Law & Order UK “Safe From Harm” was based on the original episode Law & Order “Betrayal” (season 18 episode 11). I didn’t recall the original episode right off the bat but it came to me rather quickly as the episode progressed. But even knowing generally how the original story played out didn’t affect my enjoyment of “Safe From Harm” one bit.
This is only the second episode with Ronnie and Joe as partners, and I think this match works well. With both actors being experienced with comedy, they both bring their talent with comedic timing which makes each scene, serious or not, seem very real and comfortable. Ronnie clearly has the experience as a detective, but Joe is bringing a fresh look to working the case. Of course, Joe thinks that he has the magic touch with getting information from the younger crowd, but he quickly finds out that Ronnie’s matter-of-fact approach is one step ahead. Ronnie is smart enough to let Joe do the running when having to chase after a possible suspect.
Henry Sharpe – played by Peter Davison – has an influence on the case that is outside the boundaries of his position. I wouldn’t call it playing dirty; sometimes one has to pull out all the legal stops to help win a case. In this instance, he reveals to Jake and Kate that he has a past relationship with a female doctor who is giving evidence as an expert witness. She thinks it’s a low blow on his part to reveal she had an inappropriate relationship, but Henry is just using the facts to discredit her sanctimonious opinion which risked damage the CPS’s case. Henry Sharpe is one of those characters where I would like to see a little more back story, maybe because Peter Davison is so likable.
Jake and Kate are now working as a solid team and they seem very comfortable together. It was amusing to see Jake, at the end of the case, realize that he and Kate were giving credit to others for the win. That’s a sure sign that they feel good about working together.
I thoroughly enjoy Law & Order UK. It doesn’t matter that the stories are based on previous Law & Order episodes. It’s all about having a solid cast that fits well together, great writing and storytelling, and the actors' ability to portray believable character in a believable story. They get high marks in all these categories.
Here is the recap:
Cast:
Bradley Walsh - DS Ronnie Brooks
Ben Bailey Smith – DS Joe Hawkins
Paterson Joseph - DI Wes Leyton
Dominic Rowan - Jacob Thorne
Georgia Taylor - Kate Barker
Peter Davison - Henry Sharpe
Guest Cast
Hattie Morahan – Alison Gardner
Mark Frost – Doctor Philip Gardner
Nicola Sanderson – SOCO Joy
Jude White – Riley Gardner
Holly Earl - Lisa Gardner
Clive Hayward – Jonathan Shale
Antonia Clarke – Anna Sands
Emma Davies – Mary Sands
Greg Patmore – Barry Downing
Scarlet Milburn-Smith – Heather Downing
Ted Reilly – Paul Downing
Mandana Jones – Dr. Antonia Carey
Ramon Tikaram – Vijay Prasad
Carolyn Pickles – Maureen Riley
Adelayd Adedayo – Kayla
Cyril Nri – Judge DeMarco
Damian Kell – Willima Farmer
Dr. Philip Gardner is speaking to someone unseen, saying he could have left, and he could have walked away, but he didn’t, even though it was wrong. He wants this person; he doesn’t care what the law says, “I’ve always wanted you.”
Later, Philip Gardner, a child psychiatrist, 50 years old, is dead on the floor of his office. He is married with 2 kids and lives just around the corner. DS Ronnie Brooks and DS Joe Hawkins are at the crime scene with SOCO Joy. They learn that Gardner was found by the cleaner, there were multiple stab wounds and the wounds are deep from a large blade with possibly a serrated edge. Joe calls Ronnie over and shows him a secret room off the office with a small bed in it. Ronnie wonders if it is a place to sleep – and Joe wonders if it is a place for sex.
At the home of Dr. Gardner on February 13, Ronnie and Joe speak with his wife Alison and she explains his hours are erratic. Sometimes he sleeps in the office on the couch, she supposes. She explains this morning she had to get the kids to school and walk the dog at Regent’s Park. Joe says they need to speak with his children to confirm that, and Alison explains she hasn’t told them yet and she asks for time so they can adjust. She goes on to say that after she walked the dog, she came back and now they are here. Her kids walk in the room and her son says they let them home early, and seeing the detectives there, her daughter looks concerned.
