Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 19 Review: Benson Loses This Round To Tynan

Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 19 “Impropriety” sees Captain Olivia Benson honoring the promise she made to a survivor, no matter the personal cost. It’s exactly what we’d expect from Liv. She refuses to answer a question in court, despite the judge being good friends with the defendant’s retired judge daddy (and refusing to recuse himself, no less). And it happens during court proceedings where his favoritism and flagrant corruption is evident through him sustaining all of Trevor Langan’s objections…and none of Carisi’s.

What Benson does is admirable, principled, and even proof that at least one adult in the victim’s life is trustworthy. But unfortunately for our captain, the celebration after the guilty verdict doesn’t last long. Because she also gives Chief Tynan what all her forcing Griffin to dig through old cases couldn’t—something she could use to taken disciplinary action against Olivia.

Overall, it’s a pretty strong hour for this series and the current season-wide arc. Privilege and corruption are huge themes. Various characters tell us that explicitly as they investigate the case of the week, and for more intelligent viewers, it’s also pretty heavily implied when Curry plays like she’s part of the good ol’ boys’ club while chatting with the former IAB detective who investigated Jake’s dad’s shooting. For the latter example, there are a number of holes in the story that Curry is very clearly wary of and disturbed by. But the other (retired) cop just…doesn’t care now—and almost certainly didn’t do his job back then—because the older Griffin only shot “some skel” and not, you know, anyone who actually mattered. And, like, of course the allegations against Jimmy were totally made up because, again, “some skel.”

Admittedly, there are a couple of plot points that feel rushed or like they don’t really get the attention they deserve, like Emma’s change of heart after seeing Liv arrested and Jake just…finding the gun at the very end. A lot of that’s forgivable enough, but really, the worst part about this episode is what it highlights about the rest of the season. As in, it draws our attention back to all the missed opportunities—Curry using her past at IAB directly, FIN being here at all but also specifically working alongside our Detective Griffin, and even the chance to flesh this Tynan arc out fully…among others.

And even with that being said, Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 19 is good TV. It might even have given us hope that we can build toward…something with this arc by the finale. But still…it all had the potential to be even better. So, so much better. No, seriously. We’re so close to the end, Jake’s already fully on Liv’s side, and he just now works with Fin?! Fin, who could’ve “known” things and kept an eye ok him? Ok. Sure. Fine. Whatever.

MORE: For more on Curry’s role in all of this, check out our interview with Aimé Donna Kelly from earlier this season.

More Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 19 reactions

“He’s a waffle guy.” “Oh. I’m…good with coffee. Thanks.” This is such a move for Jake right from the start. Like, he’s showing Tynan she can’t speak/choose for him anymore.
“I mean, you could find worse in my jacket.” “Could we now?” Oh, he’s in trouble-trouble.
“You’re wrong about this. You’re wrong about Benson. And whatever chain of command or BS you’re hung up on, let. it. go.” And that “wow” from Tynan in response is…a lot.
“I’m not doing that. No. This is not about how many times you helped me or how tight you were with my dad. I’m not gonna look the other way when you’re doing something wrong.” First of all. GO OFF BATMAN. Tynan can’t play her usual…hinting (without actually threatening) games with this man because he knows them all. Second, I absolutely love the way Noma Dumezweni plays Tynan’s reaction here. Like she’s been slapped, and she’s totally offended, and she can’t believe his audacity. So good.
…we could have, should have, had more scenes like this building to this point throughout Law & Order: SVU Season 27, though.
“I am not unreasonable; I’m not even being political. I’m being a boss.” This is so complicated in a really interesting way because part of Tynan’s justification here, that Benson didn’t listen to her as the boss and, in fact, did the opposite of what she was told…is true. Liv’s argued about the whole being out in the field too much thing, she’s got that attitude of hers that we all love, and all that good stuff. And yet. Tynan is 100% being unreasonable with the way she’s gone about things and how she’s retaliated against Benson, and others in her unit like Curry, because she refused that job offer and wounded Tynan’s ego in the process.
“If she does good, you look good. right? Why not just make her an ally?” HE IS TRYING SO HARD HERE. “I tried. Benson’s only ever allied with herself.” Girl. What. The. F***. That bald man, Fin, Cragen and—most importantly—countless survivors would like several words. The irony of Tynan saying this at the beginning of Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 19 and Benson allying herself with Emma so passionately, she gets herself locked up and gives Tynan an excuse to oust her by the end isn’t lost on me either.
FIN AND LIV. LIV AND FIN. FINLIVIA. TOGETHER AGAIN.
“You know, like talking to a charming brick wall.” “Yeah.”
“Told Cap don’t make me a cake, but yeah, I’m back.” Now, that is what I’ve been missing all season, right here. Ice-T always brings such an ease and authenticity that this series desperately needs.
“Got me running the first day back. Seriously?”
“You know what the first rule about not snitching is? Don’t text about not snitching.” Coming from another character, this would be so…”bland tough guy cop on TV drama.” But from Fin? It’s just real. And the way he just…casually throws his arm around that kid’s shoulders but with a heaviness to it is just…so effortlessly funny.
“These private school kids ain’t gonna talk to the cops. Their parents will pay for the best lawyers in the city.” He ain’t wrong.
“And ever since she cut her hair, she looks like a hippopotamus.” Girl, who talks like that.
Again, FIN. Check out how he just casually waits for that kid to run and get stoped by unis, then strolls on over to that trash can to get the “just sticks and stems” out and hold that bag up some kind of way.
“You got beat, kid.” Indeed.
“Wise enough not to talk to cops.”
“I owe you.” “Yeah. I take Venmo.” Love me some dry humor from someone who would never.
“The rest can drown.” Ok, Sonny. I see you.
“I don’t get wasted. Because I just—I don’t ever want to feel like I’m not in control. Ok?” There are times when Olivia seems to magically jump to conclusions in a way that’s really…just bad writing. But her later, roundabout way of bringing Emma back to this comment to get her to open up about her trauma actually makes sense to me. Good use of Liv’s experience without being…Maddie about it.
“Emma, I think that you know that it’s inappropriate for an adult to say that.” There’s that attitude of hers!
This woman is giving that mom from Mean Girls—except criminal and obnoxious instead of funny “cool mom.”
“I would love to help you guys out, I really would, but my dad is a retired judge Owen Fedorov—I’m sure you’ve heard of him. And he would absolutely kill me if I let law enforcement in without a warrant. So, I’m sorry.” But before she can finish even mentioning a warrant, Fin’s already looking in his pocket for the one he came prepared with. And that “good thing we brought one” has perfect timing…not to mention just the right amount of “F you.”
Fin just minding his business and going about his work as this woman talks and talks.
“You know what I never did for my son? Roofie his friends.”
Mr. Mariska Hargitay has entered the season.
“A YO plea is hard to come by. Must be nice to have a father who’s a judge. With juice.” I am, once again, stanning Fin. “Mmhm. Must be nice. That must be what privilege buys.” (Says Griff the nepo baby. I laughed.)
“…and what is that?” “Never having to face consequences.” Deada**.
When I paused the episode, Hargitay was giving some epic side-eye.
“Oh. So, I see that membership still has its privileges.”
I really love the way Carisi approaches Judge Ryan here. He’s doomed from the start, but it’s honorable that he tries. He’s so respectful here—not to mention nervous AF—in how he brings up the conflict of interest. Very, very careful not to come across as accusing the judge of anything…yet bringing up the obvious bias, just the same. Really good.
“I mean, just think we should really try to, uhhh, avoid…even the appearance of impropriety here.” Which, of course, the judge and the retired judge daddy do the complete opposite from here on out.
Classic Olivia Benson. That is all.
Aimé Donna Kelly’s excellent in that bar scene in general. We know Curry’s putting on a show because that’s not what she’s here for, and that’s just…not her personality? But if we didn’t know, we wouldn’t be able to figure it out.
Eh. Except for the reaction to this line: “Probably know her. She’s the new Chief of Ds. Tynan.” Her face, her body language…whew.
“What can I tell you, Curry? Sometimes, things just disappear.” But Griffin finds them that quickly at the end. K.
Another great Carisi moment in Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 19: The whollllllle conversation with the defendant’s dad. He’s not having it. Period.
“There’s nothing alleged about it. The evidence proves that Emma is a victim.” So, the kindness with Emma was classic Benson in one way…this attitude is the other “classic” aspect of her character.
Mannn, Hargitay plays that struggle up on the stand so well. The way Liv, like, almost helplessly looks to the judge without actually begging for mercy? The regret when she knows she’s breaking the law? So good. But that’s just it. She is helpless here. Because she made a promise, yet she also knows she can’t just disobey a judge like this and refuse to answer. (Maybe a judge that wasn’t corruptly helping his buddy’s daughter out might have mercy on her? Not this guy.)
That uni looks wrecked over having to arrest The Captain Olivia Benson.
“…and her mother couldn’t protect her because people with money, and people with influence, held all the power.”
Nice little non-verbal exchange between Hargitay and Scanavino when Tynan’s praising Benson. Clearly, Olivia is…shocked, to say the least. Meanwhile, to anyone who knows her—especially anyone who knows her as well as he does—it’s like “well, yeah. Obviously, you’re good.”
This whole exchange between Hargitay and Dumezweni. They are both just too talented.
The “wow” that Liv just keeps repeating…
Griff’s warning, pleading look.
That dead, frozen silence before she stalks off is so effective.
“Not the time. Let her be.” And the steadying hand from Fin. I am, once again, going to point out that we’ve been robbed all season.
Sure. Griffin just…there’s everything! Notes about money from “DR,” gun in the evidence bag, and all! Magic!