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Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Latest Rollins Appearance Points to a Disturbing Trend
WARNING! SPOILERS ahead for Law & Order: SVU season 26, episode 17, “Accomplice Liability.”Amanda Rollins’ (Kelli Giddish) latest cameo appearance in Law & Order: SVU season 26, episode 17, “Accomplice Liability,” is part of an upsetting trend of the season. Rollins is a fan-favorite character who was part of some of Law & Order: SVU‘s best episodes from seasons 13 through 24. Sadly, she was written out halfway through her final season. Supposedly, her character left the police force to teach forensic science at Fordham University, though Rollins occasionally appears as a guest consultant to her former unit.
Rollins’ original exit from Law & Order: SVU was disappointing because it didn’t fit her character; there were no indications she was interested in teaching before she decided to quit her job. Law & Order: SVU season 26 corrected this problem by having Rollins quit teaching and instead take a job with the Intelligence Unit. However, she has only been seen at work in one of her four guest appearances. In the other three, she appears briefly to support Carisi through the ordeal of being held hostage during a robbery and his emotional turmoil afterward.
Rollins’ Token Appearances In Law & Order: SVU After Her Exit Hurt Her Character
She Was Downgraded From Fiercely Independent To Carisi’s Wife
Rollins’ appeal was in her unique blend of fiery independence and need for love and acceptance. She was a complicated character who had moved from Atlanta to New York to escape her family — and the trauma she experienced when she was sexually assaulted. Throughout her run, Rollins faced serious personal issues, such as an active gambling addiction and difficulty setting boundaries with her reckless and sometimes lawless younger sister, Kim (Lindsay Pulsipher), while developing a close friendship with Benson (Mariska Hargitay). Unfortunately, Rollins’ guest appearances tell a different story.
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Rollins’ Latest Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Return Is Just Plain Insulting To Kelli Giddish
Law & Order: SVU season 26, episode 9 includes Kelli Giddish’s latest guest appearance as Rollins, but this cameo was insulting to the actress.
Since leaving Law & Order: SVU, Rollins exchanged a job she hated for one she loves — but is never seen working. Instead, she is little more than an extension of Carisi. Her cameo appearances are limited to a few scenes in which she attempts to support his recovery from trauma, help with the court case against his attacker, or confide in Benson that she’s worried about him. While it’s understandable that Rollins is concerned about her husband, reducing her to nothing but a concerned wife diminishes her character and extinguishes the passionate, independent personality that made her so compelling.
How Rollins Cameo Trend Doesn’t Match SVU’s Mission
Her New Role Undermines Her Arc As A Survivor
Law & Order: SVU has always been about supporting survivors. Although it is primarily a procedural, every story is chosen with the aim of helping real-life survivors of sexual assault feel empowered and aware that they aren’t alone in their struggles. Rollins’ original story offered a role model for real-life survivors, as she was someone who had endured multiple traumas, sometimes making serious mistakes because of her pain, but was dedicated to personal growth.
Rollins’ cameo appearances focus only on her role in Carisi’s life, which contradicts the strong messaging of her original arc.
However, Rollins’ cameo appearances focus only on her role in Carisi’s life, which contradicts the strong messaging of her original arc. This problem is particularly egregious in “Accomplice Liability.” While both Carisi and a rape survivor, Tess, are struggling to deal with what happened to them during the trial of the surviving robber who held them hostage, the story focuses mostly on Carisi. This has the unintended implication that Carisi’s pain is more important than Tess’, and Rollins’ cameo for the purpose of supporting her husband reinforces that idea.
Law & Order: SVU Needs To Use Rollins’ Appearances Better
Her Relationship With Carisi Should Only Be Part Of Her Story
It wouldn’t have made sense for Rollins to ignore Carisi’s ordeal. Naturally, she’s going to be there when he’s held hostage — and again when he needs support during his attacker’s trial. However, Law & Order: SVU could give Rollins a story beyond being a supportive wife. For example, she might have struggled with guilt over putting off work obligations during Carisi’s trial. Conversely, she could have used job resources to get inside info about the defendant while being careful not to go so far over the line that she risked her job.
Having Rollins make cameo appearances won’t appease that part of the audience that only tunes in to see her.
The key is for Law & Order: SVU to give Rollins a full story when she appears, rather than a small part that makes it easy to forget she participated at all. Having Rollins make cameo appearances won’t appease that part of the audience that only tunes in to see her; it’ll only make people angrier and more likely to turn off the TV. Rollins doesn’t have to be part of Benson’s Law & Order: SVU season 26 team, but she should have a purpose for being included beyond simply being present for part of the hour.
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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
- Release Date
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September 20, 1999
- Showrunner
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Robert Palm, David J. Bruke, Neal Baer, Warren Leight, Rick Eid, Michael S. Chernuchin, David Graziano
- Directors
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David Platt, Jean de Segonzac, Peter Leto, Alex Chapple
- Writers
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Dick Wolf