At MIU Central Headquarters that same day, Wes introduces Ronnie to Jonathan Shale, who will be examining Gardner’s patient files and can answer any questions without breaching patient/doctor confidentiality. Ronnie asks that Jonathan can look through the file but they can’t?, asking what is in there? Jonathan says he will help the best he can. Jonathan says Gardener worked with kids 13 and upwards, in children with deep emotional issues, and if that is what they are looking for, they will have their hands full. Joe tells Ronnie that in some of the stuff they pulled from the hidden room, they have a loyalty card from a café, a face cream that cost 200 quid, and skateboard wax. The café is next to THE skate park. Joe thinks this is a good lead, that the cream indicates a rich girl with emotional issues who hangs out with the skater boys. If Ronnie is worried, Joe can hang back and Ronnie can go it and dazzle the kids with his skating skills. Ronnie agrees.
At the Southbank Undercroft on February 13, Ronnie and Joe question a few kids and some who point out Anna for Ronnie. But Joe isn’t having much luck and Ronnie jokes at Joe about how Joe was going to charm the kids with his cool talk. As Ronnie walks over to where Anna was standing, and Joe moans he doesn’t know where to start, Ronnie says that’s OK, Anna does. Anna hears her name and bolts, and Ronnie tells Joe not to just stand there. Joe chases after her, calling out that he is police. She eventually runs into a fenced off area and tells Joe to get away from her, he can’t make her go back. He explains he is not going to hurt her but she reiterates he can’t make her go back – to her.
Back at MIU, Anna is in interrogation while Ronnie and her mother Mary watches from the video room. Mary says Anna has been staying with a friend all week, she doesn’t like her boyfriend – any of her boyfriends. Anna won’t pick up her phone if she knows it is her mother. She sees Dr. Gardner and is fine with him but when you’re throwing bricks through pub windows and burning the curtains you need all the help you can get. She sees him twice a week and costs her a small fortune and somehow she is still a bloody bitch.
In interrogation, Lisa tells Joe she doesn’t know why she is here. Ronnie enters the room and explains he has been talking to her mother, and she was telling him about Dr. Gardner. He asks what he is like, and she says he is the best. Joe mentions the things of hers they found in her office, and she asks is this about her staying at Phillip’s? Joe comments he thought she was staying with her boyfriend, and she says wow, you got me. He told her not to tell anyone. He didn’t do anything, saying they have a dirty mind. He had strict rules about behavior and a curfew and asks if he is in trouble about this, it is unfair. Ronnie and Joe are silent, then Ronnie explain Gardner died last night, he was murdered. She looks shocked. She thinks they are lying. They try to get her to help them to find out who did this and Joe asks her to think. She explains there was this boy, one of his patients, who was going to bring a knife to school, Philip was sorted it out. She can’t believe he is dead.
Later, at the home of Paul Downing on February 13, Paul’s father knocks on Paul’s bedroom door while Ronnie and Joe stand by. Paul doesn’t respond so Joe tries and says he knows Paul had a real shock but they need to talk to him about Dr. Gardner. Paul’s sister calls out to her father, saying Paul is on his web cam. They go into another room and see Paul on his web cam, telling viewers that the police are here and they say Gardner has been murdered. He trusted the doctor who said everything would be OK but now he feels like everything has gone black again. He takes a knife and slices it at his own neck, and Joe and Ronnie and Paul’s day race to the bedroom. Joe breaks down the door after a few tries and moves in to assist Paul. Joe puts pressure on Joe’s neck and urges him to stay calm. Paul says he does not want to live or do it anymore.
At the psychiatric wing on St. Thomas Hospital on Friday, February 14, Ronnie speaks with Paul’s father, asking if Paul was with him the whole night Dr. Gardner died. His father says no, since he was taken off the medication, he goes out at night to clear his head. Dr. Gardner took him off the meds and it scared him, which is why he stopped the sessions, Paul went ape about it. Joe enters and explains they are transferring Paul to the psychiatric ward now. His father walks off. Joe tells Ronnie that Paul seemed very upset when they told him Gardner was dead, and Ronnie agrees, and doesn’t know why t hose kids love the doctor so much. Joe wonders if he was abusing Paul, and Ronnie thinks maybe; Paul has no alibi and you take a mentally unstable lad and mess with his pills, what happens then?
