This is one of my all time favorite SVU episodes. Connie Niellson does an outstanding job in her portrayal as Stabler's temporary partner, the "slightly over zealous" Detective Dani Beck. She speaks effortless French (the subtitles are great)in an awesome scene with an elderly alleged victim (Caron). Leslie Caron gives the best performance I've ever seen on SVU. The only reason I don't give this episode a 10 is because Caron's character doesn't make an appearance until halfway through. She deservedly won an Emmy for this role. As a 53 year old male, I rarely shed tears while watching television, but this episode brings them on every time I see it.
7 Reviews
Who would suspect?
bkoganbing21 May 2013
The SVU squad gets a real doozy of a case as Christopher Meloni starts to break in a new partner Connie Nielsen as Mariska Hargitay is on temporary assignment elsewhere. The rape of a woman in a rental car leads to the identity of a high priced civil attorney played by Charles Shaughnessy. Apparently he's been doing this as a hobby for years.
Nielsen is an impulsive detective she and Meloni have their differences. But some deep research by her ties Shaughnessy into crimes going back almost 40 years.
It's one of his oldest victims, a childhood friend of his mother that puts the final nail in Shaughnessy's case coffin. Although she comes into the story halfway into the trial, Leslie Caron faces up to some old demons to do the right thing.
Leslie Caron gives a stunning performance as a traumatized rape victim who let this whole incident eat at her for decades. Worth seeing this episode for her alone.
Imagine poor Gigi as a rape victim.
Nielsen is an impulsive detective she and Meloni have their differences. But some deep research by her ties Shaughnessy into crimes going back almost 40 years.
It's one of his oldest victims, a childhood friend of his mother that puts the final nail in Shaughnessy's case coffin. Although she comes into the story halfway into the trial, Leslie Caron faces up to some old demons to do the right thing.
Leslie Caron gives a stunning performance as a traumatized rape victim who let this whole incident eat at her for decades. Worth seeing this episode for her alone.
Imagine poor Gigi as a rape victim.
Remembrance of things past
TheLittleSongbird16 June 2021
"Recall" is most notable for being the first full episode of Stabler's Season 8 temporary replacement Dani Beck, after seeing her briefly in the previous episode "Clock". Thoughts on her within the fandom is mixed, with there being some vehement dislike of her and her deemed brash and over-zealous personality (as well as being continually compared to Olivia). But also some strong defense. Personally, she grew on me while still being flawed. Didn't care for her at first, but once judging her on her own terms she fared better as a character.
It is episodes like "Recall" that on rewatch changed my mind about her. In my mind, it is one of the best Stabler and Beck episodes and one of the best of Season 8. A vast improvement over "Clock" though, with a far stronger story and a lot more emotional connection. It also has one of the early seasons' most memorable guest turns that left a big impression on me on first watch and still does. Does one miss Stabler with Olivia? Of course, but that doesn't mean that every episode without the two of them together has to be automatically dismissed. Especially when it has so many fantastic things, "Recall" being a fine example of this.
Beck to me makes a great first impression here. She is brash and over-zealous sure (something that is actually acknowledged in the dialogue), two of the most common words she is described as by those that don't like her, but she is also determined and sympathetic in this episode in a way she wasn't in her following episodes. Her skills are also put to very clever use (especially her communicating in French, a genius way of getting Lorraine to open up), especially in her big scene with Lorraine which was both very tense and pulled on the heart-strings. She does work surprisingly well with Stabler, their differences contrasting well and not being too much of a clash (certainly not to Stabler and Lucius Blaine level in "Fat").
A big reason as to why that big scene and "Recall" as an episode works so well is the justifiably acclaimed performance of Leslie Caron, magnificent in one of the most powerful guest turns in 'Special Victims Unit' history let alone the early years. One shouldn't overlook chilling Charles Shaughnessy or affecting Lily Rabe though, both of them not getting enough credit. All the regulars are great and Connie Nielsen makes a promising first impression, but this is Caron's episode.
The story has tension, although the perpetrator is known very early on the tension comes from how to prove his guilt and whether he will be caught. It also has a lot of emotion, especially in the big scene between Beck (one of her finest moments) and Lorraine. It is not the most twist-filled or continually surprising of cases but the tension and atmosphere is nailed. The script is taut and intelligent, lots of talk but no ramble.
Production values are slick and professional, not ever resorting to cheap or untested gimmicks or anything. The music is haunting in the right places and isn't constant or too loud, and the direction gives the drama urgency and breathing space.
For me, the underuse of Fin and especially Munch and the cheesily written coda were the only debits to a wonderful episode.
An episode that shows that Beck was better than given credit for and that her episodes should not be dismissed. Highly recommended. 9/10.
It is episodes like "Recall" that on rewatch changed my mind about her. In my mind, it is one of the best Stabler and Beck episodes and one of the best of Season 8. A vast improvement over "Clock" though, with a far stronger story and a lot more emotional connection. It also has one of the early seasons' most memorable guest turns that left a big impression on me on first watch and still does. Does one miss Stabler with Olivia? Of course, but that doesn't mean that every episode without the two of them together has to be automatically dismissed. Especially when it has so many fantastic things, "Recall" being a fine example of this.
Beck to me makes a great first impression here. She is brash and over-zealous sure (something that is actually acknowledged in the dialogue), two of the most common words she is described as by those that don't like her, but she is also determined and sympathetic in this episode in a way she wasn't in her following episodes. Her skills are also put to very clever use (especially her communicating in French, a genius way of getting Lorraine to open up), especially in her big scene with Lorraine which was both very tense and pulled on the heart-strings. She does work surprisingly well with Stabler, their differences contrasting well and not being too much of a clash (certainly not to Stabler and Lucius Blaine level in "Fat").
