The Law & Order world will return to the 2025 TV schedule within the aftermath of the two-part crossover that mixed the unique collection and Law & Order: SVU for the primary time in a number of years. The stakes had been larger than ordinary, with a collection of murders and sexual assaults vicious sufficient to require the skills of two totally different items and a case that hit near dwelling for Captain Olivia Benson.
It was additionally an enormous case for ADA Nolan Value on the authorized facet of the state of affairs, and Hugh Dancy opened as much as CinemaBlend about Value’s speech to Mariska Hargitay’s character… and he quoted a little bit of the long-lasting SVU opening narration within the course of.
Value Confronted Benson In The Crossover
When I spoke with the Hannibal alum, I’d already seen the 2 crossover episodes, that are each accessible streaming now with a Peacock subscription. Value had a lot of large scenes within the occasion, together with attempting the case earlier than a jury, however the second that actually stood out to me was when he had the unenviable process of advising Benson that she ought to recuse herself after the soiled cop killer went after her son to attempt to intimidate her. Value advised her:
I need you to know that I am in your facet right here. Paul Gomez is a person who swore to guard and serve, and he did the precise reverse, and you aren’t the one one who’s infuriated by that.
Contemplating that Value was the closest individual there to an unbiased get together, it was a giant assertion to make to Benson and appeared to win him some begrudging factors together with her. SVU‘s ADA Carisi was a bit extra placating towards his longtime pal than Law & Order’s ADA was, and it made for such an attention-grabbing dynamic that I needed to get Hugh Dancy’s ideas on what it says about his character.
Hugh Dancy Weighs In
Whereas Hugh Dancy was a part of the earlier crossover occasion again in 2022 that additionally included Law & Order: Organized Crime, Value had an even bigger half to play this time. When I requested for his tackle Value’s speech about being “infuriated” by Lt. Gomez’s double life as a assassin and rapist, Dancy ended up quoting a part of the SVU opening narration. He stated:
I assume he completely would [be furious]. Value has a fairly robust ethical code, a really robust ethical code, and I assume on a private stage, he can be. Clearly these crimes are heinous that we’re describing, in order that alone is motive for disgust, however the particular nature of the betrayal concerned, is betrayal of the place. They’re all public servants, in order that’s a significant factor.
Do I assume that Hugh Dancy was intentionally quoting the “Within the prison justice system, sexually-based offenses are thought-about particularly heinous” line from SVU’s opening narration? Probably not, however “heinous” definitely applies to each the sexually-based crossover case and the sorts of instances that Value typically prosecutes on Law & Order, even generally resulting in unsatisfying endings.
It’s additionally not unprecedented for his character’s private emotions to overlap into his method to a case, together with what Dancy beforehand known as Value’s “delight in himself.” He went on to deal with the high quality line the ADA was strolling within the crossover when it got here to his private emotions vs. objectivity within the courtroom:
For Value, it is essential that he is aware of that his personal fury or disgust is barely helpful to the extent that he’ll select to show it to the jury when it helps his case. When it is useful in his opening argument to attempt to elicit the identical emotions of disgust from them, then he’ll do it. However when it’s a necessity to be dry and take into consideration process and course of, he’ll do this. And that is what he is attempting to say to [Benson]. Like, ‘Sure, I really feel precisely the identical approach, and now I’m going to place it for one facet. I’m going to hold on with my job.’
Truthfully, for as a lot as Law & Order is a procedural TV present, there are serialized parts to it, and I’m going to be watching Value with a more in-depth eye in direction of what he chooses to indicate and what he works to hide in entrance of a jury. It’d even come throughout in another way after viewers noticed Value and Carisi becoming a member of forces with their barely totally different approaches.
Hugh Dancy solely had good issues to say concerning the “pleasurable” expertise of working with Peter Scanavino as his SVU counterpart after they “hadn’t crossed paths in any respect” beforehand. He went on about Scanavino and SVU:
[I was] attending to see and perceive extra about how that present works, simply on a day after day foundation, which, after all, could be very comparable in some methods. We’re all in the identical universe, however each crew finds their very own rhythms, and I noticed the way in which that Mariska and Peter form of interact and luxuriate in working with their crew. And then in a storyline approach, I like the truth that Value and Carisi are coming from barely totally different locations. You understand, he is an expensive previous pal of Benson’s, so possibly he is not going to be the one which tells her she must recuse herself, precisely, however legally we’re each attempting to make the case that we have to not let private emotions get in the way in which of establishing a powerful case.
Law & Order and SVU doubtless gained’t be crossing over once more any time quickly, and NBC technically hasn’t formally renewed both present for the 2025-2026 TV season but, though SVU touchdown a brand new showrunner is definitely an excellent signal for that collection. Nonetheless, it’s value keeping track of characters within the wake of the two-parter to see if they arrive throughout any in another way after the juxtaposition with SVU.
Each reveals are taking the week off on April 24, however Law & Order and SVU will likely be again on Thursday, Might 1 of their ordinary 8 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET time slots on NBC. It’s also possible to revisit previous episodes streaming on Peacock.
As for the third present present within the franchise, Law & Order: Organized Crime is now again and “extra practical” than ever, based on one star, and never all the pieces goes to be as humorous as Christopher Meloni’s “most unsexy pickup line you may think about.” Peter Scanavino weighed in on what Carisi is perhaps like on OC; I for one would like to see Value on the streaming collection as effectively.
