The Odyssey of Monique Jeffries *spoilers for 3/2*
TVFan87656
Obviously, this episode was filmed a long time ago. So Jeffries, who was taken
out of SVU, and later filed a suit or had a complaint with the unit (I missed
that ep), is now working in vice, and returns to help. Why was she still a
regular? Were they originally planning on bringing her back as a detective? Did
Michelle Hurd quit before this could happen? She probably saw herself in those
rave clothes, and had a justifiable reason for never wanting to return.
I don't have a problem with cliches, as long as they're well-handled. These
weren't:
hostage situation
old friend of Cragen's mysteriously appears (after never being mentioned
before)
quirky street informant killed for trying to help (for a better version of
this, watch the "Homicide" episode "Bad Medicine")
cops going undercover in a rave/bar/sex club
rogue cops abusing suspects
rant against the injustice of the world, AKA "you're worried about policy while
(fill in the blank) is dead". Maybe Cragen can continue a path borrowed from
the Dirty Harry movies.
This ep did have a few good moments (the slight tears in Meloni's eyes when he
couldn't find Jill's pulse, the van standoff between Stabler/Benson and the
perp, Alex with long hair, conflict between Finn/Munch that explains they
weren't best buds from the getgo). Unfortunately, these weren't enough to erase
the memory of the bad, or the seamy sensationalistic exploitation (showing
constant skin, sex, and drugs so we can be thrilled and still condemn the acts)
that weighed SVU down for so much of last season.
At least they had a few moments of unintentional hilarity:
the drugged-up kids stumbling into the squad room
Darrell Hammond trying to act (he isn't even a great impersonator)
Olivia in her rave outfit
Stabler seeing Jill, and, instead of approaching her, actually yelling, "Jill!"
and being shocked when she ran away
The use of the very overfamiliar Faraway Silence Cam, when Cragen told Foster
about his daughter
My favorite, the Mobay ME offering (in a very wooden tone of voice) to pay for
the dead girl's funeral expenses if no one else does.
I can see why "Runaway" was shelved for all these months. It's a horrible
episode, only saved from the worst of the S1 pits by my outbursts of laughter.
Say what you will about the quality of the current SVU, it has come a very long
way since "Runaway".
Getteur
>"Jill!"
>and being shocked when she ran away
I was appalled. Like something right out of a bad B movie.
Getteur
COLIERRANND2
the last two, I still thought it was good.
The only cliche I saw was the silence when Cragen was telling his friend about
his daughter. I didnt see any gratuitous skin or anything like that.
I also like Olivia in her rave clothes but then I have the hots for her.I was
thinking that all the cops looked a little old to be in there...
Oh and anytime I get to see Alex....
Col
"Now people say, almost anything,there's no way to see inside there hearts, but
then you see, who walks away and who's there with you when the trouble starts."
-"True Friends", Shannon Curfman
me
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>Obviously, this episode was filmed a long time ago. So Jeffries, who was taken
>out of SVU, and later filed a suit or had a complaint with the unit (I missed
>that ep), is now working in vice, and returns to help. Why was she still a
>regular? Were they originally planning on bringing her back as a detective? Did
>Michelle Hurd quit before this could happen? She probably saw herself in those
>rave clothes, and had a justifiable reason for never wanting to return.
I would bet that the framing sequence (at least Cragen's) was shot
recently to explain why Jeffries was there. Most likely this episode
was shot to run before she left the unit.
William December Starr
tvfan...@aol.comnospam (TVFan87656) said:
> I don't have a problem with cliches, as long as they're
> well-handled. These weren't:
>
> hostage situation
Worked for me. (Is "everybody stays calm, two guys who know each other
talk quietly, and the hostage situation is resolved peacefully" really a
cliche?)
> old friend of Cragen's mysteriously appears (after never being
> mentioned before)
L&O, with or with without the SVU suffix, isn't especially known for
briefing us on the characters' past acquaintances before they become
relevant to the show. ("A former assistant and lover of Jack McCoy's
that we've never heard of before? Bad storytelling!")
