#barba thoughts

(Part 4 here, Part 3 + previous links here)

As always, (my thoughts) on your thoughts.

(last post for now since we won't even see Barba again for like another month and a quick-ish one at that, because i'm a little sick today, boooo)

New Theories - Personal

Going through my inbox (which is overflowing, thanks and also sorry it takes me forever sometimes <333) I found this lil’ nugget which was probably sent by a sweet anon weeks ago, lol:

The hacking reveals something with his health - I'd bet on psychiatric, maaaybe rehab of some kind.

Whoa. That’s something I hadn’t considered!

It certainly makes sense, and if it involves rehab (which would potentially mean he was impaired while trying some cases) it would definitely put his career in jeopardy! Plus it’s consistend with Barba’s previous characterization. Not that he’s ever shown to be an alcoholic, of course, but all those shots of him downing whiskey/bourbon while stressed could be re-interpreted as suggestions he may have had an issue with drinking in the past, or that he has a habit of turning to alcohol when he’s stressed (say, after the death threats?.

I’m not sure I trust the SVU writers to handle mental illness well, so that option would be trickier to pull off, but still. This is a very intersting idea, and a deeply personal secret, and something Barba might possibly want to keep private, even from Liv.

@leaper182 (also probably a few weeks ago, lol <3) said:

I wonder if maybe Rafael had an affair with a politician who's married or something. I can't see Rafael himself being in the closet -- he comes across more as someone who doesn't advertise that he's bisexual, but he wouldn't deny it if he were asked point-blank about it either. But maybe if he made the mistake of having an affair with a married man or something, and it's this big ~shocker~ because this guy was all about straight marriage or something...? Hmmm. :\        

Ooh. An affair with a married male politician, maybe even a conservative one, who might have more to lose than Barba? Now that’s a good theory. If the secret involves Barba being bi or gay, this would be a good way to do it. It wouldn’t give us personal angst for Barba; it would show us a middle-aged successful professional like him, being comfortable in his own skin. At the same time, though, it would show us that for some people, being in the closet might be seen as almost imperative. A message could still be sent, without getting too preachy.

New Theories - Professional

Another anon said:

Barba secret theory. He cheated on a big test. Something like the bar or the sat. Something that makes his education nullified even if he is really smart anyways.

Ooh, that would be a non-salacious but literally career-threatening secret. It’s pretty much what happened to my boo Cutter on the Mothership, but SVU has been recycling storylines for ages, so why not that one, too? It was a good one, lol.

Yet another anon said:

my pet barba theory (without giving away how much i've clearly thought about this. . .) is that it has to do with  his time as a brooklyn ADA. he requested a "lateral move" from brooklyn which we learn in his first episode, Twenty-Five Acts.  i guess it's a bit hopeful to expect the writers to go hard with continuity. but i think something happened to him back then that he's been hiding.

That’s a great theory, actually. Whatever the actual secret is, it’s likely to involve Barba’s career prior to his joining Manhattan SVU. Lateral moves are definitely suspicious, if Barba wasn’t moving up, why did he want to leave? I agree that contonuity is always an issue with SVU, but this idea would be really easy to work into the episode, with just a throwaway reference. Plus it would explain why Liv doesn’t now, and maybe even why Barba won’t tell her, because it would involve Brooklyn detectives/precincts and Liv would have no jurisdiction. Barba wouldn’t want Liv to step out of line for his sake.

Death Threats? What Death Theats?

An anon said:

I think the Barba secret will have something to do with the death threats because remember what Heredio said -- "we know things about you, things you wouldn't want people to know" No idea what the things might be (love the idea of a juvie record and maybe something to do with his dad) but I hope he doesn't fuck up too bad. And I ship Barson hardcore so I'm sad he doesn't go to Liv :( 

Ooh, another great callback! I would love it, just for continuity purposes, if the writers were inspired by that line to create a secret for Barba. Heredio’s line sounded like it involved something personal, so let’s see what happens now. Also, I’m with you, I can’t see why Barba wouldn’t just go to Liv. Whatever his secret is, and however we all see Barson (platonic or with the potential for romance), they’re friends. She trusted him with Noah’s paternity, which was huge for her, and deeply personal, and I think Barba should also trust her with this. But, honestly, Barba can be more of a hothead, more impulsive, so perhaps it makes sense that he’d do something more drastic.

