Product Description This hard-hitting and emotional companion series from the popular Law & Order franchise chronicles the exciting cases of the elite Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department. Created by Emmy Award-winning producer Dick Wolf, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit follows the exploits of Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni, Oz), a seasoned veteran of the unit, and his partner, Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay, ER), as they try to crack the city's most heinous crimes. Directing their efforts is Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek, reprising his Law & Order role), whose tough but supportive approach guides the entire squad - which includes Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer), District Attorney Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March) and forensic psychiatrist George Huang (B.D. Wong) - through the dangerous challenges they face every day."Payback": Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson investigate the murder and dismemberment of a cab driver.Bonus Content: Bonus Episode: The Original Law & Order Pilot "Everybody's Favorite Bagman" Law & Order: The Beginning Special Victim's Unit: The Beginning Dann Florek Squad Room Walk-Through .com Originally called Sex Crimes, executive producer Dick Wolf wisely opted for something less lurid when the second in the inexhaustible Law & Order franchise hit the air in 1999. Still, as the opening voiceover makes clear, the "sexually based offenses" investigated by New York's Special Victims Unit can be "especially heinous." Wolf penned series premier "Payback," which sets the scene, but not the tone. It's a lively, if uneasy mix between horror (rape) and comedy (risqué banter). As the first season progressed, humor would be written out altogether (leaving Richard Belzer's Homicide-derived John Munch with increasingly less to do), and less emphasis would be placed on the home lives of this "elite squad of dedicated detectives." Mostly, "Payback" introduces us to the unit, centering around partners Olivia Benton (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). For two people with so little in common, they make a terrific team--arguably one of TV's best. Stabler is married with four children; Benton is single and her closest relationship is with her mother (Elizabeth Ashley). While Stabler can get a little rough with suspects, Benton tends to over-empathize with the victims. They report to the no-nonsense Captain Cragen (Law & Order vet Dann Florek). Like the parent program's Lenny Briscoe, he's a recovering alcoholic. Dean Winters and Michelle Hurd round out the rock-solid cast. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
A**E
Great beginning to a great show!
I am late to jump on the SVU bandwagon. We didn't start watching this awesome show until it's 5th season, so I am really enjoying going back to watch how it all began. I've seen much of the first few seasons on reruns, but hadn't ever seen this episode. The episode is a great introduction to Olivia Benson. Their victim turns out to be a war criminal and the head of the ethnic cleansing unit. This disturbs Olivia quite a bit being that it meant he raped countless women. Elliot and Captian remind her that "we don't pick the vic" and question her a number of times if she can handle this. We find out later in the episode, as she is meeting with her mother, that she is the product of rape. That is something I didn't find out for a long time, and I think is important, so I'm glad they did introduce that in the premiere. The chemistry between Olivia and Elliot is amazing right from the start and I love to watch them together. I highly recommend any SVU fan watching this episode, but after reading the other reviews, perhaps purchasing the whole first season is a better deal. I thought the price wasn't more than I'd pay to rent it, so I didn't mind paying for just one episode. I'm not interested in owning all 10 seasons since I am able to watch them on reruns and thought this was a better deal for me.
W**O
great show great actors I am happy it is still ...
great show great actors I am happy it is still an active series makes you think and appreciate our system of democracy and sometimes points out its loopholes but I love and enjoy the shows immensely. This is reminiscent of the cop programs from 50s 60s and 70s but if u look closely you see we have come along way in technology tactics and crime fighting Many good lessons to learn
J**E
Good episode, but it was also included in the DVDs for Season 1
I was anxious to watch the pilot episode before starting to watch the rest of the seasons. I was disappointed to discover that the pilot was included with the Season 1 DVDs, so I really wasted my money. However, from a content viewpoint, this was a good episode and I am now hooked on watching this show.
D**N
m a great fan of SVU I'm collecting all of the seasons ...
I;m a great fan of SVU I'm collecting all of the seasons and will be sorry when it finally ends.
C**H
Great show
Love law and & order will watch the seasons and catch up on what I missed in the winter.
B**R
Law & Order - SVU
I am pleased to have the original episode of this challenging series. I like the edge of the plot, the decisions the team must make between personal and legal priorities. Disc and Packaging were great!
P**T
SVU The premiere Epispode.
Excellent as always. Love SVU. Just have to have Elliott. Will soon be ordering future years of this show. This is why I do not like to do reviews. Why do you need so many words?
S**Y
This is the first of what I hope will be the whole set I own.
I like all the Las & Orders. They have been on for years under one name or the other. I hope some day to own all of them.
M**T
First season rerun
Nothing wrong with the production but it is included in the first season. So for my money it was a waste of money since I own ten seasons of the show.
Trustpilot
1 month ago
4 days ago
