The Moment Griffin Got “Initiated Into the Squad” in SVU’s Season 27 Finale (EXCLUSIVE)

SVU’s Corey Cott says his character has officially earned his keep with Benson’s elite unit after taking a bullet on the job. 

As Corey Cott put it, Detective Jake Griffin has “earned his stripes” with the squad after taking a bullet to the gut while hunting down an evil perp in Law & Order: SVU’s Season 27 finale, “Monster.”

“He earned his stripes this season. He earned his scar,” Cott tells NBC Insider of his character’s storyline in SVU’s finale, which ultimately lands him in the hospital after losing a foot of intestine from getting shot in the line of duty. “I think he’s been fully initiated into the squad at this point.”

From a dangerous criminal pursuit to learning a hard truth about his father, Griffin has been through the wringer. Or, as Cott described it, he’s had “a bit of an existential crisis.” Read on to find out what happened with Griffin in SVU’s shocking Season 27 finale. 

Corey Cott says Griffin has gone through “a bit of an existential crisis” on SVU Season 27

Since his arrival earlier on in Season 27, Griffin has been on a mission to prove himself as not only a dedicated and fearless detective, but someone Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Harigtay) can trust — even if that meant exposing Chief Kathryn Tynan (Noma Dumazweni), someone he’s long viewed as a mentor and parental figure. 

After the death of Griff’s police officer father, Jimmy Griffin, Tynan took her former partner’s son under her wing, ultimately assigning Griff to Benson’s squad. It soon became clear, however, that Tynan had an ulterior motive, asking Griff to try and dig up dirt on Benson. But the dirt he eventually comes across flips his life upside down. 

“It’s complicated. His whole life, he’s believed her to be one thing and all of a sudden, in a matter of a few months, it changes everything,” Cott explains, referring to Griff learning the truth about his father and Tynan covering up a corrupt off-duty shooting.  

“[Griff’s] having a bit of an existential crisis because I think a lot of who he’s believed he is has come from her reiterating you’re the son of Jimmy Griffin … she’s essentially raised me,” Cott says. “For some reason, whether it’s inherited or just something he’s decided for himself, Griff cares about the truth. That is his religion. That’s like his rock. That’s the thing he pursues and that’s what makes him a good detective … He’s going to figure it out no matter what.”

And that’s exactly what Griff uncovers in SVU’s Season 27 finale. After tracing down the origins of the gun used in this off-duty shooting, Griff secretly records Tynan confessing to helping cover up the crime, later sharing this incriminating intel with Benson. 

“His only choice right now that he can see is his pursuit and allegiance to SVU and ultimately, Benson,” Cott explains of Griff’s mindset. “For him, I think it’s a no-brainer. He’s gonna expose the truth and stick with Benson as long as he can.”

Corey Cott unpacks Benson and Griffin’s “exchange of trust” in SVU’s Season 27 finale 

While all of this is unfolding in May 14’s episode “Monster,” the SVU is doing their damnedest to build a case against a serial killer and kidnapper named Mr. Caine, whose trial, despite confessing, was ruled a mistrial due a procedural mistake made during his arrest. 

“The case itself is really intense. We have a serial killer who we’re not able to pursue pretty early on because of a procedural error in a cop car and that forces us to put the case on hold … He’s free,” Cott says. “So, we know that there’s potentially more victims out there that are going to potentially get hurt while we’re sitting there with our hands tied going, ‘How do we get this guy?'”

The pursuit ends with the SVU squad locating another young victim who’s taped up, left outside in the rain, and an armed Mr. Caine hiding inside a dark cabin. Griff takes a bad hit, bleeding from his stomach, but musters up the strength to find Mr. Caine and knock him to the ground. With Griff’s gun pointed at him, Mr. Caine taunts him with gruesome details about his horrendous crimes

“Nobody in this whole world would care if I blew you away — right now!” Griffin says before seeing Benson in the distance and stepping away, succumbing to the pain of his injury. 

After helping Griff and assuring him that he’ll be okay, Benson gravely tells Mr. Caine, “You’re done.”

This specific case, Cott says, “significantly” impacted Griff and Benson’s bond and trust in one another. 

“She comes in the room and they have to lock eyes, and in that moment, there’s this exchange of trust,” Cott explains. “I think it’s been building to this of, ‘Hey, we’re on the same page, you know?’ … I think finally in this moment, there’s that exchange of trust that is equal.” 

“It was really satisfying to shoot and play that with her,” Cott continued. “And I feel that even with Corey and Mariska, it takes time to develop, you know, chemistry in a relationship. Sometimes, you have it right away, and I think in a way, we did, but even over the course of the season, the richness that our characters and our relationship had with each other and on screen, it’s been just so fun. It’s been awesome.”