Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) Resilience (2002) User Reviews

Chelsea Doe

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 9 July 2015]

This particular SVU story marks one of the strangest perpetrators they ever encountered. They also get to close the coldest kind of cold case.

Tamara Tunie comes in for some big kudos here. The medical examiner notices a similarity in the pattern of restraint marks on a living victim whose case they just catch and those of on the torso that was found in the Hudson River a few years ago. No head, no limbs, just a torso that was found off the Chelsea piers and hence named Chelsea Doe.

The living victim is teen age Rachel Bella, daughter of Titus Welliver and Cynthia Ettinger. At first glance these people look like a normal happy family. But we gradually learn what a sickie Welliver is and how his warped values are imparted to his family.

And we learn who Chelsea Doe was and how she met her end. I can't say more, this is one to see for yourselves.

Resilience at its most dysfunctional

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 30 September 2020]

On my first viewing of "Resilience", it struck me as another very good episode of 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit's' Season 4 and of the show. If not one of my favourites, then again there are many fine episodes in this season. On first watch (which was about five or six years ago now), it was cleverly plotted and emotional as well as creeped me out and with elements of strangeness. Even though part of me didn't understand everything that went on later on.

Five or so re-watches later (have seen a vast majority of 'Special Victims Unit's' episodes at least twice, apart from the ones that didn't quite do it for me), my assessment of "Resilience" is almost exactly the same though fares even better on re-watch. What stuck out at me as particularly good on first viewing still sticks out now in the same way and overall it is a very good and nearly great episode, if again not quite one of my favourites of Season 4. It's not quite "Chameleon" or "Dolls" level.

"Resilience" for my liking does get a bit muddled in the latter portions. Perhaps because of trying to cram in too many revelations in, there are quite a lot that come at a fairly dizzying rate, and not having enough time to properly explore them. For instance there wasn't much of a reason provided for the need for more kids or for why the victim was being followed on the subway.

A shame because up to then "Resilience" was absolutely 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.

The story for most of the episode is hugely intriguing, it was strange at times but it was also disturbing with one of the most chillingly dysfunctional families in 'Special Victims Unit' history (the truly warped father especially). As well as emotional in the chemistry between Stabler and Jackie, where Stabler's paternal side comes out and it is great to see a sympathetic side to him balanced with the tough cop side when with suspects. Munch and Fin are a great duo and have some great lines in their interplay with Randall.

Love the team and how they work, not letting the case get too over-personal and they work cohesively. The regulars are all on fine form, especially Christopher Meloni who is both intense and sympathetic. Rachael Bella is affecting as Jackie and Titus Welliver's Landricks chills.

Summing up, very good and actually great until it got a little muddled. 8/10

Good performances in a creepy story

[akicork · 9/10 · 20 April 2023]

For me, this episode clearly belongs to Rachael Bella with an excellent performance as her character, Jackie Landricks, goes from the lost and despairing child at the start, through confusion about herself, her family and life in general, to the self-confident woman we see in the final scene with Stabler in the playground. Hopefully, she is finally free of the shadows of the past: Rachael Bella seems to project that well. There is an interesting contrast with the previous episode, "Juvenile". That dealt with the possibility of evil and depravity in a young child, this shows how they can surface surprisingly in an adult.