This is one of those many remarkable episodes and one of a few that start one place and ends completely somewhere else. The prison system and solitary confinement comes into play in this episode. Along with Stabler grappling with his conscious and trying solitary out for himself. A lot of lessons learnt in this episode- excellent.
13 Reviews
More to this show then just fiction
labenji-1216329 November 2020
As I rewatch SVU from Season 1 onward, as the earlier episodes I haven't seen in about 20 years, I get the feeling after reading some of the reviews that people don't get that Law & Order is fiction imitating reality. Now so of the plots are fabricated but the laws are not. It's about understanding the legal system and how imperfect it is, and help us better understand the system and when we need to act. I am not anti-police, but seeing how they treat everyone as guilty until they can prove their innocence and police harassment you begin to understand why there are some who dislike the police. I can't believe 20 years ago, I like the character Elliot Stabler, now as I watch season 11 I am so glad to know his character is leaving soon. He IS a horrible person and believe the job has gotten to him. Can you imagine being innocent, but circumstantial evidence puts you in the crosshairs and having to face a detective like him. He will destroy your reputation by going to your place of work and accusing you of the crime, he will go to your family and tell them you're guilty, slap you around during interrogation, and when the evidence (if the evidence) points to someone else, he'll just move on and leave you to pick up the pieces of your life and we all know your career will be over, because too many people believe "where's there smoke, there must be fire".
I can only pray that I don't end up at the wrong place at the wrong time, or have a doppelganger that's a criminal. How many of us have a reliable alibi 24/7.
NBC teaser was a tad misleading
garrard10 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers
In the days prior to the airing of the third installment of season 11, NBC showed trailers indicating that the show was about Detective Stabler's intentional "incarceration" in solitary confinement. Though the event did take place, it only formed the basis for the conclusion and appeared within the last fifteen minutes of the broadcast.
The bulk of the story dealt with the possibility that a former convict (well-played by Stephen Rea) may have returned to his rapist ways as a suspect in a missing person's case. The drama, as most SVU stories, made commentary on the prison system and the use of "the hole", whether or not it is effective or not. Stabler (Chris Meloni) gets a dose of "separatation" and begins to see it in a different "light", a point brought up earlier by Richard Belzer's "Munch".
An interesting "exchange" occurs between Stabler and the new ADA, played by guest Christine Lahti. It leaves the door open for a "development" down the line in the season.
The bulk of the story dealt with the possibility that a former convict (well-played by Stephen Rea) may have returned to his rapist ways as a suspect in a missing person's case. The drama, as most SVU stories, made commentary on the prison system and the use of "the hole", whether or not it is effective or not. Stabler (Chris Meloni) gets a dose of "separatation" and begins to see it in a different "light", a point brought up earlier by Richard Belzer's "Munch".
An interesting "exchange" occurs between Stabler and the new ADA, played by guest Christine Lahti. It leaves the door open for a "development" down the line in the season.
Why do so many completely miss the point?
jsrtheta1 November 2020
I've seen this episode at least five times before, but while watching it this time (nothing else on, trust me), I was reminded of what the point of this episode was. And how little anyone seems to get it.
Which is frustrating, because how much better can you do than Stephen Rea? Or Christopher Meloni, a criminally underappreciated actor? The show concerns a horrible accusation that is later revealed as a hoax, but in the process, Stabler (Meloni) takes the usual police approach of going for the obvious target when a woman disappears, a man Stabler sent away years ago (who turns out to be innocent of that crime). But that's not the point.
I worked in the criminal justice system for over 30 years. Anyone who works in it will tell you that they have fretted over just why we punish criminal behavior the way we do. That's not to say retribution isn't a legitimate purpose for lengthy incarceration. It's to say that we have constructed an arbitrary legal code (why should everyone who commits armed robbery in some states face mandatory penitentiary time, no matter the facts or factors that led to the crime?) that is revealing itself to be more of a burden on people and society than not. And when we do incarcerate, does that mean we can torture, too?
I once sat across the table from two 14-year-olds who had raped a woman and tossed her out of a fifth floor window. Of course, she died. There is certainly a major fear of such people. They represent an outrageous threat to the public welfare and safety. But there is no attempt in many such cases to understand such behavior and learn how to better prevent it.
But what is worse is that this show portrayed just how unjust the system is to its own victims. Stabler, a character who has previously demonstrated a desire to understand, and a capacity for empathy, gets it in this show. At the close we can see that Stabler not only isn't seeking retribution. He's not even sure the Rea character deserves what hews getting.
