Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 4 ‘Clickbait’ is the first episode of this series in a long time, if ever, to do an effective job of dealing with new-ish technology and teens without being weird (eh, cringe AF) about it. Here, AI-generated images of a 13-year-old with her teacher cause a whole lot of problems for both the pregnant teen and the teacher. At no point does it feel like we’re wrongly being asked to sympathize with a predator; instead, the teacher is just…clearly horrified by the images, maintains his innocence, and turns out to have actually been innocent by the time it’s all said and done. It’s refreshing, really.
Finding out about the fake photos and the damage they do to both the kid and the teacher leads Carisi and Jones to try, almost successfully, to hold the AI’s creator accountable. But, no matter the dangers of the energy-sucking theft machine that’s all-too-easy to abuse, the law can’t save us. Unfortunately, that might just be the most realistic part of this entire hour, especially since it’s not exactly as if there’s any incentive for the law to ever catch up to this particular technology when there are people who stand to make a ton of profit who can effectively stop any progress. Even so, it’s nice to watch Carisi and Jones in those courtroom scenes. Especially since the storytelling really makes the difficulties and technicalities around the law as clear as possible within this format.
This sort of sticky legal situation is what the Law & Order franchise has always been known for, and seeing SVU get back at it in a meaningful way is a treat. But Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 4 doesn’t only have a thought-provoking and relevant case of the week. The hour also moves Amanda Rollins back to the Special Victims Unit. But, if you’re a fan of the character who’s been dying to see this moment come, don’t get too excited — because it seems like there are ulterior motives at play. Not necessarily for Rollins…but definitely for the new Chief. As of now, we don’t know what those reasons are, but something’s just not right here.
MORE: How this season going so far? The Season 27 premiere was a very good sign of things to come, and so far, we haven’t been disappointed.
Why does Chief Tynan send Rollins back to SVU?
Chief Tynan has been a compelling character all season, and Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 4 continues that trend. At the beginning of the hour, we learn that she and Captain Benson have monthly check-ins. And it looks like Liv is over the constant hinting/nagging about a certain job offer. Once she says, for what her little bit of attitude implies is the billionth time, that she has “been very clear about this” and is “not looking for a desk job,” Olivia finds herself on the receiving end of yet another shock. Now, Tynan’s offering to have Amanda Rollins come back to SVU because her “sources” say Rollins has been “weighing her options.” Whatever that means.
It’s…very interesting, to say the least. For one thing, the way Liv completely freezes, mid-chew, and asks “what about her” when Tynan first mentions Rollins implies she totally has no idea what’s coming here. Not only does she not know what Tynan wants — is she coming after Olivia’s old friend, or what? — but she also…was today years old whens he found out Rollins was looking to make a move. That’s…disappointing. (Understatement.) Especially after, well, everything.
But the real question here, and one that Mariska Hargitay and Noma Dumezweni continue to make us need the answer to more and more, is what is going on? What’s Chief up to? Why is she giving Liv her friend (loosely stated at this point, considering how that relationship’s been done dirty more recently) back? And a new question: If Benson’s not playing this game anymore, to the point where she gives that little bit of sass back with her “sure you are” as Tynan swears “I’m not trying to play you,” what are the next steps? Is Olivia walking into some sort of trap by going ahead and welcoming Amanda back? Or…what?
MORE: This isn’t the first time Rollins and Benson have seemed to only connect through work. Last season, we commented on that exact problem. And then, there was the whole baby announcement she got from Sonny — not Amanda.
Can Rollins keep an eye on Griffin? Does she even need to?
At the end of Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 4, we learn a little bit more about what’s been happening at Rollins’ now-former unit. And, well, it sounds…eerily familiar. Apparently, Tynan “overhauled it beyond recognition” and made sure her “own guy” was there. If that second statement sounds familiar, it definitely should. Even though some of what we’ve seen from him has indicated he’s really here to learn and might even actually care about victims, Griffin is Tynan’s guy. Looks like this might be part of a concerning pattern.
During this most recent investigation, Griffin has continued to show he needs quite a bit more reining in than maybe Benson can provide on her own. So, when Rollins says she’ll be “keeping a close eye on him around here,” here’s hoping that not only does she use her detective skills to figure out what the game is, she also finds a way to control him. Unlikely, considering Benson, Curry, and Bruno are all failing so far. But…stranger things have happened.
MORE: Why is there a spot open at SVU? See how we said goodbye to Velasco in Episode 3.
More Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 4 reactions
- That poor teacher…
- No, wait. Poor Penny. 13 years old, pregnant, in a bus accident, fallopian tube bursts…and the whole AI mess. Give that kid a break.
- “Noah is 15.” That would mean he was born in 2010, before Elliot even left. Gotta love TV magic!
- On the plus side, it’s really nice to get to acknowledge the kid exists and have Olivia talk about him…even with her probably-sketchy(?) Chief.
- It’s the way she puts that glass down before reminding Tynan she’s “been very clear” about not wanting that job for me.
- “You’re out in the field more than any other Captain in the department.” “I’m out in the field because victims are in the field. And that is where I’m the most useful.” Thank you, SVU, for finally acknowledging that she shouldn’t be out there as much as she is — and even giving us a believable reason, at least within this fictional universe.
- “If anything, at most, I’m trying to get you to like me.” Tag yourself. I’m that “sure, Jan” smile in response.
- “I know you take care of your people, and they are certainly loyal to you.” True.
- So, like, are we not going to say what the only life-saving treatment for an ectopic is, or…?
