Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) Dreams Deferred (2012) User Reviews

Patricia Arquette is the Best Guest Star Ever!!!

[Erin50266 · 10/10 · 24 December 2012]

Of course SVU is the best L&O series... and keeps getting better! Almost every episode is a "10" in my book because of Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, and Dann Florek. But Patricia Arquette's excellent performance of an aging, yet Roman Catholic, prostitute was raw, edgy, and poignant. This episode was rare because it doesn't focus on killing and catching but on healing. It shows another side of the SVU squad that I hope all cops would possess. These brave people see the worst of and in humanity, but hopefully still are able to be compassionate to offenders when deserved.

It was great to see Anne Meara playing Patricia Arquette's mother, as I have missed these two wonderful actresses on the 'small screen'. So good, I watched it twice...enjoy!

The real crime in this episode...

[Kenny918 · 10/10 · 26 January 2019]

... is it not winning an award. Excellent episode and Patricia Arquette did a superb job!

Another award winner by Patricia Arquette

[cwinefarrell · 10/10 · 24 October 2019]

Every time I see this episode I tear up. Patricia Arquette gives a moving performance as an aging prostitute. She's just simply amazing.

Patricia Arquette is Amazing

[foxy-92821 · 10/10 · 28 December 2018]

If you don't know how amazing Patricia Arquette is, watch this episode of SVU and find out. She inhabits her characters fully and makes them real, even in their imperfections. She makes you care about them, even if they are not people society would typically view as sympathetic. She finds and brings to life a deep humanity in every character she plays. A truly gifted and underrated actor.

Powerful and tear jerking

[puterkatz · 10/10 · 9 October 2017]

This episode always rips a whole in my heart. I end up crying a few times. Patricia Arquette as Jeannie is exceptional. Short powerful appearances by Anne Meara in her last television performance.

SPOILER AHEAD:

The last 3 minutes are a perfect representation of how interventions go. It should have been a milestone episode. It could have easily replaced the 300th as it was the 304th.

Benson has history

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 22 January 2015]

Patricia Arquette gives a touching and strangely pathetic performance as an aging prostitute. Granted that there's all kinds of needs out there, but Patricia Arquette as an aging prostitute turns out to be the key to catching PJ Downs who is one of her johns. It seems as though Downs who could be violent at times has gone off on a killing spree and before the episode is over has about 10 bodies all over the city including his family.

The FBI task force as headed by Jason Gedrick wants this guy dead or alive. As for Arquette she had one encounter with him, but he was short on cash. So Down went looking for some dough and the SVU squad got to her.

Why SVU is there is that Olivia Benson has some history. Way back in 1992 when she was in uniform and in the South Bronx, Benson broke up a fight between Downs and Arquette where he knocked her around. In any event she's got more empathy for Arquette who is asked to set up Downs.

Arquette is fascinating as this 40 something prostitute who hasn't risen in the ranks of that profession. She's still out at Hunt's Point competing with the younger women and drag queens and there are always more of them coming along. It's all she knows. She's even got a family including an aged mother Anne Meara who would like to see her quit. But what does she put on a resume and what job skills does she have and what employment history can she show?

She's lucky in that she does have a support system of people who care about her including Mariska Hargitay and the whole SVU squad.

Patricia Arquette Was Spectacular

[wrenleung · 10/10 · 24 May 2020]

This episode went from a chase of a serial killer to a heartwarming scene with superb acting by Patricia Arquette. Too bad there was no Emmy nomination for her or anyone in Season 14. The episode is a reminder that SVU is not just about finding the bad guy but also to advocate for the victims and helping those in need.

Wow!

[obucksfan10 · 10/10 · 28 December 2019]

I came late to the party on this one and watched it in rerun but that does not take away from the power of the episode. I don't know if anything like this would happen in real life but isn't that part of what TV is about?

I like the fact that the crime aspect was the least important part of this episode. Patricia Arquette was absolutely amazing in her role. In addition, it was nice seeing Anne Meara has something other than her comedic role in "The King of Queens" and other shows.

After digging around a little I found that Patricia Arquette was at least nominated for her role in this episode but I don't think she won. if you'd like to see a little different take on a police drama then this episode is for you.

My Favourite Episode of SVU

[KimCraigneeDay · 10/10 · 2 February 2022]

My title says it all. Patricia Arquette is fabulous in this. She portrays her character so fabulously well; she speaks (I feel), for men and women who are "on the streets" and feel they have to. I feel through her portrayal.. she has given them a voice. 💗

The Best

[patrickphair · 10/10 · 28 February 2021]

Very simply the best SVU ever. Patricia Arquette was Fantastic. The ending had me in tears.

Cinderella's Street

[yazguloner · 10/10 · 24 July 2021]

It's as if an interesting Cinderella Tale is being told.

