Law & Order SVU “Wednesday’s Child” Preview Clips

Here are preview clips from Law & Order SVU “Wednesday’s Child” which will air on Wednesday, February 5, 2014 at 9 PM ET on NBC. The previews feature Mariska Hargitay, Kelli Giddish, Danny Pino, and Ice-T.

Sorry all - NBC gave me the videos to use and has now decided to block them on YouTube. What a strange way to promote a show; their actions continue to baffle me.  I have replaced one of my videos with one uploaded by the NBC site PLUS I added another video NBC uploaded on Feb. 3rd. These video are likely not viewable worldwide.

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Wednesday’s Child” can be found at this link.











Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Congratulations to Sergeant Olivia Benson

Congratulations to the Special Victims Unit’s new Sergeant, Olivia Benson.

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Betrayal’s Climax” Recap & Review

Detective Olivia Benson officially became Sergeant Olivia Benson in “Betrayal’s Climax”.  She gets into “take charge” mode quickly when the SVU gets a case of a missing teenager, coupled with a possible robbery. The case leads them to a rape victim whose boyfriend is getting in deep with the BX9 gang. As a result of the investigation, they uncover a old gang murder and cause a new gang murder. This was a very well written story with excellent acting by Fiona Robert, probably one of the most convincing victims on the show in a long time.

Before SVU even starts working the case, there’s a subtle signal that something is up with Rollins. At Benson’s swearing in, Fin notices she’s jumpy and asks how much caffeine she has in her. I thought back to the late SVU ADA Sonya Paxton and her beverage of choice that we later found wasn’t always coffee. Maybe Rollins is developing a similar problem?  Will Rollins suffer from any after effects from not being able to talk Avery down from the ledge? Lucky for Rollins, she stalled for enough time for police to prepare for Avery’s fall. Will Benson have as much confidence in Rollins the next time someone needs to be talked down from suicide? In the future, maybe Benson will use the experts if the experts are available. Upon reflection, Benson may have asked herself “WWCD” (What Would Cragen Do)?

Amaro’s reputation of killing a 14 your old in the police involved shooting is following him, but he doesn’t seem to let it affect his work. But is he covering something regarding his status with Maria? We never do find out what the phone call between Benson and Maria was about (from the previous week’s episode). One of the title cards in this episode was marked as February 4th, and I believe the last title card noted in the previous episode was January 24. Does the length of time between these stories/cases mean that the phone call between Benson and Maria was nothing of significance as nothing obvious resulted from it? I find it annoying when something (such as the one sided phone call we heard with Benson) is thrown out there in one episode to stir interest and then dropped in the next. This is a pitfall with personal story lines.

Fin just works the case and does his job, seemingly having no issues to distract him from the task at hand. The SVU needs someone who has no obvious baggage to keep everyone else in line, and Fin serves that purpose well.

Barba must be slipping. When Manny is murdered in protective custody, Barba's first reaction is that Manny’s taped confession is inadmissible. Benson had to be the one to suggest a way to get the tape admitted. This seems very unlike Barba, who should be the first one to look for a legal angle to use the tape, not the other way around.   As far as protective custody, it goes without saying that NO ONE should even goes into protective custody on Law & Order SVU. They should just stamp the person’s head “Marked for Death” and immediately put the person six feet under. (Protective custody in crime shows is the equivalent of a person wearing a red shirt in the original Star Trek series.)

Benson should be cautious that her new found power as Sergeant doesn’t translate to overconfidence. A gang member makes a direct threat against her and  she taunts him right back.  When Barba seems concerned for her safety, she refuses a suggestion of protection, not wanting to live like that. Benson should have learned a lesson from her own past with another ADA, Alex Cabot – who was nearly killed by a gang in the episode “Loss” and was forced into protective custody. I suspect Benson wouldn’t like to live like that, either.

Here is the recap:

Cast:
Mariska Hargitay – Sergeant Olivia Benson
Ice-T – Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Danny Pino - Detective Nick Amaro
Raúl Esparza - ADA Rafael Barba

Guest stars:
Fiona Robert - Avery Capshaw
Juan Castano - as Manny Montero
Armand Schultz - John Capshaw
Cadden Jones – Lydia Capshaw
Alex Hernandez - Carlos "O.G." Hernandez
Justin McCarthy –
Dashiell Eaves - Officer
Teresa Yenque - Rosa Montero
Olivia Ford - Marisol Pavel
Teresa Yenque - Rosa Montero
Joshua Rivera – Wilfredo Diaz
Olivia Ford - Marisol Pavel
Johnny Rivera – Rigo Heredio
Fernando Mateo, Jr. – Miguel “Sandman” Castillo
Edwin Lee Gibson – Counselor Orton Freeman
Lisa Zhang – Katelynn
Lucas Sainter – Leo
Brett Smith - ESU Officer Dooley
Tim Hardiman - Inspector Hardiman


At an official ceremony, Benson is sworn in as Sergeant. Amaro, Fin, and Rollins are in the audience and Rollins sips a drink, and Fin asks, as she’s jumping around so much, how much caffeine she has in her. Rollins smiles then asks Amaro how was D.C. with Maria and he replies one day at a time, and then comments Cassidy is a no show. Fin comments Cassidy is undercover, adding that’s his story. Amaro gets a message that they have a call, the parents of a teenage girl came home and their house was ransacked. Rollins decides she and Fin will take it and tells Amaro to stay for Benson. Benson’s name is called and she goes to the stage and salutes, and then is handed her certificate and is photographed.

Soon afterwards, Fin and Rollins arrive at the home of Avery Capshaw and hear from an officer that the parents went to a wedding and left Avery home alone and came home to find the place trashed and robbed. Avery is missing and is not at school or answering her cell; the parents are convinced she has been kidnapped. Fin asks that the officer is not, and the officer motions skepticism, and comments there is no sign of forced entry and the place smells like weed and the neighbors heard loud music until midnight.

