This 'SVU' Episode Must Have Been Written By A Bunch Of Theater Queens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           Who knew there were any on staff?   Because, as it turned out, while it was not top notch, it was one of Season 19's better episodes.  Consider these points.

                            The episode was called "Mama."  Sort of a reference to "Gypsy," and while the title character, archly played by Anne Archer, was not central to the drama, it kept within the rubric of "Gypsy."  Though, at one point, I too, as others did, thought they were going for an incestuous relationship between mother and son, like with the great, late Margot Kidder , and Chad Lowe, in "Pique."  But, no.  Though Archer did play a retired Broadway musical star, bringing things into "Gypsy" perspective.

                             At the same time, this episode had one of the biggest guest lineups I have seen since the glory days of this show, which are long gone.   Beside Archer, there was Hal Linden, Joe Piscopo, and the great Irish actress, Fionnula Flanagan, in a stellar performance.  Both she and Hal were going for the Emmy gold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            Fionnula plays a sweet woman named  Maddie Thomas, who claims she was raped in her nursing home facility.  Hal Linden plays a customer from the days when she ran a downtown café and bakery.  He stopped coming because one night they had consensual sex, and she felt so guilty, she asked him not to come by anymore. And they were married to other people.

                             Now, she and Hal, who plays a Professor Maxwell, are elderly, and the way Linden plays it, he looks good for it.  He is ruled out, and so is the possibility of Maddie's credibility, when her rape kit turns up nothing.  But, then a woman in another facility, Patrice Connelly, gets raped, saying something about a man named "Dan."  But before any more info can be gotten, she dies, supposedly of a coronary, but I have to wonder if Dan showed up and caused her to have it.  I still believe he did.

                             They discover this "Dan" is a serial rapist, a kind of Charles Cullen, going from place to place, till something happens--rape--and he moves on.  They find out that this guy, "Daniel Hammerson" is using the ID of a now deceased patient.  Can you believe it???????   The best clue comes from a former colleague, who says he kept to himself, but was always whistling show tunes, especially the ones sung by former Broadway star, Trudy Morris, played by Anne Archer.

                              She turns out to be a real Broadway diva--the kind we all love, darlings!!!!!!!!  Archer was great, and she looks good, 31 years after "Fatal Attraction," but I had to wonder, why couldn't they get Patti Lu Pone??????????

                               "Dan" turns out to be Trudy's son, Henry Phillips, played by Todd Alan Crain, who, at first, I thought was Damien Midkiff, who played Colin Miller, in the classic "Cold Case" episode, "Wishing."  Both Colin and Henry are tragic, but Henry is completely unsympathetic, as arrogant and narcissistic as his mother.  Worse, because he has no credibility, save being a star's son.  And this is what drives him to rape older women?  Because his mother showered her love on her fans, and not him?  It isn't a strong enough motive to get me believing, but it is all we are given.

                                I loved the idea of calling out Henry via publicity, which succeeds in bringing other victims forward, by the press dubbing him "Broadway's Bad Seed!"  Again, with that kind of reference, some Theater Queens wrote this script, and had so much fun with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 I wanted a 'Baby Jane' ending, with Henry going nuts, emerging in drag, and trying to act like Liza.  I guess that would have been TOO much.  But the actual end puzzled me.

                                 Finn, played the great Ice T, is promoted to Sergeant , at the start.  It is long overdue.  But, at the end, he decides to transfer back to SVU, which means he stays with the show.  We the audience know he got Dobbs to do this through a memo Finn has incriminating Dobbs in something.  But, at the end of the show, Olivia calls him "Sergeant."  So, is he or isn't he????????

                                 And Finn gets the last shot!  They are getting smarter!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                Remember when LIZA herself was on some episode of 'Criminal Intent?' They should team her up with the guy who played Henry Phillips here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 It would be a camp blast, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!