Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 15 “Thirsty” opens with Captain Curry (Aimé Donna Kelly) winning a boxing match while most of the team cheers her on. But the celebration gets cut short, ending before it really even begins. Just as she’s supposed to be getting ready to head out for drinks with the squad, courtesy of Captain Benson’s winnings from betting on her, Chief Tynan arrives to offer her the very same SVU Deputy Chief position Captain Benson’s turned down multiple times. But, in a tense scene later in the hour, Curry not only tells Tynan she doesn’t want the job but also (respectfully) says she’s “not interested in being a pawn in someone else’s game.”
An offer Captain Curry can refuse
When we interviewed Aimé Donna Kelly about what she described as “one of the most fun episodes I’ve ever filmed with SVU,” we were curious if anything about Tynan’s offer was at all tempting. After all, although Tynan describing Captain Curry’s role as “redundant” was disrespectful—not to mention, way out of line—the Special Victims Unit technically doesn’t need two captains. “Curry has made a very clear decision, from the first time you see me start to recur on SVU, that this is the place that [she wants] to be so that [she] can become a better cop,” Kelly told us, “and I hope that I’ve made that clear through the performance of Curry, that it’s not about rising in the ranks. It’s not about getting more money. It’s not about [her] title or position.”
Instead, speaking for her character, the actress told us, working alongside Benson at SVU is “about being the kind of cop that I said I wanted to be when I decided to join the police force in the first place, right? I want to help people, and I want people’s lives to be better. And learning from Benson—learning from, you know, the legend in this world—that’s how I’m going to do that.” So, Curry has “never seen [her] Captain title as redundant because we’re all working in this unit together…for a greater purpose. And I think that’s what Tynan misses.” So, she “actually does herself a disservice in the argument” right from the start. Because, for Curry, “that’s not what this is about.”
While character isn’t a fan of the conversation, Kelly shared with us that she “love[s] that scene so much.” Actors “love, obviously, getting to play characters that have these deep, rich inner lives. So, it’s so fun to play what’s not being said, and there’s so much mistrust that Curry has of Tynan—that all of us kind of have of Tynan—because there’s something that she is trying to get from Benson, or trying to get from us, and we’re not clear exactly what that is.”
So, in Curry’s mind, “this offer that she’s presenting to me as a gift is not really a gift, right? There’s something else.” And, if Curry ever had any desire to leave SVU, “this is not the way that [she] would do it.” Basically, coming from Tynan and knowing there’s something happening, “it’s like red flags everywhere.” And that means Curry doesn’t “really consider it like the wonderful opportunity that she’s presenting it as.”
Another part of Tynan’s pitch really stands out: “You and I both know the challenges in this department for women like us,” she tells Curry in Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 15. That, according to Aimé Donna Kelly, “is actually a legitimate thing that Tynan says.” Because she’s right about those challenges. “You do not see a lot of Black women, at least in our world, in power in this unit or…in the police force…So, there is that sense of [Tynan asking] ‘you want to see more representation, right?’ And I get that Curry understands that.”
On the other hand, “what is not appreciated is that it’s being used as a way to try to get [Curry] on her side, when…[Curry’s] not quite sure what her side is—what it is she’s trying to do. Again, Tynan is—is so…unclear with what her endgame is that, you know, as a good detective…the first thing you’re going to do is question, like, ‘what is this about?'” Again emphasizing “this mistrust that’s happening—that’s kind of been happening throughout the season,” Kelly told us, “if it were any other person…anyone that didn’t have this kind of…backstory of, ‘we don’t know what’s going on,’ [then] maybe there would be a little bit more consideration there. But again, Curry is happy where she is.”