Inside the home, Fin and Rollins speak to Avery’s parents John and Lydia Capshaw, the inside of the home has been trashed. John says Avery would have never thrown a party without asking their permission, and Lydia says something happened to their daughter, they have to find her. Rollins asks is anyone contacted them about a ransom, and Lydia says no, but their cash and jewelry are gone. Fin comments that sometimes teenagers are unpredictable. But John counters not Avery, she has never been in trouble. Lydia says there is blood in their bedroom. The parents take Fin and Rollins into the bedroom, which is also trashed, and Lydia believes Avery has been assaulted. Fin asks if Avery has a boyfriend, and John says not any more, she was seeing Manny Montero, and they are both in the 10th grade at Hamilton Gifted and Talented. They broke up two months ago , her grades were slipping and they asked her to end it. Fin asks if there was a chance he was there last night, and Lydia says absolutely not, he’s a nice boy. John says he does not want this to sound wrong, but he lives in those Amsterdam Avenue projects and when the called the school, they said he did not come in either. Fin asks if they have contact info on Manny, and Lydia explains it is on Avery’s computer. When she goes off to get it, John states his wife is more trusting, but he always had a bad feeling about that boy. He walks off. Rollins comments to Fin they have a rebellious teenager in love, and Fin adds it’s a west side Romeo and Juliet. Rollins says they know how well that turned out.

Back at SVU, Benson, still dressed in her Sergeant’s uniform, questions Fin and Rollins that they have two missing teenagers and the parents pull strings and call SVU. Rollins replies there were possible signs of foul play: the stolen jewelry, Fin adds no hits on the family credit cards and no GPS on either of the kids’ phones. Benson says they power them down when they don’t want to be found and to check the pawn shops for the jewelry. Amaro asks what they know about the relationship, and Rollins explains that Avery’s parents don’t approve; Avery is an upper west side only child and Manny is form the projects and is Latino. Amaro questions that they both go to Hamilton, and that is the top public high school in the city. Fin adds that is a hard school to get into, even for her family and if he is from the projects he’s got to be bright. Rollins states Manny does not have a record but did have an older brother that got shot and killed two years ago, the BX9 gang drive by, no one was charged. Amaro wonders that Manny’s parents didn’t call him in as missing, and Fin says he lives with his grandmother and she is not picking up the phone. Benson tells Amaro is still good with the abuelitas, and instructs him to pay her a visit . She tells Fin and Rollins to check Avery’s social media and friends at school, they most likely will know the real story. Amaro smiles and says “We’re on it…boss” and Fin gives her a salute. Benson gives Rollins a funny look and Rollins chuckles.

At Hamilton High School, Fin and Rollins speak to two students separately about Avery and Manny and find her father did not like Manny and Avery was found sneaking off with him, and that Avery is a talented artist who would not miss a competition. Cutting class is more of Manny’s thing and he has missed a lot of school to take care of his grandmother.

Amaro is at the home of Rosa Montero who says Manny is a good boy, She does not know when he got home and thinks Avery broke his heart. Amaro looks in his room and his grandmother says he left early in the morning, he has a job before school and Manny said soon he will have enough money to buy a gravestone for his brother. His backpack is there and Amaro looks in it to find an BX9 cap, much to his grandmother’s dismay. She says after what happened to Jesus, Manny stays away from guns and police.

Law & Order SVU “Wednesday’s Child” Promo

Here is the promo for Law & Order SVU “Wednesday’s Child” which will air on Wednesday, February 5, 2014 at 9 PM ET on NBC. "It's the most personal SVU yet."

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Wednesday’s Child” can be found at this link.



Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Betrayal’s Climax” Preview Clip

Here is a preview clip from Law & Order SVU “Betrayal’s Climax” which will air on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at 9PM ET on NBC. The preview clip features Mariska Hargitay, Kelli Giddish, Raúl Esparza, Danny Pino, and Ice-T. (This clip may not be available outside the U.S.)

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Betrayal’s Climax” can be found at this link.





Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Betrayal’s Climax” Advance Photos

Here are advance photos for for Law & Order SVU “Betrayal’s Climax” which will air on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at 9PM ET on NBC. The photos feature Mariska Hargitay, Danny Pino, Ice-T, Brett G. Smith (as ESU Officer Dooley), Fiona Robert (as Avery Capshaw), Juan Castano (as Manny Montero), and Tim Hardiman (as Inspector Hardiman).  (Photos © NBC Universal and may not be copied or reproduced, please respect my copyright notice.)

My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Betrayal’s Climax” can be found at this link.

Photos by: Michael Parmelee/NBC © NBC Universal, Inc.

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Jersey Breakdown” Recap & Review

Law & Order SVU has clearly moved into soap opera territory with “Jersey Breakdown,” peppered with personal drama focusing on Benson, Amaro, and Rollins. It looks like there is real trouble brewing between Benson and Cassidy,  some of it coming from the demands of his new job with IAB and some coming from her new role as acting squad commander for the Special Victims Unit. Benson is also learning a lot about how to be the boss. Speaking from experience, it is not an easy transition being promoted to management and having to supervise the people you worked with side-by-side. Benson is trying to be a leader and not being “bossy” but the downside is her frustration is showing.   She is struggling with the multitude of decisions at work. It’s carrying over to frustration with Cassidy, who asks her to make the most minor decisions about dinner. Benson has made enough comments in previous episodes that there are been some bumps in the relationship that it’s likely the pressures of her work may be the thing that pushes the relationship over the cliff. We’ve probably also seen Benson with a wine glass in her hand more often in this season then in all of the last 14. At the end of the episode when Benson decides to open the second bottle of wine, are we to conclude that she is developing a drinking problem? I am also unable to explain the ring that Benson is wearing on her left hand ring finger in the squad room; I believe this was the only scene where she wore it so I assume it was an error.  Another issue for Benson is that, as acting squad commander, she needs to get Amaro out of staying her house ASAP, for obvious reasons.

Rollins is gambling again – quelle surprise! – and later, she encounters a New Jersey detective who appears to have seen her in a New Jersey casino. Early on in the episode, Rollins also blames her dog Frannie for her lateness, an excuse that should never be used more than once. (It’s like the old “The dog ate (or peed on) my homework” excuse, an excuse that can only be used once for it to be credible.) If she blames the dog one more time, I think we should make Frannie a special victims case. When Amaro later questions the validity of the excuse, Fin seems to think that it can be explained away because we all know how some are about their dogs. I think Barba is on to Rollins and hopefully somebody will give Benson a heads up to look at Rollins' behavior more closely.

Amaro thinks he is going to patch his marriage back together, but as we can tell by the phone call that Benson gets at the end, that isn’t going to happen any time soon. He’s getting a little annoying with the childish whining about being on desk duty.

I can only wonder if we have any drama in store for Fin and Barba in coming weeks.  Fin seems to have a very private life so that means there has to be some dirt somewhere. Who knows, maybe Barba will have a wardrobe crisis, like being caught wearing a tie and suspenders that don’t match? I don’t mind the personal stories every now and then but I don’t want the show to turn into “Days of Our SVU Lives.”

