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Robin Williams guest-stars on 'Law & Order: SVU'

Robin Williams does a guest turn on the 200th episode of "Law & Order: SVU." (NBC Photo)

April 29, 2008

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Reason to watch: Six words - Robin Williams! Robin Williams! Robin Williams! He hasn't done TV since a 1997 guest shot on "Friends," so this is a red-letter event. Plus, this is "SVU's" 200th episode - surely you want to say you were there for the big anniversary.

What it's about: A young, beautiful fast-food restaurant employee is bound, gagged and then strip-searched by the restaurant ("Happy Burger") manager who insists he was acting on direct orders from one "Det. Milgram" of the NYPD. After Elliot Stabler (Chris Meloni) and Olivia Benson ( Mariska Hargitay) arrest the busybody (played by "30 Rock's" Scott Adsit, of all people), he's informed that there is no "Det. Milgram" - the guy was punked! But by whom? Well, it turns out this hoaxer has been calling fast-food restaurants all over the city, telling the managers to do pretty much the same thing (unclear whether they've complied) and the hoaxer's even got a Web site that kind of talks about this compulsion.

After a little detective work and before the first commercial break, one Merritt Rook - an audio engineer at some company - is apprehended. He's an odd, twitchy mild-mannered fellow stuffed into an ill-fitting shirt and accessorized with a pair of extremely balky horn-rimmed glasses. He's the guilty one, of course - and (of course) he's Robin Williams.

Think (as you're absolutely expected to) Williams' nervous twitchy mild-mannered Walter Finch in 2002's "Insomnia." Walter, err, Merritt has issues that make Elliot and Olivia suspicious: He hates conformity, authority, processed meat and French fries. Hmmm.

Plus, there are pictures of him buying the phone cards used to call the restaurants. Hmmm, again.

Long story short: Merritt wins at his trial, eventually becomes famous and even appears on "Morning Joe" with Joe Scarborough and a sheep. There's much more, but you're not gonna get the whole plot here.

Bottom line: Pure, unmitigated bunk. But watchable bunk. Unintentionally amusing bunk. Occasionally bizarre bunk. This many oddities and non sequiturs can add up to one fun hour of television. Still, these questions linger: Why would a restaurant manager, even an idiot restaurant manager, do that? Why would Robin Williams do this?

LAW & ORDER: SVU. Tuesday night at 10, NBC/4.

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