Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 10) - Episodes

Episodes

See also: List of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes
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season		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production code U.S. viewers
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203 1 "Trials" David Platt Dawn DeNoon September 23, 2008 10002 9.52

Detectives Benson and Stabler investigate allegations of child abuse when a young boy (Jae Head) is caught driving a runaway van. The boy explains how his foster parents (Julie Bowen and Luke Perry) bribe him in exchange for abusive medical testing. As Detective Benson continues to study his accusations, she is led back to a victim of an unsolved rape case (Sara Gilbert). After reviewing both cases, the detectives uncover a connection between them that is complicated, when they meet SVU's new ADA Kim Greylek (Michaela McManus), who quickly butts heads with everyone. Distraught by frightening memories of being sexually assaulted, Olivia Benson decides that she needs help and seeks counselling.

  • While visiting a bar, Munch talks to Fin about how he used to own a bar in Baltimore and also mentions several people from his past that have left him. The names mentioned included previous partners on SVU (Monique Jeffries and Brian Cassidy) as well as some from Homicide: Life on the Street (Meldrick Lewis and Stanley Bolander), the series from where Munch's character originates. The history behind the bar is also from that series.
204 2 "Confession" Arthur W. Forney Judith McCreary September 30, 2008 10003 10.22
An ashamed pedophile (Marshall Allman) confesses to the squad that he has been fantasizing about his young stepbrother (Aaron Mayer) and says that it is only a matter of time before he does the unthinkable. He also admits to looking at a website to try to curb his pedophilic urge. With no crime committed, the detectives decide to investigate the website for pedophiles leading them to the creator (Tom Noonan). When Stabler discovers his daughter Elizabeth's picture on the website, he lashes out at the man who put it there and gets suspended. When the older stepbrother goes missing this puts his whole family (Teri Polo and Josh Charles) under investigation.
205 3 "Swing" David Platt Amanda Green October 14, 2008 10004 9.40
Detective Stabler is called to the scene of a breaking and entering at a home. The trespasser’s wallet leads him to his daughter, Kathleen (Allison Siko). Stabler is shocked to find his daughter abusing drugs and behaving promiscuously. It is determined that Kathleen has bipolar disorder, but she refuses to admit it. Elliot must turn to his estranged mother Bernadette Stabler (Ellen Burstyn), as she is also bipolar to testify in court that bipolar runs in the family. Bernadette who is proud of the personality she has refuses to equate it with criminal behaviour. She and Elliot appear to be at an impasse until Detective Benson steps in to help.
206 4 "Lunacy" Peter Leto Daniel Truly October 21, 2008 10001 9.35
A famous astronaut (Kristina Klebe) is found dead and Stabler's old mentor Dick Finley (James Brolin), after whom Stabler's son is named, helps investigate the case. They first believe the victim is linked to a string of serial rapes, but other suspects closer to the space program present themselves. An obsessed fan (Chris Elliot) is questioned, but is released and gets into a gun battle with Dick. Stabler becomes suspicious of Dick after he keeps diverting attention away from himself. After finding out about Dick's own aspirations of going into space, Stabler realizes that Dick killed the person who was most likely to stand in his way.
207 5 "Retro" Peter Leto Jonathan Greene & Joshua Kotcheff October 28, 2008 10005 9.20
When a baby is found with advanced AIDS, Detectives Benson and Stabler are called in to investigate why someone would let a baby go untreated for HIV. They are led to a highly unethical doctor (Martin Mull), an AIDS denialist who believes and teaches that HIV does not cause AIDS and offers alternative treatments to cure HIV. They search for more families that have been influenced by him and are led to a particular family whose younger daughter died of AIDS. The mother (Paula Malcomson) and son (Aidan Mitchell) are called into court for their negligence.
208 6 "Babes" David Platt Daniel Truly November 11, 2008 10006 9.42
The investigation into the burning death of a homeless teenager leads Detectives Stabler and Munch to a Catholic high school where a senior (Philip Ettinger) admits to the crime. He confesses because he thought his sister was raped by the man, when in truth, his sister (Brittany Robertson) and her friends made a pregnancy pact and willingly had sex to become pregnant. One of those friends (Jessica Varley) is later found dead in an apparent suicide after being harassed online by an angry mother (Debi Mazar). The people file a case against her which comes dangerously close to violating the first amendment, but it is eventually discovered that the girl was murdered. She was killed by her boyfriend (Jesse McCartney) who was outraged that she slept with another man (Geoff Wigdor).