I've skimmed the facts here, but for a reason. Watch this episode, even if you watch no other. The episode leaves no easy outs for its characters and, like all good drama, shoves its question right in our face. TV at its near-best.
Which is frustrating, because how much better can you do than Stephen Rea? Or Christopher Meloni, a criminally underappreciated actor? The show concerns a horrible accusation that is later revealed as a hoax, but in the process, Stabler (Meloni) takes the usual police approach of going for the obvious target when a woman disappears, a man Stabler sent away years ago (who turns out to be innocent of that crime). But that's not the point.
I worked in the criminal justice system for over 30 years. Anyone who works in it will tell you that they have fretted over just why we punish criminal behavior the way we do. That's not to say retribution isn't a legitimate purpose for lengthy incarceration. It's to say that we have constructed an arbitrary legal code (why should everyone who commits armed robbery in some states face mandatory penitentiary time, no matter the facts or factors that led to the crime?) that is revealing itself to be more of a burden on people and society than not. And when we do incarcerate, does that mean we can torture, too?
I once sat across the table from two 14-year-olds who had raped a woman and tossed her out of a fifth floor window. Of course, she died. There is certainly a major fear of such people. They represent an outrageous threat to the public welfare and safety. But there is no attempt in many such cases to understand such behavior and learn how to better prevent it.
But what is worse is that this show portrayed just how unjust the system is to its own victims. Stabler, a character who has previously demonstrated a desire to understand, and a capacity for empathy, gets it in this show. At the close we can see that Stabler not only isn't seeking retribution. He's not even sure the Rea character deserves what hews getting.
I've skimmed the facts here, but for a reason. Watch this episode, even if you watch no other. The episode leaves no easy outs for its characters and, like all good drama, shoves its question right in our face. TV at its near-best.
Free-range chicken with Prisoner in solitary
yazguloner28 June 2021
A strong psychological thriller. Elliot rises in this story. The characters who complement and elevate Elliot are Ada Sonya Paxton (Christine Lahti) and prisoner Callum Donovan (Stephen Rea) .
As a rookie, Elliot encounters the criminal he put in jail when everything seemed only black and only white... Time has changed. Elliot has also changed, he has evolved. He is now in gray area of Svu...
But the prisoner has change. He has in solitary confinement is now a ghost... All he hears are the sounds of prison bars like the guillotine. Its only friend is a cockroach... It is the unceasing ticks of Time that hammer nails into his coffin every day. An insane feeling of being trapped... We experience this living coffin psychology through Elliot...
Munch's parable of the free-range chicken is magnificent...
Ps. I love Elliot and paxton's fights. I applaud Paxton's performance...
As a rookie, Elliot encounters the criminal he put in jail when everything seemed only black and only white... Time has changed. Elliot has also changed, he has evolved. He is now in gray area of Svu...
But the prisoner has change. He has in solitary confinement is now a ghost... All he hears are the sounds of prison bars like the guillotine. Its only friend is a cockroach... It is the unceasing ticks of Time that hammer nails into his coffin every day. An insane feeling of being trapped... We experience this living coffin psychology through Elliot...
Munch's parable of the free-range chicken is magnificent...
Ps. I love Elliot and paxton's fights. I applaud Paxton's performance...
Confined
TheLittleSongbird9 May 2022
'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' did vary when it came to character studies or when primarily focusing on one character. This is particularly true with Stabler, the earlier ones were intense, moving and insightful but the more Stabler started to unravel and crack under pressure some of the writing got soapy and took over the case too much. Sonya Paxton is one of the love her or hate her characters, personally liked her while understanding why others don't.
"Solitary" is the third episode of Season 11, which started off surprisingly well with the previous two episodes despite reservations. To me, this was on the uneven side and weaker than the previous two. Some good ideas here, a few done quite well, and nice character writing and moments, but the episode doesn't quite come together as an overall whole and felt disjointed. That is not to say that "Solitary" is bad, it absolutely isn't. Just that it could have been better.
Am going to start with the good. The production values continue to be slick and has a nice grit to it, it is very intimate too but not too much so that it becomes claustrophobic. The music doesn't overbear and is not overused. The direction keeps things moving well while letting the drama breathe. The script is tight and thought provoking enough. The acting is excellent, with a powerfully intense performance from Christopher Meloni and Christine Lahti continues to be both entertaining and headstrong. Great chemistry between the two of them. Stephen Rea gives a very compelling and affecting guest turn, despite his overreaction that caused Stabler's situation part of me felt bad for him.