There WAS a special victims case between all this personal drama, and it was a case which brought in Connie Rubirosa, who is now working for the Feds.   The downside is the “corrupt judge funneling kids through a juvie facility and getting kickbacks” has been done before on Law & Order SVU “Crush” from season 10. Of course, it was a New York judge that time; this time it was  in New Jersey. ( I feel sorry for people in New Jersey who must feel like they live in a political cesspool after this episode...okay, considering recent news stories maybe they do.) The story  was predictable;  seriously now, who didn’t know it was the New Jersey prosecutor who raped the girl? The episode felt looooonnnng, maybe it was because there was so much stuff crammed into it. It seemed like there was an ending (Rollins and Clare) …after an ending (Benson and Amaro)…after an ending (Benson drinking wine in her apartment). I’m on the fence whether I liked this episode or not, but I am glad that it did end.

Cast:
Mariska Hargitay – Sergeant Olivia Benson
Ice-T – Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Danny Pino - Detective Nick Amaro
Raúl Esparza - ADA Rafael Barba


Guest stars:
Alana De La Garza – Connie Rubirosa
Chaz Palminteri – Perry Cannavaro
Stefanie Scott – Clare Wilson
Dayton Callie – Judge Dolan
Bill Sage – Bobby Masconi
McKean Rand -
Geoff Wigdor -
Andrea Bianchi - ADA Gina Masconi
Scott Decker – Detective Moore
Monica Wyche - Gert Marmer
Shwayze – Shelton Teague
Alli Caudle – Erin Fogarty
Adam Heller – Arnie
Sheila Tapa – Officer Merlo
Lorrie Odom – Female Corrections Officer
Matt Wood – Officer Kenneth Parker
Allyson Morgan - Nurse Shelby Roberts
Johnny Wu – Officer Mills
Jane Fergus – Reporter
Eric Morace – Sheriff’s Officer
Beau Berglund – CO Alan Newman
Chris Mazza – Counselot Mitch Moynihan


Two guys walking down the street see a young girl sitting on the ground in an alley and one guy asks if she needs help, adding that she looks really out of it. She asks for help and when the guy moves in to help her stand up, he comments that she has a nice body and the other guy laughs. Guy #1 slips off her top from her shoulder, saying it’s OK she likes that. He moves her back to the ground and then says she is a pretty girl and should not be out there alone. A guy walking on the street doing cleanup sees them and asks what they are doing and tries to stop them, with a police car coming up behind them, turning on the siren. The cops tell them to all get their hands in the air and the guy who came upon them tells the cops the 2 guys were trying to mess with the girl. One officer calls for a bus.

Meanwhile, Benson, at home in bed, awakens to a strange noise. She sees a note by the bed which says “Morning Sunshine. See you for dinner tonight! Brian.” She tosses the note back on the bed side table and opens the bedroom door to see Amaro finishing getting dressed. He apologizes for possibly waking her. She asks what time is it and then looks to see it is 5AM. She apologizes for the couch and he says it is not the couch, he’s not sleeping and it doesn’t matter because he is on desk duty which he is getting tired of. Benson replies she knows and encourages to talk to someone, mentioning her shrink. Amaro says he sees his priest. Benson was thinking of him doing something different, but Amaro says no, he is glad that works for her but that is not him. She tell him he can stay there for as long as he needs. He mentions he has the trial and she could use the quiet and the last thing she needs is to worry about him. She tells him to stop, he is her partner. He scoffs and says yeah, but with Cragen gone she is his boss too? Showing frustration, he explains he has had time to figure this out, and he holds up his left hand to show his wedding ring and says he and Maria are getting back together. Benson asks if they have been talking, and Amaro admits not yet, he is going down to D.C. this weekend and he is going to get his old life back and that’s what he needs to do now. Benson phones chimes for a message and tells Amaro there is a vic at the ER who was assaulted under the High Line. Amaro says he can go, but Benson says he can’t, that’s why it’s called desk duty. She says she is sorry and then quickly turns to go back to her bedroom to get dressed.

At Mercy Hospital, Benson is already there when Rollins stops off the elevator and removes her sunglasses, Benson commenting that Rollins is late. Rollins explains she had to take Frannie to the vet, she ate chocolate again. Benson, sounding annoyed, tells her the next time, let her know, she could have called Fin, and reminds Rollins that Amaro is on desk duty and they are short handed. Benson leans over and gives Rollins a look, saying she’s gotta show up. Rollins replies “Copy that, Sergeant” and asks what are they looking at. Benson explains that a young woman, Erin Fogarty, found passed out under the High Line, her clothes were torn and there were signs of assault. There were 3 guys at the scene all pointing fingers at each other. Rollins cracks that another great week at SVU begins.

In the room, Erin claims that she told the nurse she is fine and does not want the police. Benson says there are here and something happened, they just want to know what. Erin comments that she does not have to talk to them if she is the victim? Rollins notes that Erin said she is the victim, and Benson tells her they are holding three guys, who did what? Erin says the nurse told her if she does not want to pursue this, they can’t make her, and Rollins explains she already did the rape kit and that is the hard part, and Erin counters that she is crashing now and just wants to get out of there. Benson explains that is not happening and to sit back down, she needs to talk to them, now.

Later, in the squad room, Fin speaks to Elton who says he was there in the street doing community service, In the interrogation room, Amaro speaks with Tommy who says he and his buddy Jeff were walking toward the train and saw the other guy in top of her and then the cops show up. Fin also talks to Jeff who says they were glad they got there before it went any further. Afterwards, Amaro says here we go again, the girl doesn’t want to press charges – Benson pipes in and says “as of now” – and Rollins says the girl didn’t even want to tell them what happened. Benson asks what they got from the suspects, and Fin explains the conflicting stories. Rollins says the rape kit may help, pre-ejaculate was found on her breast and semen in her vaginal canal. Benson tells them to swab all three suspects and hold them on dis-con for the altercation and she will rush the DNA.

Later, Fin brings Jeff into the interrogation room and Amaro tells Jeff he has good news/bad news – they found Tommy’s DNA on the girl’s breast, but not Elton’s, telling Jeff that he lied. Fin accuses Jeff of wanting to go next, which would make it gang rape and that is 15 years. Jeff insists he did not touch her and Tommy was just playing with her boobs. Amaro shouts that it is still lying. Amaro asks about the semen inside of her, asking who else was with them. Jeff insists no one. He explains she was sitting there crying, her top open and her skirt up and he told Tommy not to but Tommy wanted to “seagull” her and if she was raped, it happened before they got there.

