Spoilers ahead for Episode 13 of Law & Order: SVU Season 23, called "If I Knew Then What I Know Now."
Law & Order: SVU is finally back with a new episode after more than a month of the Olympics bumping Benson and Co. from the schedule. The first episode back dealt with a case that struck close to home for Benson with a young woman who learned she was the product of a rape, but there was a lot going on in "If I Knew Then What I Know Now" beyond the especially heinous crimes of the week, and all due to Rollins and Carisi. They had what seemed to be their first big fight as a couple, and the good ship Rollisi hit some rough waters until they finally had a major breakthrough. And, based on what's to come, fans probably shouldn't worry about their romance.
The drama between Rollins and Carisi kicked off when Jesse came up to ask "Uncle Sonny" if he's Billie's dad, and Carisi finally vented his frustrations that they were still keeping their romance a secret from everybody after nine months. The fight had their future as a couple more in doubt than in the previous nine months, and Rollins was clearly upset at the prospect of separating from him. (Not that he was thrilled about the idea either!) Luckily, they bent before they could break, both disclosing their relationship to their respective bosses. That doesn't mean smooth sailing guaranteed, but one exchange suggests that they're about to take a more serious step.
No, I'm not saying that Rollisi are going to follow the example of a couple over in the One Chicago corner of the Dick Wolf universe and elope, but this could still be an important step: dinner with Carisi's mom. When they were jabbing back and forth, Rollins mentioned that she hasn't met Carisi's family yet, and he had a response for that:
Because you don't want my mom to know that you're my girlfriend. I'm going to bring a 'colleague' home for Sunday dinner? Do you know how strange that would be?
As stressful as it was that Carisi had (not unjustly) started an argument with Rollins, can we all agree that it's sweet that he wanted to bring her home for Sunday dinner with his family? And can we also enjoy that this goes some distance in explaining what's happening with the return of Beverly D'Angelo to Law & Order: SVU?
Beverly D'Angelo is coming back to SVU in Season 23, but not to play public defender Rebecca Balthus again. She was cast to play Ma Carisi for when Sonny comes home for a family dinner. While there was no confirmation either way when the news broke about D'Angelo playing Carisi's mom, it seemed likely that he would bring Rollins with him if they were still together.
Now that they've gone public with their relationship – complete with the intent to tell Jesse and Billie that Carisi is more than "Uncle Sonny" – I'm guessing that it's just a matter of whenever D'Angelo's episode airs before Rollins meets the Carisi family. It seems safe to say that Rollisi will go well enough at least up until that point. So let's not worry for now!
See what happens next with new episodes of Law & Order: SVU on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, right between the Law & Order revival that just premiered with no crossover characters at 8 p.m. and Law & Order: Organized Crime (which is only getting more intense) at 10 p.m. in the 2022 TV schedule.
