Tension will be extremely high in "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" season 18 as the new season begins with Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Barba (Raul Esparza) butting heads.
In the premiere episode of the new season, which has yet to be given a title, the duo will have a disagreement as to how to deal with a new case, which has garnered the attention of the whole city.
According to the synopsis for the "Law and Order: SVU" season 18 episode, this case involves a small boy who appears to have been abandoned at a park.
As per the description, the identity of the little guy "leads the SVU on a tense search for his mother." The synopsis ultimately teases that "Benson and Barba find themselves on opposing sides of the verdict."
It will be interesting to see what a feud between two smart people who refuse to back down in a fight will look like especially with a man like Barba.
Earlier this year, when Warren Voight stepped down from his showrunner role before "Law and Order: SVU" season 18, Esparza talked to TV Guide about Barba, who was created by Voight. He admitted that his character is a "smarta--."
"He's used to dealing with things that are frightening to him by not backing down and I think he mouths off a lot. It's just the way he gets through life, and that's going to get you in trouble eventually," the actor said.
"I think it's great to see someone who's that smart, fantastic and fast on their feet be at a loss or be wrong," he continued, referencing the time his character became a target of criminals they go after.
During the interview, he also spoke about how Barba "has a friend in Benson." It remains to be seen how this dispute will affect their friendship in "Law and Order: SVU" season 18, but it will certainly be exciting to find out.
Meanwhile, a new poster for the upcoming season of "Law and Order: SVU" was released. It features Amanda (Kelli Giddish), Barba, Benson and Carisi (Paul Scanavino) all "back in full force."
"Law and Order: SVU" season 18 premieres Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
