"Tortured" did not have the most appetising of subject matters, 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' often on paper has premises and subjects that really pulls one right in and makes them want to watch the episode in question. There were times though when it, and actually 'Criminal Intent' and even the original 'Law and Order' also, had episodes that didn't sound very interesting. Regrettably, "Tortured" was one of those in the latter category.
Even more regrettably, the execution of the story also could have been quite a bit better. Actually though Season 4 had many fine episodes, but there were a few disappointments such as "Pandora" and especially "Disappearing Acts" and "Tortured" is another one of those. The latter parts are a lot better than the first half when the episode does gradually pick up by quite a lot, but not before for me feeling uncertain as to whether to continue watching. That was my feeling on first watch and on re-watch a few weeks ago my slightly over mixed feelings stance hasn't changed all that much. Not a bad episode, just nothing special.
Shall start with the good things. The production values are fine, have always liked the photography's intimacy and grit and the look of the show has come on a good deal over-time (and it was good to begin with). The music doesn't intrude and has a haunting quality, have not always remembered that the theme tune is easy to remember and holds up. Enough of the dialogue provokes thought.
As said, "Tortured" is an episode that picks up significantly later on. The pace becomes tighter, the storytelling is more eventful and twisty and the twist is a surprising one that cannot be foreseen from the start. The acting is uniformly great from the regulars and the supporting cast, while with no standouts, all suit their roles just fine.
However, "Tortured" is not one of those episodes that starts off particularly promisingly. The first 15-20 minutes or so feels like over-stretched over-obviousness, meaning that the plotting felt somewhat thin and routine. The pace is erratic, with it being quite mundane in the first half and severely lacking in tension while getting better later on.
While it was great that "Tortured" didn't stay over-obvious for the whole episode, some of what follows feels like the episode suddenly tried to cram in a lot in a short period of time which made some of the episode feel muddled and almost strange. Some of the first half's writing could have been tightened a little, the usual tautness is not quite there. Not enough is done to make what sounded uninteresting on paper more interesting in execution, as coherence and momentum are not always there.
Not a bad episode, as has already been indicated, but there is nothing special about it. 6/10