A big reason as to why that big scene and "Recall" as an episode works so well is the justifiably acclaimed performance of Leslie Caron, magnificent in one of the most powerful guest turns in 'Special Victims Unit' history let alone the early years. One shouldn't overlook chilling Charles Shaughnessy or affecting Lily Rabe though, both of them not getting enough credit. All the regulars are great and Connie Nielsen makes a promising first impression, but this is Caron's episode.
The story has tension, although the perpetrator is known very early on the tension comes from how to prove his guilt and whether he will be caught. It also has a lot of emotion, especially in the big scene between Beck (one of her finest moments) and Lorraine. It is not the most twist-filled or continually surprising of cases but the tension and atmosphere is nailed. The script is taut and intelligent, lots of talk but no ramble.
Production values are slick and professional, not ever resorting to cheap or untested gimmicks or anything. The music is haunting in the right places and isn't constant or too loud, and the direction gives the drama urgency and breathing space.
For me, the underuse of Fin and especially Munch and the cheesily written coda were the only debits to a wonderful episode.
An episode that shows that Beck was better than given credit for and that her episodes should not be dismissed. Highly recommended. 9/10.
Leslie Caron: Musical Star of the 1950s Emerges as Powerful Actress in Stunning Guest Star Turn
ScottAmundsen26 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The first remarkable thing about this episode is the introduction of Detective Danielle "Dani" Beck (Connie Nielsen), Elliot's partner- pro-tempore in Olivia's absence. She's a loose cannon and Cragen has his reasons for sticking Elliot with her.
Then just when we are catching our breath, when it looks like their prime suspect is going to walk, a voice from the past turns up: a Frenchwoman named Lorraine Delmas, played to a fare-thee-well by the great Leslie Caron.
Getting her to talk isn't so easy. This is when Dani Beck has her moment. Born in Denmark, she vacationed in France with her parents as a child, and speaks fluent French, which makes it possible for her to connect with the victim.
The scene between Leslie Caron and Connie Nielsen is electric: charged with emotion, you actually FEEL this woman's shame and anguish that she has carried for so many years.
In court, she testifies, but it isn't enough to help the young woman who is the latest victim (too many years have passed). But there will be justice: Mlle Delmas hid the evidence in the basement of her building. With hard evidence the case may now be reopened.
Just to see Leslie Caron again after all these years is a joy, especially since she has not lost a thing to the years that have passed.
Then just when we are catching our breath, when it looks like their prime suspect is going to walk, a voice from the past turns up: a Frenchwoman named Lorraine Delmas, played to a fare-thee-well by the great Leslie Caron.
Getting her to talk isn't so easy. This is when Dani Beck has her moment. Born in Denmark, she vacationed in France with her parents as a child, and speaks fluent French, which makes it possible for her to connect with the victim.
The scene between Leslie Caron and Connie Nielsen is electric: charged with emotion, you actually FEEL this woman's shame and anguish that she has carried for so many years.
In court, she testifies, but it isn't enough to help the young woman who is the latest victim (too many years have passed). But there will be justice: Mlle Delmas hid the evidence in the basement of her building. With hard evidence the case may now be reopened.
Just to see Leslie Caron again after all these years is a joy, especially since she has not lost a thing to the years that have passed.
A Class Act. The Best Drama on Television.
mfast3530228 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Just when you think Dick Wolf's franchise of great drama can't get any better, he does it! Everything about "Law & Order: SVU" is already at such a high level, the writing, the casting, the great performances that the actors turn in consistently week after week. But this episode (Recall #8.3) "kicks it up a notch", exceeding even his previous work.
I can't praise Connie Nielsen's performance as Detective Dani Beck enough. Her portrayal of her character's intensity, creativity, and determination to solve the crime is just brilliant.
The clever device of her speaking French (which she does so effortlessly) to Leslie Caron's character Lorraine Delmas exudes empathy for what Lorraine has suffered. And the use of English subtitles further enhances the dramatic moment with rare sophistication.
It is so refreshing to see Hollywood legends like Leslie Caron perform in class productions again. Thank You Dick Wolf.
I can't praise Connie Nielsen's performance as Detective Dani Beck enough. Her portrayal of her character's intensity, creativity, and determination to solve the crime is just brilliant.
The clever device of her speaking French (which she does so effortlessly) to Leslie Caron's character Lorraine Delmas exudes empathy for what Lorraine has suffered. And the use of English subtitles further enhances the dramatic moment with rare sophistication.
It is so refreshing to see Hollywood legends like Leslie Caron perform in class productions again. Thank You Dick Wolf.
Lily!!
adrobertson-8536017 January 2019
Lily is so underrated in everything she does. No one has bothered to write about/acknowledge her performance in this. She's the reason I even watched this episode, especially in Mariska's absence. Which, I'm really sad about. Imagine if it was Mariska, Lily, AND Stephanie in this episode. That'd be the trifecta.
torn from old headlines..?
wolfbane4912 October 2006
what an eerie feeling to watch this episode unfold and suddenly sit upright and realize how similar the story was to a crime that gripped the public here in Canada about 10-11 years ago...!! a failed accountant responsible for over 100 rapes in the Toronto area subsequently married...together with his wife, they kidnapped raped tortured and murdered 2 young teenage girls...previously, his wife had drugged her younger sister with a horse tranquilizer and given her to him as a Christmas present; subsequently the sister died from the drug...Wife also participated in the kidnapping and assault of prostitutes...talk about deja vu all over again...!!!
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