Law And Order’s Latest Case Would Have Fit Better On Mariska Hargitay’s SVU, But Odelya Halevi Crushed It

by

Here comes an advance warning: The upcoming Episode 12 of Law & Order’s Season 24, titled “Duty to Protect,” will be available for streaming exclusively on Peacock.

The focus in the latest episode of Season 24 of “Law & Order” (2025) shone on the lawyers, particularly ADA Sam Maroun, as she found herself defending a victim who was opposed not only by Nolan Price but also their superior, DA Nick Baxter. This case, which seemed more fitting for “Law & Order: SVU,” was handled admirably by Odelya Halevi, delivering an outstanding performance that I’m glad we got to see from the “Law & Order” team.

The week’s murder victim was a teenage girl, brutally slain by her adoptive father to suppress a video exposing his decades of sexual abuse. This chilling act left me questioning if Olivia Benson might make a shocking appearance in the story. Instead, the perpetrator took his own life during the trial to evade conviction. However, detectives Baxter and Price were unwilling to accept this as the final chapter. When they discovered that the girl’s biological mother, Michelle Burns (portrayed by Abigail Spencer from Extended Family), had been aware of the abuse for years but failed to protect her daughter, they felt compelled to delve deeper into the case.

Baxter found it satisfactory to assign Michelle with the charge of manslaughter, however Maroun harbored doubts once it was disclosed that Michelle’s actions were a result of trauma she suffered as a child due to sexual abuse and later adult abuse. While Price was handling the case according to legal procedures, there was an element of unscrupulousness in his tactics, neither Price nor Baxter seemed receptive to Maroun’s concerns about crucial aspects from Michelle’s past being concealed from the jury as Michelle wept on the stand.

Maroun reached the end of her patience when Price suggested they should “disagree on this point” and assertively pointed out that she has extensive knowledge in handling abuse cases compared to both lawyers from Law & Order, stating.

Is it truly your belief that your understanding of domestic violence surpasses mine? My experience includes counseling victims, volunteering at shelters, studying the psychological effects of trauma, and unfortunately, my sister was also a victim who lost her life to an abuser. Therefore, I kindly ask you not to advise me on what Michelle should have done or what the law expected from her. The reality is, Nolan, she had very little ability to protect herself, let alone her daughter. No punishment exists that can undo that. If you fail to acknowledge my perspective on this matter, then I must question the purpose of our collaboration in this office.

I followed Sam’s advice, and to my credit, Nolan began to listen attentively to what she was saying. I convinced Baxter that we needed to pay heed to her insights instead of constantly correcting her mistakes. Thankfully, Baxter saw the merit in this approach, realizing that precedent wasn’t infallible in light of Michelle’s compassionate circumstances. As a result, a plea deal was struck, reducing her sentence from a maximum penalty of 15 years if found guilty by jury to one year in jail and three years of supervision.

In essence, I’m advocating for Odelya Halevi to have more limelight on Law & Order. While the show typically features an ensemble cast and no one character dominates every week, it was particularly engaging to see more of Maroun, and especially noteworthy when her superiors recognized her arguments. This made for a very satisfying episode.

For upcoming episodes, don’t forget to tune into NBC on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET for Season 24 of “Law & Order”. The recent episode, titled “Duty to Protect”, seemed very similar to an episode from “SVU”, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing! In fact, the episode ended with a card displaying the number for the sexual assault hotline (1-800-656-4673).

Read More

2025-02-14 05:07