Season 24’s second episode was a relatively weak offering. This is surprising since it was a limited crossover episode with SVU, featuring only Olivia Benson. You would think this approach would be successful, but no. Let’s explore why.
The episode’s title, “The Perfect Man,” alludes to an app that offers an AI-generated partner for $79 per month, with the potential to make its users feel loved. First, gross! Second, this storyline was a massive misdirection and had nothing to do with Tyler, the creator of the app, being murdered. As usual, the writers intentionally mislead you into believing otherwise, as the first suspect, the actual creator of the app, accused Tyler of stealing the code. The second suspect, the fiancé of a woman who abandoned him for her AI boyfriend, had a solid alibi. Detectives Shaw and Riley connect the dots following the victim’s phone, a drug addict, and I’m not sure what else. Eventually, they track down Laura, a woman who dated Tyler in real life. I was a little let down by how the AI app wasn’t the main story, which turned out to be a run-of-the-mill stalking case.
“The Perfect Man” – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (l-r) Reid Scott as Det. Vincent Riley, Mehcad Brooks as Det. Jalen Shaw. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Law & Order constantly grapples with three concepts: empathy, ethics, and evidence. The police and the district attorney hold incredible sway over these principles as they guide legal decision-making. In this episode, these concepts conflict when Lt. Brady, to the surprise of her detectives, orders them to use a local DNA database. Baxter is right when she says that the police should use all the tools they have. The suspect’s DNA, already present in the local database due to her submission of a rape kit, definitively links Laura to the crime. She did it! Case closed!
“The Perfect Man” LAW & ORDER, Pictured: Maura Tierney as Lt. Jessica Brady. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
But wait, our beloved Captain Olivia Benson is testifying in Laura’s case as an expert witness. Olivia shows up with empathy to call into question the NYPD’s ethics for using the local DNA database. At one point, Laura’s lawyer makes this case to the judge who allowed the DNA evidence to be used. Benson and Executive DA Price clash over who the victim actually was in this case. Captain Bensons says in court that Laura has been raped, stalked, and that the criminal justice system has failed her in the past. Her point was that the Court ought to consider Laura’s previous trauma in terms of her current claim of self-defense.
When Price called Laura to the witness stand, he exposed the absurdity of the defendant’s (Laura’s) unreasonable allegation that Tyler would either make her love him or kill her to avoid being a failure. Wait, what? As a viewer, the plot left me with several unanswered questions, including: Was Tyler pursuing Laura as research to discover what “perfect” means? Was Tyler that big of a narcissist that he resorted to stalking to prove he was a winner? Was Tyler aware of Laura’s previous rape trauma? Was Tyler involved with Laura long enough to trigger the lethal threat response she enacted? Ultimately, these questions did not matter since, according to the law, Laura was not under any immediate threat when she shot the victim. Price also emphasized that she had the foresight to hide the murder weapon, and she voluntarily surrendered herself to the authorities. In a nutshell, the evidence showed Laura was guilty, and Olivia Benson knew it.
“The Perfect Man” – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: Emily Meade as Laura Kingsbury. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Olivia, however, decided to intervene in the sentencing on the defendant’s behalf. We are led to believe that she leaked to the press that the NYPD uses the DNA of victims to make their cases. In the face of a news article saying as much, DA Baxter folds and instructs Price to offer Laura a plea deal. Undoubtedly, Price was considering either a first- or second-degree murder charge, so he acted somewhat under duress when he offered Laura manslaughter 1 with a 10-year sentence.
My problem with Olivia arose from her advocacy and support, which led to Laura’s initial rejection of this deal. The woman believed that she’d done nothing wrong. Acting on Laura’s behalf, Olivia made a counteroffer (manslaughter 2 with a five-year sentence) to the DA. Price scoffed, underscoring that Tyler was the actual victim, and, as a representative of the people, the prosecutor speaks for the victim and the victim’s family. Ultimately, Benson and the defendant’s counsel persuade Laura to accept the manslaughter 1 sentence.
“The Perfect Man” – LAW & ORDER, Pictured: (l-r) Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson, Hugh Dancy as Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price. Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC @2024 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The Perfect Man clumsily weaves a web of misdirection, keeping viewers guessing why the defendant did what she did. I found it particularly distressing how the writers exploited Olivia Benson’s innate empathy to excessively complicate the story. I think the writers called her legendary dignity and morals into question in furtherance of a half-baked story. Within the Law & Order family of shows, this episode struggled to convincingly pit empathy (Olivia) against ethics (the police using the victim’s DNA), and evidence (Price as a representative of the law). Despite the leaps in logic and missing exposition, The Perfect Man succeeds at highlighting the gray areas involved in the administration of law and justice. I just wish Olivia Benson had not been sacrificed in the process.
Am I wrong? Did you think that the plot had too many holes in it? How would you rate this episode? Ryan Eggold guest stars next week as Detective Riley’s brother. For me, the ratings have already improved, because I miss this gentleman on NBC/Peacock!
Overall Rating:
6/10.
Lynette Jones
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