‘Law & Order: SVU’ season 16: Mariska Hargitay wraps work directing episode

To say that this week has been a busy one would be one of the biggest understatements out there, and you don’t have to be a TV star in order for that to be true.

For Mariska Hargitay, though, this weekend before Christmas was busier than most. The actress was happening to also be directing an episode of “Law & Order: SVU,” and it now seems as though her work is through based on the Instagram image below.

Mariska has directed the show before, but it is still such an irregular occurrence in the midst of the many others that she has not directed that this news is still special. We can only imagine just what the challenges are not only giving direction to some of your longtime co-stars (especially someone like Ice-T, who you’ve known for well over a decade), but to also yourself.

Now that the cast and crew for this show are getting off for the holidays, we just have to wait until the show returns on January 7 with “Forgiving Rollins.” This story will expand much more on the story of Kelli Giddish’s character, and some of what we have learned about her past. This episode is one of the rare occasions of this show doing something that feels in many ways close to a two-parter.

(Photo: NBC.)