Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The Unofficial Companion (53 page)
Read Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The Unofficial Companion Online
Authors: Susan Green,Randee Dawn
Reviewing the Case:
FBI Agent Porter, who has switched from domestic terrorism to “sexual offender fugitive apprehension,” asks Benson to disclose her brother Simon’s whereabouts. It’s been two months since he disappeared at the end of “Philadelphia” earlier this season, and New Jersey detective Julia Millfield’s still obsessed with tracking him down. Benson’s obsessed with understanding if the father she never knew was indeed a rapist as she has always believed. This packed-to-the-gills story is a tangle of incest, sexual assault, drug use, alcoholism, depression, and suicide.
FBI Agent Porter, who has switched from domestic terrorism to “sexual offender fugitive apprehension,” asks Benson to disclose her brother Simon’s whereabouts. It’s been two months since he disappeared at the end of “Philadelphia” earlier this season, and New Jersey detective Julia Millfield’s still obsessed with tracking him down. Benson’s obsessed with understanding if the father she never knew was indeed a rapist as she has always believed. This packed-to-the-gills story is a tangle of incest, sexual assault, drug use, alcoholism, depression, and suicide.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Cragen to Benson, who has just repeatedly kicked a suspect: “I have had it with your crap.” Ordered to go home, she snaps at Stabler: “Oh, the poster boy for rage is going to tell me how to control my anger?” In a lighter moment, Benson (born in 1967) later admits that in high school she “had feathered hair and wore acid-washed jeans.”
Cragen to Benson, who has just repeatedly kicked a suspect: “I have had it with your crap.” Ordered to go home, she snaps at Stabler: “Oh, the poster boy for rage is going to tell me how to control my anger?” In a lighter moment, Benson (born in 1967) later admits that in high school she “had feathered hair and wore acid-washed jeans.”
Relevant Testimony:
“(For Benson,) it’s not a question of wanting to create somebody who has misery, it’s wanting to create somebody who wants to know why they are who they are. Though this was (her) personal story, there was also a crime involved, and I think as long you keep your eyes on the road you’re not going to crash. And as far as I’m concerned we haven’t just kept out eyes on the road, we’ve been paving it as we go along.”—Jonathan Greene
Episode 181: Annihilated“(For Benson,) it’s not a question of wanting to create somebody who has misery, it’s wanting to create somebody who wants to know why they are who they are. Though this was (her) personal story, there was also a crime involved, and I think as long you keep your eyes on the road you’re not going to crash. And as far as I’m concerned we haven’t just kept out eyes on the road, we’ve been paving it as we go along.”—Jonathan Greene
Original Air Date: May 8, 2007
Teleplay by Amanda Green, directed by Peter Leto
Additional Cast:
Dylan Walsh (Malcolm Royce), Kelly Deadmon (Lindsay Royce), John Douglas Thompson (Mel Cantor), Paolo Montalban (Wahid), Reade Kelly (Bud Yellin), Annie McGreevey (Janet Yellin), Paul Urcioli (CIA Off. Chase), Rachel Stern (Millie Lefkowtiz), Lucas Delvasto (Tyler Royce)
Dylan Walsh (Malcolm Royce), Kelly Deadmon (Lindsay Royce), John Douglas Thompson (Mel Cantor), Paolo Montalban (Wahid), Reade Kelly (Bud Yellin), Annie McGreevey (Janet Yellin), Paul Urcioli (CIA Off. Chase), Rachel Stern (Millie Lefkowtiz), Lucas Delvasto (Tyler Royce)
Reviewing the Case:
Malcolm Royce, who leads a double life, is the most likely perp in the murder of a bride-to-be. He’s already got a wife named Lindsay and three kids in Staten Island, but kept his mistress at bay by pretending to be a covert CIA agent. There’s also a
Desperate Housewives
-like scenario when Lindsay and a divorced friend vent about the frustrations of suburban existence, where things soon go from frustrating to deadly.
Malcolm Royce, who leads a double life, is the most likely perp in the murder of a bride-to-be. He’s already got a wife named Lindsay and three kids in Staten Island, but kept his mistress at bay by pretending to be a covert CIA agent. There’s also a
Desperate Housewives
-like scenario when Lindsay and a divorced friend vent about the frustrations of suburban existence, where things soon go from frustrating to deadly.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Munch, after pinpointing the suspect’s home via a satellite image: “Aren’t we lucky Big Brother’s watching us from outer space?” Stabler’s daughter Kathleen warns him: “We’re your family, not some booty call.” Nonetheless, he and his wife re-consummate their marriage—male partial buttock alert!
