LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT: Jamie Gray Hyder Previews Kat’s Big Episode

On the Thursday, February 6 episode of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, Kat (Jamie Gray Hyder) finds herself in a tough spot when she’s unsure whether she witnessed a trainer at her boxing gym being inappropriate with another athlete.

“In the beginning of this episode, when she goes to Benson and brings it up, I think she’s a little bit unsure of what she saw,” Hyder says. “Her instinct is probably what got her into becoming a cop in the first place, along with wanting to help people and recognizing when there are injustices being committed; I think that’s ingrained in her. So when she feels that something’s a little bit off when she goes to her boxing ring, it’s a great insight into Kat’s own sort of emotional and intellectual instincts. And she goes to Olivia to make sure that she’s not crazy.”

In addition to being close to the potential case, Kat is well aware “she’s new to this world,” Hyder continues. “So she’s still trying to figure out how [handle things]. Having Olivia as a mentor really helps to sort of support her and help shape maybe where she’s rough around the edges.”

“Redemption In Her Corner” also allowed for Hyder to implement some of her real-life training as Kat steps into the boxing ring early in the episode.

“We trained a few times with the fight coordinator on the show,” Hyder says of prepping to spar with co-star Manni Perez on-screen. “[Manni] does a wonderful job as Esperanza in this episode. But they got Manny and I together a few times to go over the choreography. And we’re super lucky that Manni and myself both have experience with fight training and trained in Muay Thai in the past. And I had spent [time] honing in on my boxing technique when the producers let me know that this was going to be part of the episode. On a personal level, I was super excited to take a skill set that I’ve been honing for the last few years and put it out there on camera.”

For Kat, the moment is also big, as some of her colleagues come to watch the match. “She’s still human, and she has an ego,” Hyder admits. “The fact that they’re there for her is a huge message that she’s being supported by the people that she works with. It doesn’t matter how many times they tell her she’s making a mistake or she’s going about it the wrong way; their intentions are always to help her grow. And I think that we see some of that camaraderie in their support in coming to her boxing match. It does add pressure for her [to win], but I think it helps to solidify in her mind that she is a part of the team.”