Well, that was a punch to the gut!

I knew that both Kat and Deputy Chief Garland were slated to leave, but it still hurt.

Law & Order: SVU Season 23 Episode 2 was making a point about the difficulty of standing up to the ultra-powerful. But was the sacrifice of both these characters worth it?

I was never Kat's biggest fan. She could be impulsive and had a tendency to get carried away by passion and accuse more veteran members of SVU of not caring enough when a case slipped through their fingers because of evidentiary problems or political concerns.

But as her final hour with SVU began, she seemed far more toned down. She struggled to pressure a witness but seemed far more a part of the team than she ever had before.

And when she was shot, tears sprang to my eyes at the idea that she might die in the line of duty because of a bullet that slipped under her vest.

Thank God that didn't happen, but her decision to leave SVU was heartbreaking anyway.

Kat felt what a lot of people are feeling in real life right now: that there's no real justice and that the rich and powerful are never held accountable.

It was doubly painful for her because, as a Latina queer woman, she was aware of how little power she had in a department controlled by someone who didn't want things to change.

It was tragic that a detective with so much promise who had been so excited to join SVU felt that for her sanity, she had to leave.

Her final scene made me see her in a different light. Her seemingly annoying and fruitless battles with the SVU veterans were her way of trying to right the bigger wrongs within the department, and when she realized that was a waste of energy, she moved on.

Garland's "decision" to quit was equally disappointing.

He was far and away my favorite Deputy Chief, and now Benson is stuck with McGrath as a supervisor, which will make getting justice for victims that much harder.

Garland was pushed out. If Demore Barnes were staying with Law & Order: SVU, I'd be looking forward to Garland's promise to be more dangerous to the department now that they do not employ him.

But as it is, McGrath will probably replace him with some conservative administrator who doesn't give a damn about justice or equal treatment under the law.

When news first broke that these two characters were leaving SVU, the series took a lot of heat from fans who were upset at the idea of losing two non-white characters, one of them the first LGBTQ detective in the series long history.

They were written out to make a more significant point about institutional racism and how hard it is to change a system that doesn't want to be changed. But now SVU is short two strong characters.

At least the door is open for Kat to make guest appearances, but it's still one of the biggest disappointments in recent SVU history.

The biggest positive here is that Kat didn't die, even if the shooting was the catalyst for her to make a career change.

Her partner briefly hugged her at the beginning of Law & Order: SVU Season 23 Episode 1 but wasn't involved in Kat's decision to leave, and that was also a shame.

It might have made the drama more powerful and relatable if Kat had discussed this with her partner, especially if they didn't see eye-to-eye about her decision.

Kat had been working all weekend and almost died, for goodness sake. You'd think the woman who loves her would be just as likely as Fin to pray for her to live and visit her at the hospital!

The case itself was one of the more compelling ones, maybe because it relates so well to the current political climate.

The new playbook. The best defense is a gaslighting offense.

Carisi

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We're living in a deeply polarized country where many people feel like they're waiting endlessly for justice and fear that they will never get it. This story spoke directly to all that fear and frustration.

SVU could have gone for a feel-good story here where for once, the bad guys get justice no matter how rich, powerful, and connected they are. God knows America could use one.

But that wouldn't have fit with the intra-office politics that pushed both Kat and Garland out of SVU, and it might have rung hollow anyway.

People wouldn't have believed that in SVU-land, super-powerful people get what's coming to them, not when it doesn't seem that way in real life.

Besides, SVU is at its best when it raises awareness about how justice isn't served for sexual assault survivors.

New York's higher-ups were ignoring Gold murdering three people or his info about all sorts of sex crimes among the rich and powerful. It sent a strong message about the kind of cover-ups and selfishness that needs to end and how hard it is to do anything about it.

I was glad that Jemma and Rosa survived the attempts on their lives and that Jemma's mother did the right thing in the end. I wish something could have been done about that father of hers, though.

I also wondered if Joe would become a permanent part of SVU.

He has promise as a character. It doesn't make up for how Kat and Garland were treated, but he'd be a welcome addition.

He doesn't get along with Rollins all that well and isn't trustworthy since he's connected to McGrath, but he had a great rapport with Gemma and her mom and could be an asset to the department!

Your turn, SVU fanatics!

Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know what you thought of Kat and Garland's departures and the way this case was resolved as well as what your hopes are for Law & Order: SVU Season 23.

Missed the episode? No problem. Just watch Law & Order: SVU online and then come back and share your thoughts.

Law & Order: SVU's historic 23rd season airs on NBC on Thursdays at 9 PM EST/PST.

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.