Return of the Prodigal Detective: SVU's Cabot is Back and Fans are Torn
Assistant District Attorney, Alexandra Cabot (portrayed by Stephanie March) always seemed to be a popular character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Making her first appearance in Season Two, she would become a regular presence right up until Season Five. Here, she would appear in only three episodes, and then a mere one in Season Six. Then she vanished, only to surprisingly reappear in Season 10. She then became a regular again, through the rest of Season 10 and Season 11.
Fans have taken to Reddit to explore their feelings about this turn of events, and most were pleased to see her back. She was missed and the DA that "replaced" her (Kim Greylek, portrayed by Michaela McManus) was not quite as well received by the fanbase. Some fans did speak out in defence of Greylek, however, even of those that did, none stated they preferred her to Cabot.
Cabot's return was a nice surprise, with fans being made aware that Greylek had returned to Washington DC and suddenly, Cabot was there to temporarily fill in for her.
But why did she leave in the first place?
It is well established that Cabot had to fake her own death and go into hiding in Season Five. She did appear in Season Six as a witness against the assassin that had tried to kill her on behalf of the drug cartel but then she was absent for the next three seasons. Her reason for leaving was, therefore, abundantly clear. To save her own life. But her abrupt return left some people scratching their heads.
Apparently, the cartel leader that ordered the hit on her had died, and the assassin that had tried to kill her had been extradited to his native Ireland. And some fans are critical that this all felt like lazy writing, and was a little too "rushed" and "convenient."
Stephanie March also played Cabot in the spin-off series Conviction, which it is believed would have offered a more solid explanation for her return. Unfortunately, Conviction was cancelled after its first season, so any plans writers had to tie up those loose ends were lost. Perhaps if it had been permitted to run longer, we would have been given a stronger story around Cabot's return.
Regardless, one thing is clear. Fans loved having her back. Regardless of the reason or circumstances, she is a welcome presence in the SVU universe.