Dominick Carisi has been experiencing PTSD flashbacks since he was held hostage in a previous episode and fans are now worried this might lead to the character exiting the show
Fans of Law & Order: SVU are speculating that Dominick Carisi might be leaving the series – but a potential departure hasn’t been confirmed by producers or the actor.
The character, played by Peter Scanavino, was originally an SVU detective who joined shortly after Stabler (Christopher Meloni) left at the beginning of season 13. However, he later became one of the show’s assistant district attorneys after taking night classes to become a lawyer.
On screen, Carisi is married to Rollins (Kelli Giddish) and the pair have three children – but his wife’s frequent absences have taken an emotional toll on the man. Carisi has been experiencing PTSD flashbacks since he was held hostage in a previous episode and despite insisting he is fine despite his trauma, some incidents reveal that he is not.
Among the challenges he faces is the fact he can’t remain in the deli where the robbery took place and he was held hostage for more than one minute, and he experiences flashbacks which even interfere with him doing his job properly. Carisi is also reluctant to go to court in “First Light” and experiences a flashback while a witness is being cross-examined.
This leads Baxter (Tony Goldwyn) to question his ability to continue trying the case. And while Carisi is able to recover after a pep talk from Benson, who tells him not to let the defendant make him feel defeated, according to Screen Rant there is a possibility he may not be able to continue long-term.
Before season 26, episode 8 aired, fans were worried that Carisi would be killed during the hostage situation. While that didn’t happen, there is still a risk that his PTSD could be a valid reason for him to leave the series.
If he was to exit the show, he wouldn’t be the first ADA to leave because of trauma – as previously Barba (Raul Esparza) resigned after an upsetting case involving a brain-dead baby while Stone (Philip Winchester) left after being left unable to live up to his late father’s image.
Despite speculation that he might eventually leave the series, actor Peter hasn’t addressed a potential exit from Law & Order, and previously suggested in an interview that Carisi was still a big part of the line-up. According to Screen Rant, if Carisi eventually leaves, his exit will be one of the most powerful on the show, taking into account how realistically his PTSD is being depicted on screen.
