If you’re upset that Law & Order: SVU is saying goodbye to Joe Velasco, hopefully, his final episode is giving you some comfort.
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 22 sandwiched a disturbing case in between opening and closing scenes celebrating Velasco and his promotion.
Of course, the series didn’t bother to offer any explanation for another character’s impending exit, but at least it got this one right.
Velasco Got Promoted To Detective Second Class
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 22 opened with a rare party scene, as the entire staff had gathered at the bar to surprise Velasco with a party.
Oddly, he didn’t seem aware he was getting a promotion until the party, but that was the only misstep in his exit story.
After the party scene, Velasco had to put up with Fin messing with him over his promotion throughout the hour, but once the case ended, everyone headed to a graduation-like ceremony where sixteen detectives got their official designation of their new rank.
(As a side note, I ALWAYS thought Velasco’s given name was José and had to consciously change it to Joe in my coverage, so I was glad to be vindicated when he was called by his full name.)
The promotion ceremony would have fit in perfectly on Blue Bloods — Frank Reagan attended and hosted many such ceremonies during its 14-year run.
It also gave Benson the opportunity to flash back to various moments in her professional relationship with Velasco — something that almost never happens when characters leave SVU.
Velasco got a far better exit than Rollins did on Law & Order: SVU Season 24 Episode 9.
Even though Rollins was a legacy character who had been on the series for 13 seasons (Velasco was only there for three), she got a rushed exit where she randomly decided to take a job as a teacher and annoyed Benson by telling her so at the last minute.
Of course, Silva got even worse treatment. The writers never gave her proper character development, and now she gets no exit story whatsoever.
Still, there’s no denying that Velasco’s exit was one of the best despite his short tenure on the series.
I Have Mixed Feelings About The Creepy Case On Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 22
One thing Law & Order: SVU needed to do during its season finale was offer a memorable case that would keep people talking throughout the summer.
This disturbing story about a man who was raping and murdering therapists checks the box for memorable, but I’m not sure that’s enough.
I only knew that the detectives were dealing with a serial killer because I’d seen the commercial.
The episode itself spent about a third of its time investigating Gretchen’s attack as an isolated event before revealing that there were other victims.
The police never searched for similar crimes until another therapist was killed, which seemed odd.
This misstep also meant that they wasted time looking for suspects who had a personal grudge against Gretchen.
Gretchen’s friend was a great red herring — I was sure he was up to no good until it was revealed that a serial killer was to blame.
Still, it seemed like assuming this case was an isolated incident was a rookie mistake, and Benson and her team shouldn’t be making those kinds of errors.
Law & Order: SVU is At Its Best When It Presents Relatable Cases That Help Empower Real-Life Survivors
Splashy cases like this one sometimes miss the mark.
Law & Order: SVU isn’t just a police procedural.
It’s supposed to be a survivor-centered drama that features a compassionate, dedicated cop we all wish really existed, along with realistic cases similar to what real-life survivors have experienced.
A case about a therapist — a person who is used to being the one who provides mental health treatment, not the one who needs it — becoming a survivor could have been fascinating.
Unfortunately, the case didn’t focus on Gretchen’s pain or even her job (other than suggesting a patient hurt her.)
Gretchen didn’t seem to share her assistant’s concerns about patient privacy, quickly giving up a name and personal information about a patient she believed had assaulted her.
She went into detail about this patient’s issues and why she thought he was a potential killer.
Therapists are required to break confidentiality if they believe a patient is in imminent danger of hurting themselves or someone else, but not like that — they are only supposed to give information needed to identify and stop the person from hurting anybody.
Gretchen went beyond that.
She also didn’t seem to have any reaction to what happened to her other than questioning why someone would do it and declaring she wouldn’t let this stop her from helping her patients in the future.
Love this show? We do too — and we want to keep writing about it.
Your comment or share can help make sure we get to. That’s the magic of supporting indie media.
Her story was shoved aside in favor of a serial killer story, which might have been more exciting if it wasn’t so rushed.
I Don’t Really Understand Why Ted Did It, But Maybe That Was The Point
The detectives caught up with the real perp, Ted Schramm, fairly quickly.
After a short chase, he was hauled off to the police station, where he was easily duped into a confession by Benson’s assurances that it would be therapeutic.
His lawyer should have argued for that confession to be thrown out instead of going for an insanity plea, considering how it was obtained.
Ted’s confession didn’t make much sense to me. It seemed he was killing therapists because therapy didn’t do anything for him.
I’m not sure what that has to do with ritually blinding them before raping and murdering them, but okay.
Maybe it wasn’t meant to make sense. Maybe we were supposed to think that Ted killed because he was delusional.
Random Thoughts About Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 22
- I liked Benson directing the investigation from the squad room. That’s what captains are supposed to do, but too often she’s out in the field.
- I’m always glad for more Fin, but could the writers find something for him to do besides be negative about everything?
- This was the final episode from the old writing team. I’m excited to find out how Law & Order: SVU Season 27 will be different now that a new team is taking the reins (and the first female showrunner in SVU history.)
Your Turn, SVU Fanatics
Agree? Disagree? Have a theory about Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 22?
Let us know in the comments, or share this article with someone who will want to argue about it with you. That’s what makes it fun.
Vote in our poll to rank the episode.
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 is over, but all 22 episodes are available on Peacock. New episodes will air on NBC on Thursdays at 9/8c and stream on Peacock on Fridays in the fall.
Watch Law & Order: SVU Online
-
![Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 22 Gives One Long-Standing Character A Beautiful Goodbye After A Disturbing Case]()
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 22 Gives One Long-Standing Character A Beautiful Goodbye After A Disturbing Case
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 22 did right by one departing character after one of its most disturbing cases. Our review!
-
![Casting Surprise: Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Finds A Way To Bring Rollins Back Full-Time!]()
Casting Surprise: Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Finds A Way To Bring Rollins Back Full-Time!
It didn’t seem possible, but Law & Order: SVU will finally reverse a big casting mistake and bring Rollins back.
-
![Can We Take A Moment To Appreciate Tamara Tunie’s Many Talents?]()
Can We Take A Moment To Appreciate Tamara Tunie’s Many Talents?
Let’s take a minute to stop and applaud Tamara Tunie’s many talents. She’s a lot more than just the actress who plays SVU’s Dr. Warner.
TV Fanatic is searching for passionate writers to share their voices across various article types. Think you have what it takes to be a TV Fanatic? Click here for more information and next steps.
The post Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 22 Gives One Long-Standing Character A Beautiful Goodbye After A Disturbing Case appeared first on TV Fanatic.