document_title: Microchip implant (animal)

question_text: where do they put a microchip on a dog

question_tokens: where do they put a microchip on a dog

text: Microchip implant (animal)

text: Uses and benefits[edit]

text: Animal shelters, animal control officers and veterinarians routinely look for microchips to return lost pets quickly to their owners, avoiding expenses for housing, food, medical care, outplacing and euthanasia. Many shelters place chips in all outplaced animals.

text: Microchips are also used by kennels, breeders, brokers, trainers, registries, rescue groups, humane societies, clinics, farms, stables, animal clubs and associations, researchers, and pet stores.

text: Some pet doors can be programmed to be activated by the microchips of specific animals, allowing only certain animals to use the door.[1]

text: Some countries require microchips in imported animals to match vaccination records. Microchip tagging may also be required for CITES-regulated international trade in certain endangered animals: for example, Asian Arowana are tagged to limit import to captive-bred fish.  Also, birds not banded who cross international borders as pets or for trade must be microchipped so that each bird is uniquely identifiable.

text: Usage[edit]

text: Microchips can be implanted by a veterinarian or at a shelter. After checking that the animal does not already have a chip, the vet or technician injects the chip with a syringe and records the chip's unique ID. No anesthetic is required it is a simple procedure and causes little discomfort: the pain is minimal and short-lived[2]. A test scan ensures correct operation.

text: An enrollment form is completed with chip ID, owner contact information, pet name and description, shelter and/or veterinarian contact information, and an alternate emergency contact designated by the pet owner. Some shelters and vets designate themselves as the primary contact to remain informed about possible problems with the animals they place. The form is sent to a registry, who may be the chip manufacturer, distributor or an independent entity such as a pet recovery service. Some countries have a single official national database. For a fee, the registry typically provides 24-hour, toll-free telephone service for the life of the pet. Some veterinarians leave registration to the owner, usually done online, but a chip without current contact information is essentially useless.

text: The owner receives a registration certificate with the chip ID and recovery service contact information. The information can also be imprinted on a collar tag worn by the animal. Like an automobile title, the certificate serves as proof of ownership and is transferred with the animal when it is sold or traded; an animal without a certificate could be stolen.

text: Authorities and shelters examine strays for chips, providing the recovery service with the ID number, description and location so they may notify the owner or contact.  If the pet is wearing the collar tag, the finder does not need a chip reader to contact the registry. An owner can also report a missing pet to the recovery service, as vets look for chips in new animals and check with the recovery service to see if it has been reported lost or stolen.

text: Many veterinarians scan an animal's chip on every visit to verify correct operation. Some use the chip ID as their database index and print it on receipts, test results, vaccination certifications and other records.

text: Some veterinary tests and procedures require positive identification of the animal, and a microchip may be acceptable for this purpose as an alternative to a tattoo.

text: Components of a microchip[edit]

text: A microchip implant is a passive RFID device. Lacking an internal power source, it remains inert until it is powered by the scanner or other power source.

text: Most implants contain three elements: a 'chip' or integrated circuit; a coil inductor, possibly with a ferrite core; and a capacitor. The chip contains unique identification data and electronic circuits to encode that information. The coil acts as the secondary winding of a transformer, receiving power inductively coupled to it from the scanner. The coil and capacitor together form a resonant LC circuit tuned to the frequency of the scanner's oscillating magnetic field to produce power for the chip. The chip then transmits its data back through the coil to the scanner.

text: These components are encased in biocompatible soda lime or borosilicate glass and hermetically sealed. Datamars has also started selling polymer microchips that are being implanted in pets.[3].

text: Implant location[edit]

text: In dogs and cats, chips are usually inserted below the skin at the back of the neck between the shoulder blades on the dorsal midline. According to one reference, continental European pets get the implant in the left side of the neck.[4] The chip can often be felt under the skin. Thin layers of connective tissue form around the implant and hold it in place.

text: Horses are microchipped on the left side of the neck, halfway between the poll and withers and approximately one inch below the midline of the mane, into the nuchal ligament.

text: Birds are implanted in their breast muscles. Proper restraint is necessary so the operation requires either two people (an avian veterinarian and a veterinary technician) or general anesthesia.

text: Implanted microchips can distort magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), including those of the spinal cord.[5]

text: Animal species[edit]

text: Many animal species have been microchipped, including cockatiels and other parrots, horses, llamas, alpacas, goats, sheep, miniature pigs, rabbits, deer, ferrets, penguins, sharks, snakes, lizards, alligators, turtles, toads, frogs, rare fish, chimpanzees, mice, and prairie dogs—even whales and elephants.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses microchipping in its research of wild bison, black-footed ferrets, grizzly bears, elk, white-tailed deer, giant land tortoises and armadillos.

text: Worldwide use[edit]

text:
Microchips are not yet universal, but they are legally required in some jurisdictions such as the state of New South Wales, Australia[6]
and the United Kingdom (for dogs, since 6 April 2016[7]).

text: Some countries, such as Japan, require ISO-compliant microchips or a compatible reader on imported dogs and cats.[8]

text: In New Zealand, all dogs first registered after 1 July 2006 must be microchipped. Farmers protested that farm dogs should be exempt, drawing a parallel to the Dog Tax War of 1898.[9] Farm dogs were exempted from microchipping in an amendment to the legislation passed in June 2006.[10] A National Animal Identification and Tracing scheme in New Zealand is currently being developed for tracking livestock.

text: In April 2012 Northern Ireland became the first part of the United Kingdom to require microchipping of individually licensed dogs.[11] Dog microchipping became mandatory in England on 6 April 2016.[12]

text: In Israel, microchips in dogs are mandatory.[citation needed]

text: Australia has a National Livestock Identification System.

text: The United States uses the National Animal Identification System for farm and ranch animals other than dogs and cats. In most species except horses, an external eartag is typically used in lieu of an implant microchip. Eartags with microchips or simply stamped with a visible number can be used. Both use ISO 15 digit microchip numbers with the U.S. country code of 840.

text: Cross-compatibility and standards issues[edit]

text: In most countries, pet ID chips adhere to an international standard to promote compatibility between chips and scanners. In the United States, however, three proprietary types of chips compete along with the international standard. Scanners distributed to United States shelters and veterinarians well into 2006 could each read at most three of the four types. Scanners with quad-read capability are now available and are increasingly considered required equipment.  Older scanner models will be in use for some time, so United States pet owners must still choose between a chip with good coverage by existing scanners and one compatible with the international standard. The four types include:

