A female student from Montreal goes missing during a class trip to New York City after she spends a night partying with three cocky prep school boys.A female student from Montreal goes missing during a class trip to New York City after she spends a night partying with three cocky prep school boys.A female student from Montreal goes missing during a class trip to New York City after she spends a night partying with three cocky prep school boys.
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- Special Agent Dr. George Huang, M.D.
- (as B.D. Wong)
- DA Arthur Branch
- (as Fred Dalton Thompson)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is the last SVU episode in which Fred Thompson (D.A. Arthur Branch) appears. However, Thompson continued to play the character on the original Law & Order for another season.
- GoofsDA Arthur Branch says that the Fourteenth Amendment gives the defendants the right to face their accuser. It is actually the Sixth Amendment's Confrontation Clause that confers that right.
- Quotes
Arthur Branch: [upon finding out that Jason is missing] Why the hell wasn't Jason King in protective custody?
Donald Cragen: His parents volunteered to take him out of town.
Arthur Branch: With Nick Pratt and Doug Waverly out on bail? It was just a matter of time before they found out where Jason was. Is SVU tight?
Donald Cragen: As a drum, sir. There's no way the leak came from my people.
Arthur Branch: And I doubt it came from Casey. That leaves Liz Donnelly's office.
Casey Novak: I'll notify her.
Arthur Branch: No you won't. Not yet.
Casey Novak: You're not suggesting that she's...
Arthur Branch: The leak? Of course not. It's just that her people are the only ones I can't vouch for. You know, if she stops the trial now, double jeopardy attaches. We can never try Pratt or Waverly on these charges again.
Donald Cragen: Well, can't you read Jason's grand jury testimony at trial?
Arthur Branch: Not unless we can prove he's been harmed. Fourteenth Amendment gives Nick and Doug the right to face their accuser.
Casey Novak: If we don't find Jason soon, I'm gonna run out of witnesses.
Casey Novak: Get some more. Keep our case alive. Stall as long as you can.
- ConnectionsReferences The Godfather (1972)
Actually knew about that case a long time after it happened and when the episode was aired and produced. After a big quality slump and a very up and down quality throughout the first half of Season 7, "Gone" shows that 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' still had greatness in it and not gone completely down the drain. To me, "Gone" is one of the best Season 7 episodes and the best 'Special Victims Unit' episode since "Raw". There are a few goofs, with the fourteenth ammendment one being particularly sloppy, but they weren't enough to bring down a fantastic episode.
So much is brilliant here. The production values are typically slick with the right amount of grit, nothing is too fancy or too gimmicky. Nor is anything too static, drab or garish. The music is not too constant or emotionally manipulative, meanig not over-emphasising the emotion to make one think that's how we should be feeling.
The script is intelligent and tautly structured, especially in the legal scenes in the increasingly desperate search for the prime witness. Despite being so faithfully based on a very emotionally raw case, it didn't feel in a way exploitative or quite too soon. The story is always absorbing and beautifully paced, really liked the increasing tension when things quickly fall apart and seeing Novak so involved was moving to see and not done too melodramatically. She's not out of character, she has shown a softer side more than once before such as in Season 6's "Night".
People may not like that not everything is fully resolved but in my view this was not a problem and was more tasteful that way. All the regular characters are well written, especially Novak and Donnelly. The only reservation being the underuse of Olivia, which to me didn't affect "Gone's" quality. Two of the three suspects are truly nasty and arrogant, appropriately so. All the performances are very good to outstanding, even from Fred Dalton Thompson who usually leaves me indifferent. Diane Neal is very moving here.
In summary, fantastic and one of the season's best. 10/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- May 12, 2021