Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 5 Review: Feed the Craving
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 5, “Feed the Craving,” marks the official return of Amanda Rollins to her old squad. For the Rollins fans, it is beautiful to see her dive right into a new case and fall so perfectly into place with the new team.
It is also remarkable to see how far Rollins has come. Not too long ago, if someone had called Curry a rat in front of her, she might have hesitated to believe them. Instead, she doesn’t hesitate to have Curry’s back. This is immediately reciprocated by Curry, who indirectly thanks her for it and explains what happened with that particular cop.
Nevertheless, that gem is only a tiny detail in what is one of the best episodes the show has delivered in a long time. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 continues to go strong.
“Feed the Craving” introduces a case in the beginning, but halfway through the episode the tables turn and everything we believe we know about the case changes. For the first time in a really long time, the show presents viewers with a female predator.
As every character states, only 2% of sex registered offenders are women. However, this doesn’t mean they cannot be the abuser. It simply means that it is harder to get a conviction, which is exactly what happens toward the end of the episode.
Benson, Rollins, and Curry spend the entire episode talking about how different the case would be if Natalie were a man. Everyone would believe the doulas faster, and the jury wouldn’t be so difficult to convince.
If the roles were reversed and Natalie had been a male perpetrator, Carisi wouldn’t have had to make a deal with the defense lawyer. Instead, we would have probably gotten a conviction.
Nevertheless, the squad doesn’t hesitate to go after Natalie because she is a woman. They investigate her and believe her victims just as they would in any other case. This is extremely important for the message the show has been conveying from the beginning.
Even though Bruno works on the case with the rest of them, there is something very powerful about watching Benson, Rollins, and Curry take the case so seriously. They don’t back down simply because they are dealing with a female suspect.
But the one who stands out, to no one’s surprise, is Benson. Carisi says it without filter: Benson loves getting people to open up, and empathy is her superpower. This time around, she needs to use that empathy as a weapon.
While we know it hurts and disgusts Benson to use her empathy to make a suspect feel good about themselves, she still does an amazing job of making Natalie believe she can trust her. The way in which Benson’s tone and demeanor change from giving Natalie empathy to getting ready to arrest her is incredible.
Mariska Hargitay delivers in just a few minutes one of the best performances we have seen her deliver in many episodes. She knows exactly how to look at Natalie, what to say, how to say it, and the tone the audience needs to hear to be in on her strategy.
Hargitay isn’t the only one raising the standards of acting this episode. Danielle MacDonald delivers one of the strongest performances we have ever seen from a guest star. Her facial expressions fit the narrative and the character perfectly, while the camera’s close-ups heighten the anger and frustration of being caught.
Fans have agreed that Carisi hasn’t been the best ADA we’ve seen on the show, but he does a pretty good job on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 5, “Feed the Craving.”
He asks all the right questions to make Natalie uncomfortable. There are moments that remind us of the work Barba used to do to bring the suspect in and make them stumble with their own words.
The hard work is slightly tainted by accepting a deal and dropping the sexual abuse charges. While we can understand why he feels the need to do this, it is still very disappointing. Hopefully, as Benson says, we will see Natalie again and finally bring her to justice.
Compared to Carisi’s work, the defense lawyers we have seen recently are unremarkable. We miss the days when the ADAs faced off against attorneys like Rita Calhoun and John Buchanan, who made us sit on the edge of our seats waiting for a verdict because they had performed an incredible job.
But even with those details, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 is one of the best seasons we have seen. A huge shoutout to Michele Fazekas for stepping up as showrunner, spicing things up, and giving us back the show we love so much.
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 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.