Law And Order: SVU May Have Just Proved One Cop Isn't Cut Out For Benson's Unit, But I Hope That's Not The Case

Spoilers ahead for Episode 12 of Law & Order: SVU Season 26, called "Calculated" and set to stream with a Peacock subscription.

Law & Order: SVU returned from a week off in the 2025 TV schedule to deliver a mini crossover with Law & Order's Nick Baxter making an appearance, but Tony Goldwyn's cameo didn't turn out to be the most compelling part of the latest episode. Detective Kate Silva was the focus, when her undercover work got a special needs man arrested amongst a group of 49 actual pedophiles. Wracked with guilt for much of "Calculated," Silva seemed like she might not be much longer in Benson's unit, but I've never been more hopeful to see more of Juliana Aidén Martinez in the role.

Silva landed the assignment of luring pedophiles to a hotel room under the impression that they were meeting a 14-year-old girl, and it took a toll. Her instincts told her something was off about somebody named Matt, who sounded like an actual kid to her but her Special Victims colleagues insisted had to be a 32-year-old pedophile who was just really great at pretending to be a kid.

The kicker came when Matt came to the hotel looking for "Amy," Silva's undercover name, and he turned out to be an adult man with special needs. He didn't even know what condoms were and had to ask a man at a deli for help buying them, which made it all the more appalling to Silva that they were arresting him along with 49 actually despicable criminals.

Unfortunately, as part of a major deal that Carisi had arranged after getting his wake-up call, they couldn't just cut Matt loose, and the rest of the unit weren't all that sympathetic to Silva's feelings of guilt. They reminded her that what works for investigations in Homicide doesn't work for Special Victims, and the rest of the team certainly has more experience in investigating sex crimes than Silva does, but I couldn't help but think they were being harsh on her.

Fortunately, Silva did recruit Benson to her cause, and Benson pulled Carisi along with her when she went to Law & Order's Baxter – a.k.a. that show's replacement for Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy – to ask him to intervene on Matt's behalf. Despite Carisi's chagrin at Benson stopping Baxter in the parking garage, Silva's wish was granted as Matt was cut loose. She also has more reason than ever to trust Benson's judgment.

And Matt being set free didn't just make Silva feel like she was free of the case. She took it upon herself to drop the good news on Matt and his mom herself, then agreed to play Skyrim with Matt as his new friend. This was arguably SVU's best showcase for Juliana Aidén Martinez as an actress since she joined for Season 26.

Earlier episodes dropped some backstory for Silva; now, I'm more invested in her as a character, and I truly hope that her rude awakening about Special Victims vs. Homicide doesn't result in any second thoughts about staying in Benson's squad. Luckily, she does briefly appear in the promo for the next episode, although the upcoming SVU installment seems to be shifting the focus over to Velasco. Take a look:

Law and Order SVU 26x13 Promo "Extinguished" (HD) - YouTube

Watch On

For more Law & Order: SVU, keep tuning in to NBC on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET between Law & Order at 8 p.m. and Found at 10 p.m. It remains to be seen if Benson and her team will share the screen with Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 whenever Christopher Meloni's drama arrives on Peacock later this year.