Is Law & Order: Organized Crime Losing An Original Cast Member After Five Seasons?
There's another empty desk at the Organized Crime Control Bureau.
Det. Jet Slootmaekers, who has been with the OCCB for all five seasons of Law & Order: Organized Crime, is no longer part of the team. In Season 5, Episode 3, which began streaming today, Jet leaves the squad to pursue what Sgt. Bell calls "her own journey."
Jet's departure follows her traumatizing undercover work in Episode 2, where she and Stabler collared a trucker who was torturing and killing sex workers; Jet was physically attacked during the pursuit. Slootmaekers took a leave of absence afterward; she still hadn't returned to the office by this week's episode. Reyes told a curious Stabler that he and Jet, who'd been romantically linked, had broken up, and he was worried about her.
Later, Bell went to Jet's apartment to find her obsessing about missing women/presumed murder victims on the interstate. We learned that the FBI had offered the hacker a full-time job, which she'd turned down. But Bell kindly let Jet know that it was OK if she wanted to pursue a new area in her career. "Do what you gotta do," she said.
At the end of the episode, Stabler was the only person in the office when Jet showed up to get her things. He hugged her and said he'd miss her, then he drove her to the bar to meet the rest of their co-workers for a round of farewell drinks. Per Bell, Jet is taking a leave of undetermined length. (Read a full recap here.)
Jet had been part of the OCCB since the series' premiere, when Det. Elliot Stabler (played by Chris Meloni) brought her onto the team. Likewise, portrayer Ainsley Seiger had been a series regular on the show since its start.
So, is Seiger leaving Law & Order: Organized Crime for good? The network's official recap couches the departure in terms of character, not actress; GiveMeMyRemote reports that Seiger is exiting the series. TVLine has reached out to NBC, Wolf Entertainment and Seiger for comment; we'll update this story should any new intel become available.
Are you sad that Jet won't be around? Hit the comments with your thoughts!