text:
The ISO Conformant Full Duplex type has the greatest international acceptance. It is common in many countries including Europe (since the late 1990s) and Canada. It is one of two chip protocol types (along with the "Half Duplex" type sometimes used in farm and ranch animals) that conform to International Organization for Standardization standards ISO 11784 & 11785. To support international/multivendor application, the 3-digit country code can contain an assigned ISO country code or a manufacturer code from 900 to 998 plus its identifying serial number.[Note 1]  In the United States, distribution of this type has been controversial. When 24PetWatch.com began distributing them in 2003 (and more famously Banfield Pet Hospitals in 2004) many shelter scanners couldn't read them.  (Some still can't; asking local shelters about this is still a good idea.)  At least one Banfield-chipped pet was inadvertently euthanized.[13]
The Trovan Unique type is another pet chip protocol type in use since 1990 in pets in the United States.[14] Patent problems forced the withdrawal of Trovan's implanter device from United States distribution and they became uncommon in pets in the United States, although Trovan's original registry database "infopet.biz" remained in operation. In early 2007, the American Kennel Club's chip registration service, AKC Companion Animal Recovery Corp, which had been the authorized registry for HomeAgain brand chips made by Destron/Digital Angel, began distributing Trovan chips with a different implanter. These chips are read by the Trovan, HomeAgain (Destron Fearing), and Bayer (Black Label) readers. Despite multiple offers from Trovan to AVID [15] to license the technology to read the Trovan chips, AVID continues to distribute readers that do not read Trovan or the ISO compliant chips.
A third type sometimes known as FECAVA or Destron[Note 2] is available under various brand names. These include, in the United States, "Avid Eurochip", the common current 24PetWatch chips, and the original (and still popular) style of HomeAgain chips.  (HomeAgain and 24Petwatch can  now supply the true ISO chip instead on request.) Chips of this type have 10 digit [hexadecimal] chip numbers. This "FECAVA" type is readable on a wide variety of scanners in the United States and has been less controversial, although its level of adherence to the ISO standards is sometimes exaggerated in some descriptions.[16][17][18]  The ISO standard has an annex (appendix) recommending that three older chip types be supported by scanners, including a 35-bit "FECAVA"/"Destron" type.[19] The common Eurochip/HomeAgain chips don't agree perfectly with the annex description, although the differences are sometimes considered minor.[Note 3]  But the ISO standard also makes it clear[Note 4] that only its 64-bit "full-duplex" and "half-duplex" types are "conformant"; even chips (e.g., the Trovan Unique) that match one of the Annex descriptions are not. More visibly, FECAVA cannot support the ISO standard's required country/manufacturer codes. They may be accepted by authorities in many countries where ISO-standard chips are the norm, but not by those requiring literal ISO conformance.
Finally, there's the AVID brand Friendchip type, which is peculiar due to its encryption characteristics.  Cryptographic features are not necessarily unwelcome; few pet rescuers or humane societies would object to a design that outputs an ID number "in the clear" for anyone to read, along with authentication features for detection of counterfeit chips, but the authentication in "Friendchips" has been found lacking and rather easy to spoof to the AVID scanner. Although no authentication encryption is involved, obfuscation requires proprietary information to convert transmitted chip data to its original label ID code. Well into 2006, scanners containing the proprietary decryption were provided to the United States market only by AVID and Destron/Digital Angel; Destron/Digital Angel put the decryption feature in some, but not all, of its scanners, possibly as early as 1996. (For years, its scanners distributed to shelters through HomeAgain usually had full decryption, while many sold to veterinarians would only state that an AVID chip had been found.)  Well into 2006, both were resisting calls from consumers and welfare group officials to bring scanners to the United States shelter community combining AVID decryption capability with the ability to read ISO-compliant chips. Some complained[20] that AVID itself had long marketed combination pet scanners compatible with all common pet chips except possibly Trovan outside the United States. By keeping them out of the United States, it could be considered partly culpable in the missed-ISO chips problem others blamed on Banfield.[Note 5]  In 2006, the European manufacturer Datamars, a supplier of ISO chips used by Banfield and others, gained access to the decryption secrets and began supplying scanners with them to United States customers. This "Black Label" scanner was the first four-standard full-multi pet scanner in the United States market. Later in 2006, Digital Angel announced[21] that it would supply a full-multi scanner in the United States.[Note 6] In 2008 AVID announced a "breakthrough" scanner,[22] although as of  October 2010[update] AVID's is still so uncommon that it's unclear whether it supports the Trovan chip. Trovan also acquired the decryption technology in 2006 or earlier, and now provides it in scanners distributed in the United States by AKC-CAR.  (Some are quad-read, but others lack full ISO support.)

text: Numerous references in print state that the incompatibilities between different chip types are a matter of "frequency". One may find claims that early ISO adopters in the United States endangered their customers' pets by giving them ISO chips that work at a "different frequency" from the local shelter's scanner, or that the United States government considered forcing an incompatible frequency change. These claims were little challenged by manufacturers and distributors of ISO chips, although later evidence suggests the claims were disinformation. In fact, all chips operate at the scanner's frequency. Although ISO chips are optimized for 134.2 kHz, in practice they are readable at 125 kHz and the "125 kHz" chips are readable at 134.2 kHz.  Confirmation comes from government filings that indicate the supposed "multi-frequency" scanners now commonly available are really single-frequency scanners operating at 125, 134.2 or 128 kHz. In particular, the United States HomeAgain scanner didn't change excitation frequency when ISO-read capability was added; it's still a single frequency, 125 kHz scanner.[23]

text:
Expected results for chip type(OK=Good readNR=No readDO=Detect Only with no number given)

Scanner to test

ISO Conformant Full Duplex chip

AVID Encrypted "FriendChip"

Original U.S. HomeAgain, AVID Eurochip,[Note 7] or FECAVA

"Trovan Unique" and current AKC CAR chips

Minimal ISO Conformant Scanner (also must read HALF Duplex chips common in livestock ear tags)

OK
NR
NR
NR

AVID Basic U.S. Scanner[24]

NR
OK
NR
NR

AVID Deluxe U.S. Scanner

NR
OK
OK
NR

AVID Universal Scanner sold outside U.S.[25]

OK
OK
OK
NR Assumed

AVID MiniTracker Pro Scanner announced August 2008[26]

OK
OK
OK
NR according to some (Few have seen one.)

Various vintages of U.S. HomeAgain "Universal" Shelter Scanners by Destron/Digital Angel Corp.

NR,DO, or OK
OK
OK
Possibly all OK

Typical Destron/Digital Angel Corp. U.S. Veterinarian's scanner pre-2007
[27]

NR
DO
OK
DO

Trovan LID-560-MULTI per mfr. specifications on Web[28]

OK
OK
OK
OK

U.S. Trovan Pocket Scanner per AKC-CAR Web Site[29]

DO
OK
OK
OK

U.S. Trovan ProScan700 per AKC-CAR Web Site[30]

OK
OK
OK
OK

Original 2006 Datamars Black Label Scanner[31]

OK
OK
OK
OK but Reliability Questioned

Datamars Black Label Scanner "classypets" model[32]

OK
NR or DO?
OK
OK but Reliability Questioned

Banfield-Distributed 2004-2005 Vintage Datamars Scanners

OK
Possibly all DO
OK
Possibly all OK but Reliability Questioned (Undocumented Feature)

Datamars Minimax and Micromax[33]

OK
NR
NR
NR

Typical Homemade Scanner[34]

OK
OK but extra step required (web-based decryption service)
OK
OK

Microchip ID Systems "Hero" Scanner[35]

OK
OK
OK
NR

Microchip ID Systems "Pocket Hero" Scanner[36]

OK
NR
NR
NR

tag: table

text: (For users requiring Shelter-Grade certainty, this table is not a substitute for testing the scanner with a set of specimen chips.  One study[37] cites problems with certain Trovan chips on the Datamars Black Label scanner. In general, the study found none of the tested scanners to read all four standards without some deficiency. The study predates the most recent scanner models, however.)

text: Reported adverse reactions[edit]

text: RFID chips are used in animal research, and at least three studies conducted since the 1990s have reported tumors at the site of implantation in laboratory mice and rats.[38] Noted veterinary associations[39] responded with continued support for the procedure as reasonably safe for cats and dogs, pointing to rates of serious complications on the order of one in a million in the U.K., which has a system for tracking such adverse reactions and has chipped over 3.7 million pet dogs. A recent study found no safety concerns for microchipped animals with RFID chips undergoing MRI at one Tesla magnetic field strength.[40] In 2011 a microchip-associated fibrosarcoma was reported found in the neck of a 9-year old, neutered-male cat. Histological examination was consistent with postinjection sarcoma, but all prior vaccinations occurred in the hindlegs.[41]

text: The microchip is implanted in the subcutaneous tissues causing an inflammatory response until scar tissue develops around the microchip. Studies on horses [42] are used as the basis for short inflammatory response claims, while procedures on done on small kittens and puppies.  Humans are reporting swelling and bruising at the time of implant with itching and pinching sensations for up to two years.[43]  The broader impacts on inflammatory disorders and cancer have not been determined and most of the health risks that were defined in the FDA Guidance developed for human implants [44] should be considered.  Adverse event reporting in the US can be made by the pet owner or a veterinarian to the FDA. https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ReportaProblem/ucm055305.htm

text: Adverse event reporting for animal microchips has been inconsistent. The UK’s Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) assumed the task of adverse event reporting for animal microchips there in April 2014.  Mandatory microchipping of dogs and mandatory adverse event reporting went into effect in the UK in February of 2015.  The first report was issued for the period of April 2014 through December 2015 [45]. There were 1,500 adverse events reported for an unknown number of pets.  The estimate for the total cat and dog population of the UK is 16 million with 8.5 million dogs subject to mandatory microchipping. 4.5% of the adverse events are from adverse reactions and most of the rest from scanner failures and migration.  Microchip Adverse Event Reports for 2016 and 2017 do not appear to have been released.


