Did Sergeant Odafin “Fin” Tutuola (Ice-T) hiding the fact that he lost his gun from Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) also affect the rest of the squad? Detective Joe Velasco (Octavio Pisano) is worried about just that in TV Insider’s exclusive sneak peek of the Thursday, October 2, episode of Law & Order: SVU.
When Fin was attacked in the Season 27 premiere, his gun was taken, and he told Velasco and Detective Terry Bruno (Kevin Kane), who tracked it down for him. Fin tried to keep it from Benson, but Sergeant Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) found out through her own unit and clued her in. Benson then confronted Fin about it, and he made sure she knew it was on him, not the detectives. He also promised he’d earn back her trust.
Now, in our clip, Velasco is clearly worried about his part in that, as he’s waiting for Benson outside her apartment building with a coffee. “Morning, Cap,” he greets her. “Well, if that is an apology for not telling me that Fin lost his gun, honestly, I don’t hate it. Hand it over,” she tells him.
He was “just trying to do the right thing. I know it was a stupid decision, but I swear it’ll never happen again,” Velasco explains.
“Fin knows that he put you in a bad spot, and honestly, I don’t know that I would have done anything different if I was in your position, so, we’re good,” Benson assures him. But then she watches him and can tell by his face that there’s something else. Watch the full clip above.
In the October 2 episode, titled “Waiver of Consent,” after a member of an elite social club is assaulted, it’s up to ADA Sonny Carisi (Peter Scanavino) to convince witnesses to come forward, despite the strict confidentiality rules in place at the club. Plus, Chief Tynan (Noma Dumezweni) offers Benson some extra help — she’d told her in the premiere that she was adding someone to the squad while Fin’s recovering, and the captain didn’t have a choice — and Velasco is confronted with a surprising opportunity.
We know that Velasco will be leaving the squad at some point; it was reported at the end of last season that Pisano was no longer going to be a series regular. The premiere ended with someone approaching him. That was likely about the aforementioned opportunity — and what Velasco needs to tell Benson in our clip.
How do you think SVU will write out Velasco? Let us know in the comments section below.
Law & Order: SVU, Thursdays, 9/8c, NBC