After sending child abductor Lewis Hoda (Tom Sizemore) back to jail, Lt. Olivia Benson's (Mariska Hargitay) next task is to flush out the truth behind the alleged date rape in high school in the upcoming episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
TV Line reports that when the NBC procedural crime drama returns in January, the premiere episode will be tackling a sensitive issue involving teenagers. While the specifics have yet to be disclosed, it is safe to say that the unit will be tapped to investigate a rape incident that happened in an institution. As the term date rape suggests, the culprit could either be a boyfriend or someone who is romantically close to the victim. It is also unsure if the episode will be using the drug angle.
This episode is reportedly the one directed by Hargitay. Before the season 17 premiere of "SVU," showrunner Warren Leight already announced that the actress would once again take the helm in one of the upcoming episodes. Back in August, he tweeted a photo of Hargitay standing behind a camera with a caption that read, "Of course Mariska will direct again this year. After 17 seasons, she's in a class of her own." Zap2it reports that the actress has already directed two installments in the past, "Criminal Stories" from season 15 and "Padre Sandunguero" from season 16.
Meanwhile, Hargitay herself took to social media to give hints about what loyal viewers of the procedural could expect for the rest of the season. After thanking the fans for sticking up to her and the gang for so many years, the actress then revealed in her post that the next episodes would be featuring the return of the villains who butted head with her character one time or another in the past. Just like Hoda's return appearance before the winter break, more bad guys from the past will reappear to cause trouble. Moreover, they would be targeting the person who dared to put them in jail — Benson.
NBC has yet to release a specific date for when "Law & Order: SVU" will return in 2016, but it is expected that it will be in January.