The wicked stepmother who doesn't see her as a human being and humiliates her (FBI agent like Corporatehead), stepsisters who ignore her (people who are like Jeannie's daughter), Prince (Jeannie's son and Jeannie's mother). And Fairy (Father with Olivia and SVU)

It's a life-saving operation that I always wish was true.

Everyone here is good. Including the one who killed anyone who stood in his way.

It does justice to Arquete's role.

Not Bad!

[jeanpierrexxiii · 7/10 · 6 July 2022]

I love Patricia Arquette, always had a crush on her 😍. But I'm in the minority on this one, I wasn't crazy about her performance. But she did the best with what she had, and the writers didn't give her very much.

Tonally, there's something off about this episode and maybe that's intentional. It's a decent episode and Stabler's presence is missed. The other guest actors were subpar but they could've been utilized differently. More time should've been spent exploring Patricia and the murderers connection. It's like the writers couldn't make up their mind which direction to go.

I'm being a bit nitpicky here and in general, I prefer the salacious endings over the bleeding heart cops save the day. Still a solid episode worth a watch.

story was too long, IMHO.

[magnetox1 · 23 February 2013]

This story ran longer than it should have, there was no reason to drag it out another fifteen minutes or so past where the case was wrapped up. Cut out everything after the FBI agent leaves, and Benson's "so what happens to her now, toss her back out on the street?" (or whatever the line was). would have been a better ending. The entire "intervention" sequence was unnecessary, and the story would have been much better without it. There have been other episodes that had "you can't solve every problem" endings, so it's not as if there wasn't a precedent. This is just not a show that works if you have a "happy ending", it's supposed to be more realistic than that.

Gross over stepping for the sake of "doing what's best"

[michelle-m94 · 2/10 · 12 May 2021]

This episode had all the potential to be a great team up of SVU and FBI. Instead this ends with the feds leaving a woman without money and leads the team to be the saviors and wrap it all up in a feel good ending.

Should be an award winning episode.

[paulpeck2002 · 10/10 · 22 March 2013]

The best SVU I have ever seen is an understatement. The electricity coming from the performance of Patricia Arquette is mind blowing. And of course to see the magic of Anne Meara is a real pleasure. Beautifully written and acted by all involved in so many scenes but with Mariska and Patricia in particular.

10 out of 10. If an award is due for SVU, I think this episode should be the one especially at the denouement, Of course I don't want to give details but what a thrilling and suspenseful ride of an episode.

I hope that there will be many more episodes that give us the content that this one gave us, a roller-coaster ride of every emotion

Meant review recently figured I should

[UniqueParticle · 10/10 · 24 January 2021]

James Blunt's I'll take everything song in the beginning is one of the best things ever during the beginning scene and Patrica Arquette is magnificent throughout! The episode is about a man that spirals after losing his job; I'm surprised this Law and Order: SVU episode wasn't nominated it's that good! Quite dark I guess you can say most are like that but it effected me a fair bit.

Harrowing dreams

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 12 July 2022]

One of the biggest appeals of 'Law and Order' has been the topics it addresses and issues that come with the topics addressed. Also with how they are explored, the execution more often than not was hardly sugar coated or trivialised and was often pull no punches in quality. "Dreams Deferred" is definitely one of those episodes and it was an excellent episode on first watch, with it being particularly memorable for the guest turn of Patricia Arquette.

Rewatching "Dreams Deferred" recently (my third rewatch overtime), it is still excellent and has been all the times of watching. Not quite as good as the previous episode "Lessons Learned" but for me it is one of the better entries of the first half of Season 14 and of the season overall. Will admit though that "Dreams Deferred" has gone slightly down in my estimations, with one thing that didn't bother me on first watch that sticks out a bit.

"Dreams Deferred" succeeds in nearly every way. Arquette is mesmerising in a gut wrenching performance that moved me to tears, playing a character that doesn't sound rootable at all on paper but actually turned out to be one of Season 14's most interesting and rootable supporting characters. The regulars are extremely good too.

Furthermore, on a visual level the episode is solid and the intimacy of the photography doesn't get static or too filmed play-like. The music when used is not too over-emphatic and has a melancholic edge that is quite haunting. The direction is sympathetic enough without being leaden, while having enough momentum to make the drama sing in its atmosphere.

Writing is intelligent and thought provoking, as well as tense and poignant. It also generally isn't preachy. The story is still powerful and gripped me from the brutally intense opening (my heart was in my mouth). It holds nothing back while still being honest and sensitive.

It's not a perfect episode though this time. While it is moving, the last 10 minutes or so felt dragged out and heavy handed.

Otherwise, excellent. 9/10.

"Dreams Deferred" One of best SVU episodes

[lcountz1 · 10/10 · 7 March 2021]

One of the reasons is the opening song while the show preview sets up.."I'll Take Everything" by James Blunt....an old song but perfect for this episode...

