Spoilers ahead for Episode 6 of Law & Order: SVU Season 25, called "Carousel."
Law & Order: SVU finally took the time to add some more women to Olivia Benson's squad in the last few episodes of Season 25, which came as a relief to me after the departure of Muncy at the end of Season 24. While I'm not convinced that the show intends to keep all of them in the long run, the additions of Captain Curry and Agent Shannah Sykes to a case also including Detectives Bruno and Velasco made for a pretty great episode. By the time the final credits rolled, I was already hoping that the cast changes from "Carousel" would stick... with one exception.
The cast changes started a couple of weeks earlier in the 2024 TV schedule, when Curry asked Benson if she could join Special Victims after leaving Internal Affairs. Then, in finally closing Maddie's case, Benson made an impact on FBI Agent Sykes to the point that she requested an assignment to work with Manhattan's SVU without leaving the Bureau. "Carousel" was the first episode that included both newcomers alongside Detectives Bruno and Velasco, and it worked well for me for two big reasons.
First, I've really missed Benson having other women in her squad room. Ever since Muncy took a job elsewhere and Churlish was nowhere to be seen as the other Season 24 newcomer, it bugged me that a show primarily about sex crimes against women mostly featured men as series regulars. Plus, the scene of Benson talking with Curry and Sykes at the end of "Carousel" gave a taste of what has been missing since Rollins left: Benson just having a friendly chat with other women.
Second, the squad felt a lot smaller when Season 25 picked up with just Fin, Velasco, and Bruno worked under Benson in Special Victims, especially compared to Law & Order and Law & Order: Organized Crime with their larger ensembles. Adding two more people just made the team feel more effective, and the case felt more exciting for the larger scale. So, after seeing this crew in action together, sign me up for SVU keeping Curry and Sykes alongside Bruno and Velasco.
That said, I don't want the squad of "Carousel" to remain precisely the same in the long run. Ice-T was absent as Fin in this episode, which isn't too alarming on the surface, although I did miss him. Well before the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike began, news broke that the six Wolf Entertainment shows on NBC – a.k.a. the three Law & Orders and three One Chicago series – would cut the episode counts for series regulars.
Fin's absence in this episode isn't really cause for alarm, but I'm also not going to root for the new cast changes to stick without shouting out the Law & Order actor who has been in the second most episodes of the entire franchise, behind only Mariska Hargitay. So, to be precise, sign me up for the Special Victims team from "Carousel," plus Fin!
While it remains to be seen how big Benson's squad will be moving forward, the promo for the next episode at least confirms that Fin has a part to play. Take a look:
Keep tuning in to NBC on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET for new episodes of Law & Order: SVU. The State of the Union on March 7 means a week off for the three L&O shows, but you can always revisit past episodes streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription. NBC also recently announced an unbelievable way that Olivia Benson is being celebrated for SVU's 25th anniversary that a lot of fans might be interested in!
