Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 16 Review: The Presence of Absence
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 16, “The Presence of Absence,” introduces a case we haven’t seen in any of the previous seasons, challenging the team and Carisi to get creative in order to get a conviction.
The middle of the episode brings a huge plot twist: Zoe had been assaulted by her best friend. It is then that we begin to wonder if she will be able to get the justice she deserves.
It gets trickier when Jenna’s lawyer reveals the two best friends had slept together in college.
There is one aspect of Law & Order: SVU that will never disappoint and that is the presence of very talented guest stars. In this case, it is Nia Vardalos who shines.
Vardalos has joined the cast on multiple occasions as lawyer Minonna Efron. She is the kind of lawyer we wish was playing for the good side because she always brings war into the courtroom.
It is her who brings key evidence to the case that makes us wonder if the jury will vote in her favor or rule Zoe deserves justice. Her tactics always keep us on the edge and make us wonder if Carisi is a good ADA or if the role is still too big for him.
Efron is part of the long list of female defense lawyers we wish to see on our side. She has the kind of power we need to support the victims and reassure them they will win.
However, it is interesting to see her on the other side and challenge both the squad and Carisi to think outside the box in order to help survivors.
Law & Order: SVU Season 21 moved Carisi from detective to lawyer, and to this day many viewers wonder if that was the right move. As a detective, he brought great results, but his journey as a lawyer has had its ups and downs.
During “The Presence of Absence,” we fear he won’t be able to succeed and Zoe won’t see Jenna behind bars. As Efron reveals Zoe and Jenna used to sleep together, we wonder if that is the end of the trial.
But it is in that moment that Carisi pulls a Rafael Barba move.
To win his first case, Barba put his life on the line by giving the suspect his belt to show him how he had choked the victim. It is with that move that he is able to get a conviction.
This time around, Carisi turns the lights out to prove that Zoe indeed didn’t know it was Jenna who she was seeing in the darkness while blindfolded.
That choice on Carisi’s end is the proof we need as the audience to know that he is where he belongs and he is up for any challenge.
This is the kind of case, just like Olivia Benson says on the episode, in which you don’t know if justice is served or not. The perfect way to introduce Churlish to Manhattan SVU.
The introduction of her character to Law & Order: SVU caused chaos as she was the one to catch Velasco talking about witnessing a murder. Clearly, this doesn’t sit well with Muncy who is very protective of her partner.
Immediately, Muncy and Churlish bump heads. Muncy doesn’t feel the new detective belongs there, but Churlish is trying to prove herself. It will be a battle until Velasco returns.
Hopefully, Churlish will stick around because she brings a fire to the squad that we haven’t seen in a while. She wants to bring SVU’s 90% conviction rate to 100%. However, this might be a disappointing challenge.
It is Benson who reminds her that you cannot always win them all and she must get used to it if she plans to stay for the long run.
Even though Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 16, “The Presence of Absence,” brings a case we hadn’t witnessed before, it doesn’t stand out as one of the good ones.
On the contrary, it might be a forgettable storyline.
With more than half the season gone, we are hoping the show will rise to the kind of quality delivered on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 15, “King of the Moon.”
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What did you think of this episode of Law & Order: SVU? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.
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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.