‘Law & Order: SVU’ Just Wrote Out a Main Character

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has said farewell to another squad member.

Det. Joe Velasco (Octavio Pisano) made his exit from the SVU after four years during Thursday’s episode of the NBC procedural, Season 27, Episode 3, “A Vicious Circle.”

Velasco had already taken an absence from the SVU after being asked by the DEA to go undercover for a drug run targeting assignment, given his experience with cartels. Velasco had already gotten the blessing of Capt. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) to quietly pursue his side work with the DEA, but in Thursday’s episode, he’s pulled for a meeting with Chief Kathryn Tynan (Noma Dumezweni).

Velasco worries Tynan has learned about his DEA work and is worried he’s gotten Benson in trouble, but she assures him she’s got everything under control.

The actual meeting between Velasco and Tynan goes a little differently, as he arrives to see DEA agents with whom he’s worked there. Recalling the meeting to Benson later, Velasco reveals that the DEA asked Tynan if they could recruit him for more undercover work in San Diego, and that she’s on board.

“I mean, I don’t like the way they went over our heads,” Velasco tells Benson, adding that the target of his undercover work was a notorious criminal who needed to be stopped. He had reservations about taking the assignment, however, because he didn’t want to leave Benson’s squad.

“Velasco, I haven’t stayed with SVU out of loyalty,” the captain responded. “I would never expect anyone to do that. I’m here because I think that it’s the place that I can do the most good. You need to be where you can do the most good.”

Before making his exit, Velasco visits a still-recovering Sgt. Fin Tutuola (Ice-T) and recalls a conversation they once had about becoming detectives to balance the karmic scale for all of the bad things they had done.

“Well, I realized something, I realized that when I’m in it, when I’m doing the job, I don’t think about the scale anymore,” Velasco told Fin. “I don’t think about myself at all.”

“I just wanna say thank you for everything,” he continued, as Fin assured him, “You don’t have to say a word, I already know.”

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC and the next day on Peacock.