Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 21 Review: Monster

Benson and Tynan’s discord seemingly comes to an end as Griffin makes a career-defining choice on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 21, “Monster.”

The finale concludes Benson and Tynan’s conflict in an anticlimactic way. Despite some lingering animosity, it is unlikely to spill into Season 28. 

The prospect of Benson’s suspension introduces real stakes, but they are no longer effective now that the show has wrapped up the storyline in a neat little bow. 

Thankfully, the case on “Monster” is compelling enough to hold the episode together, as is Griffin’s character arc.

Olivia Benson: I guess you’re the one who’s gonna get punished now.

The squad is determined to catch a notorious child killer, Richard Caine, prompting some of the characters to reflect on their own lives.

Naturally, Benson feels personally responsible for Caine’s next potential crime, even though she is not at fault for his release. A rookie cop’s mistake nearly costs another child’s life, but Benson blames herself. She repeatedly watches her initial interview with Caine from several months earlier, desperate to find a way to catch him.

It certainly does not help that Benson is still fighting Tynan’s vendetta for most of the episode, but there is not much she can do about it because her fate essentially lies in Griffin’s hands. 

Griffin grapples with the cold, hard truth about his father on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27 Episode 21, “Monster,” debating on what to do with the information.

He wants to be an upstanding and truthful police officer, but it is difficult when the person Griffin looked up to his entire life got away with murder, while his mentor covered it up.

Tynan’s justification falls flat, illustrating her corruption. It is unsurprising that she sees Benson as a threat, given that Tynan established her career by covering up her partner’s crime.

It is not Tynan’s job to determine who is worthy of life and who is not. Even if Reeves is an “unrepentant criminal,” she does not get to play god. Her job is to follow and uphold the law regardless of who is involved, not to apply it whenever she feels like it.

Part of why Griffin is so unsure of himself is because of how much he believed in his father. Now that the illusion has shattered, he considers the possibility of being just like him — not necessarily getting away with murder, but choosing loyalty over the law.

Griffin finally discovers the truth about himself when he ends up in a similar situation toward the end of “Monster.” He has the choice to shoot and kill Richard Caine, who is injured and defenseless.

Richard Caine is the worst kind of person; he preys on children, the most vulnerable people in the world. He thrives on kidnapping and killing them, and he is definitely not someone worthy of life.

However, Griffin knows that despite how awful Caine is, it is not his responsibility to punish him. All Griffin can do is arrest Caine and allow the DA’s office to take it from there.

Despite Griffin’s insecurities, he is a much better person than his father was, and he is most definitely not like him. When faced with a similar situation, Griffin chooses to do the right thing and abide by the law. 

Therefore, at the end of the episode, Griffin knows exactly what to do with the information regarding his father’s crime.

Griffin is not interested in reopening the case, but he uses it to ensure that Benson keeps her job. He is the reason that Benson and Tynan’s conflict comes to an end.

Griffin knows that Tynan is abusing her power to vilify Benson in any way she can, and he puts a stop to it with his recording of Tynan’s confession covering up the murder.

Now, Benson is no longer facing suspension, and with his father dead, Griffin realizes it is not worth pursuing the case. He knows what kind of police officer he is and who he wants to be.

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

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