Episode Guide: Law and Order SVU - Season 16
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Season 16 of Law and Order SVU, premiered on NBC on Wednesday, September 24, 2014 and concluded on Wednesday, May 20, 2015.
Warren Leight remained as showrunner for this season, which saw the first of several crossovers with the Chicago P.D and Chicago Fire universes, also created by Dick Wolf. Raúl appeared in 16 of the 23 episodes. Episodes that Raúl appeared in are indicated with ** |
Episode 1: Girls Disappeared**
Air Date: September 24, 2014
Synopsis: Detective Amaro, now working as a beat cop in Queens, arrests an underage prostitute who reveals she was a witness to the murder of Ellie Porter, the mother of Sergeant Benson's foster son Noah. Benson asks Amaro to go undercover, which sets off a series of events that puts everyone involved in danger – including baby Noah. Meanwhile, Benson meets the new addition to the squad, Detective Carisi (Peter Scanavino), who starts off on the wrong foot.
Ratings: 10.07m (US)
Episode 2: American Disgrace**
Air Date: October 1, 2014
Synopsis: Orion Bay clothing line press rep Carla Cannon (Kelley Missal) tells reporters she was raped by basketball superstar Shakir "The Shark" Wilkins (Henry Simmons). However, the authenticity of her story and the stories of other women is questioned by Carisi and leaves ADA Barba with a shaky case. As the trial begins, the case starts to fall apart and more than just family secrets of Orion Bay's billionaire owner Orion Bauer (Stacey Keach) and his daughter (Teri Polo) are revealed.
Ratings: 7,73m (US)
Episode 3: Producer's Backend**
Air Date: October 8, 2014
Synopsis: Amaro reports to the scene of a car crash where Hollywood starlet Tensley Evans (Stevie Lynn Jones) tries to flirt her way out of trouble. Amaro's by-the-book handling allows for him to be transferred back to the SVU team, just in time to investigate Evans for the statutory rape of a 15-year-old boy. As Barba pushes forward with her trial for rape, Benson begins to suspect underlying issues that led to Evans' actions, which leads the squad to a producer (Brian d'Arcy James) who has a troubling history.
Ratings: 7.55m (US)
Episode 4: Internal Affairs
Air Date: October 15, 2014
Synopsis: Holden March (John Karna), a lovelorn, socially awkward young man, begins to exact revenge on the women he believes have wronged him, which soon escalates to murder. When Detectives Amaro and Rollins find Holden with hostages at a local school, they soon find out how dangerous a desperate man can be. Meanwhile, Benson deals with pressure from the newly appointed Deputy Chief William Dodds (Peter Gallagher) while Noah is hospitalized. Inspired by the Elliot Rodger murders.
Ratings: 7.16m (US)
Episode 5: Pornstar's Requiem**
Air Date: October 22, 2014
Synopsis: Evie Barnes (Hannah Marks) answers a modeling ad hoping to make money for college tuition, but it quickly turns into pornography. When college students discover her double life, they force themselves on Evie at a party, resulting in their arrest for rape. Although she is not the one on trial, Benson and Barba fight to prove her innocence in the courtroom.
Ratings: 7.19m (US)
Episode 6: Glasgowman's Wrath
Air Date: November 5, 2014
Synopsis: When a babysitter's ghost stories lead to two girls going missing and another severely injured, Benson and the SVU detectives work to locate a suspect and decipher fact from fiction. Inspired by the Slender Man stabbing.
Ratings: 7.00m (US)
Episode 7: Chicago Crossover
Air Date: November 12, 2014
Synopsis: Benson and SVU get a new lead on a missing child pornography victim from Sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) of the Chicago Police Department. When things become personal for CPD Detective Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush), she and her partner (Jesse Lee Soffer) travel to New York to lend a hand in the investigation. This episode continues a crossover with Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. that begins on Chicago Fire: "Nobody Touches Anything" and concludes on Chicago P.D.: "They'll Have to Go Through Me"
Ratings: 10.01 (US)
Episode 8: Spousal Privilege**
Air Date: November 18, 2014
Synopsis: Detective Tutuola discovers security camera footage of a domestic dispute between a famous sportscaster (Chad Coleman) and his girlfriend (Meagan Good). While Fin and Benson dive into the couple's life, Barba tries to convince the woman to press charges.
