Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) Thought Criminal (2014) User Reviews

Interesting Episode

[paulmillen-43752 · 9/10 · 16 May 2022]

Enjoyed the episode though obviously stomach churning knowing stuff like this happens in real life.

Interesting to see them use a real Toronto address, wonder how they managed to pick that particular address if any meaning behind it.

Criminal intent

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 5 August 2022]

Thoughts on "Thought Criminal" on first watch were mostly positive, though it was for me an example of an episode that started off unsure but got better and had a character that could have been written much better. A character fortunately that is outweighed by the many characters that come off very strongly. On first watch, it was an interesting episode if not a great one with there being better and worse in the season (and certainly of 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' on both counts).

My generally positive but with reservations thoughts on "Thought Criminal" are very much the same now as it was back then. Still an example of an interesting episode, and at its best very good, if not great. It's not one of the best episodes of a Season 15 that started brilliantly but was inconsistent in between and then ended underwhelmingly. It is also not one of the worst, as far as Season 15 goes "Thought Criminal" is somewhere around solid middle.

A lot of good things can be seen in "Thought Criminal". John Malina extremely creepy as a sickening character whose conviction is rooted for. Raul Esparza who is always a lot to watch and this is a return to the barba that very quickly became the source of much needed energy whenever he appeared. Donal Logue continues to be refreshing and is very funny in the holding cell scene. Have seen dislike for Nia Verdalos, personally didn't have a problem with her and she and Esparza work very well together. The regulars are all fine.

Have no issue with the intimate but not claustrophobic photography and the subtly gritty look. The music is only used when necessary and is hauntingly understated when it is used, not over-emphasising too much the mood when things are revealed. The script is lean and tight enough which stops the talk from being long-winded, while not jumping around, and is intelligently written. Did love the sinister and perverse atmosphere.

Not everything works however. The case is rather flimsy especially in running out of ideas second half. While a conviction is rooted for, the case was not strong enough to be tried and the prosecution was weak to the point of non existence.

Also hated Amaro's character writing and subplot, too wannabe long stale Stabler-like, liked him a lot as a character in his previous two seasons but he really regressed this season.

In summary, good but not great. 7/10.

If the crime is only in the mind

[yazguloner · 10/10 · 31 October 2021]

No crime, no victims...

it's all just fantasy One of the darkest of the bottom of the gray We have a heavy, terrible, dark case before us. Is fantasy a crime or when should it be a crime?

This time the defense is very strong svu and the prosecution is in trouble Donald Legue (Declan Murphy), Nick Amaro rising.

I love Declan's theatrical plays.

Trials for fantasies

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 28 August 2016]

The New York County District Attorney's office should have known better than to bring this case against Joshua Malina. Although he's found with all the paraphernalia of a torture chamber to torture young boys with there's a problem in that there's no victim at all. So with all the work that the SVU squad does Rafael Barba is tried for having bad thoughts.

Malina is a scary dude though. A more pitiable pedophile is Brian Baumgartner who makes contact with whom he thinks is a 14 year old. On his office computer no less, the dummy.

The case really affects Danny Pino. The after effects of what he does lingers into the rest of his time with the series.

Shallow Examination of a Cliche

[bkkaz · 2 February 2021]

How many times have TV programs -- how many times has the Law and Order franchise alone -- dealt with the issue of people being prosecuted for their thoughts rather than their actions? So many that the argument are all second nature. So, when the subject comes up, the trick is to explore it in a way that it hasn't before and to ask questions that haven't been raised.

This episode does none of it. Most seems like a freshman creative writing project where the writer feels the need to go over all the basics in a heavy-handed way. You know, because they've never seen anything about it, they assume we haven't either. The one element that might actually be interesting -- the stereotypically creepy looking photographer appears to have a real-deal torture chamber to bring his boy victims to -- ends up serving only as a backdrop to the rest.

It all feels shallow, like something done for a daytime soap opera than what has now become a nighttime one.