Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 28 Episode 4 Review: Ghosts or a Bad Man?

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 28 Episode 4, “Arcana,” brings on the Halloween vibes by adding a paranormal vibe to the episode. For a split second, detectives and viewers alike second-guess whether there is a perpetrator or there are ghosts in the house.

However, because we know it’s not that kind of show, it is clear that the victim hasn’t imagined her attack. There is clearly someone coming in and out of her home without her knowledge.

The episode is built on the idea that the victim may be imagining things because of her past experiences. It slowly adds elements that make us wonder if Law & Order: Special Victims Unit would take a chance on doing a paranormal episode.

The former house employee mentions he used to see opened drawers and hear noises. The victim’s daughter draws a mysterious man that no one else has seen. The victim’s mom has dementia and says things that add to the fear and haunting of the house.

On top of these terrifying elements, the victim is presented as unreliable. Curry hesitates to believe her because of her profession, and at first, Benson questions the timeline of her report.

But the victim is telling the truth. She had been attacked earlier that morning. Just because her profession is very particular and she doesn’t report the attack right away doesn’t take away from her terrible experience.

Even though Benson has specific questions about the attack and the victim’s report, she comes to understand her behavior because of her past. The more they investigate, the better Benson understands this victim.

Soon enough, Benson connects her own experience with an alcoholic parent to that of the victim’s. While Serena Benson has long been forgiven by her daughter, parts of Benson’s past still shape how she behaves as an adult.

These are the same parts that help her connect with the victims. When they’re sitting on the stairs and Benson talks about making herself lunch and writing notes as if she were her mother, we see a side of Benson she hasn’t shown in a while.

That vulnerability is what makes Benson so good at her job. She’s not afraid to confront her own feelings to help those who need it. And, in this case, it’s what pushes the victim to tell the truth about her father’s death.

While viewers know everything there is to know about Benson, little has been revealed about Curry. We know she has a son, but that’s where our knowledge ends.

Even though doubting a clairvoyant isn’t a crazy character trait, it gives the show room to explore why Curry hesitates to trust the victim. She’s not victim-shaming, but she is keeping herself on the fence because of something she experienced.

This hesitation allows us to learn more about this captain. Now, viewers know about her dead husband and the fact that they were already separated when he died. These small details help us better understand this character and her choices.

It would be far more interesting if the show continued exploring the personal lives of Benson’s team.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit still struggles to find a happy medium in which every character we love gets enough screen time. However, this new season feels like it’s navigating it better than previous seasons.

Moments like the one we see in the squad room, where the team shares a moment of banter, are the ones that make viewers happy. It’s always exciting to see our favorite characters beyond their job and the chaos of chasing perps.

Getting to learn things like Fin doesn’t believe in ghosts but believes in aliens is what we want more of.

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

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