‘Law & Order: SVU’ 25×02 Review: “Truth Embargo”

Watching Law & Order: SVU 25×02 “Truth Embargo” is a constant exercise in being like, “this is really how they see us, huh.” And it’s just utterly wild that this is where we (still) are. In Season 25. And in 2024. No, we’re not even really surprised at this point. After all, this series — and pretty much every other procedural — exists to make audiences root for the cops. The message is, as ever, the “cops as total heroes that are right even when they’re wrong, to the point where we cheer when they beat up on the ‘bad’ guys.” And we can reckon with that whenever, and however, we’d like. So, whatever. No surprise here, just…ugh.

In the case of SVU, we generally tend to see Stabler’s our Olivia Benson as the realization of a dream. The ideal. Someone who, most of the time, is not at all an accurate depiction of a member of the NYPD — even though she, in fact, has ties to one of the most famous and most vile of them all — and who, when she acts in a more realistic way (ACAB), we’re all as upset as we should be. In fact, if asked, many — if not most — of the episodes on our “worst” list would probably be those where Liv is being overtly racist, or spouting utterly absurd “out of character” lines defending the cops from “those people,” or whatever else. And, in fact, almost every (if not every) time this series has attempted to tackle the systemic issues in policing, it has utterly and completely failed.

Add “Truth Embargo” to that list of failures, one which does not come across as well intentioned in the least. This series is best when it stays in its fantasy world. In fact, even Law & Order: SVU 25×02 is at its best when it does exactly that. Because, yeah. Infuriatingly enough, there are some really, really good moments here. But first: Let’s vent.

Real justice is…not thinking this framing was a good idea

In Law & Order: SVU 25×02, Captain Benson finds our victim in a very fragile state. In fact, when Natalie initially claims not to remember much more than going shopping, we believe her. Because there’s no reason not to. We know trauma does this to people, which is why Liv believes her, too, and coaxes her through unlocking some memories. As Liv does. Nothing seems out of the ordinary…until she starts asking way-too-pointed questions about whether or not the people in custody following another robbery are definitely guilty.

We can get behind Natalie’s caution. The police make mistakes all the time — and also just blatantly, knowingly go after the wrong people because they can in some cases — so it’s forgivable at this point. Except…something’s just…off. And Natalie appears to be conflicted, purposely covering something up. But even that’s not inherently bad for a story element. After all, there are countless cases where the victim is afraid because of some kind of threat. Or, maybe, the only way to survive and heal is to not engage with those images — to not risk actually seeing the rapist’s face again. All fine, all fine. Plenty of reasons, plenty of good reaso—…just kidding.

Enter the court scenes.

First, we have the girlfriend, Brooke, reading our beloved Captain Benson the riot act before Natalie testifies. Instead of being there, happy to support her girl, Brooke has an agenda. See, she doesn’t want reassurances from Liv that Natalie will be ok on the stand. She doesn’t seem to care if her significant other will feel safe while having to look her rapist in the eye, isn’t too concerned about whether or not the case is good enough for the woman she loves to get justice. Nope! Instead, she confronts Liv about how she and her fiancee, who was just raped while shopping for a bathing suit to wear on their honeymoon, are “acutely aware of the systemic inequities that exist within the criminal justice system.” She comes across as preachy, a right-winger’s idea of “woke” as generated by an AI, and just…here to hurt Liv.

No, seriously. We even sit with Liv’s completely shocked and hurt expression after Brooke’s lecture. Because why not? When in doubt, hurt Captain Benson. And, as a bonus, you get to make the whole “hey, maybe the justice system isn’t so just” commentary look like that much more insane of a take. But wait! There’s more. Next up in Law & Order: SVU 25×02, our key witness — the victim — is like “J/K” and lies on the stand to say she actually can’t identify her rapist after all. As it turns out, her very religious parents fostered a kid who stole some gum and spent time in jail for it. According to Natalie, this “pushed him down a path in the opposite direction of reform.” So, that means…don’t prosecute her rapist, apparently?

And again, this is an important conversation to have, but it is presented in a way that is cartoonish at best. Not exactly as if any victim of Grand Theft Fruit Stripe (or DoubleMint, or Extra, or…whatever) has been traumatized by the taking of Fruit Stripe without capitalism’s consent.

Like Liv tells her, this is not a good direct comparison. In fact, Liv says all the right things — some of which are quite meta. See also: “I’m not asking you to trust the system, Natalie; I’m asking you to trust me.” But that’s the problem. We, as viewers, do trust Olivia. So, the whole thing is just framed as a couple of irrational bleeding hearts making Good Cop Captain Benson feel so very attacked. After Natalie explains herself (sort of), Olivia coaxes her back into the courtroom to tell the truth, as Olivia does. But part of what she says to accomplish that is just purely, utterly ridiculous.

