Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 28 Episode 3 Review: Olivia Benson Clashes with the FBI
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 28 Episode 3, “Anonymous,” features Captain Olivia Benson going head-to-head with a federal task force over child sexual abuse victims.
Their heated clash begs the question of whom law enforcement should prioritize first when it comes to special victims, and there are no easy answers.
Detective Terry Bruno also struggles with this episode’s case involving a secret CSAM website, The Gate, which bleeds into other areas of his life.
Bruno has been with Benson’s squad for a few years, and he worked for Bronx SVU well before that. He understands the job and knows how challenging cases can be. Many detectives do not last long in Special Victims Units because of the brutality they witness.
However, the detectives who become permanent fixtures learn to balance their work with other parts of their lives so SVU does not consume them.
Unfortunately, Bruno has hit this obstacle, even though he has worked in this department for several years.
Until now, Bruno has dealt with the difficult parts of the job quite well. He seems to have everything together, without major emotional setbacks.
It turns out that Bruno only fares well on the outside. At first glance, everything seems okay, but on closer inspection, Bruno has allowed the job to take over his whole life.
Bruno is not interested in living a fulfilled life. He turns down dates that Rollins tries to set him up on because he prioritizes this job to an unhealthy degree. He takes on as many burdens as he can so that his co-workers might avoid witnessing the most disturbing cases.
He might not be spiraling, but refusing to live outside work is an unhealthy coping mechanism. He does not reconcile the horrors each case contains; he carries them everywhere.
If Bruno continues at this rate, he might endanger his health, his peers, and his job.
Bruno should consider Benson’s SVU run. Part of why Benson has been at SVU for decades is that she has learned to compartmentalize while still doing her work as best she can.
Of course, it has not been easy for Benson either, but she endures because she tries her best to keep her job from consuming her.
Benson rightfully forces Bruno to take some time off at the end of “Anonymity.” Bruno must use this break to reflect on how he has approached his job so far and what he must do to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Fin Tutuola: There’s a difference between doing this job and letting it become you.
Despite Bruno’s situation, it is understandable that this particular case gets to him.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 28 Episode 3, “Anonymous,” features the squad trying to take down The Gate, a dark web page dedicated to children from birth until the age of five.
It is hard to figure out who runs this website, but it is not impossible. The issue actually involves Benson clashing with members of a federal task force — Craig Lynch and Lauren Fei — who use this website to find potential child victims of sex trafficking.
The squad and the task force approach this case differently, ultimately leading to a clash that could have future repercussions for Benson with the Department of Justice.
Regardless, it is good that Benson stands her ground. It is not fair that Craig and Lauren deem the child victims of The Gate less important than potential trafficking victims. These children should not have to be abused because of a possibility that might not even exist.
Of course, the FBI must do whatever they can to uncover and stop child trafficking, but it should not come at the expense of other child victims.
Every child victim of sexual abuse must be protected and cared for. No one should sacrifice them for potential victims. As usual, Olivia Benson always prioritizes the children in these cases, while most do not.
Hopefully, the DOJ will not punish her for doing the right thing.
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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Sarah Novack
Sarah has been a passionate writer and blogger about various forms of media for as long as she can remember, and her favorite method of expressing this passion is through writing and discussion. She loves way too many TV shows, books, and movies, specializing in book-to-screen adaptations, fantasy, sitcoms, and procedurals.