First episode showing Olivia speaking fluent Italian. Mariska Hargitay speaks 5 languages fluently: English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Hungarian.
According to Captain Cragen, Detective Stabler has been involved in six officer involved shootings. Four of them were fatal shootings: Detective Brad Kendall in season four's Risk (2003), a Chinese gangster in season six's Debt (2004), Christopher Rawlings in season seven's Raw (2005) and, of course, Jenna Fox in season twelve's Smoked (2011). The two non-fatal shootings Stabler was involved in were Ray Schenkel in season seven's Demons (2005) and Owen Cassidy in season eleven's Sugar (2009).
When Rollins meets Benson for the first time, she tells her that she studied Benson's files on the Brown infant homicide case. This is a reference to season four's Mercy (2003)
Mariska Hargitay now gets the "starring" billing in the opening credits.