> quirky street informant killed for trying to help (for a better
> version of this, watch the "Homicide" episode "Bad Medicine")
>
> cops going undercover in a rave/bar/sex club
>
> rogue cops abusing suspects
>
> rant against the injustice of the world, AKA "you're worried about
> policy while (fill in the blank) is dead". Maybe Cragen can continue a
> path borrowed from the Dirty Harry movies.
It certainly would have been nicer if the "evil" Internal Affairs cops
had been allowed to get the last line, e.g., replying to Cragen's "What
about the [names of victims]? Don't they have rights too?" with "Yes.
They have the right not to be beaten up by the police either."
> This ep did have a few good moments (the slight tears in Meloni's eyes
> when he couldn't find Jill's pulse, the van standoff between
> Stabler/Benson and the perp, Alex with long hair, conflict between
> Finn/Munch that explains they weren't best buds from the
> getgo). Unfortunately, these weren't enough to erase the memory of the
> bad, or the seamy sensationalistic exploitation (showing constant
> skin, sex, and drugs so we can be thrilled and still condemn the acts)
> that weighed SVU down for so much of last season.
"Constant skin, sex and drugs?" I don't really recall that.
> At least they had a few moments of unintentional hilarity:
>
> the drugged-up kids stumbling into the squad room
>
> Darrell Hammond trying to act (he isn't even a great impersonator)
Who?
> Olivia in her rave outfit
>
> Stabler seeing Jill, and, instead of approaching her, actually
> yelling, "Jill!" and being shocked when she ran away
Yes, that was moronic, no two ways about it.
-- William December Starr <wds...@panix.com>
TVFan87656
>Worked for me. (Is "everybody stays calm, two guys who know each other
>talk quietly, and the hostage situation is resolved peacefully" really a
>cliche?)
It's still a hostage situation.
>
>L&O, with or with without the SVU suffix, isn't especially known for
>briefing us on the characters' past acquaintances before they become
>relevant to the show. ("A former assistant and lover of Jack McCoy's
>that we've never heard of before? Bad storytelling!")
We had heard of her before. Not by name, by a reference in Jack's first
episode. Jack said he'd only slept with two of his female assistants, Claire
checked, and confronted him with the fact that he'd only had two female
assistants.
Besides, Diana was brought in due to her major tampering in a case that sent an
innocent man to jail. She wasn't an old friend who needed Jack's help to find a
relative.
FWIW, most of the eps with Adam's old friends bugged me too. The idea can be
very threadbare, it's going to go two ways. The old friend will betray or be
involved in a crime, or the old friend will be in a crisis situation, and we're
supposed to instantly care about him and how the regular is caught up in the
situation.
"Bad Faith" is a pretty good counteraction of this, because Mike's old friend
was dead before the opening credits.
>
>"Constant skin, sex and drugs?" I don't really recall that.
>
>
Maybe I was reacting to the filmmaker/photographer and the distracting,
lopsided fit of her shirt. Or the cheesy couple in silhouette. Very "Silk
Stalkings".
>
>Who?
>
>
The drugged-up lawyer who was in partnership with the guy who killed Tito.
I did forget about another strong visual scene. The cops finding the girl's
nude, dead body under piles of mannequins.
William December Starr
tvfan...@aol.comnospam (TVFan87656) said:
>> Who?
>
> The drugged-up lawyer who was in partnership with the guy who killed
> Tito.
Oh. I was more asking "Who's Darrell Hammond?" because you made it
sound like he was a non-actor celebrity of some sort.
Litlagit8r
I did forget about another strong visual scene. The cops finding the girl's
>nude, dead body under piles of mannequins.
Nude? The first thing I saw was a pair of light colored shorts in amongst the
mannequins...thats how I noticed the body.
As far as the rest of the show, I think this is the worst ep I have ever seen.
The cheesy way IA was questioning everyone dark room one light on, I was
suprised they didn't adjust the lamp, so they make 'em sweat...too hammy.
As for the rave, I thought it was funny. Even though both Olivia and Jeffries
and Ice-t were too old, they were at least passable to be in there, I really
had to laugh when I saw Stabler and especially Munch walking around...after
seeing them, I was really hoping not to see Cragen, that would have been waay
to much!
