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From heartbreaking losses to shocking twists, these are the most unforgettable *Law & Order: SVU* episodes ever to hit the screen. Join us as we revisit the cases that packed the biggest emotional punch, delivered the sharpest courtroom drama, and gave Olivia Benson and the squad some of their toughest battles yet. Spoilers ahead!
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00:00If you really believe I could do something like that to someone I love.
00:02Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at the most beloved episodes of Law & Order SVU.
00:08To be clear, we aren't considering any Law & Order episodes outside the SVU brand.
00:13Watch out for spoilers.
00:14I believe you really mean that.
00:19I kind of grew on you, didn't I?
00:22Number 30. Heartfelt Passages.
00:24What should have been Mike Dodds' last routine assignment with SVU becomes his final one
00:29when Gary Munson takes him and his wife hostage.
00:31Dodds is shot during the standoff, but the episode initially lets us believe he'll be okay.
00:36That relief makes the sudden discovery of blood clots and his fatal stroke absolutely brutal.
00:41The reason I keep the machine's arms is...
00:51Oh God, for his arms.
00:57Dodds' final moments are heartbreaking enough,
00:59but watching his father completely break down in Benson's arms makes the whole thing even harder to take.
01:05Benson's guilt only adds another emotional layer to the tragedy.
01:09Alongside Barba facing threats and Tucker contemplating a major career change,
01:13it's a finale filled with uncertainty and transition.
01:16What the hell was he thinking?
01:18That he wanted to be like his father.
01:23A hero.
01:24Number 29. Damaged.
01:26What initially looks like a botched robbery becomes something far more disturbing
01:29as the truth behind young Rebecca Kurtz's shooting emerges.
01:33Store clerk Joey Field initially seems like a hero,
01:36but he's eventually implicated in the crime.
01:38Then comes the horrifying reveal.
01:40Rebecca's adopted sister Missy actually orchestrated the whole thing.
01:44But she's already been granted immunity for testifying against Joey.
01:47Joey loves you?
01:48Joey loves sex.
01:52He was ready to face the death penalty for you.
01:57But he didn't, did he?
01:59Cabot's clever strategy to get that immunity revoked delivers some gripping courtroom drama,
02:04but any satisfaction is short-lived.
02:06Missy's traumatic childhood has left her incapable of remorse.
02:10Her chilling response when Cabot warns that she could face execution
02:13leaves us with one of SVU's bleakest conclusions.
02:16Honestly, calling the episode damaged is something of an understatement.
02:20I think I'm supposed to feel sad.
02:25Scared.
02:28I don't.
02:29Number 28. Manhattan Vigil.
02:31A missing child case becomes deeply personal when Benson, Munch, and Cragen
02:35recognize unsettling similarities to Hector Rodriguez,
02:38a boy who vanished 13 years earlier.
02:40Dolores, we may have found...
02:42Stop.
02:43Please.
02:45I just want one more second to believe that Hector's coming back.
02:51Suddenly, finding Wyatt Morris also means confronting a case that has haunted them for years.
02:56The investigation delivers some classic SVU detective work,
03:00connecting the disappearances through seemingly unrelated fires before finally leading the squad
03:04to Louis Hoda.
03:05But it's the emotional payoff that makes this milestone 300th episode special.
03:10He's a brave boy.
03:12After all this, he's gonna need both his parents.
03:14I hope they can keep it together.
03:16Discovering Hector's remains ends his mother's agonizing uncertainty,
03:20while Benson finding Wyatt alive ensures history doesn't repeat itself.
03:24The closing vigil for Hector beautifully captures that bittersweet victory.
03:28The squad can't undo what happened to one little boy.
03:31But 13 years later, they finally get to bring another one home.
03:35Number 27.
03:36Loss.
03:37Cabot was always willing to fight for a cause,
03:39but here we saw just how much that conviction cost her.
03:42Prosecuting a powerful drug dealer puts her family in a cartel's sights,
03:46culminating in Cabot being gunned down.
03:48For a while, we're given every reason to believe SVU has genuinely killed off a major character.
03:54Learning that Cabot survived brings relief with a painful catch.
03:57She must enter witness protection while the world continues believing she's dead.
04:01I am so sorry about all of this.
