Danger swirls around the squad as they investigate a suspect for rape and try to protect their key witness. A new chief of detectives puts Benson to the test. An off-duty Fin tries to stop an assault in progress.
For fifteen seasons, Cragen served as captain of the Manhattan SVU. In the beginning, the unit was laughed at and dismissed. He transformed it into a precinct with one of the best closure rates in the city. He was at peace when he retired because he knew Olivia could step up and continue this honorable work. After nearly 30 years, this remains what she is best at. She will advocate for victims even when they are tired and defeated. She has the strength to make a difference in the world. And yet, she's entering a new era herself. People she knows are dying. Cragen had a fulfilling retirement. He was willing to stop by whenever Olivia and Stabler needed him. His leadership provided them with all the tools they needed to shine on this job. He talked about how proud he was whenever he saw them. That mentality continued until the end. It's bittersweet to see so many familiar faces at Cragen's memorial. It highlights the love and affection that transcends decades of relationships. It's most significant between Olivia and Stabler. It's easy to declare love. They maintain that trust. It hasn't blossomed into something more. That's always a possibility. Right now though, Olivia and Fin are focused on the future and how much time they have left on the job.
Retirement is just a passing comment at the memorial. Olivia is surprised to learn Fin has thought about it. It could have become even more likely after he's assaulted in Brooklyn. He gets rolled by a couple. They stole his gun. He doesn't tell Olivia. Instead, he instructs Velasco and Bruno to find his weapon. He insists that he was trying to protect Olivia from any potential blowback. She sees it as a betrayal of their trust. They have always looked out for each other. That changed for some reason. Olivia only learned what happened because Rollins was monitoring the bar Velasco and Bruno visit. All of this gets mentioned in a report that makes its way to the new Chief of Detectives, Kathryn Tynan. She praises Olivia's work. She even helps resolve the immigration status of a key witness in the case Olivia is working. She also flexes how much she knows about the department. She may have spent a decade away but she understands how the system operates. She has big ideas about the future. She won't take no for an answer. She wants to uplift Olivia. She will make that happen even though Olivia is reluctant to change anything in her life at the moment.
Olivia was willing to get arrested to support a victim. She leaves the memorial to respond. She offers the trademark compassion she is known for. The show once again delivers its thesis statement as it kicks off its 27th season. It does so with full awareness of the past. Olivia takes a moment to reflect on how special it was to have Cragen as her captain. She never fully appreciated that until he was gone. That's even more final now. She uses that spirit to uplift and encourage others. She doesn't want Ella to shy away after her assault. She deserves to accept the job she is good at. Olivia is focused on making Ella's rapist pay. That's her purview in law enforcement. The investigation is made more difficult by the prevalence of immigration authorities in the city. Olivia and Curry are capable of building trust with witnesses. All of that threatens to go away in a raid. Jorge Ruiz has been in the country for over 20 years. He works an honorable job too. He is a contributing member of society. Yet he's frightened. He's forced into hiding. Carisi must get an indictment without his testimony. He needs Ruiz to secure a conviction. Otherwise, the rapist will go free. No one gives up hope. In the end, everything goes well. The criminal is punished and Ruiz is placed on a path to citizenship.
All of this seems to be operating with a sense of finality though. Even after so many seasons on air, I'm not particularly ready to say goodbye to SVU. That's not even an official fact. It's just the way the story conducts itself in this premiere. It's prevalent throughout the conversation about retirement. A new face is coming into SVU despite Olivia's reservations. Meanwhile, Velasco is on his way out. The audience has that knowledge. Octavio Pisano was set to depart as a series regular at the conclusion of the prior season. He came back to provide more closure for Velasco. He's given that luxury. It wasn't extended to Silva. Her absence isn't noted at all. The junior detectives have been a rotating cast of figures lately. The consistency comes from those in command. In that regard, something more hopeful has occurred with the regular return of Rollins. She's still working out of intelligence for now. Meanwhile, Fin refuses to retire until he earns Olivia's trust back. That places him on a mission. Olivia doesn't even want to entertain that question for herself right now. She has clashed with chiefs supervising her before. She understands that pressure. She knows how to work the system. Her precinct is a well-oiled machine despite the changes. Olivia's presence makes it more rewarding and successful. As such, the show can never truly be done so long as Olivia still has work to do.
