In This Section
Content Types:
Message Boards
Community Blogs
Videos
TV Guide Spotlight
Also on TVGuide.com
|
« The Drips
SVU: Authority
I like Robin Williams, but he has become so good at playing these psychopath characters that he creeps me out a little now. Even when he is being his funny self, I can't look at him the same way anymore; the same way I will never be able to look at Scott Adsit (Pete from 30 Rock) after this (200th!) episode.
The episode started out with Adsit's character, a manager at "Happy Burger" tying up and groping a teenage employee in a storage closet because an "Officer Milgram" called and told him to do it. What. A. Moron. I cannot even imagine the thought process behind that one, but apparently there wasn't much of one considering the manager is probably going to jail now.
Of course, the real case is about this "Officer Milgram." (An alias chosen based on the famous Milgram experiments where Dr. Stanley Milgram tested to see if civilians would give electric shocks to their loved ones just because they were told to do it. The shocks weren't real, but the people didn't know that and they gave them anyway.) Milgram is actually Merritt Rook (Robin Williams) who is an audio engineer with some serious grudges against authority, and some very clever, extremely twisted, ways of carrying out revenge against the establishments that he believes have wronged him.
When Rook, acting as his own defense, manages to get himself acquitted from the Happy Burger case he becomes a local celebrity, appearing on TV and organizing rallies (with Mo Rocca as his guy with a megaphone) urging people not to be "sheep". He appears on a local talk show with an actual sheep named Elliott (Elliott: "You've got to be kidding me") to prove his point and even Munch (yay for Munch!) gets sucked into his logic and takes part in a group rally/pillow fight.
When Rook stages a giant "freeze" in Grand Central Station (similar to a real-life one a few months ago) Olivia and Elliott attempt to arrest him for driving his dead wife's doctor to suicide (the wife died in childbirth, Rook knew there was something wrong, but the alcoholic doctor didn't believe him, so he kept his mouth shut), but by lifting the freeze at the right moment Rook kidnaps Olivia by telling her that he has a bomb that will explode the station if she doesn't go with him.
When Elliott finds Rook (he goes alone, of course, because no TV cop ever has back up) in an old record studio, Rook attempts to get Elliott to repeat Milgram's experiments and shock Olivia. Elliott, even though he starts crying when he hears Olivia screaming as Rook hits the button, can't bring himself to hurt her because "too many people have been hurt". Rook congratulates Elliott on being a man instead of a sheep like he was concerning his wife, and admits that the whole experiment was faked. As Olivia and Elliott attempt to take Rook away, Rook fools them once again by blowing up the record studio and escaping to his death...or to return another day.
Okay, so clearly Rook is a psychopath, but am I the only one, besides Munch, who thought he actually had some valid points? He did terrible things and his methods were deplorable, but I found myself understanding at least some of what he did. That is something I love about SVU, even the most twisted characters are still human enough that we can find ourselves identifying with them, in the same way that Elliott came to understand Rook.
|
TVGuide Links:
|
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2008 11:12 AM
|
Hi Megan,
I have just one word for Mr. Rook--Eeeewwww! Many comedians have also been great dramatic actors (e.g., Jack Lemmon as the cross-dressing laugh riot in Some Like it Hot (1959), then the tragic recovering alcoholic husband in Days of Wine and Roses (1962). Robin Williams certainly fits that category. He creeped me out too in last night's episode. And, what were his followers if not sheep themselves? Thanks to Mo Rocca BTW for providing some comedy relief to the proceedings.
I loved Munch last night. He never misses an opportunity to hearken back to his days as an anti-establishment '60's rebel. On an episode of Homocide: Life on the Streets, he applied for his FBI file under the Freedom of Information Act. When he finally got it, he was greatly disappointed to find that it was comprised of one sheet of paper. It was hilarious. Of course, he would be out there throwing pillows around with the rest of the mob.
I agree with you that Rook had every right to be angry about how his wife died. Many people suffer injustices in this life, but fortunately most aren't psychopaths who act out in ways harmful to the public. And once again, SVU did a masterful job of creeping us out with this character and making us sympathize with him at the same time.
I was cringing all through the scene when Elliot thought Olivia was being tortured and was ordered to push the button himself. Christopher Meloni gave a master class performance. And didn't we all know that Rooks was up to something when he bent down to supposedly tie his shoe laces? At least the poor guy was put out of his misery at the end.
Thanks for the blog, Megan. Great job, as usual.
|
|
Apr 30, 2008 12:14 PM
|
Hi Megan!
