Law & Order should have used Maroun to cross-examine Benson, among other things.
I’m at a loss as to why they didn’t. This first crossover appearance in several years was brilliant, but having Maroun be in the background while Price handled the case made no sense.
It also made Price come across as more unsympathetic than the series intended, making it an even bigger mistake.
Benson’s Issue With This Case Seemed Tailor-Made For Maroun
When Benson visits Law & Order, usually, she’s helping the cops or prosecutors with a case involving sexual abuse, but this time was different.
She was angry that the police had arrested a rape victim who had shot and killed a man.
According to Benson, the victim’s PTSD and poor experience with the cops after her attack had led her to believe the man was stalking her and that her only recourse was to eliminate him herself.
Throughout the hour, Benson argued with Price about this while Maroun stayed silent, which made no sense.
Maroun is usually passionate about issues pertaining to women’s rights. Recently, she almost threw her career away trying to force a witness to testify so that a woman who was brutally murdered would get justice.
That’s why Law & Order should have used Maroun in this case instead of letting her be in the background, doing almost nothing the entire episode.
The few times that Maroun did speak, it was in agreement with Price.
She reinforced the idea that Laura should be held accountable for shooting a man despite the circumstances. That was good for the story, but it didn’t fit her character.
Maroun has empathized with women who got in trouble for reactive violence before, making it feel as if the police procedural were pushing the character around to suit the plot instead of writing character-based drama.
Meanwhile, Price handled the trial and argued with Baxter about whether to offer Laura a plea deal rather than involving Maroun.
Law & Order Should Have Used Maroun To Cross-Examine Benson
Having a Man Question Benson’s Expertise Came Off As Condescending
The trial became a conflict between Price and Benson, and it shouldn’t have.
It’s not a good look for the DA’s office for a male ADA to question a woman who has years of experience with sex crimes about whether she knows what she’s talking about.
While gender shouldn’t matter theoretically, in reality, Price asking Benson if she came to court with an agenda comes across far differently than if a woman had asked her about her advocacy.
Perhaps this was purposeful on the writers’ part to make a point.
Price seems like the kind of guy who would be an ally to women, yet he believed that Tyler’s obsessive love messages were simply the awkward ramblings of a man who didn’t know how to express his feelings appropriately.
That could be why Maroun didn’t handle this trial.
It would have come across very differently to the jury if she questioned whether Tyler’s messages to Laura were actually threats, but she never would have pursued that line of questioning because her experiences would have told her that they were.
That is exactly why Law & Order should have used Maroun in this story.
It would have been a compelling subplot if Maroun disagreed sharply with Price about those messages and wanted to handle this case so that she could make her point without undermining women’s rights not to be harassed.
Price and Baxter could have refused to let her on the grounds that she was being “too emotional” and reminded her that she was on thin ice because of her previous unobjective behavior.
That would have connected this story to Law & Order Season 24 Episode 1 while reinforcing the point about misogyny by having the men dismiss Maroun’s concerns as emotional nonsense.
Maroun Could Have Confided In Benson About Her Conflict
Doing So Would Have Tied This Case To Rita Calhoun’s Previous Appearance
The defense attorney in this case was not a random person. Rita Calhoun was a nuisance on SVU who often defended wealthy men accused of rape and came close to breaking the law to get them out of trouble.
She disgusted Benson during Law & Order: SVU Season 22 Episode 6 by telling her that women shouldn’t risk going after powerful men.
Benson: You know what I don’t understand? Rita, what the hell were you thinking, defending him?
Calhoun: Read the room, Olivia. The way these courts are packed,.. the next 30 years, every appeal, all the way to the Supreme Court. The fix is in.
Benson: That’s why we keep fighting!
Calhoun: Not if they won’t let you in the ring. Olivia, you keep staying on the wrong side of this, you’re gonna be marginalized for the rest of your career. My advice: lie back and pretend you’re enjoying it.
For some reason, this conflict wasn’t mentioned. Instead, Calhoun was now defending rape victims instead of rapists and put Benson on the stand to support her case.
That’s an additional reason that Law & Order should have used Maroun.
If Maroun had confided in Benson that she secretly agreed with her but had to go along with the DA’s office publicly, it would have given Benson the opportunity to encourage her not to be like Calhoun had been last time around.
Law & Order Should Have Used Maroun To Help Close The Plea Deal
Maroun was sorely missed when the DA’s office attempted to make a deal with Laura.
It’s likely Laura wouldn’t have listened to anyone. She wouldn’t make the deal even when Calhoun encouraged her to.
However, it might have been helpful to have a female ADA in the room, as Laura likely felt that Price was yet another man dismissing her fear of the man she killed.
It’s impossible to tell how Maroun’s participation would have changed this case since she wasn’t there.
I can’t shake the feeling that the jury might not have been as quick to find Laura guilty if a female ADA had been part of this case, which is likely why Baxter and Price didn’t want Maroun there.
Still, there was no reason not to state that explicitly instead of having Maroun be mysteriously absent.
Over to you, Law & Order fanatics.
What do you make of Maroun’s absence? Do you think that Law & Order should have used her during this episode?
Hit the comments with your thoughts.
Law & Order airs on NBC on Thursdays at 8/7c and on Peacock on Fridays.