04:09Your funeral's tomorrow.
04:10It's a fitting exit for a character defined by refusing to back down,
04:14even when her own safety is at stake.
04:16And her final goodbye with Benson and Stabler gives the ADA a memorable send-off
04:21after three seasons as a series regular.
04:23Witness protection.
04:25Until the less is extradited or otherwise dealt with.
04:31Number 26.
04:32Persona.
04:32A woman recants her accusations against her husband, who ultimately kills her.
04:36The investigation unexpectedly exposes her neighbor, Linny,
04:39as an escaped prisoner who killed her own violent husband years earlier.
04:43Her return reopens an old wound for Donnelly.
04:46The prosecutor humiliated when Linny originally escaped custody.
04:49What follows is far more complicated than a simple question of guilt.
04:53Benson's faith in Linny clashes with Donnelly's determination to punish her.
04:57I wanted to help her, just like you do.
05:00Linny plays the victim quite well.
05:03But she's really a very smart, manipulative woman.
05:07Things take another turn when Linny finally reveals the circumstances behind both the killing and her escape.
05:13Watching Donnelly reconsider everything she believed about the case gives the episode a particularly satisfying character arc.
05:19But even Linny's acquittal denies SVU a clean victory, as revelations about her past ultimately cost her marriage.
05:26I don't know you.
05:28I'm still the woman you married.
05:36Still craving more shocking cases and unforgettable crime TV?
05:40Scan the QR code on your screen to check out Ms. Mojo's 24-7 crime live stream.
05:45Packed with gripping cases, notorious criminals, and must-watch moments.
05:49You didn't come all the way here to watch me swing.
05:53Sometimes the best SVU episodes give us a villain we can't wait to see caught.
05:57And Ann Gillette certainly qualifies.
06:00The wealthy heiress plays the grieving daughter after her parents are murdered.
06:03But suspicion soon turns toward Ann herself.
06:07Sarah Paulson has a ball with the role.
06:09Shifting between vulnerable, entitled, and downright menacing as Ann's fraud and manipulation come to light.
06:14You will find plenty of witnesses that will tell you I spoke of being frustrated.
06:19But so is Prince Charles, and he hasn't offed his mother yet.
06:24I don't covet what my parents had.
06:26You're still living in that adolescent place where you reject their world.
06:31With wealth, connections, and even hired hitmen complicating matters,
06:35Benson and Detective Ramsay resort to an elaborate sting.
06:38Best of all is the wonderfully elaborate sting involving a fake prison escape and undercover Finn.
06:43It's SVU getting unusually theatrical.
06:46And Ann's eventual downfall is all the more satisfying for it.
06:50Get off of me.
06:51Get off of me.
06:53I will kill you.
06:55I will kill you all.
06:57Get off of me.
06:58Get off.
06:59Finally the mouse comes off.
07:00We get to see the real, Angela.
07:02What took you so long?
07:03Number 24.
07:04Surrender Benson.
07:06After the previous season left Benson at William Lewis's mercy,
07:10Surrender Benson spends much of its runtime away from the usual SVU formula.
07:14Instead, we get an intensely personal battle between Benson and arguably the most terrifying enemy she's ever faced.
07:21Mariska Hargitay carries the hour, conveying Benson's fear without ever stripping away the intelligence and resilience
07:26that have made her such an enduring character.
07:28I've seen the photos.
07:34I probably know more details about it than you remember.
07:39Her attempts to manipulate Lewis, eventual escape, and struggle not to lose herself afterward make this far more than a
07:46standard hero versus villain showdown.
07:48Even after she survives, the closing therapy scene acknowledges that escaping Lewis physically is only the beginning of Benson's recovery.
07:55You're in a very vulnerable state.
07:58It almost seems as if you're blaming yourself.
08:00I know better.
08:06But he still got to me.
08:08Number 23.
08:09Pure.
08:09Funnyman Martin Short is probably the last person you would expect as an SVU villain,
08:14which is precisely why Sebastian Ballantyne is so unnerving.
08:18He enters the investigation claiming to be a psychic with visions about a missing 18-year-old,
08:23immediately putting the skeptical stabler on edge.
08:25Wet.
08:27Doesn't really make sense, does it?
08:31What?
