Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) Hate (2004) User Reviews

Thought-provoking installment, hearkening to September 11

[garrard · 9/10 · 13 June 2010]

"Hate" is a powerful episode that explores the origins of racial hatred and how far some will go to fulfill their own personal "agenda" against a perceived enemy.

In the story, guest star Renaldo Rosales portrays a young man accused of killing three individuals of Arab descent solely because he feels that they are out to kill Americans, basing his prejudices, so it seems, on the attacks of September 11. It is later revealed that his contempt and hatred stems from something more personal that occurred in his life, an event that contradicts the defense that his lawyer (played by recurring guest Barry Bostwick) has developed.

As often happens in an SVU episode, Munch (Richard Belzer) and Finn (Ice-T) get to be a sort of "Greek chorus", chiming in with their respective opinions that allow the writers to "vent" politically.

Filled with rage

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 15 December 2015]

An Arab man and an Arab woman are raped with a pipe and then set on fire with fuel oil. Only someone with a whole lot of rage inside could do something like this.

These weren't just any people. Both belonged to an Interfaith group that the perpetrator targeted. The rape angle is what brings SVU into the case so if he hadn't added that extra sexual touch God only knows how many more victims there could have been.

Some video tape leads them to the suspect Reynaldo Rosales and in the history of the show I doubt you will ever see a perpetrator so filled with rage as this man. It's a mesmerizing performance and quite timely given the days we are living in now.

Rosales will on every opportunity spout how evil and dangerous these people are, the worst of them pretending to be friends like those who are in the Interfaith organization. As it turns out the source for his rage was a lot more closer to home than he even admits to his own lawyer, the ever slick Barry Bostwick. In fact Rosales is caught in one major fib.

Reynaldo Rosales gets major share of the acting kudos for this episode, with very big honorable mention going to B.D.Wong. You have to see how Wong demolishes the defense expert.

Chilling hatred

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 10 December 2020]

With "Hate" comes one of Season 5's, and the early seasons', boldest topics. It is such a controversial issue, that is still shockingly relevant today with extreme opinions on both sides, and anything that would even try to go near it let alone portray it would get some respect from me. Even if the execution wasn't great. This was an episode that on first watch really chilled me to the bone and left me very unsettled, in a good way of course.

"Hate" still makes me feel this way. Despite it being as of now rated lower than the previous episode, to me this was actually the better episode. It still is very powerful and thought-probing with one of the season's most hateful perpetrators. As far as Season 5 episodes go, "Hate" is among the better half, certainly of the first half of it. Just to say that in my mind there is quite a difference between something being racist/bigoted and something being about racism/bigotry with a bigoted character with extreme views that is clearly thought of in very low regard by the rest of the characters (any phrases and slurs in the writing are from the viewpoint of the character not the writers). "Hate" is in the latter category.

The only thing that didn't really ring true was the defense's argument, one that is irrational and quite hard to swallow as well as one that would be laughed out of court.

Wouldn't have said no to more Fin and Munch, though that is more nit-picky.

Otherwise, "Hate" is great. It's well made, intimately photographed and slick with no signs of under-budget or anything. The music didn't sound melodramatic or too constant and the direction is accomodating while still having pulse. The writing doesn't ramble, although as usual there is a lot of dialogue to digest, and really provokes thought, disturbs and brings a lump to the throat. There is a good deal that is insightful here and despite being forceful and very gutsy there is more tact actually than there is in "Brotherhood", the execution being not near as overboard.

Moreover, the story is a tautly paced and thoroughly engrossing one, with a good deal of suspense, some neat plausible twists and a pull no punches approach that doesn't get too preachy or gratuitous. It was very interesting and shocking to seeing what people's attitudes towards muslims were at the time, and just as shockingly is that there are people that still feel that way. The perpetrator is one that has no real redeeming quality in their body, everything they say especially makes one feel disgusted.

As ever, the acting is on point. BD Wong stands out here, especially agreed when he annihilates the defense expert. Reynaldo Rosales is bone-chilling and gets the acting honours.

Concluding, terrific episode. 9/10

Mixed Emotions!

[specterman · 8/10 · 20 June 2021]

I think I can understand why Sean Webster is full of so much hatred. Growing up without a father is very hard on children especially when they've been told they died fighting for their country in Afghanistan. Then to be a single mother is never easy even with people living on welfare, so no wonder Sean's mother was so bitter

Also with all the stories Sean's mother must told him about Muslims, 9-11 and that his father dying in Afghanistan no wonder he became Xenophobic. He must have loved his father but then to find out that he is alive and he left them for a Afghani woman no wonder Sean went over the edge with his monomaniacal hatred of Muslims.

I know what Sean did was sickening but what his father did was also wrong. I never liked anyone who would leave their family for another woman!

It was also partially Seth Webster fault because his family needed him and he just selfishly turned his back on them and left!

Hate implications

[real_rivaldo · 1/10 · 3 January 2019]

The episode is full of anti Islamic phrases and implications that all muslims are terrorists i believe as a muslim this episode is a hate episode just as its title and producers should have cared more for muslims feelings about these phrases and apparently they didn't have any reference on islam before creating the episode