The story of disabled people being attacked and being in vulnerable situations is not unfamiliar territory for 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' and for the franchise. That actually is insignificant to me, because it is a type of story that the show mostly does very well in, forcefully yet sympathetically and always worthy of being addressed. Despite times where there has been content that has not sat well with me, for reasons that may be nit-picky for others but may be identifiable for others.
"Weak" is not one of my favourite episodes of Season 6, but it did strike me as mostly very good with many greatly executed aspects, including an extremely memorable guest star. What it did with a difficult subject was really admirable and addressed some interesting points. It didn't execute it perfectly and there was one aspect that wasn't very tactfully done, but it was for me otherwise very difficult to not appreciate or connect with "Weak" as a disabled person myself.
Am going to start with the good things, of which there are far more of than the negatives. It looks 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. The direction allows the drama to breathe while still giving it momentum as well. "Weak" has a very thought-provoking and smart script that does a very good job of addressing disabled women being vulnerable to being attacked. As case, it may not be new territory for the show or for anything but it's one of the more tactful and more moving examples.
Furthermore to me, it is a well paced episode and the story fascinates throughout. Also really connected with me emotionally, found myself feeling so much compassion for the victims and hating what they go through. It is interesting here in "Weak" to see a different side to Stabler and Olivia's chemistry, here we see friction due to different opinions on the case and even more so on Hendrix. It is not easy to see them at that but seeing a different side did intrigue and was handled well. Although all the performances are great, one person in particular is truly exceptional here and that is Amanda Plummer.
Did feel though that the animosity between Olivia and Hendrix didn't add all that much and at times dominates.
More of a problem was to do with some of the character writing of the perpetrator. Their motives and how they came to be that way, as well as what the episode later suggests in regard to their sexuality, didn't really make much sense and some may not find what is said in good taste. Especially if they are against the argument of being gay being considered a choice. Realistically it would also have caused more of a hurdle at trial than it did here in the episode.
Overall, very good. 8/10
"Weak" is not one of my favourite episodes of Season 6, but it did strike me as mostly very good with many greatly executed aspects, including an extremely memorable guest star. What it did with a difficult subject was really admirable and addressed some interesting points. It didn't execute it perfectly and there was one aspect that wasn't very tactfully done, but it was for me otherwise very difficult to not appreciate or connect with "Weak" as a disabled person myself.
Am going to start with the good things, of which there are far more of than the negatives. It looks 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. The direction allows the drama to breathe while still giving it momentum as well. "Weak" has a very thought-provoking and smart script that does a very good job of addressing disabled women being vulnerable to being attacked. As case, it may not be new territory for the show or for anything but it's one of the more tactful and more moving examples.
Furthermore to me, it is a well paced episode and the story fascinates throughout. Also really connected with me emotionally, found myself feeling so much compassion for the victims and hating what they go through. It is interesting here in "Weak" to see a different side to Stabler and Olivia's chemistry, here we see friction due to different opinions on the case and even more so on Hendrix. It is not easy to see them at that but seeing a different side did intrigue and was handled well. Although all the performances are great, one person in particular is truly exceptional here and that is Amanda Plummer.
Did feel though that the animosity between Olivia and Hendrix didn't add all that much and at times dominates.
More of a problem was to do with some of the character writing of the perpetrator. Their motives and how they came to be that way, as well as what the episode later suggests in regard to their sexuality, didn't really make much sense and some may not find what is said in good taste. Especially if they are against the argument of being gay being considered a choice. Realistically it would also have caused more of a hurdle at trial than it did here in the episode.
Overall, very good. 8/10
