Legislation & Order ought to have used Maroun to cross-examine Benson, amongst different issues.
I’m at a loss as to why they didn’t. This primary crossover look in a number of years was good, however having Maroun be within the background whereas Worth dealt with the case made no sense.
It additionally made Worth come throughout as extra unsympathetic than the sequence supposed, making it an excellent greater mistake.
Benson’s Difficulty With This Case Appeared Tailor-Made For Maroun
When Benson visits Legislation & Order, normally, she’s serving to the cops or prosecutors with a case involving sexual abuse, however this time was completely different.
She was offended that the police had arrested a rape sufferer who had shot and killed a person.
In response to Benson, the sufferer’s PTSD and poor expertise with the cops after her assault had led her to imagine the person was stalking her and that her solely recourse was to remove him herself.
All through the hour, Benson argued with Worth about this whereas Maroun stayed silent, which made no sense.
Maroun is normally captivated with points pertaining to girls’s rights. Just lately, she nearly threw her profession away making an attempt to pressure a witness to testify so {that a} lady who was brutally murdered would get justice.
That’s why Legislation & Order ought to have used Maroun on this case as a substitute of letting her be within the background, doing nearly nothing all the episode.
The few occasions that Maroun did communicate, it was in settlement with Worth.
She strengthened the concept that Laura ought to be held accountable for capturing a person regardless of the circumstances. That was good for the story, nevertheless it didn’t match her character.
Maroun has empathized with girls who received in bother for reactive violence earlier than, making it really feel as if the police procedural have been pushing the character round to swimsuit the plot as a substitute of writing character-based drama.
In the meantime, Worth dealt with the trial and argued with Baxter about whether or not to supply Laura a plea deal fairly than involving Maroun.
Legislation & Order Ought to Have Used Maroun To Cross-Study Benson
Having a Man Query Benson’s Experience Got here Off As Condescending
The trial turned a battle between Worth and Benson, and it shouldn’t have.
It’s not search for the DA’s workplace for a male ADA to query a lady who has years of expertise with intercourse crimes about whether or not she is aware of what she’s speaking about.
Whereas gender shouldn’t matter theoretically, in actuality, Worth asking Benson if she got here to court docket with an agenda comes throughout far otherwise than if a lady had requested her about her advocacy.
Maybe this was purposeful on the writers’ half to make some extent.
Worth looks as if the form of man who can be an ally to girls, but he believed that Tyler’s obsessive love messages have been merely the awkward ramblings of a person who didn’t know learn how to specific his emotions appropriately.
That might be why Maroun didn’t deal with this trial.
It will have come throughout very otherwise to the jury if she questioned whether or not Tyler’s messages to Laura have been really threats, however she by no means would have pursued that line of questioning as a result of her experiences would have instructed her that they have been.
That’s precisely why Legislation & Order ought to have used Maroun on this story.
It will have been a compelling subplot if Maroun disagreed sharply with Worth about these messages and needed to deal with this case in order that she might make her level with out undermining girls’s rights to not be harassed.
Worth and Baxter might have refused to let her on the grounds that she was being “too emotional” and reminded her that she was on skinny ice due to her earlier unobjective conduct.
That may have linked this story to Legislation & Order Season 24 Episode 1 whereas reinforcing the purpose about misogyny by having the boys dismiss Maroun’s issues as emotional nonsense.
Maroun May Have Confided In Benson About Her Battle
Doing So Would Have Tied This Case To Rita Calhoun’s Earlier Look
The protection legal professional on this case was not a random individual. Rita Calhoun was a nuisance on SVU who usually defended rich males accused of rape and got here near breaking the legislation to get them out of bother.
She disgusted Benson throughout Legislation & Order: SVU Season 22 Episode 6 by telling her that ladies shouldn’t threat going after highly effective males.
Benson: You realize what I don’t perceive? Rita, what the hell have been you pondering, defending him?
Calhoun: Learn the room, Olivia. The best way these courts are packed,.. the following 30 years, each enchantment, all the way in which to the Supreme Court docket. The repair is in.
Benson: That’s why we hold preventing!
Calhoun: Not in the event that they gained’t allow you to within the ring. Olivia, you retain staying on the unsuitable aspect of this, you’re gonna be marginalized for the remainder of your profession. My recommendation: lie again and fake you’re having fun with it.
For some motive, this battle wasn’t talked about. As an alternative, Calhoun was now defending rape victims as a substitute of rapists and put Benson on the stand to assist her case.
That’s an extra motive that Legislation & Order ought to have used Maroun.
If Maroun had confided in Benson that she secretly agreed together with her however needed to go together with the DA’s workplace publicly, it will have given Benson the chance to encourage her to not be like Calhoun had been final time round.
Legislation & Order Ought to Have Used Maroun To Assist Shut The Plea Deal
Maroun was sorely missed when the DA’s workplace tried to make a cope with Laura.
It’s doubtless Laura wouldn’t have listened to anybody. She wouldn’t make the deal even when Calhoun inspired her to.
Nonetheless, it might need been useful to have a feminine ADA within the room, as Laura doubtless felt that Worth was one more man dismissing her worry of the person she killed.
It’s unattainable to inform how Maroun’s participation would have modified this case since she wasn’t there.
I can’t shake the sensation that the jury won’t have been as fast to seek out Laura responsible if a feminine ADA had been a part of this case, which is probably going why Baxter and Worth didn’t need Maroun there.
Nonetheless, there was no motive to not state that explicitly as a substitute of getting Maroun be mysteriously absent.
Over to you, Legislation & Order fanatics.
What do you make of Maroun’s absence? Do you suppose that Legislation & Order ought to have used her throughout this episode?
Hit the feedback along with your ideas.
Legislation & Order airs on NBC on Thursdays at 8/7c and on Peacock on Fridays.
