On first watch, Season 11's penultimate episode "Wannabe" didn't do much for me. It certainly felt more like a 'Special Victims Unit' episode than the previous two episodes featuring Marlowe did. It didn't really grab my attention though, and Marlowe continued to bug me as did the main supporting character. There are many 'Special Victims Unit' episodes that fared better on re-watch after an indifferent initial reaction and was hoping that "Wannabe" would be one of them.
My feelings sadly were very much the same re-watching "Wannabe". It is not a bad episode exactly and is not quite one of the worst Season 11, but it is not particularly good either and has a good number of short-comings (that's including the things that brought the previous two episodes down). Loved 'Special Victims Unit' in its prime and there were a few great episodes in Season 11, which started off a lot more promisingly than the previous season, but there turned out to be a higher number of average and less episodes. "Wannabe" being one of the average ones.
There are good things here. The production values are not static or gimmicky and are suitably slick. The music didn't seem overwrought or overdone and there was some nice direction in the character interaction.
All the regular cast are fine, and most of the supporting cast do more than competently. Standing out being Raphael Sbarge at his most hateable. The abusive relationship hits hard and "Wannabe" does start off quite well and unmistakably 'Special Victims Unit'.
However, "Wannabe" has a good number of debits. Marlowe in her penultimate appearance still doesn't work as a character, her dialogue is embarrassingly corny and it is shocking at how unprofessional she is (such as the head slapping of the witness), her legal tactics are barely legal to "how did she get the job" level. She doesn't fit with the team or the show and Sharon Stone's all over the map acting doesn't help, a mix of overacting (especially her ridiculously and unrealistically overwrought reaction to the shooting) and phoning in.
Furthermore, to me the character of Alex was annoying and very difficult to get behind. Due to his over-zealousness and lack of honesty being taken to extremes, Graham Lavie also seemed on the over-eager side. The dialogue is uneven, with some gritty and thoughtful moments but Marlowe's dialogue is enough to make the toes curl. The story starts off quite well, but becomes predictable and silly later on.
In conclusion, average second from last episode for Season 11. 5/10.