- Radio Times
- Review by:
- Jane Rackham
Robin Williams is peerless when it comes to characters that are outwardly pleasant, polite and reasonable, but downright creepy at the same time (his role in the 2002 film One Hour Photo, for instance). Here he plays Merrit Rook, an audio engineer who quietly rails against society’s blind obedience to authority and, inspired by Stanley Milgram’s electric shock experiments, cleverly manipulates others because they think they’re following orders.
The detecting part is over in a flash, but there’s a cracking scene where Rook defends himself in court and an intense final showdown.
Williams won an award for Favourite Scene-stealing Guest Star for this performance.
About this programme
17/19. Benson and Stabler are drawn into a series of psychological games by Merritt Rook (guest star Robin Williams), an engineer whose obsessive hatred of authority proves popular with the public and wins him a cult following. Hard-hitting drama, with Christopher Meloni.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Det Elliot Stabler
- Christopher Meloni
- Det Olivia Benson
- Mariska Hargitay
- Capt Donald Cragen
- Dann Florek
- Merritt Rook
- Robin Williams
- John Munch
- Richard Belzer
- Casey Novak
- Diane Neal
- George Huang
- BD Wong
- Odafin Tutuola
- Ice-T
Crew
- Director
- David Platt
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