Sarah Hyland did a great job as a mentally ill girl suffering from psychosis and kills her roommate. This case is tried in New Jersey because of where the crime took place on the ferry. So the DA wants to prosecute her as an adult. Olivia finally talks her into reading the girl's journal and she is sentenced to a juvenile facility until 21. Then the DA asks Olivia & Elliot if they want her next case out by 21. A piece of crap who molested his younger sister with no remorse and said he'd do it again. You can't compare a girl who was on some kind of psychotic drug and had a mental break with a a kid who is clearly evil. The DA was stupid.
7 Reviews
Great acting!
hussyracing11 May 2021
Special kinds of abuse
bkoganbing5 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
A young adolescent who had a genius level IQ is found in the Hudson River and originally she was thought of as a casualty of teenage sex trafficking. But that does not turn out to be the case. She is a student at a school for genius kids like her.
We meet a father played by Misha Kuznetsov who's one man you just love to hate. His other daughter rats him out to SVU, he abuses his kids in a unique way. He's a failed aerospace engineer from the Ukraine who now has one serious gambling habit. He supports it with the various prize monies brought in from academic competition his daughter is in.
But the perpetrator turns out to be another young girl played Sarah Hyland and she's really something in the role. The reason for her shoving her roommate and competitor in the Hudson is a frightening one and that I will not reveal. But it turns out she's suffering with her own kind of abuse.
A nice episode both Hyland and Kuznetsov are unforgettable.
We meet a father played by Misha Kuznetsov who's one man you just love to hate. His other daughter rats him out to SVU, he abuses his kids in a unique way. He's a failed aerospace engineer from the Ukraine who now has one serious gambling habit. He supports it with the various prize monies brought in from academic competition his daughter is in.
But the perpetrator turns out to be another young girl played Sarah Hyland and she's really something in the role. The reason for her shoving her roommate and competitor in the Hudson is a frightening one and that I will not reveal. But it turns out she's suffering with her own kind of abuse.
A nice episode both Hyland and Kuznetsov are unforgettable.
Growing an orchid in a hothouse
yazguloner23 June 2021
In the hothouse
TheLittleSongbird18 November 2021
"Hothouse" stayed in my mind for a long while on first watch, namely because of one scene (one of the best ones of the season) and Sarah Hyland's performance. Also that it was one of not enough Season 10 episodes to focus primarily on the case and in delving into the mind of the character it centres around rather than going into soap opera melodrama and having too many behaviours and decisions that frustrate and distract.
It still is a great episode. Only five episodes of the mixed to disappointing Season 10 were properly great in my view, with a few more nearly so, and "Hothouse" is one of those great, even outstanding, episodes. What stood out as particularly good still sticks out and there is very little to criticise, only one really and it was one that was a common major problem with Season 10. That fortunately is vastly outweighed by everything else being so brilliantly done.
Am going to get that not so good thing out of the way first. It is good that Greylek's role isn't massive here, but that is not enough to disguise that she has no personality whatsoever and is the kind of DA that one wonders how they even got the job in the first place. She is also very unsympathetic and treats a troubled teen as if she is a monster, the actions are monstrous but the person behind them isn't really when you take into account the circumstances.
That is pretty much it with the not so good. Hyland's performance is a marvel, one that ripped my heart out of my chest in its intensity and emotion. She is especially good in the confession scene, which is an unforgettable gut wrenching scene and one of the season's and mid-seasons period's (for the show) best. Her outburst has the shock factor. Misha Kuznetsov is unsettling.
On a visual level, the episode is solid and the intimacy of the photography doesn't get static or too filmed play-like. The music when used is not too over-emphatic and has a melancholic edge that is quite haunting. The direction is sympathetic enough without being leaden, while having enough momentum to make the drama sing in its atmosphere. The script is taut and thought-provoking.
Much of me felt for Hyland's character, her actions are uncondonable but the truth of what drove her to it was upsetting and being someone who tried to achieve a lot and pushed myself in school it is always disturbing to see that that mentality can push even students over the edge in such a way. She is actually not the character one hates at the end of the episode. The story is very sad and anger-inducing, in a good way and in a way that chilled me and brought tears to the eyes.
Concluding, absolutely great and proof that Season 10 was capable of greatness. 9/10.
It still is a great episode. Only five episodes of the mixed to disappointing Season 10 were properly great in my view, with a few more nearly so, and "Hothouse" is one of those great, even outstanding, episodes. What stood out as particularly good still sticks out and there is very little to criticise, only one really and it was one that was a common major problem with Season 10. That fortunately is vastly outweighed by everything else being so brilliantly done.
Am going to get that not so good thing out of the way first. It is good that Greylek's role isn't massive here, but that is not enough to disguise that she has no personality whatsoever and is the kind of DA that one wonders how they even got the job in the first place. She is also very unsympathetic and treats a troubled teen as if she is a monster, the actions are monstrous but the person behind them isn't really when you take into account the circumstances.
That is pretty much it with the not so good. Hyland's performance is a marvel, one that ripped my heart out of my chest in its intensity and emotion. She is especially good in the confession scene, which is an unforgettable gut wrenching scene and one of the season's and mid-seasons period's (for the show) best. Her outburst has the shock factor. Misha Kuznetsov is unsettling.
On a visual level, the episode is solid and the intimacy of the photography doesn't get static or too filmed play-like. The music when used is not too over-emphatic and has a melancholic edge that is quite haunting. The direction is sympathetic enough without being leaden, while having enough momentum to make the drama sing in its atmosphere. The script is taut and thought-provoking.
Much of me felt for Hyland's character, her actions are uncondonable but the truth of what drove her to it was upsetting and being someone who tried to achieve a lot and pushed myself in school it is always disturbing to see that that mentality can push even students over the edge in such a way. She is actually not the character one hates at the end of the episode. The story is very sad and anger-inducing, in a good way and in a way that chilled me and brought tears to the eyes.
Concluding, absolutely great and proof that Season 10 was capable of greatness. 9/10.
A must watch for Sarah Hyland's confession scene alone
anthonyjdedrickjr14 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Must watch for Sarah Hyland performance!
yankeefaneric225 November 2021
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