Law & Order: Special Victims Unit backdrop
Crime•Drama•Mystery

The Best Episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13

Every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13!

Binge this in 16h 44m•Peaking at 8.8/10

In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.

Airs on
NBC
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons27

All123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 1 - Scorched Earth
    8.2/10(9 votes)

    #1 - Scorched Earth

    S13:E1

    An African immigrant working as a maid accuses an Italian diplomat of rape, but is she really in it just for the money? Meanwhile, Stabler's return remains in doubt after his latest shooting.

    Director:Michael Slovis
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 2 - Personal Fouls
    7.4/10(5 votes)

    #2 - Personal Fouls

    S13:E2

    SVU investigates an accusation that a revered high school basketball coach sexually abused his players, but they ultimately may need the cooperation of a reluctant pro superstar to make the case.

    Director:Jim McKay
    Writer:Bryan Goluboff

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 3 - Blood Brothers
    5.9/10(8 votes)

    #3 - Blood Brothers

    S13:E3

    A pregnant thirteen-year-old girl from Washington Heights claims that the son of an ambassador raped her, but the accused goes missing before SVU can question him.

    Director:Unknown
    Writers:Julie Martin, Warren Leight

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 4 - Double Strands
    8.0/10(7 votes)

    #4 - Double Strands

    S13:E4

    Detective Rollins believes that SVU has caught a serial rapist from one of her earlier cases in Georgia, but a passioned request after a suicide attempt leads Amaro to suspect that they may have the wrong person.

    Director:Fred Berner
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 5 - Missing Pieces
    8.8/10(5 votes)

    #5 - Missing Pieces

    S13:E5

    Detectives search for a missing baby on Halloween after a young mother from Buffalo tells them her car was stolen while her baby was still in it.

    Director:Peter Leto
    Writers:Julie Martin, Warren Leight

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 6 - True Believers
    5.0/10(6 votes)

    #6 - True Believers

    S13:E6

    The SVU team works together to investigate the case of a promising music student who was brutally raped at gunpoint.

    Director:Courtney Hunt
    Writer:Robin Veith

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

    READ
  7. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 7 - Russian Brides
    8.2/10(4 votes)

    #7 - Russian Brides

    S13:E7

    In order to bring down a Russian mobster running an international prostitution/kidnapping ring disguised as a Russian bride website, Cragen steps from behind the desk to go undercover.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 8 - Educated Guess
    7.4/10(4 votes)

    #8 - Educated Guess

    S13:E8

    A patient in a mental hospital claims to have witnessed a sexual assault. However, the supposed victim is a fellow patient who has a history of making rape allegations, but she denies being assaulted this time.

    Director:Arthur W. Forney
    Writer:Judith McCreary

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 9 - Lost Traveller
    7.7/10(6 votes)

    #9 - Lost Traveller

    S13:E9

    When a Romani boy vanishes on his way home from school, the Special Victims Unit must penetrate his insular community to find the unlikely abductors.

    Director:Jean de Segonzac
    Writer:Julie Martin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 10 - Spiraling Down
    7.4/10(4 votes)

    #10 - Spiraling Down

    S13:E10

    A retired pro quarterback is busted for having sex with a fourteen-year-old prostitute, but he may be suffering from diminished capacity because of all the concussions he had on the field.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writer:Warren Leight

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 11 - Theatre Tricks
    8.0/10(4 votes)

    #11 - Theatre Tricks

    S13:E11

    SVU tries to figure out who was responsible for the real-life rape of an actress during an interactive theater performance that everybody just assumed was part of the show.

    Director:Constantine Makris
    Writers:Julie Martin, Warren Leight

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 12 - Official Story
    8.4/10(5 votes)

    #12 - Official Story

    S13:E12

    Benson and Amaro must work around a resistant victim when the CEO of a military contractor is assaulted.

    Director:Michael Smith
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 13 - Father's Shadow
    7.9/10(5 votes)

    #13 - Father's Shadow

    S13:E13

    A nineteen-year-old creates a hostage situation after his father is accused of sexual assault, and Olivia uses her personal experience to help defuse the situation.

    Director:Jean de Segonzac
    Writers:Julie Martin, Warren Leight

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 14 - Home Invasions
    7.8/10(6 votes)

    #14 - Home Invasions

    S13:E14

    After a couple is murdered in their home and their daughter is critically injured, SVU uncovers a number of twisted family secrets, as well as Detective Rollins' gambling addiction.

    Director:Jim McKay
    Writer:Bryan Goluboff

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 15 - Hunting Ground
    5.8/10(6 votes)

    #15 - Hunting Ground

    S13:E15

    Detectives Benson and Amaro lead the search for a serial killer who is targeting young prostitutes.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Warren Leight

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 16 - Child's Welfare
    7.2/10(5 votes)

    #16 - Child's Welfare

    S13:E16

    Detective Benson calls on Bayard Ellis for legal help when her estranged brother gets caught in a child custody battle. Also, Detectives Tutuola and Rollins investigate why a newborn baby is abandoned near a hospital.

    Director:Holly Dale
    Writers:Julie Martin, Warren Leight

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 17 - Justice Denied
    7.6/10(6 votes)

    #17 - Justice Denied

    S13:E17

    A closed rape case of Benson's is reopened because of it's similarities to a new case, and the possibility of wrongful imprisonment surfaces. As Benson's work is questioned, tension develops between her, ADA Haden, and Bayard Ellis.

    Director:Michael Slovis
    Writer:Warren Leight

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 18 - Valentine's Day
    7.6/10(8 votes)

    #18 - Valentine's Day

    S13:E18

    A man witnesses his wife's rape and kidnapping while video chatting with her on his way home from a business trip. The abductors seek a ransom, and the case grows more complex as detectives probe deeper.

    Director:Peter Leto
    Writer:Julie Martin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 19 - Street Revenge
    6.6/10(5 votes)

    #19 - Street Revenge

    S13:E19

    The task of find a serial rapist becomes more difficult when a team of neighborhood vigilante "superheroes" starts trying to avenge the crimes.

    Director:Arthur W. Forney
    Writer:Julie Martin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 20 - Father Dearest
    7.4/10(4 votes)

    #20 - Father Dearest

    S13:E20

    Detectives search for a missing teenage girl who vanished while looking for her biological father, an anonymous sperm donor. A puzzling prime suspect who's targeted several young women soon emerges.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 21 - Learning Curve
    8.2/10(5 votes)

    #21 - Learning Curve

    S13:E21

    As Fin tries to get justice after his gay son's fiancé is brutally beaten in a hate crime, SVU uncovers a scandal involving a teacher sexually abusing a student at a prep school.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 22 - Strange Beauty
    5.5/10(7 votes)

    #22 - Strange Beauty

    S13:E22

    The investigation of the homicide of a young woman who recently had her leg amputated sends SVU into the strange culture of body modification.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writers:Robin Veith, Peter Blauner

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 Episode 23 - Rhodium Nights
    6.2/10(8 votes)

    #23 - Rhodium Nights

    S13:E23

    The murder of a prostitute at a bachelor party sends SVU on a dangerous investigation that could lead all the way into the highest reaches of New York power and influence.

    Director:Norberto Barba
    Writer:Warren Leight

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Season 13 Ratings Summary

"Scorched Earth" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" season 13. It scored 8.2/10 based on 9 votes. Directed by Michael Slovis and written by Unknown, it aired on 9/21/2011. This episode is rated 0.8 points higher than the second-best, "Personal Fouls".