7.9/101,048 votes#1 - Terrorized
Season 18 Episode 1 - Aired 9/21/2016
A young boy is found wandering alone in Central Park and the search for his parents leads to startling evidence of a planned mass casualty event in the city. As the SVU works with the joint-terrorism task force to find the suspects and the motive, Lt. Benson must also convince Barba to address allegations of rape and torture the boy's mother discloses.
Director: Alik Sakharov
Writer: Rick Eid
7.7/10919 votes#2 - Making a Rapist
Season 18 Episode 2 - Aired 9/28/2016
Newly tested DNA evidence leads to the exoneration of a prisoner who served 16 years for a rape conviction. However, he's investigated again one day later in the wake of a shocking new crime.
Director: Michael Pressman
Writer: Kevin Fox
6.7/101,125 votes#3 - Imposter
Season 18 Episode 3 - Aired 10/5/2016
When a man uses a false identity to lure a vulnerable married woman to bed, Barba thinks the evidence amounts to rape.
Director: Jean de Segonzac
Writer: N/A
6.9/101,002 votes#4 - Heightened Emotions
Season 18 Episode 4 - Aired 10/12/2016
A sexually assaulted athlete's double life could destroy her Olympic career and ruin the case against her attacker; Rollins sister is released from prison on parole.
Director: Alex Chapple
Writer: Julie Martin, Céline C. Robinson
7.5/101,044 votes#5 - Rape Interrupted
Season 18 Episode 5 - Aired 10/26/2016
A sergeant makes Benson choose between loyalty and duty when his son is accused of rape.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/10991 votes#6 - Broken Rhymes
Season 18 Episode 6 - Aired 11/9/2016
A record label CEO and his protégé are questioned for their involvement in the assault of a transgender student.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10806 votes#7 - Next Chapter
Season 18 Episode 7 - Aired 1/4/2017
The SVU team investigates a woman has been sexually assaulted by a masked man, but she believes the rapist is the same man who went to jail for stalking her. Meanwhile, Tucker contemplates retirement and a future with Benson.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10803 votes#8 - Chasing Theo
Season 18 Episode 8 - Aired 1/11/2017
A 6 year-old boy disappears from his bed in the midst of a wild, drug-fueled party thrown by his mother. With a child's life on the line, the case causes Benson to scrutinize her own role as a mother.
Director: Jean de Segonzac
Writer: Julie Martin, Robert Brooks Cohen
8.0/10813 votes#9 - Decline and Fall
Season 18 Episode 9 - Aired 1/18/2017
The powerful family of a retail empire closes ranks when a bartender accuses one of their own of rape.
Director: Jean de Segonzac
Writer: Ed Zuckerman, Robert Brooks Cohen
8.5/101,160 votes#10 - Motherly Love
Season 18 Episode 10 - Aired 2/8/2017
A teenaged boy uses a rifle to stop an assault on his mother, but soon learns the target was someone he knows.
Director: Mariska Hargitay
Writer: N/A
8.3/101,053 votes#11 - Great Expectations
Season 18 Episode 11 - Aired 2/15/2017
The SVU investigates the players of a top youth hockey team after a vicious locker room hazing.
Director: Martha Mitchell
Writer: Kevin Fox, Brendan Feeney
7.0/10963 votes#12 - No Surrender
Season 18 Episode 12 - Aired 2/22/2017
Fin revisits his military roots when a fellow Army Ranger struggles to recover from a sexual assault.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10712 votes#13 - Genes
Season 18 Episode 13 - Aired 3/22/2017
An investigation hits a nerve with Benson when a suspect claims his genetics causes him to commit rape.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/10671 votes#14 - Net Worth
Season 18 Episode 14 - Aired 3/29/2017
A top-level investment banker accuses her billionaire client of rape.
Director: Alex Chapple
Writer: Rick Eid, Jeffrey Baker
8.0/10673 votes#15 - Know It All
Season 18 Episode 15 - Aired 4/5/2017
A man under investigation for rape and murder threatens to expose the secrets of those working the case.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/10840 votes#16 - The Newsroom
Season 18 Episode 16 - Aired 4/26/2017
Benson and Barba ask witnesses to put their jobs on the line after a news anchor makes an on-air disclosure of rape against her boss.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.2/10759 votes#17 - Real Fake News
Season 18 Episode 17 - Aired 5/3/2017
A fake news story leads the squad to a real child sex trafficking ring.
Director: Martha Mitchell
Writer: Ed Zuckerman
7.5/10850 votes#18 - Spellbound
Season 18 Episode 18 - Aired 5/10/2017
A popular spiritual guru with a dark past is accused of rape.
Director: Jean de Segonzac
Writer: N/A
7.8/10806 votes#19 - Conversion
Season 18 Episode 19 - Aired 5/17/2017
A young woman visiting NYC with her church group is raped by a friend.
Director: Alex Chapple
Writer: Kevin Fox, Brendan Feeney
7.7/101,023 votes#20 - American Dream (1)
Season 18 Episode 20 - Aired 5/24/2017
A hate crime is committed against a Muslim family, resulting in the death of their daughter. Things get complicated when a crucial witness in the case is deported, forcing Barba to drop the charges against a suspect.
Director: Jean de Segonzac
Writer: N/A
7.7/101,030 votes#21 - Sanctuary (2)
Season 18 Episode 21 - Aired 5/24/2017
In the 18th-season finale, two families seek justice for their loved ones in the wake of a suspect's unexpected release. Soon, public protests on the matter escalate to violence, leading Benson to go to desperate lengths to make an arrest.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18
Every episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18!
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...
Genres:CrimeDramaMystery
Network:NBC
Season 18 Ratings Summary
"Terrorized" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" season 18. It scored 7.9/10 based on 1048 votes. Directed by Alik Sakharov and written by Rick Eid, it aired on 9/21/2016. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "Making a Rapist".