Meanwhile, Benson and Rollins have been watching the questioning and Benson says “Seagulling, the girl had a rough night.” Rollins counters that Benson was kind of rough with her. Benson retorts that if she doesn’t talk, they don’t have a case, and she seems credible. As Benson walks off, Rollins says “So we get her to talk.” Amaro steps out of the interrogation room and asks Benson, who has his back to him, if she has a minute. She tells Rollins to tell the hospital to hold Erin… and Amaro interrupts again, saying “Liv.” She stops talking to Rollins and looks at Amaro, appearing annoyed, and tersely asks “What?” Amaro, appearing frustrated, asks if they can talk in private. He walks away from her leaving Benson and Rollins to give each other a look. Rollins walks away and Benson follows Amaro.

In the holding cell, Amaro tells Benson they are short staffed and he is not good with the desk duty, he wants his gun back. Benson tells Amaro that it is just a few weeks since the shooting and he doesn’t know what could startle him. Amaro asks if she thinks he will shoot somebody else, and Benson replies that he could hesitate. She adds that PTSD is real and it is a process, and not to rush it. He begs her to let him try one tour, he’ll know. Benson shouts that it’s not just him she has to think about; the entire squad is her responsibility now. Rollins pokes her head in the cell doorway and apologizes for interrupting but they have a problem: the hospital lost Erin. Benson looks exasperated and leaves the room with Rollins, leaving Amaro in the cell.

Law & Order SVU “Betrayal’s Climax” Promo

Here is the promo for Law & Order SVU “Betrayal’s Climax” which will air on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at 9PM ET on NBC.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Betrayal’s Climax” can be found at this link.



Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Jersey Breakdown” Preview

Here are preview clips from Law & Order SVU “Jersey Breakdown” which will air on Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at 9PM ET on NBC. The previews features Mariska Hargitay, Raúl Esparza, Ice-T, Kelli Giddish, Danny Pino, and Alana De La Garza.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Jersey Breakdown” can be found at this link.

Please note: These video clips are available for a limited time only and may be removed shortly after the episode originally airs, so please catch them while you can!












Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Wednesday’s Child” Episode Information

Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order SVU “Wednesday’s Child”:


Law & Order SVU “Wednesday’s Child” Air Date February 5, 2014 (9 PM ET/8C Wednesday NBC)

A MISSING BOY LEADS TO A SHOCKING CONFESSION AND A RACE TO SAVE HIS LIFE

Tom Moore (guest star John Benjamin Hickey) arrives home from a business trip to find his young son, Nicky (guest star Duncan Nicholson), missing from his bed. With a history of behavioral problems, the cops suspect he wandered off alone, and the search becomes more urgent as the diabetic boy’s insulin pump runs out. But the investigation leads to something more dangerous when a criminal couple (guest stars Rosanna Arquette and Mark Boone Junior), known for child endangerment and pornography, is spotted with Nicky. With a child’s life on the line, the cops try to turn one suspect against the other before it’s too late. Meanwhile, a personal issue derails Sergeant Benson’s (Mariska Hargitay) current course. Also starring Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Danny Pino (Detective Nick Amaro) and Kelli Giddish (Detective Amanda Rollins). Also guest starring Jodie Markell (Lisa Moore), Josh Pais (Hank Abraham), Jessica Phillips (ADA Pippa Cox) and Bill Irwin (Dr. Peter Lindstrom).


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Wednesday’s Child” can be found at this link.









Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Jersey Breakdown” Promo

Here is the promo for Law & Order SVU “Jersey Breakdown” which will air on Wednesday, January 22, 2014 at 9PM ET on NBC. Alana De La Garza will guest star.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Jersey Breakdown” can be found at this link.








Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Amaro’s One-Eighty” Recap & Review

“Amaro’s One-Eighty” marked a turning point for Detective Nick Amaro. He went from being a detective who appeared to trust and respect the organization for which he works to a person who is now a little paranoid about who, in the upper ranks at One PP,  the DA's office, or in politics, has it out for him. His faith in the system has been rocked.   It’s interesting that he missed Munch – the former resident conspiracy theorist – to use as a sounding board for advice on what to do when an unseen force is working against him. Maybe Amaro is also at a crossroads with his own religious faith. There were both obvious and subtle references to his religion in the episode: early on, while Amaro is hitting a punching bag, the word “cross” from a police line sign is glaring; Rollins refers to Amaro as a choirboy; he goes to church to consult with a priest who talks to Amaro about guilt and the sin of pride and Amaro makes sure to make the sign of the cross before he leaves the church; Benson's wondering if IAB wanted to “crucify” Amaro; Calhoun saying that testifying to a grand jury is a cardinal sin.   Amaro has sometimes been too saintly and sanctimonious and maybe it was time that this character was given a dose of harsh reality. He did all the right things according to his training, but sometimes that is not enough. He is serious about his religious beliefs but he may now realize that the Church, or God,  doesn’t always have the answers. Just as Amaro was giving his all to the punching bag at the start of the episode, he himself must have felt like a punching bag as IAB, the DA’s office, and public opinion tried to make his actions appear to be those of a drunk racist with anger issues. (He DOES have anger issues but I doubt this had an effect on the shooting.) In the end, I think Amaro realizes that pride in his work may not be the sinful thing that his priest seemed to make it, in fact, his pride in his work and high standards may have been what saved him from indictment and falling victim to the system.  But, it would be no surprise if Amaro's self-confidence hasn't taken a hit, and for the short term, this may not be a bad thing for him. Until he knows if someone really is out to make trouble for him, he needs to be cautious.

I found it odd that Officer McKenna’s behavior wasn’t put under more scrutiny. The firing of shots didn’t start until she came around the corner and stepped into the hallway.  It was later established the boy had no gun and the only bullets that were in the hall were from her gun and Amaro’s, so exactly what did she see the boy do with what she thought was a gun that made her shoot repeatedly even after being hit? McKenna’s continued shooting at “something” is what triggered Amaro to continue to fire. She seemed to be shooting blindly at a threat SHE perceived, yet unlike Amaro, McKenna seemed to be given a free pass for the shooting.

