Was really hoping that the Season 10 opener "Trials" would be better than the disappointing previous season's finale "Cold". It certainly struck me so when watching both episodes for the first time six or seven years ago. 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' has some cracking season openers, Season 1's "Payback", Season 4's "Chameleon" and Season 6's "Birthright". Having said that, Season 10 was for me was a mixed to unimpressive season which was disappointing.
It took some time to find its feet, with the first great episode being "Persona", and it did have some wonderful episodes in its middle period such as "Hothouse", "Ballerina" and "Liberties" ("Transitions" has fantastic things too) before ending badly with "Zebra". "Trials" was, or at least it struck me as on subsequent rewatches, a less than promising start for Season 10. It is not a terrible episode by all means and it is better than "Cold". By 'Special Victims Unit' standards, which was at its best brilliant in Seasons 1-6 and had many flashes of brilliance since, this was disappointing regrettably.
"Trials" did have good things. It does look good, with the usual slickness and subtle grit. Really liked too that the photography was simple and close up but doing so without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when used, and luckily it isn't constant, and when it is used it doesn't feel over-scored. Some of the direction is quite good, if more early on than later.
All the regular and guest performances are excellent. Mariska Hargitay particularly is good of the regulars and Jae Head frightens and at times moves. The episode starts quite promisingly, Olivia's personal life subplot was touching and there is some taut scripting.
Not much else works sadly. It is agreed too convoluted and far-fetched, especially everything after the perpetrator is figured out and how to go about proving it. The conclusion is one of the wildest (to an excessive degree) of the early-mid seasons. The truth is shocking due to the nature of the crimes, but it was considered by me a possibility some time before. What shocked me more was the naivety of one character when it's revealed. Most of the time "Trials" is too slow going. Most of the personal life stuff felt too much like padded filler, Stabler's was pure soap opera that doesn't say much new and doesn't see any of the characters come off positively. Only Olivia's trauma struggles interested or made sense, as well as making emotional impact, even that felt like it was setting things up.
Some of the writing is taut, but most of it is too exposition heavy, especially the newly introduced Greylek's, and talky. Speaking of Greylek, she doesn't make a good impression at all and she did nothing for me throughout her stint on 'Special Victims Unit'. She is too full of herself and aloof, with everything to do with the plea being far too rash a decision (something that Cabot and Novak would never had considered) and unrealistic. Micaela McManus plays her with the emotions of a robot.
Concluding, disappointing. 5/10.
