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

This spin-off from the original Law and Order series has a life of its own, going into it’s sixth season this year, and having just released this DVD package including all of season five. It is a unique cop show that carries the Law and Order title, which is fitting as it has many similarities, such as a fantastic cast and well developed stories.

Originally titled Sex Crimes, this series was later changed to Special Victims Unit, which seemed to be more audience friendly. In fact, just because the title was tamed down, it doesn’t seems as though the stories were at all, often so intense and horrific that the show is almost un-bearable. I say this in complete admiration of the intensity in which the
actors can portray such awful subjects and how accurate the writers seem to nail down what these crimes look like from a human perspective.

Each episode deals with a sex crime of some sort, and different from many other Law and Order episodes, often the victims remain alive, and able to
testify. There are episodes that even deal with sex crimes against children, which seems to be an issue, however difficult, relevant in today’s society.
The show follows a group of detectives that work in Manhattan, which seems to be a favorite spot for crime shows.

Many of the cast members have changed from the first season, which is the only other season currently on DVD, so viewers that haven’t followed the show during its television broadcast may be slightly confused. One upside to season five is that the characters are delved into much deeper than seasons prior. Although I’d still recommend this first to long time fans, each episode can be enjoyed and appreciated for the storyline following the
victim alone. The character development of the detectives can be picked up with time.
The disc packaging has also improved a great deal, practically jumping out at you from video store displays. Instead of the cardboard case that was
used for previous Law and Order releases, they have switched to a clear plastic cover instead, which is much sleeker. Universal must also be
commended for a great deal of extra features, many more than I’ve come to expect from television DVD sets. These features include:
Police Sketch: Ice-T (4:20)
Police Sketch: B.D. Wong (4:12)
Police Sketch: Dann Florek (5:21)
SVU Alumni (4:56))

Ryan Izay

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