Reviewing the Case:
Marilyn Nesbit is a super-creepy mom who turns paranoia into a parenting style that stifles her children—and mutates into murder. Novak decides that the trigger-puller is less guilty than the mother who poisoned his outlook on the world, and decides to put the parent on trial. But it will take a back-from-the-dead surprise witness to drive the final nail in the coffin of the prosecution’s case.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Onetime
That Girl
(ABC, 1966−1971) Marlo Thomas returns to television in the first of four appearances as “That Judge”—Novak’s friend and former boss; one of the
Designing Women
, Dixie Carter, also guests as the strident homeschool association lawyer.
Episode 108: Mean
Original air date: February 24, 2004
Teleplay by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, directed by Constantine Makris
Additional Cast:
Blair Brown (Lynne Riff), Robert Iler (Troy Linsky), David Thornton (Lionel Granger), Ned Eisenberg (Roger Kressler), Lindsay Hollister (Agnes Linsky), Kelli Garner (Brittany O’Malley), Zachary Knighton (Lukas Ian Croft), Shayna Ferm (Terri Welsh), Arielle Kebbel (Andrea Kent), Kimberly McConnell (Paige Summerbee), Brad Holbrook (Greg Sullivan), John Ahlin (Pat Linsky), Jake Robards (Assistant Medical Examiner Cardillo), Kimberly Ross (Sarah O’Malley), Elizabeth Fye (Shauna Goletz)
Reviewing the Case:
A young bully is found dead in the trunk of her car, and at first the obvious suspect is the target of the girl’s tormenting. But after a psych evaluation and the M.E.’s report come in, detectives turn their attention to the girl’s circle of so-called friends. Unfortunately, even a conviction isn’t enough to prevent yet another tragic twist in the tale.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Jake Robards, who makes a brief appearance, is the son of legendary actor Jason Robards. Robert Iler was thrust into the spotlight as the troubled son of a Jersey mob boss on HBO’s
The Sopranos
.
Episode 109: Careless
Original air date: March 2, 2004
Teleplay by Patrick Harbinson, directed by Steve Shill
Additional Cast:
Julie Hagerty (Mariel Plummer), CCH Pounder (Carolyn Maddox), Malinda Williams (Lori-Ann Dufoy), Cress Williams (Sam Dufoy), Jazz Raycole (Megan Rose), Keith Randolph Smith (Father Lucas Hendry), Michole Briana White (Tamara Semple), Stephen Schnetzer (Dr. Engles), Pilar Witherspoon (Julia Hynton), Sue-Anne Morrow (Dr. Angela Chuny), Steven G. Smith II (Jamie Semple)
Reviewing the Case:
A young boy dies in foster care and there’s no end of suspects, from a clueless church leader to the foster father who was in charge of him when he died, to his overburdened social worker. One of them ends up going to trial, but a witness hidden in a mental institution provides the ultimate answer everyone seeks.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Julie Hagerty is perhaps best known from her roles in the 1980 and 1982
Airplane!
movies. Meanwhile, Ice-T delivers a “cool” performance underscored by his roiling disillusion with the human race; he’s an overlooked, powerful actor.
Episode 110: Sick
Original air date: March 3, 2004
Teleplay by Dawn DeNoon, directed by David Platt
Additional Cast:
Cindy Williams (Nora Hodges), Philip Bosco (Judge Joseph P. Terhune), Peter Riegert (Chauncey Zierko), Jill Marie Lawrence (Cleo Conrad), Will Keenan (Billy Tripley), Madeleine Martin (April Hodges), Shane Haboucha ( J.J. Ostilow), James Colby (Jeremy Ostilow), Jennifer Van Dyck (Ann Ostilow), Nick Cubbler (Mitchell Edison), Ryan Simpkins (Lisette Ostilow), Tim Ewing (Jonas Haase)
Reviewing the Case:
A vengeful boy whose molestation was silenced with a payoff to his parents, who scoot him out of the country to avoid giving up their hush money, is linked to a physically ill young girl and her mentally unstable grandmother. Everyone in this episode is, indeed, sick. All of them circle around a Michael Jackson-esque man-boy who is nicknamed “the Teflon pedophile” for good reason.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Former
Laverne & Shirley
fans should appreciate seeing Cindy Williams pop up as the bad granny.
