Carisi’s Law & Order: SVU Season 26’s Harrowing Plot Paves The Way For Alex Cabot’s Return After 13 Years

Carisi’s (Peter Scanavino) traumatic storyline on Law & Order: SVU season 26 could clear the path for Alex Cabot (Stephanie March) to return as the ADA for the first time in 13 years. Cabot is one of the best ADAs in Law & Order: SVU. She occasionally bent the rules to get what she needed, but was committed to justice. In Law & Order: SVU season 5, she faked her death to go into witness protection after prosecuting a dangerous criminal, but has returned as a guest star several times since.

Carisi, who is currently the ADA, has faced several trauma-related challenges in Law & Order: SVU season 26. During the first part of the season, he became obsessed with protecting his daughters from harm after a man leered at nine-year-old Jessie on the street. His trauma responses intensified after he was held hostage during a robbery, and he has struggled to remain objective during cases ever since this incident. However, Carisi’s distress provides the best opportunity for Cabot to return.

Carisi Could Use A Break In Law & Order: SVU Season 26 To Deal With His Drama

It would be an understatement to say that Carisi has not been as effective in his job since being held hostage. He is often angry, is determined to prosecute regardless of what the evidence says, and on at least one occasion was distracted in court by flashbacks of the violence he experienced. Despite these issues, he has continually refused to seek therapy, leaning only on Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Rollins (Kelli Giddish) for support. His behavior has been so erratic that it has led to widespread speculation that Carisi might leave Law & Order: SVU.

While Carisi doesn’t need to leave permanently, his mental health condition since the hostage situation suggests that it may be best for him to take a break from work. Carisi taking some time off would help spread positive messages about the importance of taking care of one’s mental health rather than powering through it for the sake of a job. Additionally, it would open up storyline possibilities for other characters, including Cabot.

Cabot Can Temporarily Fill In For Carisi In Law & Order: SVU Season 26

Cabot has been part of the district attorney’s office several times during Law & Order: SVU‘s run. However, her final storyline in 2012 would have to be undone before she could reappear. She was no longer working as a district attorney at that point and instead was working for an underground organization that helped battered women and children disappear without a trace so that they could escape their abusers, and it was unclear whether this work was entirely legal. Thus, it may be difficult to explain Cabot’s re-entrance as an ADA now.

That said, Cabot might be willing to come back temporarily to fill in for Carisi as a favor to Benson. Her legally questionable activities are not common knowledge, so she might be able to take Carisi’s place temporarily without getting into trouble. In any case, Stephanie March is willing to return to Law & Order: SVU if the story is right. Thus, the writers only need to find a way to address her previous arc before reintroducing her.

Why Law & Order: SVU Needs To Bring Cabot Back (Even For Just A Brief Stint)

Law & Order: SVU needs to do whatever it can to generate excitement. It has been on for 26 years, which means that it risks the audience getting bored if it continues to offer well-worn storylines. Ratings are already down from the year before, and there is also a lot of anger over the fact that Rollins continues to have only a small, recurring role despite her popularity. Thus, the series needs to make some changes to the Law & Order: SVU season 26 cast in order to attract larger audiences again, including a guest spot for Cabot.

Having Cabot appear could be exactly what Law & Order: SVU needs to reignite interest. Cabot is one of the most popular characters in the procedural’s history. She also has a complicated and interesting history with Benson that is ripe for further exploration. For example, Benson was conflicted about Cabot’s activities with the battered women, and that can only be addressed further with her return. Cabot returning for a short period of time would be the perfect payoff for Carisi’s trauma story, and the actress is willing to return, so the series should arrange this as soon as possible.