Review: 'Law & Order: SVU' "Father's Shadow", An Emmy-worthy Episode

I don't want to spend a whole post recapping, so I'll send anyone who flies through here to All Things Law and Orders Recap/Review of "Father's Shadow".

My simple review of "Father's Shadow" is, The best Law & Order: SVU episode of the 13th season and likely Mariska's best in 5 years! Writers Warren Leight & Julie Martin, kudos! 5 very high points of this episode:

Miranda Lambert's debut, she delivered some very believable acting, I was shocked to see she was only seen in two scenes, she did marevelous for someone who's never acted before! And a plus, she's a fan of SVU (who could blame her).

Kelli Giddish, a few of us have seen her on the NBC canceled Chase, so we know what she can do. She was seen minimally this episode (she has a Rollins-centric episode next week) but I feel in this episode she's doing a LOT better playing Rollins (even if it were short scenes) than she has in earlier episodes in the season. Don't shrug on Kelli just yet folks.

Danny Pino, a few good men, the writers should write Nick Amaro like the did last night, he seemed to "come out" more in "Father's Shadow". He got smart with BC Mike Cutter (Linus Roache) and he just seemed to be playing the SVU equivalent of his Cold Case character, Scotty Valens (not Elliot Stabler, Chris Meloni). Hope we see more of this from Amaro in the future.

Cameron Monaghan (Shameless) portrayed a disturbed teen named Eddie Sandow in Law & Order: SVU episode, "Father's Shadow".

Guest star Cameron Monaghan really shocked the world (or almost 7 million people at least) in "Father's Shadow", I think I'm going to start watching Shameless. His portrayal of the "rocked" teen Eddie Sandow was tops, best performance of someone young on SVU we've seen in a while. Monaghan was very believable and I found myself questioning his character and even in the end, feeling sorry for him. He had a selfish bastard rapist father (who doesn't, your lucky if you don't have to use any of those three words about your father) and his mother abandoned him. His scenes with Mariska Hargitay made me feel moved to applaud (the whole episode really). He deserves some kind of award for this episode of SVU!

Mariska Hargitay and Harry Connick, Jr. in the beginning of the SVU episode "Father's Shadow".

Star Mariska Hargitay; need I say anything? Mariska has done top notch work on SVU since the show's first seasons, even when the writing made you want to chunk your television set out the window! But "Father's Shadow" is proof of why Mariska Hargitay is frequently nominated for awards with her portrayal of Detective Olivia Benson. Mariska's delivery last night was simply breathtaking (again, moved to applaud), I was disappointed when the episode ends. It's episodes like "Father's Shadow" that shows Mariska Hargitay hasn't "lost her groove" after 13 years and that she and SVU itself still have life.

Even the ratings show that, SVU is likely the only NBC drama (excluding Smash premiere) that pulls well above 2.0 in the 18-49 age demo, even with the blasted competition from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on CBS and Revenge on ABC. A big mistake for these 3 shows to be on on the same night at the same time. In final ratings SVU pulled 2.0 (18-49) and 6.55 (million viewers total).

To quote David Letterman back when NBC had that "Leno-O'Brien Tonight Show" issue in 2009-2010, NBC has the 10 o'clock dramas "that will leave you staring at your TV for days." I felt that when my local news came on. Now NBC's currently fairly good dramas are Law & Order: SVU, Grimm, and Parenthood really. Still shaky about Smash, Awake yet to premiere (looks pretty good, SVU's B.D. Wong is in it).

SVU, "Father's Shadow", 9.5/10, I'd recommend this episode for any SVU fan!

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit airs Wednesdays 10PM/9c on NBC.

Review: 'NCIS' "Life Before His Eyes", It Makes You Think

Me and likely over 20 million others tuned in to see #NCIS200 (NCIS's 200th episode), and in my opinion it was well above average, it's all I can really say for the episode. No real big-bang with it, I was more interested in the case at hand and McGee's (Sean Murray) possible transfer than a "Gibbs-back" (Mark Harmon, flashback).

SPOILERS AHEAD, SKIP THIS IF YOU WANT TO:

In "Life Before His Eyes" (written by: Gary Glasberg, directed by: Tony Wharmby) Gibbs is shot in a cafe and everything freezes and with help from the late-great Mike Franks (Muse Watson), Gibbs flashes back to things and ponders how thing would go differently if:

He had protected deceased Special Agent Kate Todd (Sasha Alexander) from Ari Haswari (Rudolf Martin) - she would have lived and married DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) would just be some Israeli chick in a world of trouble instead of kick-ass Special Agent Ziva David.

