The Best Episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 1

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   8.1/10(2065 votes)

   #1 - Payback

   S1:E19/20/1999

   Detectives Stabler and Benson investigate the murder and dismemberment of a taxi driver; the team discovers that he may have been a vicious Serbian war criminal living in the United States under a false identity.

   Director:Jean de Segonzac

   Writer:Dick Wolf

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   Director:Jean de Segonzac

   Writer:Dick Wolf
2. 

   8.0/10(1625 votes)

   #2 - A Single Life

   S1:E29/27/1999

   Benson and Stabler run into multiple dead ends while investigating the case of a woman who plummeted six stories to her death clad only in a slip.

   Director:Lesli Linka Glatter

   Writer:Miriam Kazdin

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   Director:Lesli Linka Glatter

   Writer:Miriam Kazdin
3. 

   7.6/10(1414 votes)

   #3 - ...Or Just Look Like One

   S1:E310/4/1999

   When a teen model is murdered and another is left for dead at a hospital emergency room, the team uncovers an insidious drug and sex conspiracy in the world of high fashion. Benson and Stabler enter into a modeling underworld of thoughtless parents, drug-dealing doctors and a trendy agency executive.

   Director:Rick Rosenthal

   Writer:Michael R. Perry

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   Director:Rick Rosenthal

   Writer:Michael R. Perry
4. 

   8.1/10(1484 votes)

   #4 - Hysteria

   S1:E410/11/1999

   When a young African-American woman is found dead, she is initially believed to be a prostitute and the latest in a long line of victims, but when looking into her home life Benson and Stabler realize that she does not fit the pattern, and may not be connected to the other deaths after all, but the other deaths have a connection no one anticipated.

   Director:Richard Dobbs

   Writers:Dawn DeNoon, Lisa Marie Petersen

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   Director:Richard Dobbs

   Writers:Dawn DeNoon, Lisa Marie Petersen
5. 

   7.7/10(1417 votes)

   #5 - Wanderlust

   S1:E510/18/1999

   When a world-traveling author is found dead in a room he rented from an alcoholic woman and her precocious 14-year-old daughter, the detectives are shocked to discover who the murderer is.

   Director:David Hugh Jones

   Writer:Wendy West

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   Director:David Hugh Jones

   Writer:Wendy West
6. 

   7.7/10(1385 votes)

   #6 - Sophomore Jinx

   S1:E610/25/1999

   A female student at an upper-class university is raped and murdered, and two of the college’s basketball stars are suspected. However, the college blocks their investigation at every turn because they are not willing to risk the negative publicity that the investigation could bring to the school and the upcoming championship.

   Director:Clark Johnson

   Writer:John Chambers

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   Director:Clark Johnson

   Writer:John Chambers
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The 20 BEST Episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
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7. 

   8.2/10(1434 votes)

   #7 - Uncivilized

   S1:E711/15/1999

   When a young boy is found raped and murdered in a field, suspicion leads detectives to a recently paroled child molester who lives in the neighborhood.. Although they both hate what the man has done in the past, it is soon obvious to the detectives that the teenagers who initially steered them in the man's direction are hiding secrets of their own.

   Director:Michael Fields

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Michael Fields

   Writer:Unknown
8. 

   8.1/10(1381 votes)

   #8 - Stalked

   S1:E811/22/1999

   When an assistant district attorney is found raped and murdered in Central Park, the Special Victims Unit learn that she’d been stalked by a real estate agent whom she’d convicted of date rape. Benson lets her emotions get the best of her as she takes it upon herself to bring the suspected rapist to justice. Stabler tries to get the man's business partner to help him, but Benson may be the one who ends up needing help.

   Director:Peter Medak

   Writer:Roger Garrett

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   Director:Peter Medak

   Writer:Roger Garrett
9. 

   7.4/10(1210 votes)

   #9 - Stocks & Bondage

   S1:E911/29/1999

   An investment analyst is found hanged in her bedroom, and the Special Victims Unit explores her sordid sexual past to uncover her murderer’s identity. The team uncovers the world of bondage and sado-masochism where they first investigate the woman's colleagues but are soon on the trail of a host of individuals involved in the world of whips and chains.

   Director:Constantine Makris

   Writer:Michael R. Perry

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   Director:Constantine Makris

   Writer:Michael R. Perry
10. 

    8.2/10(1195 votes)

    #10 - Closure

    S1:E101/7/2000

    When a woman is raped, she turns to the Special Victims Unit for help, but lack of evidence prevents them from apprehending the criminal. When the detectives revisit the case a few months later, they find the woman even less willing to talk about what happened, as she claims she has moved on. Things turn sticky when Benson and Cassidy spend the night together.

    Director:Stephen Wertimer

    Writer:Wendy West

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    Director:Stephen Wertimer

    Writer:Wendy West
11. 

