Benson and the team investigate the death of a prostitute at a brothel. They wonder if there was foul play or if this could be a case of a junkie who relapsed, turned to tricking, got depres... Read allBenson and the team investigate the death of a prostitute at a brothel. They wonder if there was foul play or if this could be a case of a junkie who relapsed, turned to tricking, got depressed and committed suicide.Benson and the team investigate the death of a prostitute at a brothel. They wonder if there was foul play or if this could be a case of a junkie who relapsed, turned to tricking, got depressed and committed suicide.
- Sergeant Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola
- (as Ice T)
- ADA Peter Stone
- (credit only)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJennifer Esposito previously appeared in a prior episode, Remorse (2000), as a different character. In 'Remorse' she plays a love interest for Munch (Richard Belzer's character) and in this episode she is a past lover for Fin (Ice-T).
- Quotes
Jimmy Perillo: Look at this craftsmanship, the stitching, the leather. Of course it's mine.
Odafin Tutuola: So you can tell us who bought 'em?
Jimmy Perillo: Not on your life.
Dominick Carisi: People pay thousands for these; you're telling me you don't keep records?
Jimmy Perillo: Of course I keep records. They pay thousands because they expect privacy.
Odafin Tutuola: The person that bought that shoe may have killed a woman. I don't know anything about cobbler/client confidentiality.
Luckily, this is a dramatic improvement from that episode. It is not one of the best episodes of Season 20, being not one of the few great ones in the way "Alta Kockers" and "Dear Ben" were. "Brothel" to me was quite good and intriguing, and a lot more engaging and tasteful than the plot synopsis makes it sound. Which implied it would be sleazy and sensationalist, but actually it wasn't really either. It is flawed when it comes to continuity and doesn't always make sense, but there is a lot that is good.
Am going to talk about what the episode does well. Visually it is well made, especially the intimate photography. It looks stylish and slick with a more refined look than when 'Special Victims Unit' first started all the way back in 1999, while maintaining the show's grit. The music doesn't overbear and is not overused. The script is thought provoking and doesn't hold back, while also not being exploitative. Good, even great, performances are a big strength. Particularly good were Ice-T, unsettling John Rothman and suitably wounded Jennifer Esposito.
It was absolutely great to see more focus on Fin, which was refreshing after seeing him underused for too many latter seasons episodes. The story is admittedly flawed, but is on the whole absorbing. The truth of the responsible was a surprise and the ending was heart breaking.
"Brothel" isn't perfect though. The continuity is sloppy, with it feeling like "Part 33" never happened. Due to them seeming to move on very quick when what happened in that episode would have been traumatic. Rollins is really insensitive here, and this is a situation where one would think she would be very sympathetic.
While the perpetrator was a surprise, their motives and what they were up to did not make sense to me. Considering what drove them to do what they do, what they end up doing would actually realistically be the last thing and the complete opposite of what they do.
Overall, better than expected if flawed. 7/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jun 11, 2023