“The answer is not to swing the pendulum too far in the other direction”? Like, no shit? Who, in the history of ever, is actually advocating to just, like, have a no consequences crime free-for-all? And on what planet does a rape survivor compare something that had her crying, shaking, huddled on the floor and terrified of Liv’s approach…to putting the free in Freedent? Not this one. Same goes for…whatever that was with Brooke coming for Liv. Wrong place, wrong time, complete fiction but in a bad way. Because, see, we appreciate the fiction that is Law & Order: SVU’s trademark — the idealism, the escapism, the chance for someone in the criminal justice system to actually give a shit about rape victims.

The type of fiction in “Truth Embargo,” on the other hand…absolutely not. That’s the “copaganda spreaders trying to make folks who want accountability and justice reform into the most bizarre, out of touch, stereotypical caricatures possible” variety of fiction. And they can keep it. The only people who want rapists to face zero consequences are rapists and wannabe rapists — not people who want to tear down a broken system and replace it with something better.

Oh! And, just as an insult to insult kind of tidbit: The only time the episode attempts to approach this issue in any remotely fair or rational way…is when the rapist goes to Carisi and confesses. A scene with not a single woman — most certainly not the one who this guy violated — present, no less. And it’s still imperfect in many ways. Let that sink in.

Meanwhile.

When Law & Order: SVU 25×02 isn’t busy doing…whatever that was with the case, the episode actually has some very strong moments. Right off the top, we see so much about how Liv is (not) coping with her recent miss in the Maddie Flynn case, complete with her being triggered by seeing a similar energy drink van in the middle of her jog and just…jumping into very bad, very irrational (and dangerous!) action as a result.

While we could say a lot about how Mariska Hargitay plays Olivia’s frantic rush to go after that van, all wild-eyed and laser-focused, probably the most stunning moment in that whole sequence is when Liv comes back to herself. She just puts so much attention to detail into it: the dropped jaw, the way her hands freeze — other than for their slight tremors — before meeting her forehead, combing her hair back, and ultimately landing on her cheeks. As a close runner up, there’s the subtle way she lets on, even before Liv even sees the van, that this run isn’t only about fitness — it’s about clearing her head. Which, uh. All it accomplishes is the opposite.

Then, throughout the episode, Liv puts her Captain Benson armor back on. It’s fun. She’s tough, and sassy, and there’s something about her walk as she leads her team into the store where she finds Natalie. Plus, we’re always here for her having her “I will cut this bitch” face on as she pretends to care what McGrath has to say on the phone. So, it’s all very Benson-like. Most people have no clue anything’s wrong up there in that (criminally gorgeous) head of hers. But! There are people who do notice, and they’re the two who know her best. Or, rather, the two people who are actually in Law & Order: SVU 25×02 who do. Some other guy is busy leaving voicemails and, apparently, not getting return calls. We don’t know that guy’s name, not even when we’re desperate to prevent teenagers getting shot to death in the precinct…

Anyway. That’s not the point. It’s part of the point, in its own way, but we’re exhausted so. Back to Fin and Carisi.

“Truth Embargo” sees Fin vowing to stand by Liv’s side, pulling an all-nighter with her if necessary. As Fin does. But it also sees Carisi nudging her to admit that, yes, she’s still bothered by what happened with Maddie and yes, that’s affecting her decision-making in Natalie’s case. No, she shouldn’t “take a run at all these guys.” It would be a total waste of resources and effort, something akin to trying to break a single egg by dropping an entire hardware store worth of sledgehammers on it. And just by…gently asking if that’s what she really wants to do, then waiting her out, the guys get her to reconsider.

Later, Liv admits to Carisi that she might be pushing Natalie too hard for her own reasons. That confession alone is a pretty big deal because she’s usually someone who…doesn’t exactly let people see the cracks. But it gets bigger when, instead of being defensive when Carisi asks if those reasons are Maddie, she actually tells him about her encounter with the energy drink van. So, they have this really beautiful conversation, and Peter Scanavino portrays every bit of faith his character has in his friend and former boss. This isn’t just someone who’s saying he knows Liv will fix it, somehow, in the end. He really, truly believes in her and wants her to believe, too.

“I know you. You will.”

So, as Hargitay’s breaking our hearts as a Captain Benson who doesn’t feel very captain-like at all, stressing and kind of breaking down over…everything, really, Scanavino’s giving her level of emotion back — just totally opposite feelings. For every ounce of stress, doubt, and self-loathing she plays, he embodies what it is to be her calm in the storm. In place of the doubt, there’s that unwavering faith we mentioned above and even something like open admiration. (No, not that kind. Obviously. The one who feels that kind of admiration for Liv is…probably waiting for a return call.) And it’s that little boost that makes her realize she really does have someone in her corner and start to feel just reassured enough, which makes him lighten the mood with a little joke.

At the risk of being too repetitive, it’s really beautiful. Not the part where Liv is hurting, of course, but seeing her be able to be honest about struggling and actually have something — someone — there when she reaches out. She’s always feared that reaching out will just turn up empty space, but that’s not what happens here. At all. So, as promised, Carisi takes her out for a drink once they’re finished with Natalie’s case — the ending being more great Hargitay/Scanavino work.

