Let me know if I missed one or three

Bonuses:

It wasn't that you previously couldn’t have episode which centered around one or more of the main cast member, but now it feels like every episode is written that way.

This is done in two ways. Either one or more members of the cast are personally connected to the crime.

This can be effective and, if done right, help develop the character. Barba in October Surprise, Amaro with his abusive father, Rollins and her abusive family and old creepy superior, Carisi and his family and when dealing with the Catholic church.

Or ineffective, such as when Noah contracted measles during the episode on anti-vaxx. In these cases it is almost as if the writers think we as an audience are incapable of connecting with the victims or understanding why this is a crime, if it is not filtered through one of the characters (here usually Olivia). In this episode they could have better shown the ramifications of not vaccinating if half the episode hadn’t been focused on Noah, who is in serious need of therapy, after all the things he has been put through in an incredibly short amount of time.

or it’s done through the characters causing drama (for drama’s sake). What they did to Barba, was completely out of character and came out of left field. There was no reason for it, even with Raul leaving. They could have written an exit episode that made sense and didn’t butcher a beloved character. It seemed to have been written to stir up drama just because. Is there a need to be contention between Olivia and Stone? But also things such as romantic drama between the cast members (see the idiotic decision to force Carisi and Rollins together. At no point did it make sense to have Carisi try to kiss Rollins). And as always all the time Olivia and/or Noah has been targeted. Seriously, even working for the police, how many times can these things happen to you?

It is not that internal drama cannot be used but it is boring and ridiculous when it seems as if the one or more of the cast members are constantly personally involved in whatever they are investigating, especially as they should know that they would mean that they aren’t allowed to stay on the case.

These are also connected to how Olivia has been turned more into a mouthpiece to deliver a heavy-handed monologue to explain why sexual crime = bad, than just a character. And this, especially in season 18, wasn’t even done well. In almost every episode in season 18, we had Olivia delivering a passionate monologue, often to the victim herself, that what had happened to her was bad. Something which previous seasons had managed to convey throughout the episode through competent writing. But since season 18 was a season of ‘is it really rape if the woman/girl was raped in these situations, and when the man is seems to be compassionate or a really nice guy’, they needed someone to explain why, ‘yes rape is bad’ typically at the end of the episode. It didn’t help that this was usually done by Olivia, who, and this has unfortunately started to continue in season 19, is so focused on catching the rapist, she is not just lying to the victims (saying that facing them in court will bring closure, but healing is not that linear), but also ‘re-raping’ them, by disregarding their wish, to not bring charges, but instead run over them like a bulldozer, and forcing them to do so, against their will - you know just like that guy decided he knew best and disregarded her saying no to sex.