Living Life As Me

The new season of Law and Order: SVU began with an amazing and powerful episode, Terrorized. This episode aired last week, on September 21, so I apologize for this being late. This episode was absolutely amazing, but also extremely intense. A short background on this episode; patrol finds a boy playing in the sandbox alone(his aunt had been killed by a bicyclist a couple minutes before), and the officer is told to call SVU. When Benson arrives, she attempts to get the child, whose name is Ali, to come with her and Noah. The boy refuses, and pulls a gun out of his backpack, aiming it casually at the lieutenant. Benson grabs the gun and then comforts Noah who is behind her. Later on, at the hospital, Benson is told that the boy has no serious injuries and no signs of sexual abuse. Olivia insists that he had to have gotten the gun from somebody when Rollins asks if they should hand it over to another precinct. The detectives soon realize that Rahima, the woman who was killed by the cycl...

Grey's Anatomy popped into my life as a recommendation from a friend, who noticed that I had loved Red Band Society, in its short bid on Fox. I never though I would enjoy a medical drama as I don't really care for bloody surgeries and massive crush injuries that always seem to be flooding my screen whenever I choose to sit down and settle in for a nine hour marathon of Grey's. But that ship sailed.... I also loved the way that this show incorporated love and work. I am NOT a fan of love stories and love dramas and pretty much anything love related(just ask my sister). But somehow, this show's ability to make the drama work-centric and love-centric made it highly amusing and addicting. But nonetheless, in some episodes, the scenery is just a little much. Also, as pathetic as this sounds, Grey's gave me something to watch when Law and Order: SVU went on break for a month and I was in search of another show to devote my attention to, because yes, I just need...

To be perfectly honest, I've been wondering what all to do with this blog. As most of you know, I have spent my first six months blogging about TV shows(Grey's Anatomy, Law and Order SVU) and reviewing a couple books. This blog was originally created to review and share. I wanted this blog to take on many different topics, but I fell into the rut of only doing TV show reviews, which doesn't seem to make a very.... interesting .....blog. I also realized, in the month of May, when SVU took the extremely long hiatus, that reviewing TV shows has its limits. TV shows go on breaks, and if I only rely on them for content in my blogs, then during the summers, I won't have much to write about because that's when filming happens for the main shows that I review. Before you worry about this becoming a personal, "let me stand on a soapbox and tell you the stories of my life" blog, I promise it will not become that. Living Life As Me was created with a purpose, one th...

The season finale of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit was absolutely amazing. Released in the span of two weeks, it was gripping and heart wrenching, but also a new start for one of the detectives. I also need to preface this with the fact that Law and Order: SVU's episode three weeks age, Assaulting Reality was amazing, even though I didn't get the chance to write a review. The first part of the season finale's double episode event dealt with a correctional officer who was accused of multiple counts of rape. Gary Munson, a married man and with a spotless record. Charisse McGabe accuses him of rape in the church room of Riker's Island, and when he is arrested, the entire correctional force rallies against the SVU squad, ending with a death threat against ADA Barba. Heartfelt Passages continues the investigation against Gary Munson, but this time, when his wife wants to leave him, he pulls a gun, threatening the lives of Benson and Dodds Jr. A rape case turned domesti...

This episode was released on Wednesday, May 4, and was absolutely amazing. John Munch returned, making the whole episode a little more exciting, and also the episode itself was terrific. The plot kept me interested, I didn't ever pick up my phone because I was bored, and I thought the producers and actors did an overall amazing job. A bit of background on this episode, an aspiring model Sally claims she was raped by a famous photographer, Alvin Gilbret. His assistant, Nora, when Sally was upset afterwards, said "that's not what the camera saw." Meanwhile, Benson and Rollins are out with their children, and typically Benson's phone rings and the two head for the hospital. Sally is confused, and also drunk(because Nora fed her alcoholic beverages), and she is also unsure if she wants to press charges. When she does come in to give her statement, she comes in with her overprotective boyfriend Matt, who is clearly abusing her given his hostility towards Carisi and Rol...

