Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 26 Episode 6 Review: Rorschach

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 26 Episode 6, “Rorschach,” is the perfect example of a good episode that reminds us why the show matters and makes us want more of these stories and these characters. It is also the kind of episode that gives a backstory to the new character we are supposed to be falling in love with.

Even though we still don’t know much about Silva, we can see that she cares about the victim and follows her gut instinct even when her partner doesn’t believe her. This is exactly what we want from a detective at SVU.

If this episode’s storyline sounds familiar, a similar story happened off-screen. Once again, the show pulls from reality to showcase real-life stories everyone must know. It is a way to give voice to the victims who were robbed of the chance to speak up.

When the FBI shows up in Benson’s territory, one might be inclined to be upset that she has a huge backlog of cases on her desk and chooses to pick up another one. However, this is Benson’s way of making room for all kinds of victims, including those who can’t speak for themselves.

What this case truly does is give room for Silva’s character to grow onscreen and in the viewers’ hearts. She is resilient, doesn’t back down when she believes in something, and fights for the victims to get the resolution they deserve.

Silva’s vision of the crime scene represents what the audience is thinking. We know something doesn’t add up from the moment the case is introduced. It could be because the boyfriend doesn’t remember, but something is off about him too.

The marks on the tree seal the deal not only for Silva but also for the viewers. Two perfectly shaped marks at the exact distance and height of the boyfriend’s wounds are the very obvious clue that holds the entire case together—or breaks apart the boyfriend’s story.

Even though we, as the audience, can tell Silva’s instinct is correct, Bruno second-guesses her throughout the entire episode. It isn’t until the evidence becomes crystal clear that he agrees with her.

This entire situation is the perfect representation of what women in male-dominated jobs deal with daily. But it is also the perfect example of what women victims of sexual assault go through when they speak up.

This situation makes us like Silva. Up until this point, her character was a big question mark. Now, we know she can stand her ground and fight to catch the right bad guy.

What doesn’t surprise us at all is that Benson believes Silva’s instinct and goes with her theory even when Bruno doesn’t. That is Benson’s experience, knowing what it is like to work with men who don’t believe you and knowing that anyone is capable of such violent acts.

Of course, in the end, Silva’s theory is proved correct. The boyfriend attacked the woman and then stabbed himself against the tree. Those tree marks become more relevant, proving that Bruno should have trusted his partner.

However, when we see Bruno and Silva’s final interaction, we can understand his mistrust isn’t because she is a woman but because he doesn’t truly know her. By asking why she chose to transfer to SVU, he is getting to know her and understanding how she will work with the victims.

Truthfully, viewers experience mistrust in new characters as well. With the little time these characters spend onscreen, we can’t get to know them and decide if their actions are genuine. This episode helps us get to know Silva better and confirms that her heart is in the right place.

Hopefully, we’ll get to see more of her, and she gets to forgive the little girl in her who couldn’t make the call to save that woman so many years ago.

Even though Benson takes the lead on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 26 Episode 6, “Rorschach,” the episode doesn’t fall entirely on her shoulders. Silva shares that weight, making it a more enjoyable episode and reminding us why we’re still fans of the show.

Something that must be highlighted is that Olivia Benson always knows how to get the perps to confess. She doesn’t push in the way that the men who came before her did, but she knows exactly which buttons to press to get a confession.

We hope that by watching her, Silva will learn how to handle SVU without letting every case get under her skin like this one did. However, it is good that the cases get under her skin and she cares because it gives great storylines that help us like her better.

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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.

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