Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 14 Review: Frequency
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 14, “Frequency,” reminds viewers of the dangers that come with technology when selecting devices to watch over their children. But it simultaneously allows this same device to be the reason a child is saved and brought home to his mother.
It is also the first episode in which viewers finally feel they can connect with Griffin, understand him better, and, dare we say, like him more than we did at the beginning. By allowing himself to bring a bit of his heart and soul to this case, we see a side of Griffin that makes us believe he might belong at SVU after all.
Griffin’s Connection
The moment Tynan brought Griffin into Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, fans had a feeling he wouldn’t be a team player, and it would be hard to like him. However, “Frequency” proves us wrong.
First and foremost, Griffin shows his heart to Benson by mentioning his deceased brother and his autism. By doing so, he is able to establish a connection to the case and take Avery’s disappearance personally. He is, after all, the only one who quickly tells Avey is autistic and he might not be able to communicate with words.
In a squad room where providing safety to the victims and trying to match Benson’s empathy is the number one task, Griffin is finally reaching the mark. He is no longer holding back, behaving like a newbie, and allowing Tynan’s voice in his head to dictate his behavior.
On the contrary, Griffin lets his emotions run wild. While this would have generally played against him, it is actually beneficial on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 14, “Frequency,” because he establishes the trust with Avery that the team needs to solve the case.
This brings Griffin to a tipping point. Even though Tynan wants to control him, his growth within the unit, he could be so much more if he stopped listening to her. His heart and soul are in the job, so if he stopped listening to Tynan and completely bonded with the team, getting on Benson’s good side, he would still survive without the chief.
The issue is whether he can do that.
A Good Leader or a Demanding Leader
If anyone believed that Benson had no idea what Tynan was doing when she inserted Griffin in her squad room, they are wrong, and this episode proves exactly that.
The most significant scene between Benson and Griffin happens at the hospital after Avery is reunited with his mother. Benson shows, once again, why she is a good captain and why her leadership works when she reminds Griffin that she encourages her detectives to ask questions and defy those answers that don’t seem right.
But the big moment comes when she highlights that a good leader welcomes questions while a bad one demands loyalty. Immediately, the viewer thinks of Tynan and the way in which she keeps Griffin waiting for an order that will soon come to bring Benson down.
What gives away that Benson knows of Tynan’s plan is that she tells Griffin that she knows one day (not too far away), he will have to choose who to follow. And that is absolutely true. Will he continue to listen to Tynan’s orders?
Or will he show loyalty to the captain who has encouraged his growth and allowed him to become a better detective?
Rollins the Profiler
If there is one thing Law & Order: Special Victims Unit doesn’t exploit enough, it is Rollins’s newfound path as a profiler. Her storyline is that she left to be a teacher and share her profiling knowledge with her students. That sounded a bit random at first because we had never seen Rollins truly dive into that side of her career.
However, it slowly started making sense as we learned more about her new career path. But since she rejoined the squad, fans haven’t been able to truly appreciate how good a profiler Rollins is. Now, “Frequency” gives us the perfect opportunity.
In a near Criminal Minds nature, Rollins delivers a profile that fits the suspect perfectly. Everything she describes is what we later see Costa portray. Even though she explains they don’t have to adhere to the profile and ignore other suspects, who she profiled as Avery’s kidnapper, is exactly who opens the door when she knocks.
Hopefully, the show will continue to bring this side of Rollins to the screen because it truly makes the cases more engaging.
Through Benson’s words on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 14, “Frequency,” the episode emphasizes the importance of the squad telling their stories. That is exactly why Benson tells Griffin about Maria, even if the ending isn’t a happy one.
She mentions that the good comes from people hearing their stories, and if we look at it that way, the show does exactly that. At its core, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is about sharing stories that will help victims and survivors see themselves represented, find hope and strength in what’s being told, and be reminded that they are not alone.
In the end, that is all we want when we tune in.
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.