And just like that, Rollins’ ordeal is over on Law & Order: SVU? Not quite. After all, this is Law & Order: SVU.
Warning, spoilers follow.
The Thursday, Jan. 9 episode of SVU, “Must Be Held Accountable,” saw Kelli Giddish‘s character held hostage by Bucci (Nicholas Turturro), a former cop who was desperate for the squad to bring billionaire predator Getz (Vincent Kartheiser) to justice for what he did to his daughter. Rollins made it out of the ordeal relatively unscathed, at least physically, and the squad nailed Getz…who later offed himself in prison. But is he dead?
“Personally, I don’t believe conspiracy theories that much because I know how hard it is just to get regular work done, but the notion that all these people will do something and cover it up? I always just go with the simpler explanation that people just screwed up,” showrunner Warren Leight said.
At the end of the day, Rollins was the one who saved herself and made sure to bring Bucci in. She clearly felt for the father of two who was desperate for justice after Getz assaulted and then groomed his daughter for further corruption. Rollins saving herself, especially after attempting to better herself through therapy, was a poignant choice.
“I didn’t think about that, honestly. Instead of her team rushing in, she saved herself. I’m glad it happened that way too,” Giddish said.
Rollins wasn’t open about her therapy. She told her colleagues she was at a variety of other places besides seeing a shrink. And it turned out she had more of a breakthrough talking to Bucci than she did with the professional.
“I think what’s interesting in this arc is that she’s in therapy and she knows she needs to be there, but she doesn’t really want to be there. And it’s hard for her to talk about the stuff that is really affecting her deep down, then she ends up talking with Bucci about the stuff…It’s not the therapist that gets to Rollins’ heart and soul, it’s Bucci, and I think she really makes some big realizations while she’s with him, which is very ironic, and I like that ironic twist. I think it was a great idea from Warren to have that. Very Rollins! [Laughs.] ‘I can’t talk to you about this, you’re a therapist, but get me in a motel room and have a gun trained on me and maybe I can dig deep down and see what’s going on,'” Giddish said.
Giddish said she wasn’t sure if Rollins would continue therapy.
“I’m not sure she’s crazy about therapy,” she laughed. “You know, I think the more and more open you are to the people around you about the problems you’re facing, I think the more and more help you get. I think sometimes people are so afraid to admit they’re barely holding on, holding it together or, this is so hard being a single mom with these two kids. And as long as you tell somebody, your friends, even Olivia, who can commiserate that, it makes it seem less daunting and makes it seem manageable somehow. It’s not this big, dark scary thing, which I think is what our show does in the big picture sense anyway.”
While Rollins might not be crazy about therapy, she’ll continue, Leight said, and the character will be a little out of commission in the next batch of episodes. According to Leight, viewers will see “ripple effects” regarding how this ordeal has impacted the character.
“It won’t be until episode 14 that you see her beginning to kind of emerge back to Rollins…I think the post-traumatic stress, that is real, and she’s not at full-force for a while,” he said.
Coming up for Rollins once she gets back on her feet? A family reunion, which may introduce viewers to her father.
While Rollins deals with the aftermath of her ordeal, might viewers see Benson and Rollins deal with their similar experiences facing down a gun? Giddish said she didn’t’ think the writers would miss that opportunity to explore that part of the relationship with Benson, which is a fan-favorite, but Leight cautioned Benson has a lot on her plate coming up.
“Not to give too much away, but there’s some stress coming up for Benson in the next few episodes as well. Some real difficult episodes for her coming up,” he said. “It’s never easy for our guys.”
Be sure to come back to E! News for more on what’s ahead on Law & Order: SVU.
Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays, 10 p.m. on NBC.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)