While Fin and Phoebe make wedding plans, Benson and Rollins try to help a homeless single mother who's being trafficked in exchange for safe housing.
Tropes
- Big Damn Kiss: Amanda and Sonny, after nearly a decade of waiting, finally get one to end the season on.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Dr. Catalina Machado presents herself as a social justice champion of destitute single mothers and their children. In reality, she is little more than a madam and her nonprofit organization is a front for a sex trafficking ring that forces desperate women into prostitution in exchange for food and shelter.
- Brutally Honest: At his deposition for the Jayvon Brown case Garland apologizes for systemic racism and says that he wants an end to qualified immunity, going against the NYPD party line in the process.
- The Bus Came Back:
- Fin's son Ken (last seen in "Down Low In Hell's Kitchen") and his husband Alejandro (last seen in "Send In the Clowns") both return.
- Recurring Defense Attorney Evan Braun ("The Darkest Journey Home") makes another appearance.
- Call-Back: Lulu Davis ("Sightless in a Savage Land") makes another appearance.
- Do Not Go Gentle: Garland says that while the old guard may try to dirty up his record, he won't go down gently.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Garland believes that Machado can't be involved in the trafficking conspiracy purely because she founded a non-profit to benefit the homeless.
- Headphones Equal Isolation: Felipe puts them on whenever his mother has men over since if he asks about it, he's afraid of going back to the homeless shelter.
- Kangaroo Court: Garland goes before a committee to defend himself and SVU, and they're clearly out for his blood from the very beginning.
- Love Epiphany: Carisi shares his (unused) wedding speech after the fact with Amanda, and you can actually see on her face the exact instant she realizes she's in love with him.
- Metaphorical Marriage: Fin and Phoebe decide not to get married, but remain in a romantic relationship.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Chief McGrath, seen screaming at Garland for his statements at the deposition. The first one we hear is him asking Garland if he's "woke" now.
- Relationship Upgrade: An implied and very long-awaited one for Rollins and Carisi.
- Why Waste a Wedding?: Even though Fin and Phoebe don't get married, they still have all their friends and family over for a wedding party on the taxpayer dime.
