Things go haywire for SVU as they race to first apprehend, then convict serial killer Dr. Carl Rudnick after their best witness is found in pieces. Rudnick is an engaging, hilariously funny villian as a cross-dressing M.E who has a little too much fun cutting people up. This deadly drag queen deals first with Detectives Rollins and Carisi, who finds themselves swept up in a bizarre road trip as they bring him back to prison (the diner scene is a must). Then it's on to ADA Barba and Sergeant Benson, who struggle to unravel a Looney Tunes-esque case full of hateable defense attorneys, freaky role-playing, and lost body parts. The truth eventually comes out in the world's creepiest confession, and that's not the only secret which is unearthed after Detectuve Rollins resumes her conversations with the terrifying George Yates. Blood, wigs, and more than one pregnancy reveal--for those of you who can stand the gore, this episode is an absolute must.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)
Criminal Pathology (2015)
User Reviews
Review this title7 Reviews
In today's hard hitting episode
xhidden9925 December 2018
Norman Bates goes to medical school. Except this time he's a wealthy French Canadian. Oddly no one in this episode is raped. Only cut up into pieces. So no sex crimes no weepy mommies no traumatized teens no junkies with a heart of gold no kidnapped adorable kids with diabetes. So like what's the point?
Creepy pathology
TheLittleSongbird20 September 2022
Continuing on from the promise shown in the previous episode "Devil's Dissections", the potential that "Criminal Pathology" had wasn't small. Gregory Yates was a very memorable character, as was Carl Rudnick when his true colours were revealed, though on the whole they were better than the overall quality of their episodes this season. "Devil's Dissectios" was a very good start and memories of "Criminal Pathology" were also positive, despite the story being flawed.
Didn't find this episode as good and it is not one of the best episodes of Season 17, and it actually had potential to be with such an unsettling idea. It is also not one of the season's worst, as said before the season was not a consistent one but no episode was terrible and there was nothing on the same level of bad as "Intimidation Game" from the previous season. There is a lot of good, but "Criminal Pathology" is an example of an episode that started a lot more strongly than it finished.
Am going to start with the good. The production values are slick, gritty and professional. The music is haunting while not spelling out the emotions too much. The direction has enough momentum while not rushing. The script always intrigues and has enough tautness as well. The regular acting is all fine, particularly from Kelli Giddish and Peter Scanavino, who have great chemistry together.
Jefferson Mays and particularly Dallas Roberts, once again showing his expertise at playing creepy, are suitably unsettling as Rudnick and Yates. The story on the whole has not lost its creepiness or tension, especially in the first half which is tighter in pace and has more atmosphere.
In my view, the latter portions weren't quite as good. It did get too predictable, with the truth being too obvious too early, and is at times unrealistic such as the road trip (primarily with lunch, which was like stepping temporarily into an alternate reality universe). The ending is far too coincidental.
Fin again is under-utilised, don't see why they have him on the show if he is not going to get much to do.
Overall, pretty solid episode though not great. 7/10.
Didn't find this episode as good and it is not one of the best episodes of Season 17, and it actually had potential to be with such an unsettling idea. It is also not one of the season's worst, as said before the season was not a consistent one but no episode was terrible and there was nothing on the same level of bad as "Intimidation Game" from the previous season. There is a lot of good, but "Criminal Pathology" is an example of an episode that started a lot more strongly than it finished.
Am going to start with the good. The production values are slick, gritty and professional. The music is haunting while not spelling out the emotions too much. The direction has enough momentum while not rushing. The script always intrigues and has enough tautness as well. The regular acting is all fine, particularly from Kelli Giddish and Peter Scanavino, who have great chemistry together.
Jefferson Mays and particularly Dallas Roberts, once again showing his expertise at playing creepy, are suitably unsettling as Rudnick and Yates. The story on the whole has not lost its creepiness or tension, especially in the first half which is tighter in pace and has more atmosphere.
In my view, the latter portions weren't quite as good. It did get too predictable, with the truth being too obvious too early, and is at times unrealistic such as the road trip (primarily with lunch, which was like stepping temporarily into an alternate reality universe). The ending is far too coincidental.
Fin again is under-utilised, don't see why they have him on the show if he is not going to get much to do.
Overall, pretty solid episode though not great. 7/10.
Another Melodramatic, Overacted Episode
bkkaz25 June 2022
But it has one saving grace -- when Benson is questioned by a teacher using exactly the same presumptions and hard-hitting suspicion she uses all the time on innocent-until-proven-guilty people she's interrogating, she melts down. Yes, Mariska Hargitay's weird, face folding, scene chewing acting is horrible, but it's nice to see the hypocritical Benson be forced to take a dose of her own judgmental medicine.
Unfortunately, the scene quickly caves, with the teacher smiling and saying she believes Benson because, well, Benson and Hargitay is a producer. A show with more courage would have just let her stew for a while so we can decide whether to believe it or not.
Anyway, the rest is just a meandering plot with some stereotypes, like the low rent blond and her beer swilling pig of a husband. Remember when SVU tried on some level to exist in the real world? Now it's all soap opera.
Unfortunately, the scene quickly caves, with the teacher smiling and saying she believes Benson because, well, Benson and Hargitay is a producer. A show with more courage would have just let her stew for a while so we can decide whether to believe it or not.
Anyway, the rest is just a meandering plot with some stereotypes, like the low rent blond and her beer swilling pig of a husband. Remember when SVU tried on some level to exist in the real world? Now it's all soap opera.
Knew this would end badly
lbowdls25 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Actually I'm referring to whenever SVU and unfortunately many other murder shows introduce a new secondary character and focus them in a certain way - you know they're going to turn out to be a criminal. Well at least to me so Dr Rudnuck introduced in previous episode I knew was going to end up being a maniac. It takes the gloss of any episode when you know where something is leading to, but still an interesting script. They also did a similar thing with a forensic officer before.
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