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SVU: 1/13/22

 Right after New Year's, SVU returned with a so-so episode, "Silent Night, Hateful Night." It wasn't my favorite because it had a cartoonish villain; I prefer when SVU investigates gray areas.


What a treat, then, to see "Burning with Rage Forever"--this past Thursday. It's the sort of thing SVU does really well: an exploration of someone who is neither really good nor really bad.

I'm talking about Carlos, whose life is a mess. Carlos allows his young nephew to play unattended; the nephew is then violated by an internet troll. Carlos finds the troll and commits something near murder; several characters observe that Carlos's behavior is fully understandable, and some are visibly relieved when Carlos gets a light sentence from a judge.

Here is where my heart begins to race, because we're only through with one act; I love anticipating where the writers might go. It emerges that Carlos, stressed by the fame that comes with being a righteous vigilante, has made some additional bad choices. He has located his girlfriend's young son and tried on his *own* "pedophile hat."

Carlos--in the midst of a suicide attempt--confesses that he once had a "handsy" teacher. Since those early violations, Carlos has been "burning with rage forever." The peril his nephew faced....This has triggered a series of inner attacks for Carlos, and he has been keeping his lips sealed when some discussions would have been helpful.

I loved Olivia's intervention. "You say you deserve to die. You don't say you want to die. This means a part of you wants to live. A part of you knows you had one bad day, and that redemption is possible."

A smart, provocative, troubling hour. One of the best this year, I think.
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