Rollins is back! Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 3 spoilers indicate that the case she works on could very well be a backdoor pilot for her own show.
The promotional video is fast-paced and hints at an action-packed plot that would also be appropriate for Law & Order: Organized Crime.
These spoilers give us our first taste of Rollins’ new role as an intelligence officer.
Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 3 Spoilers Confirm Rollins’ New Role
According to reports this summer, Rollins will work in the newly joined intelligence unit.
Like the real NYPD Intelligence Unit, this unit is involved in international travel and counter-terrorism efforts.
Both of these things are common in police procedurals, but until now we didn’t really know what Rollins would be like or how her new job would intersect with SVU.
The promotional video answers that question, although I’m not sure I’ll like this SVU episode.
The story seems to involve a robbery victim being tied up and sexually assaulted, which is standard SVU fare. Rollins then comes out and explains how this crime is tied to an international crime syndicate.
SVU occasionally touches on international crime, but it always felt unrealistic to me, especially when Stabler traveled to Eastern Europe to track down suspects.
Since when does the NYPD have jurisdiction over other countries?
This is especially troubling because there’s another show in the series that’s better suited to this story than Law & Order: SVU .
Organized crime involves criminal groups, including those with foreign ties, and Rollins has previously worked with Stabler.
Also, I think SVU is getting back to basics. Whatever that means, these stories are not it!
I want to like these spoilers for Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 3, even though they seem off topic and weird.
I’ll never get tired of Rollins, no matter what she’s doing, so I’m all for her return, even though I’m skeptical about the plot.
If this story leads to a Rollins-centric spinoff next year, then this seemingly ridiculous story will be worth it.
I wish Rollins had a less contrived reason to team up with SVU, but it’s often hard to tell from spoilers exactly what’s going to happen.
Spoilers for ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Season 26 Episode 3, no mention of Rollins’ family life
While the promotional video focuses primarily on Rollins’ joint mission with Benson and the SVU team, I wish we’d learned more about her home life.
When Rollins last visited Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 25 Episode 11, she had quit her job as a teacher and was tired of her life, which is why she was working on a case with Benson .
Presumably, her new job in the intelligence service has solved this problem.
While this doesn’t need to be the sole focus of her cameo, she and Benson should talk about the changes in Rollins’ life at some point.
Rollins and Benson are supposed to be close friends, which is one of the reasons I love Rollins showing up.
There just aren’t enough female friendships on television, and SVU has lost that intimacy since they eliminated Rollins midway through Season 24.
It would be a shame if SVU didn’t capitalize on this friendship, at least in one scene. Also, I wonder what Rollins’ life is like outside of taking on his new job.
I also hope we get to see some Lorisi scenes, although the spoilers for Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 3 don’t mention that either.
Rollins’ need to travel must have been difficult for Carisi, and a case he just prosecuted must have made him think about how vulnerable his stepdaughter is.
The dialogue between him and Rollins is worth it when Rollins is on screen.
Rollins’ mental health issues need to be addressed
No matter how much Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 26 Episode 3 spoilers affect Rollins’ mental health, it should be addressed.
Not only had she felt depressed and unfulfilled during her last visit, but she also had a gambling addiction, low self-esteem, and trauma reactions from escaping a dysfunctional family and being raped by a supervisor in Atlanta.
Each time she appeared on SVU again, she did better, but she was never completely happy. That’s why I wanted more scenes showing her home life; I wanted Rollins to finally have some fun on screen and let fans experience it with her.
How will Rollins interact with the other members of SVU?
Benson has a new group of detectives on his team, and Rollins doesn’t know all of them.
She and Fin had always been friends, but she’d only met Bruno once or twice, and Kate Silva was completely new.
This setup provides a lot of conflict for the sake of drama, and Rollins may have mixed feelings about walking into the team room when this is no longer her home court.
She walked away and didn’t take the opportunity to return, so Benson had to fill the void with someone else, while Rollins is reportedly happy with her new job.
Still, it’s never easy to re-enter a space that was once yours after you’ve left, and Rollins’ reaction will be interesting to see.
I’m also particularly curious about her interactions with newcomer Kate Silva.
Until now, Silva has been an enigmatic figure. All we know about her is that her father was the deputy chief and she was transferred from the homicide unit for unknown reasons.
Rollins likely has more information, so any conversation she has with Silva will be interesting.
Over to you, SVU fanatics. What do you think of spoilers for Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 3?
Hit the comments and let us know!
“Law & Order: SVU” airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC and Fridays on Peacock.
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