Oh, I finally find a topic where I can discuss one of my most loved obsessions. I'm such a sucker for these cops/court shows, but Law & Order really got me hooked. All of the spin-offs are great, but my favorite is really SVU.
I've seen some people commenting on it here, and I was sad to find some Casey bashers among them. It's really sad that people keep comparing Casey with Alex 'Our Lady of Law' Cabot. They're
not the same people, despite Mr. Wolf's insistence on making Casey's hair blonde (which, by the way, SO needs to go back to the pretty red it was before). They have different personalities, different prosecuting styles, different views. Well, of course Casey is not Alex! Our Detectives figured that out early on, but by constantly comparing them you don't give Casey a chance to prove herself. She will always be 'Not Alex'. That's what really piss me off, most don't even bother to find out who is Casey Novak. That didn't happen when Abbie Carmichael left and Alex took her place, did it? How is that fair?
I personally think she's a fascinating character and a wonderful prosecutor - yes, she is, Alex fucked up a lot too, but no one bashed her because of it. Didn't anyone watch 5th Season episode Mean? I cheered like crazy when Casey dressed down that little bitch on the stand. I felt vindicated, as if all those High School divas got their asses kicked. A fifteen minutes jury, even Elliot and Olivia praised that one!
I'll be the first to admit that at the beginning she was brash and cocky and naive to the extreme, but that's only because she was not used to the kind of cases she had to prosecute for SVU. Come on, SVU is one hell of a jump from Felonies and White Collar. Even EADA Tracey Kibre struggled with SVU's cases and no one can deny she's one ass kick attorney. So she stumbled a lot at first. But then Casey grew into her position, she cared for the victims and she tried her damnest to get justice for them. Only in her second episode on the series, she was already putting her neck on the line for someone she didn't even know, and who clearly didn't like her. How can you bash that?
I remember the 7th Season episode Gone, when Jason Kings needed a shoulder, she was there for him, comforting him. And when he disappeared and later was found that, Casey felt responsible and so guilty for not helping him like she promised. Now doesn't that show how incredibly caring she is? What about on Poison (Season 5), you can't say you didn't like seeing that misogynistic bastard Judge Taft get his ass handed to him. I think it's admirable that she disregarded what could happen to her career and wanted justice. That's selflessness, people, even if a little too idealistic, as we saw on Goliath.
Another point people insist on bashing Casey for is her rather... interesting choice of clothing. So she likes to wear lime green and purple, what the hell is the freakin' problem? We Kittens know better than most that a quirky wardrobe shows personality!
That's why she's been dubbed the Limer Goddess, and I, along with many others that revere the wonderful person that is Casey Novak (and her brilliant actress, of course, Diane Neal), are called the Limers. Limer Pride now and forever!
As you can see, I am one huge Casey fan. What's not to like? She's funny, environmentally conscious, sarcastic, caring, brilliant, utterly cute with that smile of hers and a redhead to boot! Oh, yeah, I block the whole ‘bottle blonde now’ thing from my mind. Bash all you like, Casey is the Limer Goddess and we'll continue our crusade to convert as many of the Great Unwashed as we can.
Woot!
Now that I've finished my ode to Casey, I feel I have to comment on the rest of the characters too, as to be fair.
Elliot: Nice family guy while it lasted, way too hung up on the Job for my tastes. Gets angry too easily, is too impulsive. Still, he has his moments and is a good Detective and character. I think he's infuriating most of the time, though.
Olivia: Ah, Our Leading Lady. I like her. I really, really like her. She's one though lady, with the life she leads, with everything she sees, and she still manages to be so caring. I love how she connects with the victims, even when they don't look like they're the victims (Season 5 Escape comes to mind, that was an incredible episode). Her first seasons on the show were really enjoyable, she was all kicking asses and taking names, but later on she became... for the lack of a better term, a teary femme. Nothing against that but... Kind of threw my image of Olivia. Well, I still love her anyway.
Munch: Can I just say how much I love this guy? He's just so... cool! I love his off the wall conspiracy theories, his dry sense of humor, his inherently goodness. Even when he was shot in the ass, he was still his Munchkin self.
Fin: I like him well enough, but I don't know enough about him to really form an opinion. He has a good partnership with Munch, and I like his street smarts. That's about it.
Cragen: The man with the plan. He's like Giles, the voice of reason. He's not in the spotlight enough, IMHO.
Huang: He's kind of pedantic, but an essential part of the team. It's freaky how he can get into the perp's head, uncanny and certainly very useful.
Warner: I like her. We don't know a lot about her, but for some reason I find myself grinning whenever she does an autopsy or testifies on court. I think that, if well developed, she could become a really delightful character.
Alex: Now, I'm sure you're all expecting a lot of bashing here. Wrong. I like Alex very much and I was sad to see her go in such a tragic way. At first I didn't like her, because she came off as an arrogant, cold, rich little bitch with big political aspirations. But then... She just sort of grew on me, ya know? A brilliant attorney, smart, beautiful and steadfast. I just loved that time when she threatened to knock the defense attorney's teeth down his throat. Like Cragen, I would pay real money to see that. She has some really good tirades, and I like how determined she is when she decides to do something. And she's compassionate too, even though she mostly tries to keep her distance. Her triumphal return on Ghost was at once exciting and angst ridden. One thing I never understood, is how she was made Bureau Chief even after three years without practicing law. I mean, she's good, but that good? I dunno.
Well, I think that's it for now. I hope no one fell asleep while reading this little monologue. If anyone bothers, that is. What can I say? I really love SVU.
Toodles!
Anna
at: 1/17/05 3:54 pm
by BBOvenGuy » Mon Jan 17, 2005 4:53 pm 
SVU has a lot of subtext, but I won't get into the matter of shippers, that tends to get a little bloody as I am a devout C/O fan (just look at my avatar). 
Still blonder than blonde, but until someone beats some sense into the hair gal, that can't be helped.
