‘Law & Order: SVU’ season 18, episode 10 preview: Mariska Hargitay directs 400th episode ‘Motherly Love’

Think about how few shows get a chance to celebrate a hundredth episode on the air. From there, go ahead and do your best to think about how few get to 200, and then 300. The fact that “Law & Order: SVU” is reaching the 400th episode is something extraordinary. It’s an achievement that few shows have an opportunity to reach, and therefore it’s a cause for great celebration.

Now that we’ve said that, there is a cause for a little bit of confusion around the scheduling and airing of some of these episodes. “Motherly Love,” the next new episode set to air on Wednesday, February 8, is being billed as the big milestone episode. Yet, technically it will be #399 to air if the current pattern holds. (Originally, there was an episode entitled “No Surrender” that was set to air before “Motherly Love,” but it’s been replaced at the moment with the repeat of the premiere “Terrorized.”)

We do understand the desire to want to promote this episode in particular. The case could be a powerful one that is a microcosm of much of what you love about the show in terms of the case and the intrigue, and to go along with that, this is an episode that is also being directed by none other than series star Mariska Hargitay.

Synopsis – “A teenage boy uses a rifle to stop an assault on his mother, but soon learns the target was someone he knows.”

Could we get to episode #500 now that we’ve made it this far? NBC remained bullish on the series early today, and Hargitay seems as invested as ever with playing Olivia Benson. We really think that at this point, much of the show’s future could be dictated directly by how strong the ratings remain over the course of the next year or two. The show hasn’t been renewed yet for a season 19, but for the time being, we remain optimistic.

Promo – This hypes up the milestone more, and gives you a small sense of what Benson and the rest of the team are going to be up against.

What do you want to see on the 400th episode, and do you think we’ll get a chance to celebrate 500? Share some of your thoughts with a comment. (Photo: NBC.)