The best episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Ranked by viewer rating, highs first. Vote on a placement to back it or contest it.
- 01
When a bruised, bloodied and severely injured 12-year-old boy is dumped outside a hospital, Detectives Benson and Stabler are led to Charlie Monaghan, a teenager seen beating the boy a week earlier at St. Victor's school. But the suspect's alibi proves unlikely when his 8-year-old half sister's own problems at school and tormented past at the hands off the injured boy surface. Meanwhile, the girl's legal woes are exacerbated when questions concerning legal guardianship and consent - and what constitutes fit parenting - come into play.
- 02
When an eight-year-old girl is kidnapped on her way home from school and DNA tests on the blood found in the abductor's abandoned van reveal she has leukemia, M.E. Warner visits the girl's family to inform them of her findings. No sooner does Warner deliver the diagnosis than she's drawn into the kidnapper's deadly game when it's clear he has the family's apartment - and its occupants - in his sights and no cops are to be involved.
- 03
Solid investigative work leads the detectives to a violent repeat sex offender Jeremy Paul Wilson who was recently released back onto the streets. Wilson, a cold blooded murderer and pedophile, is in possession of a cache of hunting knives, has kidnapped two children and has nothing to lose. The manhunt for Wilson brings Dets. Fin, Benson and Stabler to a bus terminal where a violent and emotional showdown with Wilson takes a dangerous turn.
- 04
An honor student dies at a party, while the primary suspect is their alcohol supplier, the four honors students who threw the party - are arrested for criminally negligent homicide, but get a slap on the wrist from Judge Donnelly. Det. Stabler enlists his own teenage daughter Kathleen to guide him through the world of teenage cyberspace to find out where the next party is taking place. The website leads to the home of one of the students, where they find the mother of one of the kids -- Lillian Rice in a compromising position, and she is arrested. The arrest and entire cyberspace scenario hits a personal nerve with Stabler.
- 05
Det. Olivia Benson is called upon to help in an investigation regarding her brother Simon Marsden. She finds herself caught in the investigation of her brother between Police Captain Julia Millfield and FBI Agent Porter. Benson believes her brother is innocent, but this case is starting to threaten her career, as she digs deeper into the case she uncovers family secrets.
- 06
The investigation of a bride-to-be's murder uncovers a man's double life; a turn in the case rattles Stabler, who turns to his wife and children for comfort. When Dets. Stabler and Benson speak to the girl's grief-stricken parents they discover her fiancée, a CIA agent named Stephen Dashiell, had been threatened by terrorists -- they believe this may have been a professional hit. Their difficult search for Dashiell leads them to a perfect suburban family - and then a tragedy - one that pushes Stabler to face new truths about his own family.
- 07
Teenage boy is killed in what appears to be a play fight with his best friend, is a victim of a not so innocent crime. The victim's best friend Scott Heston turns up at the squad room with a video and claims he filmed the death. Dets. Benson and Stabler quickly figure out that there is more than meets the eye when the victim's alleged girlfriend arrives at the court to reveal a new twist to this case.
- 08
The trial of Darius Parker begins and his defense focuses on the conduct of the SVU. He exposes several secrets, like Stabler's intervening for his daughter when she was arrested, and Fin during his days as a narcotics cop. Olivia is in trouble for helping her brother.
- 09
Cathy Moriarty guest stars as Denise Eldridge, a mother who reports a case of statutory rape in an effort to keep her teenage daughter away from her 21-year old boyfriend. The daughter, Carrie Eldridge, makes it difficult for SVU involvement when she claims that she and her boyfriend have never had sexual relations. After Carrie undergoes questioning, Mrs. Eldridge is found murdered in her apartment and detectives Benson and Stabler first suspect Carrie's boyfriend. The surprising plot twist hits particularly close to home for Benson, as personal issues with her mother resurface.
- 10
When a woman's body is found dismembered in a junkyard, Detectives Benson and Stabler investigate and evidence leads them to the victim's boyfriend, Leon Shragewitz. Shragewitz confesses to the murder, by pushing her down a flight of stairs, and leaving her to die. A twist in the case leads Benson and Stabler to find that a kidney was then extracted from the victim's body by a man trying to save his sick son, leaving the rest of her remains in the junkyard. Detectives Besnon and Stabler turn to Amy Solwey to help them solve the case by leading them to the transplant surgeon who is at the center of an illegal body part ring. I
- 11
Disturbing 911 call from nine-year-old Maria Recinos is forwarded to Detective Olivia Benson. Recinos is calling for help from a room she claims to have been locked in for days. The detectives put a trace on the cell phone she is using, however it turns up multiple phony leads due to manipulation of the signal, which leaves detectives confused. As the case progresses, Benson eventually convinces Recinos to divulge crucial clues, including the name of her captor. Recinos will only talk to Benson, and just as she is getting closer to finding her, the cops question the case and are now concerned that it could be a prank. Benson knows this is real, when the phone goes dead, Benson realizes that she is losing time and needs to act quickly on what little information she has if she is going to save this girl's life.
