It was another ripped-from-the-headlines case on Law & Order: SVU.
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6 was the police procedural’s take on the Gabby Petito case and revolved around an abusive boyfriend who caused his girlfriend’s brain death.
Our TV Fanatic writers Laura Nowak, Jasmine Blu, and Jack Ori got together to debate whether this story was too predictable, what our favorite scene was, and more.
How long did it take you to figure out that Chris was involved in Ellie’s attack on Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6?
Laura: Not long at all.
I recognized this case as ripped from the headlines from the Gabby Petito case. After two decades of Law & Order and Law and Order: SVU, I suspected we had seen a similar case already, and we did.
In 2022, Law & Order Season 21 Episode 3 already did something that mirrored this case. They need new material.
Jasmine: LOL! I love how bluntly you put that Laura, but yes, I agree.
I’m not jiving with this season all that much so far, and I can’t place specific things that bother me most. But the case on Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6 was familiar so I had the same thoughts, and it did okay with it.
But sometimes, I wish things weren’t so straightforward.
Jack: I predicted it in my Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6 spoilers.
It was obvious from the set-up, and we’ve seen this story on SVU before.
However, I think this was a better version of the Gabby Petito story than the one on Law & Order, which focused mostly on the angle of social media being destructive.
Plus, that story was hampered by trying to be sensitive to the family, as it had been only a few months since Petito’s death when it aired.
How did the subplot about whether Ellie should be taken off life support add to the story?
Laura: It showed how vicious the attack was.
Again, it would have made an interesting crossover topic since Law and Order just handled something similar. I’m unsure if Ellie really sent a message or if those were reflexes.
Jasmine: I agree that it added more context to the attack and just how horrible it was. And it offered up some of the expected moral conundrums and things like that.
I think it worked as a vehicle to make us even more invested in this case.
It added more of an emotional impact to a case that the audience most likely would’ve felt more desensitized to after the wall-to-wall Gabby Petito coverage.
Jack: Laura, I was so annoyed that they didn’t even mention Law & Order Season 24 Episode 3. Since they just did this, it seemed like this would have been a perfect crossover opportunity.
Silva finally had her first big case. How did you think she did?
Laura: Silva has good gut instincts. I wish they would have listened to her earlier instead of blowing her off, since she was right.
Jasmine: Silva did well, and she’s growing on me. I love a woman who is incredibly intuitive, and she has that going for her.
I was excited to actually see her in action since she got benched for the entire season thus far.
She has that dogged determination that will make her a great investigator but also someone who could burn out easily, so I’m curious to see what more they do with her character.
Jack: Agreed. I hate the trope of always blowing the person off who is right, which gets old after a while, but I thought Silva was great and deserves more of a central role going forward.
Did you buy Silva’s explanation on Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6 for why she decided to transfer from Homicide to SVU?
Laura: I’m not sure about that. Like you said in your review, Jack, I think there is more to the story. Everyone has a past.
Jasmine: I definitely feel like there is more to her transfer.
Her explanation made sense for why she wanted to go into law enforcement, but there has to be something else that motivated her to full-on transfer to SVU and focus on these crimes instead.
Hopefully, they’ll dig into that the next time they give her more than two lines in an episode!
Jack: That’s exactly what I thought, Jasmine. Her explanation wasn’t really sex crimes specific.
I wonder if she has trauma of her own in her past that she’s not ready to divulge.
Clay asked Benson to step in because the NY Field Office felt the local cops had dropped the ball. How do you feel about the fact that Benson seems to be the only one whose department gets anything done in these cases?
Laura: It’s sad that Benson is the only one who gets things done.
It says a lot about other departments, but it was nice to see Clay. He’s a fun character.
Jasmine: Ahh, yes, “Clark Kent.”
I think it’s a classic case of “main character syndrome” in which the SVU as a whole has it, because while I don’t doubt the inefficiency of law enforcement for a myriad of damn reasons, I also don’t feel like shero Olivia Benson and her specialized unit are the only ones capable of getting sh*t done.
I love my girl to pieces, but it kind of reminded me of how Grey’s Anatomy used to blow smoke up Meredith Grey’s derriere.
Nevertheless, I’m glad he actually reached out instead of the usual bit where they wait until the last minute, and someone has to force SVU into the case because there’s hostility and resistance.
Jack: I think it’s supposed to show that Benson’s willingness to go the extra mile is unusual and that most cops don’t give a damn about sexual assault survivors.
While it’s important to point out that in real life, these crimes are often not taken nearly as seriously as they should be, it is starting to be a bit ridiculous that Benson is the only one who can do anything right.
Mention anything about Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6 not covered above.
Laura: I know the series is on a budget constraint, but where was Carisi? Shouldn’t the DA have been present for some of the questioning?
Jasmine: I was fine with the Carisi break. What I had to power through, for what felt like the umpteenth time, was Chris’ mother coddling her son.
I mentioned it in my Disclaimer Finale review, but I swear the footsoldiers upholding violence against women and misogyny are other women themselves.
And it usually all starts with mothers never holding their horrific sons accountable under the guise of “maternal instinct” and “protection.”
Jack: I hate that trope too. I feel like the writers are trying to excuse it by saying that Chris (or whoever) wouldn’t have been a bad person if only his mother had been more attentive when he was young.
I know there are cycles of abuse and all that, but Chris is still responsible for his choices in this mess, and I don’t like it all being pinned on his mother.
What was your favorite scene, story, or quote from Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6?
Laura: I don’t know if it’s a favorite, but this one was at least memorable and affected me. I liked that Silva had good instincts.
Jasmine: As a Major Crimes fan, I was really digging seeing Graham Patrick Martin again even if he played a character like Chris. He had some really great scenes.
Jack: I was too, Jasmine. I loved him on Major Crimes, and I was excited when I got to interview him during the final season of that show.
I especially liked the final confrontation between Chris and Benson. I’ve watched it three times and find Benson’s insistence that Chris looks at the photo of Ellie in her hospital bed to be chilling.
Over to you, Law & Order: SVU fanatics.
What did you think about Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 6?
Hit the comments with your answers to these Round Table questions.
Law & Order: SVU airs on NBC on Thursdays at 9/8c and on Peacock on Fridays.
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