Imposter
- Episode aired Oct 5, 2016
- TV-14
- 43m
SVU chooses to pursue a risky "rape by fraud" case involving a con artist who poses as a college admissions director to have sex with the mothers of prospective students.SVU chooses to pursue a risky "rape by fraud" case involving a con artist who poses as a college admissions director to have sex with the mothers of prospective students.SVU chooses to pursue a risky "rape by fraud" case involving a con artist who poses as a college admissions director to have sex with the mothers of prospective students.
- Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola
- (as Ice T)
- Alden Kessler
- (as Andre Blake)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFirst appearance of Callie Thorne as Defense Attorney Nikki Staines since season five's Bound (2004), 278 episodes earlier.
- GoofsThe police ask a university clerk for information about a suspect who works there. The clerk walks to a computer to find the required information, but as soon as he gets there, the computer screen is already showing a picture of the suspect. The clerk hasn't had enough time to enter the suspect's name, and it would seem that the photo was there all the time.
- Quotes
Judge Al Bertuccio: [to Barba] You want to be a legislator, too.
Rafael Barba: Excuse me?
Judge Al Bertuccio: Correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. Barba, but your job is to bring cases that are actually crimes under the New York Criminal Code.
Rafael Barba: We presented the facts to the grand jury, who delivered an indictment.
Judge Al Bertuccio: I once indicted a ham and cheese sandwich for triple homicide.
Rafael Barba: Well, the defense filed the motion to dismiss.
Judge Al Bertuccio: You want me to kick a rape case in this political climate without hearing all of the evidence? What's really going on here? You want press? You're laying the bed for a political run?
Rafael Barba: With all due respect, Judge Bertuccio, you're out of line.
Judge Al Bertuccio: Oh, be careful, Counselor. Just because you preface something with "all due respect" doesn't mean it's respectable.
Rafael Barba: I didn't intend to...
Judge Al Bertuccio: Do not use my courtroom for your own agenda. Do you hear me?
Rafael Barba: Are you asking me to dismiss the case?
Judge Al Bertuccio: No, no.
[chuckles]
Judge Al Bertuccio: I would never ask a prosecutor to dismiss a case that he believes is worthy of the court's time. That would be an abuse of judicial power.
[walks away]
- ConnectionsReferences The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
Something that is still felt on rewatch. To see Season 18 at its worst and to see why the season was so disappointing when its frequent problems were most evident, "Imposter" is one of the strongest examples. Not only is it one of the worst episodes of the season, one where a lot of episodes were very patchy, but also the worst one since Season 16's "Intimidation Game". Except not quite as bad. Not a good position to be in and one that no episode would want to be in.
"Imposter" is not a complete disaster. 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.
Did feel too that the actors did everything they did with material that was well beneath them. The defense attorney is the best character, the one that talks the most sense and the only one in fact to do so.
Olivia however is intolerable here. Really hate how one sided, prematurely judgemental and hypocritical she became once she got promoted, being judge jury and executioner pretty much straightaway with nothing to back it up with in "Imposter". Love Barba, but the episode missed a major opportunity in him standing up to Olivia when he clearly did not agree with her. Here he comes over as spineless as did everybody else who didn't agree. There was a real lack of interesting or rootable characters, hated both sides and ended up not caring for what the outcome was.
Moreover, the story is truly far fetched and was already in bad taste just reading the plot summary. It is also very heavy handed and every bit as one sided as Olivia. The ending is rushed, abrupt and also confused, while the dialogue on the whole is ham handed.
Not a good episode at all despite a few decent things. 3/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Oct 25, 2022
Details
- Runtime43 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD