Overall good episode. Shows how dumb people can be to be sucked in by a serial killer. Acting was very good and the face off between Casey and Robert Morton was electrifying. A funny note did anyone notice how Benson's hair kept changing? It would go from short and spikes to a little longer and flat through the whole episode? I guess scenes were filmed at different times.
8 Reviews
Sinister control
TheLittleSongbird2 September 2021
"Svengali" definitely is one of those 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' episodes that stays in the memory for a while. Conceptually it is not innovative, but the execution on first watch had the skin crawling creepiness factor. Thanks to a truly frightening modus operandi and Jared Harris left a big impression on me. With a few exceptions (such as a few nice scenes with Fin), Chester Lake though didn't click with me as a character throughout his stint and "Svengali" is no exception.
On subsequent re-watches, "Svengali" lost none of what made it the memorable episode that it is. Of a very hit and miss Season 9, it is easily for me one of the best episodes (one of not many great and more ones) and one of the creepiest. One mustn't forget the immensely satisfying ending. It's not perfect, few of Season 9's episodes were but a few came close, but other than one major problem it is truly great and a fine example of what 'Special Victims Unit' is all about.
Am going to get what doesn't work out of the way first. The only major issue is Lake, too much of a know it all and uncharismatic and seemed indifferent to danger. Adam Beach's performance feels phoned in.
Nothing else feels phoned in however. The production values are still slick and suitably gritty (without being too heavy in it). The music is not too melodramatic and is not used too much, even not being too manipulative in revelations. The direction lets the drama breathe while making sure that the tension and emotion never slipped.
Writing is taut and intelligently crafted. The story is very diverting and has a real unsettling creepiness, like the discovery of the perpetrator's deadly symbol on the floor. The modus operandi makes the skin crawl. Also was not expecting the truth to be the way it turned out and there is some great suspense, especially in the middle.
Love the very amusing pizza bomb scene and even more so one of the show's most satisfying and clap-worthy endings in a while. The regular performances are terrific, apart from Beach, and Harris makes for one frightening individual in a sinister and inexplicably underrated performance. One really roots for him not getting his wish.
Overall, just great. 9/10.
On subsequent re-watches, "Svengali" lost none of what made it the memorable episode that it is. Of a very hit and miss Season 9, it is easily for me one of the best episodes (one of not many great and more ones) and one of the creepiest. One mustn't forget the immensely satisfying ending. It's not perfect, few of Season 9's episodes were but a few came close, but other than one major problem it is truly great and a fine example of what 'Special Victims Unit' is all about.
Am going to get what doesn't work out of the way first. The only major issue is Lake, too much of a know it all and uncharismatic and seemed indifferent to danger. Adam Beach's performance feels phoned in.
Nothing else feels phoned in however. The production values are still slick and suitably gritty (without being too heavy in it). The music is not too melodramatic and is not used too much, even not being too manipulative in revelations. The direction lets the drama breathe while making sure that the tension and emotion never slipped.
Writing is taut and intelligently crafted. The story is very diverting and has a real unsettling creepiness, like the discovery of the perpetrator's deadly symbol on the floor. The modus operandi makes the skin crawl. Also was not expecting the truth to be the way it turned out and there is some great suspense, especially in the middle.
Love the very amusing pizza bomb scene and even more so one of the show's most satisfying and clap-worthy endings in a while. The regular performances are terrific, apart from Beach, and Harris makes for one frightening individual in a sinister and inexplicably underrated performance. One really roots for him not getting his wish.
Overall, just great. 9/10.
Not bad, but Olivia's hair takes centre stage!
buffgirl73-265-6962269 June 2020
Episode is pretty good. I like that sort of cult style episodes.
That said, I couldn't take my eyes off Olivia's ever changing hair. Short crop. Less layered, longer bob. No it didn't ruin the show. Just took my focus away a little!
That said, I couldn't take my eyes off Olivia's ever changing hair. Short crop. Less layered, longer bob. No it didn't ruin the show. Just took my focus away a little!
