Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

I am not one to watch a lot of television. In high school, I just never really had the time. Most of my days played out like this: Wake up (late) around 7:00 a.m., take a quick shower, get to school by 8:00 a.m., go to classes, go to school sport (either field hockey, soccer, or softball) practice at 4:00 p.m., be done with school sport around 6:00 p.m., grab a quick smoothie from Smoothie King (almost always Caribbean Way), race over to club soccer practice at 7:00 p.m., finish soccer at 9:00 p.m. (if my coach didn’t keep us late), FINALLY get home by 9:30 p.m., eat dinner, do homework, and crash. Now that I think back on it, I’m not sure what I was thinking with that schedule. All I know is I loved it! Anyway, due to a pretty crazy schedule, television was never really high on my “to do” list. Now, in college, I might watch some television every now and then, but I do not really have the means to just sit on the couch and “veg.” Most of the time, I am completely ok with that.

However, there has always been that one show that, if on, ruins all hope for being productive for the next hour (or hours, depending on how many episodes are on). This show is suspenseful, thrilling, tricky, and at times, scary! This show is Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. I know that there are many versions of Law & Order, but this is the only one that I love. There is just something about this show that completely captivates my attention. Firstly, the characters are fantastic! I don’t care how cheesy some of their lines may be, I love every second of it. First, there’s the kick-butt woman detective, Olivia, her rebellious partner, Elliot. These two make such a great, dynamic duo. Elliot is always bending the rules, leaving me a little nervous, but also eager to see how it turns out, while Olivia is an intelligent cop with a rough past that always comes back to haunt her in one way or another. The two balance each other out and always solve the case.

Then there are the other detectives on the squad like Munch and Finn. These two are the more comical characters if you ask me (even though they’re not meant to be). Finn, who is played by the rapper Ice-T (which is comical within itself), always manages to have those cliché lines in the show that always manage to bring a chuckle out of me. You know those lines in mysteries that are rather “punny”? For example, in one episode, he is making a comment to the forensic team about how long they are taking to examine a bathroom and he says something along the lines of, “Are you almost done in there? You’re starting to make my ex-wife look good.” What a line! I know how cheesy this is, but a little bit of cheesiness every now and then isn’t so bad; and SVU has just the perfect amount.

Besides the characters, the best part about Law & Order: SVU is the storyline! Every episode is a suspenseful thriller that leaves me on the edge of my seat until the very last minute. Between finding the perpetrator of the crime and the prosecution of him/her, the action it nonstop! Although many of the stories are rather dark, most of them have somewhat happy endings, and nothing is more satisfying than to see a bad guy go to jail! (I know that sounds elementary, but I found it appropriate.) Almost always Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is on television there are things I need to do. Whether it’s homework, chores, exercise, or almost anything else, it is put on hold for this addicting show. TV usually does not get the best of me, but when SVU is on, it is a lost cause.