Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson) was in the director’s seat for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Season 25, Episode 9 (“Children of Wolves”) — and it was a thrilling watch.

Aside from an action-packed investigation, we also saw developments in the Benson family after her adopted son, Noah (Ryan Buggle), Googled his famous SVU mother, finding details about some of her most haunting cases. Search results included her infamous run-in with William Lewis (Pablo Schreiber) and the trial of Noah’s biological father, Johnny D. (Charles Halford), a sociopathic sex trafficker.

This week, Benson and the detectives tackled a grim gang rape case that left our Captain downright furious. Learn what happened on Law & Order: SVU on April 11, 2024, below:

What happened on Law & Order: SVU this week? (April 11, 2024)

Read the official log line for this week’s SVU episode, below:

Season 25, Episode 9 (“Children of Wolves”): “A teenager found unconscious in the park leads to a missing persons investigation; Benson must help Noah come to terms with the past when he questions the origins of his birth.”

The episode kicked off with a glimpse of the Season 15 finale (“Spring Awakening”), a.k.a the emotional SVU episode when Benson became the foster mother of the then-newborn Noah. It’s been over a decade since the adoption, and while Benson couldn’t be happier about the blessing, Noah’s origin story isn’t the happiest.

Noah is a child of sexual assault, coming into Benson’s life after he was abandoned by his biological parents: Johnny. D and a prostitute named Ellie Porter (Emma Greenwell), one of his many trafficked victims. Ellie was murdered years after being forced to abandon Noah, and Benson eventually crossed paths with Johnny after an SVU investigation led the detectives to his doorstep.

However, after he learned he had a son he could leverage in the courtroom, Johnny attempted to regain parental rights. The trial was pandemonium, ultimately leading to Johnny taking an officer hostage, stealing their gun, and shooting anyone he could during the trial. After shooting a judge and court officer, Johnny was shot by officers, resulting in his death.

After years of kicking the conversation with Noah about his biological father down the road, the curious kid finally wanted answers. Benson couldn’t avoid the topic any longer.

What was the main case on Law & Order: SVU this week?

In many ways, “Children of Wolves” was a modern reimagining of the classic children’s story Little Red Riding Hood. It was a compelling case that saw the SVU investigating the gang rape of two young women: Rosie, whose attack left her on life support, and Sydney, her friend who was kidnapped by the wolf pack of assailants. With Rosie already incapacitated in the hospital, it was a race against the clock to find Sydney and the perps to see justice served.

Benson was able to find the young girl and apprehend the monsters responsible, but after learning Rosie was taken off life support, she lost her typically composed demeanor. She arrested the main assailant and took him to the scene of the crime to conduct a “forensic reenactment,” dragging him through the mud just as Rosie had been and threatening to brutalize him the same way he had hurt the women.

Benson eventually came to her protocol-mindedsenses, dragging the blubbering perp to the precinct and thanking Sydney for her cooperation.

Were there any notable guest stars this week on Law & Order: SVU?

In the flashback style, we got a brief visit from Hargitay’s husband, Peter Hermann, as SVU’s longest-running defense attorney, Trevor Langan. Also seen in flashbacks was Schreiber as the bone-chilling William Lewis and Halford as Johnn D.

Fans also delighted in a dynamite performance from SVU guest star Ryan Buggle as the apple of Benson’s eye, Noah. Throughout the investigation, SVU viewers were paid visits by several guest stars, including Audrey Bennett as the ill-fated Rosie Meadows and Amalina Ace as the survivor, Sydney Lynch.

When can I watch the latest SVU episode on Peacock?

New episodes of Law & Order: SVU are available to stream at 6 a.m. ET the day after they air on NBC.com and Peacock.