Sheltered Outcasts

I love Law and Order SVU and usually never have a problem with any of the episodes. This is the only episode I absolutely hate. I found it disgusting that this episode tried to make a viewer feel sympathy for a rapist.

At the end of the episode the show tries to give a rant about how badly rapists are treated after prison compared to murderers. In my opinion sex offenders should be treated even harsher.

The whole time they kept brining up the rapist Carrisi was friends with all I could think about is if that was a real rape, I wonder much that destroyed his victims life. He thinks he has it bad what about the woman who was raped. Once your raped your whole life is taken from you and doesn't matter if your rapist was drunk.

SVU's newest detective goes undercover at a halfway house for sex offenders in the Inwood section of Manhattan. For those not familiar, Inwood is at the northern most part of the island of Manhattan. It seems as though there have been a series of rapes there and as we open the episode we see Peter Scannavino as one of the inhabitants as a third rape has occurred.

At least one familiar face is there. Kevin Tighe who was the perpetrator in a ten year old episode is there. There's also Michael Rapaport who is held up as a model for rehabilitating sex offenders. Some of the other residents are less than role models.

I have to say that the perpetrator when found out is one diabolical bottom feeder. The solution is going to have you reeling.

On a serious note the whole concept of sex offender registries is one that I've never been crazy about. All the Law And Order franchise shows have dealt with the issue before.

As this story shows all kinds of people can wind up as sex offenders.

If you've seen only a handful of episodes, you know EXACTLY how this will play out within the first 7 minutes. I stopped watching this show after Stabler left, come back for the occasional episode and always end up disappointed at how sad the show has become.

On first watch, "Sheltered Outcasts" didn't impress me all that much. Not in a didn't do anything for me way, but more in a very mixed feelings to indifferent way. Season 17 was an acceptable enough season, though a very inconsistent one. Excellent at its best, like the two part season finale, and mediocre at its worst like "A Misunderstanding" for an example. The plot was not a new one but 'Special Victims Unit' has had instances of doing something great with basic sounding material.

"Sheltered Outcasts" is not one of those episodes, with my feelings on rewatch being unchanged. It's not awful and has enough to make it worth a one or two time watch, but it could have been a lot more and could have executed some of the material more tactfully. As far as Season 17 goes, "Sheltered Outcasts" is one of the lesser episodes (though there was worse this season and almost certainly throughout the whole show.

There are things that are done well. The production values are solid and the intimacy of the photography doesn't get static or too filmed play-like. The music when used is not too over-emphatic and has a melancholic edge that is quite haunting. Most of the acting is fine, Peter Scanavino faring best and proving why Carisi was one of the best additions of the later seasons.

Carisi is still a breath of fresh and there is a very cute scene between him and Rollins.

Did feel though that the pace was quite dull, due to being rather thinly plotted and there is too much of a derivative feel from revisiting a familiar theme and scenario. Also because of the lack of tension and suspense. The perpetrator's identity was not a surprise at all.

Kevin Tighe is wasted in far too small a role, also thought his brought back character and his underused subplot added absolutely nothing to the case. If it was left out, as it was the least important plot point, it would not have harmed the episode and it would have tightened the pace probably. Did feel that it tries too hard to make rapists look not as bad as they actually are and not as bad as murderers and could have explored how rape affects victims afterwards.

In summary, a bit mixed. 5/10.