Episode 189: Oh, No, He Hand-Shaves His Meat All the Time (S17E11 Townhouse Incident)

Sit back, and try to imagine an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit where Olivia Benson, be she Detective or Sergeant or Lieutenant or Captain, finds herself held captive in a hostage situation. Go ahead. Any scenario that could land her in the middle of a standoff with just her wits (and SWAT standing by) to get her out of the situation.

Now, in that hypothetical situation you concocted in your head, things happened to get her there, right? Well, "Townhouse Incident" presupposes a scenario wherein Liv finds herself in a hostage situation in MINUTE TWO.

Yes, you read that right. The 2:12 mark, in fact. In a show where the first 0:21 is taken up by the intro and title card.

This was our Vietnam.

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Classic, Marlowe, Brainmelter Josh Duggan Classic, Marlowe, Brainmelter Josh Duggan

Episode 176: The Bonzo Birthday Bouquet Is Stuck in a Blowhole (S11E24 Shattered)

Obviously, when you have one of the most decorated actresses in European film history (Isabelle Huppert) acting across from a legendary American actress (Sharon Stone) in the Season 11 finale, you're going to expect an episode to remember. Well, the minds behind SVU might have forgotten to write or fully fund this episode. Seriously.

Munchies, however, will be treated to LOTS of tangents about Adam's travels, Friday Night Lights, and Heaven's Gate.

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Cutter, Brainmelter, Jose Silva Saga, Late Josh Duggan Cutter, Brainmelter, Jose Silva Saga, Late Josh Duggan

Episode 170: A Fur-Humping Compilation Tape (S13E13 Father’s Shadow)

A certain 1992 Documentas winner can't stop sexually assaulting young actresses which leads to one of their coats getting humped which leads inevitably to Liv getting into yet another hostage situation. Why, SVU, why? At least we'll always have the coat humper. This episode also feature the one and only acting credit in country star Miranda Lambert's résumé.

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Finisode, Brainmelter, Amaro Josh Duggan Finisode, Brainmelter, Amaro Josh Duggan

Episode 103: You Gotta Give People Some Cold Cucumber Water While You Rub Their Joint Down (S14E22 Poisoned Motive)

This week, The Munchie Boys tackle a Finisode preoccupied with unpacking Fin's history while an undercover with Narcotics, more than a decade after the fact. Rollins gets improbably shot, which leads to an unhealthy dose of police brutallity and metaphorical prison rape threats, but that's not nearly as shocking as some truly disturbing home-decor-driven revelations upon meeting a seemingly normal family with a secret left unspoken.

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Two-Parter, Doddsisode, Barba, Late, Brainmelter Josh Duggan Two-Parter, Doddsisode, Barba, Late, Brainmelter Josh Duggan

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.

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Late, Stone, Brainmelter, Two-Parter Josh Duggan Late, Stone, Brainmelter, Two-Parter Josh Duggan

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.

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Late, Brainmelter, Livisode, Two-Parter Josh Duggan Late, Brainmelter, Livisode, Two-Parter Josh Duggan

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.

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Brainmelter, Classic, Peak, Novak Josh Duggan Brainmelter, Classic, Peak, Novak Josh Duggan

Episode 63: When You’ve Killed that Many People, You Have to Shop at Banana Republic (S5E11 Escape)

We follow up last week's nuanced depiction of the damage American prisons cause to those stuck inside with a wholly different take on the subject in "Escape" (S5E11). In this SVU, two ex cons buy their way out of the joint, galavant around the town in drag, and take Olivia Benson to the Jersey Shore. We meet one of Liv's former paramours, decide whether or not unfortunate early '00s fashion choices were the result of America's imperialist adventures overseas, and listen as Adam summons an ancient one.

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