Another great SVU blog from you! Congrats on the Red Star too!
What a creepy character Rook was. As cringeworthy as he was, I have to agree with you (and Munch) that he had some valid points... unfortunately he was also a psychopath who went about trying to preach his message in all the wrong ways.
That scene towards the end when Elliott (and the audience!) thought that Liv was being tortured was intense; and how heartbreaking was it to watch Elliott go through the anguish of not being able to stop Rook form hurting her because he refused to do it himself. And I agree with Marci: major props to Chris Meloni for that scene.
I think they left the door open for Rook's return. I'm not buying that he went into the water and died at the end of the ep.
|
|
Apr 30, 2008 12:27 PM
|
This was a good episode but something was a bit off and I can't put my finger on it. I thought that Robin Williams was great - totally a psycho, but yes - he did have some redeaming qualities. I'm not sure that I would want to hang around the guy but he definitely was intelligent! It took me a while to figure out some of the things he was doing but something about this episode wasn't right. Maybe because it wasn't really a SVU case. The initial sexual assault wasn't even done by the main character who was found innocent.
Munch was great! He was also in Homicide when Robin Williams appeared as a tourist who's wife wa murdered. Too bad they couldn't have combined the characters since Mucnh had met both!
|
|
Apr 30, 2008 1:00 PM
|
Ranger--I thought the same thing; this wasn't really an SVU case, even though it started out as one. I guess they just stuck with it since they were trying to get him for something since he was acquitted of the actual sexual crime. I loved seeing Munch have so much to do, too!
Rod--Thanks! I don't think Rook died at the end, either; he was just too smart for that. I'm kind of hoping he'll be back because he was definitely an interesting villian. An evil genius who was also somewhat sympathetic, that is hard to pull off.
Marci--That scene where Elliott had to listen to Liv screaming was quite intense and Chris Meloni was fantastic in it. You could see it in his face as he was trying to figure out what he could do to save her while at the same time you could see his fear and pain as Rook hurt her. Bravo to him for being able to say so much with so few lines.
That is funny about Munch on Homicide; I just love his character and I wish he was on more often.
I suspected Rook was up to something when the shoelace thing, too; he was just too smart for them time after time.
I agree that he had a right to be upset about his wife and the thing with the burned down house when he was a kid, but if we all took the law into our own hands like he did the world would be chaos.
|
|
Apr 30, 2008 2:11 PM
|
An evil genius who was also somewhat sympathetic, that is hard to pull off.
You said it, Megan! Robin Williams is far from being one of my favorite actors, but he did pretty well with this character last night. (It was a really well-written character too; so kudos to the writers).
I meant to mention earlier... I got a huge kick out of seeing Munch involved in the pillow fight.
|
|
Apr 30, 2008 2:27 PM
|
I missed the Robin Williams episode too?! *sigh* *shakes head at self* I've got to start paying more attention to what is airing. I would have liked to have seen this episode too. I know that Robin Williams does creepy very well (I saw Insomnia a while back).
When Rook stages a giant "freeze" in Grand Central Station (similar to a real-life one a few months ago)...
May I exhibit my ignorance *ducks head* and ask what this means - a "freeze" in Grand Central Station? I'm picturing all the people inside playing a big game of freeze tag and somehow I don't think that's right!
|
|
Apr 30, 2008 3:49 PM
|
|
What really creeps me out about Williams' performance is that this is at least his third serious role where he plays a widower driven crazy by the death of his wife (Fisher King, and an excellent ep of Homicide: Life on the Street being the others. Were there more?) What's up with that??
|
|
Apr 30, 2008 3:56 PM
|
I'm picturing all the people inside playing a big game of freeze tag and somehow I don't think that's right!
You are surprisingly close, IG. Someone gives some sort of signal and everyone who is in on the gag freezes in whatever place and position they are in until another signal is given. Basically they act like human statues and it freaks out all the people who don't know what is going on; sort of a silent, but highly visible, protest. Robin Williams does do creepy very well.
ssf36--I haven't seen all of those, but I know he plays psychopaths pretty often, and usually people who were driven to it by some crazy tragic event. I like him, but he scares me a little. 
|
|
Apr 30, 2008 4:42 PM
|
Thanks, Megan! Huh, who knew that I was so close to being right?! That just sounded (and still sounds) like a strange thing to do...
But thanks for the clarification!
|
|
May 1, 2008 10:49 AM
|
|
Thanks for posting that ssf36! I'm still impressed that they got so many people to do it successfully.
|
|
May 1, 2008 12:47 PM
|
|
|
