Wrath
- Episode aired Oct 5, 2001
- TV-14
- 1h
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
Three people are found murdered, all unconnected to each other, except to that of cases that Detective Benson has investigated.Three people are found murdered, all unconnected to each other, except to that of cases that Detective Benson has investigated.Three people are found murdered, all unconnected to each other, except to that of cases that Detective Benson has investigated.
Photos
BD Wong
- Special Agent Dr. George Huang, M.D.
- (as B.D. Wong)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMunch says that one of the drugs used on the victims was Pavulon, which is the brand name for Pancuronium bromide, an amniosteroid muscle relaxant. It works by blocking the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the nervous system. Acetylcholine acts as a signaling agent; when it is present in the synapse, it tells muscles to contract, and if there is no acetylcholine the muscles stay relaxed. In standard doses pancuronium affects only the peripheral and voluntary nerve functions, but in large doses it will also affect the autonomic and central nervous system and prevent the heart and lungs from functioning. Pancuronium bromide is mainly used to relax muscles to aid in intubation, often when general anesthesia is being administered. It is also the second drug in the three-drug cocktail used for lethal injections in certain countries, including the United States. The first drug administered is used to sedate the inmate, usually a fast, ultra-short acting barbiturate like sodium thiopental or pentobarbital. This causes unconsciousness within 30 seconds, and though the dosage is high enough to cause fatal respiratory depression even in the absence of the other two drugs, the process would take too long. The second drug administered, pancuronium bromide, paralyzes the skeletal muscles (mainly to prevent muscles spasms and "death throes"), and also the diaphragm, which helps to quickly cease all respiratory function. The third drug administered is potassium chloride which causes the potassium levels in the blood to rise drastically, which causes cardiac arrest within seconds. The combination of the three drugs causes total brain death in less than four minutes.
- GoofsWhen Olivia goes to Stabler's house to confront him about the protective detail, she tells him that if you can't trust your partner it's time to get a new one and walks away. The shot cuts to Eliot on the steps but then Olivia appears again in the frame and her movements appear as though she is speaking to him again, though there is no audio.
- Quotes
Olivia Benson: We blame all kinds of people for creating monsters. Why not ourselves?
Featured review
Murder gets personal
The previous episode "Repression" was a very solid premiere to Season 3. Expectations were high, with the previous two seasons being near-consistently good to superb (with only four disappointments that were still above average), and those high expectations were mostly high watching "Repression". So understandably there were high hopes too for "Wrath", when a season starts off as well as Season 3 of 'Special Victims Unit' it is hard to not want any following episodes to be equally good or even better.
Even better Season 3's second episode "Wrath" turned out to be. It is an excellent episode, very powerful in atmosphere and emotion. 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' tends to vary when it comes to having cases that get personal for the detectives. There are ones that show movingly how a case gets to them and where one really understands how they feel and their actions. And there are also personal episodes where the unprofessionalism gets extreme and unrealistic. Mostly "Wrath" is an example of the former and is excellent for many other reasons too.
"Wrath" is well made, unobtrusively scored (the theme tune is memorable) and sympathetically directed. What really does stand out is the acting, especially the powerhouse performance of Mariska Hargitay. She intensely and movingly shows how such a personal case gets to somebody, in Olivia's case this is as personal as one can get and one of her most personal (her previous most personal cases being "Stalked" and "Abuse").
It is also thoughtfully scripted and the story is hugely absorbing throughout. The more urgency there is, the more the tension builds. Which is nail-biting in the build up to the climax and most of the climax itself. "Wrath" is also a tear-jerker, especially when seeing how much the case affects Olivia and how we see how much Stabler cares for her evidenced in the outcome.
Some may not like that Olivia is not particularly professional here, including facing a very dangerous situation with no back-up, and some have felt that she over-reacted at the end. Personally interpreted them as the pressure of the case getting to her, causing her to not think straight, and what happens at the end was just the tip of the iceberg.
For me, only the slightly rushed and anti-climactic outcome underwhelmed a little.
Otherwise, excellent. 9/10
Even better Season 3's second episode "Wrath" turned out to be. It is an excellent episode, very powerful in atmosphere and emotion. 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit' tends to vary when it comes to having cases that get personal for the detectives. There are ones that show movingly how a case gets to them and where one really understands how they feel and their actions. And there are also personal episodes where the unprofessionalism gets extreme and unrealistic. Mostly "Wrath" is an example of the former and is excellent for many other reasons too.
"Wrath" is well made, unobtrusively scored (the theme tune is memorable) and sympathetically directed. What really does stand out is the acting, especially the powerhouse performance of Mariska Hargitay. She intensely and movingly shows how such a personal case gets to somebody, in Olivia's case this is as personal as one can get and one of her most personal (her previous most personal cases being "Stalked" and "Abuse").
It is also thoughtfully scripted and the story is hugely absorbing throughout. The more urgency there is, the more the tension builds. Which is nail-biting in the build up to the climax and most of the climax itself. "Wrath" is also a tear-jerker, especially when seeing how much the case affects Olivia and how we see how much Stabler cares for her evidenced in the outcome.
Some may not like that Olivia is not particularly professional here, including facing a very dangerous situation with no back-up, and some have felt that she over-reacted at the end. Personally interpreted them as the pressure of the case getting to her, causing her to not think straight, and what happens at the end was just the tip of the iceberg.
For me, only the slightly rushed and anti-climactic outcome underwhelmed a little.
Otherwise, excellent. 9/10
helpful•30
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jun 24, 2020
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