document_title: The Final Battle (Once Upon a Time)

question_text: once upon a time who wins the final battle

root

text: The Final Battle (Once Upon a Time)

text: Plot[edit]

text: Opening sequence[edit]

text: The giant beanstalk springs from the ground in the forest. (Part 1)

tag: p

text: The Seattle Monorail is seen in the forest. (Part 2)

text: Event Chronology[edit]

text: The Storybrooke events take place after the current events of "The Song in Your Heart", while the current events in the Enchanted Forest occur after "Mother's Little Helper".

text: The future events depicted in both Part 1 and Part 2 occurs in a new realm during the events of “The Eighth Witch,” and the events in "Hyperion Heights".

text: Part 1[edit]

text: In An Unknown Realm[edit]

text: In the woods, a man is seen running away from a beast. He reaches a cabin and sends his daughter Lucy away with the "Once Upon A Time" storybook, telling her to keep it safe as he fights off the creature.

text: In Storybrooke, the Enchanted Forest and other realms during Fiona’s Curse[edit]

text: It has been hours after Fiona enacted her curse on the entire town that engulfed everyone after the wedding. However, Henry, who is spared, thanks to being the Author and having the Heart of the Truest Believer, wakes up with the Storybook in his hands, and starts searching for his family. After running into Archie, he tells Henry that Emma is at the hospital, where she has been committed to a psychiatric ward for the past two years. While visiting Emma, he learns that with Fiona's Curse, Regina's original curse was never broken, and Emma had stopped believing him. He asks her where Snow, Hook and David are, but the new Curse now has Emma believing that these events never happened, citing that she has made so much progress and can’t go back, then tells Henry to stop telling her about these stories. Suddenly Fiona (who is now the Mayor and Henry's mother) arrives and takes the book from Henry, but before he leaves he whispers in Emma's ear to tell her to resist, as the Final Battle is coming.

text: At the same time in the Enchanted Forest, Snow, David, Hook and Regina wake up and discover they have returned to the place where the events that lead to the First Curse began. They discover it is a prison for them and is tied to the book. Fiona, who is using this to banish Emma's family forever, tells Emma that she must burn the storybook if she wants to be released from the hospital, but Emma refuses, as she doesn't want to break Henry's heart. Back in the Enchanted Forest, everyone realizes that the Final Battle will begin over Emma's soul and belief. Fiona is trying to get Emma to stop believing so the realm of stories will be consumed by the Darkness and cease to exist. It is later revealed that as each realm is destroyed, the Darkness grows stronger, and so does Fiona, while Light Magic weakens across the remaining cursed realms. When Zelena shows up with the Mad Hatter hat, they transport to a portal of doors, where Zelena's realm (Oz) has disappeared. If Fiona succeeds, she can make Emma destroy all the realms, prompting them to come up with a plan to save Emma. At the same time in Storybrooke, Fiona brings lunch to Gold and asks that he fix her watch, as it appears that she is now the primary support in the wake of Belle's "disappearance."

text: It appears that Emma is starting to lose her faith, as the realms start to be consumed by the Darkness, forcing everyone and all the survivors from the other realms to take shelter in the Evil Queen's Castle, including Aladdin and Jasmine after Agrabah was consumed. Outside, Hook and David climb the magic beanstalk, in hopes of finding a magic bean that will get everyone back to Storybrooke. At the same time, Henry breaks Emma out of the hospital and takes his mother to the rooftop where she was married, in hopes that she will remember her wedding to Killian. She has glimpses of her memories, but Emma has doubts and tells Henry that she wants to return to Boston, for fear that Fiona will put her back in the psychiatric ward. Henry decides to help her. Meanwhile, Gideon is extremely upset with Belle "deserting" him and now sees Fiona as more of a mother than Belle, and Gold's attempts to console his son don't help either. When Gold searches through his belongings, he also discovers that most of his magic potions had been removed by Fiona's Curse.

text: Back in the Enchanted Forest, Regina and Zelena try to work on a potion but most of her ingredients have been removed by Fiona's Curse, when The Evil Queen arrives and offers to help. In Storybrooke, hours later, Henry attempts to steal the Storybook back from Fiona but she catches him, and believes that she can use him to control Emma. As Henry escapes, Fiona uses her magic to push him down the stairs.

text: Moments later, Gold asks Fiona to reopen the investigation into Belle’s disappearance. As Fiona tries to talk him out of it, she shows him pictures of Belle enjoying life in other countries, and wants Gold to move on from Belle. Back in the Enchanted Forest, Hook and David began their search for the magic beans and Hook finds one, only to encounter a dragon. The creature chases them down the beanstalk after they take the bean. At the hospital, Henry wakes up and discovers that Fiona is manipulating Emma during their visit. Afterwards, Fiona finally succeeds in convincing Emma to burn the storybook in the furnace as Fiona tells Emma it's the only way to keep Henry safe and to end the delusions. Thanks to Fiona's scheme, most of the realms depicted in the book are consumed by Darkness (at least 17 realms), and the Darkness arrives on the outskirts of the Enchanted Forest, in the form of a massive storm of Dark Magic. However, as the book is burning, the pages flip to a picture of Hook, and Emma stares at his image as the flames consume the page.

text: Part 2[edit]

text: In An Unknown Realm[edit]

text: Many years in the future, the young girl returns to her home and discovers everything destroyed. However, Tiger Lily shows up and tells her to take the book to her mother, telling her that the fairies foresaw that she will be reunited with her father.

text: In Storybrooke[edit]

text: Back in Storybrooke, Fiona, convinced that she has succeeded, brings what was left of the book to Henry and gloats that Emma has lost her faith, though Henry refuses to accept this. Emma leaves Storybrooke to return to Boston. When she gets home, she discovers that Henry left her a hand-drawn storybook in order to make her remember their past. Meanwhile, as the realms are starting to collapse, and the Darkness approaches, David and Hook escape the dragon, but while climbing down the beanstalk, they lose their balance and fall. Regina and the Evil Queen discover that the bean had withered and lost its magic, because Fiona's Curse has caused Emma's lack of faith to drain the magic from the realm. Snow finds Hook alright, and she tells him to take the bean to the castle without her. When Snow finds an unconscious David, she kisses him and when he wakes, he tells her that Darkness never wins. As they rush to the castle, the storm of Dark Magic accelerates towards them.

