Law & Order: SVU season 19 episode 9 review: Who kidnapped Noah?
Suffice it to say, SVU definitely put itself at a disadvantage by having Sheila be the responsible party. It was the predictable outcome — yet, what made this episode work so well in spite of that was that the motivation wasn’t quite what you would think. Sheila seemed to be operating on the basis of fooling almost everyone, and using what she learned about the investigation into Olivia for child abuse as justification for it. She wanted to build a new life in Montreal with Noah and supposedly Juan, a man who actually did the kidnapping itself in the mall. She played Juan just like she played Benson and everyone else. She found herself a secret cabin to run off to … but didn’t count on Olivia being able to find her.
It was a while ago that we heard about a story featuring Olivia and Sheila in a cabin, and what’s what we had within the closing minutes of this episode — a confrontation like no other with Benson on one side of it and Olivia on the other. This was a chance for the two characters to go toe to tie, with Sheila pointing a gun right at her. She felt obligated to have Noah, but Benson obviously felt different.
This wasn’t the first time that Benson was in this situation, but it was definitely one of the most intense for many reasons. Sheila was completely deluded into believing that she was his mother and would do right by her. She tried to rationalize having Noah every way that she could, but Olivia remained stoic and matter of fact. She had the law on her side, and she just needed to find a way to get him back.
This is when things turned heartbreaking. Olivia managed to get Noah outside the home where he could be brought in, and this led to a terrible, emotional moment for the two characters. Sheila was stopped, she was arrested, and she apologized. Yet, it wasn’t enough. This is a moment where no apology is enough.
In the aftermath of this traumatic situation Benson and Noah got a chance to go home together, and now, the rest of the SVU can move forward … though we’re pretty sure in the aftermath of this that Benson is less trusting than ever.
Final Verdict
SVU season 19 episode 9 is a great example of great writing and acting winning us over. While we didn’t necessarily want Sheila as the kidnapper to be the final twist, it fully worked in context thanks to both the story and the performances by Mariska Hargitay and Brooke Shields.
What did you think about SVU season 19 episode 9? Did the ending make up for the lack of the surprise about Sheila? Share in the comments!
Photo: NBC