Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 4 Review: Clickbait
With only four episodes into Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27, the new season has delivered better storylines and character development than the entirety of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 26. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 4, “Clickbait,” digs a little deeper into why Griffin is in SVU and Chief Tynan’s secret intentions.
While Benson and the majority of the viewers are happy to see Rollins return to her SVU roots, there is an undeniable hidden intention behind Tynan’s willingness to transfer Rollins back to her old squad. From the beginning, she has been trying to convince Benson to take a desk job and manage this new conglomerate of SVU squads. However, Benson’s unwillingness to take her up on her offer may lead to trouble.
As both Tynan and Benson point out at the beginning of the episode, Benson is the kind of captain who is always in the field. Taking a desk job would mean the end of the show as we know it because it is Benson’s connection with the victims that keeps us all here.
Tynan’s introduction has spiced things up in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit universe. For so long, it felt like Benson could rule them all, and no chief could ever have any control over her.
While Tynan showers Benson in compliments at every turn, she has also slowly but surely found ways to insert herself into her investigations. At first, she did it by forcing Griffin into the squad. Now, she has done it again by giving Benson the gift of reinstating Rollins into her team.
Of course, Benson is beyond thrilled to welcome Rollins back at a time when she needs someone she can trust. However, both women know that this will undoubtedly lead to Tynan holding a favor over Benson’s head.
For the time being, however, it’ll be interesting to see how Rollins readjusts to the new SVU dynamics. With the exception of Griffin, she has worked with all of them at one point or another, but it was always for a short period of time. Now, the rules of the game have changed, and her new sergeant title might hold a different weight over their heads.
One of the ways in which Rollins confirms she’s coming back is by saying she will have to keep an eye on Griffin. While he is just another pawn in Tynan’s game, there is something about Griffin that makes viewers feel as if he belongs with the rest of the squad.
During Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 3, “A Vicious Circle,” Benson mentions Griffin reminds her of someone she knows, and that becomes even more obvious on “Clickbait.” While for most people that reference was meant toward Stabler, most of the men who have walked the hallways of SVU have had similar characteristics.
The particular case the team works on shocks Griffin to a level that none of the previous cases had. Maybe because this is his first time working with minors, but there is a particular disgust and anger in his behavior that reminds us of our own feelings when we first started watching this show.
SVU, as a fictional squad and as a TV show, is not an easy place to be in, and Griffin’s reaction is absolutely normal and understandable. He loses his grip more than once, violently handling the suspects.
While we cannot judge his behavior, it is absolutely necessary that he, as Benson puts it, “cool your jets.” It’ll be interesting to see how he continues to grow within the team, particularly now that Rollins is back.
Griffin isn’t the only new addition to the team. CJ Jones is now working as Carisi’s right hand, and it is an amazing thing to watch. She brings a little bit of the sass that Barba used to have with the compassion and dedication that Benson has made so important in her squad.
CJ has proven that she is willing to go the extra mile and pull an all-nighter to guarantee the victims get the justice they deserve. “Clickbait” tells us we have only scratched the surface of who CJ is. There seems to be much more to her character than we have seen so far.
Hopefully, the show will give her enough room to grow.
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!
Critic Rating:
Audience Rating:
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.
Check out our latest TV recommendations, updated weekly!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
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.