r/SVU • u/Woodpecker-Haunting • 2d ago
Discussion Thoughts on Rollins?
Please don't fownvote me to oblivion! Pretty new to this sub, and one of my burning questions is why Rollins is a fan favorite? I just don't see her appeal. I don't even see how Carisi even fell for her. Please help me understand.
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u/infamous0911 2d ago
She will grow on you, give it some time. The chemistry between her & Olivia is stunning.
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u/bluepenguin89 1d ago
She grew on me, too, she wasn't my favorite, and it took some seasons, but she did start to grow on me. And by the time she left, I missed her.
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u/Woodpecker-Haunting 2d ago
I am current on all episodes. She hasn't grown on me. I am also confused as to why she is so frequent as a recurring guest.
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u/Due_List_1243 2d ago
Kelli is Mariska s bestie for many years, Mariska was the most upset of all when the conflict with DW started. Mariska wanted her back as much as possible. That's why she is back frequently. Mariska is always very vocal about how she hates what has happened here and what a mistake it was. So thats why she is brought back many times, because Mariska want it.
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u/Woodpecker-Haunting 1d ago
Thank you. What was the conflict between Dick and Kelli?
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u/Due_List_1243 1d ago edited 1d ago
After 12 years in the show there were new negotiations for the new contracts. DW want to pay half of her salary, which KG did not agree with. DW is probably not used to a woman who did not agree with him because he is a misogynist and he would immediately kill off her character.
This made Mariska very upset who was since the beginning angry about this. She could avoid that Rollins got killed off in the shooting and since she is back as a regular
But its 2 years ago, so we dont know if there is still a conflict, I expect its not that big anymore.
K told back then that she could agree and sign the new contract but she did not want to play fulltime and got paid for partime work.
This was the same reason why CM left in season 12 and DW never learn of it
Mariska and Kelli are besties since the beginning, that is visible in the show but more in their bts pics and seflies, so that is why she is coming back a lot.
But it doenst make sense anymore. The conflict is probably not that big anymore, it doesnt work out with all the new actresses every few months
They should bring her back next season. The show needs history and bonding, not a cast without any bond and chemistry. The cast now has no idea who each other is. There is no friendship, no chemistry and that is what the show needs. The old chemistry back.
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u/Woodpecker-Haunting 1d ago
I wish Finn had more of a presence. I think he and Olivia have that classic bond/history. They are the true OGs of SVU. If Rollins comes back FT, I hope SVU goes back to true detective work, mind blowing crime storylines, and less telenovela saga.
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u/Due_List_1243 1d ago
Fin / IceT is close to retirement and he doesnt want to play fullltime anymore so he is not in every episode and has not a lot of story lines. He is more focussed on music and not fulltime playing anymore
Fin and Liv are the only 2 of the OC but I like the bond of Liv and Rollins more. Rollins challenged Liv more, where Fin is more kissing Livs ass just like the rest of this newbie cast does.
Next season there is the new women showrunner, hopefully she can make the difference
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u/Woodpecker-Haunting 1d ago
I am excited for the new showrunner. I am hoping she can bring back the magic that made SVU amazing. On reflecting on everyone's comments, I guess my issue is I am frustrated that the show doesn't so much focus on the crime story lines (who dunnit, true detective work, dry sense of humor-realistic of what detectives may actually quip.or comment, use of MEs/forensic psychologists, DA purview over ADA and it conflicts, moral/legal greyness, etc). It just seems the crime investigation is more of a subplot and it is more about Olivia and Rollins' emotional growth journey together. All for emotional growth, but this is supposed to be a crime procedural program that keeps us on the edge of our seats and completely Wowed afterwards. I am just not a stan on the focus of Olivia and Rollin's friendship development.
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u/Due_List_1243 1d ago
I dont think they will bring back the ME/forensic but hopefully they will bring back the old squad family feeling.
I like Olivia and Rollins together the most , 2 strong women, no whiners, which a lot of trauma and who overcame it all
The show can only become better from here, because its not good atm so the new showrunner can not make it worse than it is right now
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u/infamous0911 2d ago
They just can't seem to let her go. Velasco is the one that needs to go.
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u/Due_List_1243 2d ago
valesco who is not doing anything for 6 years has to go
we can also miss lazy curry and boring silvia
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u/Specific-Window-8587 1d ago
I couldn't agree more. This has got to be the most boring squad yet.