209 7 "Wildlife" Peter Leto Mick Betancourt November 18, 2008 10008 10.18
A woman with a rare species of bird in her purse turns up dead and her wounds are determined to have been inflicted by a tiger. A hip hop artist (Big Boi), whom the detectives track down, helps Stabler infiltrate an animal smuggling ring run by an infamous killer (Andrew Divoff). The abundance of undercover work begins to jeopardize Elliot's marriage. It also jeopardizes his life when Olivia underestimates the danger he is in. The SVU is able to rescue an endangered species of gibbon. In the struggle, Benson avenges her partner by arresting a key member (Reg. E Cathey) of the smuggling ring. The arrest helps to further his credibility as a smuggler as he has been working deep cover all along.
210 8 "Persona" Helen Shaver Amanda Green November 25, 2008 10009 8.55
A woman (Clea Duvall) claims to have been raped in an alley to hide being abused and raped by her husband (Nathaniel Marston). Benson gets her to admit the abuse, but she recants. This ends in her murder at the hands of her husband. While solving this crime, Benson meets the woman's older neighbour Linnie (Brenda Blethyn) and stumbles upon another case of spousal abuse and murder. It is revealed that Linnie was involved in an abusive relationship until she killed her former husband and escaped custody under the supervision of Judge Donnelly (Judith Light). Having been humiliated, Donnelly takes the case personally and seeks the maximum sentence. This changes when Donnelly is touched by a speech explaining the reason for the woman's escape - Linnie was intimidated because Donnelly was the strong woman that she could never be. Although sympathetic to her hard life, Linnie's husband (Mike Farrell) leaves after hearing the story, unable to cope with the deception.
211 9 "PTSD" Eriq La Salle Judith McCreary December 2, 2008 10007 10.31
Benson and Fin get a first-hand look at how women in the military are treated when they respond to the murder of a pregnant marine who was raped by one of her fellow marines in Iraq. The two find a suspect (Ryan Kwanten) and become convinced of his guilt, but they face difficulties when the Navy Commander (Frank Whaley) threatens to shut down their investigation. Things turn out to be different from how they appeared and the real rapist (Dominic Fumusa) is identified along with his wife (Amy Spanger) who committed the murder. During the proceedings, Benson's sexual assault during the previous season stirs up painful memories.
212 10 "Smut" Chris Eyre Kam Miller December 9, 2008 10010 10.93
A woman (Kelly Hu) is found wandering Riverside Park, beaten and raped, and has no memory of what happened. Detective Benson discovers that on the day of her flight out of the country, she instead left the airport with a mysterious man (Michael Trucco). This man is identified and with further probing, the detectives find rape-themed amateur pornographic videos on his computer. Detectives Stabler and Benson search for incriminating evidence but each of his victims from the videos suffers from memory loss from the attack due to the use of date rape-related drugs. Attempting to trace the other women in the videos, the detectives must re-inform each victim of her attack to get her testimony. Struggling to remind each victim of her rape, Detective Benson must face the fact that she still thinks like a victim, and get the testimony of one victim in particular (Christy Pusz), who can put the rapist away for good. Complicating matters, Judge Moredock (John Cullum) is blackmailed based on sexually explicit pictures found on his private server.
213 11 "Stranger" David Platt Dawn DeNoon January 6, 2009 10011 10.64
A girl (Ellen Woglom) miraculously returns home to her parents (Patrick Collins and Tess Harper) after being reported missing over four years ago. Unrecognizable to her family, she tells Detectives Benson and Stabler of the cement cell where she spent the past four years as a sex slave and of her fortunate escape. The girl has two sisters. One of them (Kate Baldwin), is relieved to see her after launching a website asking for search tips, but the other (Natalia Payne) seems annoyed with her return. In search of the mystery kidnapper, Benson and Stabler drive the victim around town to help stir up any memories of her abduction. When the answers they get do not seem to match up, the detectives find revealing evidence that make them question the kidnapping story. When they find the girl's abuser (Peter Lewis), they learn that the truth is no less disturbing.
