Original Air Date: May 13, 2008
Teleplay by Judith McCreary, directed by David Platt
Additional Cast:
Deidre Lovejoy (Penelope Fielding), Victoria Cartagena (Celina Cruz), Jack Gwaltney (Bill Jensen), Anthony Ruiz (Hector Hernandez), Robert Turano (Wesley Meadows), Viola Davis (Donna Emmett), Torsten Hillhouse (Det. Dave Foster), Lawrence Ballard (Bret Smith), Philip Levy (Off. Fineman), Eva Kaminsky (Mary Kralik)
Reviewing the Case:
Under suspicion in the shooting death of a cop linked to the decade-old rape and murder of an adolescent Brooklyn girl, Chester Lake goes rogue. His Manhattan SVU squad is divided on how to react. Stabler treats him like a perp; Fin keeps trying to help his enigmatic new partner. Anxious to see justice done, Novak skirts the law. In this season finale, there are a lot of jobs on the line.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Angry about how Stabler has been treating Lake, Tutuloa says: “That makes for a good cop but a lousy human being. You will still be the same old rat-bastard tomorrow.” Lake and a private investigator named Penelope Fielding have gone to Philadelphia to attend a meeting of the Vidocq Society, a real-life organization that revisits unsolved crimes.
Relevant Testimony:
“Our (high) rate of closure on the show is a fantasy. The resources aren’t available. In real life, police don’t have enough cars. I know of cops in Manhattan and Brooklyn who have to travel to crime scenes by bus.”—Judith McCreary
SEASON TEN
September 2008-June 2009
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), Michaela McManus (ADA Kim Greylek)
Recurring Cast:
Stephanie March (ADA Alexandra Cabot), Mike Doyle (Forensic Tech Ryan O’Halloran), Noel Fisher (CSU Tech Dale Stuckey), Amir Arison (Dr. Manning), Joanna Merlin (Judge Lena Petrovsky), Edelen McWilliams (CSU Tech Martin), Allison Siko (Kathleen Stabler), Joel de la Fuente (TARU Tech Ruben Morales)
SEASON TEN OVERVIEW:
After a decade of watching a favorite TV show, the characters should read like an open book. Surprise, surprise. The show’s introductory cast shot isn’t the only thing to change this year (though it features, from left to right: Michaela McManus, B.D. Wong, Tamara Tunie, Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, and Ice-T, all standing in front of desks). Instead,
SVU
’s tenth season is full of new details, anomalies, and a sort of what-goes-around-comes-around karma.
Det. Elliot Stabler has an estranged mother! And she’s got the family crazy gene! Not only that, the detective has links to NASA and even named his son after an old Marine pal who’s since become a legendary astronaut.
Det. Olivia Benson, haunted by her near-rape from season nine, finally seeks psychiatric help. In real life, the actress is twice hospitalized for a partially collapsed lung in early 2009, later telling
People.com
that she was injured doing her own stunts. She misses one full episode (“Baggage”) while recuperating.
Perhaps strangest of all, former ADA Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March) returns for a six-episode arc, despite the fact that she was forced to accept a second round of witness protection in “Ghost” (season six). This contemporary switcheroo is precipitated by one of those revolving doors endemic to all Law & Order shows: Actress Michaela McManus, who began playing ADA Kim Greylek in September 2008, abruptly departs. In fiction, the excuse is that she has been recalled to the Justice Department in D.C. by the new administration (presumably President Barack Obama’s). Real life seems to have been more complicated. Showrunner Neal Baer describes the McManus fare-thee-well as “a mutual decision. Sometimes, the part and the actor don’t mesh.”
Casey Novak—the ADA played by Diane Neal from 2001 to 2008, when the character crossed an ethical line—remains “disbarred for at least a year,” according to Baer.
A network decision apparently prevails when only two fresh episodes air in May, an all-important “sweeps” month in which big ratings hopefully draw big bucks from advertisers. Baer says NBC wanted the season finale as a strong lead-in for Conan O’Brien’s June debut as
The Tonight Show
replacement for Jay Leno, who then becomes the host of a new talkfest every week night at 10 in September. At that point
SVU
moves to 9 P.M. each Wednesday.
