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Mariska Hargitay Says ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Season 17 Finale Is Tragic And Beautiful

By Taylor Rios
Published on: 21:45 PST, Apr 12, 2016

Mariska Hargitay has starred in Law & Order: SVU since the series began. Now in Season 17, many actors have come and gone, but Mariska remains part of the main cast. The NBC police drama is currently on hiatus, but there is already information on the finale. It turns out that the script for the final episode of the season moved Hargitay so much that she cried. The actress described it as both tragic and beautiful.

Law & Order: SVU Season 17 returns May 4 and after that, there will only be a few episodes left. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Episode 20 is titled “Fashionable Crimes” and brings back Richard Belzer as John Munch. The reason for Munch’s return is because a suspect once again pops up after a young model accuses a fashion photographer of a sex crime. According to Spoilers Guide, Munch and Fin Tutuola (Ice-T) had their eyes on the photographer. However, they were unable to build a case at that time.

Season 17 of Law & Order: SVU has been a difficult one for Mariska Hargitay’s character, Olivia Benson. She was held at gunpoint, and nobody knew where she was. Benson could have died if it weren’t for Noah’s babysitter receiving an odd text message. Criminals that were supposed to be in prison escaped, creating havoc throughout New York City and beyond. If everything Olivia has been through wasn’t enough, Benson was reassigned during Ed Tucker’s (John Robert Burke) investigation. Those incidents only scrape the surface of what Mariska’s character has gone through just in Season 17.

As for the finale, Hargitay revealed that the two-part episode is emotional. The actress even admitted that reading the script made her cry.

“I read the season finale and I was so deeply moved and deeply inspired. I couldn’t put it down… couldn’t stop crying,” Mariska Hargitay told E! News. “After doing a show for this long, there are these moments that come up that are so earned and so painful. For Olivia, something very tragic happens and something so beautiful happens, which is so much like life, right?”

That isn’t the only information that was revealed about the Law & Order: SVU Season 17 finale. Expect to see Bill Irwin return as Dr. Peter Lindstrom. If that name sounds familiar, it is because the actor played Olivia Benson’s therapist. The last time Irwin appeared in Law & Order: SVU was in “Transgender Bridge.” The actor confirmed his return and said Lindstrom is coming back because Olivia needs help.

Also, expect to see Brad Garrett in Law & Order: SVU Season 17 finale. The actor will portray a Rikers correction officer named Gary Munson. He is known as a family man who works hard and has a good reputation. However, his past is filled with violent attacks against female prison inmates.

There are no details on what will be tragic and beautiful about the Law & Order: SVU Season 17 finale. However, the NBC police drama usually does an excellent job of making viewers emotional.

What do you think will happen in the Law & Order: SVU Season 17 finale? Do you have any predictions on what caused Mariska Hargitay to break down in tears? Does something happen that causes Olivia Benson to need her therapist again? Does this have something to do with Benson being attacked in a prison while she was working undercover as a female prisoner? Or does this have something to do with her personal life or a child? Fans will have to wait until the season finale airs to find out.

Law & Order: SVU returns to NBC with Season 17, Episode 20 on May 4.

[Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images]

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