214 12 "Hothouse" Peter Leto Charley Davis January 13, 2009 10012 9.66
When the body of a fourteen-year-old girl (Juliet Brett) is found floating in the Hudson River, Detectives Benson and Stabler think she was smuggled into the country by sex traffickers. Detective Tutuola discovers her exceptional academic success and suspects that this had something to do with her murder. The detectives find out that the girl's parents (George Tasudis and Funda Duval) use violence to coerce their other daughter (Aya Cash) into non-stop studying. The killer turns out to be a high school student (Sarah Hyland) who obsesses over impressing her mother (Enid Graham). Mitigating circumstances come into play when the SVU discovers that she suffered from sleep deprivation and overdosed on drugs used to treat ADD.
215 13 "Snatched" David Platt Mick Betancourt February 3, 2009 10013 10.31
When young girl (Daisy Tahan) is kidnapped, the girl's mother (Michelle Ray Smith), immediately points Detectives Benson and Stabler in the direction of her ex-husband (Ron Eldard), a recently paroled convict. The ex-con's alibi checks out but detectives Stabler and Tutuola learn that his wife's father (Dabney Coleman) is a master thief with many enemies. Upon confronting the old man, the detectives learn that he has Alzheimer's disease. With the help of Dr. Huang, they are able to put some clues together. They find the missing girl with the help of a questionable ally.
216 14 "Transitions" Peter Leto Ken Storer February 17, 2009 10014 9.45
When a man (Frank Grillo) is found badly beaten in a strip club parking lot, a fake fingernail leads the detectives to believe that the attacker is female. The victim awakes in the hospital with no memory of what happened, but brings the attention to his ex-wife (Wendy Makkena) and their thirteen-year-old transgender daughter (Bridger Zadina). She makes it no secret that she hated her father for not accepting her as a girl. This causes the detectives to suspect her as well as her transgender boyfriend (Daniela Sea). The perpetrator is eventually revealed to be the transitioning girl's guidance counsellor (Aisha Hinds) who has her own painful memories regarding gender identity.
217 15 "Lead" David Platt Jonathan Greene March 10, 2009 10015 11.03
A pediatrician (Lawrence Arancio) is found guilty of sexually assaulting four of his male patients. Detectives Stabler and Benson go directly to him for questioning, only to find him murdered in his apartment. While waiting for Kim Greylek to show up, the detectives are surprised to see that she has transferred out and been replaced by ADA Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March) who is no longer in hiding. Stabler and Benson's investigation leads to the developmentally challenged son (John Gallagher, Jr.) of wealthy parents (Frederic Lenhe and Laura Leigh Hughes), who killed the doctor because he called him stupid. As the trial goes on, the detectives discover that his retardation was caused by lead poisoning and his affinity for Chinese-made products.
218 16 "Ballerina" Peter Leto Daniel Truly March 17, 2009 10016 10.58
When Detectives Benson and Stabler arrive on the scene of a single murder, they discover two more dead bodies and link one of them to a strip club owned by a former Rockette (Carol Burnett). She and her nephew Chet (Matthew Lillard) try to assist with the investigation, but when the abusive husband (Vincent Curatola), the prime suspect for the three murders, suddenly dies, the detectives suspect that the dancer may be a black widow.
219 17 "Hell" David Platt Amanda Green March 31, 2009 10017 9.34
A young girl (Julyza Commodore) is found in an alley with her throat cut and evidence of repeated rape and physical abuse. When asked to write who attacked her, she draws a picture of the devil. When Detective Munch investigates, the squad meets a pastor (Robert Wisdom), the girl's adoptive father, who rescued her and her friend (Gbenga Akinnagbe) from the Lord's Resistance Army. One of its infamous members (Mike Colter), known for recruiting child soldiers is suspected of being the girl's attacker.
220 18 "Baggage" Christopher Zalla Judith McCreary April 7, 2009 10018 9.08
After an up-and-coming artist is brutally murdered in her apartment, Detectives Tutuola and Stabler link her death to another unsolved murder case. As they pursue the case further, they realize that these two murders have striking similarities to a string of murders by a mysterious serial killer that Detective Victor Moran (Delroy Lindo) has been following for months. Moran fights to keep his control over the case while Tutuola and Stabler struggle to find the killer (Nelson Vasquez).
221 19 "Selfish" David Platt Mick Betancourt April 28, 2009 10019 10.23

