If I Knew Then What I Know Now

Interesting saga about a young woman who, like Olivia, was born of violence -- and the repercussions now as SVU hunts for the rapist, Cold Case-style.

Also had a nice B-story finally getting back to Rollins and Carisi.

We may never know if Olivia ever showed at Stabler's OC Christmas party, but at least there's some continuity now on the Rollisi front.

Writing was generally OK, and Hargitay did her usual solid job caring for everyone.

But with the exception of Ari'el Stachel returning as Khaldoun and Betty Buckley appearing again as Lorraine Maxwell, the rest of the guest players in this ep vibed like super low cost hires.

Compounding the problem is that several of these actors were given a lot to do in the episode -- which seems like a particular waste when you've got Tony Winners Stachel and Buckley on hand. Ffs, give them the heavy lifting. This isn't rocket science.

Also noteworthy is that lead cast-members Ice-T and Octavio Pisano did not appear in this episode -- rotated out almost certainly for budgetary reasons as SVU now seems to be doing this regularly.

With the cost to make network dramas continuing to rise, (while the payoff declines), it's clear the budget hammer has really fallen. That doesn't mean these shows still can't be great - just allocate resources more wisely.

There is a sweet girl who seeks justice for her mother. She blames herself for what happened to her.

The story is about a cold file. We think there is a rape drama. The plot goes back even further.

There are two trauma responses that are prominent in the two rape tragedies. One tells about the rape, the other does not and hides it.

The scenes in which Michelle and Loraine recount the event are impressive. The angle of Michelle's lion encounter in the room is well given.

The story is like an answer to the question of what would have happened if Olivia's father had also lived and met him.

It is also told how Olivia learned the truth from her mother.

The style and duration of the show overshadow the main idea.

Rollins and Carisi also have a story of telling and not telling.

The main idea is that true justice is happiness.

The guest actors were terrible and the script was unbelievable. I love the show but this one should should be buried in the ground. I guess that after 500+ episodes, you get a stinker every once in a while.