This article contains an extensive discussion of PTSD and mentions of sexual assault.
Warning: this article contains spoilers Law and Order: SVU season 26, episode 8, “Cornered.”Law and Order: SVU Season 26 Episode 8, “Cornered,” put Assistant District Attorney Sonny Carisi (Peter Scanavino) in an unnecessarily dangerous situation to set up his story for the rest of the season. Carisi has processed some of the scariest Law and Order: SVU cases, which had a psychological impact on him. Additionally, Carisi’s awareness of the dangers facing children, especially girls, has led him to focus heavily on protecting his nine-year-old daughter, Jessie.
During “Cornered”, Carisi is caught in a robbery while visiting his favorite deli to buy flowers. While the best Law and Order: SVU episodes usually involve police officers meting out justice for strangers, This intense story focuses on Carisi’s struggle to survive while being held hostage, especially after he witnessed the robbers killing the clerk and raping a female hostage. These disturbing incidents will undoubtedly affect Carisi’s mental health for the rest of the season.
Carisi didn’t need to be held hostage to have a trauma response on Law & Order: SVU season 26
Carisi was already dealing with vicarious trauma before this incident
It’s clear that the hostage situation will lead to additional mental health issues for Carisi. At the end of “Cornered,” Carisi insists she is fine and rejects Olivia Benson’s (Mariska Hargitay) offer of a referral to her therapist, saying, “This is not for me.“This is not a good sign, as he appears to be in denial about how the trauma is affecting him and resists the idea of seeking help. So, Carisi will likely have a breakdown at the end of the season that will lead him to realize he needs support.
While this is a strong storyline for Carisi, it wasn’t necessary to put him in this graphically violent situation to move forward. Carisi is already struggling due to vicarious trauma. His single-minded focus on protecting his children from predators is a sign that the things he’s seen over the years are catching up with him, and becoming a father seems to have triggered that response. Therefore, he could have had the same mental health problem without the robbery story.
How Carisi’s trauma and her refusal to deal with it affect law and order: SVU season 26
It may be harder for Carisi to do his job
Carisi is the assistant district attorney who prosecutes the fictionalized version of real-life cases in Law and Order: SVU. He is constantly evaluating whether he has enough evidence to move forward with a case, often putting him at odds with Benson and others who want him to do whatever it takes to arrest sex offenders and fear he is being too cautious. This dynamic will be impacted by Carisi’s trauma response throughout season 26, as he will not be able to do his job effectively if he is triggered by the cases he is working on.
Law and Order: SVU has several compelling directions to take with Carisi’s refusal to address his trauma.
Additionally, Carisi’s mental health will likely affect his relationship with Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) and their children. Rollins is often not home, leaving Carisi to care for the children, and he may not want to rely on her mother to babysit in times when he doesn’t feel up to the task. Law and Order: SVU has several compelling directions to take with Carisi’s refusal to address his trauma. Some of these possibilities could also generate stories strong enough to lead to a possible spin-off with Rollins and Carisi.