Another thing I didn't like was the way Cragen kept saying this is a cop's
kid...over and over and over and....made one think that other kids aren't as
important. Yes, I know how clannish cops are, but I don't think it had to be
mentioned THAT many times, I'm old, not senile...I think I can remember...and
if done for "dramatic impact" well after about the 3rd time, it got downright
annoying.
TVFan87656
>
>Oh. I was more asking "Who's Darrell Hammond?" because you made it
>sound like he was a non-actor celebrity of some sort.
He's on SNL, known for his (overreliant on tics) impression of Bill Clinton.
He's also known for doing a bad-to-mediocre job when he isn't impersonating
people, which is why SNL usually keeps him as celebrities. I was very surprised
to see him on SVU. At least it wasn't Will Ferrell.
TVFan87656
>Nude? The first thing I saw was a pair of light colored shorts in amongst the
>mannequins...thats how I noticed the body.
She wasn't nude? So much for me paying attention.
>
>As far as the rest of the show, I think this is the worst ep I have ever
>seen.
From the half I could watch, the episode with Patricia Richardson was worse. So
was the first episode, and probably that episode with the girl who was
pushed/fell out of a window, complete with an Olivia tirade because the officer
at the scene thought the girl was a hooker.
Susan Law
week's was superb. The longer this show plays, the better the entire
cast seems to work together - now if the writers just give them
consistantly good material, they can have a great show.
But, that said, I have to add that I enjoyed this episode. I did not
think the hostage scene at all cliched - especially in its resolution.
And I really enjoyed Ice-T in this one. He's beginning to grow on me -
should I worry about that??
While I thought that the plot device of framing the entire ep as an
investigation of SVU's handling of this case was pretty good, the way it
was played was over done - or under-lit or something. But it was
interesting to see the way events actually happened and then to see the
spin that the folks investigating them put on them.
SVU benefits at the moment from its time slot - there just isn't
anything else to watch then anyhow, afaiac. However, given the
capabilities of the cast, I really hope the writers start to give them
top-notch material.
Susan
COLIERRANND2
>He's also known for doing a bad-to-mediocre job when he isn't impersonating
>people, which is why SNL usually keeps him as celebrities. I was very
>surprised
>to see him on SVU. At least it wasn't Will Ferrell.
>
>
>
>
Maybe you're taking this too seriously. It seems your picking apart the show
based more on your personal feelings than what went on in the episode, I mean,
Hammond is a good actor. His impersonation of Clinton isnt meant to be a
verbatim thing, its a caricature. But as someone else pointed out the girl in
the mannequins was clothed.
I mean, maybe you just had a bad night. The episode wasnt great, but it wasnt
the worst.
Try sitting thru some of the other dreck on TV...
TVFan87656
>Maybe you're taking this too seriously. It seems your picking apart the show
>based more on your personal feelings than what went on in the episode, I
>mean,
>Hammond is a good actor.
I listed my problems with the episode's plot, not simply personal feelings.
> His impersonation of Clinton isnt meant to be a
>verbatim thing, its a caricature.
When you can see the performer indulging in mannerisms so he can milk applause,
it isn't a very good impression. It isn't bad, but he's no Phil Hartman.
>But as someone else pointed out the girl in
>the mannequins was clothed.
Yes, I made a mistake. Second time admitting that.
>I mean, maybe you just had a bad night. The episode wasnt great, but it wasnt
>the worst.
>
>Try sitting thru some of the other dreck on TV...
If you read the other posts in this thread, you would see that I agree with
you, I said it wasn't the worst.
This is so bizarre. Last season, people complained non-stop about the affront
to *classic* L&O, the bad cast, etc. Now, when I complain about two episodes,
after weeks of praising SVU, I'm told to go look for worse shows so the episode
won't seem as bad.
psychodramata
wrote:
>I guess I might be alone, I liked this episode, even though it wasnt as good as
>the last two, I still thought it was good.
It wasn't bad, but not one of my favourites. There wasn't enough
cutting-edge suspence or fascinating plot twists for me, however.
