Review: Law & Order SVU - Season 24, Episode 21
posted by Adam Thompson
May 12, 2023
In the second-to-last episode of Law & Order: SVU Season 24, Captain Olivia Benson, along with Detectives Fin Tutuola and Joe Velasco, investigates the rape of a tourist in a Times Square hotel room. Benson speaks with the victim Kate, who describes the attacker waiting for her inside the room. What's particularly distressing is that he knew her name and even took a selfie while assaulting her. Meanwhile, Velasco discovers that the hotel clerk gave the rapist a key without checking his identification because he appeared friendly. This negligence resulted in the attacker gaining easy access to the victim's room.
In another part of town, a woman is jogging with her dog when the animal pulls away and whimpers. She follows her pup's lead and discovers a man held captive underground. Detective Grace Muncy and Officer Tonie Churlish, who have an unusual dynamic compared to Muncy's usual banter with Velasco, speak to the victim, Mark, who is barely able to communicate. They learn that he had been there for weeks, with wires attached to his genitalia. When the jogger found him, Mark pleaded, "I'll be good." The crime scene is also strewn with red licorice wrappers, linking the case to the Elias Olsen incident from Episode 4 of Season 24, titled "The Steps We Cannot Take."
Muncy and Churlish decide to interview Mark at the hospital. Sadly, they discover that he has passed away due to the ordeal. They take note of his wedding ring and make plans to locate his wife. Muncy also reaches out to Benson, expressing her concern that Olsen might be responsible for the crime. Muncy continues to feel responsible for Elias's previous charges, fueling her suspicions.
At the hotel, Fin discovers a used condom in the elevator shaft while Velasco returns with information about another rape. The second victim, Evie, identifies her attacker from the hotel's footage. Like Kate, she claims that he knew her name and took a selfie during the assault. She doesn't have any known enemies, but a man named Billy has been stalking her. According to Evie, she saw Billy watching her rape through a window. Fin and Velasco interrogate Billy, who denies any involvement. However, they are unable to obtain a confession, and they report back to Benson, who is debriefing ADA Sonny Carisi, continuing their partnership from the previous episode. The duo discovers similar rape cases across different boroughs and plans to investigate them across the city the following day.
Muncy and Churlish visit the Medical Examiner's office, only to find out that Mark passed away due to a bezoar made of cherry licorice, indicating that he was force-fed candy for a month. They take note of his wedding ring and try to locate his wife, but Muncy also confides in Benson that she believes Olsen is responsible for this crime. The red licorice wrappers found at the scene reinforce this theory since Elias used food to manipulate his victims before. The baker who saw Mark confirms that he had spoken to Olsen, further strengthening their case.
Meanwhile, Carisi and Benson travel to Staten Island to talk to another victim named Darlene, who had recently broken up with her fiancé before being assaulted. They discover a pattern: most of the victims had recently separated from their significant others or had been stalked. The details of the attacks are also eerily similar: the perpetrator wore a condom and took a selfie during the assault. Greg, Darlene's ex-fiancé, is uncooperative but confirms that he gave her the engagement ring to assuage his guilt. Another victim, Rose, reconciled with her husband after the assault. In a lighter moment, Carisi accidentally reveals that he and Amanda Rollins are expecting a baby.
Muncy brings a door that Elias had welded to a welding specialist who inspects the cage that held Mark. Her hunch pays off when the expert confirms that the cage and door were both welded by the same craftsman. Meanwhile, Fin and Velasco locate Maria, another victim who was raped by a man who took a selfie of her. Unlike the other victims, she did not have a recent breakup. However, the father of the last family she worked for as a nanny was obsessed with her. Maria's rapist was Latino, whereas the other attackers were black, and he checked her ID in her bag to confirm her identity. She also claims to have been informed that her attacker's DNA matched that of a man who is currently in jail.
Carisi is frustrated by the fact that they have a patchwork of cases with the same modus operandi but no concrete way to connect the suspects. SVU then shifts into its typical emotional territory, as Carisi frets about being a good father to his newborn baby. However, Liv gives him a trademark pep talk, reminding him (and the audience) that he is a good person and will do just fine.
Churlish and Muncy make their way to a church where Elias has been working as a welder. A woman informs them that Elias is residing in the church basement if they need to speak with him. They rush down to the basement and discover a victim's wallet and Elias walking towards them with a hammer. He remembers Muncy as the one who "hit [him] and called [him] names." Elias claims Muncy is a bad person, and she apologizes while agreeing that Elias did something bad as well. Muncy says they want to assist him, and Elias allows them to arrest him.
Meanwhile, Benson and Carisi discuss their revenge-rape case but acknowledge that they don't have enough evidence to apprehend the culprits. Just as they discuss this, Muncy arrives with Elias. Velasco and Fin interrogate Elias about Mark, and he confesses almost immediately that Mark was unkind to him because he didn't apologize for bumping into him. Elias' father, was also not a good person, he says. However, with that admission, Elias is sentenced to life in prison after he shatters a glass and attempts to strangle Muncy.
Churlish enters with news: the DNA of Maria's rapist matches Junior Suarez, who is being investigated for committing crimes for hire for a corrections officer while in jail. Detective Elliot Stabler, who is in charge of that case, is mentioned. Benson meets Stabler outside later that night, and they talk about Maria's rape and the timeline, which coincides with Suarez's potential murder of another woman. Although they initially reminisce about their previous encounters, they quickly shift to discussing the ongoing case.
As the case continues into Organized Crime, it's so good to finally see Benson and Stabler working a case again. It's been a rare event this season, bit I'm glad we're seeing them together again before the season ends.