Law & Order: SVU took a week off from new episodes in the 2024 TV schedule, but I for one am still thinking about the development from the very last scene of the most recent installment. It's not because it seemed to set up the exit of Chief McGrath, who has been a thorn in the side of Benson and Special Victims ever since he replaced Garland in early Season 23, but because the scene finally addressed an issue that I've had with Season 25 ever since it premiered. Another woman is joining SVU, and I'm definitely relieved... even if I didn't see it happening this way at all.
Called "Duty to Report" and available streaming via Peacock Premium subscription, the episode brought back Aimé Donna Kelly as IAB Captain Curry, who made a few appearances prior to Season 25. She was brought into the mix after Chief McGrath started stepping way over lines during the investigation into his daughter's sexual assault, to the point that Benson's case was in jeopardy if somebody didn't keep him in check.
By the end, he had pulled a gun on a civilian and seemingly sealed his fate at the NYPD, but Curry revealed that she wasn't gunning for his job as Chief. No, she wants to make a difference in a way that she couldn't at Internal Affairs... and the Special Victims Unit makes a difference. In the conversation with Benson, Mariska Hargitay's character pointed out that it would be "a lateral move at best," since Special Victims already has a captain, and Curry made it clear that she's not looking for a promotion to take over the unit.
Benson admitted that she's short-staffed, prompting Curry to point out something that I've been pointing out since the Season 24 finale. The former IAB captain said:
You know, I did happen to notice the plethora of Y chromosomes in your particular squad.
Me too, Captain Curry. Me too. For a show that – as announced by the opening narration at the beginning of every single episode – deals with sexually-based offenses that "are considered especially heinous," there has been a shortage of women in the squad recently. Given that the vast majority of victims on SVU are either women or children who are reluctant to disclose, that fact has been bugging me ever since Muncy was written out at the end of Season 24.
That came with Churlish not officially part of the squad (and nowhere to be seen in Season 25) and Rollins no longer with the NYPD. Don't get me wrong – I absolutely love Fin, liked Bruno from the start, and have warmed up to Velasco, for all that he came in at a tricky time following the departures of two excellent characters. But I just can't watch an episode of Fin, Bruno, and Velasco interviewing victims without wondering why there's not at least one woman in the mix.
And while I'm glad that Captain Curry is on board to help fill that absence, I definitely didn't see SVU going in this direction! It was too much to hope for a full-time return of Kelli Giddish as Amanda Rollins despite her role in the Season 25 premiere, but that episode also introduced Amber Skye Noyes as Detective Sloane Parrish, who seemed to fit the bill for somebody Benson would recruit. At the very least, she didn't hold the rank of captain!
As unexpected as Captain Curry joining the unit is, I'm definitely looking forward to how it plays out. SVU adding another woman seems like it can only be a good thing, although perhaps the two are a little too optimistic about what they'll be able to accomplish in the wake of McGrath's ousting, as two captains in one unit. For now, take a look at the scene that settled Curry's arrival in Special Victims:
To the future indeed! Tune in to NBC on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET for new episodes of Law & Order: SVU, now featuring Captain Curry as part of Benson's squad. You won't want to miss the network's full Law & Order Thursday lineup on February 22, as the L&O episode will feature Sam Waterston's exit as Jack McCoy and the Law & Order: Organized Crime installment could shed more light on the Stabler family drama.
