It's been a while since Chief McGrath has been this annoying.

Initially introduced as a representative of the old guard that didn't appreciate then-Deputy Chief Garland speaking up about racism in the NYPD, McGrath chilled out some after Garland's departure.

But he spent Law & Order: SVU Season 24 Episode 22 throwing tantrums and generally causing problems that he blamed everyone else for. He couldn't get off my screen fast enough.

McGrath wanted these cases solved yesterday. He was probably getting pressure himself; 1PP doesn't like it when tourists get raped, and the NYPD doesn't make immediate arrests.

Still, he was so wrapped up in the politics of the situation that he refused to listen to Benson, Jet, or anyone else, instead barking orders and aggravating everyone (viewers included).

His tirade against Jet was incredibly annoying.

The team tried to tell him that installing the virus immediately without testing it was a bad idea, but he wouldn't listen.

It wasn't a technical issue that derailed the plan -- the perp shut down the server temporarily until it could be fixed -- but that contingency hadn't been planned for because McGrath insisted on immediate action.

McGrath: Someone has to tell the Feds that the person who killed a federal judge got away with it.
Jet: At least people aren't getting raped and murdered.

• Permalink: At least people aren't getting raped and murdered.

And when the plan failed, he blamed Jet and wouldn't stop yelling at her when his rush to action was partially responsible. 

Jet gave as good as she got, pointing out that the crime wave was over if the server was down, but that only incensed McGrath further. Will he ever calm down, or will he decide to punish the detectives for things getting out of hand?

The result of this mess is that a kid who likely doesn't know anything other than he was hired to replace the server has been arrested, the real perp is still free, and there's now a bounty on Stabler and Benson's heads.

As McGrath said to Jet, great work.

For some fans, this entire drama was beside the point. Benson and Stabler got a scene together, and Stabler admitted he wished he could bottle the moment.

Stabler and Benson's banter was amusing. He's so relaxed around her, which is fun. I'm neutral on Bensler, but I could be persuaded to give them a try based on how much more pleasant Stabler is when he's around Benson.

They spent a lot of time talking about the unopened Christmas present from the McCanns.

It seemed the issue was that Benson feels like Noah's other family is much more normal than her, but could there be more to it?

It seemed strange that Stabler and Benson spent ten minutes talking about this. Many fans have speculated that there's something wrong with the McCanns and that they're not as picture-perfect as they seem.

So would it surprise anyone if they turned out to have something to do with Shadowerk? It certainly wouldn't surprise me.

The extensive investigation was juxtaposed with the team trying to find out who had raped Kate Wallace for a second time. This new case was more typical of SVU and more enjoyable.

It sucked that Kate was assaulted again when she ventured out of her hotel room, though I predicted it as soon as she left. There would be no point to the scene if nothing happened.

But I can't blame her for not wanting anything to do with New York City after this.

Strangely, the perp seemed to primarily target men. The other two victims were a fourteen-year-old boy and an adult man, who fought back and ended the whole thing.

Of course, some perps are bound to target more than one gender, and there were only three victims. So the perp might have targeted women again if he had gotten away with his third attack.

The part with Manny and his mother annoyed me.

I know SVU was trying to make a point by Bruno encouraging the woman not to act like becoming a victim made her son less of a man. But I couldn't help thinking that New York has a rape shield law for kids aged fourteen and older.

Since it was said multiple times that Manny was fourteen, his mother should have had no say in whether he got a rape exam.

The hospital shouldn't have called her without Manny's permission, and the cops shouldn't have outed him as a rape victim to her without consent.

SVU is usually on top of these things. It's concerning that this time they weren't, mainly because the idea that their parents could interfere might make younger viewers reluctant to seek help if they are ever sexually assaulted. 

Manny's rapist has been caught, and he doesn't have to testify, so hopefully, the woman will take Bruno's words to heart and not continue to berate her son. Still, a scene explaining that Manny had agreed to have the cops contact her would have made this more realistic.

Your turn, SVU fanatics. Hit the big blue SHOW COMMENTS button, and let us know your thoughts.

Don't forget you can watch Law & Order: SVU online whenever you'd like.

Law & Order: SVU has been renewed for the 2023-2024 season.

Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on X.