Of course, we all knew Amaro would somehow come out of this with his job back, so there wasn’t much suspense as far as that part of the story. The constant narrow mindedness of IAB and Lieutenant Tucker (I hear a “Boo! Hiss! in my head every time he is on the screen, even when Robert John Burke is on other shows) gets a little old at times. Still, it was great (and well written)  drama to see how the system can turn on a good person and (almost) ruin them in the process.  Amaro’s frustration with the system and fear about what an indictment meant for his future was very well played by Danny Pino.

This also was Captain Cragen’s last case with the Special Victims Unit; Cragen retires and is off for a 6 month cruise with Eileen. He seems happy which makes ME happy. Dann Florek is one of my all time favorite characters in the Law & Order brand and it will be hard to imagine the series without him. He had plenty of screen time in this episode and the send off was low key, but satisfying. I said this with Richard Belzer’s final episode and I will say it with Dann Florek’s: I would have loved to see a story line based on a previous case of Cragen’s and to make him the focus of his final episode. Now Benson will take the helm as Sergeant, which may mean some interesting – and maybe bumpy – times for her and the SVU squad down the road. The possibilities are endless!

Here is the recap:

Cast:
Mariska Hargitay – Sergeant Olivia Benson
Dann Florek – Captain Don Cragen
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Danny Pino - Detective Nick Amaro
Raúl Esparza - ADA Rafael Barba
Ice-T – Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola

Guest stars:
Dean Winters – Detective Brian Cassidy
Greg Germann - Derek Strauss
Elizabeth Marvel - Rita Calhoun
Robert John Burke - Lt. Ed Tucker
Cathy Moriarty-Gentile- Captain Toni Howard
Mary McCann - Didi Denzler
Leslie Odom, Jr. - Reverend Curtis Scott
Gbenga Akinnagbe - Father Biobaku
Mel Harris - Eileen Switzer
Vicky Jeudy – Officer McKenna
Stephen Bradbury – Judge Colin McNamara
Nancy Ticotin – Cesara Amaro
Tina Fabrique – Grand Juror #1
Hubert Point-Du Jour – Berko Barre
Linda Thompson Williams – Nateesha
Laura Chaneski – Nurse
Joselin Reyes – EMT #1
Luc Owono = Mr. Barre
Lorry Francois – Mrs. Barre
Aubrey Joseph – Yusef Barre
Alison Fernandez – Zara Amaro
Frank Alfano, Jr. – Officer Mike Dragin
Jared Kemp – Teen #1
Jeremiah Craft = Teen #2
Phil Eichinger – Reporter #1



In what looks like an SVU storage room, Amaro is punching feverishly at a punching bag as Fin enters the room. Fin asks him how much longer, calling him “La Hoya”, adding they are due at Liv’s. Amaro tells him he can go on ahead, and Fin says he’ll chill. Fin asks how many times do they have to celebrate this damn Sergeant’s exam, and Amaro, still punching away, says hey, she earned it. Fin says he doesn’t like it, they’re not going to let her supervise them, he means she is going to be transferred. Amaro stops punching to ponder that statement, and watches Fin as Fin leaves the room.

Later, at Benson’s and Cassidy’s apartment, Benson opens some wine and hands the bottle to Rollins, asking if she will do the honors. Rollins jokingly asks if she means pour, and Benson replies yeah. Eileen, Cragen’s girlfriend, enters the room and says the brussel sprouts were delicious, and Benson happily says she is glad someone thinks so. She adds that these cops – if it doesn’t come in a takeout container it’s not food. Rollins pours the wine and Eileen comments that Benson was sweet to invite her, and then asks Benson where is Brian tonight? Benson informs her that he is undercover – again. Eileen says that he was there for Benson at the trial, and that is what counts. Benson seems to be thinking about that and quietly answers yeah.

As Rollins fills Fin’s glass with wine, he tells her to keep it coming, girl, that’s what he’s talking about. He then turns to Cragen and asks how long he has to stay here, and Cragen tells him to just let him make a toast and then Fin can rush home to…whatever it is he rushes home to. Rollins asks if Amaro wants some more, and he replies no, he’s good. Rollins counters with “Nick, c’mon, don’t you get tired of being the choirboy?” He replies, “Choirboy. Good.” Benson and Eileen join the group as Cragen announces for all of them to listen up, he knows that everybody has been worried about all the changes at One PP. The new mayor has his agenda but they don’t make the rules, they follow them. Fin asks if this is a toast or a memorial, and they all chuckle. He goes on to say that the good news is that so many people are leaving the department because of these changes – Benson looks uncomfortable – that One PP can’t spare a Sergeant for their unit. They have agreed to let Detective…he means Sergeant - Benson stay on at SVU. He raises his glass for a toast and they all clink their wine glasses in congratulations.

Afterwards, Amaro and Rollins are leaving the party and Rollins catches up with him and asks him if he drove. He replies yes and asks if he can drop her somewhere. She says just to the F train on 6th. He agrees. Rollins comments that Benson is his new Sarge which is cool, and Amaro replies is it better than having to teach some baby faced boss the ropes. Rollins asks if they are going to give him a new partner, and Amaro shakes his head, saying how would he know, no one tells him anything, it’s the NYPD. Rollins moans she knows, they are the never-yeilding perpertual dick-around. Amaro smiles, saying he hadn’t heard that one, asking if she made that up. But Rollins doesn’t have time to answer as someone runs behind them and a voice yells “Police! Stop!” As an officer makes chase, he is hit by a taxi cab driving down the street. As the officer lay injured on the ground, he tells Amaro and Rollins  that they saw that kid do a deal and thinks he has a gun. Rollins tells Amaro to call it in and she will back up his partner, and Amaro says he will go. He asks the officer again that he saw a gun, and the officer says McKenna did. While Amaro makes chase, Rollins uses the officer’s radio to call in that the officer is injured and that a plain clothes officer is in pursuit and the perp may have a gun. Amaro calls out to others watching that he is NYPD and asks which way. Someone tells him which way as a woman records the action on her phone, saying he didn’t do nothing. As Officer McKenna chases the perp into a building, Amaro follows close by. He opens the door to a hallway to hear McKenna telling the perp, who has run down another hallway, to drop the gun. She is taking cover behind the wall and reacts to seeing Amaro and points the gun at him and he quickly holds up his badge, asking what does she have. She explains that he had a gun and is at the end of the hall. Amaro asks if he is alone, and she answers he is backed up against the last door, she saw it in his jacket when she took cover. We hear someone banging on a door as McKenna yells for the perp to drop the gun and kick it away. Amaro hear the perp yelling and tells McKenna the perp doesn’t speak English. The woman taking the cell phone video comes in the same door that Amaro entered, still recording. She tells him to leave that boy alone, and Amaro points his gun toward her and yells that he said back out now. She pulls back and closes the door. McKenna tells Amaro to get the woman out, she is going in. She enters the hallway and shots ring out. She is hit and falls to the ground as more shots are fired. Amaro reaches his arm around the corner and shoots without seeing at whom is he shooting. Shots continue to be fired by the what seems like the  perp and McKenna. Amaro reaches for McKenna and drags her by her jacket around the corner of the hallway. He asks if she is OK and she explains she is shot. Rollins opens the door and enters the hall, asking Amaro what the hell happened. Amaro explains McKenna is shot and Rollins tells her to keep pressure on the wound. She explains that backup is coming. There is yelling down the hall as a boy lay on the floor with two people tending to him. Amaro and Rollins race down the hallway with Amaro telling him to put their hands where he can see them. Rollins also yells for them to put their hands up. Rollins moves the man and woman to the wall and tells them to put their hands up, as Amaro says to secure the gun, but searches the bleeding boy and sees there is no gun. He frantically asks “Where is the gun?” Rollins yells back she does not see it. Amaro tries to put pressure on the boy’s wound and tells Rollins to call it in as the woman wails. Amaro and the boy look at each other, both silent.

