Warning! SPOILERS ahead for Law & Order: SVU season 26, episode 9, "First Light."
Rollins (Kelli Giddish) appeared again in Law & Order: SVU cast for 12 years but was abruptly written out halfway through season 24. Her exit was disappointing, especially since she married Carisi (Peter Scanavino) shortly before her departure, and her original exit story didn't make much sense.
Rollins supposedly left to take a job teaching forensics at Fordham University, but the character had never shown interest in this career path before her exit story. Unfortunately, while many of her original arcs were among Law & Order: SVU's best episodes, Rollins' subsequent guest appearances never worked well because of this strange career change. In season 26, Rollins again changed jobs and now works for the Intelligence Unit. Supposedly, she travels frequently for her new job, which is why she is not on-screen very often.
Rollins Returns In Law & Order: SVU Season 26, Episode 9
She Is There To Carisi During A Tough Case
Rollins didn't have much to do during Carisi's hostage crisis in "Cornered," and Law & Order: SVU repeats that mistake in "First Light." It would have been logical for Benson to call Rollins because she's concerned about Carisi's mental state. However, that's not the reason for Giddish's appearance. Instead, Carisi calls her when he doesn't agree with Benson (Mariska Hargitay) that a woman who filed a police report was actually raped — he wants Rollins to use her Intelligence s to do her own investigation and prove the woman is not the victim of a crime.
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This storyline would have been fine had Rollins been actively investigating on-screen. However, she appears in only three scenes. After her entrance, she disappears until she has found the information Carisi was looking for, which s Benson's point of view. She then appears once more at the end of the episode when she and Carisi take the kids out for pizza and discuss how lucky they are to have one another. Rollins does not really participate in the storyline in any meaningful way, which is twice as disappointing considering the episode was promoted as a Rollins/Carisi-centered story.
SVU Bringing Back Rollins Multiple Times Is Great, But She Barely Does Anything
These Cameo Appearances Are Not Satisfying
This episode is the third time that Rollins has guest-starred in Law & Order: SVU season 26. However, two of those guest appearances didn't utilize her to her full potential. Her first appearance did, as it established Rollins working for the Intelligence Unit, which worked in tandem with Benson on a case that was atypical for the Special Victims Unit. The only reason SVU was involved was because it included a rape.
It's as if Law & Order: SVU is not taking the character seriously, instead merely adding her to a scene or two in order to say that she was included.
Rollins' guest appearances are wasted by having her do so little. Giddish's character continues to be a significant draw two years after her original exit, but when she barely does anything, it feels as if the writers are attempting to appease her large fanbase by putting her in the show in some capacity rather than using her in a way that makes sense. These disappointing appearances could alienate the audience. It's as if Law & Order: SVU is not taking the character seriously, instead merely adding her to a scene or two in order to say that she was included.
Law & Order: SVU Just Needs To Bring Back Rollins (& it Getting Rid Of Giddish Was A Mistake)
The Procedural Has Struggled To Find Solutions To Her Absence That Work
It would be best for Law & Order: SVU to it that writing Rollins out was a mistake and extend an offer to Giddish so Rollins can re Benson's Law & Order: SVU season 26 team full-time. Since Rollins' exit, the series has introduced several female detectives who have had similar backstories or personalities, only to write them out again when they didn't work out. This failure to replace Rollins with a new character suggests that the procedural would be better off simply reinstating her, which would also solve the problem of wasting her potential with cameo appearances.
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Rollins' original exit was a cost-saving measure, but the show could add her to its existing cast and continue its policy of rotating cast to save money. Additionally, Law & Order: SVU added a new detective who has even less to do in most episodes than Rollins does in her guest appearances. Thus, it would make more sense to cut this underutilized character to make room for Rollins than to continue having Rollins appear sporadically without contributing to the storyline.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
- Release Date
- September 20, 1999
- Showrunner
- Robert Palm, David J. Bruke, Neal Baer, Warren Leight, Rick Eid, Michael S. Chernuchin, David Graziano
- Directors
- David Platt, Jean de Segonzac, Peter Leto, Alex Chapple
Cast
Christopher Meloni
Mariska Hargitay
WHERE TO WATCH
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit centers on the NYPD's Special Victims Unit, a specialized team of detectives who investigate and solve cases of sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence. Under the leadership of Captain Olivia Benson, the unit deals with complex and sensitive crimes, balancing empathy for victims with the pursuit of justice.
- Franchise(s)
- Law and Order
- Seasons
- 26
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
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