Law and Order
Register
Advertisement

Donny Carlson is the son of the late Frank Goren and Evelyn Carlson, the paternal half-nephew of Robert Goren, and the grandson of Frances Goren and her husband William.

In the episode he appears in, his father Frank asks Robert Goren to transfer Donny because Donny witnessed brutality in the prison he was in (he was incarcerated for driving a car with drugs). The transfer goes through, but then he is transferred back to his old prison, where his uncle has gone undercover to prove the brutality and protect his nephew. After the prison hierarchy is shut down due to the actions of his uncle, he disappears until his 'heart' is found on a bed in a crate, but testing proves it isn't his, but Nicole Wallace's.

Relationships

Frank Goren was his father, but the two didn't seem to be very close, although when Donny was in prison and feared for his life, he reached out to his father. His father then reached out to Robert Goren to help his son.

Robert Goren is Donny's paternal half-uncle, and when he first learned of Donny's existence and the fact he was in danger, Goren got his nephew a transfer and even went undercover to help his nephew, despite it being out of his jurisdiction. Goren was even severely dehydrated through this, which allowed his nephew to escape and eventually get the guards arrested. Upon the return of Nicole Wallace Goren panicked for fear of Donny's death and when he thought the heart was Donny's he was devastated, although it was later revealed to be the heart of Nicole Wallace and Donny was alive.

Advertisement