Special Agent Gibbs (Mark Harmon, left) and deceased Mike Franks (Muse Watson, right) in the 200th NCIS episode, "Life Before His Eyes".

If Gibbs would have convinced his wife not to testify, she and their daughter would still be alive, though Gibbs would have likely died in combat since he would have stayed a Marine. If Gibbs hadn't killed the drug dealer that killed his family, Gibbs would have secluded himself from everyone.

Plus we see other past characters we've seen in previous flashbacks or episodes like: deceased NCIS director Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly), Gibb's father Jackson Gibbs (Ralph Wiate) and Mark Harmon's own son Sean playing a younger Gibbs (which to be truthful, they look so much alike until it's not even funny).

Meanwhile the case at hand, NCIS has to deal with the typical dead Marine but the son of the suspect is the one with the shocker in this episode. At the end, it's discovered he shot Gibbs. At the end of the episode, McGee sticks with NCIS in D.C. and Gibbs returns to his job, and he wouldn't have it any other way. The NCIS credits thanking their fans for 200 episodes.

DONE WITH SPOILING.

As for "Life Before His Eyes", it's a good episode for Mark Harmon, we haven't seen him do his thing in a minute on NCIS, but me personally I like NCIS when they deal with the case at hand primarily and the personal drama is in a mix. This felt like an episode of House M.D. to me to see Gibbs in the "alive-dead" state. I could have done without that; Shane Brennan really needs to let someone else run NCIS: Los Angeles and return to the flagship NCIS. Next week's NCIS looks very stupid, "someone's killing superhero's", really?! 7/10 NCIS, could have been better but it's could have been worse; at least E.J. Barret (Sarah Jane Morris) wasn't in this episode.

NCIS airs Tuesdays 8PM/7c on CBS, only CBS.

'Law & Order: SVU' - Deliberate Act, An Original Story

Wanting to write an SVU fan-fic. I got inspired by the loss of my uncle here (RIP Uncle "Lean") and I got inspired to try to do it in the shower (I'm not kidding); I'm searching for an outlet I guess. Season 13 has been Law & Order: SVU's best season in a couple years by the means of it's writing, I guess you could say it's more intelligent (under new show runner/executive producer Warren Leight, formally of Lights Out and Law & Order: Criminal Intent).

I've also been wanting to do something with new characters: Detectives Nick Amaro (Danny Pino) & Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish); I feel there is more to them than what is given to us on Law & Order: SVU. Plus I want to do something dealing with EADA David Haden (Harry Connick, Jr.); because in the fan-fiction world, pretty much anything goes.

Following season 13's formula:

DELIBERATE ACT (Saturday, December 4, 2012: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1808736/)

THE SVU DETECTIVES SOLVE A CASE A LITTLE CLOSE TO HOME FOR DETECTIVE NICK AMARO (DANNY PINO). BUREAU CHIEF MIKE CUTTER (LINUS ROACHE) PUSHES HIS ADAs TO CONVICT.

Sr. Narcotics Detective Allison Harmon is found crying rape in the streets, the Special Victims Unit is on the clock to track down her rapist with the city and the department breathing down their necks. With SVU's credibility on the line with their arrest, Bureau Chief Mike Cutter (Linus Roache) pushes his ADAs to seek a conviction in the interest of justice, instead of pressure and politics. Meanwhile Detective Nick Amaro's (Danny Pino) future with the Special Victims Unit is unclear.

Also starring: Mariska Hargitay (Det. Olivia Benson), Richard Belzer (Sgt. John Munch), Ice-T (Det. Fin Tutuola), Kelli Giddish (Det. Amanda Rollins), and Dann Florek (Capt. Don Cragen). Guest starring: Stephanie March (ADA Alex Cabot), Diane Neal (ADA Casey Novak), and Tamara Tunie (ME Melinda Warner). Special guest starring: Laura Benanti (Marie-Grazie Amaro), Andre Braugher (Bayard Ellis), and Harry Connick, Jr. (EADA David Haden).

--
I bet if this was an episode everybody would be ready to see it! I wish it were, but in the meantime, I need to actually write this. Don't want to make a false-promise; this will be one of those that'll make fans wish I was on the SVU writing team (so do I). I'll probably start posting on the night of Saturday, January 4th and post chapters from there, instead of hitting it all at once. Read it here: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1808736/