Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) is about to experience her worst nightmare in the upcoming episode of the long-running NBC series "Law & Order: SVU."
In "Townhouse Incident," the promo shows the lieutenant in the hands of very bad people. A chance visit to a locality will bring Olivia in the midst of a robbery and the criminals are not happy to see a police officer suddenly appearing. There are at least three muggers in the clip, two men and a woman, and they are all holding wicked looking firearms.
In one scene, Olivia is seen tied to a bedpost, while one of the bad guys is frisking her. Her face is bruised and it looks like she has had a good beating. The man, who is acting like the leader of the group, is very aggressive. He is trying to intimidate Olivia, and it appears he is going to make her more terrified by sexually assaulting her.
Meanwhile, another teaser shows him getting the lieutenant's phone, where her screensaver is the picture of her adopted son Noah. The thief really knows how to torment his prey, as he steps on Olivia's maternal instinct. He says that Olivia will want to stay alive, if she still wants to see her son. It is his way of telling her to cooperate, or he will not think twice of killing her.
Showrunner Warren Leight told The Hollywood Reporter that while Olivia has weathered dangerous situation before, this one is going to be different. Her kid has made her afraid to push the boundaries, just like she has usually done in the past.
"Is it different to be in this situation when you have a two-year-old at home? One of the things we're toying with is how do you handle the pressures of this job when you're a parent? ... You react differently when you're in danger when there's nobody that you're responsible for at home," he said.
"Law & Order: SVU" season 17 airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.
