Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 13 Review: ‘Extinguished’

Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 13 starts off in a kind of troubling place, where we think we’re going to get the same old stereotype-laden story about a latino cop (in this case Velasco) that…well. Just read whatever Lizzie has to say about Chicago P.D. and Dante. Admittedly, the hour doesn’t totally avoid stereotypes. But the surprise here is that it doesn’t lean on those stereotypes in that overblown way we’ve come to fear.

It’s also not completely without its other issues. Benson’s comment about Velasco’s neighborhood being “on fire” when there are just…protests seems kind of out of touch with reality. And then, there’s something about folks coming from other countries where you don’t want to trust the cops — as if the cops in the U.S. are the most trustworthy people on the planet, especially when it comes to communities like the one we see represented here. Or Fin’s weird thing about “you moved here all the way from Juarez just so you could avoid talking to your neighbors here” comes to mind. Like, we know why Velasco came here. We also…are not obligated to talk to our neighbors, for what it’s worth.

Overall, though, we actually come away with actual support for the idea that there are ways to protect your communities that aren’t necessarily standard policing. It’s like we have to get through the obligatory “oh, they’re dangerous vigilantes who are going to attack the wrong people without proof. Rah, rah. Mob. Neighborhood on fire” pro-NYPD nonsense to arrive at the more rational place. But once we do, even if there’s just a wee bit of cheese with the neighbors knowing Velasco now, it kinda…works? It’s a decent hour for the character, so we’ll take it. After a season that’s had its struggles, we hope this is a sign of more good things to come.

MORE: Here’s why Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 2 was our favorite this season. On the flip side, despite it being a strong Silva episode, Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 12 did not work for us.

More on Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 13

The cold open seems to make it look like Velasco’s apartment is way nicer than the one upstairs. But, at the end…not so much? Sure, why not.
“My neighbor kept me up all night with music.” “SHOULD’VE CALLED THE COPS.”
Are we ignoring the fact that Liv knows Spanish, or was she purposely playing dumb? I couldn’t tell, probably because this season has just…not been kind to Liv as a human.
“These fools aren’t going to do anything.”
“Uncomfortable” is kind of an understatement. We’ve all seen “Behave,” have we not?
“It’s a Catch-22. You have to earn their trust by catching him, but we can’t catch him until we have their trust.” Ahhh, Fin. The man of wisdom…who I kinda wish would have shared more with Velasco about how he used to be one of those people who didn’t trust the cops. I didn’t hallucinate that backstory during the 1.0 era, did I?
“Please don’t ruin his future.”
“How come nobody sings Kumbaya anymore?” “I don’t think this country’s ever gonna get back there.” This is just…sigh. Look around you. It is obviously not going to get back there — and shouldn’t. No holding hands with bigots tearing down the system of checks and balances for profits. FFS.
The whole sequence of Danny bringing those WANTED flyers to his neighbors, shaking hands, introducing people to Velasco and Fin, petting dogs…yes. Just yes. Surprisingly effective.
Ok but the Fin/Liv scene in Captain Benson’s office. The camera angle…feels very much like, “see? We do remember Noah exists!” And um. You’re going to have to do better than forcing the audience to look at a picture on a desk.
On the plus side, though: Having Benson take a step back to really be the boss, as opposed to playing pretend partners with the ADA and vomiting up “inspiration”? Good. Sure, it’d be nice to have some kind of personal moment for her at some point, even just saying “hey, this case gets to me because I have a son” in some of the 2938473 case involving teens. But. We’ll take it. Better to have less of her, used well, than some of what’s happened so far this season. Quality over quantity, if you will.
“You activated a whole community.” Love how Ethan Jones Romero plays Danny being so desperate to help more, yet actually hearing Velasco when he points out that they might not have even gotten the tip on the attempted rape without what he had already done for them.
Little bit fuzzy on if that particular statement is completely valid, though, since the girl who got attacked kicked stood up for herself the way she did? But let’s go with it.
“Looks like the retaliation committee.” Maybe the rich white guy can go home, actually. Or at least shush.
On the one hand, it’s nice to see Danny’s growth, from being one of the guys willing to hand out justice on his own terms to someone trying to break up the violence. But on the other…I mean…beat up all the rapists you want, really.
Octavio Pisano had the tough job of mostly carrying this episode, and he did it well.
A favorite, if possibly minor, moment: That totally dumbfounded “oh. Thanks” when Captain Benson compliments her detective, when he’s expecting something else. I just really appreciated how real it came across (and needed the little laugh it gave me).
“It wasn’t just me. The neighborhood really came together.” Velasco’s a mensch.
“Back then, they didn’t want people like us below 96th Street.”
…no comment on how there are people in this country who want to be even worse than “back then.”
“This is New York. I thought we were supposed to ignore our neighbors.” Got a good chuckle here, too.
Fin’s “we?” when Velasco talks about the two of them finding a way to help Danny: another very real moment.
Now, if we could just fix our Benson problem…