Noteworthy Discoveries:
Novak assaults the director of a privatized juvenile detention center and Benson warns she might have to arrest her.
Relevant Testimony:
“The truth is worse than our fiction. It’s stunning the depravity that exists out there; we can’t fully portray it on network TV. We have to shake that stuff off because we’ve got a job to do. But in order to educate people, we do it with gallows humor. It helps to have a funny cast and crew.”—David Platt
Episode 187: Savant
Original Air Date: October 16, 2007
Teleplay by Judith McCreary, directed by Kate Woods
Additional Cast:
Aidan Quinn (Ben Nicholson), Judy Kuhn (Corrine Nicholson), Paulina Gerzon (Katie Nicholson), Vincent Spano (FBI Agent Dean Porter), Jayne Atkinson (Assistant U.S. Attorney Marion Springer), Peter Riegert (Chauncey Zierko), Geraldine Hughes (Tina Parven), Josh Caras (Alex Parven), Robert Clohessy (Joel Parven), David Andrew MacDonald (Dr. Gerald Morgan), John Henry Cox (Judge Trenton), Kathleen Tipton (Jordana Weitz), Robert Kim (Paul Wei), Lia Yang (Ursula Wei), Julie White (Dr. Anne Morella)
Reviewing the Case:
The bedroom of Corinne Nicholson was a remarkably busy place on the night of the beating that leaves her with retrograde amnesia. All three people in question can be quoted verbatim by her daughter Katie, a savant with super-sensitive hearing. The prime suspect is her father Ben, a biochemical engineer doing clandestine work for the government that shields him from SVU detectives. After many double-crosses, the conclusion is fierce.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Cragen tells Novak, “The Patriot Act trumps rape and attempted murder every time.” She later observes: “That convoluted piece of legislation isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.” Jayne Atkinson, formerly a White House terrorism expert on the Fox series
24
, portrays a terrorism-wary Fed.
Relevant Testimony:
“Paulina Gerzon is very much not a savant, just a great actor. She had done ‘Serendipity’ (season five). . . . Writer Judy McCreary sent me videos from a fundraiser held to heighten awareness about it and a
60 Minutes
piece on Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism. Paulina has an angular, elfish quality and the right sort of energy. She agreed to do the show before even reading the script.”—Jonathan Strauss, casting director
Episode 188: Harm
Original Air Date: October 23, 2007
Teleplay by Josh Singer, directed by Peter Leto
Additional Cast:
Steven Weber (Attorney Matthew Braden), Elizabeth McGovern (Dr. Faith Sutton), Liz Morton (Kate Simes), Elaine Bromka (Arlene Simes), Patrick Page (Jack Rexton), Jennifer Van Dyck (Dr. Kelly Alvin), Marjan Neshat (Mrs. Abbas), Jarreth Merz (Haroun Abbas), Audrie Neenan (Judge Lois Preston), Libya Pugh (Women’s Refugee Coalition Center Director), Lou Martini Jr. (Robert Solomon), Leon Addison Brown (Clifton Mitchell), Karen Shallo (Paula Deeks), Jules Hartley (Jackie Solomon), Eddie Furs (Manny Jaworski), Kevin Cutts (Off. Louie Velchik)
Reviewing the Case:
A profound ethical debate runs though much of “Harm,” an engrossing episode that provides no easy answers. The murder of Kate Simes, an Arabic speaker who volunteered at a refugee center, winds back to Iraq. A cab driver from Baghdad is also dead from a sudden shock, a result of the post-9/11 interrogation by U.S. mercenaries that ruined his health. Complicity goes on trial, as M.E. Warner challenges a respected psychiatrist who sees torture as a necessary evil.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Stabler concedes that nine out of ten instances of police coercion are counterproductive. When a defense attorney quips that Novak might even want to indict the Secretary of Defense (then Donald Rumsfeld), she mutters, “Don’t tempt me.” An Abu Ghraib photo is introduced into evidence. A scene of torture victims from various countries testifying has a stark documentary quality.