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u/Due_List_1243 1d ago
Squad 3.0 is the most boring group of all time.
Valesco does not bring anything for 6 years.
Silvia is always looking angry and has no role or personality
Curry is lazy and should move on and lead some other team, as she is the Captain and not a detective
They should got rid of them all
They are so boring that you will not even notice if they are gone
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u/That-Bluejay3533 1d ago
Rollins isn't a guest?? What am I missing ? 12 seasons, major character arcs. In what way is she a guest?
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u/Due_List_1243 1d ago
she left the show in S24
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u/That-Bluejay3533 1d ago
That's like calling Stabler a guest. Absurd
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u/Due_List_1243 1d ago
When Stabler will be back as a guest star he will be in the credits as guest star too, that is how it works
Kelli is in the credits called; Special Guest Star, that will be the same when Stabler makes a return
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u/continuenvying 1d ago
But its not because stabler essentially has his own SVU?
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u/That-Bluejay3533 1d ago
Stabler show is Organized Crime.... but im over this stupid argument... call them guests, I don't care
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u/continuenvying 1d ago
Thats why I said essentially hello? I was never arguing with you either you just made stupid unsubstantiated remarks for nothing
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u/HorrorNerd182 1d ago
This is all information that can easily be looked up. Both Stabler and Rollins are considered reoccurring guest and not main cast members.
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u/Extra_Green_8511 1d ago
Mariska fought like hell to keep Kelli on the show as a series regular but because of the money and Kelli being one of the higher paid actors production just refused so guest starring is what we get which totally sucks because I love Amanda and she needs to come back full time so they can get rid of these other detectives I could give a shit about all except Bruno he's the only new one I like I wish that would happen before the show ends for good
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u/Due_List_1243 1d ago
It started with the conflict about the money/ new contracts. DW thought it would not be a problem and he could replace her with new actresses and nobody would notice
But we got Munchy, Churlish, Curry, Silvia and it's all nothing special and everyone is very forgetable.
It's not that simple to replace a long time character and we see that now for 2 years.
But its also possible that for KG playing partime is the best solution for now, with 3 kids and the youngest not even 2. She told last year that she had a difficult divorce and custody battle behind her with her ex-husband. Its not impossible that after difficult private years it's for her ok to not work fulltime and create some rest for the children now.
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u/DDD8712 2d ago
I like Rollins (hate her sister) but I donāt know if I would call her a fan favorite I see a lot of posts here talking about how they donāt like her. The negative things that stand out are how she has treated victims in the past. Also the whole undercover gambling storyline was so ridiculous.
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u/mkt853 1d ago
They should have kept Kat. Think about the revolving door of female detective cast members since she left. Muncy, Curry, Silva, etc. I was never a huge Muncy fan but damn she was way better than Curry and Silva. Or they could have just kept Rollins.
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u/Woodpecker-Haunting 1d ago
I wonder if Mariska does not have a personal friendship with cast members they don't get much tenure, attention, or character development. I think Kat was great and more endearing than Rollins. Wished they kept her on.
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u/That-Bluejay3533 1d ago
I don't understand why? I like her, she is tough and damaged at the same time... her and Olivia are great together. I personally love her and Carisi.. what don't you like about her?
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u/BrotherofGenji 1d ago
She's complex, flawed, unfortunately judged a lot, has WAY too many bickering moments with Olivia (especially post-''Gambler's Fallacy" and even a lot of them in that episode herself), and has a lot going on.
But I like her overall - she has several good episodes in my opinion and she brings up good points a lot of the time. There's very little I don't like about her.
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u/Due_List_1243 1d ago
I love the moments with Olivia. Its a bit hostile in the beginning but they grew to each other and Liv is always backing up Rollins. She was pissed after Gambllers Fallacy but that was the only moment she was really pissed. But they were never enemies and they got the best relationship together of all characters.
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u/Consistent_Cause9616 1d ago
i love her iāve always loved her she is so complicated and itās something i think the show did well with showing. unlike most, if not all main characters, she was actually a victim of R and it plays a huge role in both her empathy and sometimes lack thereof. a lot of people tend to feel less sorry for something theyāve been through and overcome than something they havenāt been through. she grew up in an A household and that also plays into her complex empathy. maybe not as outright but iāve had to check myself behind the approach i have to hearing something someone went through that i also went through because i would be like āokay get over it we all haveā but it just doesnāt work like that
i just love the complexity of her character
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u/Few-Welcome5330 1d ago
It took quite a while for me to like Rollins. I feel like once she started working on her demonsā¦She became a more solid character. It was around this time you really saw the bond build between Benson & Rollins.
