Benson's hypocrisy and self righteousness is infuriating! Whenever it suits her needs she breaks the law but when it doesn't she has to be the law abiding cop! We've literally seen her lie and break the law, note the episode where Lauren Conrad played a woman who was raped and got pregnant and decided to escape her rapist so he would never see his child again, and she had no problem letting her escape but then there are other episodes like this one where she just HAS TO tell the truth because otherwise you're a criminal! Ugh it is so annoying. So if it has to do with rape then she'll bend backwards to save the victim but when it's an abused woman and child then she has to be law abiding. And what happened? The woman died! I'm so sick of this character's back and forth crap with being law abiding whenever it suits her. Why can't she just be consistent for christ's sake! Benson's holier than thou attitude can really be completely infuriating! Please stop writing her character like that!! Out of all the characters she's the one I cannot stand at times.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)
Sunk Cost Fallacy (2018)
User Reviews
Review this title13 Reviews
Truth and lies
TheLittleSongbird5 January 2023
Of all the Season 19 episodes, "Sunk Cost Fallacy" stuck in my mind quite vividly and in a good way, especially the first half. At the time it aired, it was one of the season's most hyped episodes with the promos promising a tense episode. Not to mention the return of fan favourite Alexandra Cabot after so long, but not in the way that she was before which was very interesting in a good way. First watch thoughts were very positive, though the first half was better than the second.
"Sunk Cost Fallacy" also fared as a good episode on rewatch and one of the better ones of the season (certainly of the second half of it). It doesn't quite live up to the hype and my feelings about the first half being better than the second are still the same, but there are a lot of good qualities about "Sunk Cost Fallacy" that is proof that Season 19 wasn't a complete and utter loss and that 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' hadn't completely lost its mileage despite it looking that way generally post-Olivia promotion.
The good things shall be mentioned first. It's well made, intimately photographed and slick with no signs of under-budget or anything. The music didn't sound melodramatic or too constant and the direction is accomodating while still having pulse. The script is tight and thought provoking. The story is also compelling for most of the length with a first half that keeps one glued, with some nice suspense. "Sunk Cost Fallacy" is also one of the few episodes of Season 19 where the truth really surprised me.
Furthermore, the episode boasts great performances from Mariska Hargitay, whose acting is closer to older seasons Olivia than newer seasons Olivia, and Stephanie March, one would never know that there was a long absence with her interpretation being full of what made Cabot such a great character with no sense of tiredness. Their chemistry is fantastic. Cabot's character writing here is very interesting, looking at how she was written in the early seasons you'd never think she'd become the person she is here but actually here her point of view and actions are understandable once the whole truth comes out.
Having said all this, there are a few drawbacks as well. Was not crazy about Olivia's attitude, don't like it when she says she's by the book and tells everybody else to be but seems to make herself the exception. This attitude has been apparent for some time on the show and it had gotten tiring a few seasons ago, that it's still happening is milking things.
Phillip Winchester is still very bland and the legal portion lags in momentum and lacks tension.
Overall, good but not great. 7/10.
"Sunk Cost Fallacy" also fared as a good episode on rewatch and one of the better ones of the season (certainly of the second half of it). It doesn't quite live up to the hype and my feelings about the first half being better than the second are still the same, but there are a lot of good qualities about "Sunk Cost Fallacy" that is proof that Season 19 wasn't a complete and utter loss and that 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' hadn't completely lost its mileage despite it looking that way generally post-Olivia promotion.
The good things shall be mentioned first. It's well made, intimately photographed and slick with no signs of under-budget or anything. The music didn't sound melodramatic or too constant and the direction is accomodating while still having pulse. The script is tight and thought provoking. The story is also compelling for most of the length with a first half that keeps one glued, with some nice suspense. "Sunk Cost Fallacy" is also one of the few episodes of Season 19 where the truth really surprised me.
Furthermore, the episode boasts great performances from Mariska Hargitay, whose acting is closer to older seasons Olivia than newer seasons Olivia, and Stephanie March, one would never know that there was a long absence with her interpretation being full of what made Cabot such a great character with no sense of tiredness. Their chemistry is fantastic. Cabot's character writing here is very interesting, looking at how she was written in the early seasons you'd never think she'd become the person she is here but actually here her point of view and actions are understandable once the whole truth comes out.
Having said all this, there are a few drawbacks as well. Was not crazy about Olivia's attitude, don't like it when she says she's by the book and tells everybody else to be but seems to make herself the exception. This attitude has been apparent for some time on the show and it had gotten tiring a few seasons ago, that it's still happening is milking things.
Phillip Winchester is still very bland and the legal portion lags in momentum and lacks tension.
Overall, good but not great. 7/10.