I chose this book randomly off of the shelf at my local Barns&Noble, as something that I would take a chance with. I had never heard of Natasha Preston, or the book before, but the summary seemed intriguing so I began to read it. I ended up finishing it that afternoon, on the exact place on the floor of B&N that I sat down to read it. The Cellar as about a teenager, Summer, who is kidnapped by a man who calls himself Clover. She is locked in his basement with three other girls, Rose, Poppy, and Violet, who used to have real names. He names her Lily. Clover's obsession with flowers is yet another one of his evil rituals, as he insists that the roses, poppies and violets that he buys them will remain alive forever, and whenever they die, he goes insane. Summer, turned Lily, is forced to watch, along with the other girls, Clover kill hundreds of prostitutes, his own coworker, and the first Violet(her real name was Jennifer). When she is finally found, she is at death's doo...

As many of you know, I have only been blogging my reviews for about 6-7 months. I've been attempting to integrate more and more material into these blogs, such as book reviews and different pieces of writing, but that hasn't worked so well. For those of you who don't know, I've watched Law and Order SVU since 2012. It's remained a staple show in my mind and right now, even though I have been shifting over to Grey's Anatomy while SVU remains on hiatus, Grey's will never compete with SVU. I am usually notoriously late with my reviews of SVU on here(my apologies) because I usually don't watch them the night they air. They air at ten o'clock my time, and for me, I'm usually doing homework or recovering from the day, so I usually watch them the next day on Hulu. During the episodes, I don't take notes for my reviews, I usually just trust my memory. When I actually sit down at my computer to write these reviews, I try to do a simple background, rat...

Sheltered Outcasts was released on March 30, 2016. This episode was decent enough, and it had a good line of suspense. A quick recap of this episode, Detective Carisi is deep undercover in a homeless shelter, where known sexual assailants are housed. The investigation into the shelter is triggered by a serial rapist the detectives need to catch. Detective Carisi was roughed up by some men in the shelter, but survived. The man of suspicion is Richie Caskey, a man who Detective Carisi thinks is a good man. In a shocking turn of events, it turns out the rapist is Caskey's lawyer, and that was figured out after the shelter's therapist was raped and murdered, and another victim IDs his voice while standing in the middle of the squad room with Olivia. This episode was a good episode, I didn't see much of Dodds Jr. so I'm not sure what is going on there. It was great to see Lieutenant Benson back in action, after being transferred because of a sex trafficking ring that her boy...

Law and Order SVU has finally returned from hiatus, with a new episode, Unholiest Alliance! It aired on March 23, 2016. This episode was much awaited for in the SVU lovers community, as it picked up after Lieutenant Benson was transferred to Community Affairs pending results of and investigation into IAB Captain Tucker's alleged involvement in a sex trafficking ring. Sergeant Dodds was acting commander of SVU, and in my opinion, I was expecting him to fall in the pressure of this case. A quick background on this episode, the investigation picks up, SVU and the church at each other's throats. Nina and Natalia are headed out of town, sure that they are targets of the high ranking officials in the church, and they're forced off the road. Later in the hospital, Natalia tells detectives that she witnessed a priest rape and murder Nina. This is later confirmed with a photo array and Nina's body being found in the woods. Lieutenant Benson is not particularly happy with her new...

The last two episodes of Law and Order SVU were okay, but with a shocking twist. I have to say, this week's episode was initially so shocking that I didn't know how to review it because I was at loss of words. Manhattan Transfer was a good episode. The squad begins to try and take down a major prostitution ring of Catholic schoolgirls. One thing leads to another, and ADA Barba recognizes that one of the men is Judge Wheeler, and there are several other people involved in the case that were part of the police/justice department. As we all know, Lieutenant Benson is dating IAB Captain Tucker, who's cousin is part of the pedophile ring. And as the episode ends, Benson is seen with Tucker at a bar, receiving a text message from 1PP saying that they want to meet with her. The episode closes with Olivia announcing that she's been transferred to Community Affairs and that Sergeant Dodds is now acting commander of SVU. Olivia is seen leaning on her desk through the office windo...

This post will be extremely short, but I just thought I'd clarify things so nobody is wondering why there was no review this week. I did watch the Law and Order SVU episode, and deemed it unworthy of my time. It was to put in short, a terrible episode and not worth my energy. I look ahead to this week's episode, hoping that the producers can put out a decent episode. I'll see you guys then.

