S25.E07: Probability of Doom

[txhorns79]

Airing March 14, 2024

Quote

When a woman turns her husband in for possessing child pornography, the case is complicated by a sudden death. Benson tries to reconnect with a victim she saved.

 

[Xeliou66]

Ugh, the part about Benson trying to reconnect with a victim she saved sounds nauseating - I guarantee we are in for more St Olivia worship. It’s gotten to a ridiculous all time high this year. 

[dttruman]

Why does Benson have to belittle a fellow officer (or the forensic guy) to make her look smarter or tougher, just to look under that classic car? This episode seems to focus on Benson again. What about the other characters, especially Ice-T. How about giving him an episode with another detective. Why was Curry all of a sudden given a weak stomach, hasn't she been  around long enough to see the good and the bad? She should have worked the case with with Fin.

Edited March 15 by dttruman

[Spartan Girl]

Liv wanting to check on Maria might have been a good plot had she not spent most of this season being obsessed with Maddie to the point where she was wearing that sex doll bracelet. Maria, you have a good life now, don’t mess it up by letting Liv in your home!

[wknt3]

The Good:
The COTW. It was old school SVU even down to the classic trope of finding a reason to have them working a case that there is absolutely no way they should be handling.

The guest cast. Some solid performances that helped sell some material that was otherwise in the danger zone of being too overwrought for serious drama, but not enough to work as camp.

Carisi. I wish we had gotten more of him, but what we had was pretty good.

Fin. Especially for being actually allowed to call out Benson a bit!

The Bad:
We're still doing the whole therapy thing? Because we don't have enough of Benson feeling sorry for herself. And the flashback just serves to remind us of how far we have fallen.

While I like the actress they still haven't quite figured out what the heck to do with another Captain in the squad and seem to want to have it all ways at once. She is a veteran cop and investigator who can barely handle bodies and blood. But Fin is wrong to not immediately warm up to her because girl power and all which Benson understands. But Benson also treats her like a rookie because we don't know how to write exposition without Benson giving orders and being the only one who knows what they are doing.

Mariska's ego. Speaking of Benson being a know it all jerk - if we are going to look to old episodes why not watch the rest and learn how you can have your leading characters front and center without doing everything themselves? Or at least some semblance of working together? The tech in the garage shouldn't have let that car "accidentally" slip a bit when Benson charged in.
 

Overall this was a by the numbers plot, solid yet unspectacular, but it could have still been a good episode, if some of the time that was devoted to the further beatification of Olivia Benson was spent actually examining the moral complexities hinted at and then left for a couple lines of dialogue in the bar scene, or maybe going somewhere with a victim/perp who falls outside of the usual for the series? What is the point of bringing us therapy sessions with a protagonist who can never be truly wrong or grow? It is apparent that everything Chernuchin and Leight did to try to find ways to channel and contain Mariska's ego has been flushed and we are rapidly heading back to season 18 levels of All Benson All The Time. At least TPTB do seem to have learned some lessons about still doing different types of cases to show us why Benson is always right and will always save the special victims...

Edited March 15 by wknt3

[JudgeyMcJudgyPants]

So I never watch new episodes of this show.  I’ll still watch some early stuff but once Lewis showed up and the Benson is a saint bullshit started, I was out.  However, Mr. Judgey had a moment with the remote while I was making dinner and switched on this episode.  
 

I just happened to look up to see the graduation ceremony and what the fuck was up with Benson’s hair?!?!?  You can’t wear your hair in a loose-as-fuck braid at a ceremony like that when you are in your dress clothes.  That shit’s got to be high and tight.  
 

I know it seems like a real nit-picky thing to get in a twist over but it really bugged the shit out of me.  I was glad I was preoccupied so I didn’t have to be subjected to the rest of the episode.

[MerBearHou]

Is this becoming a series of “let’s examine and re-examine Olivia’s psychological hangups”?  It’s super boring and repetitive and certainly not why we tune into L&O.  Also, I’m annoyed and tired of Olivia (Mariska) interrupting and cutting off when others on the squad are talking.  She does it consistently, especially to Fin.  It’s rude and superior and just wrong.

That was a sad story of the very messed up daughter.  

[CSunshine76]

How many therapists is Olivia Benson going to go through? And clearly they all suck, because she’s not had any breakthroughs!

[Xeliou66]

This episode could’ve been good if not for the St Olivia worship. It has reached a ridiculous all time high this season - and many of her scenes were just painful to get through, Mariska cannot act anymore and she’s clearly just in it for her ego, as a result we have almost nonstop Benson worship in every episode. It’s become comical how hard they try to make Benson out to be a hero.

