Heartfelt Passages
- Episode aired May 25, 2016
- TV-14
- 42m
The case against corrections officer Gary Munson continues, Barba continues to receive death threats, and Dodds winds up in a hostage situation with the accused in Munson's home.The case against corrections officer Gary Munson continues, Barba continues to receive death threats, and Dodds winds up in a hostage situation with the accused in Munson's home.The case against corrections officer Gary Munson continues, Barba continues to receive death threats, and Dodds winds up in a hostage situation with the accused in Munson's home.
- Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola
- (as Ice T)
- Ingrid
- (as Kathryn Rosseter)
- Judge Colin McNamara
- (as Stephen Bradbury)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaKarina Logue, the actress playing Lisa Munson, is the twin sister of Donal Logue, well known to SVU viewers as Captain Declan Murphy.
- GoofsAt Lincoln Hospital where Sgt. Dodds is in ICU, the only officers in the mostly empty hospital floor are the SVU unit, Captain Tucker and the elder Chief Dodd. When an NYPD officer is shot and recovering at a hospital, the entire floor would be flooded with cops showing their support for their wounded brother or sister.
- Quotes
Deputy Chief William Dodds: His last day at SVU, he does this. He knew better. He's known since he was six, since I was a beat cop. DV is the most dangerous situation in the world. What the hell was he thinking?
Olivia Benson: That he wanted to be like his father. A hero.
- ConnectionsReferences Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Luckily, this is an example of an episode that absolutely lives up to the hype. Many of the show's season finales were heavily hyped, not all were as good as the hype (that's including the previous season's finale "Surrender Noah") but "Heartfelt Passages" is one of the season finales that is every bit as good, despite the outcome of the big event being given away. It is also every bit as outstanding as "Intersecting Lives" and a few things are executed even better, would argue that it is even more tense and emotional. What stops it from doing that is one part of the story not being done enough with.
That being Barba's subplot, absolutely love Barba and his subplot had real potential to be tense. But to me it was too underused and felt incomplete too.
Everything else is fantastic. The episode looks good, with the usual slickness and subtle grit. Really liked too that the photography was simple and close up but doing so without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when used, and luckily it isn't constant, and when it is used it doesn't feel over-scored. The direction allows the drama to breathe while still giving it momentum as well.
Script is one of the most intelligent and tautest of the season, no corn, melodrama or triteness in sight and Brad Garrett's dialogue later on chills. The story pulls no punches, has genuine tension. The major event that dominates the episode could have been dragged out, ridiculous and predictable, but it was neither and also had nothing gratuitous (unlike "Townhouse Incident"). It was exciting and genuinely suspenseful, and the treatment of this harrowing subject is uncompromising as ought. Will agree though that it is frustrating when someone who is clearly a criminal has their profession in solidarity with them, but that has been the case with the franchise for years with corruption in the police force being shown more than once in the original.
Despite the big fate of one character and the outcome of the conflict being given away somewhat in the promos, that didn't stop the outcome from being truly heart-rending. The hospital scenes really moved me. The performances are spot on, Brad Garrett at his nastiest coming out on top but Peter Gallagher also deserves a big mention for his truly poignant delivery of the scene where Dodds opens up. Actually saw him in a different light here, felt truly sorry for him and respected him.
Overall, wonderful way to end a patchy but not bad at all season. 9/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Sep 30, 2022