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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!

Binge this in 15h 3mPeaking at 8.5/10

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.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 1 - Terrorized
    7.8/10(1133 votes)

    #1 - Terrorized

    S18:E1

    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

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  2. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 2 - Making a Rapist
    7.7/10(998 votes)

    #2 - Making a Rapist

    S18:E2

    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.

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  3. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 3 - Imposter
    6.6/10(1216 votes)

    #3 - Imposter

    S18:E3

    When a man uses a false identity to lure a vulnerable married woman to bed, Barba thinks the evidence amounts to rape.

    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 4 - Heightened Emotions
    6.8/10(1089 votes)

    #4 - Heightened Emotions

    S18:E4

    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.

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  5. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 5 - Rape Interrupted
    7.4/10(1134 votes)

    #5 - Rape Interrupted

    S18:E5

    A sergeant makes Benson choose between loyalty and duty when his son is accused of rape.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 6 - Broken Rhymes
    7.4/10(1073 votes)

    #6 - Broken Rhymes

    S18:E6

    A record label CEO and his protégé are questioned for their involvement in the assault of a transgender student.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 7 - Next Chapter
    7.7/10(879 votes)

    #7 - Next Chapter

    S18:E7

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 8 - Chasing Theo
    7.6/10(887 votes)

    #8 - Chasing Theo

    S18:E8

    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.

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  10. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 9 - Decline and Fall
    8.0/10(886 votes)

    #9 - Decline and Fall

    S18:E9

    The powerful family of a retail empire closes ranks when a bartender accuses one of their own of rape.

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  11. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 10 - Motherly Love
    8.5/10(1258 votes)

    #10 - Motherly Love

    S18:E10

    A teenaged boy uses a rifle to stop an assault on his mother, but soon learns the target was someone he knows.

    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 11 - Great Expectations
    8.3/10(1141 votes)

    #11 - Great Expectations

    S18:E11

    The SVU investigates the players of a top youth hockey team after a vicious locker room hazing.

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  13. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 12 - No Surrender
    7.0/10(1037 votes)

    #12 - No Surrender

    S18:E12

    Fin revisits his military roots when a fellow Army Ranger struggles to recover from a sexual assault.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 13 - Genes
    7.5/10(781 votes)

    #13 - Genes

    S18:E13

    An investigation hits a nerve with Benson when a suspect claims his genetics causes him to commit rape.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 14 - Net Worth
    7.8/10(748 votes)

    #14 - Net Worth

    S18:E14

    A top-level investment banker accuses her billionaire client of rape.

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  16. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 15 - Know It All
    8.0/10(755 votes)

    #15 - Know It All

    S18:E15

    A man under investigation for rape and murder threatens to expose the secrets of those working the case.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 16 - The Newsroom
    8.0/10(927 votes)

    #16 - The Newsroom

    S18:E16

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 17 - Real Fake News
    8.1/10(839 votes)

    #17 - Real Fake News

    S18:E17

    A fake news story leads the squad to a real child sex trafficking ring.

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  19. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 18 - Spellbound
    7.4/10(932 votes)

    #18 - Spellbound

    S18:E18

    A popular spiritual guru with a dark past is accused of rape.

    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 19 - Conversion
    7.7/10(886 votes)

    #19 - Conversion

    S18:E19

    A young woman visiting NYC with her church group is raped by a friend.

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  21. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 20 - American Dream (1)
    7.7/10(1103 votes)

    #20 - American Dream (1)

    S18:E20

    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.

    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 Episode 21 - Sanctuary (2)
    7.7/10(1103 votes)

    #21 - Sanctuary (2)

    S18:E21

    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:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 18 Ratings Summary

"Terrorized" is the best rated episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" season 18. It scored 7.8/10 based on 1133 votes. Directed by Alik Sakharov and written by Rick Eid, it aired on 9/21/2016. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Making a Rapist".