‘Law & Order: SVU’ Shocker! [Spoiler] Dead in Season 27 Premiere
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Law & Order: SVU Season 27 premiere “In the Wind.”]
Law & Order: SVU delivers a shocking blow moments into its Season 27 premiere on Thursday, September 25. Heading into the episode, we knew that Christopher Meloni (Elliot Stabler), BD Wong (Dr. George Huang), and Dean Winters (Brian Cassidy) would be back for the episode. But we couldn’t have predicted it would be to say goodbye to a beloved character.
The new season of SVU not only opens up with a major death — the actor doesn’t even appear! — but it also has Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Sergeant Odafin “Fin” Tutuola (Ice-T) discussing retirement, Fin being attacked, and the new chief of detectives offering Benson a new job!
Read on for a complete breakdown of the Season 27 premiere’s major moments.
Cragen’s dead?!
The premiere opens up with Benson walking into a bar for … Cragen’s wake?! (Dann Florek only appears in a video from his retirement party playing on the TV.) Yes, SVU killed Cragen off off-screen. Huang is the first to greet her with a hug and an offer to talk, then she bumps into Cassidy who makes it clear he’s on his way out. (But she’s OK with seeing her ex.)
Virginia Sherwood/NBC
“He was the best boss I ever had,” Benson says as she and ADA Sonny Carisi (Peter Scanavino) watch his speech on the TV. “Everything I know about being a captain, I learned from him.” She then tells Captain Renee Curry (Aimé Donna Kelly), “This one hit hard.”
And, as Benson later tells a rape survivor, who asks how she doesn’t get tired doing her job every day, “Are you good at what you do? Yeah, but you have this voice inside that tells you you’re not good enough, you’re not worthy. I get that because I have that same voice inside, but I had this really great boss, who believed in me and who told me I was worthy, and then eventually, I started to believe it. He worked a lot longer than he needed to because he was so good at his job and because it gave his life meaning. He and I were a lot alike, and I don’t think I fully realized it until after he was gone. … You are correct. These cases are hard. They’re brutal. You’re not wrong about that. But I am here with you. It is OK that you are tired because I’m not. And it’s OK if you don’t want to fight because I’m still going to fight for you.”
Stabler returns & shares a moment with Benson
On Benson’s way to a crime scene, she finds Stabler, leaning against her car, outside the bar. He doesn’t like funerals, he says. “I just feel like we’re entering into our all our friends are dying era,” she admits, and he agrees, calling it “the worst era.” They can’t go back, not that he’d want to, but “we had a pretty good run there for a minute,” he says. She points out, “We still do, just different.” They part with a hug and a “love you” from Stabler.
Virginia Sherwood/NBC
Fin’s attacked — what he hides from Benson
At Cragen’s wake, Fin reveals, after he and Benson encounter a retired NYPD officer, that he has thought about taking his pension and living a little while he still can. “Not like tomorrow,” he clarifies to Benson. “It’s crossed my mind. I don’t want to do this forever. Do you?”
On his way home from the bar, Fin interrupts an attack in progress, only to have been set up: He, in turn, is attacked, and his gun is taken. He confides in Detectives Terry Bruno (Kevin Kane) and Joe Velasco (Octavio Pisano), who are making sure that the Brooklyn cops on the case are doing their job (“They’re not like us” is an understatement), about his weapon but keeps it from Benson.
But Sergeant Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish, once again a series regular) clues Benson in because Intelligence had someone in the bar where Bruno and Velasco followed a lead. It’s a confidential report, and no one will see it, but she figured enough people were keeping the captain in the dark.
Benson then goes to see Fin in the hospital and calls him out on the fact that with how long they’ve worked together, she thought she put in the time and work to earn his trust. He protests he was protecting her, but she doesn’t need that. He apologizes.
Virginia Sherwood/NBC
“I know that we’re closer to the end than the beginning, I feel that I still have more to do, but we all need to decide how we want to go out. If you are willing to throw away all the years that we have worked together, all the trust that we have built, then maybe you should retire,” Benson tells him. “Just save us all the heartache.”
But he’s not going anywhere. “I thought this might have been a message for me to get out while I still can, but I’m not throwing anything away, Liv. And I’m not ready to retire until I earn your trust back,” Fin says.
Why is Benson arrested?
The case-of-the-week involves a woman who was raped by the man whose apartment she rented, and the only person who can ID him is the super, who’s worried about ICE arresting him. But with Benson appealing to his cousin and then him, he agrees to testify — only for ICE to show up at the precinct to bring him in. However, Benson has Velasco arrest him (he’s a material witness), and in turn, the lead agent cuffs her. That doesn’t last long; the next scene is Carisi freeing her, with an apology from the field office director for the misunderstanding.
But ICE is waiting to bring in the man after he takes the stand — the judge refuses to let them stay in her court — and Carisi assures him an immigration lawyer will be waiting at the detention center. Later, the new chief of detectives, Kathryn Tynan (Noma Dumezweni), tells Benson she made a couple calls and got him an S visa and he’s in the process of becoming a legal immigrant.
Will Benson retire? Chief offers her new job
Tynan first makes her appearance at Cragen’s wake, approaching Benson and praising her unbelievable clearance rate. She wants to talk big picture and work closely, she says, with Benson the standard she wants everyone to meet. (She also knew Cragen.)
Rollins then tells Benson that she started at the NYPD, moved to Philly, and is planning to bring in people from Philly. She values loyalty, is very hands on and politically connected. Rollins thinks changes are coming.
But Benson’s definitely not ready for one of those changes to be her. Tynan calls her into her office at 1PP and comments that she’s good at running her own police department, but she values communication (like with the situation with ICE). She also has an idea to run by her: She’s thinking about consolidating special victims across all five boroughs and creating a deputy chief position, which would be in 1PP. Every unit would report to that person — and Tynan wants it to be Benson.
