Have always admired 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit's' tackling of various topics and issues and the episodes are very powerful when done well, meaning uncompromisingly but with enough sensitivity. The more relevant, more important and more hard hitting the subject the more it appeals, though the show has been prone in its later seasons to one-sided-ness and heavy-handedness and despite the addressing of a very relevant topic expectations were not high.
Due to it being a topic where it is easy to not see all sides and focus on too much of one and also because the heavy focus of personal life drama later on, despite it being related to the case directly Olivia's personal life subplots in the latter seasons varied more than any other SVU member. The one here leans towards being one of the misses. The topic in "Granting Immunity" is an interesting and still relevant topic, especially since anti-vaccination attitudes became a major problem last year, executed in an uninteresting and not particularly insightful way. If the episode did something right it did intensify my already intense dislike of anti-vaxxers, their selfishness, recklessness and their distasteful reasoning for being against it.
By all means, "Granting Immunity" is a long way from being a terrible episode. T is a visually slick episode, typical for 'Special Victims Unit' and the 'Law and Order' franchise, and one with the right amount of muted grit, the photography doesn't try to do anything too fancy or gimmicky while not being claustrophobic and keeping things simple. The music doesn't overbear with the theme tune still memorable. There are moments of solid direction.
As well as some tight and thought probing scripting in the first third. The acting is very good, Missi Pyle relishes playing a character one hates from the start, Olivia indeed was very restrained in her attitude towards her.
"Granting Immunity" fails in too many areas however. There is too much drama centered around Noah, which felt dragged out and lacked any real tension or urgency. Only Olivias genuine concern comes over as realistic or relatable in this regard. Too much of the episode is preachily written and lacks suspense, the measles situation dominates so much that one forgets what the case is. The episode offers little insightful or interesting to the vaccination debate, the anti-vaxxers side being very heavy handedly and distastefully written.
While it is scary that there are actually people like her in real life (ie. Kate Shimerani), pyles character is far too over the top and lacks any kind of dimension. The rest of the SVU are not used very well at all, especially Fin who is too much underused window dressing here. The pacing is dull, especially in the second half which severely lacks the tension the situation requires. The dialogue is too heavy handed and has no substance or insight.
Overall, underwhelming. Good idea that is not well executed. 5/10.