Re-watching 'Law and Order Special Victims Unit', through its regular late night re-runs, overall has seen me having a more positive opinion of it. The early seasons, with many brilliant episodes, are better by quite some way. Despite not being aired as much as the more recent seasons, which to me have a different feel and are not as balanced in focus. Overall though the show has grown on me.
It is episodes like "A Single Life" and even more so the brilliant previous episode "Payback" that helped re-assess my "started off brilliantly but jumped the shark" initial opinion of 'Special Victims Unit', or at least not as drastically as that. This was back when there was a better balance of case, trial and moral issues, when characters behaved with more professionalism and when personal lives didn't take over too much of everything else. "A Single Life" is not quite on the same level as "Payback", then again that would have been a hard thing to achieve, but it is impressive stuff.
Do agree that "A Single Life" starts off somewhat rough, it came over as pretty awkward and Benson's showing up was on the convenient side.
Wasn't sure what to make of exchanges like the one between Stabler, Benson and Cragen when going through the victim's belongings. The dialogue did admittedly make me laugh out loud, but at the same time the exchange didn't really gel with the rest of the writing and tone and one that will be taken either way of amusing or cringe.
"A Single Life" otherwise has a lot of great things about it. It is a typically well made episode visually for the same reasons as with the production values for the original 'Law and Order', being suitably slick and gritty. The music is spare in use but has presence without being intrusive or repetitive. The main theme and voice over have always stuck with me.
The writing has tautness and provokes thought without being melodramatic, a few clumsy attempts at humour (my opinion) aside. The story is not quite as complex or as disturbing as the one in "Payback", but it did make me think, make me feel uncomfortable and balanced its story elements well. The climax is absolutely searing, especially for Laila Robins acting the heck out of it. Can't fault the performances either, from all the regulars, but especially Mariska Hargitay, and from a poignant Robins and creepy Paul Hecht.
Very good episode on the whole if a step down from "Payback". 8/10