"Underbelly" left me quite mixed on first watch. Actually found a good deal of the case to be quite powerful. The character writing for Dani Beck however struck me as too over the top on the soap and everything with her and Stabler distracting, the latter being the aspect that has been torn apart and condemned widely by fans. It also seems to be a polarising episode, having heard extreme reactions on both sides of love and hate (especially the latter).
After being blown away by the previous episode "Infiltrated", it was a shame that "Underbelly" is nowhere near as good as an episode. Personally do not think it is bad, certainly not as much as 'Special Victims Unit' fans elsewhere have said and 'Special Victims Unit' did far worse before and since. "Underbelly" just strikes me as an episode with a lot of great things, but also a few drawbacks too serious to overlook. Anybody who doesn't like Beck as a character, many don't, won't be converted watching this, quite the opposite.
Plenty of great things can be seen here. 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. All the acting is good, Connie Nielsen's performance is very committed and while Michael Kenneth Williams really unsettles as a seemingly cool character that is really quite dangerous Charlotte Ray Rosenberg's touching Belinda is even better.
Enough of the script provokes thought and intrigues, with a far from sugar-coated or exploitative quality. Really admired what it had to say about the prostitution of minors, which is done very insightfully and harrowingly. The case is far from perfect, but it pulls no punches and depicts a disturbing subject with force and tact. The perpetrator is one that one really roots for having them behind bars for the rest of their lives and Belinda moved me a lot as a character, one that is easy to wish for justice for. The episode does show that Dani does once in a while have some ability to work with and be sympathetic to victims, she is touching with Belinda. Olivia's short appearance was telling, the aftermath of the awkward encounter with her, Stabler and Beck was strongly objected about but to me what she says is in reaction to her confusion and hurt felt at the time.
It's not a perfect episode. There is too much emphasis on Beck and most of her character writing, even for someone so unnerved by the case and takes it personally, is over-melodramatic soap opera. She was always a loose cannon sort of character, but she comes over as too fragile and her inability to gel with other team members thus causing unnecessary tension is taken to extremes here. One can see from her previous episodes why she is in the job she is in, the problem is that "Underbelly" especially is testament of her not being up to it emotionally.
Can totally understand why so many had a problem with everything with Beck and Stabler, even as somebody first getting into the show with no knowledge of people's thoughts on the episode and show (way back before knowing of this site's existence) this element of the story always felt very misplaced, especially when it came as out of nowhere as one could possibly get, and adds absolutely nothing to the episode or any character progression. Parts of the plot are unrealistic, such as IDs not being checked upon bail release and how bail is jumped which strained credulity beyond belief.
Overall, found a lot to like and appreciate but a lot of room for improvement. 7/10.
After being blown away by the previous episode "Infiltrated", it was a shame that "Underbelly" is nowhere near as good as an episode. Personally do not think it is bad, certainly not as much as 'Special Victims Unit' fans elsewhere have said and 'Special Victims Unit' did far worse before and since. "Underbelly" just strikes me as an episode with a lot of great things, but also a few drawbacks too serious to overlook. Anybody who doesn't like Beck as a character, many don't, won't be converted watching this, quite the opposite.
Plenty of great things can be seen here. 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. All the acting is good, Connie Nielsen's performance is very committed and while Michael Kenneth Williams really unsettles as a seemingly cool character that is really quite dangerous Charlotte Ray Rosenberg's touching Belinda is even better.
Enough of the script provokes thought and intrigues, with a far from sugar-coated or exploitative quality. Really admired what it had to say about the prostitution of minors, which is done very insightfully and harrowingly. The case is far from perfect, but it pulls no punches and depicts a disturbing subject with force and tact. The perpetrator is one that one really roots for having them behind bars for the rest of their lives and Belinda moved me a lot as a character, one that is easy to wish for justice for. The episode does show that Dani does once in a while have some ability to work with and be sympathetic to victims, she is touching with Belinda. Olivia's short appearance was telling, the aftermath of the awkward encounter with her, Stabler and Beck was strongly objected about but to me what she says is in reaction to her confusion and hurt felt at the time.
It's not a perfect episode. There is too much emphasis on Beck and most of her character writing, even for someone so unnerved by the case and takes it personally, is over-melodramatic soap opera. She was always a loose cannon sort of character, but she comes over as too fragile and her inability to gel with other team members thus causing unnecessary tension is taken to extremes here. One can see from her previous episodes why she is in the job she is in, the problem is that "Underbelly" especially is testament of her not being up to it emotionally.
Can totally understand why so many had a problem with everything with Beck and Stabler, even as somebody first getting into the show with no knowledge of people's thoughts on the episode and show (way back before knowing of this site's existence) this element of the story always felt very misplaced, especially when it came as out of nowhere as one could possibly get, and adds absolutely nothing to the episode or any character progression. Parts of the plot are unrealistic, such as IDs not being checked upon bail release and how bail is jumped which strained credulity beyond belief.
Overall, found a lot to like and appreciate but a lot of room for improvement. 7/10.
