Episode 221: Can Credits Just Roll in Very Slo-Mo? (S20E2 Man Down)
Picking up where we left off in MMB 219, we had a SUPER bad dad who was just found not guilty of ummm, SAing his son to show him what a real man is. The Munchie Boys were left to wonder what fresh hell awaited them upon returning to this foul ground in a second part that seemed unnecessary, and this one did not disappoint in terms of exceeding their already low expectations. There are bad episodes of SVU, and then there's this week's installment, which achieves lows hitherto reached only once before.
Episode 219: His Pecs Were Unleashed (S20E1 Man Up)
There are bad dads, and then there’s the one played by Dylan Walsh in the two-parter to kick off Season 20 of Law & Order: SVU. Be prepared for some gnarly stuff. Also, be prepared to watch the seasoned detectives on this unit have no idea how to investigate crimes they’ve been investigating for decades. At least we get some pretty hawt Stone action in the cold open…
Episode 178: Human Urinal Etiquette (S17E18 Unholiest Alliance)
As we race towards the thrilling conclusion of this two-parter, we ponder important questions such as: did SVU throw the Catholic church under the bus in order to curry favor with the location-rich Episcopalians; and, would we watch a Mike Dodds-i-series? We also get to the (power?) bottom of the spicy, ripped-from-the-headlines drama that underpins our favorite interlude from this episode.
Episode 177: This Is a Civil Servant Sex Party in All the Worst Ways (S17E17 Manhattan Transfer)
The power brokers in New York Law Enforcement and the Catholic Church seem to be in cahoots as they end up in SVU's crosshairs. Why might these powerful men be under investigation? Oh, they just appear to be trafficking teen girls from St. Fabiola's to their closed-door sex parties featuring a slew of city employees who will gladly abuse their power to turn the tables and go after Tucker and the SVUs hot on their trail. By the end of the first part of this compelling two-parter, bodies have dropped, careers are in jeopardy, and acting and accent choices put an otherwise high-quality episode in dire straits.
Episode 166: Don’t Ever Compost Your Avocados (S1E10 Closure)
This week, we watched a Season 1 gem which, in spite of several characters not having names or jobs, was uncharacteristically grounded in the real world. SVU investigates a brutal home invasion rape where the victim is unable to correctly identify her assailant. Along the way, we see the genesis of Cassidenson, meet the wettest peeper in lower Manhattan, and learn about some brutal turn-of-the-century muffin murders. This one was so well received when it first aired that it earned its leading guest star, Tracy Pollan, an Emmy nomination, and led to an out of order Part 2, which we'll cover next week.
Episode 106: She’s Summoning the Monolith (S15E1 Surrender Benson)
When last week's episode ended with Olivia Benson being taken captive by über-psychopath William Lewis, we knew that we'd be going deep into the darkest hour of SVU's storied run this week. This is 43 full minutes of torture porn so bleak and visceral that it's honestly shocking it aired on network television. Please prepare yourself for how messed up this episode is. Thankfully, Josh and Adam munch it up by talking about a diverse range of European arthouse classics you wouldn't want to bring a date to, our coffeeshop orders, and whether or not Pizza Man exists within the Fur Humper Cinematic Universe. Oh, and lest we forget, Adam has an outlandishly bold theory which just might change the way you look at Olivia Benson forever. Enjoy!
Episode 105: Oh, They’ll Sexualize Anyone in a Really Terrible Way (S14E24 Her Negotiation)
The Randomizer decided that everyone needed to wallow in the darkness of the William Lewis Saga again, this time starting at the beginning with “Her Negotiation,” the season finale of Season 14 complete with cliffhanger leaving our hero Olivia Benson in a very dark place. This obviously means the Munchie Boys have to deal with fur-humping, Plein Air Painters, the life's work of Frederick Law Olmstead, and the shooting star that was Matt Harvey's early baseball career. Oh, and a pastiche serial killer drawing from some of the darkest imaginable sources.
Episode 99: Well She Apparently Has an STI, So Something Did Rub Off (S17E23 Heartfelt Passages)
The Munchie Boys pick up where they left off last week, trudging through the murk as Ray’s tall brother faces the fallout from having been charged as a serial rapist while the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association possibly threatens Barba’s life for having the temerity to come after one of their guys. This fallout includes the first—and thus far, only—time an officer on the Unit dies in the line of duty, which gives Adam and Josh quite a bit to mull over while wondering why the stakes were lowered so much before offing him. Any episode that has Chekhov’s gun go off while also not having Chekhov’s gun go off means there’s going to be plenty of plot discussion to be had. There are also plenty of discussions about the typically insane things that SVU forces one to reckon with, namely intimidation wizards, phantom door-locking chicanery, the hilarity of needing apple boxes in hostage shoots, and much, much more.
Episode 98: His Refractory Period Is in Inverse Proportion to His Height (S17E22 Intersecting Lives)
Hot on the heels of an episode that nearly broke our rating scale, the Munchie Boys watched Part 1 of a two-parter featuring Ray Romano's kooky brother Robert from the hit turn-of-the-century sitcom for olds, Everybody Loves Raymond. Fans of that show will remember that the actor in question, Brad Garrett, is really, REALLY tall. This causes the kind of continuity problems that only SVU can create. We're obviously talking about complex genital geometry problems. We would, of course, be remiss if our discussion stayed on topic, so expect to hear about Chinese New Year, more car talk from Josh, Rikers Island, and Predator.
Episode 72: I Went to College, I Have a Skill (S19E24 Remember Me Too)
When we watched the conclusion to the two-part Season 19 finale ("Remember Me Too" Episode 24), we might have taken the opportunity to research the migration patterns of monarch butterflies or the structure of the Sinaloa Cartel or the various degree programs at Gonzaga were this a standard, functional installment of SVU. Instead, we were treated to a mind-melting melange of unbelievable plot lines, inconceivable character motivations, and abysmal acting. Was it good? Obviously not. Did we have fun watching and then excoriating this complete and utter waste of network resources? You bet we did.
Episode 71: His Loafers Are Bepissed Now (S19E23 Remember Me)
What happens when the season from which light cannot escape—SVU’s 19th—bestows upon the world a two-part season finale? An unintelligible, unmitigated disaster. Reality and common sense fold in on themselves, and we’re all left to try to make sense of the hellish mess that is “Remember Me” (S19E23). When character motivation, logic, and how technology actually works are entirely discarded, you are left with a confounding mélange of nonsensical dialogue and wild conclusions with nary a passing relationship to reality. Needless to say, this ride—a wild one for all the wrong reasons—gave the Munchie Boys plenty to discuss.
Episode 4: The Cold Mom Off Gets Hot (S19E9 Gone Baby Gone)
Baby Doe gets kidnapped. Olivia Benson loses her shit.
Episode 3: Is that Staten Island Slang? (S19E8 Intent)
We dive into another ep of Law & Order: SVU. This time we learn about West Virginia, colostomy bags, how to pronounce Klatch properly, and the 2013 Miami Heat. We are watching Season 19 Episode 8 "Intent." In the podcast’s first foray into Ripped from the Headlines fare, the squad investigates a rape that isn’t quite what it seems. An MMA fighter nicknamed ‘The Monster” jarringly rapes an Instagram star, only to find out that she asked for him to rape her. Or did she?