Regular Cast
Christopher Meloni - Det. Elliot Stabler
Mariska Hargitay - Det. Olivia Benson
Richard Belzer - Det. John Munch
Diane Neal - A.D.A. Casey Novak (Episode 96 +)
Ice-T - Det. Odafin Tutuola (Episode 24 +)
B.D. Wong - Dr. George Huang (Episode 67 +)
Dann Florek - Capt. Donald Cragen

Season One

1. Payback
   Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson, part of the New York Special Victims Unit work together to investigate the dismemberment and murder of a local cab driver.
   
2. A Single Life
   When a woman clad only in a slip falls several floors to her death, the case is referred to Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) of the special victims unit whose investigation yields many likely suspects, including her unethical psychiatrist (guest star Dennis Boutsikaris), her married anchorman/boyfriend (guest star Michael Nouri) and her suspicious family members. Even though they discover a curious trust fund and a sordid family history, the detectives come full circle and still don't have a viable suspect. Angie Harmon ("Law & Order") guest-stars. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek and Dean Winters also star
   
3. Or Just Look Like One
   When a popular teenaged model is found beaten, sexually assaulted and dumped, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) try to connect the dots when they probe a netherworld populated by careless parents, a slick photographer (guest star Ritchie Coster), drug-dealing doctors and a trendy modeling agency executive (Emmy and Tony Award-winning guest star Bebe Neuwirth, "Cheers," "Chicago"). The issue of the young anorexic woman's obsession with the "right look" is brought home to Stabler at mealtime when he notices his own teenaged daughter's slavish desire to become rail-thin. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek, Michelle Hurd and Dean Winters also star.
   
4. Hysteria
   When a series of suspected prostitutes is found murdered in similar patterns, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) can't understand why the latest victim was a cultured college student -- but they begin to believe that a fellow cop could be responsible for other slayings dating back over 30 years. Elsewhere, Stabler frets that his own 12-year-old daughter (Holiday Segal) will discover sex too soon for her own good, and the acerbic Detective Munch (Richard Belzer) revs-up into typically Munch-like overdrive during his controversial testimony in a child molestation case. Dann Florek, Dean Winters and Michelle Hurd also star. Jerry Orbach guest-stars as Detective Lennie Briscoe from NBC's "Law & Order." 
   
5. Wanderlust
   When a handsome travel writer is found murdered -- with a woman's panties stuffed in his mouth -- Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) focus on a pedophiliac (guest star John Dossett), the unassuming boyfriend of the victim's landlord (guest star and Emmy nominee Patricia Richardson, "Home Improvement"). However, the key to the case might be the landlord's rebellious 14-year-old daughter (guest star Lynn Collins), whose casual, seen-it-all sexual maturity makes Stabler uneasy about his own 14-year-old as she eagerly enters the dating pool. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek, Michelle Hurd and Dean Winters also star. 
   
6. Sophomore Jinx
   Stabler and Benson investigate the death of a student and are lead to two basketball players, two suspects the school don't want bad publicity directed to.
   
7. Uncivilized
   Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) have the unsavory task of investigating the sensationalized murder and sexual assault of a young boy, and their prime suspect (guest star Stephen Bogardus) is a convicted child molester whose only obsession seems to be collecting stamps. However, even with mounting evidence, one key piece doesn't fit -- but either way, the state is still prepared to cite civil detention as a test case to imprison him again as a likely repeat offender. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek, Michelle Hurd and Dean Winters also star. 
   
8. Stalked
   When an assistant district attorney is found murdered and sexually assaulted in Central Park, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) narrow their probe to a realtor (guest star Bruce Kirkpatrick) with a history of date-rape and a need to humiliate powerful women -- and Stabler worries that a combative Benson may be his next victim. The key to the case rests with the suspect's business partner (guest star Allison Mackie) who can validate his alibi, but in the meantime, a seething Benson hopes to best him in an intense game of one-on-one in the interrogation room. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek, Dean Winters and Michelle Hurd also star. 
   
9. Stocks & Bondage
   A female financial analyst with a fetish for sexual bondage is found hanging dead, but while Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) debate if her death was a suicide or homicide, they discover that the victim recently tried to purchase $10 million of diamonds -- all of which leads to a Wall Street financier (guest star Geoffrey Nauffts) with a mean streak. During their hunt, they cross paths with a Tennessee insurance investigator (guest star Craig Heidenreich), a crooked charity organizer (guest star Christopher McCann) and other low-lifes from the sado-bondage scene. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek, Michelle Hurd and Dean Winters also star.
   
