vacation, that seemed a little convenient, too. There have been so many instances where Cragen could've told Stabler to take a break, like when Stabler actually beats up perps, but it has to happen when Stabler tells Pam's parents not to press charges? Bah. Stabler needs a vaca, I get it, but he needed it a long time ago.

I don't remember the preview at all. I miss Munch too; he's the equivalent of an acerbic Lenny Briscoe on SVU for me. Why haven't they focused on Munch?

merserene

#2  14 October 2005 - 09:39

 

I wondered how he got MSM's address, and did he just go barging over there? I do happen to think he's infatuated with her, but I highly doubt anything'll come of it.

Anyway, I think he chose her, despite the infatuation, because I doubt he'll confide in Huang anytime soon, especially after what happened last season.

The preview: meh, something to do with Fin and Olivia (I swear, I've watched this since the beginning and nowadays I can barely remember her last name... Benson!).

athenawj

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