Unstable (23 Sep. 2009)

SVU gets the help of an angry, violent police officer to solve a rape case. They soon discover that they may be dealing with a serial rapist, and the wrong man may be in prison for one of his crimes.

Director:

Arthur W. Forney

Writers:

Dick Wolf (creator), Judy McCreary

Stars:

Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, Richard Belzer

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Meloni	...	Detective Elliot Stabler
Mariska Hargitay	...	Detective Olivia Benson
Richard Belzer	...	Sergeant John Munch (credit only)
Ice-T	...	Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola
BD Wong	...	Dr. George Huang (credit only)
Tamara Tunie	...	Dr. Melinda Warner
Dann Florek	...	Captain Donald Cragen
Christine Lahti	...	Executive A.D.A. Sonya Paxton
Mahershala Ali	...	Mark Foster (as Mahershalalhashbaz Ali)
Jennifer Ferrin	...	Rena West
Geneva Carr	...	Katie Harris
Cherise Boothe	...	Beverly Neal
Helmar Augustus Cooper	...	Malcolm Foster
Wentworth Miller	...	Detective Nate Kendall
Chike Johnson	...	Victor Tate

Storyline

Officer Nate Kendall aids a woman in trouble and becomes roped into solving a rape case. While Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson believe that Kendall is not right for the case due to his unstable personality, Executive ADA Sonya Paxton joins the team, bringing evidence of a common thread among three other rape cases. With Paxton's help, the team might expose a serial rapist.

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Plot Keywords:

serial rapist | wrongful conviction | innocent suspect | falling from height | blood spatter

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 2009 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolf Films, Universal Media Studios (UMS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

User Reviews

Strong writing and performances. Ending a bit too dark.

Solid start for a season. We are treated to a new DA, who nitpicks everything the detectives do because she doesn't want to see convictions overturned; an unbalanced cop who has to work with SVU this case, but who does not have the required sensitiveness; both the harm of letting a guilty man loose and of convicting an innocent man are shown. Wentworth Miller performance is fun because it is almost campy: he reminds me of the guy on the car insurance commercials asking if the company really saves you 15%. The perp, played by Maha... Mr Ali is as smug and detestable as can be. The "irony" in the end, however, is too much of a downer and probably left a lot of people less enthusiastic about seeing the series again. I thought it was a mistake. It is not badly written, it is just kind of depressing.