Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) Gimme Shelter - Part Two (2022) User Reviews

Benson is Boss of all Three Law & Orders

[whoneedsascreenname · 8/10 · 24 September 2022]

Gimme Shelter Part Two is the second hour of the three part Law & Order franchise season premiere crossover and despite loads of missed opportunities (what's new, it's Dick Wolf), this is still the best hour by far of the three.

The action picks up with Benson and Fin questioning a teen discovered in the previous hour's raid (Gimme Shelter Part 1 - OC 3x1) while the Mothership's Cosgrove and Shaw (Jeffrey Donovan and Mehcad Brooks) interrogate a madam on the other side of the glass.

Minutes later combined squads descend in artillery on the bad guy's mansion for some classic L&O action.

Though led by Benson & Stabler, it's Benson (Mariska Hargitay) calling the shots, as she does throughout the evening. She's distinctly in charge particularly when working with Stabler, (Chris Meloni) who has made it clear since returning that that's how he wants it.

After a broken ankle and knee injury sidelined her for months last year, Hargitay is back in top form, sprinting up staircases and streets again with her former partner, as well as alongside Rollins (Kelli Giddish).

That Wolf paid a fortune to reunite her with Meloni (whose own athleticism is legion), but seems to have no real idea what to do with them, is now bordering on debacle. Several obvious opportunities to have the characters connect were inexplicably bypassed during the crossover, particularly when Stabler suffers a loss and Benson protects a witness.

And the one moment that appears meant to be their "big scene" -- Stabler aggressively tries to protect her and Benson wildly overreacts -- is strangely off.

The second crossover hour also highlights OC's Jet Slootmaekers (Ainsley Seiger), the tech wiz whose growing fondness for Stabler has been an Organized Crime high point.

OC's Bell (Danielle Mone Truitt), Fin and Rollins are good in what little they are given to do, a short-shrift to create more time to market Mothership characters. Carisi (Peter Scanavino) is nowhere to be seen until near 11 pm, for literally 15 seconds.

Ep also has explosives, hostages and Stabler pummeling the villain -- all a notch up from average SVU episodes of late, but nowhere near what this should have been.

Gimme Shelter Part 2 is really a 7-star episode at most, but adding a coupla stars for the "three-hour-movie" ambition and BensonStabler nostalgia.

Gimme Shelter - Part Two

[bobcobb301 · 7/10 · 8 October 2022]

I know that this show and all shows like it has to do these crossover episodes. So far though this is turning out pretty well. High on the action and even if we don't get a big suspenseful twist in the end it is worth watching.

I have mixed feelings about the show feeling like a combination of everything and not really SVU though. This will go into syndication some day and will come off as confusing to someone flipping channels.

I guess we shouldn't worry about that in the present and now though and just appreciate that SVU is still rocking and rolling and keeping us entertained after all of these years.

Not One, Not Two But Three L&O Shows Crossover

[shelbythuylinh · 7/10 · 23 September 2022]

It has to do with the recent events in Ukraine and in the one point in 2001 SVU, the Original, and the now former Criminal Intent wanted to do one that was terrorist related but was scrapped due to the 9/11 attacks.

And that it had a girl that was shot and how Benson and the other officers team up with Stabler, Cosgrove, and his new partner, Supergirl alum Mechad Brooks as John Shaw.

The teams realize that it is not no ordinary homicide and that there is more than meets the eye. And it ends up going much ore further there. When it is all on an international crime ring going on there.

Won't tell you how Amanda Rollins will leave but will miss Kelli Giddish the actress who plays her. Best of luck.

Crossover are Confusing for Those Who Don't Watch the Other Shows

[jayling-44384 · 5/10 · 19 April 2023]

After watching a marathon of Law & Order SVU from previous years, it was confusing to see the start of the new Season 24, since I don't watch any of the other Law & Order programs.

Personally, I prefer just the regular SVU episodes and not these type of crossovers. So for myself, it was just a confusing mess, but for others who do watch these other programs it was probably a great episode.

Just a heads up to others who may only follow SVU.

I'm kind of surprised that they included a few of the SVU team into this type of episode, especially for a start of the new Season, but it is what it is. Looking forward to the regular SVU team back again.

Terrible!

[BirdzOfParadise · 2/10 · 27 September 2022]

What is wrong with this episode? Let me count the ways...

This was the 1st part of a 3 parter whose writing got increasingly worse. It was so bad, the scenarios so contrived, the dialogue so ridiculous, that I came here specifically to see who wrote these and if they had done any other L&O episodes. I had a good hunch they had not as no episodes have ever been written this poorly before, and I was write. I surely hope she they are never allowed to write another.

And when did IMDb start this 600 character review requirement? I couldn't post the above as is because I needed to add another 132 characters. So here you go. Smh.

Marginally Better Than First Part

[bkkaz · 3/10 · 23 September 2022]

Okay, the first half of this episode is better than some, mostly because it focuses on Stabler. But ever notice if there's going to be a screw up in the Law and Order universe, it's going to be Stabler who is involved? Never St. Benson (and if there's any hints, she's always redeemed or given a pass by the end). In this case, it involves a confidential informant, though obviously it's his own fault ultimately.

This episode continues where part one left off. Now they're looking for a mad bomber. There's some serious Keystone Copping in the second half that eats up lots of time. Meanwhile, the bad guy keeps giving our heroes the slip, to the degree that it becomes almost a cartoon. There is some dodgy CGI of a building exploding that looks cartoonish, if that helps.

Speaking of St. Benson -- rather, St. SuperBenson, M. D., Ph. D. Esq. -- she's in charge for some reason of a multi-department task force. Why? SVU investigates sex crimes, not mad bombers. Wouldn't that be a Major Case situation, SWAT, or just the plain vanilla Law and Order cops? How is it protocol to put her in charge other than to have MegaUberBenson, the Great, lead the police as the fearless object of moral exactitude she is?

There's some Daniel Craig-ish fisticuffs toward the end that would be cathartic if the silent movie antics hadn't preceded it. Really, Law and Order should just stick to the investigatory work they're known for rather than the action movie imitation. Seeing 50 and 60 year olds running around like 20-somethings is sort of empowering, I guess, but remember when the show used to be smart?

Again!,

[alkaniner · 1/10 · 23 September 2022]

I wrote a review of another Dick Wolf show, FBI and FBI International, the first shows of the season, about how many Wolf shows use bombs and hostages as plot lines. So sure enough, first Law and Order Organized Crime and SVU, deals with sex trafficking and-drum roll- a bomb and the perp taking a hostage. This time the bomb went off just as the cop gave up trying to defuse it. Don't viewers get bored of bomb plots and hostage taking? NBC is considering dropping the third prime time hour every week night. Might as well, I'm ready to bail from these Wolf shows. Seems to be a lack of creativity among the writers.