The original crew is back: Sargent Olivia Benson, Detective Nick Amaro, Detective Amanda Rollins, Detective Fin Tutuola and rounding out the cast is Assistant District Attorney Rafael Barba. The season opener added a fresh face to the mix with Peter Scanavino as Detective Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr. Not sure if he will be permanent but he definitely one to look.
Full Spoilers Follow:
The season picked up right where it left of in season 15. Sgt. Benson is now a foster mother to a baby boy named Noah. In the opening scene we see Sgt. Benson rocking baby Noah in her arms then placing him in a crib. She vows to him that they will catch the people who killed his mother. Det. Amaro is now working as a regular uniform cop on the streets of New York. That is the blow back from last season when he brutally assaulted an alleged sex offender. The ever so familiar "dun dun dun" between scenes was a comforting sound and each scene was better than the last. Underage girls are being held against their will and pimped out. This scenario has been played out many times in seasons past. What was different this time around is when the head boss of the operation was out for blood, boy did he get it.
While on duty Amaro busts a man in his car with a prostitute who is clearly underage. Amaro makes the arrest and brings her and the John down to the station. While escorting her back to the SVU, Luna, Rollins and Tutuola are shot at. While in a foot chase of the shooter, he gets hit by a car and sent to the hospital to have surgery. We later find out the shooter is Diego Ramirez. While there, Rollins let Amaro know that Luna (the prostitute) is a regular young girl who lost her way but she is actually a witness to the death of Noah's mother Elie. Rollins question the John that was with Luna and gets some information about how he found Luna on Craigslist. Luna talks just enough to give the detectives and address to where the other girls are being held.
The detectives plan to raid the house that Luna directed them to. Before the raid they plant Amaro as a crooked cop. Amaro stakes out the house were the girls are being held, he sees a car leave and pulls it over. He approaches the car and lets the driver know that if he wants an in inside the department he can help him help. Joaquin nudges the offer away. Amaro gives Joaquin a tip and his business card that a raid is going to happen at the house and if he were to get caught-up drop his name. Like clock work, the SVU squad goes in guns drawn. Joaquin manages to almost get away but Tutuola catches him outside fleeing and in an act of faith Joaquin dropped Amaro's name and Tutuola lets him go, just as planned.
Enough evidence is gathered that they find the service the girls were using is called Quick Ride. The guy at Quick Ride lets it be know that a few months back they closed an account with the name Tino is attached to. He is currently being held because he admitted to giving the order to kill Elie, Noah's mother. Sgt. Benson and Barba go and pay him a visit to get more information. While there Tino lets it be know that if she loved her son she would just leave it alone. Benson goes into full momma bear mode and demands were he got information but as usual he tells nothing.
Then the bodies start dropping like flies. Tino is shanked by other inmates but survives. Diego, the shooter that tried to take out Luna was killed in his hospital room. Missy the other prostitute was shot dead in a car with a john. Olivia realizes that cleaning up their tracks and calls her babysitter to check on Noah. They are at the park and while Olivia is on the phone someone drives by in a van and shoots up the entire park with a machine gun. Luckily Noah and the sitter were not hurt.
Rollins and Tutuola break up a "secret meeting" between Amaro and Joaquin and arrest them both. While at the station Benson gets in Joaquin’s face and lets him know who killed Elie and who put word out to shoot at the park. He says nothing.
Tino is out of surgery and immediately Benson and Tutuola goes to hospital to try in get some answers. They are met by Tino's mother. She gives them intel that a women named Selena is in charge of all the girls. If they find a newcomer named Carmen, Selena is not that far behind. When she arrives he demands someone better to come accompany him because she is just to meek. He is yelling and screaming, he even a shoves her, which forces Carmen to call Selena to the hotel. Once she arrives, the detectives bust them all. Selena lawyers up quick and nothing comes of the bust at the hotel.
Benson brings Luna down and shows her Selena's picture. Luna then gives all the details that are need to connect the dots. She tells them how she was kidnapped and then made to have sex with men and that Selena was one of the very first girls to be taken away. With that information the team researches the sex trafficking trade in Mexico. They pull up the pictures of one of the owners of the mansion where the sex traffickers are located. They soon realize that the Angel Perez that owns Quick Ride is the head trafficker. He is the big Boss they were looking for, his mother lives in the mansion he built in Mexico, with all of the babies that the prostitutes give birth to whom he holds as leverage.
The team sends federal agents on the ground in Mexico to stake out the house and get some pictures. One of the pictures taken is of a little boy named Miguel. Miguel is Selena son. Armed with that information Benson goes to Selena and shows her the picture of her son and lets her know they can reunite if she cooperates. Selena agrees to turn on Angel. At the jailhouse Tino also cuts a deal. They have enough to go get Angel and bring him in.
They send federal agents to the mansion in Mexico and have them take pictures of the children in the mansion. They realize one of the children is Selena’s son Miguel. Olivia shows her a picture of Miguel, and tells her that if she turns on Angel they can see Miguel again, Selena agrees. Olivia demands to know who killed Ellie. Meanwhile at the jail Tino cuts a deal too. Amaro pays a visit to Jaoquin and lets him know he is not needed and Angel is going down. Jaoquin tells Amaro "This isn’t over".
They execute a search warrant for Angel’s house and when they get there he and his wife on their way somewhere with a suitcase in head. Tutuola has Angel against a car and he is in the process of being handcuffed. He is spewing threats to Benson because he know where she lives. He pulls away and manages to get away quick enough second to pull out a gun and aim at Benson. But, Tutuola with fast action reflex pops one right in his chest.
Selena is reunited with her son Miguel, just like Benson promised. Benson is at home with baby Noah and tells him that she has good news and the man that hurt his mom is never going to hurt anyone again. Episode ended with the promised fulfilled in the opening scene. Finding out who killed Elie.
The Verdict:
This was a very solid season opener. When you think the story line of young girls being kidnapped and sold into sex slave could get old the SVU team makes it seem as though you are looking the scenario for the very first time. The addition of Noah will help Sgt. Olivia Benson grow throughout this season. Episode rating is a solid 8.5.
