Cast:
Christopher Meloni….Detective Elliot Stabler
Mariska Hargitay….Detective Olivia Benson
Richard Belzer….Detective John Munch
Stephanie March….A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot
Ice-T….Detective Odafin ‘Fin’ Tutuola
The Show
Law & Order SVU (Special Victims Unit) is a spin off of the original Law & Order that winds up being much better than the original. In a time where you see so many Law & Order’s and CSI’s it’s hard to find the best show unless you have hours of time. I can tell you that SVU is the best out of all the Law & Order’s.
This season starts off with Det. Stabler’s daughter witnessing the murder/discovery of a body on fire. Also within the first episode is the introduction of Ice T as Det. Fin. The season takes off like a bat out of hell from there, with a number of issues being explored.
That’s one of the good things about SVU and series like it: They tackle current, relevant issues. Some shows just throw out stories that are nonsensical and boring. Shows like this give a reality feel to it without the reality acting, which is a good thing. Within SVU Season 2, they go in depth with issues such as the Taliban, Patients’ Rights (Extremely relevant to me), School Shootings, Police on the other side of the law, Arranged Marriages, etc. These were things that were ripped from the headlines in the time period of this season (2000-2001). That gives this show an appeal that few have.
Not only are the stories powerful, but the actor’s performances are as well. Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay jell so well with each other and play their respective characters so well that you sometimes forget they aren’t detectives. Richard Belzer (Fun Fact: He was the comedian in the club in Scarface) is a gem and gives Ice T a perfect foil to play off of. Believe me, Detective is the last character I thought Ice T would play, but he pulls it off well and gives it an edge.
Overall, the entire season is fantastic, but my top 5 episodes are:
5. Honor
4. Noncompliance
3. Abuse
2. Folly
1. Countdown (C’mon, I’m a 24 fan!)
Score: 9.5/10
The Video
Presented in 1.33:1 Full Screen, there is no problem with the transfer and every looks good, especially Hargitay.
The Sound
2.0 Stereo, sounds fine to me.
The Extras
Mariska Hargitay Profile: Small interview with her on how she got into acting, came to SVU and some funny stories. Sadly, it is revealed that she beat out Reiko Aylesworth for the role, somewhat diminishing this piece for me.
Christopher Meloni Profile: Same thing as Hargitay’s, only he didn’t beat out Reiko.
Sex Crimes & Storylines: Basic fluff piece about how they get their storylines and whom they interact with to make it work.
Fun Set: The comedy and fun the cast has with each other.
Real SVU: How the cast works with the real SVU Detectives to make things feel right.
There are also deleted scenes, none of any real substance.
Overall the extras are fluff and a lame selling point of the DVD. I do want to see more on the real SVU Detectives, but I’ll look for that on A&E.
Score: 3/10
