Law & Order: SVU Season 26, Episode 15 Brings Back A Key Part Of What Made It So Successful

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Law & Order: SVU season 26, episode 15, “Undertow.”

Law & Order: SVU season 26, episode 15, titled “Undertow,” uses a trope that was common in the past and which contributed to the procedural’s popularity. “Undertow” is arguably one of the best Law & Order: SVU episodes in season 26 because of its focus on thorny real-world issues related to the investigation and prosecution of crimes involving sex, alcohol, and underage participants. At the beginning of the episode, a woman named Stacey (Marilyn Caserta) leaves her hotel room after becoming annoyed with her husband’s drunken advances.

Stacey goes to the bar, where she gets drunk herself and has a one-night stand with Ryan (Billy Keogh), who seems to be close to her age. However, in reality, Ryan is a 16-year-old boy, and his stepmother presses charges against Stacey for statutory rape even though Stacey believes she had ample reason to think Ryan was over 18. While this story isn’t based on any specific case, this episode of Law & Order: SVU addresses true stories of adults having sex with minors and claiming ignorance of their partner’s age when someone files a complaint.

It Wasn’t Clear Who The Perp Was In Law & Order: SVU Season 26, Episode 15

Both Ryan & Stacey Engage In Bad Behavior

Ryan’s family is quick to call Stacey a pedophile, but the truth is far more complicated. Stacey claims not to remember anything about the encounter despite having had only one drink, and further investigation leads to Ryan’s arrest for drug possession after the cops find MDMA pills in his room. Ryan admits that he put similar pills in a bottle of vodka he had with him. Thus, Stacey and her husband claim that Ryan is the one who raped her, not the other way around.

Additionally, Stacey’s primary defense is that she didn’t realize Ryan was only 16. Carisi (Peter Scanavino) says that doesn’t change anything in the eyes of the law; however, Stacey’s presumption wasn’t based only on Ryan’s physical appearance, but on the fact that he was sitting at a bar drinking alcohol, illegal if you are under 21. Thus, the case hinges on whether the law is wrong not to take the context of Stacey’s assumption into account, as well as whether Ryan’s behavior makes him as bad as, or worse than, Stacey in this scenario.

Unsurprisingly, the jury eventually deadlocks, and a mistrial is declared in Stacey’s case. Her lawyer tells her it’s over, and he’s probably right. Even though Carisi could try again in front of a new jury, the ambiguity over who is more guilty of a sex crime, in this case, makes it unlikely that a different jury will reach an agreement. Thus, Carisi will likely walk away from further prosecution unless new evidence comes to light that clarifies the issues.

Law & Order: SVU Season 26, Episode 15 Proves That Its Backbone Remains Its Weekly Cases

Sticking To The Tried-And-True Formula Of Showing Both Cops & Lawyers Works Best

Law & Order: SVU has always been a procedural, but it has gotten off-track in recent years. While there is always a case to be solved, many episodes focus almost exclusively on Benson’s (Mariska Hargitay) efforts to support and empower the victim of the week, with procedural elements becoming an afterthought. Additionally, there has been too much focus on romances, especially on whether Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and Benson should become a couple. While these romantic subplots work better on the One Chicago shows, they tend to overshadow cases in the Law & Order franchise.

“Undertow” corrects these problems by putting the primary focus back where it belongs: on the case at hand. This episode is one of the few in the show’s modern era that follows the formula of focusing on the investigation in the first half of the story and the court case in the second. The strength of the courtroom drama makes it clear that this aspect of the show has been missing in too many episodes. Additionally, the ambiguity of the case made the courtroom scenes more gripping.

Law & Order: SVU Needs More Ambiguous Cases

When Cases Are Too Straightforward, They’re Less Interesting

Additionally, ambiguous cases used to be more of the norm for Law & Order: SVU, with good reason. When it isn’t entirely clear what justice looks like, it leads to more compelling and unpredictable stories. It isn’t obvious who will win the court case if there is one, during such a storyline — and the audience might not be sure who they want to win. The impact of these types of stories thus lasts far beyond the moment when the final credits roll, sparking discussion and debate with fellow viewers.

Related

Somehow, Benson Ruined Law & Order: SVU Season 26, Episode 13’s Intense Story

Law & Order: SVU season 26, episode 13 could have been one of the procedural’s most powerful stories, but somehow Benson ruined everything.

Law & Order: SVU‘s mission has always been to support and empower survivors through the stories the procedural tells. Returning to case-based plots that explore the weaknesses of the justice system is the best way to do that. When cases are too straightforward, the long-running series risks losing audience interest. Worse, if it seems like the writers are pushing a particular point of view through their stories, that might annoy or aggravate its fanbase, which makes it harder for Law & Order: SVU to share its powerful message.

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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Release Date

September 20, 1999

Showrunner

Robert Palm, David J. Bruke, Neal Baer, Warren Leight, Rick Eid, Michael S. Chernuchin, David Graziano

Directors

David Platt, Jean de Segonzac, Peter Leto, Alex Chapple

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