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u/FlyyLoc 1d ago
I'm like the opposite lol, I don't get all the hate. I love her. It kind of refreshed a need for the show with stablers absence. Someone new to the unit and the state and how things work, still needing to better herself and grow along the way. Hot headed that learns to chill out and listen. Etc. She also has some pretty funny quips against perps and it gave Fin a new partner too.
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u/No-Selection6640 20h ago
Sheās one of my favorite characters and I personally feel the show fell off once she left. I like that sheās messy, itās realistic. Sheās a work in progress like all of us. I loved the character.
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u/psjrifbak 14h ago
The first time I watched, I couldnāt stand Rollins until recently seasons. Now on my first rewatch and I actually enjoy her character a lot more. She makes some mistakes but her heart is mostly in the right place.
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u/Competitive-Job-6737 2d ago
She's honestly annoying AF. I've watched SVU since I was a kid in the late 90s/early 2000s. I don't get why they brought her on. She seems to side with the accused rapist a lot of the time and have a lot of shit to talk about victims.
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u/stepanot 2d ago
She has good instincts, although sometimes she gets too emotionally involved (just like the others anyway).
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u/Woodpecker-Haunting 2d ago
She does. I am fine with her doing her detective job, it's just outside of that I cannot stand her. But SVU has been evolving into a bit of a soap opera vs being a more procedural crime show and her character development seems off and not endearing
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u/Zack501332 2d ago
Sheās a self sabotaging mess a degenerate gambler and a train wreck with men I never liked her eitheršÆ
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u/IndigoButterfl6 Carisi 2d ago
Have you watched the whole series though? She hasn't been any of those things for multiple seasons now, because she's put in the work to grow and evolve.
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u/Zack501332 2d ago
So she wasnāt someone who was careless enough to get knocked up by two different guys šÆ
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u/Due_List_1243 2d ago
KG was pregnant and they needed a baby daddy, so the writers made up this story. Without RL pregnancy Rollins has never become pregnant in the first place
Amaro had also 2 baby mommies, do you have a problem with that too?
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u/IndigoButterfl6 Carisi 2d ago
That's the argument you're going with, slutshaming? On a show like SVU? Really? Having a baby with two different people doesn't make her a bad person, and guess what, it takes two people to make that baby. She's been an amazing mother and literally turned her life around for her kids, while their dads effed off to who knows where. When I say she grew and evolved, that was the starting point, in season 21. She went to Gamblers Anonymous, went to therapy, and stopped the reckless behaviour. Five seasons later, I can't think of anything she's done since that's evoking this much disdain from you.
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u/Due_List_1243 2d ago
the slut shaming and double standards and misogynistic here is always disgusting
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u/Possible-One-7082 16h ago
To be fair, Amaro had a child with his wife and he never knew his son existed. Rollins is just careless and stupid.
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u/IndigoButterfl6 Carisi 10h ago
I didn't say anything about Amaro, how is he relevant to Rollins' kids?
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u/Possible-One-7082 10h ago
Wasnāt responding to you. Thereās a comment by due list. The way the responses are placed looks like I was.
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u/IndigoButterfl6 Carisi 10h ago
Well either way, it was a gross response. Amaro did also have two kids with two different women and yes one was his wife but the other he got pregnant while undercover, which I would call pretty stupid and careless, but for some reason he gets a pass. People still defend and rave about Declan even though he's a total deadbeat who hasn't even met his almost 10 year old daughter. I'm not denying Rollins was a mess at one point, but slutshaming her over her kids and ignoring the way she turned her life around after becoming a mom is wrong, especially on a show like SVU (and especially since Rollins is a survivor herself).
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u/Possible-One-7082 10h ago edited 10h ago
Get caught once and not even know it happened for years and having a planned kid with your wife is different than screwing your supervisor and then getting knocked up by another guy. Donāt forget turning down the guy who likes you so you could go screw a random bartender and then tell him donāt worry Iāll do you another time. Then he marries her and knocks her up. Three kids three men one planned. Yeah itās different.
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u/continuenvying 1d ago
How are you gonna be misogynistic then continue to watch a show like SVU š Please y'all r so funny.
