Mr. Laser Beam wrote:
So what did everyone think of the season finale? I grew very weary, very fast, of the "powerful political connections" angle, but other than that, it was OK. I hope none of the characters leave.
It feels like all of the writers from Seasons 6 - 12 were locked in a cellar, and they asked to write just one scene, the new writers acquiesced, and then that happened.
Honestly, that final scene read like a setup to write out Cragen in the Season 14 premiere. Hargitay was supposed to move to a part-time role after the first half of Season 13, but it was decided to keep Benson as a lead after reactions to Amaro and Rollins were rather cool. There have been so many subplots about the administration threatening to yank Cragen's command that this really feels like the payoff -- Cragen is fired (or, more likely, retires), Benson becomes the new unit captain.