Law & Order SVU "fans" seem to fall into two camps these days -- haters who used to love the series but now spam review pages -- and loyal viewers who are thrilled to see a classic show evolve.
This particular case-of-the-week is an outlier -- a courtroom showdown between Carisi and his former mentor Rafael Barba as they square off in the trial of mob boss Richard Wheatley, (Dylan McDermott) who typically operates as Elliot Stabler's nemesis on the adjacent series "Law & Order Organized Crime."
Of course any enemy of Stabler means high stakes for Benson too, the kind of tension SVU has missed in recent years. In this ep she's also at odds with old pal Barba, (guest star Raul Esparza) whose decision to rep Wheatley hurts her deeply.
Though the manner in which SVUxOC intertwine could sometimes be choppy last season (notably on the SVU side) this particular episode was part of a seamless crossover that played like a feature film, including a coupla heartstopping twists.
As Benson's evolution from ace detective/third wheel in her partner's life, to badass single mom Captain (SVU 2.0) played out over the last two decades, not all of it measured up to the show's 1.0 brilliance. But now is a new day entirely -- juiced by OC's more sophisticated look and writing, plus OG sparks whenever Benson & Stabler share the screen.
Mariska Hargitay, who as Olivia holds the primetime TV record for playing one character continuously (23 years), seems more engaged than she has in years, the variety of recent scenes with McDermott, Esparza, Danielle Mone Truitt (Ayanna Bell), Allison Siko (Kathleen) and Chris Meloni clearly energizing her.
Despite the courtroom theatrics, "The People vs. Richard Wheatley" will likely be best remembered as the episode that finally progressed -- ever so slightly -- the EO storyline. After she calls out Stabler for months of selfish behavior, he quickly straightens up in the adjoining OC episode.
These two have what can never be manufactured in any lab: Rare chemistry, even now as seniors (in the second hour Stabler is revealed to be a grandfather), all of which remains interesting viewing because how the he!l often do TV characters get to work out their stuff over decades?