- If Kelli Giddish being back as a regular — and, by extension, her character returning to SVU — means I’m going to get less of this super Benson/Curry pairing, that’s going to be a huge letdown. And that’s putting it lightly. I absolutely love Hargitay and Aimé Donna Kelly’s shared scenes. And yes, I hate that my first instinct is to assume other women will get less shared screen time as opposed to, you know, some of the men taking a step back.
- “Ok. Sure. Yeah, I get that.” (Narrator: Curry did not, in fact, get that.)
- …it’s giving Scully’s iconic “sure. fine. whatever.”
- Liv going through Penny’s locker/schoolwork with those glasses on like she’s the student trying to learn something.
- “Never gets easier, for what it’s worth.” “13. I don’t even — …how the he** do you guys handle this stuff?” “Don’t have kids.” Bruno’s smart, honestly. (But I also feel like, you know, the empathy is still there whether you have your own kids or not.)
- “…learn an instrument, make some friends…” As a former band geek, I can say this for sure: LOL WHAT.
- Love me a threatening whisper, even if, uh…Griffin? Sir. You gotta chill.
- Yeah, that teacher’s reaction to those photos is not the reaction of a guy who did something and is trying to get away with it. At all. Griffin not noticing that because he’s too busy trying to play this year’s newest poster boy for rage is a problem. At best.
- Ok but Liv’s facepalm when Bruno and Griffin are bickering.
- “I swear to God, Griff.” Same.
- “What about you? You need to take a walk. Cool your jets.” GET HIM, BOSS.
- “Two Captains in my office. Am I in trouble or something?”
- “A+, Captain.”
- “I mean, most businesses don’t want to be associated with child pornography.” You’d think. And yet.
- “Try. To be nice.”
- “We can’t let a few bad apples stand in the way of progress.” Usually, where there are “a few bad apples,” there are more than just a few.
- “I gotta tell ya, I uh, hate hospitals. I mean, I know that’s not a hot take — I think everyone hates hospitals — but I think I may hate them…a little more.” Absolutely love that SVU is leaning into Olivia being human and using her experiences as a way to relate to people again. Her history should inform how she approaches victims, and how she approaches each individual should be unique — just like the actual humans she’s supposed to be dealing with are. Goodbye forever, LivGPT! (Please tell me I didn’t just jinx that.)
- “I have been shot, I have been stabbed, and I have been poisoned — twice! — so that wasn’t fun.” But was she the one who stabbed the Captain with a pickle?
- That little “hi” with the smile once the kid finally turns toward her…there’s our girl.
- I love the way they made the edit go from Liv asking Penny for the boy’s name to…his mom giving him the full first, middle, last treatment.
- “…the he** is wrong with you?” A question.
- Ok but Griffin needs to get out of this child’s face, though.
- Olivia Benson. Ponytail. Leather. Yes.
- “So, we hear that you’re very good at making pictures.” A. Delivery.
- “How are we supposed to police something like this?”
- “She knows that, but we’re about to find out why she still thinks that’s a good idea.” Everything about this scene is great — from Olivia presenting/commanding the room, to the back and forth between the two ADAs, to what the detectives contribute in terms of context. But. The best part might very well be Carisi backing Liv up like this before he even knows what her angle is. This speaks to a long working relationship that has turned to genuine, close friendship. You really do love to see it.
- “The guy plays an ‘aw, shucks’ family man, but he has no qualms making money off this garbage.”
- That demo with the NU/DAI…and even hot-headed Griff needing a little nudge before he splatters the glue…
- Thank you to this episode for stopping short of showing the final product, too. We get the point; no need to go overboard with displaying it.
- “…this is progress.” Ok. I cheered.
- Love, love, love how the courtroom scene is edited. It works really well to go back and forth between Penny and Mr. Huxley’s testimony because, somehow, it paints a clearer, more universal picture in terms of the harm AI slop can cause. Well done.
- I also very much enjoy every single one of Olivia’s “WTF” reactions to the tech bro.
- “I’m fine. I feel great.” WIRED.
- …and the talking about how she’s already “way ahead” while she’s nomming on the food Carisi gave her. Yup. Still love the new ADA, still feel like she reminds me of Deb from Dexter in a way — only with cleaner language, thanks to network standards.
- SPIDERMAN ICE CREAM.
- “The engine was trained of millions of public images. Images of real people. Real kids…AI swallows information, mixes it together, and then spits it back out. It can’t actually think for itself…” Hm. Yep. And those real people almost surely didn’t consent.
- Bruno’s ChatGPT confession is so cringe, poor Liv has go to beyond a facepalm and just disappear her whole face with both hands.
- “They gave her a nice voice. She’s easy to talk to.” “Ok. I will give you the number of a nice human therapist because clearly, you need it.” Truly. Bruno, WTF. There are literally real-world stories about ChatGPT causing major, major harm in the area of mental health so.
- The nice team dynamic, with everyone joking around/dunking on Bruno…just has ice water poured right on it when Rollins shows up, huh. Please don’t let that be a sign of things to come.
- “Curry’s buying.” “I am?”
- “…sorry for the radio silence.” Ok but are you? Because you keep doing this to your supposedly good friend.
- “Look: Is this an offer that’s gonna bite me…in the a**…down the line? Probably. I mean, she’s after something. I just don’t know what. But personally, it sure would be nice to have somebody in here that I could trust.” “Unlike Griffin?”
- So, to be clear: SVU already has two Captains. Now, if Fin every makes his way back, it’ll also have two Sergeants? Sure. Why not?
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 4? Are you glad Kelli Giddish is back as Amanda Rollins? Leave us a comment!
New episodes of Law & Order: SVU air Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.
