‘Law & Order: SVU’ season 15, episode 20 review: Is William Lewis dead, arrested, or free?
Going into tonight’s “Law & Order: SVU” episode, you knew that this was going to be hell for Benson. William Lewis was a free man, and he had a serious agenda that he had every intention of acting out on her. It included embarrassing her and ruining her life, just to get what he wanted … if he could ever be satisfied, that is.
Lewis’ actions were so drastic that in order to save a child, Benson did something that for her was almost unthinkable: Holding a press conference, and doing what she could to give into his demands by claiming she committed perjury on the stand.
The problem with this move by Benson is that it may have been necessary, but it was desperate. She had none of the power, and Lewis had everything. She was sent right into the Beast’s trap, and it didn’t look from this moment on like it was going to end well. There was a little bit of a false sort of suspense in that we knew Benson was going to live (she is the star of the show), and from here, the grouping scene was beyond horrific to watch. We give Mariska Hargitay credit for her bravery for sure, but we’ve never enjoyed the Lewis story because it feels like too much, almost like a horror film at times. It’s not a slight to the performances as much as it is the story.
After Lewis realized that his attempt at assaulting Benson sexually was not having its desired effect, he decided instead that a game of chance with a gun would be so much more fun to do with a child watching. By “fun,” we mean terrible. Had the gun gone off that Benson pointed at herself, this would’ve been the end. It was just one final component of the game, which was so drawn out with monologues that the ending was predictable.
Now, Lewis is dead, and the story can finally press onward with something that will hopefully be a little less about one psychopath. We’re torn about this episode, mostly because we can acknowledge that so much of it was great. The performances were top-notch, it changes Olivia’s life forever, and it perfectly displayed the horrors of some predators. It’s just not our personal cup of tea, and what we want from this show. We’re looking forward to getting more of that next time. Grade: B-.
Photo: NBC
55YearBroncoFan
April 10, 2014 @ 5:50 pm
It was a gripping episode. I slept badly last night – I had dreams about that SOB “William Lewis.”
The new squad commander was right: Olivia should have offed him when she had the chance. But the fact that she did not was a testament to her faith in the system.
Jeff Scott
April 10, 2014 @ 2:24 am
I’m torn on this episode too. As a concept, I like the idea behind the story arc in having a major, worse-than-usual villain, and it made sense that killing is not what turns this “supervillain” on. The horror-movie proportions were fine with me. But the false suspense you note hurt the final standoff, which felt almost anti climatic to me. The girl witnessed the entire exchange between William and Olivia and can corroborate Oilivia’ s version of what happened this time. I get it, they didn’t want to kill Olivia. In a sense I think we’re supposed to feel this was a win for William by virtue of his ultimately controlling his own fate, but honestly his suicide didn’t strike me as a problematic outcome. We’ll see how this effects Olivia, but before I see what happens next it’s hard to tell how powerfully this episode resonates/how good the episode really was. I haven’t yet decided whether or not this episode actually “works” for me.
Wesley Snipes
April 10, 2014 @ 4:52 am
I think what gets me is how every time Benson is close to getting raped, something stops it from happening. I’m not a person that gets off to that kind of stuff but I think if its gonna happen then let it happen, this is like the 3rd or 4th time she’s escaped the “den”.