‘Law & Order: SVU’ season 15, episode 12 preview: ‘Jersey Beatdown’; Alana de la Garza’s return

“Law & Order: SVU” has already done some pretty dramatic episodes so far this year, especially when it comes to stories that go beyond just the traditional victim and suspect. You’ve had the Williams Lewis situation, cases involving high-profile people, conspiracy theories, and even tonight’s emotional hour featuring Danny Pino.

But where do you go from here? How about an episode that features an old favorite to the franchise? Alana de la Garza will be reprising a role that she played for many years in Connie Rubirosa, who has moved up in the world since we last saw her. In “Jersey Beatdown,” she is going to be at the center of a case that involves multiple states, possible political figures, and also characters who need to do everything that they can to stay out of trouble. This may be the biggest conspiracy of the season, and also one of the toughest cases for Olivia Benson to crack.

For some more, just be sure to take a look at the full synopsis below:

“The SVU teams up with federal prosecutor Connie Rubirosa (de la Garza) after an underage runaway is found raped and beaten under the Highline. The sex trafficking investigation leads to New Jersey strip club owner Perry Cannavaro (guest star Chaz Palminteri), who does all he can to keep the victim out of the SVU’s jurisdiction. When ADA Barba (Raúl Esparza) fails to get the help he needs from Jersey law enforcement, he suspects a cover-up involving some high ranking court officials.”

Given that we are nearing the start of February sweeps, there is one last piece of advice that we would give here: You better expect every episode to build in intensity from here on out.

Photo: NBC