Ratings: 7.93 (US)
Episode 9: Pattern Seventeen
Air Date: December 10, 2014
Synopsis: When a series of young girls are assaulted, Rollins connects the pattern to cases she worked in Atlanta, but discovers that none of the rape kits were tested. Returning to Atlanta to interview a victim believed to have been assaulted by their suspect, she has an awkward reunion with her former boss, Atlanta Deputy Chief Charles Patton (Harry Hamlin). While the detectives connect the pattern to other cities with untested rape kits, Benson faces scrutiny at CompStat from Deputy Chief Dodds and the NYPD brass.
Ratings: 6.90m (US)
Episode 10: Forgiving Rollins**
Air Date: January 7, 2015
Synopsis: Atlanta Deputy Chief Patton and his new detective, Reese Taymor (Dreama Walker), visit New York for a sex crimes conference. After the conference, Taymor reports being raped in her hotel, leading Benson and SVU to question her fellow visiting Atlanta police officers. When Rollins discovers a personal connection to Taymor, Barba seeks Rollins' help in court, which forces her to disclose a secret she has worked hard to hide.
Ratings: 7.76m (US)
Episode 11: Agent Provocateur**
Air Date: January 14, 2015
Synopsis: A young woman (Madison Grace) sneaks out to attend a party with her celebrity crush, Scott Russo. Things take a turn for the worst when the teenager is found sexually assaulted and left for dead in an alley. Russo and his manager (Patti LuPone) are then suspects when security footage of the party goes missing, only to turn up on a gossip website. When the website's CEO refuses to hand over the footage to the squad, Barba fights to get the truth by having the man arrested for withholding evidence.
Ratings: 6.68m (US)
Episode 12: Padre Sandunguero**
Air Date: January 21, 2015
Synopsis: Amaro's father, Nicolas (Armand Assante), invites his estranged family to his wedding with a 28-year-old woman. When Amaro declines the invitation, a fight ignites at the wedding, causing Nicolas to become arrested for assault. Amaro and the SVU squad become entangled in the investigation, with IAB keeping an eye on Amaro's involvement. Barba takes the case and requires Amaro to stand as a witness, which forces him to reveal family secrets and face the possibility of tearing his family apart.
Ratings: 6.77m (US)
Episode 13: Decaying Morality**
Air Date: February 4, 2015
Synopsis: Benson and Rollins treat a rape victim, (Haley Lu Richardson), found with her clothes torn, who claims to have been raped in a pizzeria bathroom. With a criminal record and a pending lawsuit against the NYPD, the precinct is short on evidence and the suspect is released. Enraged, Jenna's father (Jamie McShane) conducts his own investigation, which could change the family's lives and make SVU's job harder.
Ratings: 6.20m (US)
Episode 14: Intimidation Game
Air Date: February 11, 2015
Synopsis: Video game developer Raina Punjabi (Mouzam Makkar) ignores warnings from online predators as the release date of her game arrives. When a female employee is soon assaulted at a game convention, the detectives ask Punjabi to halt the game's release. When she refuses, Fin and SVU must race to protect her from technically skilled predators that want to see Punjabi out of the gaming business.
Ratings: 6.12m (US)
Episode 15: Undercover Mother**
Air Date: February 18, 2015
Synopsis: While undercover to destroy a sex trafficking ring, Carisi encounters Martha Thornhill (Lili Taylor). She explains she has been disguising herself as a madame in the organization in order to try to find and save her daughter, Ariel, who had been kidnapped. She eventually gives up working alone and asks SVU to help her. As a team, they try to break down the pimp and his cohorts, while Ariel remains missing, and discover they may have some help on the inside from an old friend. Meanwhile, Dr. Warner discovers that the pimp is Noah's biological father and alerts Benson.