This episode, titled Collateral Damages, was released Wednesday, February 17. This arguably the best Law and Order SVU episode that I've ever watched. A quick background; the SVU squad and ADA Barba cut a deal with a child pornography viewer to find those who are illegally downloading and disseminating these videos and images. Rollins is sent undercover to try and catch the illegal pornographers. During this undercover sting operation, it leads them to the NYPD Deputy Commissioner Hank Abrahams, who was downloading these images/videos. His wife, Pippa, is a children and family services attorney, spends this episode in a state of shock. Abrahams is in denial when Barba tries to cut a deal to save him from the political frenzy that they both know will ensue. Abrahams attempts suicide, finally accepting that he has a problem, pleads guilty to multiple counts of viewing/possession of child pornography, and receives four years for each count, and gets placed on the sex offenders registr...

This episode, titled Nationwide Manhunt, was released on February 10, so I apologize for this being up almost a week late, but to make up for it there is also a mini review of the accompanying Chicago PD episode which was part of this two hour crossover event. In my opinion, this was a great episode. A quick overview; infamous serial killers Gregory Yates and Carl Rudnick escape from prison, with the aid of Bronwyn Wilkins(remembered from Season 15, as she was the one to help notorious sociopath William Lewis escape from prison in the episode Beast's Obsession) who baked tools into lasagna so the two could escape. Chicago PD's detectives(who were already present in New York assisting the SVU squad with a case, join in with the hunt for the two criminals. The two go on a killing spree, murdering anyone who may stand in their way, headed for a border into Canada. Rudnick is soon found, shot and hidden inside of an abandoned boat, where Yates ditched him. Detective Erin Lindsay a...

This episode, titled Forty-One Witnesses, was an amazing episode. It receives five out of five stars from me, due to the fact that it always kept me wondering what was going to happen next. A bit of background on this episode; a woman was attacked in a dark courtyard of a crowded apartment building, no one called 911 or said a word until a breakout witness comes forward reluctantly after a woman says she was calling 911 when one of the attackers punched her in the face. That key witness then shows up drunk to the court, further angering ADA Barba and Lieutenant Benson who were already annoyed with his arriving an hour late. But he has nearly photogenic memory, winning the case for the prosecution and leaving somewhat more sober then when he arrived.  Detective Rollins seemed to be much less sympathetic towards the victim in this case, getting angry at her and blaming her for being high. This is most likely because she has become a mother and now knows the real responsibility that c...

This episode, called A Misunderstanding aired yesterday January 20, 2016. A quick background of this episode; Abby(a fifteen year old coed from a local high school) accuses another teenager, Chris(he's eighteen) of rape at a school dance. A he said-she said erupts from the case, and it's further compromised when Abby texts Chris, asking if the two are still friends. ADA Rafael Barba urges Chris to take a deal, pleading to sexual misconduct, which would put him on the sex offenders registry, but also would keep him out of prison. Chris refuses the deal, and they head to trial. Defense attorney John Buchanan upon crossing Abby, finds out that she too is confused to whether or not she said yes. Chris says the same thing, that he didn't hear a no, but he also did not hear a yes. In the end, the jury finds Chris guilty or sexual misconduct, and he goes on the registry for twenty years. This episode gets three out of five stars from me, mainly because of the boring in it. It seem...

Townhouse Incident aired on NBC January 13, 2016.  This episode could quite possibly qualify as one of the worst SVU episodes that I've ever seen. A quick background of this episode; Olivia's regular babysitter Lucy, is having a problem with her family, and was complaining to Olivia. Being the good person that she is, she heads for the townhouse, only to be taken hostage along with two children and their mom. This is evidently traumatizing to her, as she wasn't able to stop the sixteen year old girl from being raped by Joe, one of the hostage takers. In the end, the snipers take out Joe as he exits the townhouse with the intent of running off with Benson. It gets one out of five stars from me, and here's why.  The producers of SVU are overplaying the "Olivia Benson in trouble" and my guess is that they are responding to the rave reviews that they received out of the William Lewis season, where Benson is taken hostage twice in season fifteen. This episode also ...

I've read Sarah Dessen for a long time. She was recommended to me by my middle school librarian in seventh grade. I've loved just about every book that I've read by her, and  Just Listen  was no disappointment. Just Listen is another "love wrapped around tragedy" book, and while I usually steer clear of teenage love stories, I absolutely loved this one. It gets 4.5 out of 5 stars for me. In this book, the protagonist is Annabelle Greene, and life seems play games with her, liking her for a few weeks, then turning her whole world upside down again, then liking her, ruining her, repeat. Something I enjoyed a lot about this book was Sarah Dessen's emphasis on Annabelle's "perfect"(not so perfect) family. She explains how their house is "glass" so everyone driving by can see in and they see the perfect family, having dinner or doing whatever. Annabelle's older sister, Whitney, struggles with an eating disorder for much of the book. This...

