Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The Unofficial Companion (47 page)
Read Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The Unofficial Companion Online
Authors: Susan Green,Randee Dawn
Relevant Testimony:
“I was desperately homesick for New York when I wrote that, so when Cabot talks mournfully about the Mister Softee song, that was me missing Mister Softee in Santa Monica. We have one in my neighborhood in Pasadena that just doesn’t play the song.”—Amanda Green
Episode 133: Rage“I was desperately homesick for New York when I wrote that, so when Cabot talks mournfully about the Mister Softee song, that was me missing Mister Softee in Santa Monica. We have one in my neighborhood in Pasadena that just doesn’t play the song.”—Amanda Green
Original Air Date: March 1, 2005
Teleplay by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, directed by Juan J. Campanella
Additional Cast:
Matthew Modine (Gordon Rickett), Anne Pitoniak (Mrs. Larsen), Michele Santopietro (Linda Cusick), Anthony Inneo (Antoine), Barbara Rosenblatt (Nurse), Ashley Lopez (Emily Barrington)
Matthew Modine (Gordon Rickett), Anne Pitoniak (Mrs. Larsen), Michele Santopietro (Linda Cusick), Anthony Inneo (Antoine), Barbara Rosenblatt (Nurse), Ashley Lopez (Emily Barrington)
Reviewing the Case:
The usual
SVU
format—discovery of a crime in the teaser, police investigation, courtroom showdown—is abandoned in favor of an intimate drama. At times, the dialogue almost seems as if it had been written by Samuel Beckett. Instead of
Waiting for Godot
, the squad is waiting for a confession when Stabler interrogates Gordon Rickett, a suspected serial rapist who slipped through the system’s cracks fourteen years earlier.
The usual
SVU
format—discovery of a crime in the teaser, police investigation, courtroom showdown—is abandoned in favor of an intimate drama. At times, the dialogue almost seems as if it had been written by Samuel Beckett. Instead of
Waiting for Godot
, the squad is waiting for a confession when Stabler interrogates Gordon Rickett, a suspected serial rapist who slipped through the system’s cracks fourteen years earlier.
Relevant Testimony:
“Plays are very much dialogue, whereas TV and film are action-driven. So on this type of episode, the only thing you have to keep the drama going is the words. You can’t blow up a car. . . . We read a lot of actual interview transcripts to understand the rhythms and how detectives try to trap people with their own words.”—Michele Fazekas
Episode 134: Pure“Plays are very much dialogue, whereas TV and film are action-driven. So on this type of episode, the only thing you have to keep the drama going is the words. You can’t blow up a car. . . . We read a lot of actual interview transcripts to understand the rhythms and how detectives try to trap people with their own words.”—Michele Fazekas
Original Air Date: March 8, 2005
Teleplay by Dawn DeNoon, directed by Aaron Lipstadt
Additional Cast:
Martin Short (Sebastian Ballentine), Charlayne Woodard (Sister Peg), Marianne Hagan (Mrs. Sellers), Mary Mara (Carlene Ballentine), Taylor Spreitler (Chloe Sellers), David Deblinger (Harlan Beaumont), Adam Kulbersh (Det. Ben Suarato), Luke Robertson (Jake Ostrander), Dina Pearlman (Mindy Mayhern), Nicole Guidetti (Bernadette), Ben Mostyn (Off. Kivlahan), Monica K. Ross (Suzie), Lou Savarese (Off. Baxter), Molly Bea Spears (Kaley Sellers)
Martin Short (Sebastian Ballentine), Charlayne Woodard (Sister Peg), Marianne Hagan (Mrs. Sellers), Mary Mara (Carlene Ballentine), Taylor Spreitler (Chloe Sellers), David Deblinger (Harlan Beaumont), Adam Kulbersh (Det. Ben Suarato), Luke Robertson (Jake Ostrander), Dina Pearlman (Mindy Mayhern), Nicole Guidetti (Bernadette), Ben Mostyn (Off. Kivlahan), Monica K. Ross (Suzie), Lou Savarese (Off. Baxter), Molly Bea Spears (Kaley Sellers)
Reviewing the Case:
Martin Short’s comedic skills are set aside in his role as Sebastian, a purported psychic trying to help the SVU solve the disappearance of Kaley Sellers. The teenager’s mother bypasses the detectives in hiring him to find her daughter. Stabler thinks he’s a charlatan; Benson’s not quite so sure. But Kaley had some dark secrets, including an attempt to sell her virginity to the highest bidder on a website. And Sebastian’s wife reveals that wedded bliss was never evident in their marriage.
