"Law & Order: SVU" season 17 episode 18 will pick up right where the last episode ended, seeing the rest of the team investigate a large sex-trafficking ring that involves the Catholic Church, the police department and a few government officials.
At the tail-end of the last episode of "Law & Order: SVU" season 17, Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) was forced to clear her desk after it was discovered that Captain Tucker (Robert John Burke) may be responsible for covering up information regarding the aforementioned sex-trade ring.
While Benson is not responsible, her relationship with Tucker may prove to be a liability during the investigation, which is why she has been taken off the team. However, according to the synopsis from Spoilers Guide, the rest of the team will be hard at work to unravel the secrets of the case and get Tucker and Benson cleared.
Unfortunately, the season has taken a short hiatus and the episode will not air until the end of the month, which is why no preview trailer has been released at this point. This makes it difficult to discern whether or not Benson will be able to get back to work immediately or if the dynamics of the SVU team will change permanently without her leading them.
According to a report from Inquisitr, it is very unlikely that Benson will be taken off the show anytime soon given that she is one of the most popular characters and is also the leading member of the current team. However, it is also pointed out that the possibility of Benson leaving is still on the table, given that other lead characters such as Elliot (Christopher Meloni) have left the show.
The report also points out that someone else will be taking over Benson's role for the time being and many fans speculate that this replacement may be the new lead character if Benson permanently leaves the show.
"Law & Order: SVU" season 17 episode 18 airs this March 23.
