Law & Order: SVU season 19 episode 13 video: Benson’s hostage crisis
Before we get to all of that though, we’re going out into the field where Benson has to take one of the biggest risks that we’ve seen from her over the entire season to date. The sneak peek is your evidence of this very thing.
In this sneak peek, what we see is Olivia Benson doing everything that she can to defuse a hostage situation. A man named Aaron has apparently taken his infant son and is keeping her within his house; meanwhile, he is trying to keep the police away at gunpoint. Clearly, he is a desperate man who wants to keep his baby at all costs, including risking his life in order to do it. We don’t think that he wants to harm either himself or the baby, but there is still a serious fear that he will kill anyone who comes too close.
This is where things get interesting: Benson makes the choice to convince Aaron to let her come inside and try to work this out with him. She tells him that the boy’s mother Maggie is not doing well, but there may be a non-violent way to handle this. He agrees to let her in, and then we see Benson leave both her cell phone and her gun behind.
Why would Olivia do this? Obviously, experience is a big component in her decision-making. She knows that there is a way to calm down these choppy waters, but it requires forging some sort of interpersonal connection with the person. Yet, she also knows that these sort of hostage crises can turn on a dime. This is why we wouldn’t be shocked if she has a second gun hidden somewhere on her person in case things get hairy and she really needs it. That’s a last-ditch solution, as is getting someone on the outside to shoot if needed. We know that they are ready to do that if need be.
This episode airs on Wednesday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time. Stay tuned for more.
What do you think about this SVU sneak peek, and are you surprised that Benson is willing to take this sort of risk right now? Share in the comments!
(Photo: NBC.)