08:32You didn't see that coming?
08:33No, but I do see an anger management class in someone's future.
08:38Hey, you think this is funny?
08:40No.
08:40The mystery plays with whether Ballantyne possesses some inexplicable gift or simply knows far too much about the crime.
08:47The answer is considerably darker.
08:50Short sheds his familiar comedic persona remarkably well,
08:53particularly once Palaver's charming eccentricity gives way to something far more sinister.
08:58Their faces were palates, shock, confusion, panic, fear, and always just a soup song of pain.
09:10The increasingly bizarre revelations surrounding his wife, Carlene, add another layer to an episode that keeps finding new ways to
09:17unsettle us.
09:18This definitely isn't Franck from Father of the Bride, that's for sure.
09:21Little tin soldier, a tin soldier, right?
09:26And now with an attitude, hello!
09:29Number 22.
09:30Coerced.
09:31Stabler's aggressive interrogation style comes back to bite him.
09:34He deliberately triggers a psychotic break in Kevin Walker, a schizophrenic man who abducted a boy.
09:40Rather than brushing the incident aside, Coerced forces Stabler to acknowledge that he crossed a line.
09:45I work for you, I'm trying to help you, just tell me where the boy is, I want to protect
09:48the boy.
09:49I have protection and I can protect myself.
09:51And they want to indoctrinate my son and I will stop them!
09:54I will stop them!
09:55I will stop you!
09:56The case goes in an unexpected direction after Kevin's seemingly paranoid claims about his former psychiatric facility turn out to
10:02be true.
10:03Jackson Manor has been neglecting patients, committing fraud, and even deliberately withholding Kevin's medication.
10:08The episode handles Kevin with unusual nuance, particularly once treatment allows us to meet the lucid man beneath his illness.
10:16The eventual reunion with his young son offers a rare hopeful conclusion.
10:20Meanwhile, Stabler reels with the consequences of his methods.
10:23It doesn't always pay to be the good guy.
10:25It's not coercion.
10:26You pushed Kevin into a psychotic break so I would drug him so you could coerce his confession.
10:31I did what I had to do to save that boy.
10:33Great, what are you going to do next? Bash in people's skulls to make him talk?
10:36Number 21.
10:38Dominance.
10:38What is it with Ian's Somerhalder and dysfunctional brother dynamics?
10:42While Charlie's no vampire, the toxic relationship with his brother exists here too.
10:46Billy Baker initially appears to be the monster behind a vicious crime spree, with seemingly overwhelming evidence against him.
10:52No, get off me!
10:54Please!
10:55Please!
10:57That was you, Billy!
10:58Learning that his older brother Charlie has been controlling him completely reshapes everything.
11:03The episode explores how thoroughly one person can dominate another through fear and manipulation.
11:08Ian Somerhalder is chilling as Charlie, especially once his supportive big brother act disappears.
11:24There's also something unusually tragic about Billy.
11:27He's responsible for terrible acts while simultaneously being one of Charlie's victims.
11:32That uncomfortable contradiction leaves us with far more to consider than simply which brother was guilty.
11:37And here we thought the Salvatores were messed up.
11:40Stop!
11:41You said it was us against everyone else!
11:44And you lied to me!
11:46You lied!
11:47I will rip you apart if you're killing me!
11:50Number 20.
11:51Sick.
11:52Some of the hardest-hitting SVU episodes reveal the complexities of the legal system, and this one is no exception.
11:59Here, justice is served, but not in the way we hope.
12:02When billionaire Billy Tripley's indecent behavior toward young victim JJ comes to light, he's arrested and interrogated by the police.
12:10You're just loving them, right?
12:11Yes, but not in the sick way you're thinking.
12:14I don't think that way.
12:16There's nothing more natural and more beautiful than loving a child.
12:20You're sick.
12:20However, after a second set of allegations are ultimately revealed to be false, Billy manages to escape accountability.
12:27The episode offers an insightful look into how the law can be manipulated, and also highlights corruption and bad parenting,
12:34as JJ's parents prioritize Billy's hush money over their son's well-being.
12:39By the end, you'll likely feel angry and frustrated, a testament to how true to life the story is.
12:45I've been vindicated, but the real winners are the children.
