Law & Order: SVU season 20 episode 1 review: Rollins’ reveal; Sam’s story
The case started in the woods on a hunting trip, where a boy named Sam, his brother, and his father John ended up facing a tough decision over what to do with a rabbit. Sam didn’t want to shoot it, and that event seemed to spiral when it appeared as though Sam was a victim of sexual abuse. Following that, eventually the case became about whether or not Sam’s father ended up raping him, and from there Peter Stone was faced with an almost-unwinnable case where other than the boy’s mother, he couldn’t get anyone else to testify that the rape actually occurred.
Because of this, the first hour of the episode left some of the team without a victory and hollow, knowing that everyone was vulnerable and there was a chance that even more terrible stuff was going to happen in the future.
As for the personal lives of these characters…
Is Olivia dealing with getting older, or something else entirely? That’s something that we’re still getting a handle on at the moment, but after being winded while out in the field, it is fairly clear that she was struggling.
Meanwhile, Rollins made a rather big reveal in the premiere that she is pregnant — this was expected, given that Kelli Giddish’s pregnancy was planning to be written into the show. We also have a chance to see George Newbern in here as a former flame, someone who apparently has a habit of being a pretty bad boyfriend, to say the least.
Finally, what in the world is going on at the moment with Stone? He seems to just be using sex and work as a distraction from some of the grief or some of the other demons that he is dealing with at the moment following the death of his sister. He has pain that he is going to have to dive into and deal with, and that’s something that may not be fully resolved for a little while moving forward.
CarterMatt Verdict
This was a strong start to SVU season 20, and a case that showed further the dangers of a controlling father and also the fears of boys who may be too afraid to stand up to them. This has always been an important show, but in this current climate we think that these stories are more important than ever.
What did you think about Law & Order: SVU season 20 episode 1? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments!
(Photo: NBC.)