text: In Storybrooke, Henry goes to the pawnshop and meets with Gold who attempts to feign ignorance of the Curse. However, Henry goes to the back and uncovers Gold's potions, proving that Gold remembers his past. Gold acknowledges Henry's cleverness, but also refuses to help Henry as his primary concern is finding Belle. Henry decides that he should take on Fiona himself, and Gold heals his injuries and allows him to take the enchanted sword, Hrunting, from the shop. Back in the Enchanted Forest, the Darkness has arrived at the castle, the Evil Queen decides to sacrifice herself and use all of her magic to protect the castle, in order to buy enough time for Regina to restore the bean with her magic, while everyone else gathers together in the courtyard. However, Regina fails to restore the bean in time, and the Darkness bursts into the castle, surrounding them, while slowly closing in. They realize that Henry is their only hope, since Regina can't restore the bean before they are all consumed. When Henry arrives at the Mayor's office with Hrunting, Emma arrives out of nowhere. She tells Henry that while she doesn't remember being who Henry tells her she is, but she does believe that she can be that person with his help. Her renewed belief stops the destruction of the Enchanted Forest just in time to save the others. The Darkness pulls back, revealing that everything in the Enchanted Forest Realm had been consumed, except for a small column of land that the group stands on. At the same time, Gold uses a tracking spell on "Her Handsome Hero" to find Belle, who was hiding from Fiona, and she hides from Gold as well, having been turned into a coward by Fiona's Curse. Gold tells her about Fiona's deception, and vows revenge on Fiona for what she had done to Belle.

text: Fiona stops by the pawn shop to see Gideon, now that Emma has regained her memories, where it turns out that Fiona had reclaimed Gideon's heart with Curse. Then, she uses him to recover her own wand, which she uses to decipher the mysterious writings that Henry had scribbled in the page. Fiona then reads the inscriptions, which details the birth of Light and Darkness, their battle throughout the ages waged via their emissaries, the deaths of the previous Saviors and their enemies at each other's hands, and how the Final Battle will begin after the Emma's birth. After Gideon leaves to find Emma, Gold arrives in the shop, but Fiona fails to trick Gold into thinking that she had only come for her watch. When Gold confronts Fiona about her plans, she tells her son that once the Final Battle is over, the Curse will be lifted and they can be a family again. She also tells Gold that after she destroys all Light Magic, she will have so much power that she will be able to break the Laws of Magic at will, and she will even be able to bring back the dead. She tells him that she can bring back his first-born son, Baelfire, for him. She goes on to say that with her new powers, she will be able to make his family love him as the Dark One, so that he can keep his power. However, Gold knows that is will come with a steep price and tells her that he refuses to pay the price of magic anymore slipping Fiona's wand into his hand. He forces her onto the ground with magic vowing to make her pay for what she did to Belle. Fiona tells Gold that she had deciphered Henry's writing. She learned that Darkness cannot destroy Light since Darkness isn't strong enough. However, Light can destroy Light. She explains she gave Gideon one final command; to kill Emma, and that even if she dies, Gideon will still be forced to carry out her command. Gold decides to test this and kills Fiona with her own wand, breaking the Dark Curse. This causes Snow, David, Regina, Hook, and Zelena to be transported back to Storybrooke from the Enchanted Forest while Emma and the other residents of Storybrooke regain their memories. Soon afterward Belle returns to Gold and comforts him over his actions, while Gideon arrives at the office with his own enchanted sword in hand. As expected, Gideon confronts Emma and is ready to face off against her.

text: Both Gold and Belle set off to search for Gideon's heart. Henry helps Emma escape from Gideon (knocking him out with a fire extinguisher) with Emma placing a protection spell to contain him temporarily. The others realize that Fiona has crafted the perfect trap: If Gideon kills Emma, Light will be destroyed. And if Emma kills Gideon, she will turn dark and Light will still be destroyed. Regina consoles Emma and encourages her to find another way like she always does. Emma attempts to hold off Gideon as Gold finds Gideon's heart. When Gold finds Gideon's heart he is tempted by a manifestation of the Darkness, which takes the form of his Enchanted Forest counterpart, Rumplestiltskin. The Dark One manifestation tells him to let Gideon kill Emma so he can finally have it all: power and love. The manifestation reminds Gold of what Fiona told him, that if Emma dies his Dark Magic will increase exponentially. After it's all over he can spend all the time he wants exploring the world with Belle and/or destroying it. Gold resists temptation and chooses to do the right thing and tries to use Gideon's heart to stop him from killing Emma. However Fiona's spell keeps him from being able to free Gideon and instead Gideon's heart stops beating and dims. The manifestation taunts Gold before disappearing and Gold heads out to Belle who consoles him for trying to do the right thing. Back at the intersection, Emma and Gideon fight with Emma acknowledging her role as the Savior to protect those she loves, protect the innocent and to spread light and hope no matter what the cost. Realizing what she must do, Emma throws down her sword and Gideon apologizes and kills her releasing an enormous blast of light magic, ending the Final Battle and causing Gideon to disappear.

text: As everyone gathers around Emma's body Henry, using true love's kiss, brings her back to life. Gold and Belle discover to their shock that Gideon is once again a baby with his heart restored into his body. Realizing that this is a new start as a family, Belle tells Gold that this is their happy beginning. Snow then sees the "Once Upon a Time" storybook reappear. Henry looks at the final page of the storybook which suddenly writes itself with the words "When both good and evil did the right thing, faith was restored and the final battle was won." Snow reminds everyone that the story isn’t over. The Enchanted Forest, Neverland, Wonderland, Agrabah, Arendelle, the Land of Oz and all the other realms are restored and their residents obtain their happy beginnings, as does everyone in Storybrooke. Emma and Hook patrol as the town Sheriffs, Henry goes to school, Regina returns to her role as Mayor when dwarfs gave her title "queen" without "evil", David farms with a growing Neal, Zelena spends time with baby Robin, Gold and Belle renew their relationship and raise their son together, Snow White becomes a teacher again and Robin Hood propose to the Evil Queen in Regina's restored palace. They all gather together at Granny's to celebrate their lives together.

text: In Seattle Many Years Later[edit]

text: Many "Years Later" in Seattle, Lucy arrives at the man's apartment by train. Lucy tells the man, who is revealed to be an adult Henry, that she is his daughter and that his family needs him, although Henry no longer remembers her.

text: Production[edit]

text: "The Final Battle" marks the last appearances as regulars of six of the cast: Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Jared S. Gilmore, Emilie de Ravin, and Rebecca Mader. The episodes' bookends set up new timelines that will continue in the seventh season. However, Gilmore's character, Henry Mills, will be played by Andrew J. West, who along with newcomer Alison Fernandez, became series regulars starting with this episode. Mader would end up with the most season 7 appearances among all departing regulars.

text: Sean Maguire does not appear in the episode, but is credited, as he lends his voice for a few seconds in a scene with the Evil Queen.

text: This also marks the series' final Sunday night airing after six seasons, as ABC announced on May 16, 2017 that Once Upon a Time would move to Friday nights starting in the Fall of 2017.[1]

text: Notes[edit]

text: Even though the title card stated "The Enchanted Forest" during the future events involving adult Henry and his daughter Lucy, it’s actually the New Enchanted Forest.[2][3]

tag: ul

text: Reception[edit]

text: Ratings[edit]

text: Despite a 25% drop from the fifth season's finale, the episode saw an increase from the previous outing, scoring a 0.9/4 among 18-49s with 2.93 million viewers tuning in.[4]

text: Reviews[edit]

text:
Christine Laskodi of TV Fantic gave the episode full marks: 5.0 out of 5.0[5]
Entertainment Weekly gave the episode an A.[6]
The AV Club gave it a B.[7]


document_title: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 19)

question_text: when does svu season 19 episode 9 air

question_tokens: when does svu season 19 episode 9 air

text: Production[edit]

text: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was renewed for a nineteenth season on May 12, 2017.[1] Michael S. Chernuchin, who had previously worked on Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Chicago Justice took over from Rick Eid as showrunner, after Eid left SVU to be showrunner for the fifth season of Chicago P.D. after only one season as showrunner on SVU.[2] Production on the season started on July 20, 2017.[3] On January 9, 2018, NBC ordered an extra two episodes for season nineteen, as confirmed in a tweet by Robert Brooks Cohen, rounding the episode count to 24.[4]

