Summary
AlthoughLaw & Order: SVUhas several promising stories it could keep going for years to come, there’s one arc that needs to end with season 26. Due to the nature of the show, new cases are always cropping up to take up the time ofMariska Haritgay’s Olivia Bensonand her team. However, the show is also structured to allow for lingering plotlines to be addressed as well.
Olivia Benson’s work as a sex crimes detective positively impacts survivors' lives and sometimes sacrifices personal time to help those who have been victimized. The series' mission includes helping real-life survivors feel supported, which is one reason that Benson is depicted as being incredibly empathetic, caring, and involved in survivors' lives. Sometimes, this can lead to long-term arcs, one of which that will hopefully reach a conclusion inLaw & Order: SVUseason 26.
Every Law & Order: SVU Season, Ranked
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit has produced 24 complete seasons since 1999, but the quality of the show hasn’t always been consistent.
The Maddie Flynn Case Took Up Too Much of Law & Order: SVU Season 25
The Flynns Appeared In More Than Half Of The Shortened Season
Benson recently became obsessed with the case of Maddie Flynn, a teenager who was kidnapped from a hardware store. Her interest in the case is exemplified by how much of season 25’s story it occupied;Law & Order: SVUseason 25 was shortened by the writer’s strike, ultimately producing only 13 episodes, five of which featured Maddie or her parents. These episodes were not all together, but they did take up a large portion of the season, and when the Flynns weren’t present, Benson continued to work on Maddie’s case.
Thus, it felt as if the Flynns' presence overshadowed the entire season and that they were central to every story. What’s worse, many of these appearances were unnecessary. Throughout the season, Benson not only worked on Maddie’s case, but also helped the Flynns with their marital troubles and with Peter Flynn’s depression and suicide attempt. She also supported the Flynns during the trial of Maddie’s kidnapper and attended Maddie’s 16th birthday.This focus on the Flynns made Benson seem obsessed, and their continued presence in the series made no senseonce Maddie had been rescued.
“Duty to Heal”
There is No Reason For The Flynns to Remain in The Series
Their Friendship With Benson Is A Waste Of Screen Time
It was understandable that Benson wanted to help find Maddie, especially given that she felt guilty about not stopping the kidnapper before he left New York with his victim. Benson’s obsession, while overdone,allowedLaw & Order: SVUseason 25 to explore the concept of vicarious trauma. However, once Maddie was rescued, there was little reason for the family’s continued presence. Her trial could have been off-screen, as many SVU trials are, or could have focused more on the legal proceedings and less on Benson comforting Maddie’s mother.
Most of the Flynns' appearances could have been cut, which would have allowed more screen time for other storylines and given season 25 a more balanced feel. Their final appearance was especially ridiculous. It was unrealistic and silly for Benson to attend Maddie’s sixteenth birthday party, and there was no real reason for this family to remain on-screen post-rescue. Benson lending her necklace to Eileen Flynn with the comment that they won’t lose touch any time soon cemented the Flynns as a regular part of the series, which is something thatLaw & Order: SVUseason 26 needs to reverse.
Eileen Flynn Should Give Benson Back Her Necklace
This Could Resolve This Storyline So That Law & Order: SVU Can Move On
The easiest way to write the Flynns out would be for Eileen to give Benson back her necklace and then not be seen on-screen again. This would resolve the Flynns' story, with the family having healed enough that Eileen no longer needs to wear Benson’s necklace. Benson getting the necklace back would also allowLaw & Order: SVUto move forward withBenson and Stabler’s relationship.
The Flynns never should have been a large part ofLaw & Order: SVUseason 25. Their only necessary appearances were in the episode where Maddie was kidnapped, the episode where she was rescued, and a brief appearance at the trial. It’s too late to undo the overexposure of this family in season 25, butLaw & Order: SVUcan correct this error by writing the Flynns out in season 26.
Law and Order: SVU
Cast
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) is a procedural crime drama series created by Dick Wolf that follows cases handled by a fictional New York Police Department’s 16th precinct that centers around sexually-based crimes. The Show follows a rotating group of detectives that will tackle some of the most heinous crimes while trying to help the victims - and themselves - adjust to the new normal as the darkness in the world reveals itself with each new case.
