About Last Night…LAW & ORDER, MATLOCK, FOUND, and More

Let’s talk about Thursday night’s TV!

LAW & ORDER: Reid Scott was great, but it felt like we needed to double the length of this episode to do the story justice. How was Brady not more skeptical about letting Riley’s brother be so involved in their case? (Especially since she’s still so new to knowing Riley…it would have been interesting to see that come into play here.) How was Baxter not pushing back?! Matt was shaky as an informant and, really, throughout the entire process; it’s not a surprise he fell apart on the witness stand and wouldn’t do what was needed.

Really loved how Shaw supported Riley, though. He didn’t blindly support him, but instead was by his side while also expressing concern and skepticism. It was the right mix of being a good partner and good cop.

[For more on the episode, here’s what Scott shared.]

9-1-1: Gerrard being a fanboy was funny and charming before he saved the day with the bodycam footage. Now? Good for you! Work your dream job as a consultant on this show you love!

As glad as I am for the 118 to have Bobby back and be free from Gerrard as a boss, I may be even more overjoyed for Karen and Hen. Their family is back together!!

GHOSTS: PATIENCE. (Sorry, it felt like that was the only way to start this.) Well, it rarely works out well when a ghost joins Woodstone; it’s clear Patience is already causing a bit of a headache for Alberta. Good luck to them all!

I do appreciate how there was very little mystery in this episode after going through the “Where is Flower/how do we get her back?” arc last season. And the suggestion they save her made sense. Sure, Isaac may not have turned over quite the leaf he claimed he would, but Sam’s empathy wouldn’t have allowed her to let Patience just rot, especially once they knew where she was. But, again, uh…good luck to them all.

(I have missed Hetty’s sarcasm so much.)

[For more on the episode, here’s what Joe Port and Joe Wiseman shared.]



LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT: After the best episode the show has had in well over a year, frustratingly, things quasi-crashed back down for me.

What makes some of it more frustrating is that there were really good elements in it. A quick rundown of the highs and lows:

• After two season 25 episodes that really did the character a disservice, it was great to see Rollins genuinely happy and thriving in her new job. The first scene she had with Olivia was the best moment they had in the episode and was lovely.
• (I knew it was expecting too much, continuity-wise, but I would have loved for them to acknowledge Rollins worked with an Intelligence team before since that’s the unit at the center of CHICAGO P.D.)
• Also glad we got a couple of cute Carisi and Rollins moments, especially after the first scenes had them barely interacting.
• The professional dynamic between Amanda and Olivia was interesting—and, hilariously, a parallel to season 23’s “I Thought You Were on My Side,” where Olivia and Elliot were working the case “together,” but the task force/OCCB had different priorities than SVU; Amanda was the biggest skeptic of Elliot’s case priorities then, so it’s very amusing/funny to see how things have changed and now she’s the one with slightly different priorities than her friends at SVU. But it also works, because…units do have to work together. And it’s nice when it’s someone you know and trust who won’t intentionally stab you in the back to make their collar.
• The best scene of the episode, by far, was Olivia counseling Nora about taking care of herself. Mariska Hargitay was at her best as Olivia tried to impress how important the task was. And, honestly, a relief that Olivia was so caring given the hour started off with the victim not wanting to report and being pushed by everyone to do it.
• But the flip side—and frustrating element—of that is that the moment felt wildly unearned from Olivia. Last season was supposed to be Olivia’s healing arc (or at least the start of a healing journey), but the character was instead wildly flailing and sometimes actively causing harm to the people she wanted to help. As I said (repeatedly) at the time, healing is not linear. Healing shouldn’t really end; you’re not just magically fixed one day and you never have to work on yourself again. I wasn’t, and still am not, expecting any kind of magic trick. (Because I also think that is harmful to show to survivors who watch this show.) But we saw truly not one element of healthy progress last season; it wasn’t even one step forward and five steps back. This year, thank goodness, Olivia has been herself again; she’s been caring, appropriate, empathetic, and professional. But are we supposed to think Olivia is finally taking therapy seriously? Are we supposed to forget everything that happened last year? I genuinely don’t know. It’s absolutely wild that out of the eight Wolf Entertainment procedurals on the air right now, SVU, by far, has had the least personal element so far this season. (And they have three episodes under their belts compared to the FBI franchise’s one!)
• I understand production realities. I really do. That being said, I also almost can’t put into words how frustrating that cold open was. I don’t know if it was literally the longest they’ve done (though it has to be among the top few), but it was graphic, too long, and actually made me want to turn the episode off and I immediately lost interest in the case. There has to be a better way to handle this in the future, especially if the personal element is going to be stripped from this show. Please.
• (A small complaint in the scheme of things, but: If only Olivia and Fin had worked a case involving Albanians or knew someone/a unit who spent months in that world!!!)

