Special Victims Unit 10.01 Review: I Married…
Original Air Date: September 23, 2008
How long did it take you to figure out who the perpetrator was on “Trials,” the tenth-season premiere of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit? I got it a little over halfway through.
The episode opens with a twenty-block, high-speed van chase through the streets of New York. When the pursued vehicle finally stops, out pops the driver, Christopher Ryan (Jae Head), a little boy of seven who claims he’s fleeing his abusive foster parents. They are Gwen and Noah Sibert (Julie Bowen and Luke Perry), a seemingly normal couple into environmentalism who deny the allegations. But, it’s clear that Christopher’s hair-trigger anger has to come from somewhere, an observation that makes Olivia and Elliot skeptical of the Siberts.
Good on them, too, because the Siberts are a suspicious pair beneath their do-gooder exterior and Green Line clothing business of “eco-friendly haute couture” attire (insert prolonged eye roll). A bit of digging reveals that exasperated Gwen wants to stop being Christopher’s foster parent because of his behavioral issues, while saintly Noah wants to adopt him. Hmmm…
The police have trouble tracking down Christopher’s social worker because they’re busy people in an overburdened, underpaying field, ya know. When she finally shows up, she remembers Olivia, who was the detective on the never-solved rape of Christopher’s mother Caitlyn Ryan (Sara Gilbert) several years ago. Caitlyn was so traumatized after the attack, she developed Rape Trauma Syndrome, similar to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, and had to give up custody of her son temporarily because she couldn’t function.
That’s the bare bones of the plot that eventually leads to the revelation that Noah “I Like to Fix Things” Sibert ain’t no saint. In fact, not only is he the serial rapist with a Bad Mommy fixation who raped Caitlyn, but he also raped Gwen five years ago and then subsequently hooked up with her. Or, as incredulous Gwen puts it when forced to face the truth, “Triple Ewww!!!”
I’m kidding. She exclaims, “I married my rapist.” Just when I thought SVU could no longer shock with the depravity of the crimes depicted…
As sordid as the central case is, however, it’s not the highlight of the episode. Neither are the arrival from D.C. of new Assistant District Attorney Kim Greylek (Michaela McManus), a stereotypical young and beautiful legal badass (Yawn! — Next time just give the role to an old, fat, ugly, wimpy man from the Midwest or Down South, please), nor the theft of Elliot’s credit card executed by his difficult teenage daughter Kathleen and her boyfriend Tony.
For Mariska Hargitay fans at least, the defining moments of the season premiere occur when Olivia’s inner turmoil is examined. Unable to sleep at night, she continues to relive the terrifying sexual assault she survived on the Season Nine episode “Undercover” when she impersonated an inmate in a women’s correctional facility to catch a corrupt security guard. I still remember that harrowing incident over five months later.
During a discussion with her therapist, Olivia reveals that she feels jumpy and out of control because the sexual assault came so close to rape. Moreover, although she knows about misplaced rape blame, she feels like she doesn’t belong here because the crooked security guard stole something from her.
Bravo to Olivia for understanding she needs professional help with what’s troubling her, and I hope the series doesn’t just drop this storyline and call it closed after one mention. A huge reason that Mariska became and remains an icon for fans of strong women on TV is the strength and realism of her character Olivia. SVU could genuinely help some sexual assault survivors by having the detective work through her own assault on-screen, provided that the healing unfolds in a realistic manner.
A two-minute replay of “Trials” follows for those who missed the episode or just want to watch the essential parts again.
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POSTED IN: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Recaps, Season Premieres, Videos
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