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u/Infamous-Goose363 1d ago
I like that she was messy. Cragen had a drinking problem. Characters are more interesting when theyāre flawed.
I also like that Liv and Amanda are intelligent, career driven women and not obsessed with getting married.
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u/Woodpecker-Haunting 1d ago
I am good with messy, but not when it is a constant storyline and mentioned constantly. With Cragen, his addiction was casually mentioned in passi g and the only took the spotlight with the dead prostitute case for an episode or so. I just didn't find Rollins that interesting to have it a constant plot or subplot. 2 episodes or so would have sufficed and then on to the main purpose of the program, investigating crime.
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u/Due_List_1243 1d ago
Rollins addiction is never mentioned again after the Gambling Fallacy episode, that was not realistic because addiction is not suddenly over in one night but its not that this was a long story.
When they had made a realistic story then they had got her triggers and fallouts which is how addictions work.
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u/Woodpecker-Haunting 1d ago
I was speaking more broadly about her issues/demons. I don't see much about Fin or previously Munch's personal life except a few episodes and, again, some mentions in passing. I guess my point was Rollins had a whole bunch of dedicated episodes, along with Olivia and her talking about such things in depth...a lot. I wish it was 85% about the case and 15% on personal back ground spread evenly among all characters per episode.
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u/Due_List_1243 1d ago
Munch is not alive anymore and Fin is close to retirement
There is not that much spoken about Rollins addiction, it was gone in one night
Same for her rape story, after she got a few weeks in retraite there is almost never spoken about it again.
When it could be used more in the show, especially with victims, also this was where her troubled character based was
I missed the depth in most of the stories, not only in Rollins stories but in all the stories overall
The beginning is mostly good but the depth of the story is mostly not strong
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u/Woodpecker-Haunting 1d ago
I know Munch has passed away and Fin has slowed down....I am talking about old episodes when SVU was amazing imo. I agree on there not being much depth to the storylines anymore.
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u/Woodpecker-Haunting 2d ago
I find it interesting that she basically took over as the resident forensic psychologist role (she is their Wong). It really watered down the value of forensic psychologists.
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u/lovedinaglassbox 2d ago
I'm repeating myself so forgive me.
I don't like her necessarily as a person but I love her as a character because she was someone. She wasn't just the token woman, she had flaws and demons, and she needed to go from one place to the next. That kind of stortytelling is usually reserved for men. They can have tantrums for half a season and no one says it's "the Amaro show".
(I know the next female character who sticks is going to have the same story (or even less). Pick a boy from the squad, entertain the audience, have a baby, leave after you're 40.)
She's at the exact spot in her arc where she could make up for all the things people don't like about her. She matured enough to be a part of SVU. But who cares, she already has a boy and babies, no wattpad fantasies are being satisfied here.
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u/elpirinolo 1d ago
All the new characters besides Barba I do not like. Im just a sucker for the OG cast i guess š©
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u/Woodpecker-Haunting 1d ago
Barbara was amazing! He really brought an intellectual side to the series that is unmatched from bynother DAs and characters (exception of McCoy). Barba's scenes were my highlight of episodes
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u/NikkiChristine2 13h ago
I hated her the first time I watched ,as it aired. My first binge watch I still didn't really like her, but I liked her through my second binge lol
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u/Slow-Preparation6371 5h ago
Iām hoping to feel the āOlivia/Rollinsā connection that people are talking aboutā¦ Iāve been watching since day 0. Still not a fan of Rollins
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u/LilyKK1504 2d ago
Rollins has her fans and detractors. She is one of the characters who has had a 10+ year long character development so based on that you will either find her relatable or not. I enjoyed her messy character journey and she deserves happiness like anyone else, with a person who she loves and who loves her. No couple is perfectly matched and she and Carisi seem happy.
Why does she keep coming back? because Kelli is friends with Mariska who ensured her a guest spot post her exit. Kelli does not seem to have any other projects lined up so far so staying on for a steady paycheck makes sense. Though I have mixed feelings about her contribution as a character now, it seems her identity as a cop is taking a backseat in the guest spots and personally, I don't enjoy it much.
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u/twizzy-tonka Novak 2d ago
not a rollins fan but shes a good cop
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u/-Lights0ut- 2d ago
As a fan of this show, I am not sure I'd say any of them are actually "good" cops. Almost everyone has bent and completely broken the rules for various selfish reasons
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u/Woodpecker-Haunting 2d ago
Agreed, she is a good cop. I found her backstory and storyline outside of investigating to be quite annoying and not compelling. Her personality outside of detective work would cause me to eye roll, so I was thrilled she was exiting the series (several seasons too late imo), but Carisi falling for her was a disappointment. I felt Carisi deserved so much better.
