Bang

It was a wild one. Unexpected and tremendous fast paced edit. Lori Singer was stunning and jumped off the screen, Mariska Haggerty is strong and had feeling towards attempts at protecting a woman (Singer) against the wrong kind a guy. Chris Meloni was powerful yet a loving family man, and Ice T is one tough guy with heart. it was compelling, weird and unexpected. john stamos always a cutie. The Law and Order series has a distinct feel to each one of their shows.. This SVU show is gritty, and always leaves you feeling like you just lived through some

kinda New York personal drama, hopefully it's the neighbor down the block, not the guy next door..

There are some mysteries in the universe I'm happy to never understand. How this episode got rated a 7.9 is one of them. I haven't seen every episode of SVU but I've seen a good amount. This is easily the worst I've ever witnessed.

I actually showed this to a friend just to see if we were in agreement. She had no defense.

The irony of John Stamos giving an impotent performance. The levels of idiocy and ridiculousness it asks us to accept. The lame twists in a story I never cared about. This is just horrific.

They can't all be great.

There are not many episodes of 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' that have very unappealing premises and has plot points that sound so ridiculous when reading any full synopsis. Season 12's "Bang" is one of those episodes and one of the worst examples. My opinion of it on first watch was not positive at all, a case of liking the guest star but hating the writing and story. On top of its complete lack of appeal on paper, not a lot stuck out as memorable on first viewing.

My overall feelings on the couple of re-watches since when watching 'Special Victims Unit' via re-runs have really not changed all that much. In fact, the issues had on first watch are still major problems now and even more so, and, like "Dirty", "Spectacle" and "Bully", more problems were noticed on the subsequent re-watches. 'Special Victims Unit' had so many outstanding episodes and even when it started becoming hit and miss there were numerous flashes of brilliance, hence why the show is still watched because of those fond memories, but it's episodes like "Bang" that make me sad that a show capable of brilliance is also capable of such mediocre at best quality.

It is not irredeemable by all means. The best thing about it is its main guest star John Stamos (one of the finest examples of great guest stars that deserved a much better episode). Here Stamos is at his most unusually sleaziest, had never seen that side to him and it was unnerving to watch as he did it so well. The role is written too obviously but he plays the heck out of it without overdoing it and really makes him detestable. The regulars are also fine, very seldom was there a problem found with them in Seasons 1-12 and this is no exception.

Visually, "Bang" is a slick episode, typical for 'Special Victims Unit' and the 'Law and Order' franchise, and one with the right amount of muted grit, the photography doesn't try to do anything too fancy or gimmicky while not being claustrophobic and keeping things simple. The music doesn't overbear past the early stages with the theme tune still memorable. The beginning intrigues.

"Bang" unfortunately has a lot of major problems. The story is pretty much a mess, it is very draggy and to me the case was paper thin. When the truth about Stamos' character is revealed, which was also when the story gained a little momentum, it has always struck me as very far fetched and uncomfortably bizarre. Of the season this is the episode with the silliest revelation and will admit to finding it hard to believe (well a big stretch actually) that any woman could find much appeal in someone who seemed so obviously off.

Furthermore, "Bang" really did run out of steam after one of the shows most brutal murders, especially obvious with the rushed and anti climactic ending and the practically last minute feeling reveal of the killer, which wasn't hard to figure out. Tension and suspense are next to nought. The dialogue is very heavy handed, especially the overuse of reproductive abuser. The one liners are cringe inducing this time, almost bad children story-like quality and almost like 'Desperate Housewives' at its most soapy.

Other than Stamos' character, the supporting characters are bland (though his character just about missed going too far the other way). The female supporting cast are pretty bad, Lori Singer for instance looking ill at ease and the line delivery from most was just flat.

Summing up, has never worked for me. One of an inconsistent Season 12's worst. 4/10.

Bang, featuring guest star John Stamos, stands out as a memorable installment of the series. The episode introduces the concept of a "reproductive abuser," a term likely unfamiliar to most. Stamos's portrayal of the wealthy playboy is particularly compelling. His character initially appears to be innocent; however, the story follows the character's transition from a charming facade to deeply manipulative.

While a self-contained episode, the plot could have easily been explored in a feature-length episode or a cliffhanger. Stamos' character quickly goes from suspect to becoming a victim himself. This twist offers a unique conclusion, raising questions about justice and retribution. Was justice served?

Well! This was certainly a hard episode to watch (and I mean that complimentarily). I remember John Stamos--Uncle Jessie from Full House--being in this episose, and WOW did he deliver?! His acting GENUINELY creeped me out and made me feel extremely uncomfortable. And the ending left me equally surprised and petrified. Definitely one of the best well-written episodes of SVU I've ever seen, but also one I *don't* plan on seeing again for quite a while (probably never again). Kudos to the Wolf Team!

(Don't mind the mumbo jumbo below, didn't meet the character limit)

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