Law & Order: SVU is known for many things and one of them is the touchy subject matter. Even the most hardened fans have probably squirmed while watching at least a handful of episodes. Recently, show enthusiasts looked back at early episodes and discussed the toughest ones to rewatch.
There’s a reason the words “especially heinous” appear in the show’s opening. Mariska Hargitay herself even began devoting herself to the cause. She addresses sexual assault crimes and oversights because of how outdated some laws are, Looper reports. Law & Order: SVU hits on these topics, making many of the first episodes and seasons hard to watch.
An early episode frequently mentioned comes from the first season and is episode 14, “Limitations.” In the episode, there is a five-year statute of limitations for sexual assault crimes, making things difficult for survivors looking for justice. Not only is the statute upsetting, but a victim refusing to name her attacker upset many fans. A recent thread on the official Subreddit addressed it, with the user saying they are a rape victim too. Watching the survivor in the episode say she was at peace and refusing to name him gave the poster “intense rage.”
Another episode frequently mentioned is “Pandora” from season 4. In it, Stabler is after someone he thinks is trafficking child porn. As it turns out, a victim named Meredith McGrath isn’t a trafficker, but an FBI informant that is sexually assaulted and killed for what she knew. Stabler teams up with Detective Sam Bishop and finally finds the murderer trafficking girls to the Czech Republic. The gut punch comes at the end when the two detectives find his address. Knocking, his daughter who he regularly abused opens the door.
I won’t lie, episodes like “Pandora” make me squeamish too.
‘Law & Order: SVU’ Star Mariska Hargitay Comments on Whether Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler Will Finally Become a Couple
While some Law & Order: SVU episodes can be difficult to rewatch, there are some aspects fans love to see again. One of those happens to be Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler’s dynamic with one another. With many hoping to see the two finally get together, Mariska Hargitay commented on whether or not it’s in the cards.
In a PEOPLE exclusive this week, Hargitay covered the hot topic of whether the two will begin a romantic relationship. She knows fans want it and are upset it hasn’t happened, but disclosed there is a reason for it. “It’s such a complicated relationship that I think we just want to respect the complexity and the nuance of it,” she said.
Hargitay elaborated on the subject. “These two people love each other, they have been family to each other but he just lost his wife and no matter how she feels about him, the most important thing for him is to grieve his wife, heal from that,” she explained. “And he’s in a new job and he’s sort of unbalanced. But what we do know is that Olivia loves him, will always love him, will always be there and they have a bond like no other.”
