Bang

Back in the 17th century the Merry Monarch Charles II reportedly had something like 35 illegitimate children that could be accounted for. And on this SVU episode John Stamos, former Assistant District Attorney and now with a high powered Wall Street firm is looking to break that record like Barry Bonds was doing to Ruth and Aaron. He must have been on something good, a combination of testosterone and steroids.

The case of an abandoned infant, adopted by Lori Singer leads the SVU squad to Stamos who is keeping company with Singer who is a well to do career woman. But status has nothing to do with whom he mates with, he was even doing nanny Marta Milans when Singer was away.

But has he broken any laws by doing that? Apparently not though the highlight of the story is when Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay confront with about 20 angry women from the New York metropolitan area, all with his bambinos.

Stamos is priceless in his reaction. It was a privilege for them to be bearing his kids like he was the monarch of his world. He modestly tells the SVU squad they haven't scratched the surface yet. But his little swimmers have taken their last plunge when he's found dead in an alley in what is a most gruesome manner.

Good episode up to the end and Stamos is just classic. But the perpetrator they found came from way out of left field and the ending was strictly anti-climactic for me.

Weak episode, bad acting. Storyline was just plain silly, I felt like I was watching Desperate Housewives. Any other show I would given it between one and three. But since its a Law and Order episode I give it a very generous 5/10. I am willing to say this is the worst episode in SVU history in my opinion. Even the Rose McGowan episode was better and that was still rather weak. By the way Law and Order Los Angeles has really improved with Skeet gone. Reseda episode was brilliant. Back to SVU though I am looking forward to next weeks SVU because "Bang" had no BANG to it but only Bore. Horrible acting by Lori Singer who sounded like a damn robot all episode. I don't fully blame Lori Singer for her bad acting cause if she went fully by the script then the writing was just weak as it has been a lot of this season. Where's B.D. Wong and Tamara Tunie? No ADA either lately or even the court part just boring garbage in between with one liners like "We looked back into your file and found some dirt". Anyways Crap episode. Watch it anyways obviously just because it is Law and Order special victim units. Also tune in to Law and Order Los Angeles.

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?

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.

This is a special episode for me. As good as always, this one truly hits the mark thanks to the marvelous turn of Fame, Footloose and Short Cuts star Lori Singer. After years and years of hiatus, the actress demonstrates that she is a powerful presence of screen. She's fully commited in her role and shines in her most dramatic scenes. She's just great in this episode. John Stamos is also very good.