It was absolutely great to see Munch back, after missing him in the previous two episodes, and he offers a strong perspective worth pondering on and should have been respected more as well as his usual dry humour. Also love the chemistry between Stabler and Paxton, the tension is not over-baked and has intensity and is quite fun to watch. My opinion of Paxton is much higher now than it was on my first watch, she comes over as refreshing and while she is pushy and at times rude her viewpoints have been understandable here and in the previous two episodes (more so than the SVU). She has some nice development, instead of being the stock opposition.
Having said all of this, "Solitary" feels disjointed. Feeling like two cases in one, and one is much stronger than the other. Nowhere near enough is done with the initial crime which is sidelined and quite forgettable. The second, which dominates the episode, is absorbing and has some nice tension, but the truly unprofessional behaviour of the detectives (especially Stabler with his too drastic conclusion jumping without evidence and going over the top in how he deals with it) spoils it. While it has harrowing moments, the solitary confinement subplot was where the episode was at its least interesting, feeling drawn out with not much insightful to say and Stabler's unhinging happens too quickly.
Very like the previous two episodes, the ending is dramatically forced and comes over as wrong morally. Olivia is underused and has little presence due to her being too toned down.
Concluding, has a lot to like but uneven and doesn't quite come together. 6/10.
"Solitary" is the third episode of Season 11, which started off surprisingly well with the previous two episodes despite reservations. To me, this was on the uneven side and weaker than the previous two. Some good ideas here, a few done quite well, and nice character writing and moments, but the episode doesn't quite come together as an overall whole and felt disjointed. That is not to say that "Solitary" is bad, it absolutely isn't. Just that it could have been better.
Am going to start with the good. The production values continue to be slick and has a nice grit to it, it is very intimate too but not too much so that it becomes claustrophobic. The music doesn't overbear and is not overused. The direction keeps things moving well while letting the drama breathe. The script is tight and thought provoking enough. The acting is excellent, with a powerfully intense performance from Christopher Meloni and Christine Lahti continues to be both entertaining and headstrong. Great chemistry between the two of them. Stephen Rea gives a very compelling and affecting guest turn, despite his overreaction that caused Stabler's situation part of me felt bad for him.
It was absolutely great to see Munch back, after missing him in the previous two episodes, and he offers a strong perspective worth pondering on and should have been respected more as well as his usual dry humour. Also love the chemistry between Stabler and Paxton, the tension is not over-baked and has intensity and is quite fun to watch. My opinion of Paxton is much higher now than it was on my first watch, she comes over as refreshing and while she is pushy and at times rude her viewpoints have been understandable here and in the previous two episodes (more so than the SVU). She has some nice development, instead of being the stock opposition.
Having said all of this, "Solitary" feels disjointed. Feeling like two cases in one, and one is much stronger than the other. Nowhere near enough is done with the initial crime which is sidelined and quite forgettable. The second, which dominates the episode, is absorbing and has some nice tension, but the truly unprofessional behaviour of the detectives (especially Stabler with his too drastic conclusion jumping without evidence and going over the top in how he deals with it) spoils it. While it has harrowing moments, the solitary confinement subplot was where the episode was at its least interesting, feeling drawn out with not much insightful to say and Stabler's unhinging happens too quickly.
Very like the previous two episodes, the ending is dramatically forced and comes over as wrong morally. Olivia is underused and has little presence due to her being too toned down.
Concluding, has a lot to like but uneven and doesn't quite come together. 6/10.
Plot that really doesn't make sense
fbupdates15 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This is another episode where we start with one case and end up with another. A girl is missing and her boyfriend mentions this creep who lives downstairs from her. She also just happens to mention him too. And he just happens to be someone Stabler arrested twenty years earlier that made his career. Of course he jumps all over this guy being the one despite flimsy evidence at best. Then it turns out the girl wasn't kidnapped at all. But she jumps in the river. Never mind the fact that she could drown before anyone would find her. She was emailing her meth dealer from a copy shop. I know this is 2009 but people had cell phones and texting then. Who emails someone when they want to get a hold of them right away? Anyway Stabler goes to apologize to the guy she accused but he freaks out and throws him off the roof. He gets into it with the new DA who wants to prosecute. The guy claims spending years in solitary made him do it. Stabler starts to feel for the guy and spends three days in the hole. The DA accused him of going soft when he wants her to cut a deal. This isn't the first time Stabler has gone after someone who was innocent of the crime they were investigating. In season 2 or 3 there was Leon Tate. Cragen did the same thing and ruined a man's life.
