Opiniones de usuarios

'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' have done many character-driven episodes, with there being at least one in each season. In terms of quality, they have varied. Some are illuminating and powerful, where one gets insight into how and why the character focused on came to be the way they are. Others are very soapy, can be too heavily focused on and get in the way of the case solving. Those centered around Olivia have fallen into both those extremes for example.

In this case, it's Stabler after being temporarily blinded during apprehension of the perpetrator. And also Novak in what she does to get a result. "Blinded" makes for a very good and interesting episode, liked the development and the case but did feel that at times the story could have been more balanced in what it focused upon. Not one of the best episodes of Season 9 or of 'Special Victims Unit', but far from being one of the worst as well on both counts.

"Blinded" has a lot of great things. It is shot with the right amount of intimacy without being claustrophobic and that the editing has become increasingly tighter over-time has been great too. Nice use of locations too. The music doesn't get over-scored or overwrought, even in the more dramatic revelation moments. The direction is also accommodating.

The writing really thought provokes, is smart and is taut. The story is compelling a vast majority of the time, what happens to Stabler is a shock and the character development to Novak was illuminating and it was appreciated. Diane Neal particularly stands out of the regulars and there is a very strong guest turn from Arye Gross, who does give the chills but oddly part of me felt for him as well.

Novak's character development and dilemma however did at times unbalance the case somewhat and one can be forgiven for thinking strongly that she should have been fired for her unprofessional behaviour (near criminal).

Concluding though, very good episode. 8/10.

Pretty good episode, with a fine performance from Arye Gross as a good man victimized of his own criminal insanity. (Not as severely a as the three young girls that he'd serially kidnapped and raped, but still...) I loved his dialogue when, while handcuffed and being escorted to the back seat of a police car by Stabler, he believed that he'd received a message commanding him to escape: "Well okay, but do I have to do it right now? 'Cause it's gonna be real *hard*..."

Also noteworthy: Casey Novak deliberately pulls a courtroom stunt that, in the name of justice, helps the defense, and newly appointed acting District Attorney Jack McCoy is furious at her... but if she'd done some research she could have come back at him with at least two or three cases of McCoy, in his Assistant District Attorney career, having done exactly the same thing. (I recall a quietly furious D.A. Adam Schiff growling at McCoy and his assistant Claire Kincaid after one such incident "You two take a lot of liberties.")

All in all, i enjoy this episode about as much as the others in this series, but what I just couldn't appreciate in this one was the turf war. These cops and lawyers always act as if their authority is absolute, but never seem to allow the federal system any access. They are shocked that the feds won't allow them an extradition hearing on state charges when they have a federal case on Picard, and somehow they're "pushing their agenda" which is to have him tried on the capital charge first, the most serious one which happens to have the possibility of the death penalty. All they talk about in this show is making people pay for what they've done, but there's no mention of the three girls he victimized when talking about who will try him, just these different agencies being territorial as if the NYPD is ever going to outrank the FBI when it comes to criminal charges.

Arye Gross guest stars as the child molester murderer who comes up from Louisiana and starts practicing his criminal behavior in the Big Apple. As Benson and Stabler develop the case and discover his criminal past from Louisiana, the FBI steps in and wins the battle to have him tried there where the death penalty prevails.

Here's where this episode truly gets stupid. Diane Neal as Casey Novak decides to get into a turf war with the Feds and goes to defense lawyer John Cullum with whom she's crossed swords with before to represent Gross to get him tried here. Why, God only knows except that she's very territorial.

Sam Waterston is 100% right when he threatens Neal with being fired from the DA's office. I think she should have been.

They tried to add drama to this, but it was lost very early in the episode. After that it was a dumb conversation about the death penalty, which the writers are clearly against and assume the entire audience is against as well.

Too many times this show has veered off with stupid battles with the ADA. Too many times the ADA has been on the wrong side and has done shady, questionable things. This one was no better.