Detective Rollins is still against cults, especially now.
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Staff Writer
Law and Order: SVU “Accredo”
Season 20, Episode 5
Airdate: 10/18/2018
Honestly, I didn’t watch this episode thoroughly enough during its initial airing. I had to go back and watch it a second time. While the show continues its well-written and well-acted season 20, this story was disappointing. Focusing on an organization that is basically a cult, I couldn’t help but think of an earlier, more captivating episode that focuses on cults — “Charisma” from Season 6.
The personal drama of the squad was back in full force this week after being completely absent last week. In particular, Detective Rollins took center stage in “Accredo” as she prepared to be placed on desk duty. Not wanting to be sidelined for months like she was during her previous pregnancy, she appeared to be displeased with her immediate future. Rollins was also greatly bothered by the case, specifically with the cult’s leader. Admittedly, his comments to Rollins were downright unsettling, and she had every right to be bothered. Her assault of a suspect in the interrogation room was completely unprofessional and uncalled for, though, despite her sad story about her mother and father seemingly influencing her decision. She doesn’t appear to have received any formal reprimand for it either, but no one on the squad ever truly faces any real, long-term consequences for their actions. Especially in recent years.
Benson’s home life continues to be difficult as her son, Noah, is acting rebelliously. It might be time for some tough love there. Like I previously have stated in previous recaps, it could be time for Benson to take a step back and spend more time at home, as her unintentional neglect may be a valid reason for Noah’s behavior. As a Lieutenant, she works long hours and part of that seems to be her own choice. For example, Benson says she promised Noah dessert, but she decides to head to a crime scene instead; that responsibility could be delegated to someone else. Noah has legitimate behavioral problems (his biological mother was an addict after all, not to mention that his Grandma is kind of a psychopath), but perhaps Benson should think more about how much time she’s spending at work instead of home, and how much of that extra time at work is actually necessary.
CASE DETAILS:
As I previously stated, I found this episode disappointing, so in lieu of doing a full play-by-play of the case, I will briefly summarize and give some quick thoughts on it.
Two women named Lilah and Claudia are speaking at an Accredo Female Entrepreneurs Workshop. A member of the audience, Vicki, is called upon to share her story and reluctantly does so. After Vicki turns down a lunch invitation, we see that there is more to her than meets the eye and she is living in fear of someone. We get too little time to see her express this fear because the end is near for her; she’s brutally murdered off-screen. Benson and Rollins arrive on the scene and Rollins nearly pukes after seeing Vicki’s bludgeoned, bloody corpse. It appears Vicki has had some sort of marking removed from the skin near her rib-cage.
After an investigation of Vicki’s ex-boyfriend (the person making those threats) leads to a dead-end, the detectives refocus their investigation on the Accredo organization and its leader, Ario. The organization appears more and more like a cult of sorts; as the investigation progresses, the cult’s involvement in Vicki’s death becomes much clearer. Note: the same marking cut out of Vicki’s skin appears on all the women.
Ario was a slimeball, and the actor who portrayed him convincingly got me to dislike him. In particular, his comments towards Rollins were deeply creepy, but they seemingly strengthened her desire to put him behind bars.
Another thing I noticed: they found out about a suspect’s location through the GPS tracker on her fitness tracker. After last week’s big fiasco involving GPS, it’s a tad bit confusing to see it used here as evidence.
It’s only after the personal intervention of Ario’s lawyer (and a member of Accredo) Claudia, that Ario is apprehended after posting bail and attempting to flee the country following his arraignment for his crimes. Fighting staunchly on Ario’s side for the majority of the hour, it is a desperate plea from Rollins that ultimately gets her to see what an awful person her boss is and then turn on him. While it’s more than convenient that Claudia did him in, it does have the episode end on a satisfying note.
JACOB’S FINAL VERDICTS:
– Benson’s “health issues” are once again featured, as she appears to have started a vigorous workout regimen and even hired a personal trainer. She doesn’t seem to be enjoying it too much, though, and skips out on a workout session to work on the case.
– I feel Noah’s pain: when I was his age, I didn’t want to do my homework. I’m 22 now and I still don’t want to do it.
– When Rollins assaulted the suspect, it gave me flashbacks to the time that Benson assaulted a perp in the interrogation room during Season Eight. It was still unprofessional then, but that scene is one of my favorites for some reason.
– It might be because of the show’s new timeslot, but I feel like I’m hearing a lot more adult language on SVU this season than I’m used to. It doesn’t bother me, but it is quite noticeable.
