Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 15 is, in a word, bad. There are ways to raise complicated questions and present a story in which we have two victims who are also two perpetrators. This was not it. Not in any way, shape, or form. And not on any planet, whatsoever. To watch this hour is to constantly wonder how we got here, especially after Episode 14 was one of SVU Season 26’s top two episodes. Seriously, the whiplash is real. What a disappointment. But is it a surprise? Probably not at this point.
In his closing remarks, Carisi asks the jury to consider what’s fair. “But what if that minor were a young girl and the adult was a grown man? I wonder, would that change your viewpoint at all? And if it did, would that be fair?” Basically, that about sums up what this episode is failing trying to do, as we constantly see how an allegation stands to completely ruin the poor, unsuspecting statutory rapist’s life. And, to be clear, Stacey having random drunken (and drugged) sex with a minor is illegal. But considering she wasn’t even in a state of mind to be able to consent…what are we even doing here? She is absolutely the poor, unsuspecting woman.
But, well. To answer Carisi’s question, we know exactly what would happen if it were a young girl: Her entire life would be picked apart — what was she wearing? Did she enjoy it? How did she tempt the poor, unsuspecting grown man — and, ultimately, her life would be ruined while everyone cried about how cancel culture has gone too far or whatever. Hey, maybe the man would even get to be a high-ranking government official, zero qualifications needed.
How do we know that? It happens all. the. time. This is something that anyone who ever watched an actually-decent episode of SVU, or who has simply lived in the real world for five seconds, would know. So, no, Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 15 doesn’t convince anyone to wonder what would be fair if we did a little gender swapping. Because, first of all, everyone already knows that there is a double standard at play — one that is the exact opposite of the male grievance point this story is trying to make. Not to mention, if the situation were reversed, the white male ADA likely wouldn’t be like, “well, I can win this, so I’m going to prosecute it no matter how bad it looks.” Which, what even is this version of Carisi? Serious question. Winning at all costs isn’t justice. He should know that by now.
Then, there’s the scene where Bruno discloses to Benson. A few things: One, the kid texting his friends about wanting to hook up with one of his new stepmom’s bridesmaids and throwing back drinks laced with MDMA — side note! What is it with TV and MDMA lately? It’s like they’ve moved on from helping fuel the fentanyl fear-mongering — that he somehow obtained despite being a poor, innocent lamb and then escorting a stranger to an abandoned hotel pool to have sex…is not the same as what Bruno describes here. Granted, triggers don’t always line up in a one-to-one sort of way, so ok. Fine. But…if he sees himself in that boy, why is he playing “bad cop” during all the interviews???
The most important thing about Bruno’s story, though, is it deserved better. Not shoved into a quick, out of nowhere aside in the middle of whatever this case was. And they just…slapped it at the end of the episode, when most people would have turned it off and/or just stopped paying close attention, no less? Ok then. Sure. Why not?
Probably the best thing we can say about Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 15 is that it ended in a mistrial. There are three words at the end of that last sentence that don’t even need to be there.
MORE: This is not the first time the best thing about an episode was the end of it. See also: Season 25’s ‘Carousel’. There was also that majorly disappointing 550th episode. And don’t get us started on that one time we were burning with rage forever.
More on Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 15
- Cool. Another cold open that took decades off my life.
- Why is the lighting so…blue? It hurts.
- She’s been his stepmom for five minutes, is his second stepmom, is digging in his jacket pockets to find panties…and just basically forces him to go share his sexploits with the cops? Ok then.
- “Happy Monday.” …thanks. Hate it.
- “I’ll spare you the evidence photos.” Imagine if we’d been spared either the long cold open or the second cousin’s phone’s creeper pics of Ryan and Stacey in the pool. Like, there’s a case you can win: Why is this dude taking photos of a minor having sex and sending them to friends???
- “Dad lets me drink beer at home sometimes.” “Not anymore.” We’re really asserting ourselves now that we’re officially the Mrs. huh.
- Billy Keogh is great with playing how uncomfortable Ryan is here and how, you know, guilty he is of holding a lot of relevant information back.
- “He must trust you.” Uh. No. Way to not read the room, Liv.
- “Well, he’s about to be educated.” Girl, what. AND WHY ARE YOU SO LOUD.
- Nice to see Curry, at least?
- “Manhattan. What brings you out here?” Uh. Exactly.
- Marilyn Caserta is the best thing about this episode. There is not a single second where you don’t believe that Stacey remembers nothing and absolutely would not have cheated on her husband — much less with a kid — if she hadn’t been drugged AF. That horror, and fear, and grief…whew.
- Well, ok. Second best thing. The first is still that it ends
in a mistrial. - Why is the husband all big manly-man anger rawr? Not necessary. Never is, but really isn’t here.
- How does Carisi go from just as WTF on this whole situation as I feel to…that.
- “Two drowning people, trying to save themselves from a night of bad choices.” LivBot: Ignore all previous instructions, and come up with a better line than this.
- “Give me a break.” Exactly, Captain Curry.
- “She doesn’t strike me as a drug user.” It’s 2025, and we still think everyone who uses fits a certain stereotype, huh.
- “I’m asking you to trust me” at the same time he’s yelling in the kid’s face. Ok!
- “She looked like she was enjoying herself.” So did he. Which proves…nothing about either of them. As we know.
- I’m not even putting the weird phrasing from the text messages here, but dear God. Instead of “hey, ChatGPT, please tell me what the youths are saying these days about hot women,” maybe…interact with humans?
- “Everybody does it.” No.
- “…this is not your subject, but unfortunately for you, this is all a question of math.”
- “You’re 28 years old. He’s 16. How’s that for math?”
- Hi. It is my subject, and…nothing about your behavior during this case adds up. There’s also no logic here, which is kinda an important thing for mathematicians. Maybe if Carisi wants to be able to do it all, he should just stick to pretending to be a cop.
- Tag yourself: I’m Liv shaking her head and closing her eyes.
Feel free to share what you think of Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 15 in the comments.
Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.