MATLOCK: This was a fascinating episode because episode 2s of a freshman series are frequently a secondary pilot (in the hope of grabbing people who perhaps missed the first episode), but this had a whole other level—this was the first episode the audience was in on the premise. Yeah, you can go back and rewatch the pilot (which I highly recommend doing), but for much of that hour, the series was hiding things from us, too. Now? We’re a part of the scheming and plotting.

It should go without saying, but worth repeating anyway: Kathy Bates is such a force in this. An absolute force. And since we’re with Matty on this journey, I think most of us will inherently be on her side…which makes it so fascinating to watch her suspect list, both when they’re interacting with her and with others. (It also makes me worried that whoever is to blame is going to break my heart, but that’s a problem for—I assume—2025!Marisa.)

I also loved how smart they were to have Matty doubt the MATLOCK information she puts out there. I’m someone who, admittedly, does not know the OG show, but superfans can/will nitpick basic facts. Watching her obsess about it and come up with excuses for why she misspoke? Incredible.

(Also: Utilizing sports info to help get your way in front of a judge?! LOL, as someone who is a little too invested in a couple of teams…I approve.)

DOCTOR ODYSSEY: Surgery during a hurricane?! My goodness. Somehow this already feels like peak DOCTOR ODYSSEY, and we’re only a handful of episodes in. (Okay, to be fair, the strip poker that kicked off the episode might have been that, too.)



FOUND: I mean, we knew this, but Sir’s obsession with Gabi remains insane.

The parallels with the central case and Sir/Gabi were also fascinating, not because the relationships were 1:1, but because Gabi knew Sir would see it that way. He views them as doomed lovers, kept apart by circumstances and a public that would look down on them. Gabi sees it’s not…that. But that also means he’s inherently not helpful for the case since his bias would have steered him wrong.

I’m so glad Lacey is back, though. Obviously, it’s going to be a very, very tough and long road to recovery for her, but an important step. We’ve seen M & A struggle with Gabi, in various ways, since Lacey went missing, and I’m so interested in seeing how the team reconnects now. (Also, Sir being out there with a stab wound? Uh oh.)

GREY’S ANATOMY: While I understand surgeons being frustrated by needless procedures/plastic surgery, I’m also glad Teddy stood up to Owen about the realities of what people—especially anyone who isn’t a male—face in terms of conscious and unconscious prejudices. (Though I’m kind of confused why they’re supposed to be having marriage issues, maybe, now?)

Mika and her sister were absolutely heartbreaking, though. It sucks to know we’re losing her soon. But, man, I teared up when the other interns came to deliver gifts to Mika and shared they covered her shifts for the next week so she could be with her sister. My heart, man.

Sigh to Jo and Link, though. Just sigh at this point.

ELSBETH: I found the premiere absolutely charming. Nathan Lane was a really fun first guest, and it felt like the show just picked up where it left off. And Elsbeth and Kaya remain one of my favorite new friendships to watch on TV, so I loved that we got so many beats of them together. (That “back to school” bag? Looooove.)

Very curious how they play Elsbeth’s past coming back for her, though…

[For more on the episode, here’s what Jonathan Tolins shared.]

Which shows did you watch last night?

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