Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 20 Review: Old Friends
Throughout Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27, we have been praising the show for the Tynan-coming-for-Benson storyline, but Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 20, “Old Friends,” might change our minds. Could it really be that Benson’s suspension is as worthless and irrelevant as the episode makes it seem?
While Benson clarifies that she is back, the hearing regarding her suspension won’t be for another 30 days, it feels like an easy escape from this storyline. The moment Benson was suspended on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 19, “Impropriety,” we thought it might be a more meaningful storyline.
Of course, we are more than happy to see her back in charge, but it would have been more exciting for the show to keep her out of the squad room a little bit longer. Holding on to the little exchange between her and Velasco regarding retirement or whether she still felt like SVU was for her would have been far more thrilling than watching her walk back into the squad room in two seconds.
Two very fascinating things happen on “Old Friends.” The first one is Curry’s return to SVU. No one believes it’s a return that will come free, but they are happy to have her back on their team.
The second one, and probably the most entertaining of the episode, is watching Fin become the acting SVU supervisor. Despite his reluctance to take charge, Fin is more than capable of leading the squad. He knows what needs to be done, and has watched every captain that’s walked through those doors before Benson.
But the greatness of it, the humor of it, lies in Fin’s zero interest in being in charge. He would much rather sit on the passenger side and allow Benson to come back. Regardless, Benson doesn’t take full charge when she returns. She allows Fin to continue the investigation and lead the case.
Even though it’s disappointing to see Benson return so quickly, the suspension shook things up enough to create new dynamics that are fun to watch. And while we can tell that Bruno and Griffin are missing, Fin, Curry, and Rollins have enough standout moments to make us forget their absence.
The main storyline on “Old Friends” isn’t anything new, but it’s quite entertaining to watch. We watch a group of people who call themselves friends, and we quickly learn that their friendships are superficial and full of quite some jealousy. Everything these people say or do is toxic, and we’re not surprised that a crime has been committed.
There is only one person ballsy enough to stand up to the rest of the group and speak the truth, but sadly, this only leads her to discover her husband has cheated on her.
The squad plays its cards the right way, slowly but surely making the suspects trip enough to reveal the truth. They are all guilty of something, but eventually the rapist’s identity comes to light, and Benson takes the lead.
She handles that interrogation because, if we are honest, she is the best at it. Benson approaches the suspect as if she were a newbie, telling him she knows nothing and will take his word for it. This is the perfect way to play him and trick him enough to get a confession out of him.
Benson proves, once again, why she belongs at SVU and why she’s gotten as far as she has in her career. Regardless of what Tynan believes, Benson is the only one who should be in charge.
The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 finale is right around the corner, and we hope it doesn’t disappoint us. It would be great for the show to go back to the focus of the season and give us more of Tynan and Benson’s war.
Griffin looking into his father’s past is also important, and it is completely forgotten on “Old Friends.”
We can’t help but wonder whether the season finale will explore everything or leave the door open for this to be discussed in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 28.
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.