We all miss a certain ADA.
When it comes to Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, almost any character can become a fan favorite. Sometimes, people even categorize their favorites into favorite detectives, favorite attorneys, and favorites overall. There are tons of contenders in that last category, from the veteran Odafin “Finn” Tutuola (Ice-T) to the members of the dynamic duo of Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) to not-so-newcomer Dominick Carisi Jr. (Peter Scanavino). However, beyond just being beloved by viewers, there is a character who seemed to make the show better with their presence. A kind of glue to the SVU team: Rafael Barba (Raúl Esparza).
Rafael Barba Instantly Set Himself Apart in His First ‘SVU’ Appearance
When the attorney made his appearance in Season 14’s third episode, Rafael Barba immediately set himself apart from other ADAs (assistant district attorneys) in the series with his unconventional methods. He became well-known and well-loved for his commitment to his job even in his very first appearance, allowing a defendant to choke him during cross-examination to win the case. He’s a master during questioning, knowing exactly what traps to lay and webs to weave to get the truth. He knows how to be compassionate and caring yet incredibly realistic and tough when it comes to the people he’s fighting for.
However, it wasn’t just his courtroom prowess that made him a treat to watch. Barba, from the start, brought a very welcome energy to the series. His biting wit, big brass ego, and tough love offered a stark contrast to the other characters of SVU that played well and led to some of the best chemistry between the cast the series has seen. His relationship with Olivia Benson is one of the best, coming in second only to the one between Benson and Stabler. He is an excellent mentor to Carisi, being both a sarcastic and at times condescending hard ass to prepare Carisi for the difficulties he’d experience in court and a surprisingly supportive friend that guided him through his journey to becoming an ADA, which is why his Season 19 departure left SVU in a rather sore state.
Rafael Barba Formed Important Relationships With the Other Members of SVU
For six seasons, viewers saw the team really come together. Every new character only seemed to increase the amazing chemistry. Barba kicked this off with his arrival in Season 14, forming a solid relationship with Benson and Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) and cementing himself as an incredible lawyer who both sympathized with victims but ultimately knew he had to play by his rules (and did it so well.) In Season 16, Dominick Carisi kept up this trend with an amazing trajectory from a rough-around-the-edges newbie taking law classes at night to an empathetic SVU detective to an ADA that takes every courtroom by storm. A large part of Carisi’s development was supported by Barba, who seemed to rub off on him if his courtroom scenes in the most recent seasons are anything to go by. Barba helped make his six seasons incredibly cohesive through his relationships with other characters, and every episode felt like a good one because Barba’s character would show up in court and prove himself after we’ve just watched a great team of detectives capture the criminal amidst their own personal issues.
This is really apparent in episodes like Season 16’s “Granting Immunity.” Benson is dealing with the hospitalization of her son, Noah, who has caught measles from the child of the episode’s defendant, Trudy Malko (Missi Pyle). The episode is one that really showcases Barba and Benson’s relationship; Barba is incredibly empathetic towards Benson, always checking in on her, but when they visit Trudy, he makes it clear that the case against the woman was not put forth by Benson. He says that what Trudy is doing is against the law and that she will be tried and punished for it. The courtroom scene is one of the best of Barba’s seasons. The way he clearly had trouble keeping his cool while questioning Trudy really showed how much he cared for Benson and her son, but managing to get the guilty verdict despite that showed his dedication to justice. This episode is one that made Barba really feel like an important piece of the team, both personally and professionally.
Season 17’s “Depravity Standard” shows Barba’s relationship with both Carisi and Benson, though he displays a little more tough love with regard to the SVU veteran. Carisi is shadowing Barba during the trial of Lewis Hodda (Tom Sizemore), a continuation of the story from Season 14’s “Manhattan Vigil.” However, the trial is proving to be difficult due to accusations of coerced confession as a result of threats from Benson. It’s clear that Barba wants to do right by the victim’s family, but he’s facing an uphill climb with a lack of evidence and a difficult opponent on the defense, and he lets Benson know that she isn’t making it easier by letting her emotions affect her work. It causes some friction, but in the end, Benson comes around to see Barba’s side.
The episode also has a great glimpse into Barba and Carisi’s relationship. Barba is none too happy to have Carisi shadowing this particular trial, telling him that shadows don’t talk and stay invisible and even asking Benson to tell Carisi she needs him to get him out of his hair. However, during the trial, Carisi tips Barba off to something Hodda said during the examination, giving Barba a foothold for a successful cross-examination. We see Barba actually praise Carisi for his observation, showing that while he’s often dismissive or annoyed by Carisi, he does think the detective is smart enough and observant enough to be a good lawyer. This episode is a great starting point for Carisi’s law journey with Barba, especially as Carisi becomes an ADA, faces Barba in court, and wins with all the skills Barba has taught him (and is once again congratulated by Barba for it.)
After Rafael Barba Left ‘SVU,’ Things Were Never the Same
After Barba’s departure, episodes like these simply didn’t happen as often. The new ADA who was introduced after, Peter Stone (Philip Winchester), didn’t have the same presence. We didn’t see the same camaraderie with the SVU team, we didn’t see the legal back and forth with Carisi, and we didn’t see the same empathy or professional tenacity. The cohesion between detectives was still wonderful, but there was a clear separation between the attorney’s office and the SVU team that ruined the overall feel of the seasons following Barba’s leave.
In addition, Carisi’s move from detective to lawyer after Stone’s brief stint as ADA caused another shift in the cast. His role on the police team has been filled by Katriona Tamin (Jamie Gray Hyder) in two seasons plus two episodes, and then Joe Velasco (Octavio Pisano), who has been with the team since Season 23. While both of these characters are interesting in their own right and bear striking resemblance to fan-favorites like Rollins and Nick Amaro (Danny Pino) with their sometimes off-book procedure, turbulent upbringings, and movement through multiple departments, they simply don’t seem to fit into the team quite as well as Carisi had, and maybe that is in part due to the lack of a character like Barba. Barba was part of the reason Carisi seemed to grow as a character and find a place in SVU, even though Carisi had a very different way of thinking from the rest of the team. However, both Tamin and Velasco have had very short runs in the series. SVU hasn’t gone through this many character changes in a while, and it only started once Barba left.
That isn’t to say Season 20 of SVU and onward are bad. Seeing Carisi become the ADA has brought back a bit of the spark that was lost upon Barba’s departure. While he definitely has his own unique style, there are moments where we see Barba’s influence come through, both in the courtroom and with the SVU team. It’s a sincere hope that Velasco will remain on the team long enough to receive good characterization and get the chance to start connecting with the team and with the ADA to start the process of getting that energy back into the series. However, nothing will change the fact that SVU took a real hit with Barba gone, and he is still missed by fans and the series alike.
