LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT Post-Mortem: Jamie Gray Hyder on Kat’s Win and Season 22

[Warning: This post contains spoilers for the LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT season 21 finale.]

It took months, but LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT’s Kat (Jamie Gray Hyder) was able to finally put Paul Davies (Ben Davis) behind bars.

“I think it means so much for Kat, not only in the professional sense of having accomplished her goal, but I think in a personal sense,” Hyder says. “[Having] Lakira reconnect with her mom is equally as much of an accomplishment in her eyes—I think that that’s even more meaningful. Kat’s family is very important to her and it’s hard for her to understand when people are separated from the members of their family.”

“Bringing Paul Davies to justice is, on its own, a huge win just for those involved with the case,” she continues. “But I think in a greater sense, bringing someone like Paul Davies to justice is a small reminder that sometimes justice will prevail and that money and status cannot always protect you.”

However, Kat did go a little over the line in the episode—something Olivia (Mariska Hargitay) told Rollins (Kelli Giddish) she’d let the squad newbie twist a little over. But given Rollins and Fin (Ice-T) also went beyond the call of duty in the hour, was Kat learning the right lines to cross?

“That in itself is such a great point that the show makes,” Hyder says. “It is very difficult to know where that line is, when you’re overstepping the boundaries of your duty or of your of your position.”

“That’s something that officers struggle with in real life, as well,” she continues. “How far do you go to get the results that you want for better or for worse? I think that’s why it’s important that we really address it on the show. She’s learning, more and more, and it really becomes an instinct thing. It becomes a risk-reward situation, and she is going to have to play things a little bit more conservatively until she really has her foundation in this world.”

Things were a little shakier over at the trial of Sir Toby (Ian McShane), who was MIA during the episode—due to one alleged medical crisis after another—but used his power to intimidate those who were trying to testify against him.

Luckily for Kat, so far, she’s managed to stay out of it. “That case was the opportunity Kat had to prove herself to the squad and I think that will always hold a special place in her heart,” Hyder says of the undercover opp that introduced her character to her now-coworkers. “Such a high-profile case, such as with Weinstein, and other cases like that, they’re complicated. And I think that this case is sort of an example of the law not always going in the direction that you think it will and that despite how obvious something may seem, it’s often a nuanced process; this case really exemplifies that it’s not just an open and shut situation, no matter how guilty somebody may be. So I think that this case really serves as a lesson for Kat, as well as the public, on how difficult it can be sometimes to really get justice in the system.”

And though Sir Toby has proven to be vindictive, Hyder notes she doesn’t think Kat has really taken the threats to the other witnesses in. “I think that she feel protected by her place,” she says. “She feels confident in having presented herself as a very capable woman. Sir Toby, despite how disgusting and evil he is, is smart enough to know that I wouldn’t be the hornet’s nest that you want to poke. With that said, I think that Kat would be willing to do anything and everything she can to contribute to his [downfall]. But I don’t know that Sir Toby is dumb enough to target her, necessarily.”

As for the upcoming seasons, Hyder acknowledges she’s hoping she’ll be a part of the already-ordered three years. “Storylines and shows evolve and change, and you never know what direction they’re going to go in,” she says. “If I do have the opportunity to stay with the show for that whole duration, I consider myself extremely lucky and I eagerly anticipate learning more about Kat as the seasons go on.”

In the finale, the series further touched on Kat’s bisexuality as she was trying to figure out which date she should meet. But whether the show gives her a girlfriend or boyfriend in the future is still TBD.

“The unceremonious ending of the season prevented a lot of the conversations that would have gone on about where we want to take Kat in the next season,” Hyder admits. “I look forward to discussing that further with producers; we haven’t spoken specifically about what direction they’re going to take her in. But I do know that they’re going to continue to develop this part of her into the season 22.”

When the show eventually returns into production, Hyder is just looking forward to learning more about her character. “I’m excited to put all of her different sides together,” she says. “We’re learning things about her, bit by bit, and the more we know, the more complete the picture becomes. I think we’ll learn more about Kat’s faith and how that plays into her life. I think we’ll learn more about other people in Kat’s life next season, as well, and those are the individuals that have influenced her.”

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• LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT’s Jamie Gray Hyder on Kat Finding Her Balance in a New Unit
• LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT: Jamie Gray Hyder Previews Kat’s Big Episode
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