Irritated with Olivia
kellielulu10 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I like her but often find myself annoyed with her . Ex ADA Alex Cabot was seconds away from getting a woman and her daughter to a safe new life. Olivia catches them makes a lot of promises she knows she can't really promise. Alex is now part of an underground network to help abuse victims . It doesn't always mean escaping but it can come to that. Olivia has bent the rules many times this time it would be easy but she's all lawful neutral here. She doesn't make or break the laws and rules see she just follows them. Part of me gets it but she doesn't actually help here . She promised the woman everything would work out according to the law but the husband has his wife killed and gets his daughter back plus all the money he gets in event of her death. Alex should have left something for Olivia to think about. I don't know why Olivia couldn't look the other way it's all she had to do. She should feel guilty on some level.
Cabot is my favorite.
cabotfan11319 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I thought this was a great episode and I love that Cabot came back. I thought there were really interesting parallels between what Alex was doing and her own experience in witness protection, which I wish they'd have referenced. It also seems like Olivia and Alex have switched sides over the years - Olivia has gotten much more conservative in trying to go "by the book" even if it doesn't serve the victim, while Alex has up and abandoned her black and white worldview and even her job to be a victims' advocate.
I really hope Stephanie March comes back for more episodes in season 20 so these alternative methods of victims' advocacy and how it can work with the criminal justice system can be explored.
I really hope Stephanie March comes back for more episodes in season 20 so these alternative methods of victims' advocacy and how it can work with the criminal justice system can be explored.
A Tragic Story of Abuse
audaciousness26 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
"Sunk Cost Fallacy" is another one of my favorites from this season, giving us an absolutely tragic story of spousal abuse between a horrible man and a woman, Jules who just wanted to keep her child safe.
The case started out as what seemed to be a man who'd planned his wife's "abduction" as a front to cover up the fact that he had killed her and their child to make his life easier, and all the pieces seemed to suggest it. Until - evidence that they were both still alive from credit card statements surfaced, and Benson discovered that Jules had faked her death, and the former ADA of the SVU, Alex Cabot, had actually helped her and had been running an illegal ring to help battered woman vanish and create new identities.
Soon, it was revealed that Jules had run away to try and protect herself from her horrific abuser of a husband, and Benson struggled with what Cabot was doing, as it was outside of the law. Benson had to admit under oath at a hearing that she had seen Jules alive, and then she asked Jules to come back with her and promised to help her fight her abusive husband in court and gain custody of her child.
But, the story has a tragic end. Jules is found dead, murdered by a car, and it's no one's handiwork but the husband himself. Or at least, someone he'd hired. The SVU weren't able to prove that he'd done it, and in the end, he gained custody of his child, even though he endangered in the past. A completely tragic end and it really shook me up that people like this man can actually get away with all the horrifically evil things he'd done.
I commend Cabot's appearance here, and the way she worked outside of the law to get justice for women is a really brilliant addition to her already very well-written character.
A tragic episode that really makes you think, and also despair for the state of the world.
The case started out as what seemed to be a man who'd planned his wife's "abduction" as a front to cover up the fact that he had killed her and their child to make his life easier, and all the pieces seemed to suggest it. Until - evidence that they were both still alive from credit card statements surfaced, and Benson discovered that Jules had faked her death, and the former ADA of the SVU, Alex Cabot, had actually helped her and had been running an illegal ring to help battered woman vanish and create new identities.
Soon, it was revealed that Jules had run away to try and protect herself from her horrific abuser of a husband, and Benson struggled with what Cabot was doing, as it was outside of the law. Benson had to admit under oath at a hearing that she had seen Jules alive, and then she asked Jules to come back with her and promised to help her fight her abusive husband in court and gain custody of her child.
But, the story has a tragic end. Jules is found dead, murdered by a car, and it's no one's handiwork but the husband himself. Or at least, someone he'd hired. The SVU weren't able to prove that he'd done it, and in the end, he gained custody of his child, even though he endangered in the past. A completely tragic end and it really shook me up that people like this man can actually get away with all the horrifically evil things he'd done.
I commend Cabot's appearance here, and the way she worked outside of the law to get justice for women is a really brilliant addition to her already very well-written character.
A tragic episode that really makes you think, and also despair for the state of the world.
Simple-minded police
Peter_Romanak5 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I love this episode because it truthfully shows how shallow police people are. Rotten from the start, Benson indirectly killed the one person she was supposed to protect. All in the name of almighty law. Her character is becoming more stereotypical with every episode I watch. Some are so unbearable I skip them.
Our empty fancy over the law
kemaldora23 September 2018
People act like the law is a sacred thing that it can't never be wrong. Sometimes we have to bend it to save or help the ones who are under the shadow of the dark side of the law. Lawyers who defend the guilty ppl can use it to free their "customer". So why not the good ones do that too?
I just think that we shouldn't worship and/or idolise the law because those who make the laws aren't the perfect fair-minded person. Everything that humans do or create has somekind of fault in it because we're not perfect to begin with.