Ratings: 6.45m (US)
Episode 16: December Solstice**
Air Date: February 25, 2015
Synopsis: Celebrity author Walter Briggs (Robert Vaughn) is the focus of a feud between his sixth wife, Charmaine (Marcia Cross), and his daughters from previous marriages (Emily Bergl and Susan Pourfar). The fight over control for both his well-being and his estate becomes a criminal case when Charmaine is accused of abusing her husband. Meanwhile, Barba struggles with his own family drama when he goes against his grandmother's wishes
Ratings: 7.72m (US)
Episode 17: Parole Violations**
Air Date: March 25, 2015
Synopsis: Carisi's sister is preparing for the birth of her child with her fiancé, Tommy, but events take a turn for the worst when Tommy returns to old habits and accuses his parole officer of rape. With the help of Benson and the detectives, Carisi investigates Tommy's allegation, but Barba faces an uphill battle convincing a jury that a woman can rape a man.
Ratings: 5.92m (US)
Episode 18: Devastating Story**
Air Date: April 1, 2015
Synopsis: Skip Peterson (Rob Morrow), a television host, broadcasts an interview with Heather Manning, a college student, who claims to have been gang raped in a fraternity house. Manning's story goes viral and the case quickly turns into a she-said, they-said dilemma, with pressure on SVU to open a real investigation. The lack of evidence, the shakiness of the victim and several suspects prove convincing a jury of the crime difficult.
Ratings: 6.25m (US)
Episode 19: Granting Immunity**
Air Date: April 8, 2015
Synopsis: Pornographic photos from 15 year-old Savannah Biel's (Hayden Tweedie) house party quickly circulate around her Tribeca high school and go viral. Barba's efforts to arrest the student responsible for posting the images is stalled when several suspects fall victim to a fast-moving measles outbreak. When Benson's foster son also catches the illness, she investigates a group of mothers who may have falsified their children's medical records. Meanwhile, Amaro receives some distressing news about his son.
Ratings: 7.31m (US)
Episode 20: Daydream Believer**
Air Date: April 29, 2015
Synopsis: Benson and CPD Sgt. Voight lead their teams in the investigation of a rape-murder case that is frighteningly similar to a case from New York a decade ago. While searching for the suspect, one of Chicago's own is kidnapped, intensifying SVU's mission to help Voight's team locate the man.This episode concludes a crossover with Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. that begins on Chicago Fire: We Called Her Jellybean and continues on Chicago P.D.: The Number of Rats".
Ratings: 9.28m (US)
Episode 21: Perverted Justice
Air Date: May 6, 2015
Synopsis: Bayard Ellis (Andre Braugher) asks the SVU squad to reopen the investigation of a man who was convicted of incest and rape when the man's daughter (Samira Wiley), a recovering addict, recants her original testimony, claiming it was all a lie that her mother forced her to say in court. When the original motion to vacate the charges is denied, the squad turns to retired Captain Cragen (Dann Florek) for insight in the case and uncover evidence that was never presented during the original trial.
Ratings: 6.11m (US)
Episode 22: Parent's Nightmare
Air Date: May 13, 2015
Synopsis: 8 year-old Owen Fervid (Keened Ruparel) disappears from school and his mother Dana (Brooke Bloom) receives a ransom request. When surveillance footage shows that Owen recognized his abductor, Detective Amaro works with Dana and her ex-husband Sam (Navid Negahban) to find and arrest the suspect, but tensions between the estranged couple obstruct the investigation. Meanwhile, Sgt. Benson is asked to take the Lieutenant's exam to formally take the lead over her squad.
