Fin is looking and feeling good as he returns to Benson’s squad room on SVU Season 27.
Sergeant Fin Tutuola (Ice T) is back in the squad room on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 27, and while he instantly proved just how valuable he is at his longtime post, it seems like Fin is only stopping by for a pop-in.
Just as the SVU star has been keeping fans updated, Fin Tutuola hasn’t been spending as much time at the 16th Precinct as he usually does this season, but that doesn’t mean the hardened Sergeant is going anywhere anytime soon. During the Season 27 premiere, Fin Tutuola was brutally attacked and whisked to the hospital, where he soon learned he’d have a hefty recovery ahead of him.
After completing physical therapy and returning to work, Fin realized that some of his hold-ups were mental, so he touched base with his dear friend Benson. Fin admitted that he needed some extra time to make sure he was in a confident headspace before returning to his post, and Benson encouraged Fin to take however much time he needed to get back into squad room shape.
While the rest of Benson’s elite unit have been making sure to kick criminal butt in honor of Fin’s absence, SVU fans were delighted to see the steadfast sergeant back in the squad room during Season 27’s “Fidelis ad Mortem,” when the squad investigated a 27-year-old cold case. But Fin isn’t back full-time quite yet — here’s what to know:
Fin was happy to return to Benson’s squad room “part-time”
After the squad found an abandoned cassette tape containing a recording of a criminal informant being assaulted, the detectives traced it back to an apartment building that had been seized by the FBI 27 years prior. The building had been the site of an undercover drug operation, leading the squad to need to speak with someone who was working in narcotics back in 1999.
“I actually already found a detective who was undercover for narcotics back then,” Benson informed the unit with a smirk as the valiant Fin Tutuola made his grand entrance. As the squad gleefully welcomed their sergeant back to the precinct, Fin gave them an update on his status with cases.
“It’s part-time for now,” Fin told them, all smiles.
“You look good, glad to have you back,” Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) said before the squad got back to work, getting Fin’s lowdown on the cops’ activity back in the day.
Fin became the squad’s ace-in-the-hole on SVU upon his return
As the squad’s investigation continued, the SVU learned Tameka had been assaulted by a corrupt cop who turned on her during her time as an informant. The assault had been caught on the bugs placed in her apartment, but the cassette had been removed and doctored before being abandoned. After speaking with the last people Tameka saw before her disappearance, the detectives realized the mastermind was a known D.A. Investigator, Leo Eichmeyer.
Knowing it would be a great challenge to take down such a high-level cop, Fin connected with a convict named Gibbs, the gang member that Tameka connected with during her time undercover for Leo and his crew. Gibbs cared for Tameka, so Fin asked for his help in proving Leo’s guilt. That’s when Gibbs revealed that when Leo arrested him, the cocky cop gloated about assaulting Tameka, unaware that the FBI had also bugged Gibbs’ apartment.
Realizing this testimony and recording would bring the truth to light, the SVU called Gibbs to the stand. Despite the defense trying to poke holes in Gibbs’ credibility as a convict, he explained that he’d served his time for his misdeeds, and it was time for Leo to serve his. Leo was subsequently ruled guilty on all counts, a resounding win for the SVU thanks to Fin’s ability to sway anyone to do the right thing.
“Gibbs did good, but Fin, I gotta tell you, man: it’s great to have you back,” A.D.A. Sonny Carisi (Peter Scanavino) said, giving Fin a hearty high-five upon leaving the courtroom.
Not wanting to rush her longtime ride-or-die into anything, Benson explained that Fin wasn’t back full-time quite yet; his latest pop-in was a “one-off.” Carisi was taken aback and asked Fin what the hold-up was.
“Still making my way through GTA: 5,” Fin teased without missing a beat.