Ronnie and Joe speak with Dr. Carey who thinks it is completely irresponsible, Paul can’t survive without a certain level of medication. Joe is not a fan of kids being doped if it can be avoided, but she counters if they studied Paul’s case notes they’d see there was no other option. She doesn’t know why Gardner decided to throw it all out the window. Joe comments that Paul liked Gardner’s methods but Carey says he is a child, a teenager who is easily influenced. Ronnie asks if she doesn’t think Gardner’s methods helped Paul at all, and she doesn’t; kids love doctors like him because they break the rules. It is irresponsible and Paul’s breakdown is all the proof they need. Ronnie wonders how Paul would react if Gardner told Paul he’d get better and then he didn’t? Carey replies “not well.”
Joe speaks with Paul about where he was two nights ago. Paul said he was just walking around, thinking. He just walked in circles, his head gets so busy. Ronnie asks if this is because Dr. Gardner messed up his treatment, and Paul says he didn’t mess up anything. Ronnie asks Paul to tell them what they have wrong, and Paul explains that Gardner says “I’m a rock in a sea of chaos” and he says it over and over while he walks in the dark and it calms him down. Carey asks if he feels calmer now that he is back on his medication, and Paul says he supposes. Ronnie asks Paul about taking the knife to school and he explains he went to school and his brain was on fire and he just was going to stab them all. He remembered what Philip taught him - “I’m a rock in a sea of chaos” - and it stopped him. He saved him. Joe asks where is the knife now, and Paul explains he gave it to Philip and he has it locked in his desk to keep them safe.
Back at Dr. Gardner’s office on February 14, Joe comments to Ronnie had there been a knife, the guys would have found it during the original search. Ronnie agrees. Joe also says CCTV picked up Paul walking in the park so he is in the clear. Ronnie finds a hidden compartment in the desk and there is no knife but there are audio tapes. One is marked “Clare” and Ronnie plays the recording. It’s the doctor apparently talking about one of his patients …and back at MIU, Wes listens to the same tape where the doctor is telling someone that he wants them and he has to have them, whatever the consequences. Wes asks who is this Clare, and Ronnie and Joe don’t know, there is no Clare listed among his clients and she does not speak on the tapes. They are not sure what these tapes are or who she is, all they have is a Christian name and a rough age group. Ronnie thinks they can interview his female clients to see If it is a nickname – Wes says good luck with that – and they can’t talk to his kids. His wife is in the way, which is strange as they can confirm his alibi. They think she is lying and she won’t like it. Wes doesn’t care.
At the home of Doctor Gardner, Ronnie and Joe speak with Alison’s son Riley. who says whatever his mom said. But they want to hear it from him. When Joe comments on Riley’s name, they find it is his mother’s maiden name. Riley said that night they just did their homework together and then he just went to bed. Riley is very agitated, and then says he went to be at 10:15. Ronnie comments that is very precise but he says it all happened just like mom said. Riley looks even more nervous as Ronnie thanks him. When they asks to speak with Lisa, Alison says she is at school, she went to get some things and be with her friends for a while and suggests they come back. Ronnie says they will talk to her there. Alison offers to go with him but they decline,.
At the school, they speak with Lisa who says she was in her room and Riley and her mom were downstairs, and when prompted, says they were doing homework. When Joe suggests she is lying, Lisa asks what did Riley say? Joe ask her to help them out, and she says Riley came into her room, late, he’d gone to bed and he has nightmares and he woke up, looking for mom. He couldn’t find her so they went looking together and could not find her. She asks if they think she did it.
With Alison and her solicitor in MIU interrogation, Ronnie comments that her daughter made a statement and Alison snaps that they forced her to. Ronnie asks where she was the night of the murder and did it bother her that her husband was spending time with young, impressionable girls. She says it is her job and when Ronnie asks about who is Clare, she does not know. They ask about the secret room in her husband’s office and she does not know. Ronnie thinks she does, and they play the tape recording they found. She listens to the recording and then screams for them to turn I off. She begins to murmur and repeat “I am a rock in a sea of chaos”. Ronnie leaps up from the chair.
