Thursday night’s episode of Law & Order: SVU on NBC welcomed back a beloved member of the titular squad. Sgt. Amanda Rollins, played by Kelli Giddish, returned to the unit run by Mariska Hargitay’s Captain Olivia Benson, and it looks like the new Chief of Detectives may have played a part in it.
Here’s everything to know about Rollins’ return.
Chief Kathryn Tynan suggests Rollins return to the squad
As reported by TV Line, Benson has been meeting Chief of Detectives Kathryn Tynan (Noma Dumezweni) for monthly check-ins. At their most recent meet, Benson talks about her family, and Tynan uses it as an opportunity to convince Benson to take on a new position.
“One benefit of working at 1PP and say, a newly created deputy chief position, is schedule. Reasonable hours, more time with the family,” she says in the episode.
Benson says she’s not interested in a desk job, as she’s in the field more than any other captain in the department. And Tynan knows that.
“I’m out in the field because victims are in the field, and that is where I’m the most useful,” Benson says.
When Tynan says she’s “offering you something you’ll never want,” Benson responds, “Pretty much.”
That’s when Tynan suggests bringing Rollins back to fill the vacant detective position on the squad following Detective Joe Velasco’s (Octavio Pisano) departure.
“I didn’t know that she was looking for a move,” Benson tells Tynan, who explains Rollins is exploring potential opportunities.
A skeptical Benson questions Tynan’s motives, though she promises she’s not being duplicitous.
“If anything, at most, I’m trying to get you to like me,” Tynan tells Benson. “I know you take care of your people, and they are certainly loyal to you. I see no downside to shifting her back to SVU. Do you?”
Benson doesn’t respond, but it’s clear she’s thinking about it.
Rollins, though apprehensive, returns to the unit
Rollins makes her official return to the bullpen at the end of the episode, and she quickly apologizes to Benson for not reaching out. She reveals she’s leaving the intelligence unit because Tynan has overtaken it and replaced Rollins’ boss. Benson tells her she’s always welcome at the Special Victims Unit, but Rollins is apprehensive because she does not want to be a part of whatever scheme Tynan may be up to.
If Rollins doesn’t return to the Special Victims Unit, she’ll be forced to return to teaching, which she ultimately found boring.
“Look, is this an offer that’s going to bite me in the ass down the line? Probably. I mean, she’s after something, I just don’t know what. But personally, it sure would be nice to have somebody in here I could trust,” Benson says, referencing Tynan’s history with Detective Jake Griffin (Corey Cott), who seems to be reporting to her.
Benson shares that Griffin is “fine, he might even be here for the right reasons, I don’t know, but he’s ambitious, which could be worse.”
Rollins is swiftly tasked with keeping an eye on him, marking what may be a long-term return to Law & Order: SVU.