I only watch the Law and Order franchise any more...new shows on TV etc are awful in my opinion....

Patricia Arquette as a main SVU character

[audreylauriston · 10/10 · 28 June 2022]

This episode is a big step above most, with Arquette carrying it almost to herself. More than a guest star, she is the main character in this one, with the SVU team becoming the supporting cast.

This episode speaks of the reality of street sex workers through an aging prostitute, and even though I don't have direct knowledge of this world, to me it feels like a very honest and raw portrayal. Because even though the events shown here aren't ones of a typical day in a hooker's life, it still manages to show the daily, "ordinary" tragedy without sinking into pathos.

The Best

[davianng · 10/10 · 14 April 2020]

Absolute best episode of SVU ever! I've seen them all, and this one stays with me. Great character development, and Patricia Arquette delivers over and above.

Surprisingly Good, Especially When SVU was Beginning to Show Poor Quality

[bkkaz · 9/10 · 10 January 2021]

Once Stabler left, SVU began a long, steady slide toward mediocrity, culminating in the often dumb, soap-opera episodes of the past two or three seasons. But there are still some diamonds in the fertilizer, this episode being one. It all comes down to one element: Patricia Arquette. Her realization of a world-weary prostitute is Emmy-quality, to the degree that even the sometimes preachy writing here doesn't taint it. The basic plot concerns one of her johns going on a rampage, shooting his wife, mother-in-law, and a host of innocent victims. SVU needs Arquette's help to bring him in. Unlike the two-dimensional, comic book-level characterizations in more recent SVU episodes, Arquette's Jeannie is wonderfully realized -- smart, funny, buoyant, and not ashamed of what she does for a living, even if the lifestyle is catching up with her. While streetwise and unsentimental, she's not without a heart, her character staying well away from the stereotype of the hooker with a heart of gold. Arquette's performance seems to lift the script, which still tends toward cliches and mustache-twirling with the other characters (such as a creep of an FBI agent), the only real flaws in an otherwise compelling episode. Too bad SVU can't do shows as good as or better than this enjoyable one anymore.

From dark to light in one episode -- great story

[barbararush-95830 · 10/10 · 14 October 2021]

Arquette was brilliant, humorous, and sad. Great acting all around. The detective, Olivia, gave a credible performance showing concern for the prostitute, and an example of how we can help by going the extra mile for those who can't bail themselves out of their predicaments.

Shootings

[dshell102 · 7/10 · 7 January 2013]

This episode starts with shootings. A week later we had a shooting in Oregon then one in Connecticut. The episode itself was interesting, but I can't help but wonder if the shooters saw this episode. No, I'm not blaming this episode, but it's something worth thinking about.

The ending was very well done on this episode, but so much of it was spent excusing sin. It's okay as long as they're providing for their kids? And a 5 day fast requested by the Catholic church? That's a great way to make someone sick or kill them. Again, I liked the ending, but so much else seemed wrong.

People say you can't blame the media for stuff, but when people turn to evil for entertainment, how do you expect them to turn out? There's choices at all times, and what they enjoy for entertainment is where it starts. While this was an unusually violent episode (most violence in this series happens off screen, though I could be wrong), this could easily be that moment that some people identified with and decided the opening was the solution to their problems.

One of SVU's top 2.0 episodes

[whoneedsascreenname · 10/10 · 7 October 2023]

This episode is far and away among the best SVU episodes of the 2.0 era and competes easily with any of the series' overall top episodes of all time, from all its eras

Aside from Patricia Arquette blowing the roof off the place with one of the best SVU performances ever (where is her Emmy for this?), the episode also benefits greatly from a supporting role by Anne Meara (Ben Stiller's mother for you kids), who was renown for decades for her comedy work with husband Jerry Stiller, but was always a superb dramatic actress.

She is absolutely reverting here as well.

The episode is also one of the rare times when two guest stars are so off-the-chain fantastic all Benson (Mariska Hargity) and cast can do is stand back and allow these treasured people to do their thing.

What an amazing hour of television. 10 stars!

Great writing and performances

[akicork · 9/10 · 8 May 2023]

I am always reduced to tears in this episode, principally by the bravery of Jeannie Kerns in every aspect of her life: in doing what she felt was necessary in order to support her family, in (unsuccessfully) protecting her son from the knowledge of her occupation, in putting her life on the line to catch a murderer, and in being willing to do it all over again because that's who she is. And Patricia Arquette's stellar performance wrapped it all up and delivered the complete package. I could see her joining the main SVU cast in future: with her experience and strength of character, Jeannie Kerns would be a natural as a permanent liaison between the squad and one of their main groups of special victims, expanding on the character of the late lamented Sister Peg.