Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - The Eighth Year – DVD Review

By June L. Feb 20, 2009, 14:03 GMT

In the criminal justice system, sexually based crimes such as rape, torture, pedophilia and child-abuse are dealt with in New York City, by a special unit of the police department known as the Special Victims Unit. Its members include Detective Olivia Benson, herself the child of a rape, Detective Elliot Stabler, a family man trying to protect his family from the horrors of the world. The crimes they deal with ...more

The 8th season of this popular show begins with some changes.  Mariska Hargitay’s maternity leave had her character Olivia Benson off the show for a few episodes.  Connie Neilson stepped in to play Detective Dani Beck and be a partner with Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) in their work to track down and bring to justice some of the worst criminals.

Law and Order SVU season 8 was another year of episodes taken from the headlines and produced an intense drama viewing experience for the television audience.  The investigations of shockingly brutal crimes were handled with professional skill, and the idea that justice would be served.

As the season began, Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) was working undercover for the FBI in an attempt to find a cell of terrorists.  This took her away from her usual desk and duties, and was a clever way to give Ms. Hargitay maternity leave time without having to develop a pregnancy storyline for her character. 

Connie Neilson was brought in to be Stabler’s temporary partner Detective Dani Beck.  It was an interesting paring, as Beck was more of a rigid and by the book zealous law enforcement employee.  Her inability to be flexible caused more than just Stabler some worry. 

Fans missed Ms. Hargitay, but they were not disappointed by the fine performances of Ms. Neilson.  In episodes that were challenging and ultimately filled with heart break, viewers learned the price of the job, and appreciated even more the abilities of Olivia Benson. 

Law and Order SVU had a number of interesting guest stars playing unusual roles.  Perhaps the most striking was Jerry Lewis who gave a masterful performance as Munch’s eccentric uncle a homeless man accused of a brutal rape and murder in a episode that was filled with dramatic switches.

It was a different role for the master of comedy, but very effective and thought provoking.  Also on the guest roster for the season were Marcia Gay Hardin, Leslie Caron, Bob Saget, Bernadette Peters, Chris Sarandon, Tim Daily, Dylan Walsh, and Ludacris. 

Law and Order SVU Season 8 is presented on 5 discs in a boxed set of three keep cases.  The covers of the cases contain program notes and synopses for the episodes.  The episodes are in English audio, and are available in English or Spanish subtitles.  The running time for the complete season in 934 minutes and the episodes are presented in widescreen format.

The stories varied among a wide range of subjects, from a child that isn’t really a child, to a murder that has been carefully choreographed.  Fans will be happy to see this latest season available for their collections.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - The Eighth Year is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.