The case was solid and had some good investigative work, but the squad dynamics were screwy once again after being spot on last week - I’m sick of Fin having beef with Curry, and Curry giving Velasco attitude at the start as well was off. And Curry having such a weak stomach for crime scenes was off for a captain. Bruno was sorely missed - he improves every episode he’s in and is one of the best things about the show now.

And Carisi has just been relegated to a background role basically which is a shame as he has a lot to offer, and he was good in his scenes tonight, but giving him legal material takes time away from the Olivia worship so he gets sidelined. 

Nice to see ME Truman again, I like him a lot.

After the shaky start with Curry Fin was good, and his interactions with Olivia are about the only time St Olivia is bearable now.

This was a decent case dragged down by the constant Benson melodrama and the shaky squad dynamics. This show could be good if it wasn’t for Mariska’s giant ego. 

[The Wild Sow]

8 hours ago, JudgeyMcJudgyPants said:

I just happened to look up to see the graduation ceremony and what the fuck was up with Benson’s hair?!?!?  You can’t wear your hair in a loose-as-fuck braid at a ceremony like that when you are in your dress clothes.  That shit’s got to be high and tight

Yes!  Who the hell thought "messy braid" was a good look for her?!

Anybody else kinda hoping that Maria would turn out to be the killer?

[cfinboston]

Who else thought Maria was going to answer the door and say, "Oleeeeeevia?"

I get suspension of disbelief but it doesn't take 10 minutes to get a no knock warrant, and given how woke the SVU crowd is, I'm surprised by featuring it. 

Who else thought Liv was going to adopt the younger kid?

Liv diving under the car and shooting around under there was practically satire. Maybe the mechanic is (or looks) young but FFS what's up with Liv derisively telling him he looks too young to drive and just being like "you can't possibly know how to do your job."

When they found the second victim, was the tracker just laying there on a table? How was it used?

Do we really need Curry baking things every week? Doughnut. Coffee Cake. I'm surprised the promo doesn't show her in the break room with Fin saying, "lemon bars?" 

[cfinboston]

5 minutes ago, The Wild Sow said:

 

Anybody else kinda hoping that Maria would turn out to be the killer?

I didn't think she'd be the killer but I didn't understand Liv's burning questions. Did she think Maria would not remember her, or that she wouldn't have positive memory of being saved from being raped and buried alive?

I don't understand why not have Liv reflect on victims. It's always been an underlying theme that Liv was the child of rape and had an alcoholic mother. She didn't turn out like Simon or become a criminal, she became a Saint. Both Tori and Maria were victims, yet one became a cop and the other a murderer. 

[The Wild Sow]

54 minutes ago, cfinboston said:

When they found the second victim, was the tracker just laying there on a table? How was it used?

On his bicycle.

The underside of that car was REALLY clean!  WTF?  Wasn't it parked outside?  Didn't he actually drive it?  Pretty car, anyway.

 

55 minutes ago, cfinboston said:

Who else thought Liv was going to adopt the younger kid?

Oh, thank God NOT!

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, The Wild Sow said:

Anybody else kinda hoping that Maria would turn out to be the killer?

No. Not even to spite St Olivia. This show already has plenty of victims-turned-killers. 

What I was hoping was that Maria wouldn’t remember Olivia at all, or that she’d politely thank Olivia but tell her she’s moved on, she has a good life, and doesn’t want to dredge up the past.

[Laurie4H]

I joked that Liv was going to adopted her lol.

Is it me or did she talk to that kid like she was 5 years old.  “You’re going to live with your grandma, would you like that?” Or whatever she whispered like she was speaking to a toddler.  

And she felt sorry for Tory?  Ok she had been through a lot but they way she murdered those victims was not someone you would necessarily feel sorry for.  

[cfinboston]

30 minutes ago, Laurie4H said:

And she felt sorry for Tory?  Ok she had been through a lot but they way she murdered those victims was not someone you would necessarily feel sorry for.  

I understood it as feeling sorry for her because she was molested. Throughout the series (as pointed out above) there have been numerous victims turned criminals. The one that stands out to me is the kid who was molested by the piano teacher who himself became a rapist.

I think in working with victims, Liv has developed almost a sense of survivor's guilt. She sees so many people with terrible upbringings and life circumstances who wind up going down negative paths. She seems to want to grasp why she became a cop rather than a criminal; she tries to help, not ruin. 

 

 

[Ohiopirate02]

I had a thought while the show is dredging up Olivia's past, Is this going to be Marishka's last season and they just have not announced it yet?  That would explain these trips down memory lane and the St. Olivia voiceover in episode one.  Would also explain why there's another captain in the squad room.  

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I had a thought while the show is dredging up Olivia's past, Is this going to be Marishka's last season and they just have not announced it yet?  That would explain these trips down memory lane and the St. Olivia voiceover in episode one.  Would also explain why there's another captain in the squad room.  