Ratings: 6.82 (US)
Episode 23: Surrendering Noah**
Air Date: May 14, 2014
Synopsis: Benson and Barba take Johnny D (Charles Halford) to trial for sex trafficking, rape, assault and kidnapping. But when Baby Noah's adoption becomes entangled in the case, Benson fears for Noah's future and his safety. In an intense courtroom showdown, the SVU face a threat that will change the squad forever.
Ratings: 6.96m (US)
Air Date: September 24, 2014
Synopsis: Detective Amaro, now working as a beat cop in Queens, arrests an underage prostitute who reveals she was a witness to the murder of Ellie Porter, the mother of Sergeant Benson's foster son Noah. Benson asks Amaro to go undercover, which sets off a series of events that puts everyone involved in danger – including baby Noah. Meanwhile, Benson meets the new addition to the squad, Detective Carisi (Peter Scanavino), who starts off on the wrong foot.
Ratings: 10.07m (US)
Episode 2: American Disgrace**
Air Date: October 1, 2014
Synopsis: Orion Bay clothing line press rep Carla Cannon (Kelley Missal) tells reporters she was raped by basketball superstar Shakir "The Shark" Wilkins (Henry Simmons). However, the authenticity of her story and the stories of other women is questioned by Carisi and leaves ADA Barba with a shaky case. As the trial begins, the case starts to fall apart and more than just family secrets of Orion Bay's billionaire owner Orion Bauer (Stacey Keach) and his daughter (Teri Polo) are revealed.
Ratings: 7,73m (US)
Episode 3: Producer's Backend**
Air Date: October 8, 2014
Synopsis: Amaro reports to the scene of a car crash where Hollywood starlet Tensley Evans (Stevie Lynn Jones) tries to flirt her way out of trouble. Amaro's by-the-book handling allows for him to be transferred back to the SVU team, just in time to investigate Evans for the statutory rape of a 15-year-old boy. As Barba pushes forward with her trial for rape, Benson begins to suspect underlying issues that led to Evans' actions, which leads the squad to a producer (Brian d'Arcy James) who has a troubling history.
Ratings: 7.55m (US)
Episode 4: Internal Affairs
Air Date: October 15, 2014
Synopsis: Holden March (John Karna), a lovelorn, socially awkward young man, begins to exact revenge on the women he believes have wronged him, which soon escalates to murder. When Detectives Amaro and Rollins find Holden with hostages at a local school, they soon find out how dangerous a desperate man can be. Meanwhile, Benson deals with pressure from the newly appointed Deputy Chief William Dodds (Peter Gallagher) while Noah is hospitalized. Inspired by the Elliot Rodger murders.
Ratings: 7.16m (US)
Episode 5: Pornstar's Requiem**
Air Date: October 22, 2014
Synopsis: Evie Barnes (Hannah Marks) answers a modeling ad hoping to make money for college tuition, but it quickly turns into pornography. When college students discover her double life, they force themselves on Evie at a party, resulting in their arrest for rape. Although she is not the one on trial, Benson and Barba fight to prove her innocence in the courtroom.
Ratings: 7.19m (US)
Episode 6: Glasgowman's Wrath
Air Date: November 5, 2014
Synopsis: When a babysitter's ghost stories lead to two girls going missing and another severely injured, Benson and the SVU detectives work to locate a suspect and decipher fact from fiction. Inspired by the Slender Man stabbing.
Ratings: 7.00m (US)
Episode 7: Chicago Crossover
Air Date: November 12, 2014
Synopsis: Benson and SVU get a new lead on a missing child pornography victim from Sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) of the Chicago Police Department. When things become personal for CPD Detective Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush), she and her partner (Jesse Lee Soffer) travel to New York to lend a hand in the investigation. This episode continues a crossover with Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. that begins on Chicago Fire: "Nobody Touches Anything" and concludes on Chicago P.D.: "They'll Have to Go Through Me"
Ratings: 10.01 (US)
Episode 8: Spousal Privilege**
Air Date: November 18, 2014
Synopsis: Detective Tutuola discovers security camera footage of a domestic dispute between a famous sportscaster (Chad Coleman) and his girlfriend (Meagan Good). While Fin and Benson dive into the couple's life, Barba tries to convince the woman to press charges.
