All the pieces are in place for Rollins to return if Law & Order: SVU decides to bring her back full-time.
Rollins has helped with a few cases before, but there was a difference: she had a full-time job elsewhere.
On Law & Order: SVU Season 25 Episode 11, Rollins was bored out of her mind during her first day of unemployment, but an SVU case came along. The only thing standing in her way now is Benson.
Mariska Hargitay said in a recent interview that she was lobbying to get Rollins back on set for Season 26. Hargitay had tried to keep the character in the cast when Rollins was written out the first time but was overruled.
No new deal has been inked yet, but SVU did a great job setting everything up so Rollins can either recur more regularly or return to SVU.
Amanda Rollins was one of SVU's most popular secondary characters, and her most dedicated fans threatened to stop tuning in after she was written out. Bringing her back full-time would generate a ton of excitement as SVU moves toward its landmark 26th season.
Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but one thing's for sure: The ER nurse that did Jenna's rape kit spoke for a lot of people when she said it was good to have Rollins back.
Fin: How's our professor doing?
Benson: She's with the vic. She hasn't skipped a beat; it's like she never left.
Rollins did her job well and helped comfort a victim who needed it. Jenna seemed to trust Rollins and asked her to stay with her while she was having her rape kit exam.
Why Jenna's Exam at the Hospital Was Important
Rape kit exams can be traumatic. Thank goodness that Rollins was there to support Jenna through it.
SVU hasn't shown an exam in a while. These kinds of scenes educate people about what the process is like, as well as driving home the point that rape is traumatic.
That point might seem obvious, but there are too many people in our society who think that survivors should "get over it," which isn't the way it works. I appreciated the rape exam scene because it drove home the point that this crime affects people in all sorts of ways.
Jenna had to devote an entire morning to getting the exam done after calling off her wedding because of the trauma, and Breena didn't report the rape partially because she'd have had to postpone her wedding to go to the hospital.
The exam itself is invasive and can retraumatize victims, too, which is why nurses who work in this section of the ER are specially trained in working with survivors and helping them feel as much in control as possible while samples are collected.
SVU often shows Olivia Benson going the extra mile for survivors, and this time, Rollins did too, starting with being by Jenna's side while she went through the exam.
Carisi Was A Supportive Husband
The episode gave us some insight into the Carisi-Rollins household, with Carisi helping get the kids ready for school before rushing off to work and Rollins putting a pancake in his briefcase to surprise him.
This being SVU, the happy home life scene gave me the creeps. Carisi sending the girls off with another adult, double checking that Jessie had her inhaler, and promising to pick the kids up from school put me on the edge of my seat, convinced something was about to happen to those kids.
Rollins: Not a word to Daddy about this. Not one. Understand?
Girls: Okay.
[Carisi comes downstairs]
Carisi: You girls sound like you're having too much fun.
Jessie: Daddy! Mommy put an extra pancake in your briefcase as a surprise.
Fortunately, that was just a bit of world-setting before the main action, and the kids had a typical day where no one got kidnapped or hospitalized.
Still, no one ever mentioned it again, so I want to know: did Sonny Carisi make it to school in time to get the girls, or did Rollins have to make other arrangements?
Rollins' telling Carisi that she was working with SVU on this case was also off-screen, which was one disappointment in an otherwise solid episode.
Rollins came in while he was meeting with the detectives and contributed to the conversation, leaving viewers to assume that he was cool with her working there.
There was no reason for high drama around that, which is probably why there wasn't a scene. Still, it felt like I'd missed something because Carisi was suddenly working with Rollins when he previously didn't know she was helping out the squad.
Carisi had mixed feelings about it, judging from his reaction while Rollins tried to get the perp's DNA. He claimed he was worried about entrapment but wasn't fooling anyone. He was scared for his wife's safety.
I couldn't blame him for that, but it would be a significant problem if Rollins were to return to SVU full-time. Carisi would constantly be worrying about her, and that wouldn't be good for their relationship.
I'd take more of the Carisi-Rollins family home life any time, though. There's a severe lack of family dramas on TV, and it's even worse with Blue Bloods' cancelation.
Those heartwarming scenes at the beginning were what we need more of on TV, including on cop dramas.
The Case Was True to Form
The Law & Order formula has become so familiar that it's almost a tired TV trope. Still, SVU delivered a solid case this time. There wasn't a trial -- Leon pled guilty at the end -- but other than that, this story felt like the stories from earlier seasons.
The cops spent most of the hour investigating and doing things that seemed realistic. This was a marked improvement over Law & Order: SVU Season 25 Episode 10, which featured a silly, unrealistic trial.
The cop from uptown popping up with a similar case was a bit out of left field, but it wasn't outside the realm of possibility, so it worked.
Leon's excuse that he ignored the cops calling him because he was hard of hearing was a refreshing change from the usual cop chase scene, and having to prove Leon's alibi was false rather than focusing on the wrong guy for half the episode was also a strong plot twist.
Breena: I didn't want my husband to know because I was afraid he wouldn't love me anymore. I didn't want him to see me as broken or damaged.
Benson: You are not damaged. You survived.
Benson got to do her victim encouragement thing and have a heart-to-heart with Rollins, too, which was a win for everyone!
What Did Benson and Rollin's Cryptic Comments Mean?
Benson didn't want to rehire Rollins because she felt Rollins was using SVU as a "safety net." She couldn't rehire her since no new deal has been inked with Kelli Giddish, but that seemed like a weird excuse.
SVU is such a demanding job that it's hard to imagine someone working there because it's comfortable for them rather than because they're passionate about helping victims.
Rollins's comment that she isn't finished battling her demons was also weird. It's hard for her to put herself first or to think about what she wants, but she's not drinking, gambling, or sabotaging her happiness with Carisi.
Those are the things I think of as inner demons, not struggling with making your happiness as important as everyone else's, which is sadly too common in our society, especially for women.
Your turn, SVU fanatics!
What did you think of Rollins' return, and do you want her to come back full-time?
Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know.
Law & Order: SVU airs on NBC on Thursdays at 9/8c. New episodes drop on Peacock the day after they air.