Doubt

This social experiment was a bust. Now, when you watch the episode on TV, the ending of the show leaves an open ended verdict where we dont get to see what the jury decided.

As for the review that attacks the actress in her personal life, you are completely wrong. The entertainment industry has nothing to do with the fans. Plenty of actors and actresses who are hated still get work. It's about the casting directors who hire, not about the viewers. Nor can you claim to know anything about what these people go through. They are harassed beyond belief and in many cases they are openly assaulted and told they have to deal with it because they are celebrities. They are in no way obligated to put up with that and so are not obligated to stand around giving autographs or putting up with whatever fans do.

I thought this episode was great , The ending couldnt have ended any better than to give the audience the privelage of drawing their own conclusions. great job with this episode. very impressive, although i hear there were several different endings but the final ending was the right one for me.

Wonderfulllll 👏👏👏

In svu, I watched such a theatrical and impressive episode with Alta kockers last.

A lot of episodic content from tv shows - SVU included - follows a predictable if pleasant formula which means when an episode stands out it really stands out. This was one of those times for me. On the surface 'Doubt' is very much a "He said, she said" tale, but the deeper in we go the less that seems to be the case. I'll be blunt - I found it refreshing to see a story for once that featured a guilty female party who seems very much a liar and a male victim. It's a hot button topic, but the laws & penalties regarding people who make false rape allegations aren't severe enough.

Myra Denning (Shannyn Sossamon) a bit disheveled and possibly intoxicated tries to hail a cab in the middle of the night leading to a minor scene and the cops showing up. Immediately she blurts out she's been raped and Benson (Hagarty) & Stabler (Meloni) investigate the claim. The accused attacker - a university professor Ron Polikoff (Billy Campbell) - shows up quickly on scene (his apartment nearby) and shockingly makes the claim he knew this was going to happen with his female student.

The dynamic of burden of proof is handled quite well here because the story (at least initially) plays to it's strengths having the main stars taking sides of the victim, suspect respectively in this not-so-clearcut case. Some episodes tell a very straightforward tale with no ambiguity while others keep you guessing to know where the truth lies. This episode could have been either one of those if only Myra didn't keep making suspect decisions that equally diminish likability & credibility.

Viola Davis is here as the defense attorney and does her part making this episode a strong outing. The two other central guest stars are solid without question too. No one's dismissing that rape is a real thing and should be treated seriously, but this tale was really ahead of it's time. It showcases brilliantly how much a man has to lose legally, financially, judgmentally when he makes a bad decision involving sex. Pity about that failed experiment of an ending though.

I gave this an 8 star rating due to its ending ... which basically made me quite angry, and ended my support of SVU. One expects a story to have a beginning, a middle, and an ending ... mess with the formula will cost you! I will say that I found Shannyn Sossamon to be quite the actor in this piece, unfortunately, I can't say as much about her work prior to this piece. Frankly, I don't particularly like anyone that acts as if they are some type of royal figure to be bowed to, especially as she usually has very little to offer a part other than her looks ... their is no meat to her performances ... just a great looking appetizer, per say, and you leave still hungry for something of substance. So many actors, today, really do not measure up to those of past decades. Actors of yesteryear would never deny giving an autograph, nor would they treat a fan as though they were beneath them ... because, without fans the actor would not survive in the entertainment world, not leave a store full of people thinking ... "What a B%T@H!" Ms. Sossamon could stand to take some lessons from someone like Jasmine Guy ... whom seems to always be a class act, and a descent actor / entertainer! (hugs & kisses, Jasmine!) LadyShalene