As a seasoned gamer of both the small and big screens, I’ve seen my fair share of gritty dramas, but the fall finale of SVU Season 26 left me reeling like never before. Peter Scanavino’s performance as Carisi was nothing short of mesmerizing, and the emotional turmoil he endured during that hostage situation had me on the edge of my seat, literally and figuratively.
2024 has come and gone, with Season 26 of my beloved Law & Order: SVU wrapping up its run. As a dedicated fan, I’ve been left yearning for more of Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) tackling those deplorable sexually-charged crimes we can hardly stomach. Now, I find myself either diving into a nostalgic cable TV marathon or shelling out for a Peacock subscription to get my fix. The fall finale, hands down, was the highlight of the season so far… but it’s also the one episode I might not revisit, given how harrowing and unsettling Carisi’s (Peter Scanavino) experience was in that particular case.
A week following the airing of the fall finale on NBC, I understood why an episode not concerning Christopher Meloni’s character, Elliot Stabler, left me yearning for Law & Order: Organized Crime as never before.
What Happened In SVU’s Fall Finale
If you didn’t catch the autumn finale or found yourself emotionally overwhelmed by Carisi’s hostage situation, causing you to forget the specifics, the episode primarily unfolded in real-time. This incident took place inside a deli, where Carisi and a few other hostages were trapped alongside two armed suspects. As the police presence outside intensified, the criminals grew more agitated.
In the previous episode before the 2025 TV lineup resumed, Carisi struggled to control the situation, but it spiraled out of control as they learned he was once an NYPD officer, a hostage had been shot, and another was taken into a private room for abuse. Placed only on the other side of the room during the assault, it’s no surprise that Carisi was far from okay when the credits rolled at the end.
In my opinion, Peter Scanavino delivered an exceptional performance during this episode of SVU, and the return of Kelli Giddish as Rollins in her second appearance of Season 26 added to the emotional intensity. Overall, it was a remarkable episode that effectively distracted me from anticipating the premiere of Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 until nearly a week had passed. Now, I see how these series are interconnected.
Why SVU’s Fall Finale Makes Me Miss Organized Crime Again
Despite the fact that “Law & Order: Organized Crime” is a spin-off of “SVU”, these two series have distinct differences, and it’s not just because there were fewer crossovers last season until the Season 25 finale. While “SVU” typically follows its standard format, the first half of Season 26 ended in late November, with a more realistic, ongoing narrative during Carisi’s hostage situation, devoid of the usual courtroom drama to resolve matters. This narrative structure seemed closer to that of “Organized Crime” than “SVU” to me.
The main indication that this episode wasn’t a typical SVU installment, even though Benson and Carisi were central characters, was my momentary forgetfulness that it belonged to the series focusing on “sexually-based offenses” which are often described as “especially heinous” and “vicious.” I found myself so absorbed in the hostage situation that I almost overlooked the fact that a potential assault might occur until one of the hostage-takers started gazing at one of the female characters.
Is it not the case that I take pride in having overlooked the fact that SVU often features a sex crime, given the number of episodes I’ve watched? Absolutely not. Instead, it leads me to wonder if I’m overlooking the non-sexual crimes that used to be showcased during Thursday nights on a different format than typical Law & Order. This realization only intensifies my longing for Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Unfortunately, there’s still no definite date announced for the premiere of Season 5 of OC, as it has moved to Peacock. Production seems to have started in August, but the announcement of John Shiban leaving his role as showrunner coincided with reports that the new season is approximately halfway completed. If Peacock decides to wait until all episodes are ready before releasing the first one, we might not catch up on Stabler’s story until well into the 2025 TV schedule.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we get another episode of SVU before the current season wraps up, but it all depends on how things unfold. In the meantime, mark your calendars! Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU will be back on NBC on January 16th at 8 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET respectively. As for Organized Crime, while we wait for Season 5, you can catch up on the first four seasons on Peacock.
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2024-11-30 01:07