About Last Night…LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, GREY’S ANATOMY, LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME, and More

Let’s talk about Thursday night’s TV!

LAW & ORDER: I think there is an important conversation to be had about Cosgrove’s history of  arrests being allegedly biased, but I wish it had happened in an episode where it wasn’t also tied to someone who greatly impacted Shaw’s career. I really wish we had seen Shaw in the courtroom, contending with his fallen hero, and saved the Cosgrove cross-examination (which, again, is actually very important) for a case with less of a personal tie to his partner?

GHOSTS: I’m so glad we’re getting to see Hetty grow in small ways. She can’t (and shouldn’t) suddenly become a whole new woman, but she’s getting so much recontextualized that it’s leading to growth.

I also loved that the ghosts worked together to help Jay save Sam. Sometimes I feel so bad for him that he’s so left out of the hijinks, so this was a really clever way to loop him in.

[For more on the episode, here’s what series star Rebecca Wisocky shared.]

LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT: “You have to own your trauma or your trauma will own you” is a line that is great for this show (and virtually every character), in general, but also feels like a real theme for what they’re doing this season. I’m so glad Fin is getting more to do this season, so far, and I really hope it continues.

Speaking of Fin, I loved him giving Rollins the bullet keychain. It was a little warped, and yet absolutely perfect for her/them/the situation. And it made her feel better! I’m glad we got that little beat between them, because I’ll miss that relationship when she leaves.

Velasco and Muncy are working together surprisingly well. I assume there will be bumps at some point—it’s TV, after all—but their vibe in “Breakwater” felt like they had been working together for years. That ease is very appreciated.

I’m also really glad Olivia was so supportive of Velasco, who literally risked his life to try and save a survivor. There were a lot of times last season where he was the odd man out, but he’s been there a year now and it feels like they’re actually utilizing him and respecting what he can bring to the table.

(The case was twisted as hell, and actually kind of low-key terrifying? The boss deserves to be in prison for the rest of his life.)

GREY’S ANATOMY: Well, it certainly feels like the show just spelled out how Meredith is going to leave. But, uh, while I absolutely respect her prioritizing Zola, hopefully this doesn’t harm her other two kids? And it also makes it seem like it’ll be much harder to justify Meredith ever returning to the hospital in any kind of full-time capacity…

I’m really appreciating the dynamic of the interns. They’re not all BFFs, but there is respect, and there’s less general cut-throat actions than we’ve seen in the past. (Including the original group, who will forever be the standard.) Like, could you imagine Alex being awarded a perk and asking for all the interns to be included? Heck, even Meredith went back on her word to Cristina in the pilot in order to scrub in with Derek.

(I also didn’t realize you could be afraid of a pumpkin?! I suppose anything can cause fear, but what a nightmare October and even November must be.)

LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME: Okay, yes, more of this, please.

Right from the jump, this mini-arc felt more clear and cohesive than the last one, which I appreciate. There was also a nice mix of personal with the case of the week, between Elliot going to church (and exchanging some fun snark with a priest?!) and then the big Reyes reveal. When OC is at its best, it really is able to balance the case/work with the characters’ emotions and non-work lives, and I hope they don’t forget that. (Also, the show does dark humor very well. Keep OC funny!)

It makes a lot of sense the Brotherhood case has continued to be a big problem for Elliot, because even if he took them down, it’s clear some cops consider him a traitor. With his testimony over, I’m curious how much the show digs into it going forward. Will this be a thread for the full series? The rest of the season? Or was this a final (real) button on last season’s storyline?

I’m really intrigued by what they’re playing with re: Jet and Whelan. It could certainly read as him being flirty, or it could also be him really trying to find a place in the team and suss out the right dynamic with each person. I go back and forth, because it does feel a bit “you can interpret this however you want” right now, and I’m very curious where it’ll go next. (Elliot being a nervous mess over Jet going UC was adorable, though. Logically, she’s a detective, but this isn’t her expertise. But she’s nailed every time she’s had to step up.)

My heart breaks for Reyes, because there’s zero way whatever he’s hiding is anything less than deeply messed up. I hope having to take down his foster brothers doesn’t traumatize him too much now.

As for the threat to OCCB—hands off the task force. Good for Bell for sticking up for her team and Elliot. I don’t know how long she’ll be able to actually stop this from falling apart, even if it’s temporary, but Bell sure as hell deserves this team. And it was crappy Goldfarb tried to use Jack against Ayanna. Nope, we’re just not going to do that.

And, look, the Rollins of it all…sigh. Am I thrilled she finally made it to OC? Absolutely. It would have been incredibly frustrating if she was the only current SVU regular who didn’t make it over in a real capacity. I’m glad they brought up Olivia, briefly.* But I’ll admit I wish we had gotten even a beat of personal between Elliot and Amanda. Elliot knows what working in that unit does to you, and Amanda has been there for a very, very long time. Obviously, the characters don’t know what we are hyperaware of, but Elliot has had a career post-SVU after a massive trauma. I would have loved a tiny beat of something outside of the case.

*I’m guessing him asking how Olivia is doing might not be going over well, but it actually read to me as confirmation they are talking off-screen. Elliot and Olivia are clearly in a good enough place that Olivia suggested Rollins call him for help on a case. Yes, Elliot now has experience policing the police, but any SVUer could have taken this. And if Elliot hadn’t been talking to Olivia, there’s virtually no way he’d risk asking about her and having Rollins possibly turn on him/snark that he could ask Olivia herself. (Or have Rollins report that back to Olivia and then Olivia tear into him for not bothering to ask himself.)

Amanda and Elliot seem a lot more comfortable with each other now, but as far as we know, they still really only superficially know each other; if he had pulled a line like that with Fin, whole different story. Not to mention, they probably still represent difficult portions of their past to each other: To Elliot, Amanda could be a representation of his decision to leave and SVU/the squad moving on without him. To Amanda, Elliot is the reason Olivia was grieving and so hard to reach when Amanda first started at the unit.

[For more on the episode, here’s what series star Rick Gonzalez shared about the hour.]

Which shows did you watch last night?

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