Not another criminal investigation serial!. Review on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit

Crime has many manifestations. Among its many faces; larceny, arson, murder, etc; sex crimes are considered the most ghastly offence. It is the ultimate degradation of human beings rights and ranges from vile to heinous. Parental guidance is strongly advised due to the graphic nature of the crime scenes though I strongly advise all parents to watch this. Though the producers claim the events to be entirely fictitious, it is not improbable that such an event may or may not have taken place in the vast recesses of old police records. So if its about a 9 month pregnant woman being butchered and her baby taken away because of an illicit affair or if its about a transvestite being murdered for what he is, its all here on one of TV’s most compelling drama series - Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

Cast:

Dr. George Huang……….……B.D. Wong

Captain Donald Cragen is the head of the New York branch’s’ Special Victims Unit (SVU). His team consists of four elite detectives who are resolute on bringing sex offenders to justice. All too often, the cases have no leads and no clues. Captain Cragen is the driving force behind this remarkable team. He motivates them and supports them and bullies them when needed.

Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler are a pair that work together and compliment each other in their personalities. Elliot being the family man and therefore takes a more personal view of the criminals and therefore more passionate in his involvement. Olivia is more levelheaded in her approach to their cases and has often prevented Elliot from making mistakes.

Detectives John Munch and Odafin Tutuola are an odd couple but again compliment each other to make a great team. John Munch is the eccentric man with a dry wit and a dispassionate approach towards the crimes. Odafin is an enigmatic character with a barely concealed violence and quite rough in his dealing with criminals.

Assistant DA, Alexandra Cabot works in close unison with the SVU and assists them in every way to complete the legal requirements of the court. It is her responsibility to make sure the criminals are convicted of their crimes and helps the team to gather evidence to prove the crime. This visually pleasing personality has us gripping our seats with her legal strategies aimed at seeing criminals behind bars.

Dr. George Huang brings another intriguing aspect into the serial. The mind. His a forensic psychiatrist and delves into the criminal mind often giving them a blueprint of the workings of the criminals mind and this helps them in tracking the invisible footprints left behind by the felon.

Together, these six make a great team and work tirelessly to uncover the truth and bring closure to the victims suffering. In most of their cases, this does not take place and the endless loopholes sometimes dishearten them in the judicial system that liberates these offenders. Uncovering a sex crime can sometimes be more perplexing than nabbing the offender himself. Watch as Detectives Elliot and Olivia gently coax confessions out of mentally disturbed or abused victims and offenders.

As the creator and executive producer of this provocative series, Dick Wolf has brought to the public eye, the crimes that would otherwise have faded into the archives of police crime files. He has also been responsible for the other Law and Order series including Law and Order: Criminal Intent. The selection of characters are pertinent to their roles and they execute it admirably. The background music is subtle and well blended into the scenes no matter how macabre or tame. Each character is given his/her due importance, though one may come across stronger than the other in one serial, the next one is sure to bring out the strengths of another individual. The attention to each detail is laudable.

I feel that sex crimes are the worst irrespective of the fact whether it is against women, men or children. It is a heinous crime and this is the type of crime that usually goes unreported and, more often than not, carries a stigma for the victim. Most rape victims will not report the crime committed against them because of the harrowing court trials. A rape victim is already going through a severe traumatic ordeal without being harangued by the defence lawyer. This is a worldwide phenomenon. Will it ever change?