Later, Rollins tells them the other officers have arrived to search the apartment and the stairs and the streets; they are missing a gun. Amaro tells the EMT tending to the boy to bag his hands for GSR, he shot a cop. The EMT tells Amaro that was nice triage, he saved his life. As the EMTs take the boy away, something falls from the boy's coat. Amaro picks it up and opens it, describing the contents as Khat, an eastern African amphetamine, and that Somali pirates use it to make themselves fearless. Rollins thinks that is why he ran and why he had the gun. Amaro thinks with that amount, he is a small time dealer. Captain Toni Howard arrives and ask who was the other shooter, and Amaro explains he is. She says they saved his guys, and thanks them, then adds she did not know SVU was working her precinct. Rollins explains they are not, they came upon the scene and they saw one officer get hit by a cab and Amaro says Officer McKenna gave chase and he ran to back her up; she rushed in and got shot and he fired to cover for her. He asks how is she, and Howard says she lost some blood and will be okay. Howard explains that she hates to ask, but she will need his weapon, he knows the drill. He will be escorted to the hospital for a complete workup with blood alcohol. Rollins gives a look to Amaro as he hands over his gun. Rollins tells Howard it was a good shoot. Howard asks if the kid was armed, find the weapon. Amaro gives a concerned look back to Rollins as he follows Howard out.

As Amaro exits the building, a huge crowd has gathered and Benson, along with Cragen and Fin, breaks through it, calling out to Amaro. She asks if he is OK and he says yeah. He explains the blood on his shirt is not his. Cragen asks what happened, and Amaro explains that he and Rollins ran into a mess, a uni was chasing a dealer, he shoots at her and he shot at him. Fin comments lucky for her Amaro was there. Cragen asks where is Rollins, and Amaro informs them she is doing a grid search, the gun is still missing and someone may have dumped it. Cragen asks that the precinct captain has arrived yet, and Amaro replies yes, it is Captain Howard. Fin comments that is his old Lieutenant from Narcotics, Benson adding that is good, they know her. Cragen says even so, don’t say anything to anybody until his delegate shows up and adds he is going to the hospital with him. He tells Benson and Fin to stay and find that gun.

As Cragen walks off with Amaro, Amaro tells him that he had to shoot, McKenna was down. Cragen replies he does not need to explain it to him, in fact he might not want to, nothing is privileged. Amaro says he is not sure that boy is going to make it. Cragen tells Amaro to let the doctors worry about that. Amaro gets in the back seat of the police car, and he lets out a deep sigh.

Jill Hennessy, S. Epatha Merkerson, Elisabeth Rohm Look Back on Law & Order on The Today Show

Jill Hennessy, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Elisabeth Rohm appeared on The Today Show this morning to look back at Law & Order. WEtv is currently airing episodes from the show's first 12 seasons to honor the women of the show, and these three stars stopped by The Today Show to reveal why it's still worth watching.





Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.
 Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Betrayal’s Climax” Episode Information

Here are the details for a new episode of Law & Order SVU “Betrayal’s Climax” .


Law & Order SVU “Betrayal’s Climax” Air Date January 29, 2014 (9 PM ET/8C Wednesday NBC)

A TEENAGED ‘JULIET" GOES MISSING AND HER ‘ROMEO’ IS THE PRIME SUSPECT.

Sixteen year-old Avery Capshaw’s (guest star Fiona Robert) parents report her kidnapped, and the SVU finds signs of a party turned violent. Her boyfriend, Manny Montero (Juan Castano), is a scholarship student from the Projects, and though his family swears he’s on the right track, Amaro (Danny Pino) suspects he’s involved with a dangerous gang. When Manny refuses to talk, the cops are forced to arrest him, but the violence only escalates. Meanwhile, Benson (Mariska Hargitay) is sworn in as the SVU’s new sergeant. Also starring Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Kelli Giddish (Detective Amanda Rollins) and Raúl Esparza (ADA Rafael Barba). Also guest starring Armand Schultz (John Capshaw), Alex Hernandez (Carlos "O.G." Hernandez), Teresa Yenque (Rosa Montero) and Olivia Ford (Marisol Pavel).


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU “Betrayal’s Climax” can be found at this link.





Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU “Psycho/Therapist” Recap & Review

It seems that “Psycho-The-Rapist” William Lewis continues to live on – in prison (at least for now).  I wished that someone would take him out before the end of the episode, as this would be a good way for Benson to move on from the trauma which he inflicted on her. It’s obvious that he has invaded her mind; she imagines him stalking her as she goes about her life. While in Doctor Lindstrom’s office, she is swept into a daydream (or waking nightmare) that Lewis has breached the safety of the doctor’s office to hold her at gunpoint.  Her imagination also has her locking lips with the doctor when Lewis invades. Does Benson have actually romantic feelings for the doctor (ick!) or does he simply represent the safe, protective, and romantic feelings that she’s not getting from her current relationship or her life? She imagines Lewis stepping into an elevator with her, and she quickly realizes that it’s just someone who has a vague resemblance to him. She enters her new apartment and hears a strange noise and she arms herself to prepare for another attack only to find it’s her live in, Brian Cassidy.  Her reactions are likely due to PTSD, the pressures of the trial,  and the prospect of having to face William Lewis in the courtroom and keeping up her lies about what really happened during those final hours of her captivity.

