Warning: spoilers ahead for Episode 7 of Law & Order: SVU Season 24, called “Dead Ball.”
Law & Order: SVU saw Benson stand her ground against pressure from both a huge soccer star and Chief McGrath in investigating a series of sexual assaults in "Dead Ball," and the unit ultimately was able to recruit one of the athlete’s former allies to help take him down. Almost the entire team was in action, but Carisi was nowhere to be seen, just one episode after he and Rollins got some time in the spotlight. As for what's upcoming, Rollins evidently will have a part to play next week, based on the episode description, and it’s worth thinking about Carisi’s latest absence. But first things first!
Rollins Is Getting A New Opportunity
The next episode of SVU is called “A Better Person” and will air on November 17, so fans don’t have to worry about the long-running drama taking another break just yet. The weeks are counting down before Kelli Giddish’s final episode as Amanda Rollins, with questions about how it will happen still needing answers. NBC's description for the next episode includes what seems to be a hint about how SVU makes it happen:
The SVU hunts for a violent suspect who killed a detective’s child. Rollins ponders a potential opportunity.
Admittedly, the description doesn’t give a ton of details about what’s going to happen, as Special Victims hunts violent suspects on a weekly basis. Rollins having a “potential opportunity” reads a lot differently now than it would have before the news that Giddish’s days are numbered. Last week’s episode suggested that maybe the good detective might want to leave the NYPD to pursue teaching, but nothing concrete was established, and “A Better Person” could shed a lot of light.
Where Was Carisi And When Will He Be Back?
Well, Carisi technically did have a part to play in “Dead Ball” on November 10, but his contribution to the case against the soccer player happened off-screen. For me as somebody who has been a fan of Rollisi bringing some lightness to a very dark show (and with on-screen Rollisi time running out), it hits a little harder for Peter Scanavino to be absent from episodes as Carisi in the first half of Season 24. He was still present and on the job; just not on screen, and his absence was noticeable.
Carisi will be back for “A Better Person” on November 17, however! Even though he doesn’t get a mention in the description, the promo for the episode reveals that he has a part to play. Sure, it’s only in a split second of footage with him standing in the background behind Benson, but he’ll be back! Take a look:
Considering that NBC fall finales are usually the ninth episode of each season and Rollins’ final episode is expected to be the fall finale, I’m hoping that Carisi has a much larger role in “A Better Person” than it appears so far. It seems likely that Rollins’ exit will involve (or at least deeply affect) Carisi, and if she’s getting the spotlight, then I'd say that he should get some more screentime instead of leaving me asking: where was Carisi?
Keep tuning in to NBC on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET for new episodes of Law & Order: SVU in the 2022 TV schedule. Believe it or not, it’s not too early to start planning ahead for the new year, so check out our 2023 winter premiere schedule for what’s on the way in just a couple of months.
