Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 7 Round Table: Did Carisi Go Too Far?

Carisi spent most of Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 7 chasing after a pedophile he was afraid would hurt someone, while the official case of the week involved a serial rapist targeting sex workers on the street.

Did Carisi go too far? Was the case of the week done well?

TV Fanatic writers Laura Nowak, Jasmine Blu, Sara Trimble, and Jack Ori share their thoughts about this and more on our Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 7 Round Table.

What are your thoughts about the way Carisi seemed to be hyperfocusing on the pedophile who had stared at Jessie? Was it too much or was he right to be making it such a priority?

Laura: I love that the series has made Carisi a priority. We haven’t often seen the dad’s point of view since Stabler or Nick was on the show.

Carisi is different than both of them with his law background and having to raise the kids while Amanda was away.

While it was a bit much, we know Liv would have been protective if it had been Noah, and I’m glad he brought that up.

Jasmine: I mean, they made him right and validated him, of course, but I feel as an ADA, he was doing way too much on Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 7 and overstepping a lot.

It was one of those episodes in which we saw Carisi bounce back and forth between being a cop and a lawyer.

He was definitely venturing into vigilante mode, and I was cringing the whole time. I love a good vigilante in certain situations, but it was bothering me here.

Sara: It was awkward for me as well.

Working in SVU makes you aware of the icky things most of us don’t notice. And when it came to his kids, Carisis’s father instincts went into overdrive, nearly pushing him over the line for what an ADA does.

To be truthful, he was quite annoying in this episode.

Once he realized he was right, he focused on punishing a guy for something he hadn’t done instead of helping prevent something.

Jack: I’m with you, Sara and Jasmine. I felt what he was doing bordered on harassment and misuse of his power as an ADA.

How well did Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 7 do at illustrating some of the issues that make it difficult for sex workers to come forward if they are sexually assaulted?

Laura: This was one of my favorites this season so far. I thought they did a wonderful job illustrating their challenges, from their own self-doubt to trusting cops.

Jasmine: I thought they did well.

I especially appreciated how they depicted the community network that the sex workers have because it’s so realistic.

Certain vulnerable communities have to form their own networks because they’re either forgotten about or criminalized by the people who are supposed to crack down on things.

It reminds me of how the unhoused have their networks and communities of trusted people or queer communities.

I also appreciated that they captured the distrust and wariness of being someone of color, in this case, sex workers, dealing with the police.

Race and social class are frankly what separates some sex work from being criminalized versus others.

We see that in the distinction between street sex work, usually comprised of victims of abuse, etc, versus high-end services and sites like Only Fans or whatever. 

It didn’t matter that Bruno had helped Wallen before or that he and Fin were clear in their desires and not punishing them; the dynamic between these two entities is a fractured one with little trust.

Episodes like this are when I miss characters like Sister Peg.

Sara: This episode highlighted the struggles people on the “wrong side of the law” have when they become victims.

Because they are “criminals” in the police’s minds, their cases do not get the same attention or results.

If they don’t know better, a victim wouldn’t know they could reach out to a department like SVU, which would treat them like everyone else, regardless of social class or criminality.

Jack: Jasmine, thank you for sharing your knowledge about race and class issues.

I know of these things from my experience as a social worker, but it’s indirect, and I’d much rather hear from someone who has more direct knowledge than speak on them myself.

That said, I picked up on the race/class factor as well on Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 7, and thought that was well done.

I also thought it was interesting that one of the sex workers they spoke to was either transgender or gender non-conforming.

That’s something that also isn’t talked about enough.

They couldn’t focus on it in this episode, but many transgender young people, especially transgender women, turn to sex work if they’re kicked out of their homes by transphobic parents.

Wallen had Bruno’s card in her wallet from her previous rape. What did you think about this connection to Bruno on Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 7?

Laura: I love throwbacks to previous cases. It was heartwarming to see she still had his card and knew who to call, even if she was still distrustful of cops. I’m glad she finally opened up to him.

Jasmine: It was a good episode for Bruno. I really enjoyed his dynamic with Wallen and how much tenderness and care he showed her even when she was at her most cautious.

I love it when Bruno’s genuine passion for the job comes through, and he shows us why he’s still at this when he doesn’t actually need to be. 

He made her feel safe, and that was something she could bank on in her time of need. He definitely resonated with her enough for her to keep his card and reach out.

Sara: I loved the connection to Bruno. He’s currently my second favorite SVU officer, behind his partner Fin.