Ronnie leaves the room and races down the hallway and, in the office, ask Jonathan how far back the list of patients go. He says he has over 20 years of cases. Ronnie asks to see the first ones. He sees something and then says – got it!
Ronnie walks back into the interrogation room with a file and asks Alison if she was ever a patient of Dr. Gardner. She asks if that is her file, and Ronnie asks how old was she when he treated her. Alison tells her solicitor that is her file and he can’t see that. He asks if she was young, and she says she was 15. Ronnie asks if she fell in love with him while he was treating her, and she replies she does not want to talk about this. He notes she reacted strongly when they played that tape, and was it because it reminded her of her experiences with Gardner and is he replacing her with a younger model? She counters that he doesn’t love her and she doesn’t love him. He is acting without control or discipline, Ronnie comments that she’s heard these tapes before, and she replies they are the actions of a diseased mind. There is no point in trying to make him better. Ronnie pointedly asks what did she do? Alison says nothing, and Ronnie accuses her of killing him because Gardner was abusing a teenage girl. Wes watches the action from the video observation room. Ronnie continues to press her, saying her silence is not helping her. She still says nothing, and Ronnie arrests her for murder.
Afterwards, Wes catches up with Ronnie and Joe in the hallway and Wes asks Ronnie if he’s gone made, he can’t go waving a patient’s file around. Ronnie says he didn’t use any confidential information and he just asked questions and she answered them, looking to Joe to confirm, which he does. Wes says but the file was in his hand, and Ronnie says he’s sorry, this file? He goes on to say this isn’t Alison Gardner’s file, he just picked it up on the way through the interview room. Wes looks relieved. They see Alison and her solicitor move to leave, and Wes says they still need to find Clare.
At Central Crown Court on Monday March 10, Jake walks into the men’s room and runs into Vijay Prasad, who says they are up against each other soon, he is representing Alison Gardner. Jake saw that she hired him and Jake is looking forward to it. Vijay comments “me too.”
Later, Jake, waling with Kate, tells Henry Sharpe that Lisa changed her statement, and when Henry asked how the defense got the daughter to retract, Kate explains she is 16 and loves her mom. Henry moans now they have no witness to counter Alison’s alibi. Jake says no witness, no weapon, she’s still maintaining her innocence, and they are no closer to finding Clare, whoever she is. Kate adds that without Lisa’s evidence, they are stuffed. Kate states the police have worked through Alison’s phone records and she made only one call the day Gardner died – to her mum.
At the home of Mrs. Riley on March 10, Ronnie tries to talk to her but she has nothing to say to them. She says Alison is a good girl now and she didn’t do it. Philip had but an end to all that. Ronnie asks if Alison caused her a lot of worry with all the trouble she’d gotten into, and Mrs. Riley says that is a nice way of putting it. She says Alison still blames her but she wasn’t the one out all night blind drunk with her legs in the air. Ronnie asks that Gardner helped her with all that, and Mrs. Riley says he saved her. Everyone tutted because she was so young, she was only 15, but the shame of that – of them – that she could live with. They didn’t fight more than any other couple. Ronnie asks about the phone call the morning after and if Alison seemed distressed. Mrs. Riley tells him he can hear for himself; she wasn’t in so Alison left a message on the machine.
Later the same day at North London Academy, Jake and Joe speak with Lisa about her changing her statement. Lisa said she just got things wrong. Jake explains to her he has to fight for his cases and if she won’t speak, he will have to call Riley to the witness box and he won’t be able to cope well in court, having to see his mother in the dock. Lisa says she does not know what to do, and Jake presses her. She found the tape in her father’s office, she was snooping and it was stupid but some of his patients have cool things. Something was disgusting and it freaked her out and she tried to hide it but her mother came in and she saw she was crying and she shouldn’t have left her hear it, she should have just put it back. She thinks this is all her fault.
Back at MIU in Wes’ office, Wes, Ronnie and Joe listen to the recording of Alison’s phone call to her mother, saying she did not hear from Philip and he did not come home last night. She sounds normal. Wes doesn’t get how this is helpful and Joe plays it back, saying to listed to the background and Wes notes it does not sound like Regent’s Park.
