Law & Order: SVU Season 24 Episode 10 Review: Jumped In
Olivia Benson has been attacked more than once, so a gang beating wouldn't keep her down for long.
On Law & Order: SVU Season 24 Episode 10, Benson again became a victim, attacked by a machete-wielding gang of kids who were out for revenge. She was angry that Noah could have been hurt and determined to get the gang leader, but her investigation had to take a back seat... for now.
In an hour, Benson and Fin helped solve a rape in the Bronx, get justice for several old ones, and free a wrongfully convicted man. And it seems that will only be the beginning of their relationship with the Bronx SVU.
No one is as dedicated as Benson; other SVUs invariably have incorrectly closed cases, leaders in a rush, and victims whose plights were ignored altogether. (Sadly, these other units' behavior is closer to reality than the dedication to victims that Benson's team displays.)
But introducing a Bronx SVU in crisis was brilliant. This may spawn multiple stories and offer new characters without Benson having to hire anyone to replace Rollins or increase her ridiculously small staff.
Bruno was a compelling character. He was the only Bronx SVU member who had the balls to stand up for victims instead of kowtowing to a leader who was, at best, careless and had lost his job over it but refused to give up on getting justice.
He had Benson's dedication to victims, but his methods were not to her liking, and with good reason. His attempt to bribe a lab worker could have blown up in his face.
It worked, though, while Benson's more diplomatic approach only resulted in rudeness. No one can argue that Bruno doesn't know how to read the room.
The DOJ officials interfered, fulfilling the trope of interlopers trying to take over an investigation. I wasn't sure what their problem was, other than that we needed extra drama.
How did Benson's working on finding the real perp interfere with the DOJ's investigation into how the Bronx SVU failed in its duties? If anything, showing that the original investigators were negligent could bolster their case.
There was little point to the DOJ demanding that Benson leave that case alone. No sooner did McGrath bark the order that Benson had to move on than a new victim turned up, rendering all the Feds' objections moot.
Once they had a new victim, things moved quickly. Bruno's bribery led fairly quickly to the discovery of the perp, though they were hampered in the investigation because they'd stumbled onto a family's personal soap opera.
The backstory on that one was interesting, though not relevant, and the obstacle was quickly overcome.
Ronnie's arrest was odd. I wasn't sure why his mother was there -- is it really a good idea to have a civilian accompany police on an arrest? Ronnie's explanation that he attacked Deaf girls because he hates his Deaf mother didn't entirely ring true.
He chose random Deaf girls, not ones that physically resembled his mother in any way. Two of his victims were not the same race as she was.
It's too bad we couldn't get Dr. Huang back for this episode. I'd have loved to get his take on this perp.
This case was only the beginning of the story; Benson will go after Papas next, while Fin continues to work with the Bronx SVU. The question here is whether Bronx and Manhattan will permanently join forces.
Fin is supposed to help clear the backlog, which could be a long-term project. But does this mean more screen time for Fin, who is too often shoved into the background? Or is this setting the groundwork for him to be the next one to leave SVU?
Let's hope this is a real story for Fin, not the first step toward his exit! SVU has lost too many people recently, and Fin is one of the longest-running and best characters.
Lieutenant Dixon's crossover was a nice touch. It's always fun when characters from other Law & Order series visit, especially when there's a strong reason.
But since Benson is going after a major gang leader next, shouldn't she also rely on the Organized Crime unit?
Going after violent heads of gangs is Organized Crime's reason for existence, so it doesn't make sense not to include them in some capacity. But Benson sees this as her personal mission and may not want to include anyone she doesn't have to.
She's found the kid she shot and plans to confront him, but what will she do with any information she manages to get from him? And will he be able to tell her much while groggy, despite Valesco's belief that this is the best time to question him?
Benson sent Noah to the McCanns for his safety -- could this also be part of a bigger storyline?
Noah didn't want to go but told Benson he had a great time despite missing her. Could Benson end up in a custody battle with the McCanns later?
Many fans didn't trust them after their abrupt introduction, and there has to be more to the story than their willingness to take Noah at a moment's notice.
What do you think, SVU fanatics? Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know.
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Law & Order: SVU airs on NBC on Thursdays at 9 PM EST / PST.