The writing here is closer to SVU in its prime -- and that's a big plus over the dreck of the past, oh, 5-10 years or so.
But the biggest reason the episode succeeds is because there is so little Benson and Carisi. By not having their usual antics dominate the episode -- and all the usual "Oh, you're so smart, beautiful, etc." tripe (Bleah!) about Benson -- the episode focuses on the meat and potatoes and not the cheese. Trimming that nonsense, along with Carisi's usual whining and sycophancy, makes things eminently more palatable.
I don't know if this is Ice T's last episode, but if so, he goes out with a strong performance. Good for him. Throughout all of SVU's creaky shifts toward melodrama and soap opera, he's maintained a steadiness that is simply admirable.
That doesn't mean it doesn't still suffer from some of the cheesiness. Some of the acting is still over-the-top, and there's the need for EXTREMELY MELODRAMATIC MUSIC. The bit where Fin can't open a pickle jar is just absurd. Does he suddenly have severe arthritis? Parkinson's? What is at the heart of this inability to twist a metal lid on a glass jar? Yeah, yeah, we get the heavy handed metaphor about aging and whether or not he still has it, but come on.
If it wasn't for silliness like that, this episode would have made it into the 8 range or maybe even higher, depending on whether or not the silliness was replaced with something better. As it stands, this is the best SVU episode in a long time. But, of course, in the Kingdom of the Blind, the one-eyed man is king.