He did a great job of showing respect and compassion for the victim and proving that he wanted to help rather than just close another case.

He cares about what he does, and it’s great to see he’s not doing it for the check.

Jack: Bruno is my favorite of the newest detectives.

I’m glad Wallen had him in her corner and that she trusted him to a degree.

Did you think it was necessary for Wallen to view the video of her assault in order to help the cops catch the guy?

Laura: That’s hard. She needed to identify the guy, but watching the assault again seemed too much.

It really seemed to trigger her, and rightfully so. I felt for her.

Jasmine: No! I thought that was incredibly traumatizing and was surprised that they resorted to that.

It didn’t feel like a last ditch effort thing, it was just sort of, BOOM. 

Sara: I found it highly odd and insensitive.

There was no reason for her to have to watch the video of her being victimized again when there was nothing to gain from the viewing.

The victim couldn’t get anything more from the video than the police, so she had no business watching it. It was traumatizing and surprising that Olivia agreed with it.

Jack: Agreed with all of the above. I felt it was unnecessary to re-traumatize Wallen that way.

They could have simply asked her to describe what the man who harassed her in the car was wearing and gotten the detail of the button being missing without Wallen watching the video.

What did you think of the subplot of the pedophile wanting help before he hurt someone?

Laura: Initially, I feared Carisi was going to hit the guy. It was an interesting way to feature pedophiles and try to stop them before they hurt someone. It was a good thing then that Carisi was focused on him.

Jasmine: I thought it was interesting in the sense of adding some complexity to this situation.

It’s not unheard of that there are people who have these urges and have the conscience to want to prevent things.

But there’s also the matter of what preventative measures even look like. Do we need to foster an environment for people like that to seek help before offending and actually get it before they cause harm?

I thought it was something that needed more than to be a B-List storyline. I don’t know.

Sara: Other shows have taken a similar route and shown the steps that afflicted people take to get help for their problems.

In this instance, it was good that the man wanted help and that Carisi and Benson took the time to help direct him. But from what I’ve seen and read about these programs, some end up making offenders worse.

Even more terrifying, some just put different pedos into contact with each other, like a social club for pedos. It’s nauseating.

Jack: I agree with Jasmine that this should have been a bigger story so that it could be explored in-depth.

It’s a complex issue and one that mental health practitioners don’t talk about enough.

I don’t have direct experience with it, but when I was interning at a non-profit that helped people caught up in the criminal justice system, I was assigned a client who had been arrested for exposing himself on the subway and related offenses.

Through working with him, I learned that some people truly don’t want to act this way and that we can all benefit, as a society, by getting those who are open to it help so that they don’t continue to hurt people.

But again, there’s not enough research into what actually works to help people in this position, and as Sara said, some programs enable behavior instead of stopping it.

In any case “not being able to help it” should never be a reason not to hold people accountable for sexual assault.

Discuss anything not covered above that’s on your mind about Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 7.

Laura: It was great to see Curry again. Bruno and Fin really make a winning team.

Jasmine: Bruno and Fin remain my favorite duo these days. They bring humor and heart, and I’m always locked in with their storylines.

I get my best laughs and moments of levity due to them and their chemistry!

Sara: While Fin and Bruno definitely stole the show, I found myself focusing a bit more on the female duo, since we’re still not too familiar with either of them.

I want to get to know and like all the SVU members like in the old days. It’s just so hard to connect with anyone.

Jack: I agree about Bruno and Fin. I couldn’t stop laughing when Fin made Bruno pay the ladies for their time.

What was your favorite scene, story, or quote from Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 7?

Laura: I loved the beginning when Bruno recognizes Wallen and is relieved she called him and embraces her. It was obvious he cared about her. We don’t often see him emotional in cases.

Jasmine: Bruno awkwardly holding the baby did me in. LOL!

Sara: Agreed about the baby part. I’m always a sucker for a man holding an infant.

But I also loved the part about Fin giving Bruno the shakedown and making him pay the hookers for their time. Who walks around with that much cash these days?

And did he seek reimbursement from the department or consider it money well spent since those ladies definitely needed the cash?

Jack: That was my favorite scene too, Sara. As I said above, that cracked me up big time.

Over to you, SVU fanatics! We want to hear YOUR answers to these questions.

Hit the comments with those or any other thoughts.

Law & Order: SVU airs on NBC on Thursdays at 9/8c and Peacock on Fridays.

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