Martin Short’s comedic skills are set aside in his role as Sebastian, a purported psychic trying to help the SVU solve the disappearance of Kaley Sellers. The teenager’s mother bypasses the detectives in hiring him to find her daughter. Stabler thinks he’s a charlatan; Benson’s not quite so sure. But Kaley had some dark secrets, including an attempt to sell her virginity to the highest bidder on a website. And Sebastian’s wife reveals that wedded bliss was never evident in their marriage.
Relevant Testimony:
“We had Martin Short in mind (when we wrote this script). We had to find something that would be fun. . . . Neal (Baer) and I met with him, had lunch at Spago, and it was so great. We had a few ideas, so it was looking into what would stretch him the most. I’d never seen him do an evil character before, because he’s so likable.”—Dawn DeNoon
Episode 135: Intoxicated“We had Martin Short in mind (when we wrote this script). We had to find something that would be fun. . . . Neal (Baer) and I met with him, had lunch at Spago, and it was so great. We had a few ideas, so it was looking into what would stretch him the most. I’d never seen him do an evil character before, because he’s so likable.”—Dawn DeNoon
Original Air Date: March 29, 2005
Teleplay by Jonathan Greene, directed by Marita Grabiak
Additional Cast:
Cathy Moriarty (Denise Eldridge), Danielle Panabaker (Carrie Eldridge), Glenne Headly (Attorney Simone Bryce), Stephen Gregory (Dr. Beresford), William H. Burns (Off. Robbins), Saundra McClain (Principal), Stephanie Cozart (Marissa Tatro), Bruce Turk (Neighbor), Nat deWolf (Trooper Linden), Lee Camp (Bart), Jennifer Abrams (Nomi), Jon Foster (Justin Sharp)
Cathy Moriarty (Denise Eldridge), Danielle Panabaker (Carrie Eldridge), Glenne Headly (Attorney Simone Bryce), Stephen Gregory (Dr. Beresford), William H. Burns (Off. Robbins), Saundra McClain (Principal), Stephanie Cozart (Marissa Tatro), Bruce Turk (Neighbor), Nat deWolf (Trooper Linden), Lee Camp (Bart), Jennifer Abrams (Nomi), Jon Foster (Justin Sharp)
Reviewing the Case:
In 1980’s
Raging Bull
, actress Cathy Moriarty portrayed the trophy wife of an abusive boxer. On
SVU
twenty-five years later, she’s a raging alcoholic mother who insists that her adolescent daughter’s older boyfriend should be charged with statutory rape. Before the dust settles, the kids are on the run, leaving mom’s bludgeoned body behind. “Premenstrual dysphoric disorder” may be a factor, according to a defense attorney. Blame it on the blood flow.
Episode 136: NightIn 1980’s
Raging Bull
, actress Cathy Moriarty portrayed the trophy wife of an abusive boxer. On
SVU
twenty-five years later, she’s a raging alcoholic mother who insists that her adolescent daughter’s older boyfriend should be charged with statutory rape. Before the dust settles, the kids are on the run, leaving mom’s bludgeoned body behind. “Premenstrual dysphoric disorder” may be a factor, according to a defense attorney. Blame it on the blood flow.