Excellent episode
GreenGableViews20 April 2018
SVU is one of my favorite shows but in the last few seasons it has become evident that it has been on the air too long. No one wants a great show to end but when something is on for years and years, producers and executives sometimes resort to cheap tricks in the hopes of keeping it going, and in the process oftentimes force a show into "jumping the shark".
As SVU approaches 20 seasons, I'm hopeful they'll find a satisfying way to wrap it up. I'll keep watching regardless, waiting for gems like this episode. It's not perfect but it's the best this season and has so many elements of what made this show great in the first place.
The best episodes of all of the L&O franchise series are the ones that explore moral quandaries, the justice system's faults, and what law should be in the first place. Bringing Cabot back for this appearance was a delightful treat. She and Benson portray two characters who are good, honest people both trying to do what they hope is "right", even when it's opposite of what the other thinks. I won't spoil the episode but it is well worth the watch, as it makes you think without forcing any ideas upon you as a viewer.
As SVU approaches 20 seasons, I'm hopeful they'll find a satisfying way to wrap it up. I'll keep watching regardless, waiting for gems like this episode. It's not perfect but it's the best this season and has so many elements of what made this show great in the first place.
The best episodes of all of the L&O franchise series are the ones that explore moral quandaries, the justice system's faults, and what law should be in the first place. Bringing Cabot back for this appearance was a delightful treat. She and Benson portray two characters who are good, honest people both trying to do what they hope is "right", even when it's opposite of what the other thinks. I won't spoil the episode but it is well worth the watch, as it makes you think without forcing any ideas upon you as a viewer.
Sunk Cost Fallacy
bobcobb30127 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The show has to stop making people in the legal system commit so many terrible things. You had Barba kill someone and now you have Cabot running a trafficking ring.
That's just too much and we know Olivia has pushed the boundaries a bit for years.
Not a bad episode, but just too unrealistic.
That's just too much and we know Olivia has pushed the boundaries a bit for years.
Not a bad episode, but just too unrealistic.
Nothing new here
eleonoracalderaro7 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Just another episode in which Benson wants to be a heroine and show everyone her great sense of justice resulting as usual in the death of an innocent person. She could have closed an eye - even Rolling had a rape victim run away with her baby form her stalker and there was no objection at the time! She keeps saying that she has done the right thing as a mantra but it's clear that it's just an expedient for her to live with the guilt. She is still making amend for beating the crap out of Lewis but it shouldn't be innocent people paying for it.
It's unbelievable how this season is going, within 10 episode they have killed an ill toddler, a child who needed a heart transplant and an abused woman. This show is becoming Order without the Law! The ADAs violate the law, Olivia - who's the only one who respects it - makes things even worse. I hope next season will be better.
It's unbelievable how this season is going, within 10 episode they have killed an ill toddler, a child who needed a heart transplant and an abused woman. This show is becoming Order without the Law! The ADAs violate the law, Olivia - who's the only one who respects it - makes things even worse. I hope next season will be better.
Liv vs. The Underground Railroad
stratus_phere21 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
1855:
Liv found out some slaves had escaped. They were heading for the border. She knew what she had to do. Since slavery was legal in the south, and in most border states it was illegal to aid runaway slaves, Liv sprang into action. She quickly apprehended the runaway slaves and sent them back to their owners. Their owners promptly beat them to death. Liv said, that's okay, it's not her fault, it's everyone else's. She's just upholding the law.
But it actually took place in current times:
A woman is trying to escape an abusive husband. She's got the help of a secret group that helps battered women get new identities. Liv finds out. Her brilliant answer is to tell her husband where they are.
Stuff happens, and the husband got someone to kill his wife. Liv, at this point, still can't admit she's a murderer. She still hides behind her shield, claiming she did the right thing.
It's sickening.
Liv is turning into a monster more and more with every episode. The SVU writers are sick freaks. So glad I gave up on this show.
But it actually took place in current times:
A woman is trying to escape an abusive husband. She's got the help of a secret group that helps battered women get new identities. Liv finds out. Her brilliant answer is to tell her husband where they are.
Stuff happens, and the husband got someone to kill his wife. Liv, at this point, still can't admit she's a murderer. She still hides behind her shield, claiming she did the right thing.
It's sickening.
Liv is turning into a monster more and more with every episode. The SVU writers are sick freaks. So glad I gave up on this show.
Dumb, Dumb, Dumb
bkkaz2 January 2021
In order to watch this episode, you have to believe former ADA Alex Cabot, the cool and no-nonsense attorney we've seen in literally hundreds of episodes before, no longer even has the most basic understanding of the law -- and even more laughable, that Benson has to teach that to her. There is so much scene chewing, it's embarrassing, and almost all of it is written merely to make Benson look more heroic. SVU has certainly been lobotomized in recent seasons, but this is quite possibly the most egregious demonstration of that.
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