Is Baer OK with his series taking a less drama-friendly time slot? “Sure,” he insists. “It’s always on at 9 in Chicago and Denver. And we’re much beloved there.”
An even thornier dilemma was shaping up as a true cliffhanger, however. With both Hargitay and Meloni negotiating for salary increases, NBC Universal threatened to replace them rather than give into their demands. But all was well by the official start of summer and, with his two lead actors once again on board, Baer envisions a continuum for the future: “We’ll still be exploring travesties of the human psyche.”
Meanwhile, one such travesty ends season ten with the departure of a long-time recurring cast member, whose character meets a sad fate at the hands of the strangest duck ever to be hired by the City of New York. The same finale, “Zebras,” offers another quirky situation when one of Munch’s many ex-wives—last seen in
Homicide: Life on the Street
during the late 1990s—reappears. Plot-wise, this gambit means the popular detective, too often consigned by the writers to just a few lines of witty dialogue, has an opportunity to stretch.
In the previous SVU episode, “Liberties,” there’s a fleeting reference to Munch’s “girl.” This particular Man in Black may be a Man in Love.
In early June, there was an announcement that Stephanie March signed on for another ten episodes in season eleven while the show seeks a permanent ADA. “I have no clue what I will be doing,” says March, “but likely it will include getting reprimanded by a judge and losing a fair number of cases.”
Ratings Recap for Season:
6.8 rating / 11 share / 10,251,000 viewers
EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS
Episode 203: Trials
Original Air Date: September 23, 2008
Teleplay by Dawn DeNoon, directed by David Platt
Additional Cast:
Julie Bowen (Gwen Sibert), Jae Head (Christopher Ryan), Mary Beth Evans (Dr. Eichenberry), Sara Gilbert (Caitlyn Ryan), Luke Perry (Noah Sibert), Julia Knight (Emily Johannsen), Lisa Strum (Tonya Majeski), Carolyn Morrison (Natalie Clay), Walter Masterson (Jayden Bierce), Peter Dylan Richards (Dietrich Strauss)
Reviewing the Case:
Noah and Gwen Sibert are at their wits’ end with foster child Christopher, who “escapes” from them by stealing a van. But when Benson realizes Christopher’s biological mother Caitlyn was part of a rape case she oversaw, she visits the victim and convinces her to try getting her son back. That’s when it all starts to unravel, as Noah becomes a linchpin in not just Caitlyn’s rape—but several others, some quite close to home.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Eager-beaver ADA Kim Greylek shows up ready for work, telling Stabler she’s made a “lateral move” from the Office of Violence Against Women in D.C., where she was known as “The Crusader.” Benson is having flashbacks to her prison assault from last season (“Undercover”) and goes to a therapist. Stabler’s credit card is “borrowed”—by his daughter Kathleen’s boyfriend. Tutuola learns his transfer won’t go through because the officer in charge of allowing transfers has a beef with him.
Episode 204: Confession
Original Air Date: September 30, 2008
Teleplay by Judith McCreary, directed by Arthur W. Forney
Additional Cast:
Teri Polo (Dana Kelley), Marshall Allman (Eric Byers), Stephen Schnetzer (Dr. Engles), Ned Eisenberg (Roger Kressler), Ann James (Dr. Jane Larom), Caren Browning (CSU Capt. Judith Siper), Tom Noonan (Jake Berlin), Josh Charles (Sean Kelley), Kristen Pozanski (Lisa Deering), Gabe Duran (Frank Deering), Aaron Mayer (Cory Kelley)
Reviewing the Case:
A teen confesses pedophilic longings for his young stepbrother, which tears his family apart—his stepfather seems homicidal and mother is a basket case. Detectives are also led to the one “friend” the teen found on the Internet: The owner of a Web site (PediaPhax) devoted to helping pedophiles restrain their actions while indulging their desires with pictures online. But then the teen runs away from home and turns up brutally murdered and there’s no shortage of suspects.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Stabler is suspended without pay after beating up Jake, the owner of the PediaPhax Web site, who posts a photo of the detective’s daughter, Kathleen, on the pages.
