When a high school principal busts a student for sexting, the SVU uncovers a sinister case of distribution concerning hundreds of underage students. Silva pleads for leniency for a suspect she believes is innocent.
Over the years, Olivia has agreed to many deals with heinous people in order to expose a vast criminal network. Here, it suddenly becomes an issue that results in tension between her and Carisi. It again plays into the idea that the prosecutor has to get her approval in addition to his bosses in the District Attorney's office. Yes, the two have to work in tandem all the time. However, it ultimately comes across as Olivia having the final say on everything. She has always operated like this. That contributed to her reputation. She more than lives up to it too. She drives a hard bargain because she always puts victims first. She knows how to manage the emotional and legal demands of this job. She has unlocked the perfect balance. That's why she is in a position of power. She does her best to inspire everyone else at the precinct. She wants to lift everyone up in service of this job. That means she pushes back when she believes her colleagues are making a mistake. It's just strange in this instance because the situation seems so similar. It hasn't caused problems before. As a result, it becomes more of a plot device than natural character development.
One can absolutely challenge the way business has always been done. The system can always improve. Olivia doesn't want to be forced into making this deal. Adam Parker has a smug look on his face the moment the police arrive on his door. He acts quickly to wipe his incriminating server. The detectives still have plenty of evidence that implicates him in this underage sexting scheme. He solicits high school students for nudes by pretending to be their classmates. He shares the images to gain their trust and then immediately break it. He sells the images to pedophiles online. The parents of these elite students are furious. They fear these images will be online for the rest of their lives. They can't believe their kids acted so foolishly. It's impossible for the police to offer certainty. They can never know for sure that these images have been erased completely. And yet, that's the precise resolution Olivia offers. She mentions that the people who bought these pictures kept them to themselves. The circle didn't expand any further than the criminal ring Adam created. That makes it possible for her to comfort the central victim. Olivia prioritizes her above all the other victims involved in the case.
All of this becomes a numbers game of sorts. Adam promises he can deliver fifty other criminals. Carisi is eager to make that deal because it will get everyone convicted now. Olivia hesitates. She doesn't know if that honors and protects the victims she has dealt with. Her instincts were right to know this case of sexting was much bigger than it initially seemed. She taught that lesson to Silva. It seems like the only way Olivia will sign off on the deal is if Adam actually delivers fifty criminals. A sting operation forms. Fifty arrests are made. It's so exact. Yes, Olivia mentions federal agents get involved too. The case isn't confined to Manhattan. But it also presents as far too neat. Silva has reservations about one arrest in particular. Fin tells her that refusing to arrest one person in this sting would threaten all the other cases. She has to be willing to sacrifice one for the greater good. She isn't ready to make that deal. She complies because she can't go against the orders of her superior officer. Everyone tells her how different SVU cases are from homicide. She should already know that at this point. This episode serves as a bigger spotlight for her. It still doesn't provide much depth.
Moreover, Olivia is the one who delivers the ultimate solution. Silva makes a promise to free Matthew Daly from his criminal charges. That amounts to her making an appeal to Olivia. She understands because she can reckon with the complicated realities of this work. It's just a quota it seems to everyone else. This is their job. It's not their place to act with emotion. They have to stick to the facts. Olivia goes to District Attorney Baxter herself. She coerces Carisi into joining her. She accused her friend of going hard in this case to prove to his boss that he has regained his confidence in the courtroom. That projection doesn't come from Carisi though. It's Olivia reading into things. She suggests that is what's happening. Similarly, Olivia provides the emotional resolution that plagued Silva. That prevents the character dimension from being shared amongst the ensemble. Instead, Olivia does all the hard work and the other characters are meant to be given some of the credit. They alerted her to the situation. She delivered. That's a familiar pattern too. One where she is the only one trusted to ground these stories. The other characters aren't really given a chance. That's disappointing. That's even more true in an episode where everything about Olivia just felt off.
