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SVU This Week

 Marc and I were divided on SVU this week; Marc thought the hour was preposterous, and I thought it was flawed but interesting.


A story stands or falls because of its characters. I'd argue SVU gives us two memorable people in its new episode. The first is Zoe, whose life has been stalled because of her husband's sudden death. Zoe decides to cope by entering a BDSM arrangement with a stranger; she blindfolds herself with her dead husband's ties, wears a kind of chain attached to her neck, and gets to work on brainstorming a "safe word." So far, so good! An engaging approach to mourning!

The more compelling half of the story is Jenna, who pushes Zoe to date. Jenna complains loudly about her own marriage ("you never hear our bedsprings, do you?"), and then secretly assumes the character of "Klaus," a seductive dom. She also obtains sperm, dips her finger in the jar, then tries to impregnate Zoe. She sees this as a gift! Zoe will carry a baby who is linked to her dead spouse--through sperm-donor zaniness--and then Zoe will become "a whole person" again.

The problem with the episode is that Jenna doesn't have a case. Clearly, she has assaulted her friend. Sometimes, in SVU, "both sides have a valid point"--but, in this hour, only one side has a valid point. Still, I thought the writer scored points by exploring new kinds of lunacy in the script. These were characters I hadn't really seen before (and I've seen many hours of SVU).

So: I'm offering a B/B-. Till next time.
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