Relevant Testimony:
“I pushed myself visually in that scene. I thought of
Reds
(Warren Beatty’s 1981 feature, which includes interviews with genuine elderly radicals). On
SVU
, they were speaking in their native tongues and the stories were all true. One woman from the Philippines was a survivor of the Marcos regime. She was a Muslim and they’d starve her and then offer only pork. We wanted to make the audience pay attention; we wanted it to really sink in about how America has been treating people from other nations. The country was still thinking you’re unpatriotic to speak out, but you’ve got to stand up for the things you believe in.”—Peter Leto
Episode 189: Svengali
Original Air Date: November 11, 2007
Teleplay by Kam Miller, directed by David Platt
Additional Cast:
Beverly D’Angelo (Attorney Rebecca Balthus), Jared Harris (Robert Morton), Shannon Marie Woodward (Cecilia Strayer), Alex Organ (Damien), Mitchell Jarvis (Jasper Grace), Margaret Devine (Susan Goodman), Kerisse Hutchinson (Lashena Reynolds), Samantha Jacobs (Tina Snow), Gareth Saxe (Harrison Thomas), Justin Blanchard (Edgar Rabinowicz), Adam Heller (Ed Brown), Alexandra Rhodie (Jann Brown)
Reviewing the Case:
Are there really noir fantasy clubs for people in retro finery staged in filthy abandoned subway stations? That’s the passing conceit of this episode, which is actually about a sexually demented serial killer doing eight life terms in prison yet still manipulating his many fans. Revered for his “outsider art” (work by people not part of mainstream society), he’s almost as sinister a villain as Hannibal Lecter thanks to a riveting portrayal by Jared Harris. Otherwise, “Svengali” is bursting at the seams with improbabilities.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
When Lake knows about a defunct platform under the Waldorf-Astoria, Tutuola muses that the Mohawks probably built New York’s subway system as well as its above-ground structures.
Episode 190: Blinded
Original Air Date: November 13, 2007
Teleplay by Jonathan Greene, directed by David Platt
Additional Cast:
John Cullum (Attorney Barry Moredock), Arye Gross (Saul Picard), Sam Waterston (DA Jack McCoy), Heather Braverman (Sabrina Farmer), Sylvia Kauders (Anna), Anne James (Dr. Jane Larom), Howard W. Overshown (Lt. Shea), Daniel Cantor (Special Agent Nelson), Diane Cossa (Dr. Merrins), Sam Riley (Uni Bruny), Joseph Vincent Gay (Uni Walker), Cassady Leonard (Eve Holland)
Reviewing the Case:
This episode adds physical turmoil to the heap of emotional stress Stabler endured in season eight. His sight is reduced to blurred images after an escaping suspect bonks him in the head. Although the perp from Louisiana has kidnapped and raped eleven-year-old girls, he’s a schizophrenic acting out a childhood trauma rather than a genuine pedophile. Novak bends the law, defies the FBI, and joins forces with a defense attorney. Cragen’s not happy, but when is he ever? “Blinded” ultimately depicts a paradox, the perfect
SVU
conclusion.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Novak’s onetime fiancé Charlie attacked her when he stopped taking his anti-psychotic meds. She had the charges dropped but he later died after walking into traffic. The defense attorney refers to her “new boss” Jack McCoy, the Mother Ship regular who’s displeased with the way she’s handling the case.
Relevant Testimony:
“The idea was that (the death penalty for child rape) has just been approved by the Louisiana Supreme Court and they’re going to need a test case. . . . Right now in Louisiana, as far as I know, you can charge someone who rapes a child with a capital crime and that’s a really important question.”—Jonathan Greene
(AUTHORS’ NOTE: In June 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional for a child rapist to be sentenced to death if there’s no murder involved.)
