Critic’s Rating: 4.8 / 5.0
4.8
Welcome back, Law & Order: SVU.
This whole season was supposed to be about returning to the procedural’s roots, but it often fell far short of the mark.
Not this time. Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 11 started out slow, but it delivered on the procedural’s promise to support survivors better than this whole season has.
After A Long Cold Open, SVU Settled Into A Strong Case
The cold open was still too long, but the rest of the episode made up for it.
One day, the Law & Order: SVU writers will realize that we don’t need the victim’s entire life story before we begin.
Kyra’s story was heartbreaking, but it would have been even more so if her assault hadn’t been on camera.
In the old days, Law & Order: SVU would have begun with the cops’ banter in the squad room, and Jay would interrupt them, kicking off the case.
That would have been more powerful than starting with the crime. The Columbo format doesn’t work nearly as well for SVU as it does for Elsbeth — the case should unfold as Benson and her team talk to the victim and suspects, not ahead of time.
Still, that’s a relatively minor complaint this time. The story was that good.
It was obvious from the get-go that Frank was involved in the scheme to sexually assault Kyra.
His sudden need to run away to deal with his kid’s medical emergency seemed too coincidental to be real, and he claimed that Krya was “pretty damn happy when I told her about her commission check.”
I thought the story might devolve into Kyra backing out of her complaint because she wanted the 50K Frank was using to buy her silence.
I’m glad it didn’t go that way this time, though I expected more backlash from Kyra’s decision to press charges.
I guess Frank was so confident in his ability to lie his way out of trouble that he didn’t care about Kyra “betraying” him. Still, it seemed a guy who would blackmail her into sex with a client would threaten her little brother if she told the cops anyway.
That was one flaw in this story.
Frank seemed to lose interest in the girls as soon as they walked away (or were fired for noncompliance). He seemed to be the kind of guy who would try to ensure they all kept quiet after they were no longer working for him.
Still, this story was about standing up to influential people and winning, which we desperately need right now.
Law & Order SVU Season 26 Episode 11 Worked Because Of What It Didn’t Include
“Deductible” worked despite a few flaws because it pared things down to the aspects of the series that had always worked in the past.
While many episodes seem to be exercises in elevating Benson to sainthood, Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 11 avoided that, and the story was all the better for it.
Benson was supportive of Kyra.
She encouraged her to press charges while making it clear it was up to her what to do next.
But she didn’t get obsessed like she did with Maddie Flynn.
This story could easily have gone that way. When Jay called to say his sister had locked herself in her room, it could have been the beginning of Benson getting way too involved in a witness’ life again.
This time, Law & Order: SVU managed to sidestep that trap. Benson checked on Kyra and encouraged her to proceed with the case, but she didn’t overdo it.
Her pep talk even felt shorter and more realistic.
Additionally, the case focused on the investigation, followed by a trial, without wasting too much time on irrelevant personal subplots.
This format has made the Law & Order franchise popular for decades, but SVU often skips the court scenes, saves them for another episode, or sensationalizes them.
Carisi is Doing Better, And That’s Okay
I still don’t think Carisi’s mental health storyline is over. That still feels unrealistic to me, and I wouldn’t be surprised if his PTSD acts up again near the end of the season.
Still, Carisi doesn’t need to fall apart every episode. That would be overkill and not entertaining.
I was all right with him being more or less himself. Maybe seeking justice for other victims is helping him heal. That worked for Benson and Rollins in the past, so why not?
Carisi’s trauma will probably come into play when the robbers go on trial, but in the meantime, he did a great job putting away two scumbags that were trafficking female employees to close deals.
Benson: I find it unsettling that lying about a crime is worse than committing it.
Carisi: Nobody ever said the mathematics of justice add up.
That said, did anyone else think Benson was NOT talking about the case when she asked how Carisi was doing at the end of the hour?
He had to be thinking of his daughters during this case.
In ten years or so, they’ll be young women searching for jobs, so he likely was thinking about what he’d do to prevent them from getting into this type of situation.
That could easily throw him off again, but so far, he seems to be handling things well.
Random Thoughts About Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 11.
- Silva’s been in two episodes in a row! Could she be an actual permanent team member?
- What was with all that talk about overtime? It’ll have to come into play later, though I don’t see how.
- Jim’s claim that he thought Kyra wanted it because Frank made it sound like she was willing was problematic. Yet again, a man on SVU is claiming ignorance because he never bothered to talk to the woman before starting a sexual encounter with her.
Over to you, Law & Order: SVU fanatics.
What did you think of Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 11?
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