12:48One of these kids is going to be his next victim.
12:52It's sick.
12:53Number 19.
12:55Identity.
12:55After a botched circumcision in infancy, Lindsay, who was born male, was subsequently raised female by their parents.
13:02Lindsay doesn't find out about this until much later, and the revelation upends their life.
13:07It also brings to light the horrible treatment that both Lindsay and twin brother Logan endured at the hands of
13:13their therapist, Dr. Blair.
13:14It was important to differentiate their gender roles. Hers had to be learned.
13:19Well, there was nothing wrong with Logan. Why was he there?
13:21He had to be there. They're identical twins, which makes him the perfect experimental control.
13:26But before Blair can be held accountable by the legal system, one of the siblings takes justice into their own
13:31hands.
13:32Identity examines the ugly side of unchecked power, highlighting how Blair's toxic influence ruined the lives of the siblings and
13:39their parents,
13:40and ultimately led to his own demise.
13:43He's only answering to Luke now.
13:44We've been grilling them for hours. Their stories are locked.
13:47I went to a movie together. They got the ticket stubs to prove it.
13:49Double feature. Alibis one of them through the time of the murder.
13:52Number 18.
13:53Undercover.
13:54Sexual assault is a difficult topic to address, but it's always important to raise awareness about it.
14:00SVU tackles this in Undercover by having Olivia pose as a prison inmate to catch the perpetrator.
14:05Let me give you some advice, hon. Don't mouth off to the officers. They don't mess around.
14:10That's exactly what he was doing.
14:12Yeah, well, you're lucky. He could have done a lot worse.
14:15The episode looks into mistreatment from authority figures, as a prison guard is revealed to be the guilty party.
14:20Despite the constraints of network TV, Undercover makes for uncomfortable viewing, complete with prison brutality and extreme harassment.
14:28Even the usually tough and gritty Olivia finds herself buckling under pressure,
14:32as the storyline captures the helplessness any person might experience in such a situation.
14:37Fortunately, the episode delivers a satisfying conclusion, with the antagonist getting his due punishment and then some.
14:45He's gonna get his own cell soon.
14:46I got nothing to say to you. Talk to my lawyer.
14:49You first.
14:50You're gonna need him.
14:52Morton.
14:53Get him out of my prison.
14:54Number 17. Hothouse.
14:56After so many years on the air, some fans might think they've got Law & Order figured out.
15:02However, episodes like Hothouse prove that's far from the case.
15:06Here, the circumstances behind a young victim's death stump the team.
15:10The more they investigate, the further they go down the rabbit hole.
15:13What initially appears to be a trafficking case turns into a disturbing tale of peer pressure and parental maltreatment.
15:20It was one of my dad's pedagogical techniques.
15:24Two lines are perpendicular if and only if the product of their sloth is a negative one!
15:32Hothouse might go around in circles, but it keeps us invested throughout.
15:36Like other high-impact episodes, this one divides viewers between sympathizing with the antagonist and wanting to see them face
15:43justice.
15:43An insanity plea?
15:45That's the last stop for every hack lawyer too stupid or lazy to prepare a credible defense.
15:49But if the facts support it, it's a winner.
15:52Your girl missed a knack that doesn't justify murder.
15:54Though the resolution isn't the most fulfilling, it effectively shows that sometimes, cases like these are never simply black and
16:02white.
16:03Number 16. Alternate.
16:05Crime fiction has long been fascinated by the topic of multiple personalities, whether on TV or in films like Primal
16:12Fear.
16:12Law & Order SVU explores this concept in Alternate, where a woman named Janice Donovan becomes the primary suspect in
16:19the murder of her own parents.
16:21Things get complicated after she displays signs of dissociative identity disorder, making it difficult to hold her accountable.
16:28Dory.
16:29We need to talk.
16:33I know.
16:35It's really crazy, huh?
16:39For most of the episode, viewers are led to sympathize with Janice and her sister, until everything is suddenly flipped
16:45on its head by the end.
16:47Alternate shows that a narrative structure like this is always gripping, as the twist allows fans to revisit the entire
16:54episode, amplifying its impact and replay value.
16:57I was good, wasn't I?
17:00Janice caught you in my web.
17:02I'm starting to feel integrated.
