Give me a minute. I’m still mourning Captain Cragen.
Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 1 killed off one of my favorite characters without any warning at all, and things got worse from there.
Don’t get me wrong — I loved the episode. But I can’t help wondering if SVU is secretly planning on wrapping up the series this season.
I didn’t appreciate Cragen’s death coming out of nowhere.
I know that happens sometimes in real life, but on shows like Law & Order: SVU, there should be some warning.
We don’t know what happened to him, only that he’s gone.
The memorial scene was also disappointing because I got the sense that it was the only time we would see all these characters from the past who came to pay their respects.
I was so excited about BD Wong returning and annoyed that Cassidy was back on Law & Order: SVU again, but it turned out they were all making cameo appearances.
And, of course, the memorial was cut short because Benson had to rush out for a case, making it less poignant than it should have been — plus Cragen was the original captain on Law & Order back in 1990, so some folks from that show’s early years should have popped up but didn’t.
Still, his death marks the end of an era, and that would have been true even if other events during this story hadn’t made it abundantly clear.
During Law & Order: SVU’s early years, Cragen was in charge of the unit and often presented an obstacle for Benson and Stabler, demanding that they find more substantial evidence before pursuing a suspect.
This dynamic made them better detectives, and unfortunately, it was lost when Cragen retired and Benson took command of the unit.
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Of course, by then, Benson was much more seasoned, and Stabler had been gone for three years, but still — the unit had changed entirely without a captain who was so willing to push back on the detectives’ theories in every episode.
Cragen made sporadic guest appearances afterward, most recently on Law & Order: Organized Crime, Season 4 Episode 8, when he tried to advise Stabler on dealing with a corrupt IAB agent. It was always a pleasure when he popped up, and obviously, his death closes the door on that.
It Was Benson’s Conversations That Made It Feel Like The Series Could Be Ending
Benson was profoundly impacted by Cragen’s death, which was as it should be.
She was a rookie when he took her under his wing. She wouldn’t have a career if not for Cragen.
But throughout the hour, she kept talking about how his death made her realize that everything ends eventually, and though she was adamant that she’s not close to retirement age yet, that seemed ominous.
Benson: It’s okay if you’re tired. Because I’m not.
She was also worried about whether Fin was considering retirement, but it was her conversation with her new boss at 1PP that really made it clear how the series could come to an end.
It makes sense for the NYPD to consolidate all five SVU branches, as Benson’s seems to be the only one that takes the job seriously. Additionally, it makes sense that she’d want Benson to leave her unit to preside over the citywide effort to curb sexual assaults.
That’s similar to how Chief Boden was written out of Chicago Fire, but in this case, SVU couldn’t continue with a new leader — once Benson leaves, the series will come to an end.
The new boss was right that this promotion would be the crowning achievement of Benson’s career as she approaches retirement age.
Benson won’t accept the job right now because she wants to continue to fight for sexual assault survivors, but the seed has been planted.
Whether it’s the end of this season or a few years off, she probably will take that job eventually.
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That will be a beautiful ending for her, and well-deserved, but I really hope it’s not coming as soon as I think it is.
Fin’s Case Laid The Groundwork For Rollins To Return to the Special Victims Unit
Rollins didn’t have a lot to do in this episode, which is sadly par for the course on Law & Order: SVU lately, but she did have an important role: she clued Benson in that Fin had lost his gun.
This wasn’t important only for Fin’s storyline, but because it opened the door for Rollins to finally come back to SVU full-time.
At this point, she’s still working for Intelligence, but her boss may have a problem with her deciding to share confidential information with Benson.
If she loses her job, it would make sense for her to return to SVU, and a position may become available.
Velasco doesn’t work for their unit anymore — I’m not sure whether he’d have been involved if he wasn’t trying to do a favor for Fin.
(He may also have gone back to being a mole for 1PP, considering that the new boss knew Fin had lost his gun and that weird scene with him getting in that car at the end of the episode.)
Rollins is one of the few people Benson trusts, so she’ll want her in her unit if Rollins wants to be there, especially if the new detective that her boss is forcing on her is at all sketchy.
Fin’s Case Was More Interesting Than The Official Case of The Week
I hated Fin getting beaten up, but at least he has a storyline, which has become frustratingly rare in recent years.
I was more interested in finding out why those people jumped him than in the rape case, which is saying something, considering that I love SVU for its survivor advocacy.
We didn’t get a satisfactory answer to that. Apparently, it was some drug addicts, and the really important thing was the open secret that they stole his gun.
Meanwhile, while I loved Benson’s refusal to put up with ICE’s nonsense while she was trying to get her case off the ground, the rapist was found out too quickly, and the only interesting thing about his case was the immigration dilemma.
I love SVU being topical, especially in the current political environment, but I thought the case itself needed some work.
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Did you know there’s a new Law & Order series? Check out our coverage of Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent. And if you’re following along with the rebroadcast of Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5, check out all of our reviews (and a few recaps).
Law & Order: SVU Season 27 airs on NBC on Thursdays at 9/8c and streams on Peacock on Fridays.
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