10. Closure (Part 1) [Part 2 is Season Two Episode 3]
    The devastating results of a sexual assault begin to weigh heavily on the victim (guest star Tracy Pollan, "Family Ties") after Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler's (Christopher Meloni) prime suspect (guest star Terry Serpico) -- who matches the assailant's description and is found to have used her credit card -- cannot be identified by the shaken woman. Benson finally gets a real break in the case six months later but finds the victim to be more defensive and less cooperative. In addition, Benson's romantic interlude with a fellow detective is revealed. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek, Dean Winters and Michelle Hurd also star. 
    
11. Bad Blood
    Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) search for the killer of a young gay man whose father (guest star Jerry Lanning) heads a conservative watchdog group, but when they suspect a violent ex-convict (guest star Stephen Beach) who lives in the same building, they are in for a shock. In addition, Benson resents Munch's (Richard Belzer) attempts to help her find her father -- a stranger who raped her mother decades ago. Dann Florek, Michelle Hurd and Dean Winters also star. 
    
12. Russian Love Poem
    When a multimillionaire with a sordid sex life is found bound and slain, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) try to penetrate a suspicious ring of soulless Russian immigrants whose fatalism and enigmatic cooperation leave them going in circles. As Detectives Munch (Richard Belzer) and Cassidy (Dean Winters) run down other leads, one possible culprit is Katya (Nadine Stenovich), a beautiful, cunning and likely illegal Russian who included the victim among her many boyfriends -- that is, until one of her male admirers (Olek Krupa) issues a curiously bogus confession. Dann Florek, Michelle Hurd and Chris Orbach also star. 
    
13. Disrobed
    Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) investigate the unusual circumstances behind the shooting murder of an admired judge with a reputation of protecting abused women and putting away sex offenders, but they soon learn that the victim took sordid advantage of the criminal justice system. Meanwhile, Cassidy (Dean Winters) has his own secret to hide, and yet has to endure Detective Munch's (Richard Belzer) derisive comments about his professional ability to cope with parts of his job in the special victims unit. Angie Everhart ("Dream Team") guest-stars as a lobbyist whose connections to the murdered judge come under investigation. Dann Florek and Michelle Hurd also star. 
    
14. Limitations
    The special victims unit is on the hot seat when a five-year-old sexual assault case is reopened just days before the statute of limitations ends, so Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) scramble to interview the three distinctly different victims, but are crushed when their legal maneuver to file an arrest warrant is denied. They and other SVU detectives are even more exasperated when they learn that one of the women (guest star Jenny Bacon) admits that she knows who the assailant is -- but won't tell because he now is a member of her church. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek and Michelle Hurd also star. 
    
15. Entitled
    The police teams from "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" probe the gunshot murder of a man believed to be a sexual aggressor but the evidence points to the trouble-prone daughter (guest star Noelle Beck) of a wealthy family whose protective and haughty female clan leader (Emmy and Tony Award winner Jane Alexander) could make trouble for investigators and prosecutors alike. But when another duplicate murder occurs, the cops re-think their primary suspect while Detective Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) believes they might have stumbled upon new evidence about a serial killer who eluded him five years earlier. Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Michelle Hurd, Jesse L. Martin, Sam Waterston and Steven Hill also star.
    
16. The Third Guy
    Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) lead the investigation into the sexual assault and possible murder of an elderly woman, and their scanty leads point to two neighborhood toughs (Eugene Byrd and Rick Gonzalez) who will only admit that they broke into the victim's apartment as thieves. When the lack of evidence forces them to grudgingly cut a deal between the two, the detectives only then learn that their most likely suspect for the rape has been right in front of them all along. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek and Michelle Hurd also star. 
    
17. Misleader
    When the daughter-in-law of a prominent religious educator (guest star Robert Foxworth, "Lateline") is found murdered in her hotel room, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) suspect an at-large burglar who recently has been breaking and entering several Manhattan hotel rooms. However, their attention later turns towards someone close to the pregnant victim where they learn that she was probably conducting an affair at the time of her slaying. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek and Michelle Hurd also star. Angie Harmon (NBC's "Law & Order") guest-stars as A.D.A. Abbie Carmichael.
    
18. Chat Room
    When a 16-year-old girl (guest star Paz De La Huerta) claims that she was sexually assaulted by a man, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) delve into the nether world of Internet porn in search of the suspect known as "The Yachtsman" (guest star Reed Birney) but they soon discover how difficult it is to prosecute cyberspace pedophiles. However, while investigating an illicit online service, the cops seize upon an opportunity to coax a sex offender into setting up a sting operation designed to lure in more deviants. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek and Michelle Hurd also star. 
    
