The “Ballad of Dwight And Irena” was a song that I’ve heard before too many times: an abusive man is killed and a child takes the rap to help protect his mother. (Sometimes it’s the reverse – the parent covers for the child.) In this case, it was Will, the verbally and physically abused vegan boy who first confessed. The vegan revelation was a tip-off that he didn't do it as a vegan would NEVER kill anything (sarcasm intended). Seriously now, this episode was too predictable. I was more interested in the lawsuit against Fin which was peppered throughout the episode, just enough to break the momentum of the case surrounding Dwight’s not-so-accidental death.
A pet peeve of mine is the SVU getting involved in a homicide case. I don’t know how blurred the lines are in reality in Manhattan, but it seems to me that a murder case – or any “death by misadventure” - would normally be handled by homicide. In an investigation for that type of case, I suspect that the SVU would get involved to shed light on allegations of abuse, but not lead the investigation of the death. Maybe if someone from homicide had led the questioning with Irena or Will the truth would have come out sooner. Irena was being given bad advice by her lawyer, but the fact that Irena let her son go to trial as an adult is pretty messed up. As disgusting (and verbally abusive and controlling) as Counselor Calabrese was, he was 100% correct – Carisi and Benson were handing Irena a get out of jail free card. The SVU seemed to be working harder to prove Irena or Will were justified in killing Dwight than they were in determining if a murder was committed. I still wonder if one was.
We get closure on the lawsuit filed against Fin and the NYPD for the shooting of Leon Fuller in the episode “The Things We Have To Lose” (the season 21 finale). The NYPD settled with Joelle for $2 million and Fin is told it’s due to “optics.” Viewers know that it was a good shooting and that Fin really was trying to save the life of Joelle and Andre. But, as Fin wisely observes, these days the police are viewed as the bad guys. Sadly, settling out of court like this does nothing to clear Fin’s name and he will always have that shooting hanging over his head and be “another trigger-happy cop that kills a Black man.” At least Fin has learned that the next time he discovers someone violated their parole he will just turn them in. We do hear some happy news for Fin: apparently he’s in a relationship with someone named Phoebe.
Kat feels like she’s on a short leash with Benson, but Rollins explains why Benson was being cautious in a domestic violence situation. Benson will never forget or forgive herself for Mike Dodds’ death and neither should anyone on the force responding to a DV call.
Pippa Cox returns to serve as Will’s defense attorney. She last appeared in the Law & Order SVU episode "Collateral Damages" where her husband was caught with child porn and he ended up in prison. In Will’s case, she was unable to cut through Will’s tough exterior to help flush out that he confessed to Dwight’s murder to cover for his mother. Of course, Carisi and Benson help to save the day.
What was the purpose of the constant low camera angles? Was it to make us feel like we were watching this from a child’s perspective? I found it mildly annoying.
Highly annoying was the inconsistency in the wearing of face masks and in social distancing. Either wear the face masks and socially distance correctly or not at all. Taking off a face mask when standing close to others, or not having everyone wear them in a courtroom, is confusing to viewers. Yes, I do understand that viewers may find it more annoying to see the actors in face masks all the time. But the removal of the mask in situations where one is needed the most is awkward at best and I'm finding that it seems to pull me "out" of the episode and back to reality.
Here is the recap:
Flashback to the events in Law & Order SVU “The Things We Have To Lose” where Fin shoots and kills Leon in order to protect Leon’s son Andre.
Fin is in a deposition where Joelle Fuller explained she didn’t know Leon was being paroled until Fin told her. That’s when she let Fin know he was reaching out to her and her son Andre and she asked Fin not to report it to Leon’s parole officer. She said Fin told her it was a violation and he would have to report it and Leon would go back to prison. Fin’s attorney presses her on this but Joelle’s attorney states the law is clear and Fin was obligated to report it. Fin’s attorney asks Joelle if she wanted Leon out on parole so he could pay child support, and she shouts what she didn’t want her son to see his father shot and bleed out on the kitchen floor. Fin recalls the events in his mind.
Meanwhile, in the apartment of Irena Nowak at 71 Nagle Avenue on Friday, September 18, Irena and Dwight are having sex and she complains he should have called before showing up. He complains back at her about his long drive and that he brought something for his daughter. She asks next time if he could bring something for Will and he says he ain’t his kid. Leann opens the door calling for her mother, saying she is hungry and Will is right behind her. Will offers to help and Dwight becomes angry and yells at him to shut the door. Will slams the door and Dwight calls him a fruit tart. Irena offers to make breakfast and Dwight suggests the get married, the way she busts his balls she might as well be his wife. She asks if that is a proposal.
Irena prepares breakfast and when Will reaches for more food, Dwight becomes angry, grabbing his arm roughly and calling him a little thief, accusing him of grabbing his bacon. Will says he is a vegan but Dwight calls him a liar and he continues to hurt Will. He tells Will if he doesn’t toughen up the world will run right over him. He motions he will hit Will and Will recoils, but Irena tries to distract him with more coffee. He pays more attention to his daughter.
Back at SVU, Benson is on the phone with Fin, walking into her office with Rollins. She tells Fin she is so sorry and tells him to hang in there. When she ends the call Rollins is surprised it has been 5 hours and he is still be deposed, saying this is not right Joelle is suing him as he saved Andre’s life. Benson says Joelle is in a long term abusive relationship and she identifies with her abuser. Rollins knows this but says Fin is the last man who deserves this. Kat races in and asks if it is okay if she takes a run to Fort George. Benson questions if Kat wants to tell her why. Kat explains a nurse for I.S. 196 called and said a boy came in with bruising. Rollins asks what the kid told her, and Kat replies he was evasive. The nurse called the mom and overheard a domestic situation. Benson says a DV should go to the local precinct, but Kat adds there is a daughter in the apartment and the nurse is worried about sexual abuse. Benson says okay and tells Rollins to go with and stresses if it sounds like a situation they wait. for. backup. They exit Benson’s office.
In the hall, Kat comments to Rollins that Benson still has her on a short leash, and Rollins says it’s not her, explaining that four years ago they lost a good man on a DV call – Chief Dodds’ son – and Benson has never forgiven herself. [As they step into the elevator, the camera zooms in on Mike Dodds’ photo hanging on the wall.]
At Irena’s, Kat knocks on the door and when there is no answer the super says she is home and he saw that jerk leave without her. Rollins asks “what jerk” and he replies to leave him out of this. He lets them in and they find Irena unconscious on the floor and the place otherwise empty. Kat calls for a bus.
