User Reviews

The police, the hospital workers and the civilians all randomly put on and take off their Covid masks with no reason or rhyme. Olivia's son Noah is being honored at school when most New York children of concerned parents are being home schooled. Olivia is chastised for not doing a background check on a woman who's in Central Park with her little son. Even if the check had been done, the police computer would have shot back outstanding warrants, not bogus complaints the woman filed. The police are in trouble for taking a man into custody, without violence or incident, who was angrily resisting and had two outstanding warrants. The DA immediately files charges against this man, even though no one in the room thinks he's guilty. And finally (major spoiler), a grand jury is so angry at the police for arresting this black man, they refuse to indict a pompous, arrogant, privileged white man who admits to lying a dozen times and essentially brags about committing a violent crime against an Asian doctor.

Yes, this was a valiant effort to touch on some of the issues facing New York and the United States, right now. However, very little made sense and the episode was all over the place. Using the absurd and ludicrous to make your point often feeds the exact opposite argument. As a liberal activist in New York, I don't think anyone wants to see the police chastised for peaceful, justified arrests. We certainly don't want to see violent criminals walk because people are angry with the police. And Covid masks shouldn't randomly come on and off, in rooms with virtual strangers or in crowds.

The complete disconnect between the fans of SVU who come here to write reviews and the fans who follow SVU on IG and Twitter baffles me. Most folks here do nothing but b*tch about the show being "too relevant" (?!) while everything directed at the actors and show producers is positive But, I digress.

This is the best season opener since probably the open of S17! The writers put their fingers right on the pulse of 2020 and then ripped the throat right out of it! Peter Scanavino and Demore Barnes' performances were so raw and real. It was great to see such unexpected tension between a unit that normally gets along.

The storyline was real, relevant, and heartbreaking all around. I'm so proud of SVU for being willing to stick their neck out in divided times and engage their characters in hard work and reflection. I was really impressed with them pushing Benson as a character to confront her own bias, and to bring that discussion into her relationship with Noah.

Just wow. Everything about this episode was exactly why this show has been on the air for 22 years. It stays relevant; it stays tough, and it doesn't shy from reflecting the best and the worst of the reality it is meant to reflect.

I really hope they keep the pace like this for the season. Bravo - I couldn't have asked for better!