Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) Impulsive (2007) User Reviews

Let us blame biology

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 1 September 2021]

Season 9 of 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' started off very well with "Alternate", though it was a case of the guest performance being better than the episode itself. It sadly continued with a season low point and one of the worst episodes of the early seasons in "Avatar". Season 9 generally was a mixed bag of a season, with some great episodes, many that were in between decent and very good and some real misfires. A few of the highest rated episodes for me weren't that good either.

"Impulsive" is neither one of the best episodes of Season 9 or one of the worst. It is a solid in between instead and is a huge improvement over "Avatar" (not that it would have been hard to do so). "Impulsive" is not great with it being a case of one half being a good deal better than the other one, but what does make the episode worth watching is because the superior half is extremely good and a far cry from the rather ordinary other one. Not a must but worth watching definitely.

A lot is good about "Impulsive". It's well made, intimately photographed and slick with no signs of under-budget or anything. The music didn't sound melodramatic or too constant and the direction is accomodating while still having pulse. The writing doesn't ramble, although as usual there is a lot of dialogue to digest, and really provokes thought, disturbs and brings a lump to the throat. It is especially intriguing and thoughtful in the second half.

The episode does get a lot better later on, thanks to more twists that includes a shocking change of events. Ones that were more surprising and had more tension. Did like that we were kept in suspense as to who is guilty and is not sure until all is revealed. All the regulars are great, likewise with the guest turns. Novak really shines in one of her most personal cases, that sees her get the most emotionally involved since the end of Season 6.

Having said that, "Impulsive" has shortcomings. It can feel rushed and jumped-about-like. For instance it actually could have explained what happened in the long gap between the crime and the present day events. The first half is not much different at all from other "she said, he said" sort of stories that 'Special Victims Unit' did a fair bit with varying success.

Consequently, it is very predictable and ordinary with the suspense not kicking in until the shocking turn of events. Do miss Munch as well.

On the whole, pretty good but not great. 7/10.

Mixer

[yazguloner · 8/10 · 16 June 2021]

Law and order svu is not just a series. I believe that about universal rights, human rights and the safety of vulnerable individuals such as woman children elderly. Like a school of democracy and a justice monument.

So, it's unique. So, I always give ten.

I used eight for this story. Because many subjects are intertwined, impusives, abortion, sexual diseases, the black and white sides of claims, the gray sides of rape cases, uniformed rapes in prisons, heresy and divine justice... etc All of them. Mixed up.

It rozet afew chapters from this episode. Only with Melisa John Hart and Shan case could be handled. Or the rape of rapist could have been handled separately. Also, abortion and prison justice could be handled seperately.

It s well intentioned but not fully understood. Because It complicated.

You Must Believe the Accuser . . . Even if They're Lying

[bkkaz · 8/10 · 6 February 2023]

You can tell this episode was made before the Me, Too movement got a full head of steam up because there's no way it would be made now like this. The idea that the veracity of the accuser in a sexual assault can in any way be questioned -- even with the notion of reasonable doubt being so vital to our system of investigation and jurisprudence -- would mandate that an SVU episode today prove the accused is guilty.

But this episode was made 16 years ago, when the world operated in more even-handed terms. Yes, the investigators immediately assume that a teenager who accuses a teacher of rape must be a victim, but to their credit, they pursue the investigation further. (Keep in mind, too, that while the teacher says she was, in fact, the one raped, the investigators still choose to give the teen the benefit of the doubt -- there's always an advantage to firing the first salvo.)

The better SVU episodes always operated in the shades of gray that real life usually presents, not the weird, performative black-and-white of SVU now. That's what makes this episode so compelling. You go through a range of emotions watching events play out versus the simplistic "Go team!" on SVU today. Compare it to any episode of the past 5 or so years of SVU, and you'll see how much more "meat" there is here to the storytelling, too, from the plot to the dialogue to the direction. Even the locations are plentiful.

So, why not a higher score? Because the episode flips the genders for the characters. As we're told perhaps ad nauseum -- not because it isn't true but because it makes the series start to seem more like a lecture rather than a drama -- it's women who endure sexual assault the most, a fact that seems to be how SVU justifies having the villains of the past 19 years being 99.9% male.

This raises the question of why the SVU investigators didn't take her side of the argument more seriously. After all, she claims to have been raped, too, and if the statistics are that women overwhelmingly are the ones who get assaulted, then why the rush to judgment against her? It's an element that hardly gets addressed.

"Impulsive"

[allmoviesfan · 9/10 · 15 October 2023]

This strong episode felt like it was two separate ones.

"Impulsive" started out with what seemed like a standard kid being raped by his teacher claim - the teacher played by Melissa Joan Hart, the second high-profile guest star in just three episodes this season - but the tables are turned when the teacher accuses the student of doing the raping. It turns out the kid is a sex addict. Some very good scenes in court: a very contentious battle, well-acted and scripted, with some pointed questions raised that are difficult to answer. Then, just as that story wraps up, the episode takes a different path entirely, finishing with a storyline about a facility for sex addicts and those who are employed there. An unexpected ending, but well done.