    7.8/10(1099 votes)

    #11 - Bad Blood

    S1:E111/14/2000

    A moral coalition leader’s gay son is found murdered on the roof of his apartment building. Initially, Benson and Stabler investigate his father, a Conservative well-known for his homophobic viewpoints, but once they start looking into the young man's living arrangements they realize the person they're looking for may be closer than they think. Munch tries to help Benson find the man who raped her mother, and could potentially be her father.

    Director:Michael Fields

    Writers:Dawn DeNoon, Lisa Marie Petersen

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    Director:Michael Fields

    Writers:Dawn DeNoon, Lisa Marie Petersen
12. 

    7.1/10(1322 votes)

    #12 - Russian Love Poem

    S1:E121/21/2000

    When a multi-millionaire is found strangled in his home, Benson and Stabler turn their suspicion to his long list of lovers, which includes both men and women. Detectives discover he was involved with a group of beautiful Russian women that came to the U.S. to take advantage of wealthy Americans.

    Director:Rick Rosenthal

    Writer:Eva Nagorski

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    Director:Rick Rosenthal

    Writer:Eva Nagorski
13. 

    7.9/10(1307 votes)

    #13 - Disrobed

    S1:E132/4/2000

    A judge who fought for the rights of abused women is found shot in his car under sordid circumstances, and the detectives uncover a case of corruption that leads to the state parole board. The team soon turns their eye to a battered wife with a secret.

    Director:David Platt

    Writer:Janet Tamaro

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    Director:David Platt

    Writer:Janet Tamaro
14. 

    8.1/10(1326 votes)

    #14 - Limitations

    S1:E142/11/2000

    At the request of a victim, the police commissioner comes to Cragen with a special request -- close the five-year-old case of a serial rapist before the statute of limitations expires. The detectives finally get a lead but the investigation is hindered by one of the victims.

    Director:Constantine Makris

    Writer:Michael R. Perry

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    Director:Constantine Makris

    Writer:Michael R. Perry
15. 

    7.6/10(1265 votes)

    #15 - Entitled (I)

    S1:E152/18/2000

    After a salesman is murdered, the detectives turn their attention to the youngest daughter of a well-known family with some deep connections. But as they join forces with the officers from the two-seven, they realize that their case is connected with a long-unsolved case that Briscoe once handled years ago with his former partner Mike Logan. The crossover continues in Law & Order S10E14 Entitled (II).

    Director:Edwin Sherin

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Edwin Sherin

    Writer:Unknown
16. 

    8.3/10(1284 votes)

    #16 - The Third Guy

    S1:E162/25/2000

    An elderly woman is found tied up and sexually assaulted in her apartment, and suspicion is initially on the young men that had broken into her home and robbed her, but once the detectives are surprised to learn that the rape was committed after the robbery – by someone else.

    Director:Jud Taylor

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Jud Taylor

    Writer:Unknown
17. 

    7.6/10(1051 votes)

    #17 - Misleader

    S1:E173/31/2000

    The pregnant daughter-in-law of a Christian College president is murdered in her hotel room, and the detectives discover that the man had been involved in some very unholy activities.

    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown
18. 

    7.8/10(1264 votes)

    #18 - Chat Room

    S1:E184/14/2000

    When a teenage girl comes into the squad room to tell the detectives that she was raped by a man she met on the Internet, the investigation leads the Special Victims Unit to a network of pedophiles and child pornographers.

    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown
19. 

    7.9/10(1111 votes)

    #19 - Contact

    S1:E194/28/2000

    After seven young women in a six month time span are raped by a flash and dash assailant on the city subways, the brass calls in a psychiatrist to help the team get into the head of the perp. When he is caught, he possesses the driver's license of a new victim who could put him away.

    Director:Michael Zinberg

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Michael Zinberg

    Writer:Unknown
20. 

    8.3/10(1350 votes)

    #20 - Remorse

    S1:E205/5/2000

    A female television news reporter decides to go public with her story when she attacked and raped by two men, but the decision proves to be fatal.

    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Michael R. Perry

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    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Michael R. Perry
21. 

    8.6/10(1345 votes)

    #21 - Nocturne

    S1:E215/12/2000

    After a pharmacy turns over some disturbing photos of a young boy, a beloved neighborhood piano teacher is suspected of being a sexual predator who takes advantage of his innocent young students.

    Director:Jean de Segonzac

    Writer:Wendy West

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    Director:Jean de Segonzac

    Writer:Wendy West
22. 

    8.4/10(1366 votes)

    #22 - Slaves

    S1:E225/21/2000

    A Romanian immigrant is being held as a psychological prisoner by her abusive employer and his wife, who is also traumatized by years of abuse and is willing to commit murder to protect her husband. A forensic psychologist analyzes the team, and presents disturbing findings to Cragen, suggesting that one of the detectives be removed from the team.

    Director:Ted Kotcheff

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Ted Kotcheff

    Writer:Unknown