Later, at MIU, Kayla says that cell towers show that Alison was nowhere near the park. She was closer to St. Pancras and forensics isolated the sounds and a train is heard and a winching noise.
Ronnie and Joe head to St. Pancras where they find a man working a winch for the canal, and they have Alison on closed circuit walking away from Goodway Bridge. Joe yells to the other guys they will have to look down a little further,
As Ronnie and Joe sit on a bench sipping drinks, Ronnie tells Joe to stop fidgeting and he should put the time to good use. They are thinking about finding Clare and as Joe explains all the places he’s checked, a scuba diver comes up from the water with a huge knife.
At the Crown Prosecution Service on Tuesday, Match 11. With Alison. Vijay and Kate present, Jake states they now have the knife with the serrated edge that could have cause the wounds on Gardner, a knife they can prove was in his office. It was recovered close by where Alison was seen on CCTV. Vijay asks if she was shown holding the knife, and Kate replies that she was in the vicinity and NOT in Regency Park as she had claimed. Henry enters the room and Vijay asks what DNA is there to link it to his client because they all know the water means they have no evidence. Jake is satisfied that they have more than enough. Henry adds so is he. Vijay thinks it is all circumstantial, but Jake counters they have convicted on less. Kate adds that a jury is going to wonder why Alison lied to the police and they will point out how often she did. As Vijay begins to talk, Alison jumps in and says she was raped when she was 15, he raped her and when he found out he was going to do it again, she couldn’t breathe. She was so scared for what would happen to Clare it made her sick so she ran to him too confront him and stop him. She lost control and stabbed him. Jake asks her if she understands the implications of what she is saying, and Vijay jumps in and replies of course she doesn’t. Alison claims it wasn’t murder. Jake suggests she change her plea from not guilty to guilty of manslaughter. Vijay says no but Alison says yes, she does.
Afterwards, as Vijay and Alison leave, Jake comments to Kate that he can’t believe they would just roll over and go for a manslaughter plea. Kate asks if this is really such a bad thing, at least they avoid the trial and the cost and does less damage to the children. Jake questions that she would accept Alison’s plea, and Kate replies over loss of control, she would. The repeated rape qualifies as a trigger and the jury will empathize with her. Jake asks if she thinks Dr. Gardner raped her, and Kate says she does. As Jake rushed over to his desk, Kate follows him and reminds him of the mattress in the secret room. Jake shows her the photos of Gardner’s stab wounds, 7 times, and comments about loss of control maybe, but she must have been covered in blood , yet she walked away and had the presence of mind to change her clothes and dump them somewhere, they still don’t know where. Like the tape they heard, where she sent the message to her mother and took her children to school and had them lie on her behalf. Only because they found the knife did she change her story. Jake understands what Kate feels like that as Alison is a sympathetic figure but she knew exactly what she was doing and they have to make the jury see it is murder.
At Crown v Gardner, trial day on March 20, Lisa is in the witness box and says the night of the murder, she was at home. They had dinner and she did her homework and stayed in her room. She was on her computer and then Riley came in. He wanted to know where his mom was and they would not find her. Alison is in the dock feverishly taking notes. When Jake presses, Lisa said she did not see her mother until morning. When Jake said her mother told them she was home all night, Vijay interrupts, and the just asks Jake if there is an actual question. Jake says no, Lisa has said all she should. Alison stands up and tells Lisa it is okay, it is all okay she loves her, and Lisa says she loves her too. The judge tells Alison he can’t allow this. Alison apologizes and then says she needs to give a note to Vijay. The judge allows someone to take the note from Alison to Vijay. Vijay looks at the note and pauses and seems a little uncomfortable with it. He asks Lisa to tell them about the time her mother planted lilies in the front garden. Lisa looks to her mother and Lisa says she does not want to. Her mother says it is fine and the judge admonishes her. Lisa says her mother planted two rows of lilies all the way from the gates of the door. When her father came home he was really angry. He ripped them up, he said that she didn’t have permission. Alison pipes up and sad he treated her like a child, and the judge chastises her again and is being patient but he will not have this case overrun by her. He says she will respect the courtroom or she will be removed from it. She nods in agreement. Vijay continues and asks if Lisa was the one who found the tape. She says yes, and she showed it to her mother. Her mother went quiet and then locked herself in the loo. Vijay is done questioning her, but Jake asks one more question – did she ever hear her mother tell her father that she loved him/ Lisa says yes of course, lots of times. She looks to her mother and her mother blankly looks back.
