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The Best Episodes Written By Tara Butters

Every TV Episode Written by Tara Butters Ranked from Best to Worst by Thousands of Voters

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    undefined Season 5 Episode 17 - Mean
    8.9/10(7 votes)

    S5:E17

    The conviction of a group of sociopathic high school bullies who turned on one of their own escalates into even more violence and death in their exclusive private school.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  2. undefined Season 7 Episode 19 - Fault
    8.7/10(9 votes)

    S7:E19

    A manhunt ensues when Victor Paul Gitano, a recently released sex offender, kidnaps two children after killing the rest of their family. Benson and Stabler pursue Gitano only to find their own relationship challenged as both experience opportunities where they put their personal relationship ahead of their job. After having her throat slashed, Benson requests for a new partner when she hears what Stabler has to say about their relationship and their job.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  3. undefined Season 3 Episode 11 - Monogamy
    8.6/10(12 votes)

    S3:E11

    The pregnant wife of a psychiatrist is found in a parking garage, unconscious and bleeding from a gaping abdominal wound with her fetus missing. The investigation leads to infedility and uncertainty as to the paternity, adding fuel to the fire of an already agitated Stabler.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  4. undefined Season 5 Episode 24 - Poison
    8.4/10(6 votes)

    S5:E24

    A young girl is in a coma after ingesting detergent and her mother is suspected of poisoning her. A biased judge makes the case hard to prosecute which leads to an investigation into his past.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  5. undefined Season 2 Episode 9 - No Reaper Left Behind
    8.3/10(3 votes)

    S2:E9

    The Devil sends Sam to a tutor for proper training to be the Devil's right hand. Sam uses this as an opportunity to get information about the Devil in hopes of getting out of his contract.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  6. undefined Season 2 Episode 3 - The Sweet Science
    8.3/10(3 votes)

    S2:E3

    Sam must capture a former boxer by using boxing gloves as a vessel. Meanwhile, Andi is awarded a promotion at the Work Bench.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  7. undefined Season 5 Episode 4 - Loss
    8.1/10(11 votes)

    S5:E4

    A female undercover agent for the DEA is raped and murdered, leading to a complicated investigation and the arrest of a suspect highly connected with a Colombian drug cartel. This is the toughest case of Cabot's career as she is faced with death threats on herself and her family along with pressure to yield the case to federal authorities.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  8. undefined Season 4 Episode 2 - Deception
    8.0/10(10 votes)

    S4:E2

    A family portrait painted by a kindergartner leads the detectives to investigate her mother for child sexual abuse of her teenage stepson. When the boy's father is found murdered, the focus of the investigation shifts to the boy -- and his stepmother goes to great lengths to protect him and prevent the detectives from learning the truth.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  9. undefined Season 4 Episode 22 - Futility
    8.0/10(9 votes)

    S4:E22

    A man accused of raping several neighborhood women denies everything and represents himself in court.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  10. undefined Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    7.8/10(5 votes)

    S1:E1

    Sam Oliver has always been the slacker with no goals or purpose. However, his life takes an unprecedented new direction on his twenty-first birthday, when he discovers that his parents sold his soul to the devil and he must now become Satan's personal bounty hunter.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  11. undefined Season 3 Episode 18 - Guilt
    7.7/10(10 votes)

    S3:E18

    When A.D.A. Cabot is faced with a reluctant teenage witness in a child molestation case, she goes above and beyond the normal scope of duty in her search for evidence to convict the serial abuser. But her passion supercedes her compliance with the law, jeopardizing not only her case, but the careers of all involved.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  12. undefined Season 3 Episode 8 - Inheritance
    7.7/10(13 votes)

    S3:E8

    A series of brutal rapes and attacks on Asian women lead the police to a suspect who was himself a product of rape - his father being a rapist who was convicted. The question is brought to court of whether his genetic make-up was responsible for the crimes.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  13. undefined Season 1 Episode 8 - Valediction
    7.7/10(65 votes)

    S1:E8

    Peggy faces the full fury of Leviathan, as Howard Stark makes his return.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  14. undefined Season 6 Episode 17 - Rage
    7.6/10(6 votes)

    S6:E17

    Fourteen years ago, Stabler had a chance to nail Gordon Rickett for the abduction, rape and murder of Dana MacNamara, but Rickett managed to get off. With the recent discovery of the body of Kerry Lynn Palmer, Stabler has another chance at cracking the case. They can only hold Rickett for twenty-four hours, but are able to glean enough information during that time period to at least have a place to start. Cragen and Benson both worry that Stabler will let his hatred for the suspected child molester interfere with his ability to do his job.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  15. undefined Season 6 Episode 23 - Goliath
    7.6/10(5 votes)

