Law And Order: SVU "In The Year We All Fell Down" Episode Review
Law and Order SVU is a show that primarily shows episodes about rapes, their victims, the perps, and the outcomes of each horrific case but in the past year, the world has had to adjust to the new world reality with COVID-19, the pandemic changing our way of living and of course, the lockdowns that keep on happening.
Olivia references several things that happened seasons before and this is about a relatively new episode of SVU.
Season 22 of Law and Order: SVU has incorporated the reality of the pandemic into its episodes. While they don't always show accuracy from the medical point of view, they seem to be much more focused on the social consequences of the pandemic, the lockdown, and how it has affected the people in it.
The episode begins with a woman's journey through the pandemic. It begins with the belief many of us shared, that it would all be over in a matter of weeks, months at the most.
Then this woman Vanessa begins to break down as her husband leaves to take care of his elderly parents in another state, her son parties without his mask and her own elderly mother gets sick and is diagnosed with COVID-19. The elderly woman eventually dies from the virus and Vanessa blames her son.
For an entire year, Vanessa takes care of everyone and her restaurant and after a year, that stress of taking care of it all finally hits her like a brick. She falls apart and pulls a knife on a person who cares about her. It takes a year but that stress finally erupts.
"This past year, how can you keep track?"
Enter Captain Olivia Benson. She walks willingly into a potentially dangerous situation and gets everyone out. She stays with Vanessa and talks about the stress both have had in taking care of everyone and not taking care of themselves. It allows Olivia to air some of the deep, dark thoughts about events that occurred in her own life, the loss that she hadn't been able to deal with.
"You know, what I do know... Is that nobody knows, what other people are going through."
That quote from Olivia is so powerfully resonant. No one knows what anyone else has gone through, and they won't if no one ever talks about it. This pandemic has certainly created an atmosphere of hopelessness that has made it difficult for anyone to get through it.
It feels like nothing will ever get better and that it is on us to get through it. It can be hard to let ourselves be taken care of because anything can happen. We could lose anything and everything in a moment and trying to stop it can make the stress we are already going through even worse.
At the end of the episode, Olivia Benson talks Vanessa down and walks out of the hostage situation calmly. It was a tiring day for both Olivia and Vanessa as they both dealt with events that they hadn't properly dealt with before.
"I take care of everyone. That is my job."
The episode has had mixed reviews because it is not a proper SVU episode because it did not deal with the horrible sexually related crimes but dealt with the reality of the pandemic. It was emotional to watch and I enjoyed it because it took a break from rather horrific episodes dealing with sexual crimes but it also cemented that we all have been dealing with the stress of the pandemic in our own ways.
"Today was the worst day of your life, and you made it through. Remember that."
Getting through each day is the goal we can make for ourselves. This reality won't be forever, even if it feels like it. There are good days and there are bad days. sometimes there are even worse days. Finding ways to deal with that stress and getting through the day is the step we can take in taking care of ourselves. This episode of SVU shows us that we are not alone.
Opinions and Perspectives
This episode will be an interesting time capsule of what we all went through
The episode captured that feeling of time becoming meaningless during lockdown
Really appreciated how they showed different perspectives on handling the pandemic
I understood Vanessas anger at her son. Family conflicts during lockdown were so intense
The parallel between Vanessas and Olivias caretaker roles was well drawn
Interesting choice to focus on emotional violence rather than physical
Loved how they showed the contrast between March 2020 optimism and the reality that followed
Wasnt what I expected from SVU but sometimes the unexpected episodes are the best ones
The episode did a good job showing how quickly things spiraled for many people
I appreciate that they showed a strong character like Olivia also struggling with the situation
That line about taking care of everyone really hit home for me as a healthcare worker
Interesting how they showed different generations handling the pandemic differently
Found myself relating to both Olivia and Vanessa throughout the episode
The restaurant scenes really captured the stress small business owners were under
I wish they had shown more about how the police department adapted to COVID protocols
The scene transitions showing time passing during lockdown were really well done
Watching this made me realize how much unprocessed trauma we all still carry from that time
The dialogue between Olivia and Vanessa felt genuine. Like two people who really understood each others pain
I respect that perspective but I think its important to process these experiences through art
Honestly found it hard to watch. Still too soon for pandemic storylines for me
The way they portrayed family tension during lockdown was spot on. My family went through similar struggles
Not sure why people are complaining. This show has always been about social issues
Anyone else notice how they used the masks to create dramatic tension in certain scenes?
I think they balanced the pandemic storyline with the show's usual tension pretty well
What struck me most was how they showed the gradual buildup of stress over the year. It wasn't just one big breakdown
The ending felt a bit too neat for me. Real pandemic stories rarely wrapped up so nicely
I found myself tearing up when Olivia talked about her own struggles. It made everything feel so real
This episode reminded me how much pressure essential workers were under during the height of the pandemic
The restaurant subplot felt unnecessary. They could have focused more on the emotional core of the story
I disagree completely. SVU has always been about human stories first, crimes second
Not my favorite episode. SVU works best when it sticks to what it does best solving crimes
The part about Vanessa's son partying without a mask was infuriating but sadly realistic. We all knew people who acted that way
I felt the episode glossed over some important aspects of the pandemic impact on crime rates
Mariska Hargitay absolutely nailed the emotional scenes. Her ability to connect with victims is what makes SVU so compelling
That quote about nobody knowing what others are going through really stuck with me. Made me think about being more understanding with people
Actually, I thought the metaphors worked well. They captured how many of us felt trapped and overwhelmed during lockdown
The writing felt a bit heavy-handed to me. We get it, the pandemic was tough, but the metaphors were too on the nose
Am I the only one who found it refreshing to see a different kind of episode? The usual format can get predictable sometimes
The scene where Vanessa breaks down about losing her mother hit close to home. I lost someone too during lockdown and couldn't even attend the funeral
While I understand why some fans were disappointed it wasn't a typical SVU case, I think showing the psychological toll of COVID was important and timely
I really appreciated how this episode tackled the mental health impact of the pandemic. Seeing Olivia connect with Vanessa on such a personal level was powerful