Afterwards, as Jake and Kate rush up the stairs, Henry asks what the jury made of it, and Jake replies he thinks they like her, and Kate says they love her. Henry says there is something else, the defense is calling a child psychiatrists, Dr. Antonia Carey, to give evidence in support of Alison, emphasizing the ongoing trauma of childhood abuse in adult life. Kate looks at the file Henry have her and says this is bad. Henry says that is what he thought, they’re going from guilty of murder with a life sentence to manslaughter on grounds of loss of control, and with good behavior…Jake finishes the sentence and says she could be as well behaved as she needs to be…Henry goes on she could be out in 2 years. Jake takes the file and asks what do they know about Dr. Carey?
Later. At CPS in Henry’s office with Jake and Kate, Ronnie says Dr. Carey is smart and very principled and when they brought in Paul who tried to kill himself, she made it clear she had no time for Philip Gardner’s methods. Kate asks if Ronnie thinks this is personal, and Ronnie says she felt the boy was being mistreated, but the guy is dead, why would she want to tread the dirt in? Henry says her motivation isn’t important, will she damage the case? Ronnie replies she will convince the jury, she comes across very well. Henry asks if there is no news form Clare, and Ronnie explains that Joe is out now trying all the homeless shelters and hostels and when he knows, they will know. Henry thanks Ronnie as Ronnie leaves. Henry pauses, and then tells Jake and Kate he thinks he can help them.
At Crown v Garner, trial day 3 on March 24, Dr. Carey is in the witness box for the defense and states that Dr. Gardner abused the privileges of his profession. There was never an excuse for sexual relationships with the patients, saying it is a betrayal of trust, and if you betray that trust then your behavior can have tragic and even violent consequences, even later on in life. Under cross examination. Kate asks if Dr. Carey has examples of these cases where violence followed the interaction between doctor and patient, and she says she does. Kate asks of these cases, how many of the abused patients went on to marry the adult with whom they had sex? Dr Carey doesn’t know of any. But Kate asks about those where doctor and patient remained married for 20 years and raised two happy and well balanced children? Carey says none, but Dr. Gardner was in a position where he could convince Alison she was in love with him, even if this wasn’t the case. Kate asks if she is certain Gardner crossed a line with Alison and Carey says it is unforgivable. Kate asks if Dr. Carey has ever done the same. Dr. Carey says of course not. Kate asks never? Carey says an empathic no. Kate mentions when Dr. Carey was much younger, and early on in her career, is it right that she used on counsel members of the legal profession after traumatic cases? Carey replies she did. Kate goes on to ask if Carey ever slept with a patient? Carey is silent, and Kate goes to ask how about a young solicitor who was deeply affected by a harrowing case involving the death of a key witness. Carey stammers and then says yes, once, but only once, and she should stress that the man was not a child, he was 31. Kate reminds her she betrayed his trust all the same, surely. Kate presses Carey, asking if Carey wasn’t worried about the tragic and violent consequences that may follow? Carey is uncomfortably silent.
Afterwards, Henry is near the main hall of the courthouse and he sees Dr. Carey descend the stairway. She sees him and walks up to him. She tells him that was a low blow and begins to storm off, and as she passes Henry, he tells her Alison is guilty of murder. She walks back toward him and asks if he is certain. He says his team is, and he trusts them. She testily states he should have warned her. He asks how could he? She states those were private moments between them, they managed to keep them secret this long. She remembered them fondly until today. Henry says he can’t let Alison walk free, and Carey asks what if she is telling the truth? Henry states she isn’t. She shakes her head at him and walks off.