Everybody lies, even our beloved Olivia Benson, but do we care? Should we care? We have the advantage of seeing William Lewis for the monster he is, but we also know that Benson did, in fact, beat him mercilessly while he was handcuffed to the bed. Was she wrong to do this? Yes. Is it understandable that she did this? Also yes. Everyone has a breaking point and several days of torture would certainly make anyone snap. It’s clear that the jury saw exactly what Benson did and had “serious reservations” about her conduct. And they should. They don’t know Benson like viewers know her, nor should they. The jury only has the facts as presented at trial with which to base their verdict. Sadly to say, based on what we saw of the prosecution’s case, their case sucked. It’s a shame that Barba was not able to get in more helpful testimony from her co-workers to Benson’s character, and it was a grave mistake for him to depend so much on questioning William Lewis on the stand. Maybe he assumed that Lewis had so big of an ego that he couldn’t pass up his time on the stand, but clearly Barba underestimated Lewis. This turned out to be a he said/she said trial with zero hard evidence, and  Barba brought a only his fists to a gunfight.

During the testimony of one doctor, Lewis made a point that any one of the injuries he sustained from Benson’s beating would have incapacitated him. I am surprised that Barba did not counter by asking how Benson, who is not a doctor and does not have x-ray vision or an MRI scanner in her head, would not be able to see that she broke or shattered any bones. If, for example, she hit him in the ribs first, he could have still be standing or moving which would have triggered another swipe by Benson. Of course, we all know what really happened, but that doesn’t mean Barba could not have tried to discredit that witness.

Also, when Amaro and Benson were both questioned about the tactics Benson used when she first questioned Lewis, Barba did not bring on any expert witnesses later to show that using tactics as Benson did during the interrogation – and what she did to get in his head during her kidnapping –  was in fact normal for a police officer. But no, as far as we know, he let the jury stew over the thought that Lewis put in their heads that Benson was coming on to him.

We also did not hear Barba’s closing argument, so we don’t know if he made any comments about Lewis saying he could not hear well, but then he seemed to hear Benson barely whispering at times on the stand when she testified. Yes, he did lose hearing in one ear but it was obvious that he only brought that up when it suited him.

The NBC promo tease and advance photos that were released before the episode aired made it obvious that some of the scenes would be either dream sequences or imaginary. It was the absence of scars on Lewis in some shots and big scars in others that was the tip-off. Sometimes I wish they would be a little more careful on what they release because I think it spoiled the surprise of the opening scene. By the way, the promo called this the “shocking final chapter in the Save Benson saga",  but the door is clearly left open for more as it seems Lewis is already working on a way to get out.

The big question of course is why Benson either didn’t tell the truth about what she did in her final moments of captivity, or, why she didn’t at least think through the beating she was going to give him. If she felt she could not have explained away her meltdown and repeatedly beating him after the torture he put her through, then she should have been more deliberate in her beating. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but one or two blows to the head probably could have incapacitated him and been explained away, even if it turned out to be fatal. Regardless, having the benefit of knowing what he did to her and the possible charges she may have faced herself had she told the truth, I don’t have an issue the fact that she chose to lie.

Mariska Hargitay’s performance was remarkable and I can’t even imagine to what place an actor must go in their head in order to pull off such a performance as she did in this episode. Likewise, Pablo Schreiber played evil and disgusting to the hilt in this role and it may be hard for me to scrub the image of him as William Lewis from my mind. This was a well written episode which help those actors deliver those fine performances and helped keep the tension high.   Even though William Lewis lives on and is likely scheming every waking moment, I can still hope that he makes that one mistake that closes the  book on him forever.

Here is the recap:

Cast:
Mariska Hargitay – Detective Olivia Benson
Dann Florek – Captain Don Cragen
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Danny Pino - Detective Nick Amaro
Raúl Esparza - ADA Rafael Barba
Ice-T – Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola

Guest stars:
Pablo Schreiber - William Lewis
Dean Winters - Detective Brian Cassidy
Renée Elise Goldsberry – Counselor Martha Marron
Bill Irwin - Dr. Lindstrom
John Rothman - Judge Edward Kofax
Jolly Abraham – Doctor
Barbara Jimenez – Viva Núñez
Sarah Street – Dr. Janice Cole
Sarah Bisman – Bronwyn
Zach Appelman – Officer Jimmy Hamilton
Jenna Rampage Rodriguez – Luisa Núñez



In Dr. Lindstrom’s office and dressed in a sexy, low cut red dress, Benson talks about her dreams and confirms she is keeping a journal of the ones she remembers, especially the one recurring dream. Lindstrom cuts her off and tells her that’s it and a good place to stop. Benson seems surprised, and says their sessions seem to go so fast now. As he helps her put on her coat, Lindstrom says time is speeding up unless they slow it down. He moves in to kiss her and as they do, Benson hears a voice say, “Hey.” She pulls away from Lindstrom and sees Lewis, his face unmarked from any injury, standing in the office, asking what she and Lindstrom are doing. Benson looks back to the doctor and he is not there, and turns back to see Lewis pointing a gun at her. He says “Welcome home, Detective Benson.” She looks back and Lindstrom has not reappeared to help her. Quickly, she snaps back to reality, sitting in the courtroom on the witness stand, in a prep session with ADA Barba. Barba asks if she is with him and she says yeah, and apologizes. He reminds her she was telling the jury what happened when she came home that night. She explains she stepped into her kitchen and sensed a presence and she went to reach for her gun but she froze. Barba asks her to leave that detail out to not imply anything was her fault. She goes on to say that before she reached for her weapon, the defendant William Lewis put a gun to her head. Barba asks if she needs a break, and she asks how close is the trial. He explains Lewis has one last pre-trial motion. Benson asks what is there left to argue about. Barba explains it is jurisdiction; Lewis’ attorney wants three separate trials; one for her kidnapping, one for Mrs. Mayer’s rape and the murder of her husband, and one for the murder of a Suffolk County police officer. Benson asks if Mrs. Mayer is willing to testify, and Barba says she is tough and she wants him to die in prison. He adds he is going for attempted murder and attempted rape. Benson counters that he did not rape her. Barba replies he understands that is important to her but he is going to claim those 4 days were consensual. He adds the jury needs to hear about the torture and degradation Lewis put her through. She is quiet but seems to acknowledge this.

