Law & Order: SVU star Peter Scanavino teases the fallout from Carisi’s hostage experience. It’s in the Law & Order midseason finale, “Cornered”, that Scanavino’s Dominick Carisi’s trip to the deli turns deadly, with a stick-up situation getting out of hand and Carisi ending up as a hostage after he only intended to get some flowers for his paralegal’s birthday. He saves the day, though the whole experience takes its toll on him.
In an interview with TV Insider, ahead of the return of Law & Order: SVU season 26 on January 16 at 9 PM ET, Scanavino talked about how his character will be feeling in the midseason premiere. The actor mentioned that Carisi is feeling adrift and that he’s lost touch with the things that usually bring meaning to his life:
He’s back at work. He’s kind of going through the motions, but he doesn’t have a lot of life to him. And I think a lot of the places that he found sustenance and meaning in his life are not there anymore. So he’s kind of lost while he’s going through the motions. He’s kind of adrift.
When asked about whether Carisi feels that “he’s doing the best he can”, Scanavino elaborated further and noted that the character isn’t feeling his most secure and confident:
He’s not feeling the most confident at the moment, and that’s his big issue, I think. He knows he’s weakened, and he knows he’s going through something, and he doesn’t know how to deal with it, and he’s just trying to put one foot in front of the other, but sometimes he’s not on solid footing.
Scanavino also talked about how Carisi’s hostage experience will impact his relationship with Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish), indicating that the fan-favorite couple will be able to deal with the fallout because Rollins knows how to approach the situation:
Obviously, he is going to be bringing this home. And the person that’s probably most aware of it is Rollins. But I think given her character’s history and what their relationship is, she knows how to deal with it better than anybody and she knows when to give him space and when to engage with him. And I think she’s probably infinitely patient with him.
What Carisi’s Storyline Could Mean For The Rest Of Law & Order: SVU
Scanavino clarified in the interview that Law & Order: SVU season 26 hasn’t yet revisited the deli hostage situation in terms of following up on what happened to the perpetrators. The actor says that Carisi holds Deonte (Keith Machekanyanga) responsible, even though he was the more sympathetic criminal. There would be a lot to unpack there if the procedural does decide to go down that route.
But even if SVU doesn’t go back to the characters introduced in the “Cornered” episode, it’s clear that the lingering emotions will stay with Carisi. The episode ends with Rollins and Benson (Mariska Hargitay) observing Carisi from a distance. It’s clear to both of them that, despite his claims, he’s not okay.
Our Take On Carisi’s Storyline
At one point during the episode, Benson considers taking Carisi’s place in the situation. That doesn’t come to pass, with Carisi saving the day and becoming the hero among Law & Order: SVU’s characters. It’s a cool change of pace, but it also means that the usually reliable attorney will have to deal with the fallout.