    S6:E23

    After the wife of a police officer claims her husband raped her, Benson and Stabler arrest the man and come close to believing his version of events when he attacks his captain. When another officer murders his wife and attempts to kill himself that same night, the whole force gets involved and soon realises that the two men both recently returned home from Afghanistan, where they were given the drug Quinium, an anti-malarial. With the reluctant help of reporter Sherm Hempell and a base doctor with an attack of conscience, Novak takes on the U.S. army. Stabler has trouble with the case because of his history in the marines.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  16. undefined Season 4 Episode 9 - Juvenile
    7.5/10(11 votes)

    S4:E9

    A cancer patient, who was growing marijuana in her apartment and selling it, is found raped and murdered, sending the detectives on a hunt for two middle school students, each blaming the other.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  17. undefined Season 6 Episode 9 - Weak
    7.4/10(8 votes)

    S6:E9

    After arguing with Benson about their personal lives, Stabler enlists the help of a former cop turned psychiatrist in apprehending a serial rapist and murderer who attacks disabled women.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  18. undefined Season 5 Episode 8 - Abomination
    7.4/10(7 votes)

    S5:E8

    Benson and Stabler have trouble identifying a male murder victim in his 20's found in a pile of sheets in the West Village; they later suspect an outspoken minister who was in the process of flooding the victim with hate mail and death threats. When the activist's alibi checks out, the detectives turn their attention to a professor who objects to the victim's thesis on the failure of sexual re-education groups.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  19. undefined Season 7 Episode 12 - Infected
    7.4/10(5 votes)

    S7:E12

    Monica Phelps is found dead in her apartment, her son Nathan hiding in the closet behind her body. Detectives soon link Monica's death to philanthropist Ted Carthage, who runs an organization dedicated to helping people get off the streets. Benson is certain that Carthage is the killer, but a shaky ID from Nathan puts him back on the street. After Nathan kills Carthage himself, Sophie Devere argues that Nathan committed the killing because he saw Carthage shoot his mother -- something the gun manufacturers don't like.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  20. undefined Season 4 Episode 15 - Pandora
    7.3/10(11 votes)

    S4:E15

    The brutal rape, and subsequent death, of a female motorist turns out to be an undercover FBI informant acting as a cyber vigilante for catching online pedophiles to capture the predator trafficking internet porn. The detectives find the victim's husband murdered and follow the trail of evidence for the latest victim she had been tracking, which ​turns into an international case of teenage prostitution, with ties to the Czech Republic.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  21. undefined Season 6 Episode 7 - Charisma
    7.1/10(7 votes)

    S6:E7

    A career con artist, forger and thief turns to murder and serial pedophilia to populate the cult he created and to get his hands on a multi-million dollar trust fund. The detectives have trouble getting any leads because no one in the cult is saying anything, not even their names.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  22. undefined Season 4 Episode 1 - Chameleon
    7.0/10(12 votes)

    S4:E1

    The detectives are on the trail of a recently paroled rapist responsible for the murder of a prostitute during a raid at a men's club and are called to the scene where he was shot in self defense by his own gun. However, the murder weapon was also used in another crime while he was still in prison, leading the detectives to investigate the victim through a trail of previously unsolved cases, a spending spree and another victim. They uncover a more serious criminal in the process.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  23. undefined Season 2 Episode 10 - Hollywood Ending
    7.0/10(52 votes)

    S2:E10

    Peggy needs Howard Stark to eliminate Zero Matter as they are faced with a mission none of them could come back from.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  24. undefined Season 2 Episode 5 - Will
    7.0/10(5 votes)

    S2:E5

    Margaret tries stopping Barbara from interfering with her relationship with Fred and Maggie. Bellamy struggles to keep his secret hidden, as he's forced to take desperate measures as the illness continues to spread.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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  25. undefined Season 2 Episode 9 - A Little Song and Dance
    6.9/10(53 votes)

    S2:E9

    Peggy desperately tries to save Dr. Wilkes with a dangerous plan to stop Whitney Frost. But Thompson makes a surprising move that could destroy them all.

    Director:N/A
    Writer:Tara Butters

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Tara Butters Ratings Summary

"Mean" is the best rated episode written by Tara Butters. It scored 8.9/10 from 7 votes. It was directed by N/A. It aired on February 24, 2004. It is rated 0.2 points higher than their second-best episode, "Fault".