Casey Novak returns to the DA's office to prosecute a man accused of rape. However, Los Angeles ADA Jonah Dekker comes to New York City to serve for the defense as a favor to his family .Casey Novak returns to the DA's office to prosecute a man accused of rape. However, Los Angeles ADA Jonah Dekker comes to New York City to serve for the defense as a favor to his family .Casey Novak returns to the DA's office to prosecute a man accused of rape. However, Los Angeles ADA Jonah Dekker comes to New York City to serve for the defense as a favor to his family .
- Detective Olivia Benson
- (credit only)
- Sergeant John Munch
- (credit only)
- Special Agent Dr. George Huang, M.D.
- (credit only)
- ME Dr. Melinda Warner
- (credit only)
- Captain Donald 'Don' Cragen
- (credit only)
- Dwight Talcott
- (as Vondie Curtis Hall)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode marks last appearance of Joanna Merlin Judge Lena Petrovsky.
- GoofsWhen Elliot and Fin talk with a suspect's sister, they're standing outside of her apartment, 6E. They see the suspect climbing up the fire escape. They chase him up to the roof and prevent him from committing suicide by jumping off. Back at their office, Elliot mentions to the ADA that the suspect tried to do leap off a fifth story walk up, which doesn't match having an apartment on the sixth floor.
- Quotes
Jonah Dekker: [to Novak about subpoening Lorna] This is pretty low. Even for someone who needs to win as badly as you do.
Casey Novak: I'm trying to win for Catherine.
Jonah Dekker: Whose grandfather raped my aunt!
Casey Novak: And this victim is just as innocent as your aunt. She was targeted by Dwight as revenge for this decades-old atrocity.
Lorna Talcott: [to Decker] After everything I've taught you, you're scared of a damn piece of paper?
Jonah Dekker: You don't get it. This prosecutor is compelling you to describe the details of your rape for the record.
Lorna Talcott: No one can make me do anything.
Casey Novak: Ms. Talcott, if you don't appear, you'll be held in contempt and taken into custody.
Lorna Talcott: Jail is just steel and concrete. I've spent plenty of time in the cell.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Law & Order: LA: Hayden Tract (2011)
"Reparations" is a mixed bag of an episode. Have never minded that only two SVU members are in the episode (Stabler and Fin), and luckily it is a teaming that has always worked quite well. Was really looking to seeing more of too often underused Fin but Stabler's character writing was very up and down in Seasons 8-12 and it is hard to not want an improvement. "Reparations" is much better than "Dirty", "Spectacle" and "Bully" but was a letdown after "Totem". Ranking it with the rest of Season 12's episodes, it's one of the middling outings and in the middle category.
Beginning with the good, "Reparations" hardly wastes Novak. It was so great to see her again and she has lost none of what made her such a great character in the first place, a character that Diane Neal always portrayed extremely well and more. Christopher Meloni and Ice-T are also very strong and Stabler and Fin work very well together and it was hard to have a change once in a while.
Production values are fine, have always liked the photography's intimacy and grit and the look of the show has come on a good deal over-time (and it was good to begin with). The music doesn't intrude and has a haunting quality, have not always remembered to say that the theme tune is easy to remember and holds up. Lorna's backstory is extremely harrowing.
However, there are in "Reparations" too many loose ends and things left unanswered, making the story feel incomplete and confusing. Other flaws in the story are dull pacing, a very flimsy case and too many implausibilities in the rape case to make it stand up in court and that it is unbalanced (legal scenes over-emphasised, great to have them but they could have been more compelling, and not enough detective work).
Also have always found that Terrence Howard is a miss as Dekker, he in general underplays, especially the line delivery, but also overdoes Dekker's arrogance. The tension is severely lacking and the dialogue is less than tight and quite awkward sounding. Stabler's perfect summing up of Dekker is the one line that is great.
Overall, mixed feelings here. 5/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jun 2, 2022
Details
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1