Original Air Date: May 3, 2005
Teleplay by Amanda Green, story by Amanda Green and Chris Levinson, directed by Arthur W. Forney and Juan J. Campanella
Additional Cast:
Angela Lansbury (Eleanor Duvall), Alfred Molina (Gabriel Duvall), Rita Moreno (Mildred Quintana), David Thornton (Lionel Granger), Bebe Neuwirth (ADA Tracey Kibre), Kirk Acevedo (DA Investigator Hector Salazar), Fred Dalton Thompson (DA Arthur Branch), Bradley Cooper (Jason Whitaker), Anya Migdal (Nina Zergin), Stelio Savante (Milan Zergin), Lou Ferguson (Beauclaire), Marlyne N. Afflack (Sarah Miller)
Angela Lansbury (Eleanor Duvall), Alfred Molina (Gabriel Duvall), Rita Moreno (Mildred Quintana), David Thornton (Lionel Granger), Bebe Neuwirth (ADA Tracey Kibre), Kirk Acevedo (DA Investigator Hector Salazar), Fred Dalton Thompson (DA Arthur Branch), Bradley Cooper (Jason Whitaker), Anya Migdal (Nina Zergin), Stelio Savante (Milan Zergin), Lou Ferguson (Beauclaire), Marlyne N. Afflack (Sarah Miller)
Reviewing the Case:
When the rape of a young Haitian woman with a bad heart causes her death, the crime is linked to a series of similar attacks. The plight of poor, undocumented immigrants in America is treated with great compassion. In counterpoint, the wealthy come under fire, specifically the unhinged son of a well-connected matriarch who’ll do anything to get him off the hook. His bizarre personality puzzles the detectives. Things don’t go especially well for the justice system until the story continues in a crossover episode on the short-lived
Law & Order: Trial by Jury
.
When the rape of a young Haitian woman with a bad heart causes her death, the crime is linked to a series of similar attacks. The plight of poor, undocumented immigrants in America is treated with great compassion. In counterpoint, the wealthy come under fire, specifically the unhinged son of a well-connected matriarch who’ll do anything to get him off the hook. His bizarre personality puzzles the detectives. Things don’t go especially well for the justice system until the story continues in a crossover episode on the short-lived
Law & Order: Trial by Jury
.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Angela Lansbury, nominated for an Emmy, appears as a character not unlike her coldly calculating mother in 1962’s
The Manchurian Candidate
. Rita Moreno, here an activist for refugees, later portrays Detective Goren’s schizophrenic mom on
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
.
Angela Lansbury, nominated for an Emmy, appears as a character not unlike her coldly calculating mother in 1962’s
The Manchurian Candidate
. Rita Moreno, here an activist for refugees, later portrays Detective Goren’s schizophrenic mom on
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
.
Relevant Testimony:
“We wanted one of those fantastic grand dames . . . Angela Lansbury’s such a huge star, but Charlie Engel (NBC Universal executive vice-president for programming) had worked closely with her on
Murder, She Wrote
. So he broke the ice for us.”—Jonathan Strauss, casting director
Episode 137: Blood“We wanted one of those fantastic grand dames . . . Angela Lansbury’s such a huge star, but Charlie Engel (NBC Universal executive vice-president for programming) had worked closely with her on
Murder, She Wrote
. So he broke the ice for us.”—Jonathan Strauss, casting director
Original Air Date: May 10, 2005
Teleplay by Patrick Harbinson, directed by Felix Enriquez Alcala
Additional Cast:
Melinda Dillion (Jenny Rogers), Matt Schulze (Kevin Rogers), Christine Elise McCarthy (Carol Rogers), Brian Gant (Jake Lumet), J. Paul Nicholas (Attorney Linden Delroy), Réal Andrews (Sgt. Ray Crawford), Lauren Hodges (Samantha Beavans), Rafael Sardina (Naldo)
Melinda Dillion (Jenny Rogers), Matt Schulze (Kevin Rogers), Christine Elise McCarthy (Carol Rogers), Brian Gant (Jake Lumet), J. Paul Nicholas (Attorney Linden Delroy), Réal Andrews (Sgt. Ray Crawford), Lauren Hodges (Samantha Beavans), Rafael Sardina (Naldo)
Reviewing the Case:
A security camera has documented a woman beaten outside a club and the subsequent injuries to an infant tossed out of her hijacked car. That leads to a perp named Jake, though his accomplice’s face is obscured. But why was the baby left alone in the vehicle? And why are doses of oxycodone prescribed for slightly senile Jenny Rogers being sold on the street? Moreover, why does she insist on protecting her dysfunctional son and daughter-in-law?
A security camera has documented a woman beaten outside a club and the subsequent injuries to an infant tossed out of her hijacked car. That leads to a perp named Jake, though his accomplice’s face is obscured. But why was the baby left alone in the vehicle? And why are doses of oxycodone prescribed for slightly senile Jenny Rogers being sold on the street? Moreover, why does she insist on protecting her dysfunctional son and daughter-in-law?