At Crown v Gardner trial day 6 on March 27, Alison is in the witness box. She says her parents trusted Philip so when he took her for days at a time they never questioned it. He mentions once he drove her to a cottage in the country and forced to have sex with him and it hurt but she wanted to please him. When she said she would tell someone he laughed, and that no one would believe a screw up like her. Then he would touch her and tell her they were in love. After a few year, sex felt normal and her behavior was better in public so she told him she wanted to go to college. She cries as she explains that he went crazy and drove her to a mental institution and parked outside where she could see the gates and he would have her committed if she tried to leave him. Kate gets up a questioning look and picks up a file and at the same time Ronnie gets a similar look on his face and gets up and leave the courtroom. Alison said Philip wanted to have sex right there in the car and was turned on that someone would see. Kate gets a look of realization on her face.
Meanwhile, Ronnie races down the stairway and calls Joe, asking him if he is near a computer.
Alison continues to testify that she dropped out of school, her parents didn’t seem to care, and then long after he announced her therapy has been a success. As Alison talks, Kate whispers something to Jake, she stands up and nods to the judge so she can leave. Alison looks puzzled but then says Philip then told her they were getting married.
Ronnie, on the phone with Joe, tells him to look in the other file. Kate races up to someone sitting at the front desk and says she needs access to exhibit 17 in the Crown v Gardner case as quick as they can.
Back with Ronnie on the phone, he comments that is great, well done. Kate, meanwhile, listens to the recoding that they had from Philip’s office. Ronnie rushes into the area where Kate is sitting and she tells him she thinks she found something. Ronnie tells her they found Clare.
In the witness box, Alison continues to give evidence that she heard Philip talking on the tape it was all the same game and tricks but now he was doing to someone else. She didn’t remember walking to the office or leaving the house. She remembered seeing the knife before in his desk and he was lying on the sofa. She stabbed him. Jake asks why she didn’t go to the police when she heard the tape, and she knew Clare would never speak against him. She said she loved him because that was what she was expected to say. Ronnie and Kate enter the courtroom and she shows Jake some information. Jake reads it and then looks at Alison. The judge prompts him to go on more than once and he motions he needs a second. He composes himself, and then asks Alison that she mentioned Dr. Gardner had driven her to a country cottage and he asks her to tell them about this. Alison says it was a lot of places, and he asks about the first place. She said it was about an hour from her parents’ and a small town nearby for food but otherwise completely isolated. Jake asks what was the name of the town, and Alison says she can’t remember. Jake asks the judge for permission to play an excerpt from one of the tapes, and he allows it. They play the tape and Philip mentions someone unbuttoning her blouse, parked right outside the hospital, saying it was so forbidden and they couldn’t help themselves. He said he became part of her disease. Alison looks shocked as Philip says he knew right then he had to be her doctor for life. Jake brings up Alison’s prior comment about being parked opposite the hospital and Philips about being parked outside the hospital where they had sex, saying that Philip is describing Alison. Wide-eyed, she says no. Jake asks her again what was the name of that town, and she stammers. Jake says the town was called Clare, it is the name written on all these tapes. Vijay looks exasperated. Alison stammers as Jake says she thought he had betrayed her but the tapes are actually a memoir, Dr. Gardner named them after the town he and she first went together and the tapes are a testament of his love for her. Alison looks devastated. Jake says there is no other girl, no betrayal, no repeated offense and no Clare, there was only her. Alison calls out Philip’s name and sits back down in shock. Jake goes on to say Philip never raped her, he fell in love with her and her with him but she was so scared he was going to leave her that she killed him. As Alison mutters, Jake asked if Philip abused her, and she cries and says no, and with a strange smile, adds that he loved her. He promised he would save her and then he did and she loved him. She asks what does she do now? Her daughter looks on as Alison repeats what does she do now?
Afterwards, Jake is standing the courthouse hall and Kate catches up to him, asking if it is time for a drink, he won. He says she did too, adding it was well spotted. Kate says it was more Ronnie than her. Jake laughs, saying look at them both, trying not to take any credit. Kate tells Jake he was right, she was very convincing and the jury would have gone with her. Jake thinks they got lucky, then asks Kate if she feels lucky. As they walk off, we cut to black.
All Content (Recaps, Review, Commentary) Copyright © allthingslawandorder.blogspot.com unless otherwise noted
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment