'Law & Order: SVU' season 18, episode 7: Carisi finds himself in a dangerous spot during a mission

Following an almost two-month stint off air, the 16th Manhattan precinct is just a few days from once again opening its doors to new episodes of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and the rest of her crime-busting squad will soon be back with a brand-new case that brings a sense of deja vu for the assaulted victims. The episode titled "Next Chapter" will see a woman undergoing the same torture of facing a man that she has had previous run-ins already. As it turns out, she gets sexually harassed by a masked man who she fully believes is the same man whom she already sent into jail for stalking her.

Given that the perpetrator was wise enough to have his face covered during the attack, it will be interesting to see how ADA Barba (Raul Esparza) will be able to prove his client's case and nab the man should he turn out to really be the suspect. If by any chance however that he is not, it is up to the detectives to dig in further on who is framing the guy for the crime that he did. Obviously, fans can expect some sort of twist along the way as "SVU" usually tackles on a straightforward crime and give it a more dimensioned narrative fit for a more compelling narrative. This time, the arc looks like it will be at the cost of one of Benson's officers.

In the promo clip released for the upcoming episodes, the lieutenant and Carisi (Peter Scanavino) go into a shady hideout in the woods to retrieve a hostage presumably linked to the case at hand. Unfortunately, the perp appears to be prepared as he ghosted on the detective while the latter is not facing him resulting in a gun pointed at Carisi's head. The recent death of Dobbs Jr. (Andy Karl) last season heightens the intensity of the danger that the SVU newbie is facing.

Meanwhile, outside of the investigation, spoilers suggest that Tucker (Robert John Burke) is following through on the hint that he may actually be ready to settle down with Benson. As it turns out, he is so committed to his relationship that he is already starting to ponder on the idea of retirement in order to be a family man.

"Law & Order: SVU" season 18 is scheduled to be back with new episodes starting Jan. 4 reclaiming its original timeslot every Wednesday, 9 p.m. ET on NBC.