Jason Perez
Second Unit
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Law and Order: Special Victims Unit – The First Year
Studio: Universal
Year: 1999-2000
Rated: Not Rated
Box Set Length: 17 Hours 23 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: Full-Frame (4:3)
Subtitles: English (Captioned), French, and Spanish
Audio: English - Dolby Surround; Spanish – Dolby 2.0
NOTE: The bonus features for this set are located on Disc Six!!!
A unique combination of courtroom drama and gritty detective work, the original Law and Order series developed quite a following, and was ultimately successful enough to have a couple of “offspring” much as the highly regarded Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) series did. Although I must say that I was impressed by the few episodes of Law and Order that I caught, grad school never left me much time to religiously watch any particular television series. As such, I never became a hardcore Law and Order fan the way my brothers and some of my friends have.
After digesting eight episodes (episodes I watched are denoted below by three asterisks) from Law and Order: Special Victims Unit’s inaugural season, and the two bonus featurettes included in this set, I can see why this spin-off has enjoyed four seasons worth of success so far. This series carries forward the intelligence and edginess of Law and Order, but by focusing more on the investigations into the cases handled by the Special Victims Unit, and downplaying the courtroom portion, it has established itself as an entity separate and distinct from its namesake. Interestingly, Executive Producer Ted Kotcheff confesses that this series was originally entitled Sex Crimes, and bore no relationship to the Law and Order franchise. Once the series’ development was placed in the capable hands of Dick Wolf, however, the name was changed (presumably along with some other elements of the show), and the rest, as they say, is history.
Essentially, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit is inspired by the real life division of the New York City Police Department of the same name, which concerns itself with solving crimes of a sexual nature. Consequently, much of the subject matter of Law and Order: SVU is grim, disturbing, and inflammatory. I must say that I detest this type of material, particularly when it involves children, however, this series manages to keep things tasteful, and consistently exhibits much more restraint than some of the other programs that deal with similar subject matter.
The focal points of Law and Order: SVU are Detectives Elliot Stabler (Chris Meloni) and Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), although other characters, including Detective Munch (Richard Belzer) and Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek), who was the original captain in Law and Order, make their presence known in each episode. In general, I found the performances in this series to be a little on the “stiff” side during the eight episodes I watched, with the exception of Hargitay and Florek, both of whom turn in consistently outstanding performances. The other actors, particularly Chris Meloni (whose work I have previously enjoyed) seemed to be searching for the core of their characters, and sometimes unable to convey the appropriate emotion, or add a sense of urgency, to the proceedings.
In simple terms, I can comfortably state that I think the acting in SVU is not on par with that in the original series, even though I only caught a handful of episodes of Law and Order. On occasion, the writing is also a little suspect (with respect to the characters attitudes), causing the detectives to come across as smug, unlikable a-holes that will immediately badger and attempt to coerce anyone they even remotely suspect of committing the crime they are trying to solve.
Fortunately, the problems I mention were never severe enough to subvert any one episode, and the series did seem to improve quite a bit with each subsequent episode that I watched. Other than some elements of the casts’ performances (which were still far from terrible), and the occasional issues I had with the writing, this series is very solid, and adds an interesting dynamic to the successful Law and Order formula. Namely, the most intimate and personal aspects of the characters in the Special Victims Unit’s lives are delved into, and the series even takes this a step further by exploring the effect of the characters’ feelings and personal experiences on the way they approach their cases. To be honest, I had never seen an episode in this series before receiving this set, yet I could not help but feel that Law and Order: Special Victims Unit already had the polish and swagger of a series that has been on the air for several years by its eleventh episode.
The following is a brief description of each episode included in this box set (information obtained from Universal’s press release):
DISC ONE:
*** “PAYBACK” - (Episode 1-1) Airdate 9/20/1999
Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson investigate the murder and dismemberment of a cab driver.
“A SINGLE LIFE” - (Episode 1-2) Airdate 9/27/1999
The case of a woman who fell to her death wearing only a slip leads the detectives to her psychiatrist, a TV anchorman, and the dead woman’s estranged father.
*** “OR JUST LOOK LIKE ONE” - (Episode 1-3) Airdate 10/4/1999
Stabler and Benson investigate a case involving a beaten teen model who gets dumped in front of a hospital.
