The death of a waitress is ruled as a suicide. However, the girl's disturbed father takes justice into his own hands when the investigation reveals that his daughter suffered from depression... Read allThe death of a waitress is ruled as a suicide. However, the girl's disturbed father takes justice into his own hands when the investigation reveals that his daughter suffered from depression, due to her boss sexually abusing her.The death of a waitress is ruled as a suicide. However, the girl's disturbed father takes justice into his own hands when the investigation reveals that his daughter suffered from depression, due to her boss sexually abusing her.
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- Special Agent Dr. George Huang, M.D.
- (as B.D. Wong)
- Donovan Alvarez
- (as D. J. Cotrona)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaViola Davis plays a defense lawyer in this episode. She later stars in How to Get Away with Murder (2014) as a former defense lawyer who became a law school professor and teaches a criminal defense attorney class.
- GoofsA person convicted of manslaughter (either degree) cannot be given a sentence of probation. Manslaughter in the second degree is a violent class C felony and carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 3-1/2 years in prison. Manslaughter in the first degree (which is what the defendant is guilty of) is a violent class B felony and carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. The only violent felony class that can get probation as a sentence are class E felonies and the only homicide charge that is a violent class E felony is criminally negligent homicide, which clearly does not apply in this case.
- Quotes
Alex Cabot: Some of you may believe that Perry Williams raped Vanessa Bevins in that alley, but Perry Williams is not on trial here. In fact, he never got his day in court at all. So in the eyes of the law, he is innocent until proven guilty. Even if his guilt had been established beyond a reasonable doubt, he could not have been executed for his crime. Ray Bevins executed Perry Williams. He shot a man, who was on his knees, begging for his life. Now some of you may think that he deserved to die, but you have to ask yourselves if you would execute a man whose guilt had not been proven. We have all felt the need for revenge at some point in our lives. We have all lashed out in pain and anger, and we have all thought that justice means an eye for an eye. But is that justice? Does Perry Williams' family now have the right to kill Ray Bevins? Does Ray Bevins' family then have the right to retaliate against Perry Williams? When would it stop? An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.
To this day, "Grief" is still among the best episodes of Season 4 and of the early seasons. It is also one of the most emotional on both counts and of the whole show too, everything that made it such a great episode on first watch still holds up. Plus any parent going, or has gone, through one of the worst nightmares anybody, let alone a parent, can go through is likely to relate to the moral dilemmas here while seeing the case from all sides.
Photography is slick and subtly gritty as usual and while the locations are limited in number they are still pleasing to look at and the more intimate ones aren't claustrophobic. The editing has also come on a long way since the show first started and it was always good from the very beginning, just that it became smoother and crisper as the production values became more refined. The music is haunting while not going over the top and not being intrusive, too constant and melodramatic music would have ruined the mood and would not have let the dialogue do the talking as effectively.
Love the script too, it really provokes thought and puts the viewer through a number of emotions, including anger, sadness and empathy. Did appreciate its sensitivity without getting mushy while also having a never preachy tough side. The story is not conventional in its execution and is more complex emotionally than it sounds, it was a story that started off great and got better and better. Stabler and Ray's chemistry is beautifully done, the heart of "Grief" actually, and it is not hard to understand Stabler's empathy.
It's another difficult and tragic subject handled tactfully and thoughtfully, how the episode deals with empathy, grief, seeing things from a father's point of view, whether the murderer knew right from wrong when committing their actions and whether one agrees with their actions or find them justified was not done in a biased manner and saw the case from all sides. The murder victim, a reprehensible person, did deserve some form of punishment and did understand the murderer's point of view, but the way that was gone about it was wrong in my view and it was right for them to be tried.
Stabler and Cabot here are both brilliantly written, and the points of view from both are understandable (Stabler as a father figure himself, Cabot doing her job in the eyes of the law). Ray is also a very interesting character with a conflict that resonates. Christopher Meloni gives one of his best performances of the show in a steely but moving performance in a case that was very personal for Stabler. His chemistry with an equally affecting Joe Morton is powerfully written. Stephanie March delivers in her exchanges with Meloni and in a closing argument that sums up the moral dilemmas of the case beautifully, and in a nuanced way.
Concluding, wonderful and difficult to not connect with emotionally. Am not a parent myself, but that didn't stop me from being moved. 10/10
- TheLittleSongbird
- Nov 4, 2020