Sad
marisofigia22 September 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I swear i felt like Stabler did when he was in the hole and thought that a whole week had gone by, not just three days. I felt this episode just went on for hours and every minute that went by just left me feeling even more bitter than before. Rhea's and Meloni's performances along with an interesting plot line were the best things about the episode. The worst were the new DA character who just keeps on getting more irrelevant by the episode and the whole tone that the story set. Lahti is obviously a good actress but her character is so one-sided that it turns her into a nasty cartoon. This is the third consecutive episode of this season that ends with justice not being really done to the true victims. That's a very bad pattern that is turning Benson and Stabler into the DA's puppets making one careless choice after another. As a big fan of the show, i am saddened.
Oz visits SVU
savanna-224 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
If Stabler had tried to snap the guards neck at the end of his time in the hole, it would have completed the transformation into psychopath, Chris Keller, his character on the gritty violent HBO series OZ.
This episode was part of the softening of Stabler arc, during his final seasons on SVU.
This episode was part of the softening of Stabler arc, during his final seasons on SVU.
Better times better be coming
ctomvelu110 October 2009
Investigating a brutal murder, Stabler is almost killed by a man (Rhea) he put away many years ago. Later, on trial for the attempted murder of a police officer, the man claims years spent in solitary confinement caused him to lash out at Stabler. So Stabler puts himself in the hole for three days to see what it feels like, and comes away with a new view of the case. The liberal scriptwriters have Stabler acting completely out of character as he comes to sympathize with the guy. Even if it was an attempt to give Chris Meloni a shot at an Emmy, it is a weak episode. And Olivia takes a back seat here. Of course, there was the episode where Olivia went undercover in prison. Then, we saw little of Stabler.
No birdman of Sing Sing
bkoganbing29 July 2013
The feud between ADA Christine Lahti and Christopher Meloni gets center stage in this episode of SVU. For a series of episodes these two just pressed each other's buttons.
This involves Stabler getting reacquainted with the man whom he busted as a patrolman. Which said bust also got him his detective's shield. Stephen Rea is the prime suspect of the disappearance of a female neighbor. It turns out he didn't do that crime, but in resisting arrest he pushed Detective Stabler off a roof.
He's claiming solitary made him do it. During his stay in prison Rea ran afoul of the Aryan Brotherhood and the people who ran Sing Sing just kept him in solitary for his protection. His defense is that psychologically it did something to him.
I rather suspect that solitary would be more like what happened to Robert Stroud in Birdman Of Alcatraz. He was not locked in a cell with nothing at all, he had contact with guards and was allowed out one hour a day for exercise. Nothing like what Stabler experienced when he tried solitary. It's a weakness of the episode.
Richard Belzer was sympathetic to Rea's case, but why do I think he would have been less sympathetic if it was Detective John Munch thrown off the roof.
Not the strongest SVU episode.
This involves Stabler getting reacquainted with the man whom he busted as a patrolman. Which said bust also got him his detective's shield. Stephen Rea is the prime suspect of the disappearance of a female neighbor. It turns out he didn't do that crime, but in resisting arrest he pushed Detective Stabler off a roof.
He's claiming solitary made him do it. During his stay in prison Rea ran afoul of the Aryan Brotherhood and the people who ran Sing Sing just kept him in solitary for his protection. His defense is that psychologically it did something to him.
I rather suspect that solitary would be more like what happened to Robert Stroud in Birdman Of Alcatraz. He was not locked in a cell with nothing at all, he had contact with guards and was allowed out one hour a day for exercise. Nothing like what Stabler experienced when he tried solitary. It's a weakness of the episode.
Richard Belzer was sympathetic to Rea's case, but why do I think he would have been less sympathetic if it was Detective John Munch thrown off the roof.
Not the strongest SVU episode.
Ridiculous
gring09 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
An intriguing plot but with so many holes it ends up insulting the intelligence. It starts out with a meth addict who hatches a complex alibi for herself, but manages to outfox doctors and police without showing any signs of withdrawal. She just jumps into a river waiting to be found, and yet she is supposed to be a med student. The denouement has Stabler spending THREE days in the hole, at no time needing a shave but immediately hearing noises (this episode differs from others in resorting to noises and whispers indicating others' madness), thinking it's been a week. It could have been such a great episode with PIRA-apologist (and Oscar-nominated) Stephen Rea, but chose a contrived message over its usual quality storytelling.
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