'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' "Must be Held Accountable" (2019)
Opening thoughts: "Must Be Held Accountable" follows directly on from the events of the previous episode "Can't Be Held Accountable", so the second part of a two parter. My first watch of the episode was rather mixed, with the feeling that it could have been so much better considering that it was the second part of a two parter and sounded quite tense on paper. There have though been some 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' episodes that fared better on rewatch, going from being a bit ehh to actually being rather good.
While liking but not loving the first part "Can't Be Held Accountable", my mixed feelings felt on first watch for "Must Be Held Accountable" are very much the same. For pretty much the same reasons good and bad. It should have been the better of the two parts, as conceptually it did sound more interesting and the show has done kidnapping of regulars episodes very well in the past (i.e. "Surrender Benson"), but it sadly lacked the suspense needed to make it work. So it came off worse and felt like the two parter had run out of gas somewhat.
Good things: The fault does not lie with the actors, as the acting is actually very good. The lion's share goes to Kelli Giddish and Nicholas Tuturro and both are excellent, particularly Tuturro as a character that could have been a stock villain but instead one where one dislikes their actions but understand their viewpoint. Their chemistry is electric and the tension between them is felt and drives the episode.
It's not just the acting that works well. The production values are slick and have a subtle grit, with an intimacy to the photography without being too claustrophobic. The music doesn't get too melodramatic and some of the dialogue is taut and provokes thought. The episode does pick up in the latter parts and the conclusion satisfies with it confirming what was immediately suspected when the verdict in the first part is revealed.
Bad things: However, "Must Be Held Accountable" could have been a good deal better. Very like "Can't Be Held Accountable", it does take a while to get there though, it's very thin on the ground and the first half is too slow going rather than taut. The dialogue in general also could have been tauter and been more subtle.
As well as being flawed in the pacing, the story is very predictable, due to having seen similar many times, and suspense is lacking so the episode feels bland atmosphere-wise. The handling of the case from the SVU seemed to lack urgency. Also do agree about everything with Rollins being targeted not making sense, and that it would have been much more realistic if the target was somebody directly linked to the trial.
Closing thoughts: Overall, very mixed here.
5/10.