17:04I guess I'll be getting out of here pretty soon.
17:07Shut up, Janice.
17:08It's okay, Kaz.
17:09Double jeopardy's attached.
17:11There's nothing they can do to me.
17:13Number 15.
17:14Scavenger.
17:15Stakes are inevitably raised when it's a race against time.
17:18This fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping episode has the team scavenging for clues to save the victim.
17:23The plot later transitions from the protagonist's attempt to beat the clock into a battle of wits against the villain.
17:30I needed a place to sleep.
17:32You people were all over my apartment.
17:34I figured this spot was as good as any, now that it's, um, vacant.
17:40This episode encourages viewers to crack the many codes the villain lays out, making it a perfect match for those
17:46who enjoy a mental challenge.
17:47While the show has previously featured antagonists with their own agendas, Scavenger stands out for its deep dive into the
17:54bad guy's twisted psyche.
17:55Shut up! Please! Shut up! Don't you ever shut up! Don't you ever shut up!
18:03It's also a refreshing change of pace from the show's usual format, serving as a fresh take on the Law
18:09& Order formula.
18:10Number 14.
18:11Demons.
18:12The show is notorious for fooling audiences with the real villain's identity, yet it sometimes opts for the obvious choice.
18:19In this instance, it's not a matter of who the antagonist is, but when he'll strike.
18:25Stabler goes undercover to confirm his suspicions of Ray Schenkel, a recently released sexual predator.
18:31I'll get him to talk to me.
18:33Ray had a partner before, he needs one now.
18:36I'm it.
18:39I promise I'll stop him before he hits again.
18:41As expected, Schenkel has less than noble intentions, leaving it up to Stabler to figure out how to rescue his
18:47latest victim.
18:49Demons is another episode that goes all in with its heavy content, showing us how some criminals are beyond redemption.
18:55At the same time, it also sheds light on good people like Stabler who refuse to let evil have its
19:01way.
19:03I'm okay.
19:05He needs a doctor, though.
19:09Law & Order SVU was a bit of a tough sell in its first season, partly due to its sometimes
19:15disturbing material.
19:16In fact, original executive producer Robert Palm left the show because of this.
19:21Looking at the first season finale, you can't really fault him.
19:24The episode sees 80s heartthrob Andrew McCarthy take a 180 turn with his image as Randolph Morrow.
19:31Honey, I'd like a mineral water, no ice.
19:33And I'd like your balls in a blender, but ain't life a bitch.
19:36Morrow's treatment of women, including his own wife, is horrifying.
19:40While the episode doesn't show us all of his crimes, we learn enough to visualize his heinous actions.
19:46SVU manages to handle things with a delicate touch, assuring viewers that such corruption of human decency isn't without its
19:53consequences.
19:54Made it easy for us.
19:55Most wives go to the electric chair for their husbands, but not yours.
19:59You really screwed up.
20:00Your power is gone, my friend.
20:02We took your control.
20:03Number 12.
20:04Fault
20:05It's not just the cases that keep us coming back for more.
20:08The Benson-Stabler partnership is also one of SVU's biggest selling points.
20:13Fault looks into how much they mean to each other, for better or worse.
20:17How could you let him get so close to you?
20:19There were innocent civilians around, I couldn't get a shot.
20:21Well, he got close and Ryan's dead.
20:24So this is my fault?
20:25No, I can't do this anymore.
20:26I can't be looking over my shoulder, making sure you're okay.
20:29While pursuing a criminal who is abducting children and killing their families,
20:33Benson and Stabler's relationship takes a devastating turn.
20:36After years of teasing something between them,
20:39SVU surprises fans by portraying their dynamic in a negative light.
20:43Combining character development with the case of the week
20:46provides the episode with a certain depth.
20:48What about me?
20:51Look, we both chose each other over the job.
20:54We can never let that happen again.
20:56It marks one of the most defining moments for the Benson-Stabler duo,
20:59while leaving viewers eager to see how it all unfolds.
21:03Number 11.
21:04Raw
21:05Things tend to go from bad to worse for Detectives Benson and Stabler.
21:09Which building?
21:10All of them.
21:11People were shooting from all different directions.
21:14So there was more than one shooter?
21:16No, just one.