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Everyone refers to Melinda Dillon’s Jenny as a “little old lady,” despite the fact that she’s still quite a babe. When Stabler’s daughter Kathleen is arrested for DUI, he makes the charge go away. Cragen asks him: “How many times do you think you can break the rules and get away with it?” After six seasons of similar shenanigans, the answer apparently is “indefinitely.”
Episode 138: PartsEveryone refers to Melinda Dillon’s Jenny as a “little old lady,” despite the fact that she’s still quite a babe. When Stabler’s daughter Kathleen is arrested for DUI, he makes the charge go away. Cragen asks him: “How many times do you think you can break the rules and get away with it?” After six seasons of similar shenanigans, the answer apparently is “indefinitely.”
Original Air Date: May 17, 2005
Teleplay by David Foster
,
directed by Matt Earl Beesley
,
directed by Matt Earl Beesley
Additional Cast:
Marlee Matlin (Amy Solwey), Glenn Kessler (Leon Shragewitz), Marc Grapey (Russ Bianco), Kevin Carroll (James McGovern), Alex Burns (Mark Mogan), Tyler James Williams (Kyle McGovern), Isiah Whitlock Jr. (NTCC Representative), Amir Arison (Dr. Ghupta)
Marlee Matlin (Amy Solwey), Glenn Kessler (Leon Shragewitz), Marc Grapey (Russ Bianco), Kevin Carroll (James McGovern), Alex Burns (Mark Mogan), Tyler James Williams (Kyle McGovern), Isiah Whitlock Jr. (NTCC Representative), Amir Arison (Dr. Ghupta)
Reviewing the Case:
This episode begins with semen in the throat of a severed head. From there the story spirals into a fish market’s worth of red herrings: The victim returned from a tour of duty in Iraq with an injury that led her to heroin as a painkiller and prostitution to support the habit. But she was stalked by a lovelorn Orthodox Jewish butcher. Eventually, it all comes down to an illicit scheme to supply surgeons with transplant organs. This tragedy encompasses two very sick people awaiting kidneys: Amy Solwey, last seen in season five’s “Painless,” and a little boy whose father resorts to desperate measures.
This episode begins with semen in the throat of a severed head. From there the story spirals into a fish market’s worth of red herrings: The victim returned from a tour of duty in Iraq with an injury that led her to heroin as a painkiller and prostitution to support the habit. But she was stalked by a lovelorn Orthodox Jewish butcher. Eventually, it all comes down to an illicit scheme to supply surgeons with transplant organs. This tragedy encompasses two very sick people awaiting kidneys: Amy Solwey, last seen in season five’s “Painless,” and a little boy whose father resorts to desperate measures.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Stabler poses as a morgue worker to deliver a corpse to a suspect. Munch crosses the line in his compassion—perhaps even passion?—for Amy Solwey. A debate about the country’s organ donation system hits all the ethical, medical and legal viewpoints.
Stabler poses as a morgue worker to deliver a corpse to a suspect. Munch crosses the line in his compassion—perhaps even passion?—for Amy Solwey. A debate about the country’s organ donation system hits all the ethical, medical and legal viewpoints.
Relevant Testimony:
“Clearly, Munch falls for her, and that was implicit in the script. . . . She said she’s gotten more reaction from that (episode) than anything she’s done, and she’d like to come back, so we’re working on that. Keep your fingers crossed.”—Richard Belzer
“(I’d return to
SVU
) in a heartbeat.”—Marlee Matlin
Episode 139: GoliathSVU
) in a heartbeat.”—Marlee Matlin
Original Air Date: May 24, 2005
Teleplay by Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, directed by Peter Leto
Additional Cast:
Fred Dalton Thompson (DA Arthur Branch), Gina Tognoni (Off. Kristen Vaill), William Ullrich (Anthony Myers), Brian Hutchison (Off. Wes Myers), Stuart Burney (Colonel Gage), Julian Gamble (Koehler), Jon Bernthal (Sherm Hempell), R.E. Rodgers (Off. Tommy Callahan), John Dossett (Dr. P. Trainer)
Fred Dalton Thompson (DA Arthur Branch), Gina Tognoni (Off. Kristen Vaill), William Ullrich (Anthony Myers), Brian Hutchison (Off. Wes Myers), Stuart Burney (Colonel Gage), Julian Gamble (Koehler), Jon Bernthal (Sherm Hempell), R.E. Rodgers (Off. Tommy Callahan), John Dossett (Dr. P. Trainer)
Reviewing the Case:
When
SVU
takes on the U.S. military in the midst of a war, sparks are sure to fly. In this episode, two former soldiers now working as police become homicidal and suicidal. Both served with the same unit in Afghanistan, where the Army administered an experimental drug to protect troops against malaria but without their informed consent. The vets who suffer continuing side effects such as paranoia are considered collateral damage.
