Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 16 Brought Back An Old Story To Help Trigger Benson’s Past Trauma And It Was Glorious

Critic’s Rating: 4.7 / 5.0

4.7

Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 16 got me good.

I didn’t understand why we needed a sequel to Ellie’s coma story, but it all came together beautifully.

I especially appreciated the connection to Benson’s personal history—something Law & Order: SVU used to do regularly but has forgotten in recent years.

First, A Refresher About Benson’s History In Case You Need It

Benson’s history as a product of rape was established in Law & Order: SVU’s pilot episode in 1999.

The pilot was also the one and only time we met her mother, who worried that Benson was getting in over her head by working for the Special Victims Unit.

During Benson’s argument with her mother, Benson challenged her about what she would do if she had a chance to get revenge on her rapist, which was the first indication that Benson was a product of rape.

I don’t remember if it was the pilot or a few episodes later, but it also quickly came up that Benson had joined SVU because her history made her want to support other survivors.

I’ve always thought that Law & Order: SVU made a mistake by eliminating Serena from Benson’s life (and then killing her a few seasons later), so I was thrilled that Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 16 bookended the main story with Benson visiting her mother’s grave.

I’m a sucker for those kinds of scenes anyway — I also loved it on Blue Bloods when anyone visited Joe Reagan’s grave — but this one was particularly effective because Benson’s struggle to forgive her mother for past sins tied so directly into the case.

Benson’s Pain Made This Sad Sequel Worth It

Ellie’s story was tragic enough the first time around. On Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6, she lapsed into a coma because her boyfriend had beaten her up so badly.

It seemed cruel to have someone rape her while she was in a coma after what she’d already endured, and I wasn’t sure I was up for a sequel, even if did mean more screen time for Graham Patrick Martin.

This story was far more compelling than I expected, and the way it tied Benson’s pain to the main story was a big part of that.

Benson identified with both Ellie and her unborn child, and it could easily have turned into yet another story about her becoming overly attached to the people she was once actively helping with an SVU case.

That awful, seemingly never-ending Maddie Flynn story on Law & Order: SVU Season 25 is burned permanently into my brain, and I was afraid we were in for another ridiculous arc like that when Benson hugged Ellie’s mother.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen, though this story was rather Benson-heavy.

In general, I prefer stories in which the whole team works together to investigate and then Carisi does his thing in court.

However, Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 16 didn’t go there, even if it did come close by having Benson spend so much time trying to smooth things over with Laura and working to ensure Laura and Chris’ mother considered the possibility that the baby wasn’t Chris’

Fin and Curry Both Had Important Roles Supporting Benson On Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 16

The other thing that elevated this episode above others where Benson going the extra mile turned into unhealthy obsession is the degree to which Benson’s friends were there for her.

Fin’s been mostly in the background during Law & Order: SVU Season 26, so it was doubly excellent for him to be a big part of Benson’s support system.

Fin tried to keep Benson from going too far and called her out on acting from her past pain.

Benson denied that, of course, but at least Fin tried to make her see what she was doing and why.

Fin has never been afraid to confront Benson when he thinks she’s going down an unhealthy path.

In the past, though, he has done it in an obnoxious way.

During the Maddie Flynn story (that stupid arc ruined everyone and everything!) he came off as controlling and overly opinionated.

I appreciated that this time, he didn’t push Benson that hard and that he tried to be respectful of her privacy.

He was careful in what he said to Bruno and Curry, though of course, in Curry’s case it didn’t matter since she already knew Benson’s history.

I liked that Curry was also able to deal with Benson’s issue sensitively. I loved when she pointed out that she already knew Benson’s background and could talk openly with Fin about how Benson was doing.

Benson needs more female friends, especially now that Rollins is no longer with the unit full time.

As weird as it is that Curry went from being the IAB agent who investigates her to someone who could potentially be a close friend, I like the idea.

Benson has a hard time letting anyone in, and it’ll probably be even harder for her to trust Curry because Curry used to be an IAB agent.

A friendship between them could lead to some interesting drama, given Benson’s trust issues here.

Random Thoughts About Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 16

• Did anyone else feel bad that the relationship between Luara and Benson seemed to have been ruined by Laura’s refusal to get a DNA test or even consider the possibility that her daughter had been raped?
• The neurosurgeon who was too busy to give a DNA sample was one of the best red herrings in recent memory. Well played, SVU — I was convinced he did it until he brought the youth pastor up.
• My goodness, that pastor was delusional (and creepy!) Why it is that creepy guys on Dick Wolf shows always seem to have a wife and newborn in the background while the cops are investigating?

Over to you, Law & Order: SVU fanatics.

What did you think of Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 15? Did it meet your expectations?

Whether you loved it, hated it, or anything in between, I want to know YOUR thoughts.

Vote in our poll to rate the episode then hit the comments.

Law & Order: SVU airs on NBC on Thursdays at 9/8c and streams on Peacock on Fridays. The next new episode airs on April 3, 2025.

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