>The only cliche I saw was the silence when Cragen was telling his friend about
>his daughter. I didnt see any gratuitous skin or anything like that.
i remember awhile back when there was some discussion of whether or
not Cragen had a daugher. i guess that's been answered for us.
>I also like Olivia in her rave clothes but then I have the hots for her.I was
>thinking that all the cops looked a little old to be in there...
i agree. i remember thinking, "Do these guys really think they're
undercover?"
Bet you wished Olivia was sucking on a pacifier. <g>
>Oh and anytime I get to see Alex....
i'm beginning to develop a thing for Ice Tea---seriously. He's rough,
charismatic and just dangerous enough...
>
>Col
>"Now people say, almost anything,there's no way to see inside there hearts, but
>then you see, who walks away and who's there with you when the trouble starts."
sincerely,
jane
>-"True Friends", Shannon Curfman
Your one-stop site for original Chris Noth fan fiction
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Or, if "The X-Files" is more to your liking:
http://www.geocities.com/laconical_mulder_freak/
Here is the very first "100 Centre Street" fan fiction:
http://www.geocities.com/bobby_espositos_lady/
COLIERRANND2
>to *classic* L&O, the bad cast, etc. Now, when I complain about two episodes,
>after weeks of praising SVU, I'm told to go look for worse shows so the
>episode
>won't seem as bad.
Sorry I wasnt here last year. Look, I mean, you're welcome to your opinions, I
jsut saw things alittle different. And no, Darryl Hammond is no Phil Hartman,
but who is??
Half the SNL cast isnt all that. In fact the only thing I watch for anymore is
Weekend Update.
Col
"Now people say, almost anything,there's no way to see inside there hearts, but
then you see, who walks away and who's there with you when the trouble starts."
-"True Friends", Shannon Curfman
Jim K
Contrary to popular TV belief, not every older guy in a young setting
is a perv!
On 4 Mar 2001 06:11:49 -0500, wds...@panix.com (William December
Starr) wrote:
>In article <3aa19e6d...@news.lon.imag.net>,
>nothg...@wwdc.com (psychodramata) said:
>
>>> I also like Olivia in her rave clothes but then I have the hots for
>>> her.I was thinking that all the cops looked a little old to be in
>>> there... [COLIERRANND2]
>>
>> i agree. i remember thinking, "Do these guys really think they're
>> undercover?"
>
>I confess to near-complete ignorance of the N.Y.C. rave culture. Is it
>possible that "over-age" people do show up at them, either pathetically
>trying to retain youth that's passed them by, equally pathetically
>scoping out and trying to pick up youngsters of the appropriate sex,
>trying to score some of the freely-traded drugs, or trying to connect
>with pimps who are renting out some of the young flesh at the party?
>
>In other words, is it possible that the fact that (most of) the
>undercover cops stood out like sore thumbs didn't matter because the
>kids were _used_ to seeing adults standing out like sore thumbs at raves?
>
>-- William December Starr <wds...@panix.com>
Jim Kajpust
Personal Responsibility - Personal Freedoms
ChadES6
to raves (and regular NYC clubs) in order to market their ecstasy (MDMA) and
recruit younger kids to sell the stuff on their behalf.
COLIERRANND2
>Maybe some like to go just because they like the music and atmosphere.
>Contrary to popular TV belief, not every older guy in a young setting
>is a perv!
I cant agree with this more. It seems like we as a society are getting alittle
too close to the day when anyone who isnt a parent and is over a certain age
cant even associate with someone younger!
On the other hand, the cops still looked way out of place, but then again,
noone ever seemed to question how Luke Perry could pass for a high school
student so...
Litlagit8r
teenager? Music and atmosphere? Oh, puleeeze....Drugs and/or sex more likely.
>>Maybe some like to go just because they like the music and atmosphere.
>>Contrary to popular TV belief, not every older guy in a young setting
>>is a perv!
I don't know how old you guys are, but I think it would be highly suspect for a
45 year old man to come over to my house to "associate' with my teenage son, or
want to be at a rave party. Sounds like mid life crisis, or he can't get a
woman (or man) his own age, so he goes after the teeny boppers. How desperate
and pathetic can one get?