Spoilers ahead for Episode 7 of Law & Order: SVU Season 26, called "Tenfold." You'll also be able to stream the episode with a Peacock subscription.
Law & Order: SVU went in two different directions in the latest episode in the 2024 TV schedule, with Fin and Bruno investigating the assault of a woman who they'd helped before while Benson helped Carisi against her better judgment on what seemed like a wild goose chase. To Benson's – and my – surprise, Carisi's suspicions about a substitute teacher's attraction to children turned out to be correct. After getting that win in "Tenfold," Carisi's luck is about to get a whole lot worse in the fall finale, with a silver lining that Kelli Giddish will be back as Amanda Rollins.
The last new episode of SVU before the 2025 TV schedule kicks off will air on November 21 and bring Giddish back for the first time since Rollins returned to the NYPD in October. Based on the promo, she'll have to worry about her husband in the episode for good reason. Take a look:
Apparently, Carisi will wind up part of a hostage situation in a pure coincidence by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That may bode well for any other hostages, though, as he was of course a Special Victims detective for years before taking the bar exam and becoming an ADA. He should be able to keep a clearer head than most... although that shot in the promo of him punching the wall with a bare hand has me concerned.
As for the rest of the episode, called "Cornered," NBC's description gives a tiny taste of what to expect:
Carisi tries to protect two women taken hostage in a tense standoff between police and a violent thief. Benson and Rollins devise a risky plan to get everyone to safety.
He may try to protect the women who have been taken hostage, but it sure looks like he's been taken hostage right along with them! In fact, if you pause the promo at around the 4-second mark, it looks like he stopped into a convenience store to pick up some flowers and possibly some snacks, although it's hard to say exactly what he's looking at. All in all, I think we can only cross our fingers and count down the days until the fall finale airs.
Now, do I think that SVU would really kill off Sonny Carisi himself in the fall finale? Not truly, but this could be something that affects him beyond the final credits rolling next Thursday. Plus, he got a win in "Tenfold" when his suspicions were proved correct; could that success have been one last good twist for Carisi before something goes terribly wrong in the fall finale?
Well, for better or worse, I'm looking forward to seeing what the episode has in store. It's always special when SVU brings back Kelli Giddish, and it looks like she'll be appearing due to her personal connections to Carisi and Benson rather than as part of her new gig as Sergeant Rollins of the NYPD's Intelligence Bureau.
Tune in to NBC on Thursday, November 21 at 9 p.m. ET for the fall finale of Law & Order: SVU Season 26, following the fall finale of Law & Order Season 24 at 8 p.m. ET. You can also stream earlier episodes of both shows on Peacock, as well as Christopher Meloni's spinoff as the wait for Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 continues.