21:17He must have been somewhere on the playground.
21:19When they investigate a school shooting that killed one and injured several others,
21:23they discover that one of the victims is being molested.
21:25After the abuser is apprehended,
21:27Detectives Munch and Tutuola stumble upon an underground neo-Nazi ring.
21:31I don't recognize the authority of the puppets of the Zionist-occupied government.
21:36Hi, we have rights.
21:37You call your daddy on your cell phone and tell me that I am being taken to political prison.
21:42However, the story doesn't stop there.
21:44This episode highlighted the issues of white supremacy and domestic terrorism,
21:47and both began and ended with examples of outrageous violence.
21:51The final courtroom scene is punctuated by a sudden shooting,
21:54proving that no one is safe.
21:56We all have to make sacrifices.
21:58Gang violence and hate crimes are a pervasive problem,
22:01and they affect everyone innocent or guilty.
22:04By perfectly visualizing this message,
22:06Raw is a brutally unforgettable episode.
22:09Number 10.
22:10Zebras.
22:11In the Law & Order universe, things aren't always what they seem.
22:14It's alive.
22:16I'm innocent.
22:18Maybe we are looking for a zebra.
22:20This was certainly the case for the Season 10 finale,
22:23which led viewers on a wild and occasionally hilarious ride
22:26to uncover the truth and find a murderer.
22:28This quirky episode tackled conspiracy theorists in the form of Munch's ex-wife,
22:32and had one of the most surprising twist endings of any Law & Order episode.
22:37Sometimes the greatest enemies are the ones that call themselves our friends,
22:40as Detective Stabler discovers.
22:42You tried to kill Judge Donnelly.
22:45You gassed Zimmer.
22:47Kill the Hell and I too.
22:50And now...
22:53you.
22:53The beauty of this reveal is that it's sewn into the fabric of the entire episode,
22:57warranting several rewatches.
22:59How'd you know?
23:01It's like you said you wanted to get sushi.
23:04You and Wild Fish?
23:06Number 9.
23:07Nocturne.
23:08This Season 1 episode addresses one of the most complex issues
23:11facing victims of sexual assault or molestation.
23:14The cycle of abuse.
23:16Not now.
23:17Not again.
23:19That's not a different kid.
23:21It's the same person.
23:23Growing up.
23:28While many episodes of SVU tackle troublesome topics,
23:32Nocturne does so in a heart-wrenching,
23:34stomach-plummeting way that audiences are rooting for the prodigious victim of a child molester.
23:38Holt's got a nice piano.
23:39Yeah, I guess there's a price to pay for everything, huh?
23:42For him too.
23:43That's why we need you to tell us who these kids are.
23:46Well, it's my teacher.
23:49I mean, he cares about me a lot.
23:51He even bought me a coat one year.
23:53That is, of course, until it's revealed that the victim is not as innocent as he first appears.
23:57The cycle of abuse is a very real thing, but it's often ignored.
24:01By shining a light on the subject, SVU actively helps victims of abuse from repeating the cycle,
24:07which is an amazing feat.
24:08Equally, Nocturne, on its own, is an amazing episode.
24:11Yeah, and you were the one who was telling Evan that everything was going to be okay.
24:15It is okay if he's the victim, not the abuser.
24:18He's both.
24:19Number 8.
24:20Venom
24:21When the child of a police officer commits a crime,
24:23it can be tricky to draw a line between professional and personal responsibilities.
24:27We're trying to get the charges vacated.
24:29Ellie and Olivia are talking to Ken now.
24:31There's nothing you can do.
24:32Get out of my way.
24:33You're not going in there.
24:34That's my son in there, Captain.
24:35Why don't you call me?
24:36Because he didn't want us to.
24:38He's over 18 and he's in a lot of trouble.
24:40You plan on making it worse?
24:41So, when Sergeant Tutuola's son becomes a suspect in a homicide case,
24:44the entire SVU team is floored.
24:47And while it seems like Finn's nephew Darius, played by Ludacris, is the one to blame,
24:51Ken's cousin threatens to claim nepotism if Finn's son isn't charged.
24:55You're damn right it's about the family.
24:58Every last one of you is going to have to be in that courtroom.
25:01You're going to have to testify.
