Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 11 Review: The Pathetic Psychopath

Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 11 is a huge episode for Amanda Rollins, whose (alleged) anniversary date night with her husband turns into a nightmare — though, thankfully, they both get out of that mostly unscathed — only for all roads to lead back to Henry Mesner, a psychopath she’s more than familiar with. And, although too much of the dialogue in this hour seems to assume otherwise, this isn’t the type of history most viewers would forget either. It’s also not the type of return anyone would, or should, take lightly. The question becomes whether or not ‘Career Psychopath’ is a worthy (concluding?) chapter in the Henry saga…and the answer is, mostly, yes. However, the answer of why isn’t necessarily what I might have suspected coming into this episode.

The majority of the intense danger that we usually expect when this former kid, now young man, is loose and on a killing spree is nowhere to be found here. Yes, there’s that anxiety-inducing scene at the beginning. But Amanda notices the broken window at just the right time, and even though her heart is quite obviously in her throat when she sees her husband held at knifepoint, the two of them have that connection and work their way out of it. So, instead of the normal rush of anxiety and action that comes from a storyline where an old nemesis returns and comes after the family, this one has a totally different focus. It’s more personal and character-driven, less about shock value. And that works. Because really, the drawn out terror has been done to death.

After what happens on her (alleged) anniversary, Amanda is rightfully messed up and acts wildly…not great, we’ll say. It’s understandable, yet it’s also super difficult to watch how she lays into Henry’s sister Ruby. But that’s kind of the point — Rollins is not ok. On the other hand, just because a case is personal, that’s still not an excuse to be horrible to a victim. And it’s not the first time this has happened either.

Ruby’s story is heartbreaking, and tragic, and has been that way pretty much since we first met her and her evil brother. Bringing her back as someone who’s (understandably) gone down a bad path after all the horrors she survived is difficult enough to grapple with. Although, tragically, it’s realistic. Somewhere, deep down, Amanda knows how much unhealed trauma lives inside that girl. As a viewer, recognizing that she knows this makes that particular scene better, somehow, while the behavior comes across as worse.

If that doesn’t make complete sense, good. When we’re on a journey with a protagonist who’s not her best self, things shouldn’t make sense. I actually appreciate that Law & Order: SVU Season 27 is letting the audience be uncomfortable and making characters like Amanda be complicated and messy like this. A hero on a crusade, who we’re just supposed to blindly follow, as she acts out is boring and unrealistic. This, though? Works.

Still, Liv calls her out — something I also appreciate. And, at the risk of starting a fandom war here, Olivia Benson and Amanda Rollins actually tend to have the most compelling relationship when they’re at odds like this. Yes, some of the friendship/found family moments are fun! But even the best of friends fight sometimes. Sometimes, it can get ugly. And the occasional falling out means they get to (eventually) reconcile and come back together. Typically, making amends after something like this also means a better relationship in the end. So, really, it’s a win-win. Especially for this episode in particular. Benson and Rollins’ argument outside the interview room, as well as that incredibly tense scene at the end of the hour, are both highlights that feature strong work from Mariska Hargitay and Kelli Giddish. Period.

Of course, the biggest win here is that Henry is, as Rollins calls him when she goes to visit him —despite Captain Benson telling her not to go and taking her off the case after the Ruby mess, mind you — pathetic. He’s locked up at Sing Sing, not actually the mastermind behind the events of Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 11, and hasn’t even had a single visitor in a year. The last one, as it turns out, was Ruby herself — and she tried to attack him.

Good thing he didn’t actually go after the Rollisi family. As we all remember well, and as the episode reminds us if we somehow forgot, during their last meeting, Amanda swore she’d kill him if he ever tried again.

MORE: The Rollisis have had some bad luck lately. In Season 26, Carisi was held hostage inside a deli.

More Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 11 reactions

• “Liv keep you late, or…?” “No, she had to kick me out.” Olivia Benson, always looking out for this relationship.
• “Happy second anniversary.” You see, television timelines are just a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey…stuff. (Borrowed that one from Doctor Who, I did, I did.)
• “This could’ve — this could’ve been really, really bad.” Olivia is painfully aware. Has the scars (or should have some) to prove it, even.
• I’m so fascinated by Tynan, like, caring here? Especially after the fall finale and the way she basically insulted Benson in front of Baxter, I didn’t expect this. I’ll point out a second time that it’s great for SVU to go fully multi-dimensional with its characters again. But also: I want to know what her deal is.
• “You alright?” “You want the honest answer, or…” Relatable.
• “And before you answer —…” “Done.” Super timing from Noma Dumezweni. And Hargitay’s just standing there as the human embodiment of “????”
• Like, “if you need me to be the bad guy, I’ll take the hit.” No, really. I just have so many questions, and I don’t know if I’m ever going to get answers.
• They’re “down a man” because of Bruno being out for a funeral…so, Fin’s…chopped liver? Honestly, this is one of those episodes they should’ve found a way to use him in. It’s a big one for his former partner. Yes, it’s definitely about her family being threatened and her jumping into work to deal with it, but still. Episodes with legacy villains ought to actually include the legacy characters.
• “You figured I’d just let you skip that part?” In which Captain Benson suddenly acts like Captain Benson, not someone’s friend, and Sergeant Rollins’ jaw drops.
• (Same, Amanda. Same.)
• “The quicker you talk to someone, the better. Because if you don’t, it’ll only get worse.” Hear me out: And, then, she could say “come on, you’ve seen it happen with me.” Or. “Trust me, I know. I’ve been there.”
• “So, threatening to kill him was, what? A hilarious joke?” GET HIM CURRY.
• Great therapy scene. Rollins is evasive in a way that makes sense, at least until she can’t avoid the issues anymore.
• Also can’t stress enough: All of these people need so f****** much therapy. Do a spinoff! Hear me out! “Law & Order: Everyone Goes to Therapy.”
• Huang is 100% the right choice to do Rollins’ psych eval, considering this is a throwback case. Unfortunate timing (to say the least) in terms of when Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 11 is airing, considering real-world…issues. But the character is still 100% the right choice.
• “You and I both know that you’ll come up with a good answer for every question I ask you.” Yep.
• “You checking up on me?” “Yes, Amanda, I am. The same way you would do if it were me.” I know this isn’t the current showrunner’s fault, but um. BX9. (And I’ll again point to them being better when they’re at odds like this. Super short exchange, great work from both.)
• “But if he knows something, I’ll be able to tell just by looking at him.” In context, this makes perfect sense — Amanda has been inside of that mind, more than once. There’s a connection there. Out of context, though? Hilarious, magical-powers line.
• Inject Olivia’s entire conversation with Henry into my veins. Hargitay’s a powerhouse in every interrogation scene — I’ve made no mistake of my love for what she always does in them — but wow. Liv is getting such a rush out of toying with Henry and stringing him along to get answers he doesn’t even realize he’s giving. The way she rubs it in that he hurt his family, that “things got a little, little dicey” last time Ruby visited him, sits down and folds those arms to mirror his, and then just lights up when he still calls Rollins a detective: all excellent. Her tone of voice, authoritative at the start, deadly calm in some places, mocking in most: even better.
• And OMG, that satisfied, evil genius sort of grin when she tells him she was right about it being “a waste of time” to come talk to him. Just amazing stuff.
• “I’m not here to negotiate, Henry” is giving “f*** you, going home now” while she struts out.
• I don’t feel bad for this character at all, but the way Ethan Cutkosky plays Henry in this hour lacks the spark of the previous two episodes he did. And that’s not an “oh, the performance isn’t as good” dig — it’s me pointing out an intentional choice to make this character no longer so unbeatable. He’s not outsmarting anyone anymore. Like Liv says, he’s got nothin’.
• A character I actually feel bad for? Ruby. That very first shot of Maxine Wanderer, just totally vacant and out of it, is a stunner. And every ounce of her being in that interview scene with Hargitay and Giddish is screaming “not ok.”
• …which, of course, Giddish has to totally ignore as Rollins spirals.
• She also ignores all those tiny warning looks from Liv. Personally, if I see those eyes cut to the side, I’m stopping what I’m doing and running away. And yet.
• “You know what? I saved your life.” “I wish you didn’t!” “So do I!” This is horrible. I get it. I really do! But horrible.
• “She’s a victim of both Henry and Phillip. And quite frankly, so are you.” (She’s right.)
• That look on Liv’s face after the “not everyone deserves your empathy” line…wow.
• (Amanda is right…but not in this case. That’s what makes this particularly interesting, especially since I’d never want Liv to turn it off either.)
• “You sure about that?” “…are you dumb?”
• “Because I know what it’s like to feel stuck, Ruby. I know what it’s like to feel powerless. And the next time you feel that way, I want to be there to help you with that.” Case closed, Amanda’s finally thinking clearly…and there’s really less than zero reason for Ruby to trust her/know this is really genuine after what happened earlier. I don’t know where/how they would’ve worked it in, but I needed more development for this to land.
• The instant atmosphere shift in this office when Rollins comes in and the increased tension when Huang leaves so they can be alone.
• “Liv, I just want to say…” “Don’t — don’t apologize if you don’t mean it.” Superb timing.
• …and, notably, “I’m sorry if I lost some of your trust” doesn’t 100% get to the root of the issues here. Nothing to address how she treated a victim and then went for a personal attack on Liv. Interesting.
• “And hopefully, that’s the last time we’ll ever have to think about Henry Mesner again.”
• …the camera work in that very last look at him seems to say otherwise.

Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 11 ‘Career Psychopath’? Leave us a comment!

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