Relevant Testimony:
“There had been allegations about (Michael Jackson) that kind of went away, and someone who had done research into that, I knew that person, so I had some information that wasn’t even ripped from the headlines—just things that didn’t get into the trial because they couldn’t. The guy was named Billy, which is based on (Jackson’s hit song) ‘Billie Jean.’ A lot of times we go further from the (headlines) story, but in this one it seemed that justice needed to be done. Justice wasn’t done in the real arena, so I kept closer to the true story in this one than in most of them.”—Dawn DeNoon
Episode 111: Lowdown
Original air date: April 6, 2004
Teleplay by Robert Nathan, directed by Jud Taylor
Additional Cast:
Peter Riegert (Chauncey Zierko), Michael Beach (Andy Abbott), Bethany Butler (Maryellen Abbott), Romi Dias (Tina Gardner), Moet Meira (Belinda), David Aron Damane (DuShawn McGovern), Robert Jason Jackson (Jerome Adams), Roger Pretto (Francisco Martinez), Benton Greene (Terrence Baker), Curt Karibalis (Charlie Horner), Carlos Pizarro (Hector Alvarez), Dean Strange (Jeff York)
Reviewing the Case:
A group of black men gather each week for a sex party with each other, but tell their significant female others that it’s a poker game. Oh, and none believe they’re gay. Tutuola informs the SVU squad that it’s known as being on the “down low,” and is generally unique to black experience. It’s not necessarily illegal, but once HIV and a dead white Bronx ADA who wasn’t dealt a full hand get involved, there are no more secrets.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Benson dated the victim for a month five years ago, but broke it off due to no chemistry, though they did sleep together. That’s enough to give her an HIV scare, though she’s found to be negative.
Relevant Testimony:
“It’s funny when writers try to write slang. There’s this one show where they talked about the ‘down low’ and (Tutuola) has to explain what that is—black men who’re gay and can’t go home with it—and everybody looks at me: ‘A little too much information, Ice.’ And (as Tutuola) I go, ‘Don’t look at me, I just know stuff.’ I wrote that line. Because at the end of the day, I’m like, ‘How do I know so much damn information about this?’”—Ice-T
Episode 112: Criminal
Original air date: April 20, 2004
Teleplay by Jose Molina, directed by Alex Zakrzewski
Additional Cast:
James McDaniel (Javier Vega), Doug E. Doug (Rudy Lemcke), Michael Boatman (Dave Seaver), Zoe Saldana (Gabrielle Vega), Charlayne Woodard (Sister Peg), Joe Towne (Kyle Luhrmann), John C. Vennema (Ian Busch), Joanna Rhinehart (Kianna Lemcke), Triney Sandoval (Echevarria), Joey Diaz (Elijah Coney), Jason Marr (Dave)
Reviewing the Case:
When a professor is pinpointed as a suspect in an investigation of his student’s murder, Cragen recognizes the teacher as an ex-con he once prosecuted—and based on the strangulation M.O. appears back in business. But after a homeless witness steps forward, the captain has to look for the less-obvious perpetrator, who may not survive being outed as the killer.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
James McDaniel, formerly Lt. Fancy on
NYPD Blue,
turns in a powerful, emotional performance.
Episode 113: Painless
Original air date: April 27, 2004
Teleplay by Jonathan Greene, directed by Juan J. Campanella
Additional Cast:
Marlee Matlin (Dr. Amy Solwey), John Cullum (Barry Moredock), Sheila Tousey (Judge Danielle Larson), Peter McRobbie (Judge Walter Bradley), Karen Young (Christina Nerrit), John Robert Lupone (Brooks Harmon), Annie Campbell (Allison Nerrit), Peter Appel (Marvin Friedman), Richmond Hoxie (Dr. Ben Fletcher), Adam Kulbersh (C.C. Det. Ben Suarato)
Reviewing the Case:
Crying rape is an unusual way to cover a failed suicide attempt, but that’s what Christina Nerrit does when she’s discovered half-dead. She succeeds later at the hospital thanks to Internet friend Dr. Amy Solwey—a deaf woman with a terminal disease who’s devoted to helping the suicidal go quietly. During the legal battle that ensues, Munch identifies with Solwey’s struggle, and becomes a key factor in her will to survive.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Oscar-winner (the 1986 film
Children of a Lesser God
) Matlin receives an Emmy nomination for her performance in this episode, but the real crime is that Belzer—who delivers the most moving performance he’s had in this series when Munch reveals he was a boy when his father shot himself—did not receive a nod of his own. He knows of what he speaks, too; in real life Belzer’s father also committed suicide. (This may have been a canonical error, however; on
Homicide: Life on the Street
, Belzer’s father, a cop, was shot.)