19. Contact
    Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) wonder where to start their investigation of a series of anonymous sexual attacks on helpless women (one is played by Nicole Sullivan, "Mad TV") who are trapped standing in crowds on subway cars at rush hour, but when one suspect (guest star Bruce Bohne, "Fargo") finally is arrested, none of the victims can identify him. The cops try a new ploy by arranging an interview between their new police psychologist (Tony-winning guest star Audra McDonald, "Ragtime") and their prime suspect. Meanwhile, a tentative Benson begins dating a crime reporter (guest star Tom McCarthy). New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman makes a cameo appearance.
    
20. Remorse
    Detective Munch (Richard Belzer) forms an unlikely close bond with a television news reporter (guest star Jennifer Esposito, "Spin City" ) who was sexually assaulted by two men months earlier but it's Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) who stumble into making the first arrest (guest star Jason Field) as the cops try to use their prime suspect as a link to his accomplice. However, their case is jeopardized -- and the list of assailants widens -- when a bomb blast eliminates a vital link to their prosecution and ongoing investigation. Dann Florek and Michelle Hurd also star. 
    
21. Nocturne
    A sharp- eyed photo developer puts Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) on the tail of a seemingly harmless piano instructor (guest star Kent Broadhurst) who molests his students -- all boys -- but their prime witness is an unstable young man (guest star Wilson Jermaine Heredia) who recoils when he sees the suspect's videotape of his shame from years before. Even more disturbing for the detectives are more scenes from other tapes that could compromise their case and cause more heartache. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek and Michelle Hurd also star. 
    
22. Slaves
    In the season finale, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) check out a witness' report of a desperate woman's (guest star Layla Alexander) cry for help, and after a related murder, their investigation points to a controlling attorney (guest star Andrew McCarthy, "Weekend at Bernie's") suspected of making a female sex slave out of a newly arrived Romanian immigrant woman. Back in the squad room, the detectives of the special victims unit squirm a bit when they are assigned to be interviewed by a police psychologist (guest star and Tony winner Audra McDonald, "Ragtime") who targets their insecurities and holds the key to their job security. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek and Michelle Hurd also star

Season Two

1. Wrong Is Right
   In a continuation of the internal investigation into the psyches of the Special Victims Unit staff, the focus turns to two detectives -- one who wants to seduce and one who wants to destroy some of the shady characters they encounter on the job. Meanwhile, Detective Stabler's (Christopher Meloni) home and work lives blur horrifically when his daughter Maureen (Erin Broderick) witnesses a gory crime scene as she accompanies her father in discovering the burning dead body of an analyst for a major defense contractor. While ambitious new Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March) pursues the uncooperative employers of the victim, and his missing ward, with equal fervor, Detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola (Ice-t) transfers to the Special Victims Unit from Narcotics to join in the investigation. Mariska Hargitay, Dann Florek, Richard Belzer and Michelle Hurd also star.
   
2. Honor
   When the daughter of an Afghan diplomat is found brutally beaten with evidence of sexual assault, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) find that her family had already disowned her for attempting to assimilate into Western society. As the detectives learn of the ancient practice of "honor killing," they wonder if the politically charged family could be motivated enough to end their defiant daughter's life. Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Michelle Hurd and Stephanie March also star.
   
3. Closure, Part 2 [Part 1 is Season One Episode 10]
   When Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) learn of a rape with a familiar M.O., they are convinced that Kenneth Cleary (guest star Neil Maffin), the unconvicted rape suspect from the Harper Anderson case, is back in action. As they investigate, the detectives find that Anderson (Emmy-nominated guest star Tracy Pollan) has been doing some sleuthing of her own and is more determined than ever to bring her assailant to justice, with or without the aid of the Special Victims Unit. Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Ice-T and Stephanie March also star.
   
4. Legacy
   As mother blames father and father blames step-father for the abuse of a seven-year-old girl, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) have to consider that any member of her embattled extended family -- including her step-brother, mother, and grandmother -- could be responsible for the child's comatose condition, even as they each claim to have been trying to protect her from each other. Detective Munch (Richard Belzer) takes a special interest in the case, as he recalls another child betrayed by those closest to her. Dann Florek, Ice-T and Stephanie March also star.
   
