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SVU

 This has been a dream season of SVU, and March 5th gave us another standout episode.


Granted, SVU is so predictable that you can anticipate--with certainty--exactly when the "false starts" will end and the third act will begin. Last night, my spouse turned to me at the thirty-five minute mark and said, "This is the bad guy. It's THAT time in the storyline...."

But--within that framework--you can still improvise. I really liked the opening scene, in which a tired person tries to find creative reasons to skip marital sex. The little exchange between Rollins and a nervous child-patient--"I'm here for New York's best lollipops!"--was also interesting. Finally, the observations about ASD--about stimming, loud noises, and nonverbal communication--lifted this script above the "average-effort" level.

The villain was not a top-tier monster--so I'm subtracting a few points. Still: four stars.

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