‘Law & Order: SVU’ 25×08 Review: “Third Man Syndrome”

Law & Order: SVU 25×08 “Third Man Syndrome” feels a bit like filler, something we can sit back and listen to during one of the many, near-constant marathons of this series that airs…pretty much all over the place. And there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that. At least, we wouldn’t mind it very much if we were looking at a standard season. But Season 25 is not standard — on multiple levels. We have fewer episodes to work with, so making them all count is kind of important, especially if we’re trying to take Olivia Benson on some kind of healing journey (or…whatever is going on with her switching therapists).

While the hour is just fine, overall, it still manages to throw in a couple of noteworthy highs and lows. First, the bad: Did we really do an entire episode about a homophobic hate crime, only to focus more on a witness’ (NYPD-assumed) agoraphobia than much of anything about the victim? And, even in the setup of that hate crime, did…did the episode seriously throw in a bunch of stereotypes? Like, great. The art school kid who’s not afraid to wear a goofy, bedazzled tourist shirt and has “soft hands” actually didn’t turn out to be what his attackers assumed he was. But…still.

While we’re at it, that whole “surprise, Noah’s bi” thing a couple seasons ago was really just a hallucination, huh? Because, otherwise, we wouldn’t have spent the entirety of Law & Order: SVU 25×08 being like, “wow. Liv really took more of a personal interest in (probably) her zillionth case of a missing kid than in a case that should hit close to home, given what her son told her once after literally being bullied and put in a cage.” No, we’re never getting over how bad that was — especially since it’s never exactly been revisited. Yes, we understand that this particular mess is an inherited one. But still.

With all that being said, “Third Man Syndrome” is nowhere near as flagrantly disrespectful and sensational as it could’ve been. Sure, we hear the slur from the perps and a uni — which we definitely could’ve done without — but at least the “good guys” don’t go anywhere actually saying it. And while we do witness parts of the attack and hear some pretty disturbing details, we’re not forced to watch the worst of it. Those are at least steps in a better direction than the one we usually expect when we hear about this series attempting to tackle certain issues.

Beyond that, as we kind of predicted when we previewed Law & Order: SVU 25×08, the squad’s progress in fully becoming a team is just…working. Granted, the group certainly has a long way to go. But just enough is starting to fall into place. In fact, it’s really the smaller details — dare we say, the “organic” moments — that prove someone, somewhere, is trying to make at least something about this season truly have a clear arc. For just a couple of examples: The moment when everyone’s demeanor shifts over seeing Petty Pettis show up at the hospital really stands out, as does something as simple as Sykes using Bruno’s “Money Bags” nickname.

Not every story can be told through crumbs and hints scattered along the way. In fact, it’s a major disservice to both the characters and the viewers when creatives attempt to go that route with…certain things. But since this is a procedural, and we see our elite squad working together to investigate some vicious felonies in every episode, the small moments do wind up being meaningful ones. And that’s working here. Now, with the aforementioned certain other things, however…um. No comment — at least not this week.

More on Law & Order: SVU 25×08

• “I’m an artist. Do you think I’m scared of a few sparkles?” Me when I get ready for ballet class after mostly living in sweats, black tees I got from concerts, and nonsense from various comic-cons.
• “Broadway: Soundtrack of New York.” Correct.
• The whole bright white light thing is too much.
• “That’s some pretty grim math right there.” Love that Liv’s into math these days. Also feel obligated to make a “LOL y’all should see the ‘grim math’ of trying to pay rent in the real world” comment.
• “Gonna be a long night.” “Remind me when the last short one was?” It’s been 84 years. And it shouldn’t have to be. You’re a Captain. Delegate!!!
• “I’ve seen that look. Hang in there.” At this point, we’ve all seen Liv make that face billions of times. Always some old white dude, meddling in her work.
• …are we going to comment on how Petty Pettis has a similar look and personality to McGrath? It’s giving generic dudes in leadership positions that they don’t deserve. On the nose. To say the least.
• “The city might be able to sleep.” “Yeah, but you won’t.” I hate it here.
• Who wants to tell Sykes about how cops treat guys like Mateo, whether they run or not and whether they’ve done anything wrong or not?
• …and Curry’s asking him why he ran, too? Uh, sure.
• Do people who create television know that they can write latinos who…aren’t undocumented construction workers — whenever, of course, they’re not the perps — or.
• “He almost died” was just…ice COLD delivery from Ice-T.
• “God bless.” That feels like more of a Mariska Hargitay thing than an Olivia Benson thing. Same with the prayer position when she’s talking to Anne later in the episode. Like, we’ve literally seen her do that one in interviews. Multiple times.
• Love the way both Liv and Fin treat the unhoused man like an actual human being…but this is some high key copaganda. Wait until you see how the NYPD actually treats people who don’t have anywhere to go.
• One thing Olivia Benson is going to do is go into a situation she can’t control without backup. But hey, at least Fin tried to stop her!
• That wall was gorgeous. Between that and the constantly redoing Liv’s apartment, guessing the budget for set design is unlimited. So, maybe we can convince them to build a giant Elliot Stabler mural or, IDK, dollhouse or something to prove he exists on this show beyond a necklace?
• “What do I have to tell you so you’ll leave me alone?” Me when humans.
• Bruno’s explanation of Third Man Syndrome is far less forced than some of the previous “psych speak” dialogue (if you will). But I still…find it hard to believe that Carisi needed to ask.
• …and, uh. Liv ought to know from experience. Her “third man” always seems to be the same guy. Weird, huh???
• “Must’ve been some good pizza.”
• What even was that “protest”? Seemed to be partially LGBTQ+ rights (makes sense, given the crime!)…but there was also a sign about stealing jobs? Are The Gays™ stealing jobs now? Huh.
• “No. Your client is here because we brought him here.” Absolutely loved that delivery from Aimé Donna Kelly.
• “What are you playing, bad cop?” “He’s not playing.”
• Liv’s “don’t be” is technically terrible, given that she’s the boss and cops shouldn’t be going quite as hard as Bruno did in that room. But also: …um…all I could do is laugh at some combination of delivery, timing, thoughts of Benson past, and…well. Stabler.
• Legit was afraid, there for a while, that Mateo was somehow involved. That huge outpouring of emotion when he saw Javi again for the first time squashed that fear, though.
• “Let’s just hope that her conscience is stronger than her fear.” That’s…not how things work.
• “This city, the world, chaos, disaster — why even try?” “Because it’s our only choice.” Hot take: Stop pathologizing people who recognize how bad it is out there.
• “We can look away from the ugliness. But it’s still there.”
• “Maybe some day, you’ll be able to use all this pain that you’re feeling and turn it into something beautiful. You know? As an artist.” Not all of us have that privilege but ok.
• “You know, when we look for people, we usually find them.” Whatever you do, don’t think about the many times when Olivia Benson looked for “people,” and did not, in fact, find them.

Thoughts on Law & Order: SVU 25×08? Leave us a comment!

Law & Order: SVU returns Thursday, April 11, at 9/8c on NBC.