Munch, after pinpointing the suspect’s home via a satellite image: “Aren’t we lucky Big Brother’s watching us from outer space?” Stabler’s daughter Kathleen warns him: “We’re your family, not some booty call.” Nonetheless, he and his wife re-consummate their marriage—male partial buttock alert!
Relevant Testimony:
“I wanted (Stabler) naked in that scene and figured what better place to see than his rear end? NBC has a two-inch crack rule.”—Peter Leto
Episode 182: Pretend“I wanted (Stabler) naked in that scene and figured what better place to see than his rear end? NBC has a two-inch crack rule.”—Peter Leto
Original Air Date: May 15, 2007
Teleplay by Dawn DeNoon, directed by David Platt
Additional Cast:
Barry Bostwick (Oliver Gates), Misti Traya (Cassandra Sullivan), Michael Welch (Scott Heston), Ylfa Edelstein (Sonia Briglund), Patricia Kelember (Judge Taten), Peter McRobbie (Judge Walter Bradley), Clark Middleton (Landlord), Scott Sowers (Tim), Tibor Feldman (Dr. Cohen)
Barry Bostwick (Oliver Gates), Misti Traya (Cassandra Sullivan), Michael Welch (Scott Heston), Ylfa Edelstein (Sonia Briglund), Patricia Kelember (Judge Taten), Peter McRobbie (Judge Walter Bradley), Clark Middleton (Landlord), Scott Sowers (Tim), Tibor Feldman (Dr. Cohen)
Reviewing the Case:
The title of this episode, about a girl grasping for eternal youth, could just as easily be “Deluded.” A boy’s death while “extreme fighting” is quickly attributed to his classmate Scott Heston, only sixteen and claiming to be clinically depressed. But petite, innocent-looking Cassandra Sullivan is at the center of a romantic triangle that somehow sparked the tragedy. There’s a bombshell regarding her identity, as she turns into one creepy chick.
Episode 183: ScrewedThe title of this episode, about a girl grasping for eternal youth, could just as easily be “Deluded.” A boy’s death while “extreme fighting” is quickly attributed to his classmate Scott Heston, only sixteen and claiming to be clinically depressed. But petite, innocent-looking Cassandra Sullivan is at the center of a romantic triangle that somehow sparked the tragedy. There’s a bombshell regarding her identity, as she turns into one creepy chick.
Original Air Date: May 22, 2007
Teleplay by Judith McCreary, directed by Arthur W. Forney
Additional Cast:
Adam Beach (Det. Chester Lake), Steven Weber (Matthew Braden), Chris “Ludacris” Bridges (Darius Parker), Vincent Spano (FBI Agent Dean Porter), Lindsay Hamilton (Teresa Randall), Peter Gerety (Judge Harrison), Judith Light (Judge Elizabeth Donnelly), Michael Weston (Simon Marsden), Ernest Waddell (Ken Randall), John Schuck (Chief of Detectives), Nancy Grace (Herself), Star Jones (Herself)
Adam Beach (Det. Chester Lake), Steven Weber (Matthew Braden), Chris “Ludacris” Bridges (Darius Parker), Vincent Spano (FBI Agent Dean Porter), Lindsay Hamilton (Teresa Randall), Peter Gerety (Judge Harrison), Judith Light (Judge Elizabeth Donnelly), Michael Weston (Simon Marsden), Ernest Waddell (Ken Randall), John Schuck (Chief of Detectives), Nancy Grace (Herself), Star Jones (Herself)
Reviewing the Case:
Darius Parker, the son of Tutuola’s ex-wife Teresa, is accused of murder and the courtroom becomes a confessional for the entire SVU. A disgruntled former colleague targets Cragen. Benson is under fire for giving money to her brother Simon when he was a fugitive. Fin’s record as a narc is questioned. Judge Donnelly recuses herself from the trial because she knows how Stabler helped his daughter Kathleen beat a 2005 DUI rap. On TV, Nancy Grace and Star Jones debate Novak’s prosecutorial skills.