When a woman (Gail O'Grady) reports the disappearance of her two-year-old granddaughter, the detectives then suspect the girl's mother (Hilary Duff) of killing her daughter. The detectives however find out that the baby actually died of measles because another mother (Anastasia Barzee) refused to vaccinate her child. The zealously religious mother is found not guilty of manslaughter, prompting the baby's grandfather (Mike Pniewski) to take the law into his own hands.

  • Partly inspired by the death of Caylee Anthony.
222 20 "Crush" Peter Leto Jonathan Greene May 5, 2009 10020 9.79

A high school student (Carly Schroeder) falls down a flight of stairs sending her into a coma. The SVU is alerted when the doctor's examination reveals signs of physical abuse. Upon waking, the girl refuses to name her attacker, even though the detectives already have two suspects: the girl's boyfriend (Alexander Nifong) and a self-described 'drama-geek' (Ezra Miller) with a crush on her. Frustrated, a counsellor (Melinda McGraw) convinces Benson to use sexting as a pretext for arresting her for distributing child pornography. Faced with this ultimatum and helped by Stabler's daughter Kathleen (Allison Siko), the victim admits to being abused by her boyfriend. Afterwards, the detectives plan a sting operation against a biased judge (Swoosie Kurtz) and her clerk (Geoffrey Cantor) after they are unable to make the child pornography charges disappear.

  • This was partially based on the 2008 Pennsylvania kids for cash scandal.
223 21 "Liberties" Juan José Campanella Dawn DeNoon May 19, 2009 10021 6.73
When a woman (Sprague Grayden) seeks to have a restraining order reinstated against her ex-boyfriend (Jon Patrick Walker), the assigned judge has something else on his mind. For peace of mind, Judge Koehler (Alan Dale) asks Detective Stabler to question a convicted serial killer (Victor Arnold) about the whereabouts of his son's body, which adds a new twist to the case.
224 22 "Zebras" Peter Leto Amanda Green & Daniel Truly June 2, 2009 10022 11.34

A tourist is found dead in Central Park with the word “guilty” written across her forehead. With the help of crime scene unit technician Dale Stuckey, Benson and Stabler discover that a deranged former artist (Nick Stahl) was at the park during the crime. They arrest him but are unable to make the charges stick due to a clerical error by Stuckey. Detectives Munch and Tutuola attempt to follow the prime suspect to Coney Island and discover another dead body. At first, they assume that their mark escaped and committed the murder quickly. However subsequent murders and attacks tell them that something much more sinister is going on.

  • Carol Kane previously played the part of Gwen Munch in a sixth season episode of Homicide: Life on the Street.


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