6 Storylines Set Up for ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Season 22
Law & Order: SVU was one of many shows that didn’t end its past season as planned, and because of that, there were several threads left hanging.
Between those and planned storylines for the four episodes that weren’t produced, we have quite a few things we need to see addressed for Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Sergeant Odafin “Fin” Tutuola (Ice-T), Detective Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish), ADA Sonny Carisi (Peter Scanavino), and Officer Katriona “Kat” Azar Tamin (Jamie Gray Hyder) in Season 22.
Will the only real cliffhanger of the finale result in the spotlight on a character who deserves it given how long the actor has been on the show? Will we ever see the trial that kept getting postponed? Scroll down for these and more storylines that we need to see addressed when the NBC drama returns.
Law & Order: SVU, Season 22, TBA, NBC
Happiness for Olivia
As showrunner Warren Leight has revealed, the four episodes that weren’t produced would have featured “a hint of spring in Olivia’s life” and Rick Fox’s Edgar Goodwin returning “in a more social way.” Considering everything Olivia’s been through over the years — and the losses (her half-brother Simon and her ex-boyfriend Tucker) she suffered last season — let’s hope that carries over into the plan for the show’s return.
The spotlight on Fin (and Ice-T) with the lawsuit against him
Several cases came back to haunt the squad in the Season 21 finale, and Fin’s didn’t end the way he’d hoped. He kept an eye on Leon, who did time for beating and raping his wife, and when Leon held his own son hostage (with a knife), Fin was forced to shoot him. But then Joelle sued him for wrongful death. That sets the stage for a Fin-centric episode hopefully early on next season. With Carisi’s move to the DA’s office and Kat joining the squad, we didn’t get nearly as much Fin as we would’ve liked, but this storyline — and what happens as a result, even after it’s resolved — should fix that.
Sir Toby Moore's trial and what it means for Carisi's career
The mogul was arrested for rape in the Season 21 premiere, and his trial would have closed out the season … if he hadn’t had a “heart episode” that required yet another postponement. We don’t know if he’ll ever make it to the courtroom — his victims have the right to confront him — but it is a trial that could make or break Carisi’s career as a lawyer, so that has to at least be addressed in some way in Season 22 as he starts his second season away from SVU.
Conflict between Carisi and the squad
Since Carisi moved to the D.A.’s office, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows when it comes to working with his former squad mates. We already know that there were plans to explore what that career change has meant for his and Olivia’s relationship since he can now technically tell her what to do, and that’s something we can’t wait to see play out. Plus, there’s the matter of whatever could be between him and Rollins, and Kat did rub him the wrong way when Rollins was kidnapped. And with Fin’s Season 22 arc set up, we can’t wait to see what scenes between him and Carisi are like.
Rollins back in therapy
It may not have gone so well for her when she gave it a try in Season 21, but what are the chances that she gets kidnapped again during a session? In fact, the time she spent with her kidnapper/former NYPD cop Bucci (Nicholas Turturro) may have been more enlightening than her time with her therapist. But with that experience, whatever’s going on between her and Carisi, and her sister and father’s recent reappearances in her life, Rollins could really use someone to talk to.
An explanation for where Stabler's been
It’s unclear how much of the plan to re-introduce Christopher Meloni’s character might change since production shut down early and it’s unknown when we’ll see SVU or his spinoff. But the finale would have revealed that Stabler left his family when he turned in his badge. Will that continue to remain true? With his return for the premiere “clear,” we can’t wait to find out what he’s been up to since we last saw him.
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