Darius Parker, the son of Tutuola’s ex-wife Teresa, is accused of murder and the courtroom becomes a confessional for the entire SVU. A disgruntled former colleague targets Cragen. Benson is under fire for giving money to her brother Simon when he was a fugitive. Fin’s record as a narc is questioned. Judge Donnelly recuses herself from the trial because she knows how Stabler helped his daughter Kathleen beat a 2005 DUI rap. On TV, Nancy Grace and Star Jones debate Novak’s prosecutorial skills.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Tutuola, a cop for twenty-two years, was twice suspected of sampling the merchandise while an undercover narc. But he explains that in each instance he merely got a contact high. Kathleen Stabler’s in for a big, nasty surprise regarding a previous DUI charge that had been erased. Det. Chester Lake returns to help out while the squad is immersed in chaos.
Tutuola, a cop for twenty-two years, was twice suspected of sampling the merchandise while an undercover narc. But he explains that in each instance he merely got a contact high. Kathleen Stabler’s in for a big, nasty surprise regarding a previous DUI charge that had been erased. Det. Chester Lake returns to help out while the squad is immersed in chaos.
Relevant Testimony:
“I wanted to explore chickens coming home to roost. A lot of shit these cops have been doing they haven’t paid for. Benson committed a felony; she should’ve been kicked off the force and gone to prison. I also wanted someone to unmask all the secrets—that’s what the defense attorney does. It’s possible to show a jury that sometimes a cop’s behavior suits his or her whim when it applies to their own families.”—Judith McCreary
SEASON NINE“I wanted to explore chickens coming home to roost. A lot of shit these cops have been doing they haven’t paid for. Benson committed a felony; she should’ve been kicked off the force and gone to prison. I also wanted someone to unmask all the secrets—that’s what the defense attorney does. It’s possible to show a jury that sometimes a cop’s behavior suits his or her whim when it applies to their own families.”—Judith McCreary
September 2007-May 2008
Regular Cast:
Christopher Meloni (Det. Elliot Stabler), Mariska Hargitay (Det. Olivia Benson), Richard Belzer (Det. John Munch), Ice-T (Det. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola), Adam Beach (Det. Chester Lake); 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), Adam Beach (Det. Chester Lake); Dann Florek (Capt. Donald Cragen), Tamara Tunie (M.E. Melinda Warner); B.D. Wong (Dr. George Huang), Diane Neal (ADA Casey Novak)
Recurring Cast:
Isabel Gillies (Kathy Stabler), Allison Siko (Kathleen Stabler), Joel de la Fuente (TARU Tech Ruben Morales), Mike Doyle (Forensics Tech Ryan O’Halloran), Caren Browning (CSU Capt. Judith Siper), Joanna Merlin (Judge Lena Petrovsky), Peter McRobbie (Judge Walter Bradley), David Lipman (Judge Arthur Cohen)
Isabel Gillies (Kathy Stabler), Allison Siko (Kathleen Stabler), Joel de la Fuente (TARU Tech Ruben Morales), Mike Doyle (Forensics Tech Ryan O’Halloran), Caren Browning (CSU Capt. Judith Siper), Joanna Merlin (Judge Lena Petrovsky), Peter McRobbie (Judge Walter Bradley), David Lipman (Judge Arthur Cohen)
SEASON NINE OVERVIEW:
After several seasons of relative stability within ranks, season nine made Det. Chester Lake (Adam Beach) a regular, partnering the hunky squad member with Fin—thus dialing back Det. Munch’s appearances considerably—only to yank the new guy out permanently at the end of the season, which also saw the departure of the longest-running ADA in Law & Order franchise history: Diane Neal’s Casey Novak. Those surprises aside, it was a season of extremes, with several overly fanciful storylines, including a very underground sex party, retrograde amnesia, Stabler’s near-blinding, and Benson’s abduction and near-rape. Nevertheless, the season proved remarkably strong as it hit its 200th episode (with a turn by Robin Williams at its center) and effectively moving, particularly when Benson has to help an injured Kathy Stabler deliver the family’s latest addition—under the greatest of duress possible. All of this led to three Emmy nominations for
SVU
performers, with a possible second statuette in the offing for Mariska Hargitay; Cynthia Nixon picked up a guest Emmy for her role on the season’s lead-off episode, “Alternate.”
