‘Law & Order’ Recap: ‘The Perfect Man’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

LAW & ORDER -- "The Perfect Man" Episode 24002 -- Pictured: (l-r) Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson, Hugh Dancy as Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price -- (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 24002 of ‘Law & Order’. To revisit the Season 24 Premiere, click here. This article also contains discussions of sexual assault and stalking, which may be triggering to some individuals.
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There was a time in the world of television, where the justice system was viewed in a supremely fond and revered manner. Where judges could do no wrong, where investigators never made mistakes and where criminals were true scumbags. Who basically turned their back on society for reasons that no one quite understood, and well, it makes sense as to why this was how the system was viewed. Because popular entertainment often reflects the zeitgeist of an era and for a long time, we saw the American justice system as a true pillar of our nation and something that was infallible. But as the years have gone on and abuses of power have taken place, and strange cases have played out, it is no longer seen as a bastion of light on the horizon.

Instead, the justice system is now acknowledged to be flawed and at times, broken and filled with grey areas and tough decisions for those who try to uphold the laws we cherish, and that too, is being reflected in television in a manner that is beginning to make it clear, that we might need some reform. Because all too often, the mistakes being made are causing more harm than good and devastating lives and never were all of these points more evident than during last night’s episode of Law & Order on NBC. For ‘The Perfect Man’ explored all of that by way of a very unique case. One that involved a tech whiz named Tyler who created AI software that would serve as the perfect boyfriend, and he himself desired to be akin to his software, since he was seen often here working to woo a special lady with some special words.

But alas, Tyler turned up dead one morning with a bullet hole where his eye used to be and thanks to the fine work of the NYPD, they came to learn a woman named Laura put him down for reasons that were not clear at first. But her pending trial, and the truth behind her actions, brought Captain Olivia Benson from Special Victims Unit into this episode, who informed the team on this series that Laura was a survivor or sexual assault. One who received no help from the NYPD when she brought it to their attention and that her motivations for murder here might be related to a need for justice, and Olivia was right. For it slowly came out that Tyler, was a stalker, and determined to be her boyfriend to match his software’s visage, and despite Laura’s best efforts to keep him at bay, she was ignored again.

Which in turn, pushed her to take matters into her own hands, and of course... went to jail for it because according to the law, she was a stone-cold murderer that put an innocent man in the ground. But in reality, this was a true grey area case. One where yes, Laura should not have killed anyone, for that is the greatest sin we can commit. But at the same time, she was discarded by law enforcement, treated like an afterthought and forgotten. Leaving her disillusioned, disenfranchised and unable to comprehend how to find any peace over her problems, outside of handling this of her own accord. All of which spoke to the many problems the system currently has in how it prioritizes cases, holds to stigmas over investigation and truly lets people slip through the cracks when they simply should not.

All of which made for a divisive and infuriating episode, and that’s not an insult, that is indeed a compliment. Because this is the kind of stuff that happens in our world and this is the kind of stuff that we take sides regarding, when we should… be concerned more about reforms and improvements to the system. So that victims don’t become statistics and inmates, and that makes this, a powerful and brilliant episode. One that dares to speak hard truth about a system that works but sometimes works poorly and it deserves a round of applause for pointing that out. Plus, it was quite amazing to see Mariska Hargitay drop by the flagship series and offer the wonder of Captain Benson once more and well, in the end, all this episode does, is leave us eager for more of this series. To see what other powerful bits of commentary on the system await us as these intrepid investigators and prosecutors do their best to keep it thriving in an era where black and white, no longer exists. Until next time.

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