This is another case from Law & Order: SVU making headlines.
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6 follows the police investigation into the Gabby Petito case, surrounding an abusive boyfriend who left his girlfriend brain-dead.
Our TV Fanatic writers Laura Nowak, Jasmine Blu, and Jack Ori got together to discuss whether the story was too predictable, what our favorite scenes were, and more.
How long did it take you to find out that Chris was involved in Allie’s attack on Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6?
Laura: Not long at all.
I recognized this case from the headlines about the Gabby Petitto case. Twenty years after Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU came out, I suspected we’d already seen similar cases, and we certainly have.
In 2022, Law & Order Season 21 Episode 3 has already done something reflective of the case. They need new materials.
Jasmine: Ha ha! I love how blunt you are about Laura, but yeah, I agree.
I’m not very excited about this season so far and can’t name the specific things that bother me the most. But the case of Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6 was familiar, so I thought the same thing, and it worked pretty well.
But sometimes, I wish it wasn’t that simple.
Jack: I predicted this in my Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6 spoilers.
This is obvious from the setting, and we’ve seen this story before on SVU.
However, I think this is a better version of Gabby Petito’s story than Law & Order, which focused primarily on the destructive angle of social media.
Additionally, the story was hampered by its attempt to be sensitive to the family, as it aired just months after Petito’s death.
How does the subplot about whether Ellie should be taken off life support add to the story?
Laura: This shows the ferocity of this attack.
Again, this is going to be an interesting crossover topic since Law & Order just dealt with something similar. I’m not sure if Ellie actually sent a message or if these were just reflexes.
Jasmine: I agree that it adds more context to the attack, and how horrific it was. It raises some of the expected moral dilemmas and things like that.
I think it serves as a tool to get us more invested in the case.
It adds more emotional impact to the case, which viewers will likely feel even more numb to after the full coverage of Gabby Petitto.
jack:Laura, I’m pissed that they didn’t even mention Law & Order Season 24 Episode 3.
Silva finally got her first big case. What do you think of her?
Laura:Silva has good instincts. I wish they had listened to her earlier instead of rejecting her because she is right.
Jasmine: Silva is doing well and I’m becoming more and more interested in her. I like a woman who is very intuitive, that’s what she is.
I’m excited to actually see her perform since she’s been on the bench all season so far.
She has a dogged determination that will make her a great investigator, but also someone who burns out easily, so I’m curious to see what they do with her character.
Jack: agree. I hate to always belittle the right guy, that gets old after a while, but I think Silva is great and deserves more of a central role in the future.
Do you believe Silva’s explanation in Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6 about why she decided to switch from Homicide to SVU?
Laura: I’m not so sure about this. As you said in your comment, Jack, I think there’s more to this story. Everyone has a past.
Jasmine: I do feel like there’s more to her transfer.
Her explanation explains why she wanted to go into law enforcement, but there must have been other reasons for her to fully transfer to SVU and focus on these crimes.
Hopefully they delve into this more next time they give her more than two lines in an episode!
Jack: That’s what I thought, Jasmine. Her explanation was not specific to sex crimes.
I wonder if she has any trauma in her past that she doesn’t want to disclose.
Clay asks Benson to step in because the New York field office thinks the local police screwed up. How do you feel about Benson appearing to be the only department taking action in these cases?
Laura: Sadly, Benson is the only one who can get things done.
It says a lot about the other departments, but it was great to see Clay. He’s an interesting character.
Jasmine:Ah, yes, “Clark Kent.”
I think this is a classic case of “Protagonist Syndrome” that SVU as a whole suffers from, because while I don’t doubt law enforcement is ineffective, I also don’t feel like the hero Olivia Benson and her profession The team is the only one capable of completing the task.
I love my daughter so much, but this reminds me of how they blew smoke up Meredith Grey’s butt on Grey’s Anatomy.
Still, I’m glad he actually reached out instead of like usual where they wait until the last minute and someone has to force SVU to get involved in the case because there was animosity and resistance.
Jack: I think this should show that Benson’s willingness to go the extra mile is unusual and that most police don’t give a shit about sexual assault survivors.
While it’s important to point out that in real life these crimes are often not taken as seriously as they should be, it’s starting to get a little ridiculous that Benson is the only one who can do the right thing.
Mention anything about Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6 that wasn’t mentioned above.
Laura: I know this series has budget constraints, but where is Carisi? Shouldn’t the DA be there for some questioning?
Jasmine: I’m happy with Carisi resting. What I had to overcome, for what felt like the umpteenth time, was Chris’ mother doting on her son.
I mentioned this in my Disclaimer ending review, but I swear the soldiers who support violence against women and misogyny are other women themselves.
And it all usually starts with mothers never holding their horrible sons accountable under the guise of “maternal instinct” and “protection.”
Jack: I hate this trope too. I feel like the writers are trying to excuse this by saying that if Chris (or anyone) had had a more attentive mother when he was younger, he wouldn’t be such a bad person.
I know the cycle of abuse continues, but Chris is still responsible for his choices in this mess, and I don’t like that it’s all being blamed on his mother.
What was your favorite scene, story, or line from Law & Order: SVU Season 26, Episode 6?
Laura: I don’t know if this is my favorite, but it was at least memorable and affected me. I like that Silva has good instincts.
Jasmine: As a fan of Major Crimes, I would really like to see Graham Patrick Martin again, even if he plays a character like Chris. He has some really great scenes.
Jack: Me too, Jasmine. I loved him on Major Crimes and was excited when I interviewed him for the show’s final season.
I particularly enjoyed the final confrontation between Chris and Benson. I’ve watched it three times and found Benson’s insistence on Chris seeing a photo of Ally in the hospital bed chilling.
Over to you, Law & Order: SVU fanatics.
What did you think of Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6?
Answer these roundtable questions in the comments.
“Law & Order: SVU” airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC and Fridays on Peacock.
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