Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) Lost Traveller (2011) User Reviews

Lost in translation

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 21 June 2022]

Anybody who has read any of my other reviews for for example individual episodes of the 'Law and Order' shows, am slowly working my way through writing reviews for all the episodes of 'Law and Order, 'Special Victims Unit' and 'Criminal Intent' with a long way to go, will know already how much admiration there is from me for anything that tackles difficult and controversial themes and issues. The topic here did sound interesting and quite brave.

"Lost Traveller" was a very good episode on first watch and a few re-watches on it is still very good. Not quite one of Season 13's very best, but nowhere near close to being one of the worst. Of the first half of the season it's to me one of the better episodes, with more good things than not so good. With the good things being many and at best really quite excellent. Was really worried about how the topic in "Lost Traveller" would be handled, luckily it's handled very well here.

The good things will be listed first. The production values as ever have slickness and grit, with an intimacy without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when it's used but does so without being intrusive, some of it is quite haunting too. The direction is also understated but the tension never slips. The script is taut and intelligent, a lot of talk but doesn't ramble or confuse.

Furthermore, the story is very sad and disturbingly dark with uncompromising yet tactful handling of deep themes (i.e. Prejudice). It was truly admirable that "Lost Traveller" manages to not stereotype a group of people that underwent and still undergo prejudice daily. The episode also features one of the season's most amoral perpetrators, with the most chilling amoral line since Season 4's "Damaged". The acting is excellent in lead and support, the regulars are faultless and the prime suspect and perpetrator are especially impressive in support. Amaro has settled very well and Rollins seems more comfortable.

By all means, "Lost Traveller" isn't perfect. Gilbert Gottfried is very annoying and out of place, he is meant to be a comic relief sort of character, but not only are the humour attempts not particularly funny it is also humour that may belong in animation but badly jars in such a serious story. Which made the tone not always consistent.

Did find the opening on the pointless side too and the chemistry between Amaro and Rollins is bland and forced.

In conclusion, very well done mostly. 8/10.

Every once in awhile a SVU episode is a little too dark but still relevant

[tommieadamsphoto · 9/10 · 17 July 2021]

As always the guest cast is amazing, this one is no exception. This is another episode touches the subjects of racism and bullying. A little boy from family whose family is family is of the gypsy culture goes missing after school. The becomes the center of the story to find him. What unfolds in true SVU fashion is a time sensitive case to solve to find the adolescent boy in the streets of NYC. And as always through the twist and turns we learn an little something about another culture, jumping to conclusions based on cultural bias and opinions among the precinct and detectives was well as a sobering reality of our current society.

For some reason though this one seemed exceptionally tragic to me. And in the end makes you realize the importance of teaching children about love and compassion for humanity as a whole. And that as adults it is our responsibility to be that example.

Only the gypsies know

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 8 December 2013]

The SVU squad in Manhattan is called in when a Brooklyn boy never comes home from his school in Manhattan. The problem that Mariska Hargitay and Danny Pino have is that this kid is from a gypsy clan and from breakaway parents from said clan. It's the first instinct of the police to start looking at the gypsy culture for clues.

A really big clue is this man-child, a Lenny like individual who lives on the same block as the victim and his family. Michael Barra plays the suspect who lives at home in a locked room with his and it's a performance modeled on what Lon Chaney Jr. did in Of Mice And Men.

No one from the gypsy community will talk unless the local headman gives permission. Michael Margolis plays him and the power he has over these people is frightening.

It's solved in the end and it's solved when Barra starts talking. As for who did it, all I'll say is the perpetrator is quite an amoral character.

Make sure you check this one out.

Why? Or Why Not?

[yazguloner · 10/10 · 16 July 2021]

There is a beautiful family and what happened to them...

An Svu manifesto... It's a chilling, goosebumps story. At least it did for me.

