If Rollins had to leave, this was the best ending she could get.
She’s married to Carisi now, and she’s starting a new job. In short, she’s left behind the wounded, traumatized gambling addict and is ready for her next chapter to begin.
Best of all, Law & Order: SVU Season 24 Episode 9 gave her and Benson one last case together that solidified their friendship.
Benson and Rollins were the platonic power couple I never knew I needed.
It was so enjoyable to join these ladies as they unwound after they caught Ray. It’s too bad we didn’t have more of them hanging out over the last few years.
Half the reason for it was so they could talk about how far Rollins had come before she went off into the sunset, but still. Neither of these women has many opportunities to let their hair down or confide in a friend because of their pressure to close cases.
It sucked that Rollins had to tell Benson she was leaving seconds after Benson shared how much Stabler taking off had hurt her. Unsurprisingly, Benson was upset, and Rollins backslid a bit by running away.
Still, Rollins did what Stabler had failed to do: she told Benson she was leaving SVU, and after they had calmed down, she returned and reassured Benson that they would still be friends.
Benson’s tears at Rollins’ leaving mirrored many fans’ feelings.
Rollins was one of the best cops who joined SVU after Stabler left the unit. She was a complex, compelling character with significant flaws but wasn’t defined by them.
The stories about her sister were each more annoying and outlandish than the last, but those were the exception to the rule; when Kim wasn’t involved, Rollins’ stories were entertaining.
It’s heartbreaking to say goodbye to her after all these years, but at least she had a happy ending. After she was shot on Law & Order: SVU Season 24 Episode 1, she had major PTSD, and it seemed like she was headed for a nervous breakdown.
Thankfully, SVU instead leaned into its trademark inspirational storytelling. Rollins got help and got better, and now she has a happy ending.
If there was one weakness in this storyline, it was Benson’s permissiveness with Noah.
Understandably, she wanted Noah to have the connection with his half-brother that he longed for. But before and after he met Connor, she was too laissez-faire about it for an SVU detective who has seen horrible things happen to children.
Benson told Noah that she wanted to keep him safe, but it would have made more sense to meet Connor in a public place after she had talked to his parents on the phone.
In addition, why was she allowing her 12-year-old to use his phone without adult supervision? Many parents use apps to monitor their children’s social media and phone use. An SVU detective would be doubly concerned about ensuring their child wasn’t falling into an online pedophile’s trap.
Once they got to the house, Benson could see that Connor and his parents were decent people, but she gave in quickly to Noah’s desire to sleep over.
It was a good thing she did since the motel was full of hidden cameras. It looked like a shoddy motel, too — not a place most parents would want to stay with a child.
Anyway, I kept expecting something terrible to happen while Noah was away. The parents were too sweet and generous; after 24 years of dark stories, I thought they had to be grooming Noah, or else he would find out that they were abusing Connor.
Carisi’s case was interesting. We rarely get any follow-up once the credits roll on a given story; the bad guys have their trials off-screen.
The case centered on Muncy’s alleged inability to follow directions or maintain her temper. It really shouldn’t have.
The defense attorney’s assertion that Muncy assumed Elias’ guilt was silly. Of course, a cop would assume the perp she was attempting to arrest was guilty!
And did her questionable behavior with that radio have a bearing on this case? An arresting officer using inappropriate force doesn’t mean the arrestee was innocent.
It would have made far more sense for the defense to assert that Elias didn’t have the mental capacity to understand what he was doing was wrong than to try for a straight not-guilty.
The attorney even argued that his client had the mind of a ten-year-old when he asked for a continuance. Why did he drop that argument when he was forced to go to trial?
I’m also not sure what Carisi meant by Muncy thinking she knows everything. That didn’t seem to be the issue.
The theatrics confused at least one juror, resulting in a hung jury. Will Muncy get a second chance in an on-screen retrial?
What did you think of Rollins’ swan song? Are you okay now that it’s over if you were a Rollins fan?
Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know!
Law & Order: SVU doesn’t return until January, but you can watch Law & Order: SVU online while you’re waiting.
Law & Order: SVU airs on NBC on Thursdays at 9 PM EST / PST. The next new episode airs on January 5, 2023.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.