SVU Season 26’s Hospital Plot Missed A Perfect Opportunity to Resolve Benson’s Law & Order Conflict
Law & Order: SVU season 26, episode 6 missed the perfect opportunity to resolve a conflict from an earlier installment. Titled “Rorschach,” this episode featured one of Law & Order:SVU’s saddest cases. It felt reminiscent of the real-life murder of Gabby Petito, as it was about a young woman who was beaten and raped while traveling across the United States in a camper van with her boyfriend. It was later proven that the boyfriend was physically and emotionally abusive towards her in the days leading up to the attack.
While “Rorschach” focused mostly on proving the boyfriend’s guilt, there was also a subplot about the victim’s fate. She was in the ICU throughout the episode and had been declared brain-dead, but her mother did not want to take her off life support. This subplot provided an opportunity for Benson to revisit her conflict with the DA’s office in Law & Order, but unfortunately, the show did not follow through on this idea.
Benson’s SVU Season 26, Episode 6 Victim’s Connection To A Previous Law & Order Case Explained
Both “Rorschach” and Law & Order season 21, episode 4 offer fictionalized versions of the Petito case, with the Law & Order version focusing on a missing soci al media star who was traveling in a camper van. However, there is a stronger connection between the two episodes than both being inspired by cases ripped from the headlines. In “Rorschach,” Ellie’s mother refused to take her off life support, but a doctor told Benson that Ellie would never recover. This debate was also the crux of the legal argument in Law & Order season 24, episode 4.
In Law & Order season 24, episode 4, the prosecutors argued that they were entitled to press murder charges against a bomber who had caused a woman’s brain-death, even though life support prevented her from passing away altogether. Thus, the doctors in Law & Order: SVU took the same position as the prosecutors in Law & Order, while Ellie’s mother agreed with the defense’s position that recovery was improbable but hadn’t been ruled out. It would have been logical for Benson to reach out to the DA’s office for their take on Ellie’s situation given this history.
Benson Reaching Out To The DA’s Office Could Have Fixed Their Unresolved Conflict
Benson got into a conflict with the DA’s office in Law & Order season 24, episode 2, when they prosecuted a rape victim for murder. This was one of Law & Order’s best episodes because of this intense conflict. However, Benson burned bridges with the DA’s office when she leaked sensitive information to the press to pressure them to drop the charges. However, this rift should not be irreparable, and this new Law & Order: SVU case would have been the best way to fix it.
The DA’s office might not have wanted to talk to Benson, but if she apologized for her part in the previous incident, it could have at least made progress toward reconciliation.
Benson could have reached out to the DA’s office for their take on the brain-death issue, both to help Ellie’s mother and to find out how best to get justice for Ellie. The DA’s office might not have wanted to talk to Benson, but if she apologized for her part in the previous incident, she could have at least made progress toward reconciliation. It is unfortunate that Law & Order: SVU didn’t explore this potential story thread, which would have enriched the connection between the two shows.
