Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 1 Review: In The Wind

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 1, “In The Wind,” starts off on a somber note with everyone attending Captain Don Cragen’s funeral service. We get wonderful, quick cameos from BD Wong and Dean Winters, as well as a Christopher Meloni sighting.

It’s clear from the start that this episode is going to be haunted by the major loss Cragen’s death leaves for those who worked with him. Most significantly, Captain Olivia Benson.

What comes as a bit of a shock is Fin being played and then attacked by two random folks in Brooklyn as he walked home from the memorial. Between his assault and the incoming rape case, Benson’s people have to hit the ground running.

Fin’s Attack Brings Perspective

If there is one thing we, as fans of the long-running show, don’t want to think of, it’s our long-standing fan favorites thinking about packing it in. 

Therefore, when Fin mentions to Olivia that he’s considering retirement, and that it isn’t the first time he’s done so in recent years, we hold our breath. Since his arrival at Manhattan SVU at the start of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 2, Ice T’s portrayal of Fin Tutuola has kept us keyed in to the roller coaster ride this show has taken us on.

It comes as no surprise that he’s thinking of this after his attack. Especially considering two major factors: he’s lost his gun and his vision has been temporarily affected by the assault.

The writers are clearly setting us up to slowly say goodbye to this character, no matter how much we want him to stick around. As Benson points out, they’ve entered the era of watching their friends die around them.

With the Chief of Detectives, newcomer Kathryn Tynan, using Fin’s attack as an opportunity to put one of her guys on Benson’s squad, it’s clear this season is going to have some political drama to backdrop the cases at hand.

Velasco and Bruno Are Put in a Tight Spot

One thing Fin does during this episode, that feels a bit out of character for him — at least at first, is he tells Bruno that his attackers stole his police issued firearm. He tells both Bruno and Velasco to keep it on the down low and instructs them to do what they can to find it.

It’s a moment that feels like a shift in who we know Fin to be. He’s not exactly the kind of detective to a. go against the rules of the job and b. keep valuable information from his Captain. 

So, when Olivia calls him out for keeping this secret from her, it feels like they’re bond as co-workers is also shifting. He claims he did it to protect her, but in a way, it feels like he’s doing all this to put some distance between himself and the job.

Unfortunately, until Benson is informed of this detail from Rollins, it puts Bruno and Velasco in a jam. They are forced to keep it from their captain even when she asks them for an update on the case.

This lack of communication between all the members of Olivia’s team in this season opener doesn’t bode well for how the season will progress. Everything feels a bit off, disjointed even. We need this team to be united, especially with things like ICE raids happening on their doorstep.

Bringing Current Political Climate to the Show

If there is one thing we can expect from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, it is that they will rip stories and events right from real life. It’s part of what has kept this show on the air for 27 seasons.

So, naturally, the season opener is going to be about a case going sideways because their only credible witness to the rape is an immigrant with a record. He has to hide from the cops because there are deportations happening all over the city.

Olivia Benson even goes toe-to-toe with one of the ICE officers throughout the episode in an effort to protect Jorge Ruiz. Unfortunately, those actions also get her arrested for obstruction, but hey, that’s the Benson we know and love.

Watching Olivia Benson go out of her way to ensure Jorge Ruiz can testify against a smug, privileged rapist is what makes this episode more tolerable. Her passion for justice and protecting innocent immigrants from being detained is something we deserve to see in these trying times.

Unfortunately, featuring the ICE Agents so heavily in this episode makes things a bit like watching the news, which detracts from the story trying to be told. I’m not sure of a better way to write and tell Ruiz’s story, but either way, it becomes exhausting by the end.

That said, it’s clear the writers are trying to make a statement about the illegal actions being currently carried out by ICE all over the country. Showing not only Benson but also Carisi going out of their way to protect Ruiz and keep him here despite the deportation orders has a hopeful tinge to it.

It’s hard to have a firm stance on whether or not this level of realness is appreciated in a season opener, but at the end of the day, it’s definitely an element of our world that can’t be ignored. 

With Velasco being picked up in a mysterious car at the end of the episode, there is a chance the squad’s run-ins with ICE aren’t quite over yet. However, we won’t know until the next episode at the earliest.

Stray Thoughts:

• Benson and Stabler’s conversation at the end of Cragen’s memorial is vibrating with romantic tension. Stabler remarks that they had a good run once upon a time. And Olivia gives him a small smile and says they still do. This alone tells us that they still aren’t entirely on the same page about their feelings for one another.
• Benson’s words to the victim were so powerful and reminds us why she is the cop that she is all these years later. “It’s okay if you’re tired because I’m not. It’s okay if you don’t want to fight because I’m still gonna fight for you.”
• I didn’t think I would be hit this hard finding out that Cragen has died. That man was a legend.
• Curry seems like a nice addition to the team, but I’ll need some more time with her to be sure.
• Carisi pulling favors to save Ruiz is why you could never make me believe anything bad about him.

 

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

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