We can only dream…

[DanielleBowden]

I though Olivia and Curry were really harsh on the wife.  I understand having to eliminate her as a potential suspect, but it was over the top with nothing to base it on other than "some alibis are performative".  She had a totally different approach with the actual suspect.  I miss the courtroom.  

[dttruman]

7 hours ago, The Wild Sow said:

Anybody else kinda hoping that Maria would turn out to be the killer?

Not hoping, but gave it a split second thought because it would have given Benson another reason to be in the spotlight showing emotional turmoil.

[slowpoked]

If your victims when you’re a detective are now all grown up and joining the police force, then maybe it’s time to think about retirement, Captain Benson?! 
 

One can only hope….

2 hours ago, DanielleBowden said:

 

I though Olivia and Curry were really harsh on the wife.  I understand having to eliminate her as a potential suspect, but it was over the top with nothing to base it on other than "some alibis are performative".

 

Plus didn’t she say she was eight months pregnant?! How in the world would she able to chop up a husband, even one who’s already dead?! When I was 8 months pregnant, I can barely get up from a chair or a bed, let alone have enough energy and strength to chop up a dead man.

[dttruman]

2 hours ago, DanielleBowden said:

I though Olivia and Curry were really harsh on the wife.  I understand having to eliminate her as a potential suspect, but it was over the top with nothing to base it on other than "some alibis are performative".  She had a totally different approach with the actual suspect

Benson has a tendency to be really compassionate with the so-called victims at the time and also very confrontational and accusatory with the so-called suspects. There doesn't seem to be too much objectivity at first from Benson and she sets a bad example for Curry.

[Zaffy]

I ROFTLed when Olivia went under the car to examine it! That was hilarious.

I also get this feeling that they treat this season like if it's Mariska's last one. Or maybe these awful writers try to give us false hopes, dunno...

I would have no problem with Olivia stepping aside just staying a captain only doing captain things without going out investigating, having someone else taking the lead (Rollins would be a fine replacement with Bruno on her side and rookie Maria joining them) and finally get back to have some DA and Court scenes.

But if they do not have plans like the one I just dreamed about, this show has become ridiculously awful and Mariska cannot support it  cause she cannot act well anymore, probably because she has been consumed by the narcissistic monster living inside her.

The only realistic thing about this season is Olivia doing therapy. I am not even sure how wise is to have someone for 30 years in SVU without being seriously affected. Are there any Police rules about this? To protect their officers from going nuts?
 

Edited March 16 by Zaffy

[Sake614]

I don’t know about anyone else but I was getting dizzy watching the shrink wave he finger back and forth like that. And then I was afraid the whole fucking episode was going to be Liv in therapy. In which case I was just going to delete it.

so Maria stayed in Liv’s mind for 10+ years and she never once tried to find out what happened to her? At least they had the shrink say basically the same thing. Nice that Maria became a cop, but did Liv have to show up at Maria’s house? Couldn’t she have just tracked her down at the precinct the next day?

and to those who thought Olivia was going to adopt the 13-year-old, that was my worst fear so it was a pleasant surprise when she said she found the girl’s grandmother.

im really not sure how much more of St. Olivia I can stand.

[Xeliou66]

I wonder if the show is preparing to wrap up soon and that’s why they are bringing back faces from St Olivia’s past and why they’ve ramped up the St O worship to an all time high. As much as I would love to see SVU without St Olivia, that won’t happen, Mariska pretty much is the show now unfortunately. But I do wonder if they are planning on calling it quits soon. I think we would know if this would be the last season but I wonder if next season will be the final one. It’s too bad Mariska’s ego is so large and that she has so much power over the show, because it could be good - the cases are still frequently pretty interesting and the supporting cast behind Benson is good overall - I really wish they would give Carisi more stuff to work with and get into court more, I really like Fin, Bruno and Velasco, I’m not sold yet on Sykes or Curry and it’s very weird to have a captain and an FBI agent working under St Olivia, but they don’t annoy me like Muncy and Kat did, and maybe they’ll settle in better going forward, episode 6 had good squad dynamics but they were shaky again in this episode.

But the nonstop Olivia worship is getting more hard to tolerate than ever. 

[MarylandGirl]

I'm against unannounced drop-bys, even from people I know well (they all know this). If I were Maria, I probably wouldn't have answered the door. Could she not have found a way to contact her first? I assume they have standard email addresses. Or shown up at her precinct? Also, it would have been nice if she'd looked through the window, saw her looking happy, smiled, and just walked back to her car, not wanting to interrupt the moment. But nope, had to make it about her.

