‘Law & Order: SVU’ season 16 premiere video: An intense Mariska Hargitay, Raul Esparza scene

On Wednesday night’s season premiere of “Law & Order: SVU,” things are not going to take long at all to become intense, especially when it comes to Benson trying to resolve a case that led to her caring for baby Noah in the first place.

Unfortunately, not even something as cut-and-dry as cutting a deal with a District Attorney is simple within this world, and rather than getting a suspect behind bars to sing like a canary, there are some further threats made against the baby’s safety.

You can see this scene play out in chilling fashion below, as Barba (Raul Esparza) seems particularly shocked that there would be a veiled threat made against Noah’s safety while both he and Sgt. Benson (Mariska Hargitay) are standing right in front of them. This sneak peek is really a reminder of just how dangerous the situation looms, and that there may need to be serious work done to ensure that no harm comes in the direction of the child.

Also, this scene is in some ways a microcosm for what Benson’s life could be like in the event that she decides to keep the child. She has to be very well aware of the fact that there may be some out there looking to take advantage of what could be seen as a personal vulnerability. Thanks to her job, she is going to have many enemies, and they will in turn probably try to use anything at their disposal to make life even harder on her.

Photo: NBC