Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 7 Review: Dead Ball
Until Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 7, “Dead Ball,” every episode had captivated us, celebrating the renewal of a show that spent such a long time on the air. But this is the first time during the season that I find myself drifting away from the episode.
The best part of the episode is seeing Muncy added to the intro, making her officially part of the team. And she is part of the team as she goes undercover and obtains essential information that helps the case.
Her charisma, natural talent, desire to get better, and flirtatious moments with Velasco make her a character we want to see more of — and, in my opinion, make her the best part of “Dead Ball.”
“Dead Ball” has such potential; it all goes to waste. For starters, Law & Order: SVU could have used the football (or soccer, depending on where you are from) angle to the story’s advantage with the World Cup right around the corner.
It is a cruel and sad reality that many football players have SA accusations under their name, so the episode follows the right line of thought. But the ball is dropped on several occasions, leaving us wanting more.
The player is Brazilian, so why have him speak Spanish more than once? This is a mistake that can be so easily solved by doing some research. It hurts international fans (which there is plenty of in the fandom) to see such treatment of other cultures.
But his character development isn’t the only disappointing one. The woman who makes the first accusation completely drops out of the episode halfway through. The sad part is that we don’t see whether someone tells her the assaulter has been brought to justice.
We see this with the young girl who was also attacked, which is an excellent note to end on. As disappointing as the episode may have been, it at least has a “happy” ending.
One thing that attracts us to the show is seeing Carisi kick ass in the courtroom. In addition, it allows for cases to have closure (most of the time) and for justice to be served.
This time around, that part is lacking. It is great to see the case solved, but where is Carisi? He is mentioned more than once, but his absence is noted.
However, one character shows up, making up for Carisi’s absence: McGrath.
Olivia’s boss seems to always be on the scene when the press scrutinizes a case. So, following his character’s pattern, he is in her office when things are getting rocky. But Benson, as she has proven time and time again, doesn’t back down.
The tension between Benson and McGrath is always an interesting one to explore. She will push the limits, and he will let her against his better judgment. This episode of Law & Order: SVU isn’t any different.
I do have to give credit when credit is due, and something “Dead Ball” does well is connect the case from the beginning.
After we see the first victim leaving the hotel room, the football player nods to his manager, who knows what happened. That is their way of communicating without words that something needs to be done to protect him again.
However, the same manager who represents Paolo brings his downfall. After finding out what happened to his daughter, he will do anything to get this entitled man to justice.
The team does it in the old fashion Law & Order: SVU way of using a wire to get a confession. The squad gets the confession, but one step nearly costs them everything.
Why does the entire team wait so long to go in when a gun is involved? It is shocking to see experienced detectives — and a captain — wait as long as they do before kicking the door down—a rookie mistake.
Hopefully, “Dead Ball” is a glitch in the system, and the subsequent episodes will go back to the high-quality Law & Order: SVU that Season 24 was presenting up until now.
It is Benson with the worthy comebacks, the team investigating in the squad room, and their time out in the field that we enjoy the most and need to stay engaged with the show.
The little mistakes that can be easily fixed are the ones that disengage us from the episodes.
—
What did you think of this episode of Law & Order: SVU? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
10 Heartwarming Moments That Made ‘Law & Order: SVU’s’ Olivia Benson The People’s Detective
Lara Rosales
By day, Lara Rosales (she/her) is a solo mom by choice and a bilingual writer with a BA in Latin-American Literature known as a Media Relations Expert. By night, she is a TV enjoyer who used to host a podcast (Cats, Milfs & Lesbian Things). You can find her work published on Eulalie Magazine, Geek Girl Authority, W Spotlight, Collider, USA Wire, Mentors Collective, Instelite, Noodle, Dear Movies, Nicki Swift, and Flip Screened.
One thought on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 7 Review: Dead Ball”
omg. ihad to come and find a review for this epsiode because i said the same thing, why would Olivia and the team literally wait until the gy is shot to go in and intervene especially after you see olivia say boom, we got em. it is just weird how cold this benson is becoming. im even more disappointed cause it seems like a piece of her wanted him to get shot, which could have totally derailed the case. a goooood lawyer would use that to argue conspiracy against his client lol but yea this episode really pissed me off. olivia is known to prevent shootings, soooo this episode really was a power trip for me.
Comments are closed.