Law & Order: SVU Finally Gives Justice To Amanda Rollins’ New Role After Kelli Giddish’s Exit

Law & Order: SVU season 26, episode 20, titled “Shock Collar,” finally gave Rollins (Kelli Giddish) a worthwhile return story. Rollins is not part of Benson’s team in Law & Order: SVU season 26 despite her popularity; instead, she works for the Intelligence Unit and appears occasionally in SVU to help Benson (Mariska Hargitay). However, most of the time, her guest appearances are little more than cameos, and her role often involves supporting Carisi through his trauma rather than working on a case.

In “Shock Collar,” Rollins and Benson are interrupted by a work call while walking their kids to school together. Someone stole a car while a sick child was in the backseat, and the detectives must work together to find the missing girl. What initially appears to be a parental kidnapping soon turns into one of Law & Order: SVU‘s creepiest cases when the victim’s fate is revealed, and Benson and Rollins must put their horror aside to find and rescue the child.

Rollin’s Law & Order: SVU Return Appearances Have Been Lackluster

Rollins’ guest appearances have been part of a negative Law & Order: SVU trend in which the procedural has overfocused on Carisi, to the detriment of other characters. Throughout Law & Order: SVU season 26, Carisi has had trauma-related challenges, especially after being held hostage during a robbery. Rollins appeared during the robbery, but her role was restricted to worrying about Carisi’s safety. Similarly, she returned when one of his kidnappers was on trial so that she could support her husband.

It’s understandable that Rollins would want to support Carisi during this intense arc, but it was written in such a way as to make her returns almost pointless. She had only a few lines in each episode, all focused on helping Carisi, thus inadvertently sending the message that her only value as a character was that she is married to him. This is unfortunate, as Rollins is a complex character in her own right who should be part of investigating cases.

Law & Order SVU Season 26, Episode 20 Gives Rollins The Best Possible Story As A Guest

“Shock Collar” reverses the trend of giving Rollins too little to do. Instead, she is instrumental in helping find a missing girl who is being forced by her captors to wear a shock collar and be tormented on camera. While watching a video linked to the abduction, Rollins identifies dogs barking in the background as likely belonging to breeders, explaining that she grew up around such animals.

Rollins works with the Intelligence Unit’s tech team to further identify the dogs making noise, which leads SVU to the culprits. Thus, Rollins — and her backstory as a Georgia farm girl who moved to New York City — are vital to solving this case, and it’s likely the girl would not have been recovered without her help.

Additionally, Rollins is the best friend Benson could have during this disturbing case. Benson relies on her connection with Rollins as a fellow mother to preserve a sense of normalcy while working as an SVU detective, remarking as they take the kids to school that she’s glad they can do what “regular mothers” do. The women’s connection is even more important to Benson after learning the couple’s biological daughter died of the same abuse they’re inflicting on their new victim, as Benson is deeply upset and needs support after this discovery.

How Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Should Use Rollins Moving Forward

Since Rollins is part of the Intelligence Unit, it makes sense for her and Benson to work together on cases that are relevant to both of their departments’ missions. In the past, Rollins’ association with Intelligence has been pointless, as she rarely works. If she is going to be assigned to a different unit, the procedural should make better use of her as a member of that team. For example, she could run into conflict with her supervising officer if she is spending time helping Benson instead of working the cases she is expected to make her first priority.

Law & Order: SVU should also lean into Rollins and Benson’s friendship. The two women have grown to be close friends, and it’s natural they lean on one another while doing a difficult job. Now that Noah has returned in Law & Order: SVU, the procedural could also create stories around the relationship between Benson’s son and Rollins’ kids, which might lead to some interesting subplots.