Manhattan Vigil
"Manhattan Vigil" is the fifth episode of the fourteenth season of the American police procedural Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and the 300th overall.
Captain Donald Cragen (Dann Florek), Sergeant John Munch (Richard Belzer) and Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) realize the case echoes a similar kidnapping in the same neighborhood 13 years prior.
The story was conceived in July 2011, but it was not intended to be the 300th episode until late in its development, when Dick Wolf noticed that it contained qualities that made up the main show.
The following year, Dolores prays for her son by his wall, while David (Hamish Linklater) and Laurie Morris (Mili Avital), pass by with their newborn.
Detectives Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish), Fin Tutuola (Ice-T) and John Munch (Richard Belzer) question a shopkeeper (Ramsey Faragallah) who saw Wyatt with a man in a red baseball cap.
Lomatin shows Rollins and Fin his archive, explaining that there is a connection between the disappearance of young boys and fires in their neighborhood shortly after.
"[2] The series' showrunner Warren Leight wanted "Manhattan Vigil" to have references to the show's pilot episode, which was broadcast on September 20, 1999.
[3] While previous milestone episodes have been marked with celebrity guest stars, Leight said the 300th would focus on Detectives Donald Cragen (Florek), John Munch (Belzer) and Olivia Benson (Hargitay).
He continued, "My job is to translate the written scenes into vivid, real moments, keeping up the momentum and the urgency without losing the story's thread.
"[5] When Benson experiences flashbacks to the kidnapping case 13 years earlier, de Segonzac opted against using make-up and clothing to make Hargitay look younger.
Instead, he decided to use an experimental technique of merging the episode's scenes with footage from the show's first season to make it seem like Benson was having flashbacks to the case, which did not occur in the series.
[12] She branded the episode "a gut-wrenching story" and observed that it "showcased the dramatic chops that have made Law and Order: Special Victims Unit a television staple for the last 14 years.
[12] TV Guide's Matt Roush gave the episode a positive review, saying it was "less sordid than the SVU norm" and that it benefited from "a tangible understanding of life in this city and how a community (and police department) can be haunted for years by a senseless crime.
"[13] Adam Buckman, writing for the Xfinity website, thought the opening scene "was almost too scary to watch, particularly if you live in New York and have first-hand experience with the chaos of crowded, tumultuous subway station platforms.
[15] The Los Angeles Times's Ed Stockly chose "Manhattan Vigil" as one of his "TV Highlights,"[16] while Alison Willmore from IndieWire thought the episode was worth a look.
[20] The plot focuses on Lewis Hodda's trial and the return of psychiatrist George Huang (B. D. Wong), who has been called to testify for the defense.