text: Storylines[edit]

text: Showrunner/executive producer Michael Chernuchin told The Hollywood Reporter that this season of SVU would be 'ripping the headlines' of more current and political events such as the Charlottesville riots. Chernuchin noting, "Conflict. It's just the state of the world today with everybody. Everybody's political now and everything is political now and we want to deal with that." Kate Stanhope at THR also mentioned to Chernuchin about the pulled episode ("Unstoppable") from last season, asking him if he was hesitant about diving into politics this season. Chernuchin replied, "I'm not going to choose a side. I won't choose a side. I'm going to present both political views and let the audience decide which one is right. My goal, and I told the writers on this on the first day of our writers' room, is at the end of every episode, I want half the audience to throw their shoes at the television and the other half to stand up and cheer."[5]

text: Another episode Chernuchin told THR would be based on the Charlie Gard case, an infant in England who was born with a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive brain damage and muscle failure. "That's a life and death story," Chernuchin explained. "Cat-fishing," cyberbullying — which he described to THR as "[SVU's] answer to 13 Reasons Why — and an airplane episode covering "all the turmoil on airplanes these days." Chernuchin concluded, "We are ripping things from the headlines. Some of them are big, famous headlines and some of them are smaller headlines."[5]

text: On September 8, 2017, Chernuchin gave an overview of the season premiere and outlook on the season as a whole to TV Line; noting that A.D.A. Barba (Raúl Esparza) would start having other problems than court battles when Peter Stone (Philip Winchester) shows up, Stone pushing Barba into "a huge moral decision." Chernuchin also teased that Lieutenant Benson's life would be getting worse before it gets any better, "What I told Mariska [Hargitay] when I came aboard is, 'You're a broken woman, because of your past, and I'm going to drag you through the woods and you're gonna come out the other side a better person," he previewed. "So we're gonna throw the kitchen sink at her [Benson]." He also mentioned there's a possibility of romance for Benson: "There might be, she's not looking for it, but it might happen."[6] In an interview with E! News, Kelli Giddish (Det. Amanda Rollins) says a change in Benson and Rollins' relationship dynamic is coming. "I'm so looking forward to developing a friendship with Benson, the Rollins and Benson relationship, because they have so much in common." Benson and Rollins' relationship was rocky, most notably between seasons fifteen and eighteen as the former began moving up the ranks to Sergeant and then Lieutenant. "They have been at odds, it's just nice to come into that office and know that we're not going to fight but kind of support each other as I think these two characters would in real life," Giddish continued.[7]

text: An episode based on the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations aired on January 17, 2018.[8] "We are hitting Harvey Weinstein head-on, but it's not in the realm of the entertainment business," Michael Chernuchin said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "It's a real important episode about the rape culture in an industry, and we wanted to try [to] stretch the law to criminalize that sort of environment."

text: Cast[edit]

text: The entire main cast from the previous season returned. In August 2017, it was announced that Philip Winchester would reprise his role as Assistant State's Attorney Peter Stone from Chicago Justice, appearing around the midpoint of the season.[9][10] New show runner/executive producer Michael Chernuchin told Entertainment Weekly that Stone's character would be coming in as an antagonist and that he will be a foil for A.D.A. Barba (Raúl Esparza) this season; Stone's character isn't necessarily taking his [Barba's] job. "There's more than one A.D.A. in New York [...] Philip will come in and he won't be the nicest person our characters have ever met. What he's going to be doing, too, is basically bringing all of the franchises into one. He's connecting Law & Order, the Chicago franchises and now SVU."[11] His character debuted in the thirteenth episode of the season.[12][13] In the thirteenth episode, Raúl Esparza departed the cast after six seasons on the show.[14] He told Natalie Abrams of Entertainment Weekly that it was his decision to leave, adding "I've done six seasons, I felt like it was time to go. I had explored a lot of what I thought Barba was about. I just felt it was time to move on."[14] Philip Winchester took his place as the show's permanent A.D.A, guest starring in Esparza's final episode before joining the main cast in the fourteenth episode.

text: Main cast[edit]

text:
Mariska Hargitay as Lieutenant Olivia Benson
Kelli Giddish as Detective Amanda Rollins
Ice-T as Detective/Sergeant Odafin "Fin" Tutuola
Peter Scanavino as Detective Dominick "Sonny" Carisi, Jr.
Raúl Esparza as ADA Rafael Barba (episodes 1–13)
Philip Winchester as ADA Peter Stone (episodes 13–24)

text: Special guest stars[edit]

text:
Sam Waterston as DA Jack McCoy
Stephanie March as ADA Alexandra Cabot

text: Recurring cast[edit]

text:
Dean Winters as DA Investigator Brian Cassidy
Ryan Buggle as Noah Porter-Benson
Barbara Miluski as Judge Lisa Peck
Peter Jacobson as Defense Attorney Randy Dworkin
Vincent Curatola as Judge Al Burtuccio
Brooke Shields as Sheila Porter
Yvonna Kopacz-Wright as Dr. Darcy Wilder
Ami Brabson as Judge Karyn Blake
Peter Hermann as Defense Attorney Trevor Langan
Steve Rosen as Defence Attorney Michael Guthrie
Helmar Augustus Cooper as Judge Reginald Flowers
Jayne Houdyshell as Judge Ruth Linden
Kathryn Kates as Judge Marleen Simons
Peter Gallagher as Deputy Chief William Dodds
Maureen Mueller as Susan Janet
Jenna Stern as Judge Elana Barth
Tamara Tunie as Medical Examiner Melinda Warner
Carolyn McCormick as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet
Ned Eisenberg as Defense Attorney Roger Kressler
Sonia Manzano as Judge Gloria Pepitone
Joe Grifasi as Judge Hashi Horowitz
Susie Essman as Defense Attorney Arlene Heller
Bjorn Thorstad as Defense Attorney Mitch Jackson
Callie Thorne as Defense Attorney Nicki Staines
Tom Titone as Judge Joshua Goldfarb
Ernest Waddell as Ken Randall
Amy Korb as Pamela Stone
Michael Mastro as Judge Serani
Mary Hodges as Judge Anita Wright
Olga Merediz as Judge Roberta Martinez
Eric Elizaga as Dr. Stephen Hale
Lauren Noble as Carmen
Erica Camarano as Officer Rachel Ortiz
Eddie Hargitay as Officer Montero

text: Guest stars[edit]

text: It was announced on August 11, 2017 by The Hollywood Reporter that actress Brooke Shields would play a 'major' recurring role throughout the course of the season. "I play a very different character from any I have ever played," Shields commented. "I'm excited to stir the SVU pot a bit." THR noted that details of her role are being kept under wraps, although it's been teased that Shields' role will "shake up Benson's (Mariska Hargitay) world."[10] At the New York Fashion Week event on September 7, 2017, Shields talked about her "complicated" character; "We're discovering the character," she said of her at the time, mysterious recurring role, "it's pretty complicated and it's gut wrenching. What's so amazing about the show is that the characters are so rich and layered, and they're just filtering me through it." Shields also noted that her character was set to begin appearing in the third episode ("Contrapasso") of the season.[15] In that episode's last scene, Shields' character was revealed to be Noah's previously unknown grandmother, Sheila Porter, who challenged Benson for custody before becoming friends. Her story arc finished in January 2018 when Sheila abducted Noah in a cliffhanger episode, before being caught by Benson and the squad and arrested.

text: On August 18, Entertainment Weekly released a sneak-peak of the script of SVU's season 19 premiere episode and announced that Will Chase would be guest starring as Byron Marks, an accused rapist who turned fugitive when he fled to Cuba six years prior, he is caught by Fin (Ice T) in the premiere's opening scenes. Amy Smart guest starred as one of Marks' victims, and Peter Jacobson – who previously guest starred in the thirteenth-season finale and recurred in season fourteen as a pimp named Bart Ganzel – guest starred in the premiere as his recurring mothership Law & Order character, Defense Attorney Randy Dworkin, a character created by Michael Chernuchin during his tenure on L&O.[16] Annabeth Gish guest starred in the third episode of the season. She portrayed a defense attorney in a case where a man is castrated and left for dead; leading the SVU squad to three female suspects with possible motives.[17] Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Isaiah Thomas, made a cameo appearance as himself in an October episode ("Complicated") of SVU. Thomas' cameo appearance occurs in the midst of a missing persons investigation.[18]

text: Mike Faist, a Tony Award-nominated actor starring as Connor Murphy in Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen, guest starred as a young man struggling with the long-ago disappearance of his sister in "Complicated".[19] The Walking Dead alum, Brighton Sharbino guest starred as a teenager who disappears when her classmates make her the subject of a cyberbullying attack. Madison Pettis also guest starred in the episode, titled "No Good Reason", which aired on NBC, October 18th 2017.[20] Another Broadway star, Christiane Noll, guest starred in the episode "Unintended Consequences" as Sarah Curtis "After 19 years on the air, I will finally be appearing as a guest star on episode #19006 of Law & Order: SVU! I am really excited because this is my first big guest starring role," Noll told Playbill.[21] Peter Scolari guest starred along with Noll in "Unintended Consequences" as Dr. Dennis Barkley.[22] In October 2017, THR announced Melora Walters and Joanna Going would guest star in a special episode of SVU ("Something Happened"). Walters played the rape victim, Laurel Linwood, who knows she was raped but can't remember what happened. Going played Laurel's sister, Leah, who is brought in to help fill in the blanks.[23]

text: On September 20, 2017, it was announced Sam Waterston would guest star in an upcoming episode of SVU as his Law & Order character, Jack McCoy. Waterston was re-united with show runner/EP Michael S. Chernuchin, who also held the same position at the time Waterston joined the original series in 1994; Chernuchin is credited as the creator of the McCoy character. This also marked Waterston's fourth guest appearance on SVU.[24] In the episode "Pathological", Tamara Tunie (M.E. Melinda Warner), Carolyn McCormick (Dr. Elizabeth Olivet), and Jenna Stern (Judge Elana Barth) returned as their respective characters.[25] The episode aired on January 10, 2018. McCormick also guest starred in the season finale.

text: On December 14, 2017, Martin Donovan and Yasmine Al Massri were confirmed to guest star in an episode titled "Flight Risk" based on the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations.[26] The episode was about sexual assault in the airline industry and aired on January 17, 2018.

text: On January 31, 2018, Rhea Seehorn guest starred in an episode titled "Info Wars", inspired by the Charlottesville riots and the website InfoWars. Rhea’s character was inspired by InfoWars reporter Millie Weaver.[27]

text: On March 5, 2018, it was revealed that Stephanie March would reprise her role as ADA Alexandra Cabot in an episode titled "Sunk Cost Fallacy" that aired on April 18, 2018.[28] It marked March's first appearance on the show since season thirteen.

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
Prod.
code
U.S. viewers
(millions)

411
1
"Gone Fishin'"
Alex Chapple
Michael Chernuchin
September 27, 2017 (2017-09-27)
1901
5.67[29]

The Special Victims Unit is notified about a fugitive rapist (Will Chase) on the loose in Havana, Cuba. Fin crosses international borders to capture him, which soon causes political controversy when Fin is accused of kidnapping the perp. When all of his victims are reluctant to testify, Benson must count on one victim (Amy Smart) to help put the perp away. Meanwhile, Benson discovers shocking allegations made about her, which eventually leads to her ex-boyfriend and former SVU detective Brian Cassidy returning to her life to investigate her actions and the allegation made against her.

412
2
"Mood"
Michael Pressman
Allison Intrieri
October 4, 2017 (2017-10-04)
1902
5.82[30]

A woman (Saxon Sharbino) reports to SVU that she was raped. At first, the detectives believe her but, after several misleading reports, the detectives soon find themselves in a complicated position, with Rollins and Carisi fighting about whether her story is true and whether the case should be taken to trial. Meanwhile, Cassidy continues his investigation into Benson's personal life regarding the shocking allegations made about her and Benson decides to take action, leading to an extremely shocking discovery and the loss of an old friendship in Benson's life.

413
3
"Contrapasso"
Jean de Segonzac
Richard Sweren
October 11, 2017 (2017-10-11)
1903
5.79[31]

A man (Paul Fitzgerald) is brutally castrated and left for dead in a hotel, but survives the ordeal and the Special Victims Unit soon discover there were three witnesses to the scene, who immediately become suspects in the case. However, the case quickly takes a bizarre twist when the three witnesses make a claim that they are victims from something he did in the past and they were getting revenge. Barba must decide whether to prosecute the women or defend them in the complicated case. Meanwhile, Olivia gets shocking news from Trevor Langan regarding Noah's biological family, revealing that Noah's mother Ellie Porter had been lying about something all this time during the past investigation.

414
4
"No Good Reason"
Martha Mitchell
Julie Martin & Brianna Yellen
October 18, 2017 (2017-10-18)
1904
5.58[33]

The Special Victims Unit is called in to investigate the sudden disappearance of a high school student (Brighton Sharbino). They soon discover that she was the victim of a nasty cyberbullying attack from her fellow peers and best friend (Madison Pettis). When she is finally found, she claims that she was raped by three boys from her school at a party, one being one of her best friends. The case goes well until the victim becomes reluctant to testify due to hatred and bullying from her peers and Benson must convince her to be brave. Meanwhile, Sheila Porter attempts to challenge Benson's parenting skills as a mother, which infuriates Benson.

Episode inspired by the events in the Netflix web series 13 Reasons Why.[32]

415
5
"Complicated"
Tricia Brock
Céline C. Robinson
October 25, 2017 (2017-10-25)
1905
5.81[34]

A young woman (Ili Ray) who has been missing for ten years is suddenly found and the cold case into her disappearance is reopened by the Special Victims Unit. However, the detectives become suspicious of her story when several things don't match up and the detectives soon discover a disturbing secret kept by the family. Meanwhile, Benson and Sheila fight against each other for custody of Noah with Sheila claiming she fears for Noah's safety due to Benson's recent allegations, infuriating Benson and putting them both in an intense and conflict-filled relationship.

Cameo appearance by Isaiah Thomas.

416
6
"Unintended Consequences"
Jonathan Herron
Elizabeth Rinehart
November 8, 2017 (2017-11-08)
1906
4.97[35]

The Special Victims Unit are called to a high end rehab center to investigate the death of a teenage girl, after she was last seen there. Suspicious of the activity going on and the concerning behaviour and reports from some of the clients, Rollins goes undercover in the rehab center as a worker, joining the manager (Anne Corley) in her duties, hoping to get evidence of criminal activity in order to get justice for the murder victim's family. Meanwhile, Benson tries to overcome her doubts about Sheila, after letting her visit Noah for the first time and befriending her.

417
7
"Something Happened"
Alex Chapple
Michael Chernuchin
November 29, 2017 (2017-11-29)
1907
7.07[36]

A rape victim (Melora Walters) who can't remember the details or what happened when she was sexually assaulted visits the Special Victims Unit, distraught and desperate to remember exactly what happened. Benson brings her into an interrogation room to help her remember the details of what happened. However, it quickly becomes intense when the rape victim starts to break down in fear, stress and desperation. In order to help the victim remember what happened, Benson finally decides to tell her a long kept secret from her past that she hasn't told anyone before, in the hopes that the victim will remember what happened and who assaulted her so justice can be served. The case soon takes a shocking twist which reveals a secret long kept from both the victim and her sister (Joanna Going).

