Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 20 “Debatable.” Benson tries to help a student after she’s assaulted on a field trip. Fin suspects a witness in the case may not be telling the whole truth. Here’s what you missed!
Air Date & Time: Thursday, May 4, 2023, at 9 pm ET, 8 pm CT, and 6 pm PT on NBC.
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Watch Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 20 “Debatable”
Previously on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 19, Carisi must tread carefully when Maxwell’s husband becomes a person of interest in an SVU investigation. Benson sends Velasco to take an old friend into custody.
Velasco gets back in good graces with Benson by catching the man who committed murders in Mexico decades ago…
Warning… Spoilers below!
On Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 20, a straight “A” student on the national debate team started a fire on a school bus, causing it to explode!
SVU got involved in the case of a teen girl, Naomi Hayes (portrayed by Olivia Daponde), who was sexually assaulted but claimed not to remember what happened.
Benson had her team pressure the debate team until one kid confessed who showed them a video of Naomi having sex with her debate teacher Parker Young (portrayed by Dan Bittner), and his wife, Helene Young (portrayed by Erin Neufer)!
Only after the video was exposed and was posted online did Naomi accuse Parker and Helene of rape. She told SVU that she was ridiculed and hazed by the boys on the debate team, so when she was offered the chance to ride with her coaches, she took it.
However, that formed into a sexual relationship. Initially, it started a consensual making out with Naomi and Helene while Parker watched. It escalated to Parker taking Naomi while Helene held her down.
SVU and the prosecution gathered enough evidence to charge Parker and Helene with rape. The case wasn’t an easy slam dunk because the defense poked at Naomi’s character as being an arsonist and pointed blame only after the video was exposed.
Meanwhile, Fin noticed a concerned fellow, Colin Sharpe (portrayed by Joshua Caras), showing up at court and questioning him, hiding the fact that he was a cop. Fin learned Colin was once in Naomi’s position, having consensual sex with Helene, but Parker forced him to have a threesome and sex, leveraging Colin’s love for Helene.
Colin testified for the prosecution, which was damaging to the Parkers, so they changed their plea to guilty of attempted rape. Parker sincerely apologized before the court and vowed to make his wrongs, right.
Naomi was perceived as the perfect child, which is why she lied and didn’t want to tell her mother. In the end, she understood that her mother cared about her well-being.
What did you think of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode 20? Let’s talk about Law & Order: SVU in the comments below! Missed any of the episodes? Catch up with our recaps!
Law & Order: SVU Cast
- Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson
- Kelli Giddish as Detective 2nd Grade Amanda Rollins
- Ice-T as Sergeant Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
- Peter Scanavino as ADA Dominick “Sonny” Carisi, Jr.
- Jamie Gray Hyder as Detective 3rd Grade Katriona “Kat” Tamin
- Terry Serpico as Chief McGrath
- Tamara Tunie as Chief M.E. Melinda Warner
- Octavio Pisano as Detective Joe Velasco
- Molly Burnett as Detective Grace Muncy
- Jasmine Batchelor as Det. Toni Churlish
- Kevin Kane as Det. Terry Bruno
Guest Starring
- Olivia Daponde as Naomi Hayes
- Frances Turner as Counselor Elaine Samuels
- Joshua Caras as Colin Sharpe
- Dan Bittner as Parker Young
- Erin Neufer as Helene Young
- Aida Turturro as Judge Catan
Catch a new episode each week on NBC, stream the next day on Peacock, check out the listings dates below. Stay right here, stay mixed in for Law & Order: SVU Season 24 Episode 21, Benson and Carisi are baffled when a series of assaults have the same M.O. but different DNA at each crime scene! Drop your email to get insights into your inbox…
When is the Season Finale?
The 24th season finale of SVU will air on May 18, 2023, at 9 pm ET on NBC.
SVU News
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Episode Guide
Season | Episode | Title | Air Date |
24 | 22 | “All Pain Is One Malady” Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Season Finale | May 18, 2023 |
24 | 21 | “Bad Things” | May 11, 2023 |
24 | 20 | “Debatable” | May 4, 2023 |
24 | 19 | “Bend The Law” | April 27, 2023 |
24 | 18 | “Bubble Wrap” | April 6, 2023 |
24 | 17 | “Lime Chaser” | March 30, 2023 |
24 | 16 | “The Presence of Absence” | March 23, 2023 |
24 | 15 | “King of the Moon” | February 23, 2023 |
24 | 14 | “Dutch Tears” | February 16, 2023 |
24 | 13 | “Intersection” | February 2, 2023 |
24 | 12 | “Blood Out” | January 26, 2023 |
24 | 11 | “Soldier Up” | January 12, 2023 |
24 | 10 | “Jumped In” | January 5, 2023 |
24 | 9 | “And a Trauma in a Pear Tree” (Mid-season Finale) | December 8, 2022 |
24 | 8 | “A Better Person” | November 17, 2022 |
24 | 7 | “Dead Ball” | November 10, 2022 |
24 | 6 | “Controlled Burn” | November 3, 2022 |
24 | 5 | “Breakwater” | October 27, 2022 |
24 | 4 | “The Steps We Cannot Take” | October 13, 2022 |
24 | 3 | “Mirror Effect” | October 6, 2022 |
24 | 2 | “The One You Feed” | September 29, 2022 |
24 | 1 | “Gimme Shelter, Part 2” Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 Premiere (Crossover Event!) | September 22, 2022 |
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