Detective Benson is placed in the position of facing her kidnapper, William Lewis, as he has his day in court and decides to represent himself.Detective Benson is placed in the position of facing her kidnapper, William Lewis, as he has his day in court and decides to represent himself.Detective Benson is placed in the position of facing her kidnapper, William Lewis, as he has his day in court and decides to represent himself.
- Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola
- (as Ice T)
- Bronwyn Freed
- (as Sarah Bisman)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaNancy Ellen Shore has played five different characters over the course of the series:
- Episode 19.11 Flight Risk (2018) - Grand Juror
- Episode 18.11 Great Expectations (2017) - CSU Investigator (uncredited)
- Episode 18.7 Next Chapter (2017) - Diner Waitress (uncredited)
- Episode 16.10 Forgiving Rollins (2014) - Courthouse Visitor (uncredited)
- Episode 15.6 October Surprise (2013) - Lawyer / Gala Attendee
- Quotes
Donald Cragen: [to the SVU squad] These next few weeks are going to be stressful for Olivia and for us.
Nick Amaro: Lewis has some stones, putting her through this.
Amanda Rollins: He can't really think he's gonna get away with it again.
Rafael Barba: He's five for five. That breeds hubris.
Odafin Tutuola: We should have shot him when we got there.
[everyone looks at him]
Odafin Tutuola: Hey, we were all thinking it.
In this episode Olivia is forced to see her attacker again, this time for his trial. Throughout the trial she must gather up the courage to face William Lewis in order to put him away for the rest of his life. However, she must do all of this while holding onto her sanity which seems to be the last thing Lewis wants to take from her before he says goodbye.
This is SVU at its finest. We get ourselves some intense courtroom drama, that has been missing for quite some time now, with a personal touch. Watching one of the best cops on TV go through her toughest battle yet. Now while it can be hard to believe that the system can be messed up to the extent that allowed Lewis to walk on several trials, I can see it happening. Justice is such a hard thing to be consistent in our judicial system. Especially when the law needs catching up to do so. However, that only made this episode even better.
But what really sold the episode were the performances of Pablo Schreiber and Mariska Hargitay. Schreiber sold the pure evil and depravity of Lewis. Throughout the entire episode he could easily make your skin crawl. I was blown away by how he so easily got into character to fool the jury, innocent victim in the situation, and then could turn back into a predator who would rip Olivia apart if he had the chance. Schreiber was amazing. However, it was Hargitay who really delivered. She gave what was probably her best performance as Olivia. A woman who is not used to being vulnerable was completely exposed in this episode. Her fears of Lewis walking, the court learning of her deception, and even the fears of seeing him in court. These things kept pushing Olivia over the edge so much she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. But Hargitay's strength and determination really showed through Olivia. She was a woman who was not letting him take the last bit of strength she had. It was inspiring. Honestly if these two actors are not awarded some kind of acting nominations at the next Primetime Emmy Awards then there is some serious problem.
In the end, we have ourselves an absolutely enthralling episode. With fantastic writing, intense courtroom drama, and two fantastic performances (probably Hargitay's best yet) that are both Emmy worthy. This was one of the best episodes of Law and Order SVU yet and I can't wait to see what happens next.
- zactac
- Jan 9, 2014