Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) Nocturne (2000) User Reviews

One of the best episodes of season 1.

[anthonystewarthead · 10/10 · 27 August 2018]

In this SVU ep an elderly piano teacher is abusing his pupils. The abuse has been going on for years and he has touched multiple children. I found this episode really creepy because the piano teacher had no remorse for his actions. He believes that his tutoring saved all the pupils from the areas that they lived in. His pupils lived in the poorer, crime ridden parts of New York. He believed that without him they would have been involved with drugs, violence, gangs, and/or the police. He preyed on all his pupils and they wouldn't come forward because of the support and success he brought them. Many of the residents in the neighbourhood won't speak against him, testify or say anything unkind about him.

He has a popular, unblemished reputation but none of the people that have crossed his path have seen the monster he is underneath. In his house the squad find videotapes with signs of the abuse on them. Later in the ep Munch and Stabler discover that an abused pupil of his was abusing other younger pupils. He forced the older pupil to touch younger pupils while he witnessed the abuse. Stabler and Munch are apalled and the case really hits home for Stabler because he has children. Munch is also deeply disturbed by the case as he has to watch many of the tapes from the perp's house by himself.

This is a brilliant episode showing how disturbed pedophiles are. The older pupil from one of the tapes ends up testifying against the piano teacher. He is sentenced to over 100 years in jail without parole. The pupil decides to face the music and have himself punished for his crimes. He was influenced to touch those children but in the end it was his choice to hurt them. He'd rather be behind bars safe, instead of a danger to children. He redeems his soul by atoning for his sins.

Shades of grey

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 27 November 2019]

During prime-'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit', which has always been the early seasons to me (it became a little more variable around Season 8 or so), as well as being riveted by the cases it was very difficult to not feel a wide range of emotions. Many episodes were not easy watches (and that did continue in the show's mid period too and many times, if not as consistently when the show became not as good as it was, in the latter seasons as well), and left me disturbed and deeply moved.

"Nocturne", Season 1's penultimate episode, is one such example. It is very hard hitting, with one of the season's most shocking twists that one does not see coming before, and very moving, like the best 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' episodes (and to me it is a high point of the early seasons) a wide mix of emotions are felt. It is also interesting for having one of Season 1's most interesting "victims" in Evan, who is not as black and white in terms of type of character as he seems. Meaning that he is quite complex and not one-dimensional good or evil.

It has a very powerful story, with a difficult subject tactfully handled, that grabs the attention from the get go and gets even more compelling with the twist being the explosive turning point. Stabler and Munch's reactions to the shocking and very disturbing turn of events is a big reason for why "Nocturne" is as great as it is for me. Some may find the courtoom scenes too few, maybe but in this case having a "victim" character that is one of those shades of grey sort of characters, seeing different sides to a couple of the detectives and showing the full impact of abuse when the crime is being investigated matter more. Anything concerning Stabler's family doesn't get in the way and this time is important in showing Stabler's feelings on the case and why he reacts the way he does when finding out things are not what they seem. The ending is both moving and satisfying.

Wilson Jermaine Heredia's very harrowing performance as Evan is a major bonus here, one of the best of Season 1 and of the early seasons. Very nearly, if not quite, on the same level as the show's best guest star turns, a list that includes Robin Williams, Carol Burnett, Jeremy Irons, Elizabeth Mitchell, Ludacris, Martin Short and John Stamos. One feels an equal amount of sympathy and disgust for Evan, not condoning in any way his actions but understanding how he came to be that way. Our complete and utter hatred is directed at the real villain of the story, who is pure evil through and through due to his lack of any remorse and chillingly played.

How the case affects Stabler and Munch adds enormously to "Nocturne's" emotional impact. It was great to see a sympathetic Stabler in the role Olivia usually fills, this aspect has a lot of heart. Munch, until seeing his empathetic side in the previous episode "Remorse", was the character providing the dry humour, but here we see how much the case affects him and how truly disturbed he is by it. Some of Christopher Meloni's best acting of the show, and an acting high-point of the episode, is his reaction to the tape, our own reaction is the same and is the equivalent of believing something for a long time without having reason to think otherwise and then find you're deceived in one of the worst possible ways. Have been there myself when scammed by an alleged domestic violence victim.

Production values are still fine as is the music, while the direction is alert and accomodating and the dialogue taut.

Summing up, wonderful and a first season high point. A must for 'Special Victims Unit' fans. 10/10

Best Episode of Season 1

[wrenleung · 10/10 · 22 August 2020]

Excellent episode following a handful of mediocre ones in this season. Some scenes were hard to watch but that's Law & Order SVU.