Episode 191: Fight
Original air date
:
November 20, 2007
Teleplay by Mick Betancourt, directed by Juan J. Campanella
Additional Cast:
Steve Earle (Prison Teacher), Coco Nicole Austin (Traci Bell), Gaius Charles (Jadon Odami), Adina Porter (Janelle Odami), Forrest Griffin (Mike Kona), Lenny Venito (Terry Donovan), Arlen Escarpeta (Ezra Odami), Anwan Glover (James McDonnell), Josh Clayton (Dan Duebler), Stephanie Lee Andujar (Latrice Munez)
Reviewing the Case:
A murdered teenage girl leads first to the world of mixed martial arts (with which Lake has more than a passing connection), then to a racist fraternity and its two brothers of color, one of whom confesses to the crime. But Lake’s further inquiries cause him and Stabler to question the motives behind the confession. When gangs get involved, it turns out the victim was in deeper, darker territory than she could ever have known. Plus, there’s a particularly gruesome death by trash compactor not to be missed.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Lake was known as “Naptime” when he participated in amateur mixed martial arts, but was sidelined by an injury. He also came up in the foster care system, and has an almost-didn’t-make-it-as-a-cop story similar to a Stabler tale of woe. Additionally, there’s a new power couple on the set—and it isn’t Mariska Hargitay/Peter Hermann: Ice-T’s wife Coco returns as the gold-digging fiancée of an ultimate fighter, and has some amusing scenes with her hubby. And finally, singer Steve Earle puts in a brief performance as the prison teacher.
Relevant Testimony:
“Ice and me, we rehearsed at home. He’s a good coach and helps me out . . . I did theater when I was in school, and I learned from my mother because she’s an actress herself. I have a little background.”—Coco
“I don’t think she got one bad review. Everybody said she did a good job, so it made my household happy, and I had a good time with her.”—Ice-T
Episode 192: Paternity
Original air date
:
November 27, 2007
Teleplay by Amanda Green, directed by Kate Woods
Additional Cast:
Mark Valley (Jake Keegan), Anastasia Griffith (Leah Keegan), Lawrence Saint-Victor (Paramedic Jackson), Steven Bauer (Raphael Gardner), Isabel Gillies (Kathy Stabler), Matthew Nicklaw (Matt Kramer), Thomas Langston (Tommy Keegan), Korey Jackson (Gilbert Matthews)
Reviewing the Case:
A little boy lost is only the start of an investigation into a murdered nanny looking for love on the Internet, but also to the revelation that he and his father don’t share the same DNA. Dad kills Mom and plans to commit suicide until Stabler intercedes—leaving Benson to transport a very pregnant Kathy Stabler to a doctor’s appointment. But the two women are in a terrible car accident, and the baby decides it’s time to come out, ready or not. It’ll be up to everyone but Stabler to make sure the child arrives safely in this gripping, ultimately moving episode.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
The Stablers live at 72-12 Castle-side Street, Glenoaks, Queens. The new baby is named Elliot, Jr.
Relevant Testimony:
“We figured let’s have the other woman in his life deliver Kathy’s baby. When we screened that episode in the editing room, everyone was startled by the auto accident. They didn’t see it coming.”—Neal Baer, executive producer
Episode 193: Snitch
Original air date
:
December 4, 2007
Teleplay by Mark Goffman, directed by Jonathan Kaplan
Additional Cast:
Method Man (Dennis King), Steven Weber (Matthew Braden), Gloria Reuben (ADA Bureau Chief Christine Danielson), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Chuckwei Bothame), Tracy Middendorf (Sarah Flint), Muna Otaru (Almani Bothame), Julie White (Dr. Anne Morella), Justin McCarthy (Adam Clayton Powell), Aixa Kendrick (Mira Otame), Frank Pando (Jesse Bleyer), Yasha Jackson (Courtney Williams)
Reviewing the Case:
What seems like a case of witness intimidation by a local thug against the only person who’ll come forward to testify against him unearths Nigerian cultural customs, including female circumcision and polygamy. And while much energy is expended by the cops—and new ADA Bureau Chief Danielsen—to make sure their witness and his family remain safe, the real threat apparently comes from within in this fast-moving, timely story that nevertheless dodges the real problem of modern witness intimidation.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Stabler’s stable of beauties continue to pile up: While separated from Kathy he briefly saw Agent Courtney Williams in Immigration. Wu-tang Clan member Method Man is suitably intimidating as the thug in question, while Gloria Reuben (
ER
) is a welcome addition to the district attorney’s office.
Episode 194: Streetwise
Original air date
:
January 1, 2008