“HYSTERIA” - (Episode 1-4) Airdate 10/11/1999
Stabler and Benson investigate the murder of a young woman mistaken for a prostitute.
DISC TWO:
“WANDERLUST” - (Episode 1-5) Airdate 10/18/1999
After a travel writer is found murdered, the investigation involves his landlady, her teen daughter, and the woman’s beau.
*** “SOPHMORE JINX” - (Episode 1-6) Airdate 10/25/1999
Benson and Stabler suspect a pair of college basketball players of murdering a female student, but officials don’t want to draw negative attention to the school.
“UNCIVILIZED” - (Episode 1-7) Airdate 11/15/1999
The murder of an 8-year-old boy leads to a case involving the rights of a convicted child molester who has served his sentence and returned to society.
“STALKED” - (Episode 1-8) Airdate 11/22/1999
A killing leads to a case in which the murderer is someone who stalks his victims, and Stabler fears that a combative Benson is the next target.
DISC THREE:
“STOCKS & BONDAGE” - (Episode 1-9) Airdate 11/29/1999
The investigation into the killing of a Wall Street stock analyst involves illicit financial dealings and sadomasochism.
“CLOSURE” - (Episode 1-10) Airdate 1/7/2000
A traumatized sexual assault victim cannot help the detectives identify the prime suspect, because the victim is having trouble dealing with the aftermath of the crime.
*** “BAD BLOOD” - (Episode 1-11) Airdate 1/14/2000
Stabler and Benson hunt for the killer of a gay man whose father heads a conservative watchdog group. Elsewhere, Munch looks for Benson’s biological father.
“RUSSIAN LOVE POEM” - (Episode 1-12) Airdate 1/21/2000
The investigation of a multimillionaire’s killing involves bisexual infidelities and a number of Russians.
DISC FOUR:
“DISROBED” - (Episode 1-13) Airdate 2/4/2000
The shooting death of a sleazy judge who abused the criminal justice system involves blackmail, sexual favors, and an inmate’s wife, who was a battered spouse.
“LIMITATIONS” - (Episode 1-14) Airdate 2/11/2000
Faced with the expiration of a statute of limitations, the staff tries to locate a rapist involved in three assaults that occurred five years earlier.
“ENTITLED, PART 1” - (Episode 1-15) Airdate 2/18/2000
The murder of a salesman, an alleged sexual predator, leads the detectives to a politically influential family, then to a suspect who eluded Briscoe and his former partner, Mike Logan, six years ago.
*** “THE THIRD GUY” - (Episode 1-16) Airdate 2/25/2000
After two teens are caught in connection with an assault and robbery of an elderly woman, it becomes apparent that someone else committed the attack.
DISC FIVE:
“MISLEADER” - (Episode 1-17) Airdate 3/31/2000
When the pregnant daughter-in-law of a prominent religious leader is found slain in a hotel room, it is discovered that she may have been having an affair.
*** “CHAT ROOM” - (Episode 1-18) Airdate 4/14/2000
A teenage girl’s claim that a man who befriended her on the Internet assaulted her leads to a sting operation involving pedophilia.
“CONTACT” - (Episode 1-19) Airdate 4/28/2000
A forensic psychologist is called in to help apprehend a serial rapist who preys on women in the subway.
*** “REMORSE” - (Episode 1-20) Airdate 5/5/2000
Munch forms a close bond with a TV reporter who was sexually assaulted by two men, but it is Stabler and Benson who make the first arrest.
DISC SIX:
*** “NOCTURNE” - (Episode 1-21) Airdate 5/12/2000
The trial of an accused child molester is jeopardized when a piano teacher is arrested for pedophilia and the prime witness has difficulty dealing with his past.
“SLAVES” - (Episode 1-22) Airdate 5/21/2000
An attorney suspected of keeping a Romanian immigrant as a sex slave is linked to a woman’s murder. Meanwhile, a police psychologist interviews the SVU detectives and tells Captain Cragen that one of his detectives should be removed from duty.
SO, HOW DOES IT LOOK?
Each Law and Order: Special Victims Unit episode is presented by Universal in its original full-frame aspect ratio (4:3), and the results, while not overly impressive, are still quite good. Flesh tones are almost spot-on, black level is deep and dark, and color rendering is done rather effectively. As you might expect, the rock solid black level leads to better than average shadow delineation. There is also a touch of edge enhancement here and there, but only enough to warrant mentioning, and it never detracted from my viewing experience.
