Institutional Fail
- Episode aired Oct 7, 2015
- TV-14
- 43m
SVU goes after Social Services after a pattern of falsified reports leads to the death of a young girl, but Benson is receiving a lot of political pressure to let it go and not open up a can... Read allSVU goes after Social Services after a pattern of falsified reports leads to the death of a young girl, but Benson is receiving a lot of political pressure to let it go and not open up a can of worms.SVU goes after Social Services after a pattern of falsified reports leads to the death of a young girl, but Benson is receiving a lot of political pressure to let it go and not open up a can of worms.
- Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola
- (as Ice T)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAmanda (Kelli Giddish) was pregnant with her first baby that she gave birth to on Oct. 6th 2015. Her pregnancy was written into the script for season 17.
- GoofsWhen Olivia enters Bruno's apartment, the number on the door is 9D, but when they find his sister inside, Carisi calls for an ambulance for apartment 9J.
- Quotes
Rafael Barba: [to Janette] Are you the most incompetent manager in the world who can't tell the difference between a false report and a legitimate one? Or did you instruct case workers to falsify reports to meet productivity goals?
Mickey D'Angelo: Objection! Badgering!
Judge Maria Ana DeFeceo: I'll allow. The witness will answer.
Rafael Barba: So which is it, Miss Grayson?
Janette Grayson: I didn't want any of this to happen.
Rafael Barba: You didn't want to advance your career by ignoring innocent children's pain and death, or you didn't wanna get caught?
Mickey D'Angelo: Objection!
Janette Grayson: I'm asked to do what the courts can't do, what the cops can't do.
Rafael Barba: You are asked to do your job!
Janette Grayson: Oh, God himself could not do this job!
Mickey D'Angelo: We need a recess, your Honor.
Janette Grayson: You wanna judge me? You wouldn't last an hour in my world. And if I go, who's gonna be on the front lines?
[points at Barba]
Janette Grayson: You?
[points at the judge]
Janette Grayson: You?
Mickey D'Angelo: Your Honor!
Janette Grayson: I mean, you dump the most hapless cases in the world on us every day! More and more! We get the dregs of humanity, children raised by wolves! And you see them come in this court in and out, week in and week out. They come to you as criminals. Do you ever stop to think: "Gee, what happened before that?"
Judge Maria Ana DeFeceo: Miss Grayson, do you need a break?
Janette Grayson: Oh, now you wanna gimme a break? After 25 years of "Make your quota, Janette!" "Push that paper!" "Hit those numbers!" Right, Matt? Right? It's impossible! And everybody knows it. You all know it. But you wanna scapegoat me. You wanna make me feel bad. You wanna take me down so you can feel better about yourselves. See? 'Cause you pretended like you don't know that there are poor people out there in the city. Broken people. You don't turn away from the homeless guy on the subway? 'Course you do. Everybody does, 'cause it's too much. You wanna put me in jail for this? Look in the mirror, my friend. Look in the damn mirror.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Law & Order: SVU Cameos (2018)
Was hugely impressed and even blown away by "Institutional Fail" on first watch. Primarily for the performance of Whoopi Goldberg and her big scene on the stand, which stayed with me for a long time afterwards. On rewatch, "Institutional Fail" struck me as a great episode and one of Season 17's best (as well as being the first great episode of the season). The subject matter is a hard hitting one and one of the season's toughest and this is one of the most tactful handlings of the particularly difficult subjects explored this season.
The only thing that didn't impress me that much was Barba's maternal outrage comment. That was a very unsympathetic comment, have never known Barba to be as tactless as he was then, and something he wouldn't usually say about women or even dream of saying.
"Institutional Fail" is pretty much brilliant everywhere else. In her second appearance of the franchise, with her also being in the 'Criminal Intent' episode "To the Bone", Goldberg gives one powerful portrayal that chilled and moved. Her speech on the stand is one of the season's most talked about scenes and deservedly so, being very raw and shocking because of how truthful it is. The other acting standout, and the episode is very well acted all round, is Raul Esparza, showing his usual authority and sassy spark.
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.
Script is tight and has always made me think long and hard after (a lot of 'Special Victims Unit' episodes do), with grit, class and tact. While it is clear what side the writers are on, it is not done in too one sided a manner (evident in Goldberg's speech) while also being truthful about the subject that is being tackled. The story is very absorbing and has a lot of emotional power, due to handling a difficult relevant subject in a way that is not sugar coated without being too heavy at the same time.
In summary, great and one of Season 17's best. 9/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Sep 20, 2022