It’s important for Liv to have someone to lighten the load and even more important for her to realize she doesn’t have to carry everything all by herself. Yeah, we’d prefer it if Liv could actually lean on her former partner with the high gift-giving budget. But in his absence, and with the wrinkle of real-world filming schedules being a disaster to coordinate even at the best of times, Benson/Carisi works in its own way. In fact, one might even argue for their scenes being priceless. Not only are they so well done, but Liv also needs the chance to internalize that, if EO fails, she won’t lose everything. In a well-written world, that knowledge could help her be less terrified to take the leap.

More on Law & Order: SVU 25×02

• Still wearing the Maddie bracelet. Is this…continuity?
• Obligatory “run, Forrest, run!” reference. Sorry, not sorry.
• Ok. Hear me out: You can’t talk about a BAU without me thinking about a (totally-unrealistic) Criminal Minds crossover.
• It’s the snark on “so. You here to take my case” for me. She’s just…literally, no one would know about her struggles if they didn’t know her. TL;DR Sass = Benson armor.
• Ok but I want the hot pink bathing suit. Or, eh. I want something in that specific shade of pink.
• Also want to know why someone would hear all that crashing, then be like, “lemme go walk out in the middle of the store and look” while in a bathing suit.
• “Moneybags! Got here quick!” You know Ice-T is going to deliver on those one-liners and make them sound like the best dialogue ever.
• “He was white.“
• “All I know is he had bad skin. Pimples. He was a teenager.” Wait til y’all learn about science and, like, adult acne. Also, if this was supposed to “youth” him up, 18 is still not a baby who has no idea that rape is bad…
• Speaking of youthing it up, the live-streaming the crime and some of the corny AF lines. Can we stop? This never works. Just don’t try it.
• Something about…the particular energy (lack thereof) in how Liv puts her hands around Natalie’s arms as she leads her out of the store. Art.
• “Well, 2024’s off to a rousing start.” Fin gets me.
• “Yes, because watching the screen is better than being on one.” I laughed. You can tell that’s acting and in character, considering this woman has never in her life been anything other than prepared to be on screen. No, really. If you have yet to watch this clip…
• We have reached the “only criminals wear masks” part of the discourse. Cool.
• Hear me out: Something about the “hope the clips were worth it” delivery, and even the way Hargitay gets in this dude’s face and leans in…is very “balls in a blender.” Anyone else see it????
• Literally no one asked to see this dude strip.
• Could we…not have the ultra-wealthy dude ask about the Gucci shirt and the food pyramid? If they’re stealing the things to sell them for the money they need to put food on the table, Moneybags should really mind his business.
• Scanavino’s delivery on “yo. High key,” made me laugh in spite of the absurdity of the perp talking that way in the first place.
• The parallel to Jenna Fox…Hargitay selling Benson’s determination that a teenager won’t get shot there…and nothing. Come on now. Utterly wasted opportunity. Have the woman write herself a Post-It that’s like “call El back later” if you can’t do graphics for a faux text and don’t have time/money for more solo Mariska time.
• “NYPD always responds best after it’s too late.” *Sips tea.*
• The “stupid” and “narcissism is a learning disability” lines are…hm. Yeah, ok. Let’s just go with fuck everything about this exchange.
• Same goes for WTFever this is: “If you ever want to walk the streets again — without an adult diaper on…”
• Anyway.
• “So, I can tell by your tone we’re gonna need more,” says the queen of TONE to Carisi.
• Really loved the emotion from Romina D’Ugo gave in the scene where Natalie identified her rapist.
• Also, IMDB says she was on SYTYCD Canada, so 1) instantly stan. 2) Currently in a dance nerd spiral. 3) Ok but how did I not know this before? 4) Actually a crime Buggle wasn’t in this episode with her.
• Ok. Back to work.
• Another great physical moment: Liv’s reaction to realizing what key piece of evidence they might’ve missed.
• “I would think…but if it’s a male CSU tech, then…he may not have known what it was.” Almost as if men shouldn’t be the ones mostly in charge of 1) investigating these specific crimes or 2) telling these stories.
• “Police have their own form of brutality…” Yes, but also…more taking a very real issue and framing it like it’s clownery???
• Liv’s “???” look at the suit jacket comment is basically me at the way this entire episode approaches this topic.
• “Justice — real justice — should emphasize rehabilitation.” Correct. Now, tell me that story in a way that doesn’t make me question it.
• “…but white guilt can not, and should not, dictate my client’s actual guilt.” Correct. But again with bad framing.
• The “I felt invisible” thing is not an excuse for rape WTF. Like, the act is still a horrible violation. It is still wrong. Being invisible is not a reason to rape someone. In fact, there is no reason — none — for that. WTAF.
• “How am I supposed to go and live a normal life, knowing that she’s out there somewhere?” The Normalitis has worsened, I fear.
• The compass deserved better. And Liv always deserves better. Just saying.

Thoughts on Law & Order: SVU 25×02 “Truth Embargo”? Leave us a comment!

Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.