What Happened on Law & Order: SVU This Week? (April 18, 2024)

Read the official logline for this week's SVU episode, below: 

Season 25, Episode 10 ("Combat Fatigue"): "The squad is on edge as Carisi waits for a verdict in Maddie's kidnapping case; Benson tries to help the Flynn family pick up the pieces of their broken life."

SVU's latest served as an emotional conclusion to Maddie Flynn's story. Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and the squad were in full confidence of Brouchard's guilt, but they still had to prove it within a court of law. 

SVU's "Combat Fatigue" started with a Manson-esque twist on 12 Angry Men, except fans know the defendant did it. It all began with a high-strung jury meeting, with all the votes reading guilty...except for one insisting on Brouchard's innocence. After the tally was read aloud, the jury groaned with frustration; this was an outcome they'd reached several times before. Juror 8, a young woman, eventually confessed it was she who voted not guilty. 

Cut to the ruling of Brouchard's trial, where the jury found him guilty. But what happens when the bad guy wants to poll the jury? Nothing good. Juror 8 instantly spoke up, telling the judge she was coerced to change her ruling. She also loudly proclaimed Brouchard's innocence after smiling his way.

The outburst instantly created courtroom pandemonium and a forced recess, leading Carisi (Peter Scanavino) to learn the juror was seduced by Brouchard during the trial. With a compromised juror, the squad was back at square one with building a case against him. Even worse, Brouchard leveraged the snafu to legally represent himself during the retrial, meaning he'd have the chance to cross-examine Benson and his victims. 

One of the biggest upsets of this development is how it continued to placate the Flynn family, with Maddie forced to testify not once but twice. Fortunately, this gave the young girl the opportunity to come clean about some gaps in her testimony — she revealed to Benson that while she was drugged and held captive by Brouchard, he made sexual contact with her. Maddie apologized for not saying something sooner, but she was fearful of what her parents would think. With the ability to add a sex crime charge to the kidnapping trial, Carisi was able to pick up speed.

Brouchard's independent legal representation proved to be short-sighted, as he toyed with his victims and objected to virtually all questioning surrounding his actions. Despite some setbacks involving Maddie developing attachments to her kidnapper, Carisi was able to build a case insisting on Brouchard's guilt. The court waited with bated breath as the jury read the final ruling: guilty. When asked if he'd like the jury to be polled again, Brouchard refused, seemingly accepting his fate.

"Combat Fatigue" saw several SVU guest performances, notably the Flynn family, including Allison Elaine as Maddie Flynn, Leslie Fray as her mother, Eileen Flynn, and Zack Robidas as her father, Peter Flynn. Patrick Carroll also returned as the sinister SVU villain George Brouchard. 

RELATED: Law & Order: SVU Season 25 - Premiere Date, Cast, Details

New episodes of Law & Order: SVU are available to stream at 6 a.m. ET the day after they air on NBC.com and Peacock.