5. Baby Killer
   Racial tensions mount when a Hispanic seven-year-old boy shoots to death a young African-American schoolmate and while the frightened child is kept in custody as a flight risk, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) discover a new twist in their investigation -- the murder weapon was previously used for an unsolved slaying. However, after a suspect in the first murder is killed, the investigators finally gain a foothold in the case when they learn the truth behind the boy's suspicious sketches of a violent shooting. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek, Ice-T and Stephanie March also star. 
   
6. Noncompliance
   When a female psychiatric doctoral student is found raped and murdered and an unidentified man stabbed in a neighborhood market, several of her counseling patients are pursued as suspects. One patient had been stalking the murder victim, and another had her support in refusing to take medications that caused severe side effects. Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and Detectives Munch (Richard Belzer) and Tutuola (Ice-T) offer varying opinions regarding mandating medication as they follow all leads and discover that the stabbing victim (guest star Danny Mastogiorio) may not be revealing everything he witnessed at the crime scene. Dann Florek and Stephanie March also star.
   
7. Asunder
   When Detectives Benson and Stabler (Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni) are called to a domestic violence scene, they are surprised to find that the accused is a fellow police officer (guest star Nestor Serrano), whose wife (guest star Amy Carlson, "Falcone," "Another World") is charging him with rape. But the wife's motives are questioned as her history of violence toward her husband is brought to light. Meanwhile, Detective Jefferies (Michelle Hurd), still undergoing psychiatric evaluation from the Morris Commission, ponders her future with the Special Victims Unit. Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Ice-T and Stephanie March also star.
   
8. Taken
   The case of a 17-year-old rape victim during the opening festivities of a luxury hotel takes a strange turn when her immediate family tries to keep the scandal quiet by preparing a lawsuit.
   
9. Pixies
   When a young gymnast is found dead, her world-renowned coach (guest star Philip Casnoff, "Sinatra") becomes a prime suspect as the rigorous demands he makes of his students are discovered. Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) soon find that the girls also vie for the attention of a wealthy benefactor (guest star Armand Schultz) whose interest in the young athletes does not appear to be purely philanthropic. But it may be that the girls themselves are their own harshest enemies as they push themselves to the physical and mental limits of training and competition. Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Ice-T, and Stephanie March also star.
   
10. Consent
    When a college student, Kelly D'Leah (guest star Tammy Blanchard), is found on campus unconscious, with evidence of sexual assault and no memory of the night before, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) must determine what events led to the young woman's apparent rape. Lab results indicating that, along with alcohol, the drug GHB (which reduces inhibitions and erases memory) was in her system point the investigation toward Kelly's drinking companions from the prior night--two frat boys who may have been pursuing her attention and two sorority sisters who paint Kelly to be the campus flirt. As the college administration steps in to keep the matter under their jurisdiction, the detectives find that this is not the first time they have attempted to protect their students, not from attacks, but from criminal prosecution. Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Ice-T and Stephanie March also star.
    
11. Abuse
    After the son of two popular singers dies by running into oncoming traffic, his mother Ricki Austin (guest star Christine Andreas) claims that her son was fleeing from a child molester. But when forensics uncovers signs of emotional and not physical trauma in the boy, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) suspect that the hands-off approach to parenting employed by the two touring pop stars may have taken a fatal toll on their son, and may be responsible for their daughter Ashley's (guest star Hayden Panettiere) escalating self-destructive behavior as well. Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Ice-T, and Stephanie March also star.
    
12. Secrets 
    When a highly respected teacher is found raped and murdered, her high school students and fellow teachers mourn the loss of a gifted educator. But when Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) find a nude picture of the woman in one of her student's homes, they have to question just what types of knowledge she was imparting to her students. As more is learned of the victim's voracious appetite for sex, the more difficulty A.D.A. Cabot (Stephanie March) has in gaining an indictment against a man who was just one of many of the dead woman's sexual partners. Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, and Ice-T also star.
    
13. Victims
    When former sex-crimes cop-turned-community activist Sam Winfield (guest star Eric Roberts, Oscar nominee for "Runaway Train") becomes a suspect in the murders of recently paroled rapists whom he has warned neighborhoods about, Detective Stabler (Christopher Meloni) is torn between upholding the law and identifying with Winfield's intent to protect the innocent from known sex offenders. As more is learned about the murder victims, it is discovered that the dead men have other dangerous details in common in addition to their criminal pasts which may have provided motive for their murders--and which may have horrifying implications for someone involved in the investigation. Mariska Hargitay, Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Ice-T and Stephanie March also star.
    
