Law & Order: Organized Crime is going to be putting a focus on more than just Elliot Stabler.
Danielle Mone Truitt, who plays Sergeant Anyanna Bell, shared how Season 3 will have her tough cop put through a nasty personal fight to save her marriage.
That will lead her to lean on Stabler for support as they try to focus on some dangerous new crimes.
Meanwhile, Ainsley Seiger, who plays Jet Slootmaekers, indicated her hacker might also be getting into a new relationship.
This comes amid a controversial showrunner turnover that may shift the Season 3 plans.
With the new season starting, the actresses seem ready to face the challenges their Law & Order: Organized Crime cops have to handle this year.
Bell and her marriage challenges
Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 will see some changes, not just on screen.
The Season 3 premiere will start the epic Law & Order crossover. Episode 2 is ready to add two new cops in Detectives Bobby Reyes (Rick Gonzalez) and Jamie Whelan (Brent Antonello).
However, after talking to various outlets about his plans for Season 3 to focus on shorter storylines, showrunner Bryan Goluboff was suddenly let go.
There is still no word on why Goluboff departed. Sean Jablonski was named his replacement, with the possibility some storylines could be changed.
One that won’t be is the fallout of Bell’s actions in the Season 2 finale. Throughout the year, Bell was concerned about her wife Denise (Keren Dukes) working for Congressman Kilbride (Ron Cephas Jones).
Bell had to keep quiet as Kilbride was corrupt and working with mobster Preston Webb while Denise believed she was working for a good man.
Bell finally arrested Kilbride for his crimes, with Denise outraged that she’d lost a good job and her wife was lying to her all this time. When Bell came home, she discovered Denise had left and taken their child with her.
Speaking to The Today Show, Truitt revealed that as Season 3 begins, the two are still separated, and Denise is contemplating divorce.
Stabler will use his own experiences with his marriage to help his boss cope with her problems.
“The way their conversations go, they’re just so sweet!” Truitt said.
She highlighted one of the upcoming scenes she “loves” because it goes from Bell “being really serious and heartbroken” and Stabler recalling his marriage to Kathy.
“At the end, he says something to me, and we both crack up laughing. It just shows the layers in their relationship. … They’re both like, ‘Yeah, we’re kind of whack.’ We’re awesome, but we’re also kind of whack with relationships.”
While seeing Bell going through this may be rough, Truitt is hopeful it will show a new side of the cop and the challenges of the job.
“It’s going to be great to see Bell go through this journey and who she becomes going through this divorce.”
Who is Jet’s new man?
Bell isn’t the only Organized Crime Task Force member going through changes. Last season saw wisecracking computer tech Jet romancing semi-reformed hacker Adam “Malachi” Mintock (Wesam Keesh).
The couple, dubbed “Jalachi” by fans, seemed to be doing well. But Ainsley Seiger shared the disappointing news that it appears that the pair have broken up, and Jet may get into a new relationship.
“Jalachi may be dead. As far as turnover goes in the ‘Law & Order’ universe, everyone is always coming and going — the revolving door never really closes. But Jet will have a very special and different relationship … and finally really open up despite her greatest ambivalences, which I’m really excited to get into.”
Seiger added that her favorite parts of the series are the banter between Jet and Stabler which shows Stabler is protective of the young cop.
“I think the writers are really good at not overindulging in moments like those, and I think that’s what makes them so special. But it’s very clear through every interaction that we have, at least this season, that Stabler and Jet do have a very, a very close, protective relationship with one another, but they are also able to set that aside and be colleagues.”
With a new season set to begin, it looks like both Bell and Jet will have some romantic complications to make Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 more personal than ever for the cops.
Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 3 premieres at a special time, Thursday at 8/7c on NBC.