Speaking of Liv, another anon said:

I'm not feeling anything about Barbara secret because I know it's just going to get all twisted around to be all about liv because I love her but jfc the whole season has been about her and no other fucker has had a storyline or even a story word

Hehehehe well, even if Barba doesn’t tell Liv immediately, I’m sure she’ll find out eventually, and it’ll be all about her in the end :) I just hope the writers try to show us that she’s a great friend, so maybe Barba can have part of the spotlight, while still propping her up. Like, it can still be All About Liv, but if Liv is determined to help her friend, Barba gets to shine, too, you know?

Barba’s Aspirations

An anon said:

I hope Barba's secret is some kind of a political scandal where you can clearly see his ambition to become the next DA. But I am afraid that we all get excited only to be disappointed. And in the end it will be a cheap shot like a secret affair with the wife of someone with political influence. Or it is coming out of nowhere (Hello Hank Abraham) and Barba is framed for possession of child pornography. 

Absolutely agreed. It really chaps my ass how we never see anything about Barba’s ambitions, or his goals. Will he be an ADA forever? Why don’t they make him an EADA like Cutter? Who is the DA? Why not cast someone in that role? Or (if it’s still Jack McCoy <3) why not cast an EADA to be Barba’s sort-of boss, put some pressure on him and show us what Barba is going through at the office?

Another roundup of (my thoughts on) your thoughts!

(Part 3 here, with all the pertinent links. I’d reblog and add a comment there, but I figure a new post will spare your dash, lol)

Again, I’ll separate this into personal/professional drama. I truly hope I didn’t miss any of your theories, but I may have, between the asks and the replies and the reblogs. Sorry if I did <3

Professional Misconduct

@all-things-raul-esparza mentioned William Lewis, along with an extremely accurate observation:

What if it has to do with William Lewis? Benson perjured herself during that trial and iirc Barba had at least some kind of knowledge/idea about it?

In this case he wouldn’t be able to go to Benson for help but she could also be involved in the episode (because we all know that there is no chance in hell that an episode can focus completely on a character other than Olivia Benson).

True that. I really want to see how Benson finds out, and if she scolds Barba, both for not telling her and for doing whatever it is he did. I imagine all the detectives will learn of Barba’s “secret” together, either via their investigation or via Barba finally coming clean (like he did about the death threats), and I think Liv will take that super-personally. Maybe we’ll get a reversal of the Tucker conversation, with Liv feeling betrayed this time, like @larkin21 mentioned here.

@emmabean517​ agreed:

I like the William Lewis theory and it makes sense because he literally was like here take your grand jury testimony memorize it because we need to get this guy….

I could see that. My initial thoughts were that Barba can’t go to Benson because he doesn’t want to implicate her, but this would make sense too. That she’s already implicated, so Barba is desperate (and does that ill-advised thing) to help her, too. Not just himself. Maybe they’re both in this together, and that’s why Liv can’t know. @leaper182 also brought up October Surprise, by the way, and that would also be a great callback. Maybe we’ll finally find out what happened to the Full Muñoz.

@emmabean517 had another extremely interesting theory:

my other thought would be it somehow relates to his death threats and that he’s not receiving emails or something and he’s either paid the people off which I’m not sure would like that bad or he has started doing favors for the people threatening him or reducing charges or punishments or something 

That would be amazing! If they managed to tie the death threats into this. If Barba is being steadily blackmailed, doing “small” favors for the people threatening him (maybe offering deals for a more lenient sentence or dropping charges for “minor” offenses etc) in exchange for, well, his life, that would be both shady and understandable. Or if he’s paying them off in regular installments (which is information a hacker would definitely have access to).