25:03Your lives out in the open.
25:05For everyone to judge.
25:07Same way y'all been doing to me since day one.
25:11They're going to know what kind of cop you are and what kind of husband and father you weren't.
25:16It's easy to assume that the family members of police officers,
25:19detectives, and investigators are immune to crime.
25:22But this episode helps prove that that idea is just ludicrous.
25:26Finn, he didn't do this, so make him cooperate.
25:29Come on, prisons are filled with innocent people and we both know what color most of them are.
25:33So you don't trust the people you work with?
25:35I don't trust the system.
25:37Not completely.
25:38Number 7.
25:40Pixies.
25:40Several episodes of Law & SVU are based on true stories,
25:44and Pixies focuses on the very real pressure young gymnasts endure while working towards Olympic gold.
25:50Squeeze your legs together.
25:52Again!
25:54You want to be champion, you must accept nothing less than perfection.
25:58My ankle!
25:59Pain is the price of glory.
26:01And while it's easy to blame adults, especially those that have creepy intentions,
26:05it's sometimes better to look a little deeper.
26:07Do you know a guy named Kyle Hubert?
26:10Do you know him?
26:11I hate how he's always staring at us.
26:14You ever give you presents?
26:16Sometimes, like a new outfit or a gym bag.
26:20Or this one time he gave me body lotion.
26:22He told me to think of him when I used it.
26:24Children training to take part in an Olympic sport are encouraged to be competitive.
26:28Sometimes, to a fault.
26:30But this SVU episode does a brilliant job of exposing why that's not necessarily a great thing to instill in
26:35young athletes.
26:36Showing that some competitors may be willing to kill for their chance at a moment in the spotlight.
26:40Number 6, Charisma.
26:43Cults can ruin lives, and not just the lives of willing adults.
26:47Often, cults focus on children as a means of continuing their teachings, and keeping adults from leaving.
26:53It's over now.
26:54You tell me where's Melanie.
26:56Safe with our father now.
26:57All nations rightly give him praise.
27:00In Charisma, one particularly slimy cult leader marries and impregnates a girl named Melanie.
27:06As awful as that sounds, it actually gets worse when the doctor reveals something to Detective Benson.
27:12She say who the father is?
27:13No, this isn't the first time she's been pregnant.
27:15Scarring suggests she's delivered before.
27:17You find her parents?
27:19Refuses to tell us where they are.
27:20Only says her first name is Melanie, and she's 12 and a half years old.
27:24This heartbreaking episode reveals how cult leaders can take over the lives of seemingly well-to-do people,
27:29brainwashing them into acting irrationally.
27:31It's difficult to watch despite its powerful message.
27:34Even Detective Benson struggles to handle her feelings after this case.
27:38This was an extremely traumatic event, Liv.
27:41The grief that you're feeling is completely natural.
27:47I know that.
27:48Number 5, Behave.
27:50Law & Order has always attempted to take real-life cases and convert them into compelling episodes.
27:55But sometimes they break the fourth wall and address the public.
27:57Thank you so much for watching this episode tonight.
28:01In the course of my time on SVU, I've learned so much about the difficult facts of sexual violence in
28:06the United States.
28:08One in four women experience sexual assault in their lifetime.
28:12The season 12 episode, Behave, revolved around backlogged sexual assault kits.
28:17After the episode, Mariska Hargitay, also known as Detective Olivia Benson, and her co-stars took a few minutes to
28:23discuss this issue with viewers.
28:24Her plea to national law enforcement and criminal justice systems is heartbreakingly sincere, and it left many sitting in stunned
28:31silence.
28:31I was shocked that something like this could exist in the United States, and then I was moved to action.
28:37When it comes to the episode itself, Behave is bursting with sincerity and urgency even after all this time.
28:42And it left an indelible impression on those who watched it.
28:46And because the sample was stored in California, the people can't prove the chain of custody was preserved.
28:51Therefore, I have no choice but to rule the DNA insufficient to corroborate Ms. Sayers' identification of Mr. Harris.
29:01Number 4. Conscience
29:02Many people assume that sociopaths are made and not born, but sometimes this just isn't the case.
29:08According to Dr. Wong, sociopathy is a personality disorder, and it's not readily treatable.