This episode was released on Wednesday, January 6, so this is late, but better late than never. Catfishing Teacher was a good episode, although it had it's flaws. It gets four out of five stars from me, mainly because while it does have a good plot line, I hated the non-suspense and the character choice. A quick background of this episode, a teacher has sex with her students while promising them higher grades, and sexts with them as well. Zach(an "uncool" student") receives an explicit text message from her(supposedly), he crafts a plan to tell his mother that he's spending Christmas break with his father. SVU gets the case when his mother loses contact with her. The teacher, Phoebe Burnap, is arrested, but is not the guilty one. It turns out that the boys wrestling coach has Zach, and they turn to another, older victim to find where Zach was taken. They find him, arrest the wresting coach only to find out that Zach won't testify. Dead end reached, they try t...

I actually read My Sister's Keeper  for the first time when I was in seventh grade, at recommendation of my English teacher. I ended up loving it, but I decided to reread it this year, because I didn't really remember it and also, I wanted to review it. This book gets five out of five stars from me. Here's the quick background: Anna Fitzgerald sues her parents for medical emancipation, because she was being forced to donate her body parts to her sister Kate, who had leukemia. Her parents, Sarah and Brian, had Anna through invitro fertilization to ensure her to be a genetic match for Kate, so she could be a donor. Anna's lawyer is Campell Alexander, her guardian ad litem is Julia Romano. I loved this book even more when I read it the second time, because of the format and flow of the story. My favorite character was Anna, because of her fighting spirit and also her ability to stand up for herself. She forced her parents to hear what she had to say, when all her life, the...

I read Faking Normal a few weeks ago upon recommendation of my best friend, Sofia. Her blog is called Loving the Language of Literacy, if you would like to connect with her. Faking Normal was a book about a girl, Alexi Littrell, who is suppressing trauma. Like many books, she meets a guy, Body Lennox and he is healing from tragedy as well. In an interesting turn of events, the two become close and share a bond that is rare between friends, eventually both helping each other handle and eventually conquer the pain of their pasts. This book gets 5 out of 5 stars from me, due the the impeccable writing style and flow. The story was not at all predictable, except for the fact that it was very clear that Bodee and Alexi were going to become very close friends and maybe even fall in love. Faking Normal  also was unique in the way that it made me angry at the characters who were supposed to be good. For example, Alexi's sister, Kayla accused her of cheating on her with Craig, Kayla's ...

This episode was released on November 11, 2015, so this review is obviously late, but better late than never. A quick recap of this episode; missing child case turned into a murder investigation, and then a DNA hunt across the streets of NYC. This episode was hooking, because of the many different characters, but a little confusing because of the DNA chasing. Lab results of Lily(the girl who was missing, then murdered) showed that her killer was likely to be a relative, so the detectives question Brandon, a partial family member who's DNA is in the system. He refuses to give detectives a list of his male family members, stating that he was adopted. His birth father, who we later find out is Ray Marino, turns out to have been dead for five years, and was quite busy with women when he was alive. Dodds and Carisi question his two sons from a second mother, but their DNA doesn't match. The detectives, with no leads and no information, have Ray's body exhumed and it is turned ou...

Hello. Welcome to Living Life As Me. My name is Ailin Liebler-Bendix, and here on this blog, you'll get song covers, TV show reviews, tech reviews, book reviews, current event rants, music reviews ect. Excited now? Probably not. But you will be soon. Enjoy the blogging! I'll make my first post a TV show review. I've watched Law and Order: Special Victims Unit for about three years now. I started watching it when I was in China for a year, and my older sister loved crime TV. The show revolves around a squad of detectives working the NYC Special Victims Unit, and it shows the trials and tribulations of patrolling and solving crimes on NYC turf. The last episode that I watched fully was Patrimonial Burden, episode 6 of season 17. A quick overview of this episode: there's a reality TV show called The Bakers, one of the young daughters of the family starred becomes pregnant and she's thirteen. The family initially doesn't cooperate with the investigation, stating tha...