The cops wrestle with an unthinkable crime when a family is murdered in their sleep.The cops wrestle with an unthinkable crime when a family is murdered in their sleep.The cops wrestle with an unthinkable crime when a family is murdered in their sleep.
- Sergeant Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola
- (as Ice T)
- Mavis
- (as Keziah John-Paul)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOlivia states that she's been a cop for 20 years while on the stand. She's actually been a detective for 20 years. She was a cop before she joined the SVU team as a detective. Not necessarily a mistake, but something worth noting.
- GoofsA judge would never grant bail in any amount to someone facing three counts of murder in the first degree. At the very least the defendant is looking at three sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole and very likely could be given the death penalty. Someone facing spending the rest of their life in prison, and especially being executed, is the definition of a person with nothing left to loose and has every reason to flee the jurisdiction.
- Quotes
Peter Stone: This other woman, the one you saw saving your family from the suffering, did you say anything to her?
Anne Mill: Excuse me?
Peter Stone: You testified it was like watching another woman. I just want to know if you spoke to her before she stabbed your husband and your children.
Anne Mill: No.
Peter Stone: Did you try and stop her?
Anne Mill: She wasn't real.
Peter Stone: But you thought she was, isn't that right? I mean, that's your proof that you're insane.
Anne Mill: No, I didn't try to stop her.
Peter Stone: Because you wanted them dead, isn't that right?
Anne Mill: Because I wanted to protect them. They're better off now.
Peter Stone: Better off than what?
Anne Mill: For facing a world without...
Peter Stone: Without what, Mrs. Mill?
Anne Mill: Well, isn't it obvious?
Peter Stone: No. It's not.
Anne Mill: Without me.
Peter Stone: I've got news for you, Mrs. Mill. You're not so great.
Billy O'Boyle: Objection.
Judge Felicia Catano: Sustained.
Anne Mill: I shelter them, I protect them. It is a hard world, Mr. Stone, and I didn't want to watch my babies be swallowed up by it.
Peter Stone: Then why didn't you just kill yourself?
My feelings are pretty much the same. Was bowled over by the main guest turn and found her character fascinating and unnerving, but "Caretaker" is another episode in a long line of Season 20 episodes where one half was significantly better than the other. In this case, it started off great, but once the truth is revealed it fell apart and became ridiculous rather than the disturbing case it started off as. "Caretaker" is not a terrible episode, though it may have been a poor one if the guest star wasn't so brilliant, but it could have been a good deal better and has the same problems that other family annihilation episodes in the franchise have.
"Caretaker" has good things. The best thing about it is the absolutely unforgettable performance of Sasha Alexander, a strong contender for the best guest star performance of the season and actually in some while. She convinces movingly as a grieving mother but is even better and gives the creeps when the truth is revealed, and absolutely loved how psychologically fascinating her character was. Truly brilliant and deserving of a better episode. Did like her big scene with Mariska Hargitay's Olivia, which could be mistaken for a scene from the Seasons 7-10 period.
The episode starts off incredibly well, cannot remember seeing a more graphic opening scene of the show for a long time and it is tense, dark and intriguing up to a point. The production values are slick and professional, not ever resorting to cheap or untested gimmicks or anything, and liked that the photography was intimate without it being claustrophobic. The music is haunting in the right places and isn't constant or too loud.
However, "Caretaker" could have been so much better. The second half is nowhere near as good, and a big part of the problem is the all over the place pacing. Events of the legal scenes move too quickly but the lack of suspense or emotion make the second half feel pedestrian. After such a promising first quarter, the case came over as too predictable and bland. It was too clear too prematurely who was responsible which took away immediately from the suspense when revealed, just something about their manner if you have seen the franchise's other family annihilation episodes and real life headlines stories of this type of crime (i.e. Manling Tsang Williams). The motive while actually not unheard of was to me ridiculous and didn't make sense with how the perpetrator was behaving.
Did feel that the regulars seemed tired here, including Hargitay and Phillip Winchester is still not working as Stone. Who also comes over as neurotic and making remarks that are unprofessional, on a side note to me his behaviour in dealing with his sister's death has been very inconsistent throughout the season. A lot of the dialogue is over-heated and cliched, primarily in the second half.
In conclusion, started great but fell part. 5/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- May 19, 2023