Episode 205: Swing
Original Air Date: October 14, 2008
Teleplay by Amanda Green, directed by David Platt
Additional Cast:
Ellen Burstyn (Bernie Stabler), Isabel Gillies (Kathy Stabler), Fiona Dourif (Nikki), Steven Flynn (Mr. Foster), Lizette Carrion (ADA Kristen Torres), Harvey Atkin (Judge Alan Ridenour), CCH Pounder (Carolyn Maddox), Sarah Bennett (Ronda Foster), Deep Katdare (Dr. Parrell)
Reviewing the Case:
When Stabler’s daughter Kathleen begins exhibiting wild behavior (including breaking into a house, showering, and stealing jewelry), her father is at first reluctant to admit she might be bipolar (as the doctors say she is). But after speaking to his mother, who has never before been seen on the show, he understands how the illness travels in families—and the real key is to get Kathleen to accept her diagnosis before she is sent to jail.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
Stabler’s mom Bernie is a piece of work: She lives in Long Beach and raised her children in a wild, unstable environment (she “chased snowflakes” once in a New York City blizzard, wrecked the car, and broke young Elliot’s arm). However, she’s a devoted mother and shows Benson a photo of the future detective (who she insists wanted to be an architect) dressed as a carrot for a Thanksgiving play.
Episode 206: Lunacy
Original Air Date: October 21, 2008
Teleplay by Daniel Truly, directed by Peter Leto
Additional Cast:
James Brolin (Col. Richard Finley), Danny Mastrogiorgio (McTeer), Dane DeHaan (Vincent Beckwith), Annika Boras (Leslie Schuster), Kristina Klebe (Marga Janssen), Betty Buckley (Attorney Collette Walsh), Chris Elliott (Anton Thibodaux), Fiona Dourif (Nikki)
Reviewing the Case:
When an astronaut is found dead in the Hudson, detectives seek help from Stabler’s old mentor, another astronaut named Dick Finley—the namesake of Stabler’s youngest child. But as rivalries (and stalkers) within the space organization are revealed, attention turns to an unexpected source, and the detective has to take it on the chin.
Noteworthy Discoveries:
This episode is covered in great detail in Chapter 26, “Diary: A Week in the Life of an Episode.”
Episode 207: Retro
Original Air Date: October 28, 2008
Teleplay by Jonathan Greene, story by Joshua Kotcheff and Jonathan Greene, directed by Peter Leto
Additional Cast:
Martin Mull (Dr. Gideon Hutton), Paula Malcomson (Susan Ross), Aidan Mitchell (Tommy Ross), Babs Olusanmokun (Mr. Marong), Austin Lysy (Russell Hunter), Peter McRobbie (Judge Walter Bradley), Richard Joseph Paul (Jack Luftin), Viola Davis (Donna Emmett), Donna Murphy (Dr. Raye Massey), Samantha Ryan Maisano (Roberta Nolan), Jessica Pimentel ( Joanne Suarez), Chris Rivaro (Daniel Ramirez)
Reviewing the Case:
A renegade doctor disputes the existence of AIDS, claiming it is a drug company conspiracy, and so treats his patients with unusual cures, which leads to the death of a young girl. Meanwhile, her mother is also an AIDS-denier (despite having HIV) and is also blamed for the death of her child. But has she been lying to everyone, including her older son?
Noteworthy Discoveries:
This is Viola Davis’ seventh appearance on
SVU
as defense attorney Emmett; the veteran actress went on to score her first Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Academy Award nomination for
Doubt
shortly after her appearance here.
Episode 208: Babes
Original Air Date: November 11, 2008
Teleplay by Daniel Truly, directed by David Platt
Additional Cast:
Jesse McCartney (Max Matarazzo), John Cullum (Judge Barry Moredock), Geoff Wigdor (Dizzer), Bridget Barkan (Sara), David Thornton (Lionel Granger), Frederick Strother (Judge Milton Siburt), Philip Ettinger (Alec Bernardi), Jessica Varley (Fidelia Vidal), Ray Abruzzo (Gordon Vidal), Kathrine Narducci (Adrianna Vidal), Michael Badalucco (Tom Galli), Britt Robertson (Tina Bernardi), Debi Mazar (Peggy Bernardi)