418
8
"Intent"
Adam Bernstein
Robert Brooks Cohen & Lawrence Kaplow
December 6, 2017 (2017-12-06)
1908
6.18[37]

The Special Victims Unit are called in after a popular social media star (Gage Golightly) is raped, following a romantic date gone wrong. The detectives discover she posted a hint of who she was dating online for her followers, but the victim's reputation is soon questioned after a text threat is discovered that was subsequently sent to her suspected rapist which could ruin the case. Meanwhile, Rollins and Carisi get into a bar fight and Benson sets firm ground rules with Sheila about what she can and cannot tell Noah about his past and family background, but eventually, Olivia's worst nightmare comes true when she gets some horrifying news about Noah.

419
9
"Gone Baby Gone"
Jean de Segonzac
Lawrence Kaplow & Elizabeth Rinehart
January 3, 2018 (2018-01-03)
1909
6.23[38]

The Special Victims Unit, along with Deputy Chief William Dodds, start a top priority frantic search for Noah after he is kidnapped while clothes shopping with Sheila at the mall. Benson, frantic, starts to panic, which sends emotions running high amongst the team members. Desperate to have her son safe and back with her, Benson decides to take matters into her own hands and tries to attempt to track down Noah's kidnapper, despite Dodds' orders. However, things eventually become extremely dangerous and Benson's life is soon put in serious danger as things take a shocking twist.

420
10
"Pathological"
Jono Oliver
Brianna Yellen
January 10, 2018 (2018-01-10)
1910
6.06[40]

The Special Victims Unit are called to investigate a sexual assault case involving two disabled children (Conor Tague & Erin Wilhelmi) who attend a special needs school. Through further investigation, the case takes a surprising twist after Rollins discovers a shocking truth when one of the students' medical exam shows that the child's medical disability stems from a surprising source and the case soon turns into one of child abuse in the hands of her mother (Dendrie Taylor). The case soon goes from bad to worse when the abuse case soon turns to murder. Meanwhile, Benson tries to help Noah cope with nightmares after the previous traumatizing events involving himself, Benson and Sheila Porter.

Episode inspired by the Murder of Dee Dee Blanchard[39]

421
11
"Flight Risk"
Michael Pressman
Julie Martin & Allison Intrieri
January 17, 2018 (2018-01-17)
1911
6.21[42]

When a Muslim female pilot (Yasmine Al Massri) locks herself in the cockpit and attempts to return the plane to JFK Airport (nearly causing a crash), she finds herself arrested on suspicion of terrorism. However, when she makes a claim that the captain of the plane (Martin Donovan) was sexually assaulting her and she diverted the plane to avoid contact with him, the Special Victims Unit is called to investigate. Barba eventually convenes with a grand jury to determine the suspected rapists complicity in the crime. Meanwhile, Tutuola takes several steps to ensure that Benson is safe at work, after the previous incident with Sheila Porter.

Episode inspired by the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations.[41]

422
12
"Info Wars"
Michael Slovis
Richard Sweren & Robert Brooks Cohen
January 31, 2018 (2018-01-31)
1912
5.48[45]

The Special Victims Unit are called to a brutal crime scene after a violent protest in the city results in a controversial, right-wing female pundit (Rhea Seehorn) getting viciously sexually assaulted. However, with many people in the crowd during the protest, the squad has a hard time catching the victim's assailants. When the case is taken to trial, Barba and Benson both fight with each other after struggling to keep their political opinions about the case quiet and both disagreeing with each other, which leaves the squad clashing over sides in the controversial, violent case and sets tensions rising between the detectives and Barba.

Episode inspired by the Charlottesville riots, as well as episode title inspired by actual website InfoWars, with specific main character reference to InfoWars' reporter Millie Weaver.[43][44]

423
13
"The Undiscovered Country"
Alex Chapple
Michael Chernuchin
February 7, 2018 (2018-02-07)
1913
6.64[47]

The Special Victims Unit are called in to investigate after a father (Joe Tapper) kidnaps his mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome-affected infant. When the father is found, he says he wants his son alive, whereas his wife (Abigail Hawk) wants him put out of his misery, which sends the SVU detectives taking sides in the family's right-to-die case. Barba's interference in the case leads to the entire DA's office being in jeopardy, which results in DA Jack McCoy getting involved and sending Barba to trial for murder. However, Barba is found not guilty. Traumatized by the case, Barba quits his job as an ADA and is replaced by former Chicago ASA Peter Stone, who has recently lost his father Benjamin Stone, a former ADA previously assigned to the NYPD's Homicide Unit.

Episode inspired by the Charlie Gard case.[46]

424
14
"Chasing Demons"
Fred Berner
Richard Sweren & Allison Intrieri
February 28, 2018 (2018-02-28)
1914
5.55[48]

The Special Victims Unit take a doctor (Lorenzo Scott) who has been accused of molesting little boys to trial. Brian Cassidy testifies but when the doctor's lawyer (Daryl Edwards) suspects Cassidy of being racist, Cassidy loses it, which results in a mistrial. However, when Cassidy turns up to Benson's apartment with blood on him and Dr. West is found dead, Benson must decide whether Cassidy is guilty of murder or if Cassidy is innocent as he claims, complicating Rollins' and Benson's relationship which gets Stone and Benson's relationship off to a rocky start, all while a determined Homicide detective (Kylie Bunbury) investigates Cassidy for murder.

425
15
"In Loco Parentis"
Norberto Barba
Michael Chernuchin & Julie Martin
March 7, 2018 (2018-03-07)
1915
5.51[49]

Carisi’s sister visits Carisi saying that her daughter was raped. The Special Victims Unit investigate the case, but Carisi’s niece claims she lied about the rape, and the charges are dropped. However, when Carisi’s niece claims that she was really raped after visiting the suspect, Carisi and SVU must investigate whether she is being truthful after her credibility in the case was damaged. Meanwhile, during the investigation, ADA Stone learns the hard way that there are no perfect witnesses when it comes down to dealing with sex crimes, while the squad warm up to him after the departure of Barba.

426
16
"Dare"
Christopher Misiano
Richard Sweren & Céline C. Robinson
March 14, 2018 (2018-03-14)
1916
6.13[50]

The Special Victims Unit are called to a recreation centre after a thirteen year old girl (Nicolette Pierini) disappears while on a school excursion. The detectives soon learn that her two friends left her with a stranger, which makes him the prime suspect. Eventually, the girl is found unconscious in the recreation centre stripped to her underwear. After the girl dies in the hospital due to her injuries, the case takes a shocking twist when it is discovered that the deceased girl’s organs were harvested by a surgeon (Janel Moloney) without the parents’ consent. Stone takes the extremely controversial and complicated case to court, hoping to get justice for the deceased girl and her mourning family.

427
17
"Send in the Clowns"
Alex Chapple
Julie Martin & Brianna Yellen
March 21, 2018 (2018-03-21)
1917
6.51[51]

The Special Victims Unit is called in to investigate the disappearance of a teenage prodigy (Mallory Bechtel) during a spring break trip. The prime suspect is a butcher (Eric Tabach) who was seen after leaving a club in a clown mask with the girl, and she was last known to have been at his apartment. However, the case becomes extremely difficult to close. When the detectives try to find her body at a dump, they find that the dump has been emptied. Stone tries to get justice for the girl and lock up the butcher as the chances of the girl being alive become extremely slim. However, towards the end, the case takes a shocking twist and the detectives discover that the real culprit is someone who they least suspected. Stone reveals to Benson that he moved to New York to take care of his sister, who is mentally ill and in a home upstate.

