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SVU: January 2022

 We're around halfway through the new SVU season, and fresh episodes resume this Thursday.


To me, the season has been uneven. A definite highlight was "They'd Already Disappeared," about a LISK-esque serial killer who targets prostitutes (suspecting that no one will speak up once the prostitutes are missing). I also liked Olivia Benson's emotional struggles in "The 500th Episode" (when Aidan Quinn emerged and seemed nice, and then seemed not-so-nice).

I loved Kat's resignation, and her challenge to Olivia: "Is the NYPD really any different now from pre-BLM days?"

On the other hand, the re-packaging of Adnan Syed's story felt a bit trite and by-the-book, and I have no idea what the writers want to do with Barba. I find Barba mystifying. He basically kills a baby, then gets to keep his license because he is such a smart guy. He reappears years later as a Darth Vader figure, willing to defend even the dastardly Dylan McDermott. (And I can't drum up much interest in Dylan McDermott. It might be time to retire "Organized Crime.")

Barba seems awful now--but then he refuses to be McDermott's full-time right-hand man. So maybe he is not entirely awful? Or maybe he will completely cave, reverse his position, and take on a full-time contract with Dylan McDermott? (Actually, I would like to have an answer here.)

Other questions for the remaining episodes:

*Will Rollisi work? (SVU tends not to invest in long-term romantic relationships, maybe because an "attached" character is an inherently less dynamic force than a "half-attached" character. But can Rollisi prove to be the exception?)
*Olivia may have misread the new boss, who initially seemed like a dinosaur, but then showed intelligence and heart in the LISK case. Who is this guy--really? Can Olivia work with him?

I'm looking forward to Thursday.
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