Lately, Law & Order: SVU has felt redundant, while Law & Order has returned to its roots, handling cases with care and sensitivity.
Law & Order Season 25 has felt reminiscent of Law & Order: SVU because the series featured sex-related crimes, and the murders seemed more grey than cut and dried.
These were the old-school kinds of cases that drew audiences in because they affected the main characters and the victims.
As Law & Order turned 25, the series demonstrated it still had the heart and fire we missed in a procedural.
Law & Order Season 25 Showcased Heartbreaking and Grey Sex-Related Crimes
There were no words for how excited I was that the Law & Order Season 25 premiere actually picked up with the team suspecting Sam of killing Carter Mills for raping and killing her sister.
It was much-needed character development and demonstrated how difficult it is to prosecute murder for scumbags when everyone was cheering that he was dead.
The more they dug, the more they learned that Carter Mills was a jerk. I couldn’t believe Sam still wanted to prosecute the case, despite feeling empathy for Julia.
She developed a backbone when she admitted that if Carter had been put in jail, he wouldn’t have been able to hurt Julia, and that’s why she fought for a lighter sentence.
It was harsh, but hard to argue with.
The second case wasn’t as cut and dried because, sadly, teen bullying has become a regular occurrence.
Sending doctored nude photos definitely crossed the line, and I felt so sorry for Cassie Moore. Part of me hoped Nolan would lose, especially when I learned his girlfriend was Cassie’s therapist.
What an awful predicament. It looked like they also went for self-defense because she was scared, but then Sam found texts to Cassie’s therapist.
These cases weren’t open and shut, though. These women had been hurt, and while they shouldn’t have committed murder, it wasn’t black and white.
These Cases Forced Sam and Nolan to Make Difficult Choices, Strengthening Their Characters
The first two episodes of Law & Order Season 25 sent Sam and Nolan through the ringer.
In both cases, the jury was sympathetic to the suspect due to what the woman had gone through.
Carter Mills raped Julia Keaton, so it looked like she might win the self-defense claim. Just as she was about to accept a lesser charge, she accidentally blurted out that she meant to kill him to Sam.
Now Sam wanted him dead too, but she felt obligated to tell Nolan and asked him to still accept the plea, that they didn’t need to make things worse, and he agreed.
They trusted each other for the first time.
Nolan was put in a worse position when he was forced to make his girlfriend testify that a client of hers had texted that she was going to kill a boy who’d concocted nude photos of her.
His girlfriend was bound by therapist-patient confidentiality, and that put her in a tight spot. I’m shocked and impressed that she even talked to Nolan after that case.
Don’t throw fruit at me. Nothing could ever take the place of Olivia Benson or Mariska Hargitay, but Law & Order: SVU has started to become redundant.
She’s one of the saving graces of the series, while the revival of Law & Order came back full steam ahead in Season 25.
Sam, Nick, and Nolan Are a Dynamic Trio
Showing the DA’s make difficult choices has made the lawyers stronger. Nick Baxter, Nolan Price, and Sam Maroun have bonded more as a team now that all three have faced adversity.
While they still want to win, they’re more willing to consider plea deals in extenuating circumstances, and that’s growth.
They’ve started to consider that situations are not always equal, and that’s something that relates to sex crimes when women are assaulted, harassed, or bullied.
How lenient should the system be when a victim kills her attacker?
Do You Feel the Same?
I’m relieved that Law & Order has addressed this important issue.
Over to you, Law & Order Fanatics.
Have you enjoyed that Law & Order returned to its roots with these thought-provoking episodes? Would you like to see more character-centric episodes?
Let me know in the comments.
Agree? Disagree? Have a theory?
Let us know in the comments, or share this article with someone who will want to argue about it with you. That’s what makes it fun.
If you enjoy our Law & Order franchise coverage, yours truly also covers Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent. We cover many other Dick Wolf shows, including Chicago PD. Interested in more analytical and passionate pieces? Check out our editorials and op-eds.
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