The SVU investigates a brutal attack on a group of law students. Benson hopes the discovery of a hidden camera will crack the case open. Carisi's best chance at conviction is catching the defendant in a lie.
The season premiere serves as an introduction to the latest new addition to the SVU squad - Detective Kate Silva. She's a recent transfer from homicide. Her father has been a deputy commissioner in the NYPD for decades. Olivia has dealt with these kinds of hires before. The show leads with this information early on. However, it's not meant to be perceived as defining to the relationship between captain and her detective. It's information Olivia could have brought up at any point. Instead, she has allowed Silva to get her bearings at SVU. She's still feeling her out to see if she fits with the rest of the unit. The squad has undergone a lot of changes over the years. In fact, it's basically led by two captains now. Curry is still around to provide more authority. Meanwhile, Bruno has officially become part of the main cast. Hopefully, this signals a widening bench of characters for the stories to focus on. Olivia Benson is great. However, Mariska Hargitay has had to carry the emotional burden for the last few seasons. Olivia shouldn't be the only character of merit. Perhaps this season will have the time to invest in the broader ensemble. The introductory details for Silva are blatantly stated. Now, she has to prove herself as smart and endearing in this role.
The first case of the season centers around a group of law students who are roommates. When one leaves for the night, the others decide to have a threesome. The other left out feels personally slighted. That's seen as the motivation for the attack later on. He's innocent though. Instead, it's another man who has been possessive of Shelli. Sam is a toxic man who believes he deserves sex from her after being friendly. He cites all of this evidence on the stand as if he is making some broader point. Sam studied with Shelli. He walked her home. She was nice to him. He expected more because he didn't view her as his most attractive classmate. He couldn't face rejection. Instead, he allowed it to fester. His jealousy only grew once he saw Shelli having sex with her roommates. He had to believe she was coerced into doing it. She never would have consented to this act. That's not the woman he wanted her to be. He had a camera in her bedroom to keep tabs on her. He agonized over this action. For awhile, the squad doesn't know if Shelli planted the camera for a reason. Sam insisted their friendship was strong. She confided in him more than anyone else. And yet, her roommates were her true friends. They wanted her to open up more. They wanted to have fun at college. It was meant to be harmless. Instead, it proved fatal.
The action taking place on a college campus invites the narrative to also comment on the perception of the police by the students. It's not particularly insightful. The show strives to make a political observation. It's just going through the motions though. It offers no legitimate follow through. The detectives comment on young people being anti-police. They expect that statement to do all the heavy lifting. It offers no explanation for why people would defend Sam once he becomes a person of interest. Fin and Bruno don't have any evidence to arrest him. They need him to answer some questions. He's smart enough to get a lawyer. He still acted out of passion. He wasn't clever with how he covered up the crime. Sure, it still requires Carisi to force an impromptu confession on the stand. That's entirely driven by Sam's own ego. His defense attorney wants to take a recess to strategize over the best way to contextualize a video confession Shelli recorded. Sam wanted to do so immediately. He couldn't let the thought that Shelli hated him linger in the minds of anyone for that long. He felt entitled to his response. His lies had to be believed. That's the arrogance he led with. It's not particularly deep. It's the kind of story the show has been telling for awhile. The series knows how to deliver on its formula.
Passion and excitement are still necessary to continue to justify the show's ongoing existence and relevance. Sure, longtime viewers have expectations wrapped up in Olivia and Stabler's tortured dynamic. That's not a prominent feature. It always has the potential to come back at some point. Both remain characters on their respective shows - even though Organized Crime has moved to Peacock and doesn't have a premiere date for its fifth season. Right now, it's just meant to be good enough that the ship is sailing smoothly. The squad operates as a well-oiled machine. Olivia and Fin lead with inspiration. They know exactly how to bring out the best in their detectives without losing themselves in the work. And yet, they deal with incredibly sensitive cases. The victims appreciate the service they provided after everything is resolved. That clarity is provided with specificity. Yet the narrative maintains the energy that people at large hate the police until they are needed. The issue is much more complicated than that. Arrests are made after things get out of hand. No serious consequences come from that. It's not a particularly engaging story point either. It's just something that happens. It's a complication to keep the characters busy and distracted. That's not exactly encouraging. In fact, it suggests that the show no longer has its finger on the pulse of modern sensibilities. It seeks to honor its history without changing too much. Yet it has had to adapt to remain on the air for over two decades. That's needed again. Hopefully, it arrives through the introduction of a full squad once more.