14. Paranoia
    When veteran police sergeant Karen Smythe (guest star Khandi Alexander, NBC's "ER," "The Corner") is raped while responding to a crime in progress, Detective Benson (Mariska Hargitay) is quick to come to the aid of the woman who was her mentor during her rookie days in the Special Victims Unit. Benson and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) find that Smythe's ex-husband's gambling debts may have been the motive for her assault, though the growing interest of the Internal Affairs Bureau casts suspicion on all of the officers connected to Smythe. Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Ice-T and Stephanie March also star.
    
15. Countdown
    When a 7-year-old girl escapes her kidnapper and rapist, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) begin an ardent search for the suspect. But when another girl is abducted under similar circumstances, the details of the two kidnappings indicate that both are the work of a serial rapist-murderer who kills his victims on the third day of their captivity. So begins a race against the clock as the Special Victims Unit has just 72 hours to rescue the latest victim from certain death. Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Ice-T and Stephanie March also star.
    
16. Runaway
    A Brooklyn police officer holds hostage an internet reporter (guest star Sean Nelson), who may have information regarding the whereabouts of his runaway daughter Jill (guest star Kelly Kerbacz). Though the officer is arrested for the siege, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) pledge to take over his search. As they explore the website that had posted a recent picture of Jill, they are led to an underground "rave" culture that caters to teen runaways--and exploits their youth and desperation. Darrell Hammond guest-stars as a lawyer whose clients include a drug dealer and a bizarre gallery owner who both seem to have connections to the missing girl. Richard Belzer, Stephanie March, Ice-T, and Michelle Hurd also star.
    
17. Folly
    When a young man, Tommy Dowd (guest star Eddie Cahill, "Friends," "Felicity"), is beaten during a rendezvous with an older woman at a hotel, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) soon find that this incident is just one of a string of such beatings, some of them fatal. All of the victims are discovered to be male escorts whose employer Leslie DeSantis (guest star Patricia Kalember "Sisters," "thirtysomething") comes under scrutiny for sending her staff on dates with potential murderers--and may herself have reason to want some of the escorts dead. Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Ice-T and Stephanie March also star.
    
18. Manhunt
    When a young woman, Annie Tassler (guest star Meg Hartig), is abducted, Detective Munch (Richard Belzer) finds the details of the crime to be similar to those of a series of brutal rapes and murders he unsuccessfully investigated the previous year. He and Detective Tutuola (Ice-T) are tipped off by two witnesses to the kidnapping, and are led upstate in hopes of rescuing Annie before the Bowery Stalker adds to his list of murder victims. A.D.A. Cabot (Stephanie March) is eager to help bring the killer into custody so that she may pursue a harsh conviction. Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay and Dann Florek also star.
    
19. Parasites
    When the remains of a young woman are found buried in an apartment courtyard with a collar and leash, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) determine that the dead woman is Ava Parulis, a Romanian immigrant who was brought to the United States for an arranged marriage. They discover from Ava's estranged twin, Irina (guest star Mili Avital, "Arabian Nights"), that the dead woman had left her abusive husband, and made a habit of taking advantage of the riches of wealthy suitors. But when it becomes apparent that Ava may be impersonating Irina, the twins' relationships with the matchmaker who brought them to the United States (guest star Michelle Pawk), as well as with a Romanian diplomat (guest star Victor Steinbach), and the former abusive husband, may lead to the truth behind the identity crisis and the motive for murder. Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Ice-T and Stephanie March also star.
    
20. Pique
    When the head of personnel at a software company is found raped and stabbed to death, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) suspect that a fired employee may have sought a violent revenge. With the aid of FBI psychiatrist George Huang (guest star B. D. Wong, "Oz"), they focus on Jason Mayberry (guest star Chad Lowe, "Melrose Place," "Life Goes On") a former security guard at the company and son of the wealthy Grace Mayberry (guest star Margot Kidder, "Superman"). Jason's shy yet cunning personality and bizarre obsessions may reveal a horrifying motive for the murder. Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Ice- T and Stephanie March also star.
    
21. Scourge
    When a serial killer commits four brutal murders in 24 hours, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Munch (Richard Belzer) and Fin (Ice-T) canvass the streets searching for signs of a madman who exclaims paranoid and twisted religious rhetoric while committing his crimes. Once suspect Daniel Varney (guest star Richard Thomas, "Wonder Boys," "The Waltons") is in custody, Benson wades through his "religious" justifications with the help of his distraught wife (guest star Karen Allen, "Raiders of the Lost Ark,"), who provides key information with profound implications for A.D.A. Cabot's (Stephanie March) case. Meanwhile, Stabler's (Christopher Meloni) efforts to coordinate the case, and Benson's deft questioning of Varney, do not go unnoticed by Captain Cragen (Dann Florek).