Law And Order: SVU’s Mariska Hargitay Directed The Latest Episode, And It Was A Winner For Old School Fans
Spoilers ahead for Episode 15 of Law and order: SVU Season 24, called “King of the Moon”.
After 23 full seasons and more than 500 episodes Law and order: SVU has already done just about anything that can be done in a network television crime drama. While that obviously works for those of us who’ve tuned in weekly for years (and/or watch the repeat marathons that are never hard to find), the latest episode of season 24 is an entertaining reminder of the earlier years. The star directed it Mariska Hargitay“King of the Moon” wasn’t loaded with Easter eggs of yesteryear, but it delivered some of what made the show work so well for old-school fans.
On the heels of an episode that took the spotlight fin (Ice T) and provided an update on the former partner Johannes Munch just before the news that actor Richard Belzer passed away, Mariska Hargitay directed “King of the Moon” and starred as Olivia Benson. Case of the week was a twist on the usual formula because instead of trying to prove a perpetrator’s guilt and get a confession, Benson teamed up with him Karisi (Peter Scanavino) to prove a man innocent after making a false confession.
The western wing alum Bradley Whitford guest star as penny, a brilliant doctor whose life changed dramatically when he was diagnosed with dementia. Flashbacks showed how deep he and his wife were Winifred (Nancy Travis) made love, which made it all the more tragic that he believed he had raped and murdered her. Although he was eventually acquitted, he still had to go home to an empty apartment and had a touching moment with Benson, believing she was his wife.
It was a heartbreaking episode overall, but also one I’ll probably watch again with my Peacock subscription. So for a long time CSR Fan with nostalgia for the old days, here are some reasons this was such a winner for me!
There was a big guest star
With CSR‘s cast is currently reduced to just five series regulars in the opening credits (and Velacofuture anything but guaranteed) not too long after the loss Kelly Giddisch as Amanda Rollin, it’s easy to forget that the show is known for attracting major guest stars. From Heinrich Winkler in Season 3 too Martin Kurz in season 6 too Robin Williams In Season 9’s 200th landmark episode – to name just a few of the many – existing stars have been known to stop by Special Victims.
In fact, some guest stars have even received awards for their roles on the show, including Emmy wins from Cynthia Nixon, Ellen BurstynAnd Ann Margaret, among other. So I for one was thrilled to see Bradley Whitford – himself an Emmy winner for his work in The western wing, TransparentAnd The story of the maid – Pence keep playing CSR. Also, this was a relatively rare example of a TV actor with star power CSR and not playing the villain or a victim of sexual assault. The show isn’t getting the Emmy love it once had, but Whitford deserves some credit, as do the veteran guest stars.
The longtime stars took center stage
Law and order: SVU has been long enough that “old-school fans” can be those who’ve been watching since 1999, or since 2009, or since 2015, but the past few seasons have spent a lot of time focusing on the newcomers and saying goodbye to more familiar faces . Alone in Season 24, Velasco, Muncy, duarte, Brunoand even Churlish have attracted a lot of attention to some extent. And yes, Fin’s latest subplot technically focused on Velasco and featured Churlish, but “King of the Moon” presented him as both Benson’s friend and her sergeant in Special Victims. He was very much in charge of Velasco’s interrogation, which meant screen time!
Also, while the case itself was pretty heartbreaking, it was just lovely to see Benson and Carisi in action together. He may not be quite as “old school” as Fin or Stabler or Munch, but Carisi has the longest tenure after Fin and Benson CSR the current cast. Their banter while more or less breaking into Pence’s desk at his apartment was one of the highlights of the hour for me and something we don’t get that often these days.
Even though the newer cops are helping the show evolve and I’m on board to see more of Bruno, it’s been a treat to watch as the longtime stars get more of the spotlight in a show that’s so somber for network television is as you can imagine.
Benson has to be proactive
While Olivia Benson more than earned her position as Captain of the Special Victims, Season 24 had her very reactive. Whether it was because she was fighting with the younger cops, or supporting Rollins after their shooting, or going down the warpath after she and Noah were targeted, Benson has had to roll the punches a lot lately. In “King of the Moon,” she was given full responsibility once Carisi put her in Pence’s case, and the episode showed that she was both the most insightful and accomplished as the NYPD captain.
It also showed Mariska Hargitay’s range and I’m definitely impressed that she gave an outstanding performance while also directing. Benson’s empathy has remained consistent for 24 seasons, though she did comment to Carisi that she doesn’t have many heartstrings left to pluck. (Who can blame her, after all her Special Victims case on top of the complicated Stalller situation?) I can believe she treated Pence’s case with as much empathy in Season 24 as she did decades ago, and that’s a credit to the character and the actress.
That’s also likely CSR will have some continuity with this episode at the end, thanks to Benson’s ultimatum to Velasco, rather than treating it as a standalone episode. He’s still in their unit for now, but that may not stay the case unless he repents for staying silent about his friend’s double murder years ago in Texas. I’d love to see Bradley Whitford back on the show too, although “King of the Moon” didn’t really leave Pence’s story open-ended. Maybe Pence has a long lost twin brother?
Seriously, fans will have to wait before seeing what’s next for Benson and co. Law and order: SVU will not return with a new episode until Thursday, March 23rd. In the meantime, you can stream past seasons via Peacock or a Hulu subscription, and find more viewing options in our 2023 TV premieres schedule.