After several seasons of relative stability within ranks, season nine made Det. Chester Lake (Adam Beach) a regular, partnering the hunky squad member with Fin—thus dialing back Det. Munch’s appearances considerably—only to yank the new guy out permanently at the end of the season, which also saw the departure of the longest-running ADA in Law & Order franchise history: Diane Neal’s Casey Novak. Those surprises aside, it was a season of extremes, with several overly fanciful storylines, including a very underground sex party, retrograde amnesia, Stabler’s near-blinding, and Benson’s abduction and near-rape. Nevertheless, the season proved remarkably strong as it hit its 200th episode (with a turn by Robin Williams at its center) and effectively moving, particularly when Benson has to help an injured Kathy Stabler deliver the family’s latest addition—under the greatest of duress possible. All of this led to three Emmy nominations for
SVU
performers, with a possible second statuette in the offing for Mariska Hargitay; Cynthia Nixon picked up a guest Emmy for her role on the season’s lead-off episode, “Alternate.”
Season nine cast, from l.-r.: Richard Belzer, Christopher Meloni, Tamara Tunie, B.D. Wong, Diane Neal, Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Adam Beach, Dann Florek
Ratings Recap for Season:
9.3 rating /17 share / 13,499,000 viewers
EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS9.3 rating /17 share / 13,499,000 viewers
Episode 184: Alternate
Original Air Date: September 25, 2007
Teleplay by Neal Baer and Dawn DeNoon, directed by David Platt
Additional Cast:
Cynthia Nixon (Janis Donovan), Bronson Pinchot (Dr. Henry Carlisle), Laura Allen (Cass Magnall), Stephen Spinella (Morgan), Joe Grifasi (Heshy Horowitz), Quincy Tyler Bernstine (Sheri Simkins), Amy Tribbey (Penny Taylor), Tamela Aldridge (Carla Sexton), Katy Grenfell (Mrs. Lynde), Donnetta Lavinia Grays (Off. Ramirez)
Cynthia Nixon (Janis Donovan), Bronson Pinchot (Dr. Henry Carlisle), Laura Allen (Cass Magnall), Stephen Spinella (Morgan), Joe Grifasi (Heshy Horowitz), Quincy Tyler Bernstine (Sheri Simkins), Amy Tribbey (Penny Taylor), Tamela Aldridge (Carla Sexton), Katy Grenfell (Mrs. Lynde), Donnetta Lavinia Grays (Off. Ramirez)
Reviewing the Case:
“Dissociative identity disorder” dominates this episode, which centers on a Museum of Natural Science arachnologist who ensnares the SVU in her web of multiple personalities. A missing baby heightens the tension, but eventually incest and murder become the issues. Cynthia Nixon gives a bravura, Emmy-winning performance as a gal with many dimensions.
“Dissociative identity disorder” dominates this episode, which centers on a Museum of Natural Science arachnologist who ensnares the SVU in her web of multiple personalities. A missing baby heightens the tension, but eventually incest and murder become the issues. Cynthia Nixon gives a bravura, Emmy-winning performance as a gal with many dimensions.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Benson returns from suspension, just as Cragen is temporarily reassigned for supporting his many wayward detectives in season eight. Munch, who took the sergeant’s exam the previous year on a lark, finds himself appointed commanding officer. We’re reminded that he was shot in the derriere by a white supremacist in “Raw” (season seven).
Benson returns from suspension, just as Cragen is temporarily reassigned for supporting his many wayward detectives in season eight. Munch, who took the sergeant’s exam the previous year on a lark, finds himself appointed commanding officer. We’re reminded that he was shot in the derriere by a white supremacist in “Raw” (season seven).
