Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 8 Review: A Better Person

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 8, “A Better Person,” starts with what we know will be a tough case. Male victims are rarely portrayed on the show, but when they are, they come with hundreds of explanations for why they rarely come forward.

However, what we expect to be a case about male victims soon turns into a lawsuit against transgender women. In the past, the show has dropped the ball when talking about the transgender community — this episode is different.

As soon as the squad finds out that Aidan identifies as Aida and uses she/her pronouns, they start treating her like a woman.

At the beginning of “A Better Person,” it is essential for the team to tread lightly as the case involves a kid of one of their own. This is made evident by the number of police officers on the scene and the fact that the M.E. came in on his day off.

Law & Order: SVU has proven time and time again that cases become a priority when one of their own is involved. That never wavers, no matter who is in charge.

But as detectives realize the father doesn’t fully accept the daughter for who she is, the team begins to prioritize the investigation over respecting his wishes. 

Olivia Benson has been around for many years and knows how to handle fathers like that. So even though it is surprising to hear Aida’s previous name and wrong pronouns, I was happy when Amanda confirmed why.

This tactic of mirroring the father helps them gain insight into his thought process, which leads to a huge revelation: he tampers with evidence when he arrives at the crime scene.

Those little tactics that Benson uses are the ones that make her such a good leader. Law & Order: SVU proves that again during the episode when she tells Fin about the pepper spray trick, catching the perp.

But she isn’t the only one to make good points.

When Amanda takes the stand, Carisi makes her talk about the hardships the transgender community faces and how they are the target of hate crimes and sexual assault. With this explanation, we get a better understanding of the cruel reality.

A reality where the same man attacks two transgender women. But the fact also pushes Aida’s father to come forward with his truth and help the case.

It is then that the title of the episode makes sense to us. Olivia Benson tells this father that he is a good man, but only by stepping forward will he be a better person. Better for finally accepting his daughter and letting her rest in peace.

The big elephant in the room is Amanda’s departure. As we know, the next episode will be her last, and it looks like every loose end is being tied up.

“A Better Person” begins with Carisi telling Amanda she will get an offer to become a teacher. Of course, thisuspected this after Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 6, “Controlled Burn,” when we saw her thrive in that environment.

Even though she seems hesitant, she doesn’t entirely reject this possibility. If we are honest, after watching her teach that class and give an accurate and informative statement in court, Amanda becoming a teacher seems like the perfect scenario.

It becomes more evident when Olivia says, “nice work, professor.” Throughout the episode, we don’t know if Olivia knows the impending future. But she is Benson, after all, and nothing goes unnoticed.

If we have to say goodbye to a character like Amanda Rollins, it might as well be a career change that will make her happy.

Muncy continues to be a revelation on Law & Order: SVU. With every passing episode, I am more and more convinced that she is a mini version of Olivia.

The girl doesn’t take no for an answer, doesn’t wait for backup when told to, and isn’t afraid to face perps with her fists. Does that ring a bell?

That reckless behavior is the one that had Cragen lecturing Benson more than once as a young detective. It is the one that now puts Fin in the role of a mentor who has to point out when Muncy is doing something wrong, something that will put her life at risk.

But in his very real Fin nature, he will always end the conversation with a snarky comment like “we don’t put fruit on our pizza.”

It’ll be interesting to see how Muncy grows in her new role once Amanda Rollins is gone and she is the only female detective in the squad room.

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Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.

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