My only complaints are that the image sometimes appears a little on the soft side, fine detail is a bit lacking in backgrounds, and all of the scenes in the interrogation room have a substantially grainier appearance than scenes in other environments, particularly those shot outdoors. This could be a stylistic choice though, which someone with more familiarity with this show than I have might be able to speak to.
Putting things into perspective, none of these minor complaints affected my ability to enjoy the episodes of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, as I did not expect it to look like Attack of the Clones. It is obvious that the creators of this show do not skimp when it comes to production value, which is evident from the quality of this transfer, which is certainly better than some of the other TV shows I have seen on DVD. It certainly should not disappoint fans, but there are just enough minor issues with this transfer to keep me from calling it great.
WHAT IS THAT NOISE?
The episodes of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit are offered in Dolby Digital Surround, which does a nice job of reproducing the source material. This series is largely dialogue driven, and spoken words come through clearly, without any sibilance, hissing, or compression that I could detect. As you probably already guessed, there is precious little in the way of surround activity, save for some background noise during outdoor sequences, and whenever the annoying sound that precedes a new sequence plays. Bass response is equally limited, although the rap beat thumping over the outdoor basketball sequence in the “Sophomore Jinx” episode brought my sub to life for a little while.
For Spanish speakers, a Dolby Digital Spanish mix (2.0) is included for each episode.
EXTRAS, EXTRAS!!!
**Law and Order – Special Victims Unit: The Beginning:
The interesting and informative featurette, which runs for 25 minutes, features interviews with the principal cast members, as well as Executive Producer Ted Kotcheff and series creator Dick Wolf. Hardcore fans of the series will probably not be surprised by any of this featurette’s content, but I was quite surprised to learn that the series was not originally affiliated with Law and Order. It is also important to note that this featurette is not “new”, as a friend showed me the previously released “Premiere Episode” DVD for this series, which also contains this featurette. Since I had never seen an episode of Special Victims Unit before, I enjoyed this featurette, and found it to be a nice addition to the set.
** Dann Florek – Squad Room Walkthrough
This somewhat short, offbeat featurette treats viewers to a guided tour of the Law and Order: Special Victims Unit Set, conducted by none other than Dann Florek (Captain Cragen). Florek is engaging and jovial, which belies his on-screen persona, points out some of the personal touches the cast has added to the character’s desks and the bulletin boards on-set. He also touches on some of the contributions he made to the décor of his office, and how the elevator in the station also doubles as a doctor’s office. A fun little extra for fans of the show!
SCORE CARD
(on a five-point scale)
Episodes: :star: :star: :star: 1/2
Video: :star: :star: :star: :star:
Audio: :star: :star: :star:
Extras: :star: :star: :star: 1/2
Overall: :star: :star: :star: 1/2
THE LAST WORD
Although it does have a few flaws, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit is a spin-off worthy of the family name. Its considerable, thoughtful approach to mature and challenging material make it a refreshing alternative to some of the mindless drivel the networks are bombarding viewers with these days (e.g. almost any reality show, afternoon “court” show, and most sitcoms). The human dynamic and fascinating cases are what sets this show apart, and allows it to overcome some bland characters (at least as far as the first season is concerned). Further, the investigations feature enough interesting plot twists to keep viewers guessing, and the episodes I viewed managed to avoid ridiculous and irritating endings that come “out of left field” which can be rare for these types of programs.
As for the DVD, Universal has generated a respectable transfer and audio track for this release, which should more than satisfy fans of the show. In addition, the extras, while not abundant, are interesting (and amusing, in the case of Florek’s tour), and more than what has been offered on many previous releases of television product.
In the final analysis, I can say that this series is professionally put together, interesting, and intelligent without being condescending. Better still, each episode offers provocative cases and plenty of interesting plot twists. Granted, it is not as good as the original Law and Order (at least in my opinion), but if you like thoughtful crime/drama, you could certainly do worse than to pick this release up. If you already watch this show, than I am just preaching to the choir.
Thanks a lot Universal, you have encroached on what little free time I have left by encouraging me to want to check out future episodes of this series. If you knew how few television programs I actually go out of my way to watch, you would know that my previous statement was just short of high praise. Recommended!!!
Stay tuned…
Release Date:
October 21st, 2003