The midseason return of NBC hit show Law and Order: SVU aired on Wednesday night with an enticing midseason opener and the new episodes scheduled to air in the coming weeks are even more intense.

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During Wednesday's episode Pattern Seventeen, the members of New York's special victims unit investigate a serial rapist whose M.O. is very similar to a case that Detective Rollins worked on back when she worked in Atlanta.

After Rollins are the rest of squad put the clues together, they are forced to go a manhunt to catch the predator before he strikes again.

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After the perp is caught, Rollins calls Captain Patton at the Atlanta precinct to let him know the good news.

The bad news surrounding the case is that viewers quickly learn that the captain at the Atlanta office may not be the kind of hero people think he is.

In the next episode, Detective Rollins' past is revealed and based on the exclusive sneak peek, things get messy very fast.

Captain Patton is put on trail for an alleged rape, and it looks like Rollins may be the only piece of evidence that leads to the real truth.

In the new episode, Detective Rollins will be forced to relive her past in order to send her former tormentor away forever.

SVU is one of the most watched shows on NBC. Viewers can watch brand new episodes every Wednesday night at 9/8 c on NBC.

Tags: Law And Order SVU Law and Order Season 16 Dick Wolf mariska hargitay nbc