The latest season of Law & Order brought in Detective Theo Walker, and fans have already latched onto his intense, no-nonsense approach. Now, as Season 25 pushes forward, actor David Ajala is breaking down where Theo’s mind is at. He digs into how Theo feels about Riley’s ultimatum and whether these two can actually work as a real team.
David Ajala says Theo can ‘walk away’ from homicide and Riley in Law & Order
Theo’s arrival in homicide was anything but easy. He and Riley rowed over Theo’s call to hold back old incident footage. David Ajala hints that Theo did it because he’s fiercely loyal to justice.
“By any means necessary. That is a very gray area, but at the same time, justice prevailed,” the actor said in an interview with TV Insider. But that decision sparks tension. Riley tells him that he’ll not team up with someone who works alone.
Trust is still a big hurdle for Theo, but it’s not about Riley personally. Ajala says Theo is hesitant because he’s adjusting to the new unit, new rules, and new partner. After spending years undercover, Theo learned to depend only on himself, so changing that approach isn’t easy.
According to Ajala, Theo just needs time. “You’re going to have to be patient for me to find it within me to just be more trusting because if I can, we’re both going to benefit from this,” he said. He also added, “You have to remember, he could walk away and be like, ah, homicide is not for me. I’m going back to narcotics. He has that choice, lest we forget.”
Ajala also thinks Theo respects Riley for being straight with him. “I think a part of Theo respects it to be like, ‘Appreciate you for saying that to my face and not behind my back.’” Theo, too, earlier in the episode, doesn’t hesitate to call Riley out for charging at a gangster without thinking through the risk.
Ajala also makes one thing clear that Theo isn’t chained to homicide or to Riley, and could walk away or transfer to narcotics. From what we’ve seen so far, Theo is the kind to follow his gut. Right now, he’s sticking around in Homocide because he likes the challenge it poses.
Whether that challenge leads him to work closer with Riley or sends him in a new direction needs to be seen.
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya on ComingSoon.