I kind of love this idea.

Plus, it could work on two levels, because there’s a good chance Barba’s “ill-advised action” will be to pay off the hacker (who is also the perp, right?). Like, there’s Barba’s secret (which is career-threatening and involves potential misconduct) but then there’s that additional thing Barba does, after he becomes aware his secret is about to be revealed but before he tells Liv. For example, what if he offers to reduce the charges brought against the hacker/perp? Even if we disregard the death threats (which the writers clearly have), Barba will be facing a new threat, and maybe this is how he’ll respond to it.

Personal Misconduct

Again, a lot of you feel this could be it, and maybe you’re right.

@darkmeadow sent me an ask saying:

I have been burned by these writers too many times to think it will be something character-changing. So I agree with you that whatever it is probably won't be mentioned after that episode. For some reason, I really don't see it being something illegal. Barba is so smart, he wouldn't use his work email to confess or talk about a crime he committed or a law he bent to his own purposes. So that only leaves personal; maybe an inappropriate relationship? Ugh, it all kind of feels like a cheap trick

That’s what I think as well, about Barba being careful not to leave any evidence of any illegal shenanigans. But what kind of personal secret would threaten his career? An affair? So what? I mean, who is he fucking, lol? The DA, and that’s how he got the job? The DA’s spouse, and he wants to hide it? A convicted criminal? D:

If Barba is involved with someone mildly ‘inappropriate,’ like a cop or another ADA or a defense attorney like Rita, would that be “so big”? Who gives a crap? Unless “career-threatening” doesn’t necessarily mean “OMGGG A TERRIBLE SECRET!" and it just means "Barba might have to step down from his position at the DA’s office and go into private practice and make a lot of money”. Which is pretty underwhelming, if you ask me.

But what if he is having an affair and that’s the reason he did something illegal? A combo of the two? What if he shielded his significant other (who could be married, or a politician, or a defense attorney, etc) from scrutiny? What if his (current or former) significant other did something illegal and Barba covered it up, and now he’s forever implicated in that scandal? A sort-of redo of October Surprise?

Overall Comments

The emotion-toying anon sent me several comments, one of which I’ll post here (also, ET anon lol, I’m totally with you on the Sonny/Barba stuff and their potential, but I don’t think Benson’s possible FBI love interest is in any way involved with the Barba episode):

Can I just say how pissed off I am this Barba plot is in this POS season? Any other and we could have had Barba opting not to go to Liv but [trying to] soliciting help from Carisi; the cop he's closest to aside from Liv and who can talk to lawyer to lawyer. You'd have Carisi's lawyer/cop dilemma, and the "I'm going along with this bc I trust you, but I'm not sure we're going about this the right way" a la 17.05 - and then the fallout for both when Liv finds out. 

hehehehe Seriously though, it would be great if Barba turned to Sonny, like he did when the death threats hit, but this season that’s a pipe dream. I think Barba will turn to outside assistance, or he’ll take matters into his own hands. Because God forbid the writers integrate Barba as a character, and show him interacting with all his colleagues.

That said, I’m curious to see how the other detectives react. I hope we don’t just get Liv’s reaction lol what am i saying To be fair, though, we never did get Liv’s reaction to the death treats, so maybe now is the time?

Several anons asked if I think this could be setting up Barba’s exit (here’s an example):

Do you think Barba's Secret is a strategy to get rid of the character?

My answer is “maybe?” Again, I’m 90% sure this will be the standard “dramatic” character-centric episode, where Barba goes through something intense which is never mentioned again. But if Raul does want to leave (which I have no way of knowing), this could certainly jumpstart his exit. For what it’s worth, Raul is still filming, so whatever happens might happen during the season finale. We’ll have several more Barba episodes to look forward to, at the very least.

