Is Philip Winchester leaving Law & Order: SVU? ‘Mea Culpa’ questions
Going into this episode (we’ll have more updates later), the first question here should be whether or not this is a reasonable question to wonder in the first place. From our vantage point, the clear answer here is yes, this is a question that you should be worried about. Winchester has been a regular on SVU for a little less than a calendar year, and the status of one Peter Stone is getting thrown into peril tonight due to him being accused of sexual assault. Given that the last time an SVU was accused of something (albeit a little different), they ended up leaving the show. Could Stone do the same? He may have to, depending on the verdict that is reached here. Even without knowing the verdict, it’s still going to be hard in order for him to move forward into this position. Much of his job is predicated on his ability to put away sexual abusers; the idea of him being one himself is going to be too much for many to bear, and the results of the case may not change that depending on the outcome.
On the flip side, there hasn’t been too much talk about Winchester leaving publicly entering this episode. Take of that what you will.
The good news is that, by the end of the episode, it was confirmed: Winchester is not leaving. As a matter of fact, Stone was not guilty at all. He had just found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, taken advantage of by a friend who raped the accuser and then left her in bed with him. He almost lost everything, and may have were it not for Olivia Benson. He owes basically his entire future to her.
Let’s rejoice now that Winchester remains a part of the team and that this story ended in a satisfactory way. It would have been hard for the show to have so much turmoil in such an incredibly short period of time.
SVU is going on a hiatus after this, but the NBC series is going to be returning with another new episode on Thursday, November 29. There, you will see Stone back in action again.
What do you want to see when it comes to Stone’s story on Law & Order: SVU moving forward … provided you think he is making it through the night? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! (Photo: NBC.)