Ratings: 7.93 (US)
Episode 9: Pattern Seventeen
Air Date: December 10, 2014
Synopsis: When a series of young girls are assaulted, Rollins connects the pattern to cases she worked in Atlanta, but discovers that none of the rape kits were tested. Returning to Atlanta to interview a victim believed to have been assaulted by their suspect, she has an awkward reunion with her former boss, Atlanta Deputy Chief Charles Patton (Harry Hamlin). While the detectives connect the pattern to other cities with untested rape kits, Benson faces scrutiny at CompStat from Deputy Chief Dodds and the NYPD brass.
Ratings: 6.90m (US)
Episode 10: Forgiving Rollins**
Air Date: January 7, 2015
Synopsis: Atlanta Deputy Chief Patton and his new detective, Reese Taymor (Dreama Walker), visit New York for a sex crimes conference. After the conference, Taymor reports being raped in her hotel, leading Benson and SVU to question her fellow visiting Atlanta police officers. When Rollins discovers a personal connection to Taymor, Barba seeks Rollins' help in court, which forces her to disclose a secret she has worked hard to hide.
Ratings: 7.76m (US)
Episode 11: Agent Provocateur**
Air Date: January 14, 2015
Synopsis: A young woman (Madison Grace) sneaks out to attend a party with her celebrity crush, Scott Russo. Things take a turn for the worst when the teenager is found sexually assaulted and left for dead in an alley. Russo and his manager (Patti LuPone) are then suspects when security footage of the party goes missing, only to turn up on a gossip website. When the website's CEO refuses to hand over the footage to the squad, Barba fights to get the truth by having the man arrested for withholding evidence.
Ratings: 6.68m (US)
Episode 12: Padre Sandunguero**
Air Date: January 21, 2015
Synopsis: Amaro's father, Nicolas (Armand Assante), invites his estranged family to his wedding with a 28-year-old woman. When Amaro declines the invitation, a fight ignites at the wedding, causing Nicolas to become arrested for assault. Amaro and the SVU squad become entangled in the investigation, with IAB keeping an eye on Amaro's involvement. Barba takes the case and requires Amaro to stand as a witness, which forces him to reveal family secrets and face the possibility of tearing his family apart.
Ratings: 6.77m (US)
Episode 13: Decaying Morality**
Air Date: February 4, 2015
Synopsis: Benson and Rollins treat a rape victim, (Haley Lu Richardson), found with her clothes torn, who claims to have been raped in a pizzeria bathroom. With a criminal record and a pending lawsuit against the NYPD, the precinct is short on evidence and the suspect is released. Enraged, Jenna's father (Jamie McShane) conducts his own investigation, which could change the family's lives and make SVU's job harder.
Ratings: 6.20m (US)
Episode 14: Intimidation Game
Air Date: February 11, 2015
Synopsis: Video game developer Raina Punjabi (Mouzam Makkar) ignores warnings from online predators as the release date of her game arrives. When a female employee is soon assaulted at a game convention, the detectives ask Punjabi to halt the game's release. When she refuses, Fin and SVU must race to protect her from technically skilled predators that want to see Punjabi out of the gaming business.
Ratings: 6.12m (US)
Episode 15: Undercover Mother**
Air Date: February 18, 2015
Synopsis: While undercover to destroy a sex trafficking ring, Carisi encounters Martha Thornhill (Lili Taylor). She explains she has been disguising herself as a madame in the organization in order to try to find and save her daughter, Ariel, who had been kidnapped. She eventually gives up working alone and asks SVU to help her. As a team, they try to break down the pimp and his cohorts, while Ariel remains missing, and discover they may have some help on the inside from an old friend. Meanwhile, Dr. Warner discovers that the pimp is Noah's biological father and alerts Benson.
