Law & Order: Organized Crime fans are getting ready for more Jalachi.
Wesam Keesh, who plays Adam “Malachi” Mintock, is discussing the new romance of his hacker and cop Jet Slootmaekers (Ainsley Seiger) on the NBC series.
This includes hints that the pair may be going on some interesting dates.
The Jalachi romance explained
Since Law & Order: Organized Crime began, Jet Slootmaekers has been notable as the feisty wisecracking tech operator whose hacking skills are always useful.
In an early Season 2 episode, Jet went undercover among some hackers to bust Adam Mintock, aka Malachi, an infamous dark web hacker. While annoyed at being arrested, Malachi couldn’t help but hit on Jet.
Talking to The Today Show, Wesam Keesh related that it was an instant connection with Seiger that played into the show.
“In the first episode, I think there was a couple of lines there that showed some interest, definitely, from Malachi to Jet, and he was just really impressed with her skills and it just blossomed into something more and more thankfully. We hit it off. She’s super talented. She’s an amazing actress, and what’s great about working with her is she loves to play in a scene so I can throw a curveball at her and she can totally handle it — and vice versa, which is great.”
Keesh shared how, like Jet, Seiger has a mischievous side, such as convincing him she was vegan.
“My favorite memory of Ainsley is how she lied to me and said she was a vegan the whole time, and then out of nowhere she starts talking about how she eats sushi. And I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, that, you’re not a vegan?!'”
That chemistry was why Mintock was brought back to work with the squad against mobster Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott) and his hacker, Constantine (Robin Lord Taylor).
It culminated in Jet and Mintock breaking into a power station server to solve a blackout. The pair finally gave in to their tension to share a long kiss.
Kersh laughed about it to The Today Show, saying, “I went up to Ainsley, and I just said, ‘You’re welcome.'”
“I was happy about it because it’s satisfying when you see two characters on TV or in a story, and you know there’s a spark between them. And the spark was obviously great enough where they couldn’t hold back anymore in order to express themselves — a little bit physically which is OK.”
Keesh did share a fun post on his Instagram page while also telling the Today Show that filming the scene was a bit tricky.
“I don’t know if it’s just for COVID or if it’s just in general, but I took it kind of hesitantly and I was like, ‘This is so weird,’ because we took one like shot of it and then we go into an alleyway and then we’re gargling in front of each other, and I just spit out. I’m like this is so bizarre, I’m not doing this. … We brushed our teeth, we [had] Listerine, we had gum, so all the bases were covered.”
The moment was great for fans, but Keesh promises more is coming.
What’s coming for Jet and Malachi?
Since the kiss, Mintock has been absent from the show, but Keesh promises he’ll be returning. He also hinted at an upcoming scene that shows “a deeper look into a more layered relationship” between the pair.
“It was a really beautiful scene, actually. It was actually one of my favorite acting scenes I’ve ever done. It’s maybe, what, a page-and-a-half, two pages long, but it was one of my favorite I’ve ever done because it’s so genuine, so pure. And it was so natural to work with Ainsley in those scenes that I think we did two takes with each shot setup, and that was it. It just felt so natural. So, yeah, it was really nice.”
Aside from that scene, Keesh would enjoy seeing more of the pair out of the office. “Maybe Ainsley’s character brings up she’s had to have gun training and stuff like that, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ve never shot a gun before. And so maybe she takes me to the shooting range.”
Keesh compared the Jet/Malachi banter to the long-running pseudo-romance of Benson and Stabler.
“Well, it’s an interesting comparison because I feel, maybe they have some similarities,” he said, and noted the pairings are “more different than similar.”
“Maybe (fans) are just happy that finally — any time a couple kisses on any of those ‘Law & Order’ shows — some form of satisfaction,” he added, while noting Benson and Stabler haven’t kissed. “It’s like the longest tease ever.”
While he’s still only a guest star, Keesh is happy to be part of the Law & Order world.
“Most of the series regulars and the people who have been doing these Law & Order shows are master actors. … I feel like expressing such deep appreciation and gratitude for just being around my fellow colleagues and craftsmen, and being able to soak up all this amazing art and hopefully be able to express it in the future, too.”
However the Jet/Malachi romance goes, Keesh has sparked up the show with a fun romance amid the crime drama.
Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 returns Thursday, April 7 at 10/9c on NBC.