I was flipping channels late last night and I happened to come across a rerun of Law and Order: SVU on USA. I honestly haven’t seen a new episode of the procedural drama in a season or two (I sadly broke up with it in 2007 and haven’t looked back since), but I was quickly reminded of how much I loved Benson, Stabler, and the whole gang with only a few minutes of watching this repeat from the show’s second season. The episode was “Noncompliance”, and while it wasn’t the best SVU, it had the glimmers of excellence and eccentricity that would soon become the show’s trademark in the upcoming years.
While Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Chris Meloni) are the foundation of SVU, and their relationship and interplay provide some of the series' best moments, the strength of this Law and Order was always its unique and intriguingly disturbing brand of storytelling. At its finest, the show managed to straddle the ever so thin line between complexly fascinating and disgustingly twisted. You genuinely never knew where the writers were going to take you every week, and that was half the fun. The best episodes cleverly balanced the freakish and shocking with the emotionally gripping -- never tipping the scale too much in either direction, but masterfully playing the strengths of both sides.
However, as the show grew on in years, the writers seemed to lose focus and the stories became more and more mainstream. SVU ultimately lost its razor sharp edge. New characters came and went, and a revolving door mentality regarding guest stars tended to yield hit or miss results at best. It was a directional change that the show never fully recovered from, and sadly it’s now a shell of its former and amazing self.
But in honor of its prime when it was truly something fantastic and unlike anything else on the air, I’d like to raise a glass (which tonight is a robust Cabernet) to Law and Order: SVU. You have given us countless incredible (and, for lack of a better term, wonderfully fucked up) hours of television. Cheers!
It's a shame that you think so. For me Law and Order SVU is still the best drama policial.Voce not know what you're missing.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's time I revisit the show. I just lost interest over the past couple of years. I still love the characters, and know it has the potential for brilliance. Are there any new episodes you recommend?
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