Originally meant to play a recurring character in the absence of Nick Amaro from the squadroom at the beginning of season 16,
Carisi eventually stayed on as a main character and has already been on the show for six seasons, as both a detective and ADA. This makes him the only character in the history of the Law & Order universe to do so.
10. "Next Chapter" (Season 18, Episode 7)
Investigating a sexual assault, Carisi finds himself in a house out in the woods being held at gunpoint by a former police officer. He is saved by Benson, who shoots and kills the former police officer, but Carisi admits looking down the barrel of a loaded gun was one of the scariest moments of his life.
9. "Man Up"/"Man Down" (Season 20, Episodes 1-2)
Carisi works to help a young boy who was abused by his father in the season 20 premiere, only to feel he didn't do enough when the boy ends up shooting up his school to prove his manliness to his father.
We also see Carisi start to think about Rollins and her new boyfriend, Al, which could be making Carisi jealous.
8. "Depravity Standard" (Season 17, Episode 9)
In this unique episode, Carisi shadows Barba in court as he is interested in becoming a lawyer while going to law school. Carisi gains a new mindset on cases and now sees it in the legal perspective.
We see early seeds of what is eventually to come in season 21 when he transfers over to the DA's office.
7. "Girls Disappeared" (Season 16, Episode 1)
In the season 16 premiere, Benson and the squad meet what seems to be a young an inexperienced detective transferred into the unit from Staten Island in the absence of Nick Amaro.
Benson admits to wanting someone better fit for the job than Carisi, but he proves his worth when he gets a witness to reveal information. Later in the episode, Carisi goes undercover with a prostitute whose pimp holds him at gunpoint before the other detectives burst in.
6. "American Dream"/"Sanctuary" (Season 18, Episodes 20-21)
In this explosive season finale, Carisi finds himself in a very tough situation while protecting a material witness for the trial of a horrific hate crime that involved rape and murder.
Carisi's passion drives this episode forward as he is frustrated when the case hits a brick wall and there isn't much he can do anymore.
5. "Sheltered Outcasts" (Season 17, Episode 19)
Carisi goes deep undercover at a homeless shelter to catch a rapist targeting women in the neighborhood, which leads to him almost getting attacked by a mob.
4. "In Loco Parentis" (Season 19, Episode 15)
The case gets close to home for Carisi in this episode as his niece is the victim of a rape. He struggles with the fact that he could not protect her when it happened to her, but the case takes a shocking twist when it's revealed she made up the accusation, only to later get raped by the boy she originally accused. We see a lot of Carisi's family interactions.
3. "I'm Going To Make You A Star" (Season 21, Episode 1)
Right away, season 21 starts off revealing Carisi is transferring over to the DA's office as the new assistant district attorney assigned to SVU following the departure of Peter Stone in the season 20 finale, which left an open position for him.
The new dynamic of the season is shown when Carisi has to place his loyalties aside and balance between his new boss, Vanessa Hadid, and his former police unit.
2. "Parole Violations" (Season 16, Episode 17)
Carisi deals with his sister and her deadbeat fiancé when he accuses his parole officer of sexual assaulting him. We see Carisi's protective side of his sister, when he confronts her fiancé, believing he cheated on her and that he has been wrong for her this whole time.
1. "She Paints For Vengeance" (Season 21, Episode 11)
The case of a stipper raped by a popular restaurant owner leads to Carisi's first trial as an ADA, to which he doesn't believe he can succeed in, only to be motivated by his former commanding officer, Olivia Benson, late at night right before the trial which gives him the confidence he needed to eventually win the case.