Relevant Testimony:
“There are case studies in law journals about when you can put an alternate (personality) on trial just because they’re in the same body as the person who committed the crime. That just fascinated me.”—Neal Baer, executive producer
“I was so thrilled to appear on
Law & Order: SVU
. I read all about multiple personalities—it was such a juicy part!”—Cynthia Nixon (as told to reporter Cameron Rose)
Episode 185: AvatarLaw & Order: SVU
. I read all about multiple personalities—it was such a juicy part!”—Cynthia Nixon (as told to reporter Cameron Rose)
Original Air Date: October 2, 2007
Teleplay by Paul Grellong, directed by Peter Leto
Additional Cast:
Kevin Tighe (Julian Cooper), Florencia Lozano (Lauren Molby), Christina Brucato (Rachel McGarrett), Richard Short (Eric Winton), Teddy Bergman (Nestor Buchanan), Ryan Lynn (Dan Friedich), Lisa Joyce (Kristi McGarrett), John Hickok (Mr. McGarrett), Lou Martini Jr. (Robert Solomon), Paul Klementowicz (Tobin Willis), Doan Ly (Anne Bentley), Anne James (Dr. Jane Larom)
Kevin Tighe (Julian Cooper), Florencia Lozano (Lauren Molby), Christina Brucato (Rachel McGarrett), Richard Short (Eric Winton), Teddy Bergman (Nestor Buchanan), Ryan Lynn (Dan Friedich), Lisa Joyce (Kristi McGarrett), John Hickok (Mr. McGarrett), Lou Martini Jr. (Robert Solomon), Paul Klementowicz (Tobin Willis), Doan Ly (Anne Bentley), Anne James (Dr. Jane Larom)
Reviewing the Case:
The abduction of Rachel McGarrett isn’t linked to her boyfriend’s involuntary nocturnal lust: “sexsomnia” to Dr. Huang and “sleepsexing” to Stabler. Instead, she has become the victim of a grotesque predator attracted by her racy virtual-reality persona in an online game. He’s also behind the disappearance of a fifteen-year-old a quarter-century earlier. “Avatar” is a somewhat far-fetched exercise in a high-tech world.
The abduction of Rachel McGarrett isn’t linked to her boyfriend’s involuntary nocturnal lust: “sexsomnia” to Dr. Huang and “sleepsexing” to Stabler. Instead, she has become the victim of a grotesque predator attracted by her racy virtual-reality persona in an online game. He’s also behind the disappearance of a fifteen-year-old a quarter-century earlier. “Avatar” is a somewhat far-fetched exercise in a high-tech world.
Relevant Testimony:
“The diagnosis turned up in our medical research as a way into the story, but I didn’t want to use (sexsomnia) for the whole episode. . . . I had to familiarize myself with virtual reality, but I do read a lot about technology. I thought it would be great to have our detectives solving one crime in two worlds at once.”—Paul Grellong
Episode 186: Impulsive“The diagnosis turned up in our medical research as a way into the story, but I didn’t want to use (sexsomnia) for the whole episode. . . . I had to familiarize myself with virtual reality, but I do read a lot about technology. I thought it would be great to have our detectives solving one crime in two worlds at once.”—Paul Grellong
Original Air Date: October 9, 2007
Teleplay by Jonathan Greene, directed by David Platt
Additional Cast:
Melissa Joan Hart (Sarah Trent), Kyle Gallner (Shane Mills), Annie Potts (Sophie Devere), Quincy Dunn-Baker (Mr. Trent), Austin Lysy (Russell Hunter), Elizabeth Keifer (Mrs. Mills), Richard Joseph Paul (Mr. Mills), Danny Rutigliano (David Feldron), David P. Conley (Earl Romaine), Robert Vincent Smith (Dr. Drucker), Liam McMullan (Ryan Bluth)
Melissa Joan Hart (Sarah Trent), Kyle Gallner (Shane Mills), Annie Potts (Sophie Devere), Quincy Dunn-Baker (Mr. Trent), Austin Lysy (Russell Hunter), Elizabeth Keifer (Mrs. Mills), Richard Joseph Paul (Mr. Mills), Danny Rutigliano (David Feldron), David P. Conley (Earl Romaine), Robert Vincent Smith (Dr. Drucker), Liam McMullan (Ryan Bluth)
Reviewing the Case:
A recent American trend—female teachers sexually involved with high school boys—gets a distinctive
SVU
spin, going in various unexpected directions. Kyle, just fifteen and suffering from gonorrhea, accuses educator Sarah Trent of seducing him two months earlier. She claims to be the victim of an unreported rape. Her subsequent abortion sets off a chain reaction, beginning with a husband angry about the procedure on moral grounds. A my-abnormal-brain-made-me-do-it defense is juxtaposed with the kind of illustrations regularly seen on rival CBS show
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
A recent American trend—female teachers sexually involved with high school boys—gets a distinctive
SVU
spin, going in various unexpected directions. Kyle, just fifteen and suffering from gonorrhea, accuses educator Sarah Trent of seducing him two months earlier. She claims to be the victim of an unreported rape. Her subsequent abortion sets off a chain reaction, beginning with a husband angry about the procedure on moral grounds. A my-abnormal-brain-made-me-do-it defense is juxtaposed with the kind of illustrations regularly seen on rival CBS show
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
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