Lastly, a sweet anon sent me this, and I completely agree:

weirdly comforting to read all your barba theories, even the sad / scary ones, just to see other people flipping out as much as me! i hope it is something to do with him being a good person but it's scary he can't even go to benson about it when she's his best friend :(    

I'm glad you find comfort in these posts. That’s why I make them, so we can all flip out together :D

I’m with you, I just hope this doesn’t tarnish Barba’s character. Frankly, I don’t think it will. It’ll probably be something reckless, showing us that Barba can be a hothead, and maybe willing to bend the rules when it suits him (which we kinda knew already), but it won’t be something terrible.

GUYSSSSS

For reference, here is the original teaser/spoiler, here are my original theories (Part 1), and here’s a longer rundown of the theories you guys sent me (Part 2).

The new information is from here:

Question: Any scoop on the upcoming Law & Order: SVU episode where the D.A.’s office is hacked? Any hint on what sort of secrets about Barba will be revealed? —LaShawna

Ausiello: Without spilling exactly what it is, I can say that a secret so big and career-threatening is in play that Barba can’t even turn to Benson for support. Instead, he’ll choose a course of action that is, arguably, quite ill-advised.

UMMMMMM.

Career-threatening?

That has to involve some type of wrong-doing. A work-related incident. Something Barba did that’s so wrong, he could lose his career over it. Or something he’s accused of, of course, or something he’s being framed for. Could a personal secret have consequences that harsh? I’m not sure. unless, like, he’s having an affair with the DA’s spouse and his ass is soooo getting fired if that comes out

And he can’t turn to Benson for support? Why the hell not? Because it would implicate her, maybe? Because Barba wants to protect her, and maintain her plausible deniability in case the information is actually leaked?

Which would mean that Barba is guilty of something? Or maybe just involved in something shady?

GUYS.

The ill-advised course of action, that’s less shocking for Rafael “Here’s My Home Address” Barba. I wonder what it’ll be this time.

Seriously though, I’m genuinely excited for once this season. I was worried the secret would be boring, but it seems to be juicy!

Oh, please note that I am completely disregarding theories that Barba’s secret is purely criminal in nature, and his career is in jeopardy because this “secret” would ruin his reputation and destroy his character. If he is guilty of something, in my mind, it’ll be either:

a) a somewhat shady deal, something sneaky Barba figured he could get away with, because he thinks he’s slick,

or

b) a passionate, poignant decision he made in a moment of crisis, to help someone else (or himself?), something is legally sketchy but morally sound mostly lol.

I truly don’t think the writers are thinking that far ahead, unfortunately. Not for Sonny, and not for Barba. Regarding Sonny’s future, in a recent interview, Peter said “Honestly, I'm not really sure” and they’re currenty working on episode 14, so I’m assuming nothing concrete will have happened until that point. That said, Barba apparently has a “secret”, so I have some hope something interesting might be coming up for him.

As for Barba leaving, I wish I knew more about the duration of Raul’s contact, but I believe that Barba’s fate will simply be determined by that and/or Raul’s wishes at the end of the season. If he wants to stay on, no problem. If he wants to leave, Barba will leave (alive, hopefully).

If that does happen, the show will either have to get a new ADA, or (theoretically) shift Sonny into that position, and get a new detective. Same difference. Again, theoretically, it might be more interesting to have Sonny changing jobs, because that gives him a built-in character arc (former cop navigates life as a prosecutor), plus the squad gets a new member and they all have to work on establishing a new dynamic. Practically, though, it might be easier to hire a new actor to appear as an ADA, with limited appearances and no personal arc.

Barba’s popularity won’t matter, in my opinion. Raul has been with the show for many years now, and I feel he is the one who will ultimately decide. i mean, I don’t think he’ll get fired. Replaced just for the sake of being replaced. He appears to be well liked by his colleagues and (I assume) the writers/EPs, and I can’t imagine he’s particularly expensive, you know? Also, going by the fact Dodds still hasn’t been replaced, it seems that the current writers aren’t big on bringing in new people (because that would require the creation of an actual personality, maybe), so why get rid of Barba? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.