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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
S22.E9
All episodesAll
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Return of the Prodigal Son

  • Episode aired Apr 1, 2021
  • TV-14
  • 41m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
879
YOUR RATING
Ice-T, Kelli Giddish, and Alex Breaux in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Return Of The Prodigal Son
Play trailer0:54
3 Videos
10 Photos
CrimeDramaMysteryThriller

The squad rallies around Det. Stabler to find the suspect behind a threat to his family.The squad rallies around Det. Stabler to find the suspect behind a threat to his family.The squad rallies around Det. Stabler to find the suspect behind a threat to his family.

  • Director
    • Juan José Campanella
  • Writers
    • Dick Wolf
    • Warren Leight
    • Julie Martin
  • Stars
    • Mariska Hargitay
    • Kelli Giddish
    • Ice-T
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.3/10
    879
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Juan José Campanella
    • Writers
      • Dick Wolf
      • Warren Leight
      • Julie Martin
    • Stars
      • Mariska Hargitay
      • Kelli Giddish
      • Ice-T
    • 12User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos3

    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Stabler's Heartbreaking Apology To Benson For Abandoning Her
    Clip 2:44
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Stabler's Heartbreaking Apology To Benson For Abandoning Her
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Stabler And Fin Catch Up After 10 Years
    Clip 1:51
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Stabler And Fin Catch Up After 10 Years
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Stabler And Fin Catch Up After 10 Years
    Clip 1:51
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Stabler And Fin Catch Up After 10 Years
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Return Of The Prodigal Son
    Trailer 0:54
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Return Of The Prodigal Son

    Photos10

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    Top cast25

    Edit
    Mariska Hargitay
    Mariska Hargitay
    • Captain Olivia Benson
    Kelli Giddish
    Kelli Giddish
    • Detective Amanda Rollins
    Ice-T
    Ice-T
    • Sergeant Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola
    • (as Ice T)
    Peter Scanavino
    Peter Scanavino
    • ADA Dominick 'Sonny' Carisi, Jr.
    Jamie Gray Hyder
    Jamie Gray Hyder
    • Detective Katriona 'Kat' Tamin
    Demore Barnes
    Demore Barnes
    • Deputy Chief Christian Garland
    Christopher Meloni
    Christopher Meloni
    • Detective Elliot Stabler
    Isabel Gillies
    Isabel Gillies
    • Kathy Stabler
    Alex Breaux
    Alex Breaux
    • Jacob Peters
    Matthew Rauch
    Matthew Rauch
    • Counselor Jay Cochran
    Jess Barbagallo
    • Sacha Lenski
    Louis Vanaria
    Louis Vanaria
    • Garage Owner
    Allison Siko
    Allison Siko
    • Kathleen Stabler
    Jeffrey Scaperrotta
    Jeffrey Scaperrotta
    • Dickie Stabler
    Thomas K. Belgrey
    Thomas K. Belgrey
    • Yuri Lenski
    • (as Thomas Belgrey)
    Stephen C. Bradbury
    Stephen C. Bradbury
    • Judge Colin McNamara
    • (as Stephen Bradbury)
    Allyson Morgan
    Allyson Morgan
    • Nurse Shelby Roberts
    Darik Bernard
    Darik Bernard
    • Correction Officer
    • Director
      • Juan José Campanella
    • Writers
      • Dick Wolf
      • Warren Leight
      • Julie Martin
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews12

    8.3879
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    10

    Featured reviews

    1amberf-27685

    Way to alienate half your fanbase

    I have binged this show and was looking forward to this episode. This season has been grating. The politics in this are just not something that needs to be there. Yes, I get the actors of the show have their views but can we just not put that in the show. I watch to get away from reality not to have it shoved down my throat. The character of Cat is just awful. In this episode I wanted to throat punch her. She has been getting on my nerves for awhile. This was the straw that broke the camels back. I cannot continue to watch this show after this. I never even finished the episode. Awful....just awful.
    3scottca075

    This is why I stopped watching L&O SVU

    I used to love this show, even better than the original, but maybe six or seven years ago the show shifted from being about solving and convicting criminals and started to delve deeply into the personal lives of the characters. It ruined the show. If I want a soap opera I'll watch Days of Our Lives.

    I only watched this episode because of the return of Chris Meloni. Unfortunately everything I hated about the "new"L&O SVU was here in spades and great new additional things thrown in to make me hate it even more. The opening was cartoonish. To call the writers sophomoric would be an insult to the comparative maturity of sophomores in high school everywhere.
    10chingamatus

    First good episode since season 15

    SVU Hasn't been a good show for a good number of years now, this was a breath of fresh air, they brought back Elliot and did it right.
    2jupiterscreen

    Turn On The Action

    I expected more out of this episode to be honest. The story has very little drive and revolves more around past emotions of the characters rather than trying to solve the actual crime. When it does get to that point, it's not even worth getting into as it is quickly brought to an easy out type of ending.
    9shaheedsimon

    Watch for yourself 1st then decide

    While the political stuff in the show does get annoying sometimes, I was able to overlook that and focus on the darkness, intensity, emotional feels and excellent performances that Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay brought.

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This is Christopher Meloni's first appearance on the series since the season twelve finale, Smoked (2011), which was 215 episodes earlier.
    • Goofs
      Garland refers to Elliot as Olivia's first partner. She didn't disagree. But Anthony Edwards appeared in Rape Interrupted (2016) as Patrick Griffin, Olivia's "former" partner. He obviously had to be before Elliot.
    • Quotes

      Elliot Stabler: Liv, I'm sorry.

      Olivia Benson: Elliot, we don't have to do this.

      [seeing the pain in his eyes]

      Olivia Benson: Okay. I guess... you wanna do this now. You're sorry for leaving? Or are you sorry for walking... for not giving me the courtesy of telling me?

      Elliot Stabler: Both. I think I thought if I talked to you about how...

      Olivia Benson: You walked away. 'Cause that's what you did, Elliot. I had to find out from Cragen.

      Elliot Stabler: Olivia.

      Olivia Benson: Elliot. You were the most... single most important person in my life...

      Elliot Stabler: Olivia.

      Olivia Benson: And you just... disappeared.

      Elliot Stabler: I know. I was afraid... if I heard your voice, I wouldn't have been able to leave.

    • Connections
      Features Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Paternity (2007)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 1, 2021 (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Wolf Entertainment
      • Universal Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 41m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 16:9 HD

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