Ratings: 6.45m (US)
Episode 16: December Solstice**
Air Date: February 25, 2015
Synopsis: Celebrity author Walter Briggs (Robert Vaughn) is the focus of a feud between his sixth wife, Charmaine (Marcia Cross), and his daughters from previous marriages (Emily Bergl and Susan Pourfar). The fight over control for both his well-being and his estate becomes a criminal case when Charmaine is accused of abusing her husband. Meanwhile, Barba struggles with his own family drama when he goes against his grandmother's wishes
Ratings: 7.72m (US)
Episode 17: Parole Violations**
Air Date: March 25, 2015
Synopsis: Carisi's sister is preparing for the birth of her child with her fiancé, Tommy, but events take a turn for the worst when Tommy returns to old habits and accuses his parole officer of rape. With the help of Benson and the detectives, Carisi investigates Tommy's allegation, but Barba faces an uphill battle convincing a jury that a woman can rape a man.
Ratings: 5.92m (US)
Episode 18: Devastating Story**
Air Date: April 1, 2015
Synopsis: Skip Peterson (Rob Morrow), a television host, broadcasts an interview with Heather Manning, a college student, who claims to have been gang raped in a fraternity house. Manning's story goes viral and the case quickly turns into a she-said, they-said dilemma, with pressure on SVU to open a real investigation. The lack of evidence, the shakiness of the victim and several suspects prove convincing a jury of the crime difficult.
Ratings: 6.25m (US)
Episode 19: Granting Immunity**
Air Date: April 8, 2015
Synopsis: Pornographic photos from 15 year-old Savannah Biel's (Hayden Tweedie) house party quickly circulate around her Tribeca high school and go viral. Barba's efforts to arrest the student responsible for posting the images is stalled when several suspects fall victim to a fast-moving measles outbreak. When Benson's foster son also catches the illness, she investigates a group of mothers who may have falsified their children's medical records. Meanwhile, Amaro receives some distressing news about his son.
Ratings: 7.31m (US)
Episode 20: Daydream Believer**
Air Date: April 29, 2015
Synopsis: Benson and CPD Sgt. Voight lead their teams in the investigation of a rape-murder case that is frighteningly similar to a case from New York a decade ago. While searching for the suspect, one of Chicago's own is kidnapped, intensifying SVU's mission to help Voight's team locate the man.This episode concludes a crossover with Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. that begins on Chicago Fire: We Called Her Jellybean and continues on Chicago P.D.: The Number of Rats".
Ratings: 9.28m (US)
Episode 21: Perverted Justice
Air Date: May 6, 2015
Synopsis: Bayard Ellis (Andre Braugher) asks the SVU squad to reopen the investigation of a man who was convicted of incest and rape when the man's daughter (Samira Wiley), a recovering addict, recants her original testimony, claiming it was all a lie that her mother forced her to say in court. When the original motion to vacate the charges is denied, the squad turns to retired Captain Cragen (Dann Florek) for insight in the case and uncover evidence that was never presented during the original trial.
Ratings: 6.11m (US)
Episode 22: Parent's Nightmare
Air Date: May 13, 2015
Synopsis: 8 year-old Owen Fervid (Keened Ruparel) disappears from school and his mother Dana (Brooke Bloom) receives a ransom request. When surveillance footage shows that Owen recognized his abductor, Detective Amaro works with Dana and her ex-husband Sam (Navid Negahban) to find and arrest the suspect, but tensions between the estranged couple obstruct the investigation. Meanwhile, Sgt. Benson is asked to take the Lieutenant's exam to formally take the lead over her squad.
Ratings: 6.82 (US)
Episode 23: Surrendering Noah**
Air Date: May 14, 2014
Synopsis: Benson and Barba take Johnny D (Charles Halford) to trial for sex trafficking, rape, assault and kidnapping. But when Baby Noah's adoption becomes entangled in the case, Benson fears for Noah's future and his safety. In an intense courtroom showdown, the SVU face a threat that will change the squad forever.
Ratings: 6.96m (US)