Well, Girls, At Least It Was Not Dr. Huang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Darlings, I was relieved B.D. Wong got spared. Hell, he was not even in the episode; he was most likely down in Chinatown, making Dim Sum.

The 'SVU' season finale, entitled "Smoke", was hyped to the max with all kinds of potential, and while there were any number of gripping moments and some stunning camerawork, I came away feeling the whole thing was a bit anticlimactic.

For starters, in the superbly staged opening scene, when rape victim Annette Fox is gunned down in front of her daughter, I said to myself, "Uh oh. Keep an eye on this daughter. She will be up to something."

And we knew there was going to be some kind of shootout in the precinct office towards the end, but had no idea who the shooter was. Though, as I watched,I was certain it was going to be Luke Ronson (Andrew Howard), Annette's rapist, or Special Agent Greer (Pedro Pascal), a smarmy authoritarian type, who works for BATFE, NY Field Division. I had also pegged young Officer Nelson (Eddie Schneider) as the one to be shot and killed.

Boy, was I wrong!!!! Because the shooter turned out to be Annette's daughter, Jenna Fox (Hayley MacFarland) who open fired on just about everyone in the precinct, hitting Ronson and Greer (good!!!!!!!!!) but also hitting a couple of cops, and, most tragically, Sister Peg (played by the great Charlaine Woodard), who had been touted as coming back on the show, only I thought for more regular exposure. Guess not. The editing of the last scene, the final shots, the almost choreographed movement, took this show to an artistic level worthy of an update of Sidney Kingsley's "Detective Story." And everything happeend so fast, you would have to see it a second time, to take it in.

The other tragedy is that Jenna herself dies. She is just about to shoot Eddie Skinner, the scum hired by Ronson to kill Annette, when Elliot fires at Jenna, who goes down. From where I looked, he seemed to be aiming for her arm, which would have just wounded her, and that would have been fine. But something went wrong, the bullet lodged in a more lethal spot, because Jenna dies in Elliot's arms. Sweeties, I think Elliot should be brought up on charges; Jenna did NOT have to die. Or is this the old 1950s censorship thing, a la "The Bad Seed," that no matter how young, the perp has to die???? Listen, I am not condoning Jenna's actions, but I can understand them--the scum that took her mother down in front of her???? I might have done the same thing, though it does amaze me on these shows how seemingly inexperienced people can suddenly become skilled with firearms. I would end up doing injury to myself!!!!!!!!!!!

So--from Joan to Jenna--it was some season of 'SVU'. Who knows what lies ahead in Season 12????? But I am telling you, Elliot's good looks should not allow him to talk himself out of this one. If he does not get disciplined, I will be happy to bitch slap him--and so would every respectable gay man in town!!!!!!!!!!
Hell, things might come full circle; if he went to prison, and became somebody's bitch, he would probably evolve into the character he played on "Oz."

But that is for the future. The finale, while not perfect, was surprising, exciting, with enough items to provoke all sorts of viewers.

Now, no firearms, girls!!!!!!!!!! Unless you are doing "Annie Get Your Gun!"