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Season 9, Episode 12, Aired

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A woman's body is found murdered in a park alongside a man with a bullet in his head - Benson and Special Agent Cooper join forces and suspect "The Woodsman", a serial killer Cooper has tried to catch for years. Lake and Benson begin to question Cooper's true motives when the male victim is later identified as "The Woodsman".moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (28)

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  • Pretty good for amateurs

    8.0
    "Great"
    By bethrjacobs, Jan 15, 2012
    Condescending yes a rip off of real cases yes but pretty good made Olivia look selfish and dumb the guest star Erika Christensen was great she could pass as a foster child and possibly as a person with a bit of interracial ancestry

  • Painful from Beginning to End

    1.5
    "Abysmal"
    By MissAuthoress, Jan 12, 2012
    And not in the way the writers were hoping for. Law and Order: SVU is a show that rarely disappoints. I have only seen one other episode that I hate as much as this one. The premise of this episode sounds interesting at first: trying to catch a Serial Killer who tortures women. Unfortunately, the acting becomes cheesy. FBI Agent Cooper, whose mentor tracked the serial killers, joins Olivia. The character is insufferable though and while I think we were suppose to feel bad for her...the writers do not convey this. Agent Cooper is selfish and quite annoying, not to mention the actress does nothing to help the character come along. Her acting is flat and emotionless, even in the most emotional parts.

    As for the storyline itself, it was quite disturbing and SVU made it more disturbing with images and such. It was SVU trying to show heinous crimes and I was quite disturbed. But soon, even the torture became cheesy and excessive and it felt blah.

    The ending was supposed to be a twist but it was fairly predictable. The ending was just terrible and I didn't feel anything for Cooper. As for Olivia's reaction, it was so cheesy. This episode was too dramatic and it was trying to be super disturbing and super emotional like Saw meets daytime soap operas. Needless to say, I did not like it at all.moreless

  • Really really really really Bad!!!

    2.0
    "Terrible"
    By zvyozdnayapyl, Dec 11, 2011
    This episode was absolutely terrible. The guest stars were a bunch of whiny self absorbed crybabies, especially that FBI agent chick. By the way she was absolutely and practically annoying and selfish. Erika Christensen completely miscast. She looked like a scrawny wimp. Silly "bad Benson and Lake" scenes. The Woodsman the killer of the victims - ABSOLUTELY LAME!. Plot was stupid. The whole investigation scence was absolutely retarded Messing with Benson and Lake's mind of origin for no reason also it had nothing good about it. Not even action. The acting and the writing were a joke, the story was a joke. I mean good God that episode was horrible.moreless

  • Review to up the average.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By saffikeagan, Jun 05, 2011
    Honestly, I'm reviewing this episode to help up it's average. It was like a train-wreck to watch; from beginning to end. It had all the elements of a suspenseful drama/thriller: a vicious crime, a twist, a good character turned bad, and a violent/shocking ending. I loved seeing the FBI agent not able to cope with having a live victim to deal with; they did a good job of showing how out of her league the agent was feeling. As for Benson's reaction at the end, it's called shock. When a person is in a state of shock, they react exactly like Olivia did: they just shut-down. I was surprised not to see her have any fall-out in the next few episodes. I thought that there would be at least a mention of a mandatory counseling session or something.moreless

  • Agent Benson leads the team, with assistance by FBI special agent Cooper on a chilling chase through Central Park to capture a sadistic serial killer before time runs out and another victim falls prey to the 'Woodsman'.moreless

    5.5
    "Mediocre"
    By Huniebee, Jun 05, 2011
    An episode where the viewer is tortured as much as the show's victims. Once again the show takes you on a terrifying journey as our team tracks down a sadistic killer. This time Benson is joined by Special Agent Cooper of the FBI to catch our killer before he ends the life of another victim. The non existing acting skills of Erika Christensen (Cooper)make this episode almost unbearable to watch. But close attention to detail when discussing the trauma of the victims and a the superb talent of the rest of the cast make this episode well worth watching, even despite the pain caused by watching Miss Christensen ruin every scene that she's in.moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • TRIVIA (1)

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    • When they identify the John Doe using his fingerprints, Agent Cooper says he "helped search for evidence" after one of the murders. No one asks why she didn't mention she knew the victim at the crime scene, or before this during the investigation.

  • QUOTES (6)

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    • Lauren Cooper: You must get a lot of confessions in here. Can't wait to unburden the soul, confirm your deepest suspicions. They want absolution. They want to be able to sleep at night. Olivia Benson: Can you sleep at night, Lauren? Lauren Cooper: I sleep. Just. Fine.

    • (Walking around Agent Cooper's apartment.) Chester Lake: I'm going to blow your freaking brains out. CSU Technician: You better not be talking to me!

    • Don Cragen: She murdered Mr. Moore. Chief of Detectives: You mean the serial killer.

    • Olivia Benson: Exactly how close were you two? Lauren Cooper: He was like a father to me! Olivia Benson: Oh, is that what they're calling it now?

    • Lauren Cooper: Working with him was like having a father for the first time, you know what I mean? Olivia Benson: No, I don't, Lauren Cooper: Job is your family? Olivia Benson: Yeah.

    • Dr. Melinda Warner: Uterus punctured by a foreign object. Colon punctured by a foreign object. Special Agent Lauren Cooper: I don't think we need to hear any more. Dr. Melinda Warner: I speak for the dead, and I'm not done!

  • NOTES (3)

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  • ALLUSIONS (1)

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    • Lauren Cooper: Those who fight monsters should make damn sure they don't become one. This quotation, originally from Friedrich Nietsche ("Those who fight monsters should take care that they never become one. For when you stand and look long into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you."), is often used in police academy training classes, and was likely learned there by the characters.

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