hitonallsixes

Wow...it just occurred to me how true this is. :-(

My feelings on season 16 are mixed. No show can hit it out of the ballpark 100% of the time, but I think SVU could have done better in the ratings this year by making an effort to appeal to fans who watch for someone other than Mariska Hargitay and to occasional viewers/new viewers who aren't as invested in the detective’s personal lives. Seasons 13 and 14 had a nice ensemble feel while still focusing on Olivia, but in S15 (when the Lewis arc started), I feel like the show started to lose its way. Collectively, the fans of Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish, and Raul Esparza make up a sizable segment of the fandom. Sometimes, I think the writers forget about that, either that, or they don’t care. I also think that some old faithful viewers have fallen away from the show because of the focus on Olivia. I feel like SVU as a whole has been stunted in order to allow for Olivia’s growth.

I too wish that Amaro had gotten individual goodbye scenes with Fin and with Rollins. I am a Rollaro supporter, but feel that it would have been better to not go there at all then have it play out the way that it did. Pairing Amaro with Cynthia would have made sense in the early second half of S16 but by the season finale, it was too late to play that card. It would have seemed contrived. Cynthia and Gil being in Padre Sandunguero would have been a good point to reintroduce Cynthia as a love interest. She could have come into the squad room at the end to be with Amaro, instead of closing the episode with him being alone. That would have set up a possible rekindling of their relationship and would have put an end to the Rollaro baiting, which wasn't productive at all. I always thought that Rollaro was written into the show at a point in time when the writers weren't sure if there would be a S16…so they just threw it in there with an “eh…why not?” attitude (for shock value) without really considering the repercussions of putting those two characters together. If Amaro ever comes back for a guest spot, it would be nice to hear that he and Cynthia did reconnect.

There was so much focus on Olivia in S15 with the Lewis Arc and her therapy sessions and in S16 with Noah that the writers failed to write positive mini-arcs for the other characters. If Amaro is "damaged goods", then it is the writer's fault. Sometimes you need to have a character experience loss so that they can grow; I think most fans understand this. However, I feel that both negative and positive growth are essential for a balanced character. Even though heartbreaking and terrible things have happened to Olivia, she was allowed to grow. Amaro, on the other hand, lost but never gained...for three seasons straight, I might add! When he did gain something positive, like finding out about Gil, the writers didn't do anything with it. If you keep writing a character that way, eventually the ink will run dry on your pen when it comes to fleshing out said character. S15 was bad for Amaro, but there are things they could have done in S16 to bring more depth to his character and to give DP more material to work with. Why not have Cynthia get shot and have Gil move in with Amaro? They could have explored the father-son dynamic in a big dramatic way. Or, why not put Amaro with Cynthia instead of with Rollins? It seemed like they weren't at odds with each other anymore by the time of the S14 finale. Rekindling an old romance could have been interesting. I just don't understand the need for all of the Olivia/Noah scenes when Noah is played by an actor who can't emote. Noah is cute and I'm happy that Olivia is finally a mother, but that kind of thing doesn't make good drama. To be fair, the writers did give Amaro (and Rollins) some big character episodes, but when they did, there usually wasn't any follow up and that was sometimes frustrating for fans. My guess is that Danny Pino would have stayed if he had felt that there was more meat to extract from his character. Surrendering Noah felt like a series finale to me and I may end up treating it as such. I am sure there will be some interesting stories in S17, but I don't know if I will return to watch.

I couldn't agree more. I was dismayed last season when they started writing all of the rage/stalking issues for Amaro as well as finalizing the divorce story line. When Amaro snapped in the S15 finale, there were moments when I felt as if I didn't recognize his character anymore. Even the Rollaro storyline was written in a sloppy/careless manner. It almost felt like the writers didn't know what to do with Amaro’s character anymore. Perhaps Danny Pino felt the same way and made it known that he didn't plan to renew his contract when S16 was done before S16 started filming. To me, all of S16 felt very much like a transition for the Amaro character.

I like Carisi a lot because he is not the stereotypical "angry cop" like Stabler and Amaro. However, when he is in the box grilling a perp, I don't feel threatened by him...and so I think that a perp wouldn't feel threatened either. These days, Olivia dons the "bad cop" mantle (during interrogations that is) rather nicely. There is no reason for the writers to turn Carisi into Stabler 3.0 as long as Olivia is around.

same

I don't think that Amaro will die, but it seems likely that he will leave SVU.

I wouldn't blame Danny Pino if he wanted to leave after what they did to his character in the last two seasons. Most of the character elements which made Amaro unique and different from Stabler in season 13 [long-distance (but mostly happy) marriage/raising daughter alone] were taken away. Also, they gave Amaro a long lost son but didn't develop that story line much. When those elements were taken away, Amaro became an angry and often one-dimensional character. It must be exhausting for an actor to play angry and morose for two seasons in a row when that is not how the character was originally pitched. So, I would understand if DP leaves SVU....I just selfishly wish that he would stay.