#19x24

FINALLY got around to watching the SVU19 season finale. It’s been sitting on my dvr but I haven’t had 2hrs/been in the right frame of mind.

Lets get into it.

I’m sad. Olivia has become so myopic. Sure she was right eventually, but the way she got there was highly immoral. She judged him guilty first AND THEN found the evidence. Isn’t "vigilante justice" exactly why she disagreed with Alex Cabot when Alex came back for that domestic violence case earlier this season? Liv is an officer of the law, but she lets her emotions rule her actions. She’s always been that way, and that’s why we love her, but lately it’s become unbalanced. I find that in morally ambiguous cases, she’s been inserting her own beliefs into the situation more and more, as opposed to remaining impartial. (see: the organ transplant episode this season).

Also, I’m kind of disappointed with the story-line about Miguel. It would have been way more interesting if (SPOILER) he WASN’T the one who actually did it. For him to eventually be the stereotype that they wanted him to be is actually kind of boring. It’s too tidy. (You know I hate it when villains don their black hat and start twirling their moustaches all of a sudden).

Also, are we just going to forget about the fact that the girl killed someone?! It was a murder trial! Although it speaks to her frame of mind at the time, her rape wasn’t on trial and there hadn’t even been a conviction, therefore wouldn’t it be still be considered hearsay?! It was a trial for whether or not she murdered the man, which she did! (I’m thinking murder-two, at the very least!). But they made it about her and her trafficking because this particular story is about her, and we (the audience) are meant to have sympathy for her. I know the guy who she killed was probably a trafficker who got what was coming to him, but are we just supposed to forget that she clubbed him in the head and he died? We can't just let it go, as much as we may want vigilante justice. The law doesn’t work like that! And why did they allowed her to unbutton her shirt and show her burns in open court? Stone ought to have objected right then and there. It’s not evidence that is pertinent to this case (case adjacent? yes! But not to this murder trial). A good lawyer would have argued that there’s no way of knowing how long ago the burns were made, or by whom. If this had been another episode she wouldn’t have been given that much latitude. I’ve seen episodes in which the rape testimony would have been inadmissible. I've seen episodes in which literal children get sentenced to the maximum allowable for an ACCIDENT because "they must be made an example of.” I guess that’s what’s bugging me. This show picks and chooses which rule to follow and enforce, but it's inconsistent. And all while still adopting a position of moral superiority (I guess, much like the legal system itself. ugh).

I really miss Barba. I loved the relationship that he and Liv had. Their dynamic struck just the right balance between the law and morality. They were genuinely friends, but I liked how Rafael called Liv out sometimes. It kept her grounded. 

Stone is fine. A little too “boy scout” for my taste. It feels like he should be a lead on his own show with a slightly different tone (and less moral grey area for his liking). He and Olivia are so different that it would feel forced to make them love interests. Other than that, while they may respect each other more now, I don’t think they have much to learn from one another.  

I also really enjoy the squad’s friendship with each other! I like that Finn and Amanda hit up a country bar on Friday night. And Carisi cooks dinner for her and is helpful with parenting tips. <3