LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Fashionable Crimes” Episode 1720 — Pictured: (l-r) Jack Nawada-Braunwart as Noah Porter Benson, Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson, Richard Belzer as John Munch — (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/NBC)
Warning: General spoilers ahead
I know this will likely show my age, but I am a long-time fan of the John Munch character portrayed by the immensely talented Richard Belzer — and I don’t mean just for his work as Detective Munch alongside Detective Tutuola on Law & Order:SVU. While I have watched SVU since the beginning, I became a card-carrying member of Team Munch back when the character was a detective in the Baltimore Homicide Unit on Homicide: Life On The Street. While it’s extremely rare for a character to transfer from 1 television series to another, when Homicide ended, the character was picked up by SVU , and I simply went along for the ride. Actually, Belzer continuing his role as Detective Munch was one of the main reasons I started watching SVU in the first place.
So, obviously, when it was announced that Belzer was leaving the show in season 15, I was heartbroken, and I felt like we were approaching the end of an era. But, then when it was announced last month that Belzer would be returning to SVU, I was beyond thrilled, even if his return were for only 1 episode.
When SVU returns tonight after a month-long hiatus, a young model is raped by a renowned fashion house photographer, who looks to his successful brother to make the charges disappear. For this case, Detective Munch makes a return, as he has been investigating the photographer even before the rape case. Whether or not what he gathered from that task will be enough to beat out the criminal’s brother’s reputation remains a mystery.
Episode 17.20 is titled “Fashionable Crimes” and airs tonight at 9/8c on NBC.
PHOTOS
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Fashionable Crimes” Episode 1720 — Pictured: (l-r) Sandrine Holt as Nora Wattan, Francesca Faridany as Claire Gilbert, Griffin Dunne as Benno Gilbert — (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/NBC)
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Fashionable Crimes” Episode 1720 — Pictured: (l-r) Raúl Esparza as A.D.A. Rafael Barba, Hari Dhillon as Counselor Sunil Varma, Fisher Stevens as Alvin Gilbert — (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/NBC)
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Fashionable Crimes” Episode 1720 — Pictured: (l-r) Andy Karl as Sergeant Mike Dodds, Ice-T as Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola — (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/NBC)
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Fashionable Crimes” Episode 1720 — Pictured: (l-r) Griffin Dunne as Benno Gilbert, Mariska Hargitay as Lieutenant Olivia Benson — (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/NBC)
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Fashionable Crimes” Episode 1720 — Pictured: Mariska Hargitay as Lieutenant Olivia Benson — (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/NBC)
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Fashionable Crimes” Episode 1720 — Pictured: (l-r) Virginia Gardner as Sally Landry, Tom Pelphrey as Matt Kroger — (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/NBC)
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Fashionable Crimes” Episode 1720 — Pictured: (l-r) Raúl Esparza as A.D.A. Rafael Barba, Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson — (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/NBC)
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Fashionable Crimes” Episode 1720 — Pictured: Kelli Giddish as Amanda Rollins — (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/NBC)
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Fashionable Crimes” Episode 1720 — Pictured: (l-r) Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson, Richard Belzer as John Munch — (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/NBC)
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Fashionable Crimes” Episode 1720 — Pictured: (l-r) Jack Nawada-Braunwart as Noah Porter Benson, Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson — (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/NBC)
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Fashionable Crimes” Episode 1720 — Pictured: Virginia Gardner as Sally Landry — (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/NBC)
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Fashionable Crimes” Episode 1720 — Pictured: Ice-T as Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola — (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/NBC)
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “Fashionable Crimes” Episode 1720 — Pictured: Sandrine Holt as Nora Wattan — (Photo by: Michael Parmelee/NBC)
VIDEO
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