Spoilers Ahead
featuring spoilers from Law and Order: SVU’s “Nationwide Manhunt”.
Ding dong the creep is dead.
Case Summary: Yates escapes from prison and targets Lindsay, but it all comes down to his past with his biological family.
Review | Analysis: While I thought tonight’s episode was incredibly intriguing, it’s one of those that sadly leaves me with very little to analyze. And for those who are familiar with my work, you know my favorite part of the series involves discussing the core characters. That said, though there’s not much I can analyze, there are a few things worth mentioning, and most importantly, performances that need to be acknowledged and properly praised.
There are some TV deaths you’re able to get over and moved on from, but there are others that’ll always break your heart when you think of them. Nadia Decotis is one of those people for me. She deserved so much better than what she got, and the fact that she could never be a cop will never not sadden a bunch of us. Just as much as a lot of us viewers were upset about her death, so was Erin Lindsay — and she broke in such a way where for a while, it appeared as though she was beyond repair. And unsurprisingly, the MVP of tonight’s episode was Sophia Bush.
From beginning to end Sophia Bush’s performance was hauntingly devastating — you felt every ounce of the emotions she was experiencing, and through her performance, you felt the aching absence of Nadia even more than before. There were obvious tinges of heartbreak, but most prominently visible was her rage. However, the uncertainty exhibited towards the end when she wasn’t even sure how she felt left the most lasting effect. Erin killed Yates, and in doing so, not only stopped him from harming anyone else, but in a sense, she was the one to get revenge. He set out for it, but she got it. And revenge as we’re always told is ultimately never as satisfying as we imagine it to be. When Jay asks Erin how she’s doing, her response could not have been more perfect. “I don’t know yet.” Neither do I, girl. Neither do I. Did anyone else’s heart shatter into a million tiny little pieces when the picture of Nadia and Erin was visible in her locker? It was a sweet emblem of friendship in such a dark episode and every time Nadia was brought up or thought of, you could see Bush give it her absolute all to make sure the audience sees just how much Erin’s attempting to hold back tears. You could see and understand her dedication from miles away and perhaps the best part of her performance is the fact that if you were to walk into the series not knowing what had happened, you would’ve still felt the importance of Nadia to Erin. I could go on and on raving about Sophia Bush’s performance, but we’d seriously be here all day — give the woman her Emmy already. Or rather, all the awards.
In a lot of ways, this series is wonderful, but the lack of strong female friendships saddens me. That’s why crossovers with SVU are always my favorite. If we could get a spin-off series with Benson and Lindsay, I’d happily watch — about 17,230 times. And in tonight’s episode especially, I’m so glad the series gave us a remarkable heart-to-heart. Their conversation was inspiring — a perfect reminder of the fact that when women are good to each other, all’s right in the world. I cannot even begin to express how much I love the fact that there’s zero jealousy or ridiculous pettiness between these two, but rather the respect they have for one another is through the roof. It was incredible of Benson to remind Lindsay of the fact that she’s a phone call away, but most importantly I loved seeing them both in such a vulnerable, raw place. Benson and Lindsay are indescribably strong women, but they’re real and that means they’re not only imperfect, but they’re capable of falling. And a conversation like this is a pristine reminder of the fact that just because a woman’s capable of being vulnerable, confused, and broken, it doesn’t take away from her strength — it only adds to it. Much like in last week’s heart-to-heart with Burgess, I love that the underlying theme comes out to be the expectations of a female cop. People are always going to perceive female detectives differently than men, but the fact of the matter is, if these women can love and respect one another, it leaves so much more room for men to see them as equals. And although Chicago P.D. lacks heavily in female friendships, the fact that the women (excluding Bunny) respect one another in all districts is incredible.
What’s also worth noting is the fact that even Voight knows Lindsay needs a positive female figure in her life who’s been through it all. And I loved the fact that he chose to acknowledge that by telling Benson her importance goes far beyond her skills as a detective. Can we please keep her in Chicago?
While I loved how often Jesse Lee Soffer bared Halstead’s concerns for Lindsay, I wish we could’ve gotten some sort of casual intimacy with the two. When it comes to TV shows I may be in the minority when I say I geek out most over the smallest things pertaining to couples. Watch The Americans to see how casual intimacy is done properly.
Tonight’s episode would’ve been the perfect opportunity to showcase their love in the simplest ways: a forehead kiss, holding onto her hand for a moment, or a hug. A quick moment that would’ve essentially spoken volumes. If you’ve been reading my work for a while now then you know how much I adore the work Bush and Soffer do with their eyes alone — I’ll happily geek out over those forever, but sometimes, we need a tiny bit more. Jay constantly checking in on Erin was wonderful — just how it should be, but for the future, I’m hoping for a bit more. The bottom line is when it comes to TV couples, their best moments are casual scenes. And here’s a perfect example of them participating in it all while remaining perfectly professional. Even their scene in the break room before Ruzek barges in would classify as perfectly professional casual intimacy. (Oh hey, tongue twister.)
Worth Mentioning: I love that we’re constantly seeing Ruzek try to reach out to Burgess and in doing so, he’s making it clear he has no idea how to address what’s going on between them. He gets so ridiculously flustered around her, and I’m hoping a real confrontation happens soon because this doesn’t make too much sense like this.
I will never get tired of watching Platt speak for her unit because she’s always so fervently proud of everything they do.
And last but not least, Lindsay’s friendship with Antonio will always be one of my favorites on this series and watching him support her was beautiful. In a sense, I’m glad he’s the one who went to New York because it’s different. And different is always good when it’s done tastefully.
What are your thoughts on this week’s episode? Remember if there’s anything you’d like us to discuss, let us know in the comments below.