29:14Sociopathy is a personality disorder. A lot of shrinks believe there's no cure.
29:18What do you believe?
29:20You can't grow a conscience.
29:22This episode explores the psyche of Jake O'Hara, a young murderer without a conscience.
29:27He murders out of boredom and brags about it, two characteristics of sociopaths.
29:32He is likely to kill again, prompting the victim's father to take action.
29:36I knew the guy was wound too tight.
29:39Should have seen it coming.
29:41You didn't know Morton would shoot him?
29:43We all thought Jake was a victim.
29:44While the death of any child is a tragedy, this episode explores the death of a child sociopath,
29:49which is a pretty complex topic.
29:52Number 3. Authority
29:53The court can find you a lawyer.
29:55Oh, some court-appointed hack.
29:58A mouthpiece who will sleepwalk through a trial of a client who won't make him rich
30:02or he won't have the book rights for it?
30:03No, thank you.
30:04Who doesn't love Robin Williams?
30:07Probably anyone who's only seen him on SVU.
30:10In the aughts, the actor took on darker roles, like in Insomnia and the SVU episode Authority.
30:16Williams' character, Merritt Rook, deliberately breaks the law,
30:20driven by a deep-seated hatred for authority figures.
30:23As the episode progresses, Rook's crimes escalate, each being more intense than the last.
30:29I'm in charge now.
30:31So sit down and listen.
30:37Sit down!
30:38As with any other Law & Order antagonist, Rook's backstory reveals a complex reason for his actions,
30:45adding a human element to the character.
30:47Despite the compelling backstory, his face-off with Stabler and Benson still has us firmly rooting for the heroes.
30:53Williams lives up to his A-list reputation here, playing a villain who is both detestable and deeply nuanced.
31:01Number 2. Mean
31:02Harassment in school is a serious issue that affects the lives of millions of young people every day.
31:08Paige Somerby, Brittany O'Malley, Andrea Kent.
31:12These are Detectives Benson and Stabler.
31:14When vicious online gossip turns violent, the police are required to get involved.
31:19This episode premiered in 2004, and unfortunately, its theme and message are still terrifyingly relevant.
31:25As the initial prime suspect in this episode reveals, fake friends can ruin your life.
31:30In 7th grade, Emily got a fake screen name and pretended to be a boy I liked.
31:35He emailed me.
31:37The next day I talked to him and he didn't know what the hell I was saying.
31:40He pushed me into the mud.
31:43Emily and her friends thought it was hilarious.
31:45It's crucial to know who your friends really are.
31:47Some might be good-hearted folks who are just looking out for your best interests.
31:51But a few might be plotting against you in a major way.
31:54Like a certain teenage murderer in this episode.
31:57Brittany went crazy!
31:58She just lost it.
32:00It was awful.
32:01She started punching Emily.
32:03And then she lit some cigarettes.
32:06And she started burning her with them.
32:09And she had these little scissors.
32:12Number 1. 9-1-1
32:13It's only fitting that the number 1 spot goes to one of SVU's most intense episodes, 9-1-1.
32:19From the very moment it begins until the last few seconds, 9-1-1 is a heart-pounding, nail-biting,
32:25adrenaline ride.
32:26And it all begins with a simple phone call.
32:29Police operator 3529, where's your emergency?
32:32Hello?
32:33Where are you calling from?
32:36Hello?
32:38Are you in Harlem?
32:40I'm in a room.
32:42What's wrong, sweetheart?
32:43I can't get out.
32:45I'm hungry.
32:46Little Maria is kidnapped, but she struggles to describe her surroundings, and the detectives can't trace her call to a
32:52reliable location.
32:53Benson is devastated she can't find the girl.
32:56This is the police.
32:57We know exactly where you are.
33:01No, you don't.
33:06This episode prompted parents everywhere to teach their children what to do if they're ever kidnapped, like things that could
33:11help law enforcement find them.
33:13It also reinforces how important CPR is.
33:16And those are some fantastic lessons.
33:19She stopped breathing.
33:20Okay.
33:25Stay with me.
33:26Come on, Maria.
33:27Can you think of any other SVU episodes that deserve to be on this list?
33:31Let us know in the comments.
33:34Let us know in the comments.