Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1 Introduced A Great New Character But Still Engaged In Bad Habits

Critic’s Rating: 4 / 5.0

4

The verdict is in: Kate Silva was a great addition to Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1.

She’s smart, tough, and determined to be judged on her own merits and not her relationship with her father.

If Silva had gotten more airtime and SVU had avoided some bad habits it needs to get rid of, this would have been a perfect season premiere.

A Lot Happened In The First Few Minutes of Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1

The Cold Open Was Compelling But Still Too Long

For the past few years, the “cold opens” (the scenes before the credits) have gotten longer and longer, and that hasn’t been good for Law & Order: SVU.

They often drag on for ten minutes or more before getting to the crime of the week. This annoying habit has become a tired TV trope.

Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1 made a good-faith effort to change that. We didn’t get the victims’ life stories before the assault, but it still dragged on.

I’m not sure what the point of juxtaposing Benson taking the team to the shooting range with the crime was.

Maybe Benson’s desire to ensure her team was in top shape was supposed to foreshadow the kids’ animosity toward cops on the college campus. However, even after knowing that was going to happen, the early scenes at the shooting range didn’t seem necessary.

The most important points seemed to be that Silva is a skilled marksman and that her father is a cop too.

Great. We didn’t need five minutes or more of the shooting drills on Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1 to get there.

I’d also rather the information about Silva’s father come out more naturally. SVU doesn’t usually use dialogue in that info-dumpy way, and they shouldn’t have this time.

Silva: Thanks for picking me up, Captain.

Benson: I’m happy to do it. You don’t have a car assigned yet.

Silva: How long does it usually take?

Benson: You know the NYPD. Your father’s been  a cop for 35 years and Deputy Commissioner for 10

Silva: And a pain in my ass my whole life.

The scene with Benson and Silva in the car could have ended up on the cutting room floor without the police procedural losing anything, and that would have cut the cold open considerably.

The main reason for showing so much of the law school students’ evening on Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1 was to set up the idea that Teddy was a suspect.

That worked to an extent. It was creepy when he stared through the door at his naked roommates getting it on.

Still, everyone knows the first suspect accused on SVU is never the killer, especially if they’re arrested in the first fifteen minutes. That stopped being a plot twist a long time ago.

I miss the early years of SVU when the episodes started with someone finding a body or getting attacked, and then the cops quickly arrived at the scene.

That could have happened in Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1. If it had, there might have been more suspense around their focus on Teddy.

Things Got Weird Around The Arrest

Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1 Chose A Random Suspect, And It Got Stranger From There

Law & Order: SVU jumped too quickly to Sam being questioned and detained.

This character had never been on screen or mentioned until the cops stopped him. Then, all hell broke loose.

If Sam was a friend of Shelli’s that she had trouble saying ‘no’ to, you’d think one of her roommates would have mentioned him!

I’m also not sure what was the point of the student protest that got out of hand. SVU was probably trying to make a social justice point, but it fell flat.

I didn’t believe a bunch of law students who knew a classmate had been murdered would assume the cops were detaining someone for no reason.

That subplot had no real purpose other than to suggest that the youngest generation is full of idiots who protest cops violently for no reason.

The plot fizzled out after thirty seconds, too. The kids protested in a ridiculous manner, and the brass was angry that the department arrested them for it. The case was dropped and never discussed again.

Blue Bloods‘ Frank Reagan would never have accepted the idea that kids who jump on police cars shouldn’t be held accountable. Benson shouldn’t have either.

What happened to the woman who stood up so strongly to Tommy McGrath every time he tried to mess with her department?

Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1 Gave Equal Time To The Court Side

This Is One Thing That Has Been Missing Recently

Law & Order: SVU is supposed to be about both the police and court sides of the legal system, but it doesn’t always have time for legal procedures.

I’m glad this one had a court case. Hopefully, that’s a trend that will continue!

The case was straightforward, though I found it interesting that Elodie was disappointed that the defense attorney didn’t grill her on the stand.

Carisi: In modern America, I’m always surprised that 12 strangers unanimously agree about anything.

Sam’s confession on the stand was somewhat Perry Mason-like, but at least Shelli and her friends got justice.

I also loved that Elodie was inspired to finish her law degree so that she could be like Carisi. That’s the best compliment anyone has ever given him.

Final Thoughts

Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 1 featured a brutal crime and strong detective work, but it wasn’t as tightly plotted as I would have liked.

I was annoyed by the coincidence of the cops finding the hammer on the first homeless guy they encountered and the villain being a random guy who hadn’t been mentioned, but the episode still had a lot to offer.

What did you think, Law & Order: SVU fanatics?

Rate the episode in our poll below, and then hit the comments with your thoughts!

Law & Order: SVU airs on NBC on Thursdays at 9/8c and on Peacock on Fridays