When
SVU
takes on the U.S. military in the midst of a war, sparks are sure to fly. In this episode, two former soldiers now working as police become homicidal and suicidal. Both served with the same unit in Afghanistan, where the Army administered an experimental drug to protect troops against malaria but without their informed consent. The vets who suffer continuing side effects such as paranoia are considered collateral damage.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
The story draws on actual 2002 murder-suicides at Fort Bragg by soldiers given a similar drug in Afghanistan. Stabler was a Marine fighting in Operation Desert Storm. Novak’s father, we learn, earned a Purple Heart in Vietnam.
The story draws on actual 2002 murder-suicides at Fort Bragg by soldiers given a similar drug in Afghanistan. Stabler was a Marine fighting in Operation Desert Storm. Novak’s father, we learn, earned a Purple Heart in Vietnam.
Relevant Testimony:
“I was a little nervous. I had visions of a knock on the door and being taken away. We had real reporting, real facts, the real cover-up. It went to the highest levels of government.”—Peter Leto
“We made Novak’s father a Vietnam vet. My father was a gunner on a Huey in Vietnam. Tara’s father was in the Big Red One unit there. We’re children of veterans and that’s why we felt completely fine about writing this episode. . . . We had a tabloid reporter refer to Munch and Novak as ‘Scully and Mulder.’ That was a little bit of a shout-out for us. And Belzer had been Munch once on
The X-Files
.”—Michele Fazekas who along with writing partner Tara Butters formerly worked on
The X-Files
.
SEASON SEVENThe X-Files
.”—Michele Fazekas who along with writing partner Tara Butters formerly worked on
The X-Files
.
September 2005−May 2006
Regular Cast:
Christopher Meloni (Det. Elliot Stabler), Mariska Hargitay (Det. Olivia Benson), Richard Belzer (Det. John Munch), Ice-T (Det. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola), Dann Florek (Capt. Donald Cragen), Tamara Tunie (M.E. Melinda Warner); B.D. Wong (Dr. George Huang), Diane Neal (ADA Casey Novak)
Christopher Meloni (Det. Elliot Stabler), Mariska Hargitay (Det. Olivia Benson), Richard Belzer (Det. John Munch), Ice-T (Det. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola), Dann Florek (Capt. Donald Cragen), Tamara Tunie (M.E. Melinda Warner); B.D. Wong (Dr. George Huang), Diane Neal (ADA Casey Novak)
Season seven cast, from l.-r.: Diane Neal, B.D. Wong, Dann Florek, Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Tamara Tunie, Richard Belzer
Recurring Cast:
Fred Dalton Thompson (DA Arthur Branch); Judith Light (Judge Elizabeth Donnelly); Audrie Neenan (Judge Lois Preston); Joanna Merlin (Judge Lena Petrovsky), Stephen Gregory (Dr. Kyle Beresford), Joel de la Fuente (TARU Tech Ruben Morales), Paula Garcés (CSU Tech Millie Vizcarrondo), Mike Doyle (Forensics Tech Ryan O’Halloran), Caren Browning (CSU Capt. Judith Siper)
Fred Dalton Thompson (DA Arthur Branch); Judith Light (Judge Elizabeth Donnelly); Audrie Neenan (Judge Lois Preston); Joanna Merlin (Judge Lena Petrovsky), Stephen Gregory (Dr. Kyle Beresford), Joel de la Fuente (TARU Tech Ruben Morales), Paula Garcés (CSU Tech Millie Vizcarrondo), Mike Doyle (Forensics Tech Ryan O’Halloran), Caren Browning (CSU Capt. Judith Siper)
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