Reviewer Rating: 4/5.0
4
Here’s the verdict: Kate Silva was a great addition to Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1.
She’s smart, strong, and determined to be judged on her own merits rather than her relationship with her father.
If Silva gets more air time and SVU avoids some bad habits that need to be broken, this could be a perfect season premiere.
A lot happened in the first few minutes of Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1
Cold starts are attractive, but still too long
Over the past few years, “cold opens” (the scene before the end credits) have gotten longer and longer, which isn’t a good thing for “Law & Order: SVU.”
They would often wait ten minutes or more before discussing the week’s crime. This annoying habit has become a tired TV trope.
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1 makes a sincere effort to change that. We don’t get the victim’s life story before the attack, but things still drag on.
I’m not sure what the point is in juxtaposing Benson taking a group to a shooting range with crime.
Perhaps Benson’s desire to make sure her team is in top shape should foreshadow the hostility kids feel toward college campus police. However, even though this was known to happen, the early scenes at the shooting range seemed unnecessary.
The most important thing seems to be that Silva is a skilled marksman and her father is also a police officer.
Great. We didn’t need five minutes or more of shooting practice on Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1 to get there.
I also wish information about Silva’s father could be revealed more naturally. SVU doesn’t usually use dialogue in that informative way, and they shouldn’t do it this time either.
Silva: Thank you for picking me up, captain.
Benson: I’m happy to do that. You haven’t assigned a car yet.
Silva: How long does it usually take?
Benson: You know the NYPD. Your father has been a police officer for 35 years and a deputy chief for 10 years.
Silva: I’ve been miserable my whole life.
The scene with Benson and Silva in the car could have ended up on the cutting room floor without losing anything to the police procedural, which would have greatly weakened the chill.
The main reason Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1 showed so many law school nights was to create the idea that Teddy was a suspect.
This worked to an extent. It’s so creepy as he stares through the door at his naked roommates getting dressed.
Still, everyone knows the first accused suspect on SVU is never the murderer, especially if they’re caught within the first 15 minutes. This stopped being a plot twist a long time ago.
I miss the early days of SVU, when episodes would start with someone discovering a body or being attacked, and then the police would quickly arrive on the scene.
This may happen in Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1.
Things got weird during the arrest.
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1 A Randomly Selected Suspect Gets Strange From There
Law & Order: SVU jumps too quickly to Sam being questioned and detained.
The character was never seen on screen or mentioned before the police stopped him. Then, everything fell apart.
If Sam was Shirley’s irresistible friend, you’d think one of her roommates would mention him!
I’m also not sure what the out-of-control student protests are about. SVU may have tried to make a social justice point, but failed.
I don’t believe that a group of law students who knew a classmate was murdered would think that the police detained someone for no reason.
This subplot serves no real purpose other than to show that the youngest generation is full of idiots who violently protest against the police for no reason.
The plot also fails after thirty seconds. The kids protested in ridiculous ways, and the brass were furious that the department was arresting them for it. The case was dropped and never discussed again.
Blue Bloods’ Frank Regan would never accept the idea that a kid who jumped on a police car shouldn’t be held accountable. Benson shouldn’t have either.
What became of the woman who always vehemently opposed Tommy McGrath whenever he tried to disrupt her department?
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1 Gives Equal Time to the Court
This is something that has been missing recently
Law & Order: SVU is supposed to involve the police and court sides of the legal system, but it doesn’t always have time for legal proceedings.
I’m glad this guy went to court. Hope this trend continues!
The case is simple, but I found it interesting that Elordi was disappointed that the defense attorney didn’t cross-examine her on the witness stand.
Carisi: In modern America, I’m always amazed at how 12 strangers can agree on just about anything.
Sam’s confession on the witness stand was a bit Perry Mason-esque, but at least Shelly and her friends got justice.
I also love that Elodie is inspired to finish her law degree so she can be like Carisi. That was the best compliment anyone could ever give him.
final thoughts
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1 featured brutal crime and strong detective work, but the plot wasn’t as tight as I’d hoped.
I was annoyed by the coincidence of the police finding a hammer on the first homeless guy they encountered and the villain being a random guy who wasn’t mentioned, but this episode still had a lot to offer.
What do you think, Law & Order: SVU fanatics?
Rate the episode in the poll below and post your thoughts!
Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC and Fridays on Peacock
