Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 26 Episode 16 Review: Let Me Bring Pardon
While Law & Order: Special Victims Unit hasn’t been the best season of the show, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 26 Episode 16, “Let Me Bring Pardon,” is one of the best episodes of the season. Not only does it bring back the case from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 26 Episode 6, “Rorschach,” but it also dives deeper into Benson’s personal life.
Most episodes this season have forgotten the squad leads personal lives outside the squad room, but this episode gives a closer look into Benson’s ongoing journey of forgiving her mother. Starting the episode with Benson visiting Serena’s grave sets the tone for the remainder of it.
It is key that she visits her mother when the episode will focus on the conception of a baby through rape. This ties directly with Benson’s storyline and why she’s been at SVU for so long.
Even though Fin stops Bruno and Silva from asking questions, Curry knows why this case is so important to Benson. Every time Benson has dealt with a pregnant victim after having been raped, the case becomes even more personal to her.
This time around, it goes hand-in-hand with her journey to forgiveness. While it makes sense that she is finding her way to forgive her mom for how she treated Benson her entire life, there’s a forgiveness Benson is forgetting about.
She must learn to forgive herself for having been so hard on herself. As Benson sits with Ellie at the end of the episode, she mentions she knows the burden her child will carry because of how they were conceived. While Serena placed that burden on Benson from birth, Olivia never let go of it.
Benson has continued to carry the burden and the guilt of what her conception did to her mother. That is not her cross to carry. So, while it’s great that she can navigate forgiving her mother, she must show herself the same grace.
After all, Benson’s conception isn’t her fault, and the burden should have never fallen on her.
Ellie’s connection to Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 26 Episode 16, “Let Me Bring Pardon,” is clear when one looks at what happened to her while in a comma. However, there’s another thing that connects them.
The name Ellie is the same as Noah’s biological mom, and Noah’s conception also happened when Ellie Porter was raped. Even though the episode ties the case to Benson visiting her mother, a part of her knows that her son might one day go through the same feelings she experienced.
The big difference, and what Benson tries to convey when talking to Ellie at the hospital, is that Noah won’t ever have to feel that burden because Benson is raising him to understand the assault wasn’t his fault. She is raising Noah the way she wishes Serena would have raised her.
Therefore, this case hits way too close to home, and it’s understandable that Fin is very protective of Benson throughout the entire episode. He visits Chris in jail to remove Benson from a situation that would have caused more harm.
The number of Fin moments we got on this episode is the amount we should always get. Fin adds to the show’s essence, making him one of the most valuable characters.
Seeing the squad divided or missing characters on an episode has happened on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit many times. However, the absence of Velasco and Carisi isn’t as strongly felt on this episode as on previous occasions.
Bruno and Silva’s partnership works perfectly. Curry and Fin seem to be in sync. Benson feeling personally connected to the case makes her give even more of herself to everything that is going on. Therefore, the other two characters aren’t missed.
What does stand out and will hopefully be discussed in upcoming episodes is the squad talking about Carisi’s trial. Soon enough, he will have to take the stand and talk about what happened at the bodega.
Hopefully, that will be shown on an episode, and it will be treated the same way this episode is, delivering top-tier Law & Order: Special Victims Unit vibes.
What did you think of this episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 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 who works in PR. 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, Collider, USA Wire, Mentors Collective, Instelite, Noodle, Dear Movies, Nicki Swift, and Flip Screened.