It’s official: We are Dun Dun with a historic Season 25 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and it was an emotional journey.

SVU has kept viewers on the edge of their seats for more than two decades with gripping cases and larger-than-life investigators dedicated to seeing justice served. Leading the charge has been the dynamite Olivia Benson (played by the legendary Mariska Hargitay), joined by a powerhouse cast of detectives.

The milestone season was packed with mystifying cases, heartfelt storylines, and nostalgic nods to early SVU episodes, making Season 25 a treat for fans old and new.

Who was in the Season 25 cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit?

Benson Welcomes Captain Curry to the Squad | Law & Order: SVU | NBC

What happened in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 25?

Season 25 of SVU opened with Benson witnessing the kidnapping of a teenager, Maddie Flynn (Allison Elaine). Despite Benson’s keen instincts, the missing person’s case was a challenge as they faced several twists and turns during the search. Luckily, Benson had Curry and Sykes to put some heat on the investigation.

After more missing girls were connected to Flynn’s case, the squad discovered a disturbing sex trafficking network. It took nearly the full season, but Benson returned Maddie home and arrested her assailant after a dramatic courtroom showdown.

There were several other tantalizing cases along the way.

A runaway bride case ushered the return of SVU legend Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish). On her first day off after leaving her teaching job, she teamed up with her BFF Benson to successfully crack that case. Later, Benson learned Sykes’ passion for missing person cases was fueled by the 20-year-old cold case of her kidnapped sister, whose body was never found. After rummaging through mildew-infested files and relaunching that investigation, Benson arrested the killer, tracked down several bodies, and gave closure to her colleague and several traumatized families.

Benson’s long-running tenure on the force came into play as she started therapy to work through the trauma of her workplace, dredging up painful memories of her own kidnapper William Lewis (Pablo Schreiber). Die-hard SVU fans enjoyed several flashbacks to acclaimed episodes, like when Benson reunited with the girl she saved in Season 7 (“911”). Decades after the rescue, Benson was delighted to learn that the little girl grew up to become a cop.

Additionally, she made headway with her adopted son, Noah (Ryan Buggle), after finally telling the story of his biological father, the villainous Johnny D (Charles Halford).

It was a chapter of growth and healing for Benson, inspired by a gift she received from Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) in Law & Order: Organized Crime‘s Season 3 finale — a compass necklace designed to lead her to happiness. This summary would be remiss without addressing the elephant in the squad room: Did Benson brush paths with Stabler in Season 25?

Yes, but no. Benson and Stabler played a mind-boggling game of phone tag throughout Season 4 of OC and Season 25 of SVU. Both busy with their respective investigations, the former SVU partners struggled to reach each other on the phone, leaving heartfelt voicemails for the other to hear.

Luckily, in the Season 25 finale (“Duty to Hope”), Benson and Stabler finally got on the phone together and enjoyed a wholesome chat about Benson’s healing.