Agreed that Olivia going under the car was ridiculous. And then Curry proved her value to the squad. Olivia: "It's a tracking device." Curry: "So he was being tracked." Brilliant deduction there! (It's possible I have the lines reversed, but the point remains.)

It occurs to me that it would have been an interesting twist if the younger sister knew about the father and was somehow involved in his death. And that she was working with the sister to lure the other men to their death, to take revenge on men like her father. Though she was probably a bit young for that.

Edited March 16 by MarylandGirl
Another thought.

[wknt3]

On 3/16/2024 at 2:06 PM, Xeliou66 said:

I wonder if the show is preparing to wrap up soon and that’s why they are bringing back faces from St Olivia’s past and why they’ve ramped up the St O worship to an all time high. As much as I would love to see SVU without St Olivia, that won’t happen, Mariska pretty much is the show now unfortunately. But I do wonder if they are planning on calling it quits soon. I think we would know if this would be the last season but I wonder if next season will be the final one.

Unfortunately as much as I would love the idea of a grand sendoff next year I think it is more likely simply a matter of incompetence and ego. This is still the top scripted drama on NBC and Peacock (yes it's damning with faint praise, but still..) and there doesn't seem to be a successor in place with Organized Crime still in turmoil and the mothership being forced to become more like the zombified corpse of SVU. If they seem to be setting up Meloni coming back or actually put Hate Crimes into production I'd be thinking endgame, but this feels to me more like there nobody left able or willing to standup to Mariska when she comes up with ideas like "we should really explore Benson's psyche this season." and say "We have explored it already. Mapped and charted. Established settlements. Committed ethnic cleansing against the natives. Had our claims recognized by treaty and international conference. Dealt with the independence movement and decolonization years ago." and moved on to something actually new. If next year is the final season it will mean that NBC can't come to an agreement on a new contract with Mariska and I doubt Dick Wolf would allow them to start laying the groundwork already.

[Cotypubby]

On 3/15/2024 at 6:24 AM, cfinboston said:

Liv diving under the car and shooting around under there was practically satire. Maybe the mechanic is (or looks) young but FFS what's up with Liv derisively telling him he looks too young to drive and just being like "you can't possibly know how to do your job."

Well the mechanic was a man. Just imagine Liv saying that same exact line to a female tech who looks young. She’d probably congratulate her for being so far  along in her career at a young age.

Fin: “It’s not about the victims, it’s all about you, Liv!” Most accurate line of the season. I laughed.

Finally an interesting case with a killer unlike others we’ve seen, and the show still manages to ruin it with St Olivia worship.

[Shelbie]

On 3/16/2024 at 1:02 PM, Sake614 said:

I don’t know about anyone else but I was getting dizzy watching the shrink wave he finger back and forth like that. 

If I was in therapy this would drive me crazy.
What happens when the therapist’s arm gets tired and she has to put it down ? I think a metronome would be more effective.

[wknt3]

On 3/16/2024 at 1:02 PM, Sake614 said:

I don’t know about anyone else but I was getting dizzy watching the shrink wave he finger back and forth like that. And then I was afraid the whole fucking episode was going to be Liv in therapy. In which case I was just going to delete it.

 

23 hours ago, Shelbie said:

If I was in therapy this would drive me crazy.

But then you would need more therapy. It's all about building customer loyalty...

[jmonique]

Knock knock
"Hi! Remember that time you were buried alive by the guy who raped you and pimped you out to others? And you were hoping you'd be rescued and finally were? That was me! Yeah, in the picture under the headline about how awesome I was that day! Good times, right? Can I come in?"
Jesus, Olivia.

Edited March 20 by jmonique

[tennisgurl]

This would have been a pretty solid episode if it wasn't so filled to the brim with embarrassing amounts of Olivia workshop. We not only have to watch her play her own greatest hits, obsessing over victims from literally a decade ago, she's not only the only one who can solve the case, she's also apparently an expert mechanic, better than even professionals. 

The sad thing is, there is something interesting in the bones of this, how different people respond to trauma and how it affects them over the years. Tonya went through something horrible and became a murderer, while Maria went through a similar horrible thing and become a cop, building a good life for herself, there really is a compelling story there, its too bad that its not really about any of that, its just the backdrop for more Olivia worship. Finn nailed it when he said that this wasn't about the victims, it was about Olivia. 

Can I just say again how much I hate Olivia's stupid whispering victim voice? She was talking to that girl like she was three, and not clearly in her early teens, if I was a victim I would be really annoyed at being condescended to in the middle of my life falling to pieces. 

[FozzyBear]

So at the end Fin discovers that St Olivia’s biggest fear is she might not be the center of the universe, but don’t worry she is! Oh for fucks sake.