Afterwards, Benson steps into the courthouse elevator and as the door closes, a hand reaches in to stop it. She looks up and sees Lewis enter, his face unmarked from any injury, and he smirks at her while she hears the song “Ain’t We Got Fun” as elevator music. Quickly she sees it is another man looking straight at her and smiling, and then he turns around to face the elevator door.

Later, in her apartment, she is unpacking groceries and she hears a strange noise in another room. She pulls her gun and as Brian Cassidy walks through the doorway he is startled to see her standing there with a gun on him. He reassures her it is him and moves to lower her arm holding the gun. She is startled and apologizes. He tells her it is OK and they embrace as she continues to say she is sorry.

In Cragen’s office, Cragen speaks with Amaro, Rollins, Fin and Barba about how the next few weeks are going to be stressful for Benson and for them. Amaro says Lewis has some stones for putting her through this, and Rollins comments they can’t think Lewis will get away with this. Barba informs them Lewis is five for five and that breeds hubris. Fin says they should have shot Lewis when they got there, and when everyone looks at him somewhat stunned, Fin says they were all thinking it. Barba cautions him “not on the stand.” Barba explains he will be calling each of them and a big part of his defense is that he thinks the NYPD has a vendetta against him and to tamp down their emotions, don’t talk to the press and don’t take the bait. Rollins says got it. After Barba leaves, Cragen says speaking to taking the bait, he knows they are all on edge but whatever is going on in the squad room has to stop, adding to Amaro and Rollins he is talking to them. Rollins says got it, and Amaro replies whatever Cragen says. Rollins says to Amaro that she knows they went at it and she probably said some things he misinterpreted, and Amaro picks up on that word. Fin jumps in and says Rollins is saying she is sorry, and says “right Amanda?” Rollins looks at Amaro and says she is sorry. They look at each other and Amaro says nothing, so Cragen prompts an answer from Amaro, who says they are good.

At the motions hearing, Counselor Marron explains to the judge that Suffolk County is 50 miles out of Barba’s purview and those charges should be tried separately. With Benson in the gallery, Barba counters that the murder and rape is part of Lewis’s course conduct in a four day torture and kidnap rampage that began in Benson’s New York apartment. Lewis, sitting at the defense table in is orange jail garb, looks down and seems happy with himself. Marron replies that the DA thinks by piling on charges he can overwhelm a jury and this is beyond prejudicial. Judge Kofax states he read her arguments and agrees binding the cases could pose an unfair burden on the defendant. When Barba tries to counter this, Kofax cuts him off and adds that since this may come up on appeal, he is ruling in favor of the defendant’s motion to separate the charges. The judge says he will allow the jury to hear evidence pertaining to what the detective herself witnessed or experienced. Lewis pipes up and asks the judge to speak up; due to the beating he received he no longer has hearing in his left ear. The judge asks Marron if this will be an issue at trial, and she explains that the prison hospital will be issuing a hearing assist device. The judge speaks in a louder voice and says the Suffolk County charges will be separated and they will proceed to trial, remanding Lewis until then. He asks Lewis if he heard that, and Lewis says yes and thanks him. As he gets up to leave, he turns to Benson and we can see the left side of his face has a huge scar around his eye. Benson looks rattled and looks away, and then back at him. Lewis whispers something to Marron and then glares back at Benson. Barba asks Benson if she is OK but she doesn’t answer and just races out of the courtroom. Marron tells Barba she has something to discuss with him, and he says he doesn’t know if there is anything she could say that could possibly interest him. She replies, “Oh, this will.”

Later, in Barba’s office, Benson is shocked to hear that Lewis wants to plead to rape. Barba says it is multiple counts to rape and sodomy...and Lewis wants to plead guilty and be specific in allocution. Benson is appalled, asking that he wants to stand up in open court and give graphic details of what he did NOT do to her? Barba informs her he would get 25 years to life and he will die in prison and she will avoid a trial and having to testify. Benson looks sick and as she paces, she says, “No, no, no he does not get to do that to me. He did not rape me.  He did not sodomize me. You look at that rape kit after four days – he did not have the balls to rape me. And now he wants to stand up in open court, now? No. NO!” Barba replies that he had to tell her that. Given the extent of his injuries, they will go after her for excessive force. He may claim he was handcuffed when she crushed his skull. As Benson looks out the window, Barba goes on to explain that Benson testified to a police investigator and a grand jury that Lewis lunged at her and she used the bar to defend herself until he was no longer a danger to her. Benson whispers that is what she said. Barba picks up a file off his desk and hold it up to her, saying it is her grand jury testimony from last May. He tells her to study those transcripts and if she deviates from her statement in any way it will create reasonable doubt on all of her testimony and he will use it as a wedge. Benson continues to stare out the window as Barba tells her Lewis could walk again.

In Supreme Court, Barba tells the judge that the people are satisfied with the empanelled jury. The judge says now they’ve completed the jury selection and having exhausted all attempts at a plea, a trial was scheduled and opening arguments begin tomorrow. Lewis stands up and asks the judge if he may comment, and then says he offered a plea that would have guaranteed a lengthy prison term and spared the victim – looking back at Benson sitting in the gallery – the pain of a trial. Benson motions a scoff. Lewis continues that his so called attorney has failed to get the DA’s office to accept his capitulation and he has serious reservations about her competence and requests a change of attorney. Marron looks stunned and says she is just hearing this now. Barba counters this is an oft-used delaying tactic of Lewis’ in several trials. Lewis interjects he is not asking for any additional time. The judge comments that realistically it would take a new attorney months to get up to spend, and Lewis replies he does not believe it would, if that attorney was himself. Benson glares at him and Barba says that Lewis is simply trying to use this trial to publicly humiliate and re-traumatize Benson. Lewis objects, saying he was the one who offered to spare her of this burden entirely but this is not up for debate, this is his constitutional right, is it not? The judge replies it is, but he will insist that Lewis keep his current attorney with him to advise and if any of Barba’s fears prove prescient, he will strike Lewis with contempt. He asks Lewis if that is understood, and Lewis smirks and nods yes, saying “Perfectly.” He looks back toward Benson, with a slight smile. Benson glares back.

Law & Order SVU “Amaro’s One-Eighty” Promo

Here is the promo for Law & Order SVU, “Amaro’s One-Eighty” which will air on Wednesday, January 15, 2014 at 9PM ET on NBC.


My recap and review of Law & Order SVU "Amaro’s One-Eighty” can be found at this link.





Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, on All Things Law And Order.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.