Although there may be tension on screen, Kelly has nothing but praise for her scene partner. When we asked the actress what it’s been like playing those scenes opposite another Black woman who’s also playing someone of higher rank in the series, she told us, “it’s…I mean, it’s great.” And she had nothing but praise for Noma Dumezweni (who plays Tynan). “I mean, Noma is fantastic. She’s a powerhouse. I’ve been a fan of hers for a very long time. So, to get to share the screen with her is phenomenal…and I kind of have to pinch myself every time I get to walk onto set with these legendary actors.”
Kelly added of Dumezweni, “I feel like I learned so much just from those scenes that we’ve had. Just, her ease and her confidence is really beautiful…and I’m just hoping some of that rubbed off on me.”
MORE: Aimé Donna Kelly has put in some strong performances this season, like in Episode 10 when Captain Curry played a huge part in closing the Tameka Davis case.
On Curry and Benson’s disagreement
Speaking of powerhouses and legends, Aimé Donna Kelly and Mariska Hargitay share a very important scene at the end of Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 15. Curry tells Benson what went down with Tynan, but the two captains don’t agree on how to handle things from here. Asked what she could tease about how this all affects that partnership going forward, Kelly put any concerns about lingering tension to rest. “I think…it’s going to deepen their relationship,” she told us, likening it to “any moment [of disagreement] that you have with a family member or a best friend.”
Between Curry and Benson, “yes, there’s tension.” These are “two people [who] want to do things differently…but they’re both working towards the same goal.” We know that, “obviously, Curry has so much respect for Benson, and I think Benson also respects Curry. But I think Benson is going to see…that Curry can handle herself.”
Here, Aimé Donna Kelly reminded us how Law & Order: SVU Season 27 Episode 15 begins—with that boxing match. “Curry wins, right? Curry wins. And now, at the end, Curry is about to start a very different fight, and we’re not sure if she’s going to win.” So, when she asks the other captain to let her do things her way, “what Curry is saying to Benson is, ‘trust me. I got this. I’m strong enough, and I’ve been in battles before, and this is one that I can handle. And you’ve got to let me handle it so that I can grow into the cop that I am trying to prove to you that I can be.'”
The actress also told us she thought that final conversation between Curry and Benson “was a lovely scene to do.” At the time of the interview, she was looking forward to “watching along with everyone” and said that, “hopefully,” fans would relate it to the kinds of “tender moments that best friends or family members have where it’s like, ‘yeah, we disagree. But we love each other, and we trust each other, and we respect each other. So, I’m gonna let you do you, even though I disagree with you…and we’re gonna see we’re gonna see what happens from that.”
MORE: We’ve enjoyed the Curry/Benson pairing since their working partnership really began.
What’s next for Captain Curry in SVU Season 27
Now that Captain Curry has refused to play Chief Tynan’s game, what should viewers expect going forward? Without spoiling anything, Aimé Donna Kelly shared that viewers will “see her in a new role.” We’ll learn how she handles that situation “and how some of the other members on the squad deal with that.” She added, “I think the audience will be—um—intrigued by this storyline and where it’s going.”
And what’s it going to be like, for Curry who’s former IAB, when she actually hears what Benson knows about Griff’s dad and a potential coverup, maybe even—as the end scene seems to indicate—Olivia using that information in this ongoing conflict with Tynan? Will Curry see it as fixing an injustice that should’ve never been committed, doing something dirty, or…it’s complicated? Look forward to seeing Curry “kind of grapple with that, and kind of uncover some things.” Kelly elaborated, “you’ll see Curry kind of do a little digging behind the scenes…and start to put some pieces together. Which is exciting.”
As far as anything specific about any interactions between Curry and Tynan goes, though, “there wouldn’t be anything I could tease that wouldn’t give it away completely…But trust me, it’ll—it’ll be good.”
So, “hopefully, everyone tunes in and watches and roots for Curry.”
And if you don’t, we at Fangirlish have so many questions for you. Because, seriously, how could you not?
MORE: Curry warned Benson about Griff’s “powerful friends” when he first joined the team.
Don’t miss Aimé Donna Kelly as Captain Renee Curry on Law & Order: SVU!
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