428
18
"Service"
Fred Berner
Lawrence Kaplow & Céline C. Robinson
April 11, 2018 (2018-04-11)
1918
5.43[52]

When a female escort (Morgan Taylor Campbell) is found sexually assaulted and brutally beaten, the Special Victims Unit are called in to investigate. They soon discover that she was in a sleazy hotel with three soldiers from the military. However, the case becomes complicated when one soldier (Marquise Vilson) refuses to talk and another (Jack DiFalco) confesses to the crime, even though it is clear that he is lying. Eventually, when the real rapist is found and the DNA comes in, the case takes an extremely shocking twist and a huge sacrifice is made by one of the soldiers who has been hiding a secret from the world for a very long time. Meanwhile, Rollins' unprofessional work in the case and taking it personally leads to her revealing a secret from her recent romantic life.

429
19
"Sunk Cost Fallacy"
Michael Pressman
Michael Chernuchin & Allison Intrieri
April 18, 2018 (2018-04-18)
1919
6.58[53]

The Special Victims Unit investigate the disappearance of a mother and her four year old daughter. Through further investigation, they discover that the woman's husband was a violent man, who abused his family. However, it is soon reported that the mother and daughter were killed by her husband and the husband is locked up. The case takes a massive twist when Benson discovers that the mother and daughter are very much alive, but in hiding thanks to former ADA and member of the squad, Alexandra Cabot, who reported the mother and daughter deceased, which puts Benson in a complicated position. A tragic twist occurs in the case and Benson is forced to question the entire system. Meanwhile, Stone's sister, Pamela, develops tardive dyskinesia and he has to make a tough decision about her treatment.

430
20
"The Book of Esther"
Jean de Segonzac
Richard Sweren & Ryan Causey
May 2, 2018 (2018-05-02)
1920
6.25[54]

Rollins is called in to rescue a "teenage" girl named Esther. When her father comes to pick her up from SVU, he appears to be a suspicious and strange man, and reveals that Esther is actually 27-years-old. The Special Victims Unit soon finds out that the father is a vicious child abuser, who is chaining his children in a basement and starving them. Rollins grows a very close with the girl and promises her that she will get justice for her and keep her safe from her abusive father. Soon enough though, the case becomes extremely dangerous when the father orders Rollins out of his house at gunpoint. Finally, a stand-off ends in a tragic accident on Rollins' part and traumatizes her.

Episode inspired by the Turpin case.

431
21
"Guardian"
Stephanie Marquardt
Julie Martin & Matt Klypka
May 9, 2018 (2018-05-09)
1921
5.71[55]

The Special Victims Unit are called to a crime scene after a woman is sexually assaulted and her brother tells her and the detectives that she was raped. The squad soon learn that she was brutally gang raped by three young men. The detectives arrest them, but the case takes a twist when the men claim they paid for sex from the woman and that her brother is her pimp. The squad soon realize that the woman's brother is her guardian while their mother is in prison and it soon becomes clear her brother is abusive towards his sister. Tutuola takes the case personally and gets caught up in it while trying to protect the woman from the brother and the three young men, while Stone takes the case to court.

432
22
"Mama"
Jean de Segonzac
Lawrence Kaplow & Elizabeth Rinehart
May 16, 2018 (2018-05-16)
1922
5.28[56]

The Special Victims Unit are called in to investigate a possible sexual assault case after an elderly woman with Alzheimer's claims that she was sexually assaulted. The team investigate her claim but things become difficult quickly when her statement is questioned due to her condition and her recollection on events and timelines. Nevertheless, Benson investigates, hoping to get justice for the elderly woman. Meanwhile, Tutuola finds out whether he becomes sergeant or not of the SVU at last after a long wait after finishing his sergeant's exam.

433
23
"Remember Me"
Alex Chapple
Michael Chernuchin & Julie Martin
May 23, 2018 (2018-05-23)
1923
6.12[57]

The Special Victims Unit are called in after a woman starts a hostage siege in a building where she is possibly holding a suspected rapist. As the Special Victims Unit try their best to defuse the situation, things start to escalate and Benson decides to make a huge decision and risks her life by entering the hostage situation to try and calm down the woman before the siege turns into a murder case, but as she enters, she is quickly attacked and must rely on her fellow detectives outside to help her out of the situation before things become fatal for both her and everyone inside the building.

434
24
"Remember Me Too"
Alex Chapple
Michael Chernuchin & Julie Martin
May 23, 2018 (2018-05-23)
1924
6.12[57]

As the siege comes to a stop, the Special Victims Unit investigate the chain of events which led to the hostage siege. After the detectives start doubting the kidnapping and hostage victim's testimony, an extremely dangerous criminal network is discovered by the Special Victims Unit, who are prepared to do anything they have to in order to get their way, which leads the squad to investigate the criminal network. Whilst investigating, Stone's sister is abducted by the criminal network in an extremely brutal shooting at the psychiatric hospital she lives in. The detectives frantically search for her, which ends up in a tragic result for Stone, his sister and the detectives involved.

text: Ratings[edit]

text:
No.
Title
Air date
Rating/share
(18–49)
Viewers
(millions)
DVR
(18–49)
DVR viewers
(millions)
Total
(18–49)
Total viewers
(millions)

1
"Gone Fishin'"
September 27, 2017
1.4/5
5.67[29]
1.0
3.19
2.4
8.83[58]

2
"Mood"
October 4, 2017
1.3/5
5.82[30]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

3
"Contrapasso"
October 11, 2017
1.2/5
5.79[31]
1.0
2.82
2.2
8.61[59]

4
"No Good Reason"
October 18, 2017
1.2/4
5.58[33]
1.0
2.85
2.2
8.45[60]

5
"Complicated"
October 25, 2017
1.2/4
5.81[34]
0.9
2.77
2.1
8.59[61]

6
"Unintended Consequences"
November 8, 2017
1.1/4
4.97[35]
0.9
3.04
2.0
8.01[62]

7
"Something Happened"
November 29, 2017
1.5/5
7.07[36]
1.0
3.08
2.5
10.15[63]

8
"Intent"
December 6, 2017
1.3/5
6.18[37]
0.9
2.68
2.2
8.86[64]

9
"Gone Baby Gone"
January 3, 2018
1.4/5
6.23[38]
0.9
2.90
2.3
9.13[65]

10
"Pathological"
January 10, 2018
1.3/5
6.06[40]
1.0
3.09
2.3
9.15[66]

11
"Flight Risk"
January 17, 2018
1.4/5
6.21[42]
1.0
2.98
2.4
9.17[67]

12
"Info Wars"
January 31, 2018
1.2/5
5.48[45]
1.0
3.01
2.2
8.48[68]

13
"The Undiscovered Country"
February 7, 2018
1.3/5
6.64[47]
1.0
3.17
2.3
9.81[69]

14
"Chasing Demons"
February 28, 2018
1.1/4
5.55[48]
1.0
3.01
2.1
8.56[70]

15
"In Loco Parentis"
March 7, 2018
1.2/5
5.51[49]
0.8
2.76
2.0
8.30[71]

16
"Dare"
March 14, 2018
1.3/5
6.13[50]
1.0
2.84
2.3
8.97[72]

17
"Send In The Clowns"
March 21, 2018
1.4/5
6.51[51]
0.9
2.78
2.3
9.29[73]

18
"Service"
April 11, 2018
1.1/4
5.43[52]
0.8
2.80
1.9
8.23[74]

19
"Sunk Cost Fallacy"
April 18, 2018
1.4/5
6.58[53]
0.8
2.94
2.2
9.52[75]

20
"The Book of Esther"
May 2, 2018
1.2/5
6.25[54]
0.8
2.73
2.0
8.84[76]

21
"Guardian"
May 9, 2018
1.1/4
5.71[55]
0.9
2.67
2.0
8.39[77]

22
"Mama"
May 16, 2018
1.0/4
5.28[78]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

23
"Remember Me"
May 23, 2018
1.2/5
6.12[57]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

24
"Remember Me Too"
May 23, 2018
1.2/5
6.12[57]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD