Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) Townhouse Incident (2016) User Reviews

Special Forces even High are Conditioned

[labenji-12163 · 9/10 · 4 December 2020]

This was a great episode, but wanted to respond to previous reviewer who said she found it hard to believe that junkie intruders wouldn't have shot someone. The key to why Joe didn't go on a shooting rampage was probably due to him being a part of military Special Forces unit. He was conditioned to remain calm under pressure that even when high, he would have more presence of mind than a junkie without military training and discipline. Regardless if someone is military or civilian, you have been trained and doing a particular job for a long time, even when under the influence your subconscious self would naturally default.

But the real terror comes when you are dealing with an armed junkie that hasn't made it past the 6th grade then it's fight or die, because there is no reasoning with a dangerous idiot.

Tense incident

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 26 September 2022]

Was initially nervous prior to my first watch of "Townhouse Incident" when it first aired about seeing the episode to be perfectly honest. Not because of hating 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit', as that is not true (although it has not been the same for a long time). But because of getting tired of seeing episodes where Olivia is in peril and so soon after everything with William Lewis, so it was a case that she should have really not gone near.

"Townhouse Incident" turned out on first watch to be much better than expected. Did find one scene in bad taste that also bothered a lot of fans. On rewatch, it holds up and is every bit as good. It is a long way from being a show high point and it is not one of the best episodes of Season 17 (as well as nowhere near one of the worst), but it delivers on the tension that is expected from this type of story and is not as drawn out or as ridiculous as feared.

Still felt that the much-criticised rape scene was completely gratuitous and seemed to be a cheap way of bringing back Olivia's traumas.

Also felt that Barba and Fin were under-utilised, Fin especially has next to nothing to do and is bland.

However, a lot of things about "Townhouse Incident" are good. To me, it is the best looking episode of Season 17. Especially the photography, which has more slickness and variety in types of shots than has been seen in some time. When the music is used it is haunting and has a melancholic edge that is not overdone. The episode is sympathetically yet uncompromisingly directed, especially in the more tense second half.

Furthermore, the script is intelligent, taut and thought-probing, with a lot of talk but not in a way that rambles or feels padded and it doesn't get too melodramatic. There is also a tense and adrenaline filled story that doesn't get too predictable and doesn't feel dragged out or far fetched. Mariska Hargitay has the right amount of steel and vulnerability, things that she always brought whenever there was an Olivia in peril type of story. The supporting cast fare solidly, was very unsettled by the perpetrator. Did like that Tucker had softened and a lot more likeable (and that is saying something) than he was in the early seasons.

In summary, very well done though won't be for all tastes. 8/10.

One of the best episodes ever

[goodman156 · 10/10 · 21 July 2019]

I am a big fan of SVU. So often watching this show I forget for a moment that these are actors. That's good writing and excellent acting.

Pure Adrenaline

[amckee-64063 · 9/10 · 27 December 2017]

This was one of the first SVU episodes I ever watched, and it's still one of the best. Benson gets plunged into a dangerous hostage situation with an off-the-wall trio of kidnappers. The tension is high from start to finish, while both regulars (Barba's return alone makes this episode worth watching) and guests give superb performances. In the end, high-stakes game of wits between Benson, her boyfriend Ed, and the lead kidnapper reaches a thrilling and satisfying climax.

Couldn't breathe while watching

[lizmea · 9/10 · 14 April 2020]

I was going to do some other things while watching this only to end up staring at the TV screen even forgetting to breathe.

Everything was great except that I found it's kind of hard to believe the drugged robbers with a couple of guns didn't really shoot anyone. I think that Joe guy seemed capable of shooting people especially under pressure.

By the way, I was just so swayed and mindblown by the acting of the robbers. All of them act SO WELL! They were sooooo good that I almost believed they were really robbers!

By Faaaar one of the Best Epsiodes.

[tyranhardin · 10/10 · 10 September 2019]

This episode kept me on the edge of my seat and made me rewind more than a few times.

I couldn't go to sleep

[kurisutofusan · 9/10 · 4 February 2021]

I played the episode while getting ready to go to sleep, thinking I could pause and watch the rest the next day. Big mistake. It was one of the best episode of the serie, there was no day I'd pause!

Good episode, but...

[dg_dave · 8/10 · 27 May 2020]

Because of what happens in this one, I can't watch it, due to having flashbacks of an incident of my own. I won't go into specifics, but it's worth the watch.

Benson Taken Hostage AGAIN

[mishael53 · 8/10 · 13 January 2024]

It was a good episode. However, just how many times is Benson going to be taken hostage?? It's pretty tiresome at this point, including the previous episode when Noah briefly went missing. Do they keep torturing her since she's the audience favorite? Because trauma fatigue is a thing. And at this point, it's just not believable.

As for the episode, it was written and acted really well. We've obviously seen a lot of hostage situations in movies, and even SVU itself. And nothing was new or groundbreaking. But it still brought tension and suspense all the way to the end of the episode.

As a stand alone episode (without knowing all of the multiple times Benson's involvement), it's one of the better SVU episodes.

Olivia walks in on a home invasion

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 14 January 2016]

In the 17 seasons of SVU Mariska Hargitay gets put into more dangerous situations than your average cop. This time at the behest of baby Noah's sitter Bronwyn Reed she walks in on a home invasion taking place at another of Reed's sitter clients. A husband and wife, daughter and son are taken hostage while the robbers look for a hidden fortune.

This is how a lot of home invasions originate, someone hears a rumor and it gets to the wrong ears. A former employee heard that this family has a safe in the home with a fortune in cash. So his junkie sister and her junkie boyfriend decide on a robbery. Of course there's no truth to the rumor.

But that doesn't make Joe Reegan, Amber Skye Noyes, and James McMenamin any less dangerous simply because their stupid.

Sergeant Olivia Benson keeps a cool head and of course everything comes out all right.

Our three junkies are real specimens of human waste, but the players offer compelling portrayals.

Good TV. Bad for the psyche.

[alexpwns · 5/10 · 6 May 2021]

I've been on bed rest for a back injury, and in this time somehow I've made it up to SVU season 18! Anyone who claims this isn't the most watchable show of all-time is insane.

So I hate being the naysayer who feels obliged to point out that this episode was both offensive and straight-up cruel. As someone who was lucky enough to experience a very similar situation as a teenager, listening to a 16-year-old screaming from a bathroom getting raped for three minutes was beyond offensive and triggering (and I HATE that lame word).

Maybe I'm biased - the rest of the episode was fantastic, but that scene destroyed everything. I became paranoid: I was sure he'd get violent and more assault would come, because clearly they were milking it for an Emmy submission that year.

I've watched this show hundreds of times, and I keep a list of the episodes that are no-gos for rewatching - as a well-edited show, there usually aren't that many. I am aware of what it is about, and 95% of the time I have no problem with it (I present that other 5% doesn't exist and move on). However, became a member of the club within 15 minutes. Worst of all, this would've been an amazing episode had it not been for the rape scene.

Here's where I recommend going back to seasons 4-8ish - no real time bathroom floor rapes, no coverage of the boring personal lives of all the cops, and flip phones for days!