Maybe, but also with so many bombs being dropped & cliffhangers, it had to be a season finale, and there was too little time between Venom & the end of the season.
Plus Ludacris probably had some other filming obligations so they were able to work it into his schedule better a year down the line. In all honesty I think you're spot-on about the realism of pacing, though.
The first SVU episode I ever saw was the Martin Short one and I was instantly hooked (I mean... it's Martin Short! Talk about playing against type). I watched new eps & caught everything in syndication. Watched the first episode this season and that was it, no Stabler, no SVU for me. It got pretty bad the past few seasons anyways...
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I'll see you in Hell! (From Heaven!)