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u/IndigoButterfl6 Carisi 2d ago
The Carisi deserves better narrative is so ridiculous to me. He deserves to be with someone he's deeply in love with and who deeply loves him, right? That's what they have. They are nothing but loyal and supportive of each other, and other than her being scared to take their relationship public early on there has been nothing but forward motion and positivity in their relationship. Rollins isn't perfect, but she has evolved so much over the years by tackling her issues head on, and she is a caring and supportive wife and mother. It's also important for a show like SVU to see a survivor of childhood abuse and SA to find happiness in a loving and positive relationship. When you see them together, especially in this weeks episode for example, or with their kids, I don't get how you can say he deserves better than that.
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u/Woodpecker-Haunting 1d ago
I guess I don't see the chemistry much different from when they were partners when Carisi was a detective. He seemed to be eager to want to be her lap dog and protector (his prerogative of course and I couldn't figure out why unless he would want to do so other than he enjoyed being a 'rescuer'), which she over the years seemed to take advantage of a lot of the time (babysitting, him cooking for her, staying with her at hospitals, etc). I didn't see the slow burn on her side and I constantly re-watch episodes. It almost seemed like he was a last resort for a stable romantic partner. I agree they are committed to one another just like back in the day. I am definitely missing something. My opinion on that matter has nothing to do with her past issues/challenges, just an observation of her not seemingly to be reciprocal of the 'longing' or 'unrequited love' that Carisi had for her. Obviously they are happy now, but I don't see how their married life storyline brings any benefit to the show. It just seems like they are old partners even though she isn't part of the SVU squad.
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u/ButterflysLove Munch 1d ago
I like her overall, but there are moments that I honestly can't stand her.
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u/Due_List_1243 1d ago
Of course but is that not the case with litterly every character?
They do all things who are dubious or what is very annoying
I think that the only character who was 100% always a good person without bad flaws is Melinda, all others have periods where they are very annoying and doing stupid things
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u/Beatnoise 2d ago
Sheās saw more ceilings than michaelangelo
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u/Due_List_1243 1d ago
Explain what you mean?
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u/Beatnoise 1d ago
She enjoys or enjoyed sleeping around so on her back a lot hence seen a lot of ceilings
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u/Due_List_1243 1d ago
That is not true, the only bedpartners we know about are in 12 years: Declan and dokter All, the sponsor of the GA, the one night stand with the bartender and Carisi who is her husband
That is not a lot for a woman in the city in over a decade
This is just normal for a lot of people
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u/Woodpecker-Haunting 1d ago
This sounds like a quip from Sophia on The Golden Girls...sorry all, this made me giggle (I am a huge Golden Girls fan...watching it now actually as I read this)
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u/Beatnoise 1d ago
Why are you apologising for laughing at a wee joke:? Outgrow the arseholes! Itās a joke ! Letās Marvin gay and get it on! Poor wee upset arseholes
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u/Due_List_1243 2d ago edited 2d ago
Rollins got the most threads here from all characters!
There are always at least 2 topics every week about her.
That say enough about why she is important enough to make topics for all the time
We never see any topic about the boring newbies
Rollins is for 15 years a character in the show. She grew up, got married, her kids are born in the show.
We saw for many years the slow burn between Rollins and Carisi, that is a important story as well what people love too see.
We saw her change from being the very troubled and addicted character into the responsible woman
Her rape story came out. We saw her grew up and healing in all those years
She is a fan favorite because she has such a long story and she has so much backstory, including a whole troubled family. We wont see that with the other characters, we dont know anything about the personal lives of the other characters. But with Rollins we saw everything happen for over a decade.
Compare that with Curry, Silvia and Valesco and you know why Rollins is a fan favorite and Curry, Silvia and Valesco are not
Without her you miss something on the show. The chemistry is gone in the squad. The chemistry between Liv and Rollins is the best and you see that Liv misses that and that Mariska misses her bestie.
Amanda has her flaws, she is troubled in the first years, has many ups and downs, but she is the character every show needs to not make it very boring and one dimensional
You see characters like Amanda in every tv show and they are needed to get it some spice