Benson seems to be at a loss, but Tynan keeps trying to sell it to her. She’d have more authority and the opportunity to get everyone on the same page, and she’d be able to take what she does in her own squad and do it all over the city. “Kind of a great way to think about ending your career,” she adds.
But Benson makes it clear: “I’m not thinking about ending my career anytime soon.” Tynan agrees, adding she wouldn’t accept that, but “just down the line.” Benson’s not looking to make any changes. But then as she’s walking out, Tynan lets her know she’s bringing on someone new to her squad (with Fin recovering) and Benson can’t refuse — and she knows about Fin losing his gun. Uh-oh.
Has SVU set up Velasco’s exit?
The premiere ends with Velasco walking home when a car pulls up alongside him. The person inside tells him to get in, and he does. Will this lead to how SVU will be writing out Velasco with Pisano no longer a series regular?
What did you think of the SVU premiere, Cragen’s off-screen death, Benson’s job offer, Stabler’s return, and Fin possibly retiring? Let us know in the comments section below.
Law & Order: SVU, Thursdays, 9/8c, NBC
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Comments are closed on this story.
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O
They should have explained a few details about his death.
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E
Yes they've should
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G
Want stabler in all the eps going forward he’ll want him and liv back together period
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E
Me too, that new Chef should of asked Stabler to comeback to work for Benson
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O
The Love you to Liv is the writers messing with us!
Also loved that Mayhem also showed up! Hopefully he causes some mayhem with Liv and Elliot!
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P
Fin needs to stick around a little longer, as he said... to gain back Olivia's trust.. it's a good start for the Unit, hoping to see more interaction with the group
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E
Exactly Fin so of known better his anything from Olivia that's his best friend they've been though a lot together besides her and Stabler
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G
I was shocked that they had a memorial for Captain Cragen! He will be missed 🙏
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E
Yeah me too, yes he surely will.
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P
I think it all sounds good but SVU wouldn’t be the same without Fin. It’s time to put him in the captain’s seat now bigger and better job. I think Benson is ready to take that step of taking on that roll of being in charge of one big unit. Then she can make better changes to the way SVU system is ran across the city. And Fin can move up in her spot and they can work closer together to get the system working right again the way it should for the victims. The people need someone like her in charge of things and over seeing everything everywhere everyday.
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B
I personally think, that they are straying right off the track of what the show was about in the beginning, which was based on sexual crimes committed against individuals regardless of gender. Yes, every show like this needs to also include the personal lives of the officers involved, but i believe, get back to interesting cases and how they are solved by these amazing characters. Please don't loose the plot guys !
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N
Cragen's off-screen death was such a cop-out & a huge disappointment. For a character with such in-cannon longevity, you'd think the send-off would have been more substantial. I know Olivia will be a great Chief, but Cragen will be very missed.
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O
I wish they hadn't killed him off!
If they finally had Liv and Elliot get together and marry. Cragen would be the perfect one to walk her down the isle! I always thought this but now it won't happen!
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G
Loved Cragen man he was the father figure both benson and stabler deserved 🫡🫡
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Yes he sure was
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C
I think they rushed all the plots. How did cragen die? Why have past characters on to have one line? Where have they been? What are they doing? They whole show rushed. Hope better writing next episode. This is my favorite show. Welcome back Amanda .
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C
I think for all the years Cragen was on the show he deserved a much better ending to his character. He was so very much a part of what the show was and is, it’s a shame that the handled it so poorly
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P
Bring back “Organized Crime”'!
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G
how does the new boss know Fin got his gun back? Olivia doesn't even know. bad job of editing.
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B
NYPD Intelligence knew about the stolen gun. That's how Rollins found out and finally told Olivia. I'm sure the chief of detectives knew before Rollins did. LOL everyone in NYPD knew before Olivia
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O
Can someone explain Fin's gun to me? I guess I'm confused about why it was a big deal that his gun was taken when he was assaulted and was scu a secret?
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O
I think it's because wasn't reported stolen.
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E
Now let's talk about Stabler saying I love you to Benson. What you all think?
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O
They're just messing with us!
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O
I have the same question about why the loss of Finn's gun is anything to be secret or ashamed about. He was badly beaten, and the perps took his gun. He's the victim here. Yeah, I know that Finn feels embarrassed that he was played and walked into an ambush, but really, it wasn't his fault. If it's that the gun wasn't reported stolen, I can't see that explanation either. That would be a fault of the cops who reported the attack and requested EMTs. Finn was barely conscious. Why wouldn't the officers report that Finn's gun was stolen?? Not Finn's fault, certainly. And it becomes a big deal in this episode, with Benson lecturing him on trust.
Sigh. Sorry. For some reason, this plot point bothers me. I welcome theories! Thank you!
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P
I have watched SVU for years now being 81 years young so you can tell how long I have watched and enjoyed it all including when Christopher Maloni was in it too
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R
Shame on NBC and the program for their shameful negative depiction of ICE. A show about police and law enforcement trashing a law enforcement agency is pure hyprocrisy.
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B
Oh please. If anything, they depicted ICE far better than reality. No shoving women or old people to the ground, no snatching legal citizens off the streets due to their skin color, no cowardly hiding behind masks. At least this fictional ICE in the show was depicted as simply doing their jobs and going after someone who was not documented and had a criminal record, albeit he may have been innocent.
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M
This was a strange episode that felt like a sendoff in more ways than one.
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O
I love the excitement! I love the svu Rollercoaster I'm on! Best show EVER!
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P
Don't really care, this show has been on the air for far too long.
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B
Then why do you call yourself Benson Stabler...
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