Spoilers are ahead for Episode 4 of Law & Order: SVU Season 27, called “Clickbait” and available streaming next day with a Peacock subscription.
The long-awaited episode that officially brought Amanda Rollins back to her old Law & Order: SVU stomping grounds has finally aired, with returning series regular Kelli Giddish opposite Mariska Hargitay once more in the fall 2025 TV schedule. Rollins’ full-time return to Special Victims has been all but inevitable since the news broke that Giddish would be back as more than a guest star, and the time seemed right after Velasco‘s exit was written in. I was skeptical about how it could happen, but I’m happy to say that “Clickbait” nailed it, as far as I’m concerned.
Why I Was Skeptical About Rollins’ Return
As one of many SVU fans dismayed to learn that Kelli Giddish had been cut from the cast back in Season 24, I’ve been excited to have her back as Rollins full-time. At the same time, the same issue that has been bugging me about Curry had me skeptical about how the show could reincorporate her, and it’s all because of her promotion from detective to sergeant.
Curry is of course a captain, which should place her on well-deserved equal rank to Benson, but Curry is instead working under Benson. I’m no expert in NYPD power structures, but it always struck me as odd that one unit could have two captains. Then, Fin is already a sergeant within Special Victims. At this point, Manhattan SVU is nearly full of officers, and then also Bruno and Griffin.
So, how would it work for Rollins to want to leave her key leadership position to come back to her old unit? Giddish had previously said it felt “right” for Rollins to be leading in the Intelligence Bureau (not to be confused with Chicago P.D.‘s Intelligence Unit elsewhere in the Dick Wolf TV Universe). I was on board with more Rollins, but had my doubts about how.
Luckily, those doubts are gone as of “Clickbait.”
Yes, Rollins is returning to the same job she’d held as a detective, but the build up to her decision didn’t feel contrived or like she was taking a demotion. The seeds were planted early in “Clickbait,” with Chief Tynan once again trying to woo Benson away from her longtime gig in Manhattan SVU to take a desk job as Deputy SVU Chief. It wasn’t working… then Tynan dangled the idea of Benson getting Rollins back to fill the vacancy left by Velasco.
Benson was surprised to learn that Rollins was looking to move on from the Intelligence Bureau, but that wasn’t enough for her to fall for what she believed was Tynan’s effort to play her. Tynan insisted that she’s just trying to get Benson to like her; the captain didn’t seem to buy that explanation, and she’s not the only one.
Rollins visited Special Victims in the final minutes of the episode to speak with Benson, apologizing for the “radio silence” while she was weighing her options. She confirmed that she genuinely did want to leave Intelligence with this explanation:
[Tynan] overhauled it beyond recognition. She put her own guy in there, moved my boss to the Bronx.
Tynan is changing everything, and the one thing seemingly holding Rollins back from rejoining her old crew was that she didn’t want to play “a pawn in whatever game Tynan’s playing with you, it doesn’t sit right.” Rollins halfheartedly pitched the idea of going back to teaching if she didn’t come back to SVU, which Benson laughed off.
Acknowledging that the offer might come back to bite her down the line, Benson still said that “personally, it sure would be nice to have somebody in here that I could trust.” While I don’t love what that says about possible ongoing fallout with Fin after the events of the Season 27 premiere, Rollins acknowledged what Benson wasn’t saying out loud: she could trust Rollins but couldn’t trust Griffin.
So, A+ to SVU on Rollins’ reason for wanting to leave a leadership role in Intel to come back to her old unit, and A+ on Benson acknowledging that she wanted Rollins back despite suspecting that Tynan was playing them. Is it still a little weird that Manhattan SVU is full of officers? Sure, but if I’m willing to overlook the timeline issues with SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime for the sake of enjoying the story, I certainly can do the same to get Rollins back where she belongs.
See more of Kelli Giddish as Amanda Rollins with new episodes of Law & Order: SVU Season 27 on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, between Law & Order Season 25 at 8 p.m. ET and Law & Order: Organized Crime‘s already-released fifth season at 10 p.m. ET. You can also find the latest episodes of the franchise streaming on Peacock.