- 12
The discovery of an 8-year-old beauty-pageant contestant's body leads to a case involving a virtual-pornography website.
- 13
An accused rapist (Fred Savage) decides to represent himself in court.
- 14
After a waitress is found shot outside the club where she worked, her father (Joe Morton) seeks vengeance.
- 15
A teen's murder leads to a case involving runaways and a doctor (Gale Harold) interested in human cloning.
- 16
An internet chat room tracks down a 12 year old boy named Jeremy, who is threatening to kill a 5 year old girl.
- 17
While on a stakeout with Detective Benson, Detective Fin wanders into a convenience store and finds himself at the scene of a robbery. Shots are fired and Fin is down, and nearly loses his life. This traumatic event turns bittersweet, as Benson reunites Fin with his son Ken who he has not seen in years. Meanwhile, a woman reads about the shootout in the paper, and recognizes Fin from his days in narcotics. Fin once promised to help locate her missing daughter, but was unable to go through with it, because it would have blown his cover. This rediscovery drives Fin to return to narcotics, and finish the job he once promised to do. Teaming up with partner Nick Sandoval they set out to complete this search, and come to find the end result is not what they expected. T
- 18
A distraught and pregnant April Troost, is found on a ledge threatening to commit suicide. After being talked down, she confides in Benson that she has been raped, and her unborn child is a product of that crime. Troost accuses Barclay Palmer, a handsome, wealthy and successful business man, of the crime. Although Palmer denies involvement, DNA tests prove he is the father. The case goes to trial, but when it becomes evident that Troost is willing to settle for money, her credibility diminishes and Benson and Stabler become suspicious of her story.
- 19
The poisoning of a couple's adopted daughter prompts Stabler and Benson to suspect the child's mother based on testimony from her other 7-year-old daughter.
- 20
Well-known actress Jesse who is the star of a controversial teen show, is raped in her trailer on the set. Benson and Fin investigate, and find the actress is hated by many community members, such as Carolyn Spencer because they feel she's a bad influence on young girls. Carolyn's public statements of hatred and disapproval of the actress make her a prime suspect. The investigation unravels further clues, which point to Carolyn's son Danny, who is arrested after being placed at the scene of the crime. Although it appears that he was acting out his mother's wishes, the boy also was influenced by the directions of a radio shock jock.
- 21
When twelve-year-old Melanie, is hospitalized with pregnancy complications, Benson and Stabler make a hospital call. They discover that Melanie's husband, the father of her unborn child, is the leader of a cult in which Melanie is involved. The investigation takes an emotional turn when the detectives pay a visit to the cult leader and make a horrifying discovery.
- 22
Detectives Benson and Stabler investigate the rape and murder of a woman who is found near a nightclub, with $500 stuffed into her mouth. The only clue in the case is the money and fingerprints lead detectives to hotshot lawyer Jason Whittaker,. Benson and Stabler discover that he was trustee of the Duvall family estate and they question matriarch Eleanor Duvall who leads them to her son Gabriel. All clues point to Mr. Duvall, however there is not enough evidence to accuse him. A surprising plot-twist puts A.D.A Novak in grave danger, and Tracy Kibre is brought in to work on the case.
- 23
When construction workers pour the sand into a newly made playground and discover the remains of a young boy, Detective Stabler teams up with CSU tech Millie Vizcarrondo to investigate,which leads them to resurrect a cold case where four boys disappeared 30 years earlier. As the investigation unfolds, new forensic evidence surfaces but no progress can be made solving this case until Anna surfaces, claiming her stepfather Robert Sawyer was the killer.
- 24
An underage escort is found dead at a wild bachelor party, and Captain Cragen cautions his team to investigate with discretion, as there were several high-profile people at the scene. In their efforts to question a well-known leader in the New York escort world, Benson and Amaro encounter former SVU detective Brian Cassidy, who's been working undercover. With his help, the detectives dig deeper into a vicious power struggle between the two top escort businesses, but before the case is cracked, a shocking event threatens to destroy the life of one SVU squad member.
- 25
Six-year-old Patty Branson, is almost abducted in Central Park while her father reads the paper. Benson and Stabler investigate to find out that the men who attacked her are actually P.I.'s, and have been hired by Michele Osborne to kidnap Patty, claiming she is Patty's real mother. M.E. Warner conducts a DNA test to prove the child's true biological mother. Meanwhile, Benson traces the source of the confusion about the child's origins back to a fertility doctor.
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