In Loco Parentis

Found this episode and some of the dialog laughable and it made me mad. Sometimes the speeches about the victims just bleeds into the next story... There are much more compelling episodes.

I know defendants need good representation, but some of the defense attorneys on this show go way overboard in re-victimizing the victims. Makes one wish the writers would come up with some karma...

On first watch, which was when it first aired pretty much, "In Loco Parentis" definitely stood out. Sadly not for the right reasons and not in a good way. It was one of quite a number of episodes of Season 19 to not do much for me, in a season where its best episodes were merely very good and the worst pretty weak. While not finding it a terrible episode, just too many things on first watch bothered me and it is a shame because when this show was at its best it was brilliant (which only came in spurts in the latter seasons).

"In Loco Parentis" didn't do much for me on rewatch either, for pretty much the same reasons as before. Again, it didn't strike me as a bad episode and there are worse episodes of 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' (including from this season in fact). At the same time, "In Loco Parentis" also wasn't particularly good and is heavily flawed story and character writing wise. When an episode fails in two of the most crucial areas for anything in visual media that is not a good sign.

By all means, there are good things. The production values are suitably slick and gritty, with photography that is reliant on close ups that have an intimacy without being too claustrophobic. The music is didn't come over as too melodramatic or like it was emphasising the emotion too much.

The acting was also mostly fine, some of the best work coming from Peter Scanavino.

A lot on the other hand is wrong with "In Loco Parentis". After liking her a lot in the previous episode, Olivia is back to the sanctimonious judgemental character she was for most of the season. In an episode full of trite, awkward and less than concise dialogue, her preachy, condescending dialogue is particularly borderline cringe-worthy. There is an exception to the acting, and that is Phillip Winchester who continues to fall drastically flat as personality free Stone.

Didn't buy Carisi's lack of objectivity, he doesn't usually have this problem, and is far too personally involved. His advice to Mia was dumb. The case lacks tension and found it mostly predictable and thin, the twist was not a surprise actually for me. The outcome feels very far fetched and incomplete.

Concluding, mediocre and one of the weakest of the season. 4/10.

Making a television show involves a lot of people and many contributions have to be taken into consideration into the final product.

In this episode developing Carisi's arc, the intention was clear however the execution could have been clearer.

Compared to similar episodes exploring the lives of series regulars, this one was strange. While Detective Rawlins' sister and family drama was always suspenseful and riveting, this one was confusing.

The StoryMind of the episode was incomplete and the Grand Argument that was being made suffered from this incompleteness.

They could have gone for a Double Jeopardy angle like the movie with Ashles Judd. That may have made for some interesting interactions between the characters.

In the end of the episode there's an ambivalence towards everything that transpired, rather than the intense emotions of relief or shock that we've come to love this series for.

'Welcome to Sex Crimes. Look, Stone, there are no perfect witnesses. They leave out part of the story. They can't remember. They feel guilty, change their minds. They blame themselves. They think it's their fault, but that's why we're here. To fight for them. And the less perfect they are, the harder we fight. Look, nobody asks a robbery or a homicide victim if she wanted it. Nobody says, "Hey, why was she walking down the dark alley?" Why was she wearing the dark skirt? "Nobody implies that the crime was somehow her fault.'

'You have the victim's word. We go to trial so the victim, the survivor, can look her rapist in the eye and tell the world her truth. We go to trial so she can be heard. The truth, that's what she heals. If you're going to trial because you want to win, you're in the wrong place.'

The stone is between the rock sections. Svu stone chapters are one of the dark gray stories that I will put in my box and keep.

At the center of the story is Carisi, and he is wonderful. In game performance, all players rise individually. Carisi, Olivia, Squad and Peter Stone. And Teresa Carisi, Mia, Eli, the lawyer Heller are all terrific.

It was good to watch Uncel Sonny. Especially in court cross-examination, uncle Sonny and Svu detective Carisi clash is a good performance.

His niece Mia is very good at portraying the personality that tells everyone what they want to hear.

Claims, passes, court, interrogations and music are in full Svu style.