Relevant Testimony:
“I remember watching Richard struggle with the scene (where Munch talks about his father’s suicide). I recall the producers saying that they had never had the chance to watch Richard dig so deep emotionally as they did in that scene and I remember Richard having a hard time with it at first. I figured there must have been some personal connection there and I believe he told me afterwards.”—Marlee Matlin
Episode 114: Bound
Original air date: May 4, 2004
Teleplay by Barbie Kligman, directed by Constantine Makris
Additional Cast:
Anthony Rapp (Dr. Matt Spevak), Jane Krakowski (Emma Spevak), Callie Thorne (Nikki Staines), Philip Bosco (Judge Joseph P. Terhune), Richard Easton (Richard Sutton), Daniel Pearce (Gary DeVaal), Isabel Glasser (Josette Brooks), Edmund Lyndeck (Marvin Zelmann), James A. Stephens (Harvey Cohen), Eunice Anderson (Alexis Sutton), Paul Urcioli (Eddie Wooding), Michael W. Howell (John Ridley), Mark Fairchild (Dr. David Brelsford), Gibson Frazier (Pat Fisher), Lisa Leguillou (Lisa DiMarco), Tara Greenway (Lori Smith), Diane Bradley (Estelle Garson), Trevor Jones (Ben Pawler)
Reviewing the Case:
After three older women are found strangled, detectives go to the common denominator: A caregiver service with an owner who has a gambling problem. But when yet another senior has a stroke just after apparently shooting the deadbeat owner, Benson and Stabler must do a little playacting to get to the perpetrator, who turns out to have been even more of a monster than they realized.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Novak needs a speedy motion signed by a friendly judge—and ends up in the midst of Judge Terhune’s poker match, which includes many other familiar justices from the
SVU
world.
Episode 115: Poison
Original air date: May 11, 2004
Teleplay by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, directed by David Platt
Additional Cast:
Tom Skerritt (Judge Oliver Taft), Barry Bostwick (Oliver Gates), Peter McRobbie (Judge Walter Bradley), Craig Wroe (James Woodrow), Cynthia Gibb (Karen Campbell), Rebecca Luker (Wendy Campbell), Sloane Momsen (Katie Campbell), Alicia Goranson (Rosalin Silvo), Sean Cullen (Pete Campbell), Matthew Sussman (Lawrence Alcott), Michael Goodwin (William Keldon), William Whitehead (Judge Phillip Wyler)
Reviewing the Case:
A seemingly easy abuse case in which a mother’s punishment that led to the brain-death of her adopted daughter ends up pitting Novak against autocratic Judge Oliver Taft. Novak’s subsequent investigation into his case history reveals he has sent an innocent woman to jail—and when the adoptee is smothered, Novak redeems her credibility while putting Taft on trial.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
There’s some excellent legal maneuvering in this episode, which explores the concept of judicial immunity and rights. There’s also a battle of magnificent gray heads between returnee Bostwick and Skerritt, who won a 1993 Emmy for
Picket Fences
.
Episode 116: Head
Original air date: May 18, 2004
Teleplay by Dawn DeNoon and Lisa Marie Petersen, directed by Juan J. Campanella
Additional Cast:
Amy Sedaris (Charlie Donato), Robert John Burke (Ed Tucker), Jill Marie Lawrence (Cleo Conrad), Diana Scarwid (Jackie Madden), Stacy Edwards (Meredith Rice), Tyler Hudson (Jason Rice), D.L. Shroder (Phil Gordon), Jenny Fellner (Cindy Bellamy), Chuck Montgomery (Vic Spinella), Brian Maillard (Gil Tanner), Elisabeth S. Rodgers (Vanessa Henderson), Oliver Solomon (Rudy Norwick), Mischa Kischkum (Fred Moynihan), Coco (Porn Queen), Jake Weary (Shane Madden), James Urbaniak (Wade Donato)