Law & Order: SVU Fans Are Questioning Benson's Parenting Skills In Season 24

Contains spoilers for Season 24, Episode 9 of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

Throughout the long run of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) has consistently displayed courage and fortitude both on the job and in her personal affairs. This is only to be expected thanks to Hargitay's inspiring work with the character; real-life victims of sexual assault regularly write to her, thanking the actress for her steadfastness with the material (via The Atlantic). But the series would likely not be as dynamic as it is if it weren't for the doses of realism that Dick Wolf and his team add to the program. This means that just like the good and brave in reality, all people can make mistakes — sometimes without even knowing it.

In over 500 episodes and nearly a quarter of a century following Benson, her faults have been called out occasionally by viewers (via Rolling Stone). Her most recent faux pas that doesn't make much sense happened in Season 24, Episode 9, titled "And a Trauma in a Pear Tree." Although it is as simple as leaving Noah (Ryan Buggle) with a family while she works, the problem is that she knows practically nothing about the people she is leaving her son with. This action has led many fans to pointedly highlight Benson's overall parenting skills, especially in light of everything she has seen over the last 24 years.

Fans generally dote on Olivia Benson, but the law enforcement captain is only human, after all. It is certainly not easy to run an NYPD police department and effectively raise a child, which is why fans are questioning some of her parental choices in the ninth episode of Season 24. In the installment, Noah discovers that his friend Connor is actually his half-brother, and after running background checks on Connor and his family, Benson allows her son to stay the night at their house (per NBC). Although the captain did perform an investigation on the history of the family, some fans simply cannot understand why she, of all people, would feel comfortable leaving her son — especially after a past kidnapping attempt — in their care.

On Twitter, @Nikelodeon2021 exclaimed, "Olivia Benson! Did you not learn anything from Noah's maternal grandma trying to kidnap him?!?!? What are you doing leaving him at a stranger's house? Did you forget what you do for a living and the things you've seen happen to children? #SVU." This sentiment was shared by @Jen_naaay, who commented, "This is SO out of character for Liv. I understand her wanting Noah to have a relationship with his brother, but the Olivia we know wouldn't just leave him there without vetting these people more thoroughly. #SVU." Based on fan reaction, it seems that even noble and heroic crusaders for justice need a vacation every now and again.