A killer with a cult following.
lawandorder-9723925 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
In this episode of SVU a killer played by Jared Harris, who plays many villians has a girl killing for him. He is incarcerated but she is in love with him, enough to slaughter an innocent victim for him. Her victim is a right of passage for him, she believes she can be like him. She attacks a woman and the woman looks like a victim off of the cover of a graphic novel. The novels are connected to Harris and he wants her victim to look that way. They meet in court and she wants him to praise her for her efforts. He claims she is a hack and that she could never be on his echelon of skill. In the rest of the ep removed remains of the victim are recovered from a cemetery and Novak puts the nail in his coffin by offering him a raw deal. He thinks he's being tramsferred to a federal facility with perks but it is a facility with no contact, visitors, mail, he ends up in solitary for the rest of his sentence. A surprising part of the ep is when Fin brings up a pizza box with Olivia's name on the front. He says hey Olivia, I've got your pizza. She says I didn't order a pizza then Lake takes the pizza because he doesn't want to throw it out. The pizza turns out to be a pipe bomb. There is even an intruder at Olivia's apartment, they have a scuffle he cuts her and she trounces him good with a book off of her shelf. This is one of the best episodes of the series, it is a must see.
Episode with all the toppings
wrenleung7 January 2020
"Svengali"
allmoviesfan19 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
There aren't many SVU episodes where the villain (for want of a better word) fails to register somewhere pretty high on my creep-o-meter, but "Svengali" took it to a new level - I felt like I wanted to take a shower after watching. A heavily-mutilated corpse leads Benson and Stabler to bunch of people - a cult, basically - worshipping a charismatic, imprisoned serial killer Robert Morten - scarily well played by Jared Harris - who turns out to be a worthy adversary for Benson, Stabler and Novak. Morten with his slimy charm, is adept at getting people to do what he says. Perhaps even murder. A bunch of foot soldiers. The sorts of people that other people idolize. Obviously SVU isn't real, but I don't doubt there are people out there who worship serial killers like some of us worship football players or music. Some dramatic moments and a satisfying ending. Good episode.
Weird Right of Passage
bkoganbing7 January 2014
This SVU episode deals with the squad investigating the murder of a young woman found in an elevator shaft of a building with signs of sexual assault. Even if it's not sexual in nature the squad usually on this show sticks with the case. As it is it's sexual in nature only the broadest sense possible in this story.
The investigation leads to a cult following of an imprisoned serial killer played with menace by Jared Harris. In some weird rite of passage, young Shannon Woodward kills another of the cult members.
This comes down to a battle of wits between ADA Diane Neal and Harris whom she might have to call as a witness. Like Hannibal Lecter or the real life Charles Manson just how much room do you have to negotiate here with a man already serving several life sentences without possibility of parole?
All I can say is, you'd be surprised what can be negotiated in this situation.
The investigation leads to a cult following of an imprisoned serial killer played with menace by Jared Harris. In some weird rite of passage, young Shannon Woodward kills another of the cult members.
This comes down to a battle of wits between ADA Diane Neal and Harris whom she might have to call as a witness. Like Hannibal Lecter or the real life Charles Manson just how much room do you have to negotiate here with a man already serving several life sentences without possibility of parole?
All I can say is, you'd be surprised what can be negotiated in this situation.
Not one of my favorite episodes
pumping_iron-120 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Some of the behavior and comments in this episode annoyed me. For example, a pizza is delivered to Olivia. She says she didn't order the pizza. Fin starts to dump the pizza and Detective Lake says no, he'll eat it. No one is curious as to why this pizza is delivered to Olivia when she didn't order it. No one calls bomb squad to check the pizza.
The comment that irks me is when Olivia tells Cecilia (Shannon Woodward) that the woman she killed, Tina (Samantha Jacober) looks like her. Then she said I think when you killed Tina you were killing yourself. What! The killer said she wanted to die, so according to Olivia, she dies by killing someone else. I don't get that. No. She killed because Robert (Jared Harris) wanted her to kill. I could see no hidden motivation.
Another scene is when Robert wants to see Tina's amputated breasts. Olivia goes all psycho and tries to go after Robert to beat him and Elliot has to hold her back. Olivia has seen and heard many unnerving things. Why did that request set her off. Maybe I had watched too many episodes of SVU in a day. I don't know. But this episode annoyed me. However, I did like the ending, Casey's masterpiece.
The comment that irks me is when Olivia tells Cecilia (Shannon Woodward) that the woman she killed, Tina (Samantha Jacober) looks like her. Then she said I think when you killed Tina you were killing yourself. What! The killer said she wanted to die, so according to Olivia, she dies by killing someone else. I don't get that. No. She killed because Robert (Jared Harris) wanted her to kill. I could see no hidden motivation.
Another scene is when Robert wants to see Tina's amputated breasts. Olivia goes all psycho and tries to go after Robert to beat him and Elliot has to hold her back. Olivia has seen and heard many unnerving things. Why did that request set her off. Maybe I had watched too many episodes of SVU in a day. I don't know. But this episode annoyed me. However, I did like the ending, Casey's masterpiece.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
