SusieSalmonLikeTheFish

I don't get what it is with this season and hitting viewers over the head with frequent guilting about the need to "mask up" and take "virtual only" classes and the like. As a late 2022 viewer, living at a time where the hype around COVID is finally over, watching episodes like this just feel silly. The episode here is, to be fair, finally a reference to current true crime cases in a researched way (Amanda Knox), but the COVID stuff is far too distracting. Captain Benson is there just to make insensitive quips and condescending criticisms, and they still haven't really done anything with Kat. Totally agree with another reviewer who compared her likeness to "Richard Belzer and Howdy Doody". Which makes me miss Belzer's Detective Munch character on SVU even more; he'd have brought in at least a semi-interesting libertarian take on the whole Pandemic climate that could've balanced out the political nuttery.

Ricki Austin is one of the few times where I've wanted to reach through the TV set and throttle a character. An exploration of the rich and strange, and the limitations of the law when it comes to the elite, this is as much an exploration of classism as it is of family law. Olivia is treated as a lowly parasite, and like in the later episode "Sick", she and Stabler learn that money and power can make anything go away, even child neglect. Christine Andrea is wonderful as the narcissistic celebrity you love to hate, and an early appearance by Hayden Panettiere as the troubled Ashley Austin-Black is welcome, too. The ending, just a heads up, is immensely frustrating and will not come easy to those who want to see a hopeful light at the end of the tunnel. Poor Corbin's death also hits hard, as the boy was adopted and therefore seems to matter less to this family (who has Ricki singing her own recorded vocals at the kid's birthday party, real classy). This won't be an easy episode for viewers who care about child welfare. Still, it's an important and worthwhile episode.

'Sick' was based loosely on the scandals surrounding Gary Glitter, Jimmy Seville, and most notably Michael Jackson, who, like the eccentric Billy in this episode, had kids sleeping in his bed at Neverland Ranch. I'm sure the Jackson supporter mob will be hateful of this episode, as they can't face even the slightest criticism or suspicion towards that long-dead idol of theirs, but for the rest of us, this episode will be a painful reminder of the limitations of the law when it comes to attempting to prosecute the elite. As we see, Billy may be innocent or guilty, but money turns the investigation sour and taints the case. Any truth out there will be buried. The actors in this episode are especially good at their roles, and while some of the joking quips from Fin and Munch in the "Treasure Room" are maudlin and inappropriate considering the subject matter, the script is quite well-written. Definitely a must-see.