You go crazy to punish the criminal or criminals with what they did. But, Thank goodness there are laws, thankfully there are honest cops, you say. Because responding to the criminals with the same punishment... It means being as miserable as the criminals.

Immigrant and native discrimination... Are those who cannot defend themselves dangerous? Questions and problems about social protection in the neighborhood.

It is a difficult and gripping story.

Mark Margolis gives a legendary performance. Barra shines too. All performances were great.

It was wonderful to reflect the cultural identity and music of the people and to talk about their beliefs.

There is a section in 9s 10e in Svu where different cultures are reflected. There, too, the use of cultural elements, albeit briefly, was wonderful.

In Svu, all cases are more intense, more emotional and stronger.

Evil comes in every age and form

[Luis-1570 · 15 May 2017]

This is a great and sad episode and everyone who was in was fantastic. A little gypsy boy called Nico goes missing on his way from school and the police have a difficult time trying to find him because of the main gypsy who is called the Rom-Baro he doesn't trust them.

He is found dead and the ME said he was tortured and the main suspect is a mentally challenged young man named Mark. It looks bad for him because all the clues lead to him to being the killer because The police are told by 2 pretty and innocent looking 14 year old girls Courtney and Emma who live on the same block as Nico and go to the same school that they are scared of Mark and saw him with Nico's lucky rabbit foot. Nico's mother's tries to burn him and she tells Olivia she tried to burn him because she was told that Nico was burned with a cigarette.

Nick guesses that Courtney and Emma who have been giving them information about Mark probably are the ones who told Nico's mother about the cigarette burns then Olivia says they are the ones who did it.

Mark is brought to the police station and he comes with the Ram-Baro who is also his lawyer. He tells Fin and Amanda that the girls sneaked into his room Monday night through the window and made him stop watching football. He also says what they did to him and would do it again if he didn't talk to the police.

They bring the girls and their parents in for questioning. Nick talks to Emma and she says Mark did it because Courtney said it. He asks her if they saw Nico after school the day he disappeared? She says no but Nick says she is lying because her and Courtney were seen following Nico on the video a few seconds after him he then shows her the picture of the dead Nico in the morgue and asks her if she is scared because Nico probably was when they were torturing him. She breaks down and tells them Courtney did it and that she begged Courtney to stop but wouldn't then she then grabbed Nico's scarf and strangled him with it to shut him up. She also said Courtney said Nico was just a dumb gypsy and that nobody would miss him.

Courtney who is with her father is being questioned by Olivia and she sees Emma being led away in handcuffs and calmly says what a stupid little bitch. She then says it was just a joke and confesses to everything she did. Her father says his daughter has a perverse sense of humor and wants to get a lawyer but Courtney says that it's a little late for that dad and Olivia agrees. She then calmly asks Olivia is there anything else? Olivia says why? Courtney looks at her and says in the same calm and chilling voice she had the whole time during the questioning why not?

There have been a few evil teenagers on the show but I have to say Courtney is the most evil because of the way she was able to hide her true nature. No one would never had guessed how evil she really is because she seemed to be so nice and caring.

I think this is one of the best episodes I have seen in a long time on the show.

Oh no, not another dodgy Brit!

[akicork · 8/10 · 22 May 2021]

I am a huge fan of SVU, and I would rate this as one of the best episodes of the series. However, I would suggest that the production QA department (if it exists!) do a statistical analysis of the proportion of dubious characters and outright baddies portrayed by British, South African, New Zealand, Australian and other actors with UK or Commonwealth origins, portraying characters with "British" accents coached by the producers into whatever their acting skills moulded. (Or even American actors whose skill can stretch to what Hollywood reckons is a "cockney" or "British posh accent"). It's OK - they can come from anywhere between the Shetland and Channel Islands, and the whole British Empire. Freddie Mercury (born Zanzibar) and Cliff Richard (born Lucknow) are cultural illustrations. You can get your actors from anywhere (Damien Lewis?) but please don't blame so much of New York's crime on Brits!