Law & Order SVU “Intent” Recap & Review

Law & Order SVU “Intent” was the complete opposite of the previous episode “Something Happened”; the latter focused almost exclusively on Benson, while “Intent” provided something for everybody. This was a FAR better episode, giving viewers a lot of the expected and a little of the unexpected, just enough to make things interesting.  Noah goes missing while he is with Sheila (expected). In a West Virginia bar, Rollins tells Carisi that she once took a bartender “out back and banged his brains out” (expected - because  it's Rollins,  and unexpected - that she actually said it). Carisi and Rollins get in a bar fight (unexpected) and later have a “moment” (unexpected), a moment which Carisi finds shattered when he sees that Rollins hooked up with a West Virginia bartender that same night (expected). When Carisi seems to be in a funk over this (unexpected), Rollins tells him “You know I’m human, right? Right, and human people have sex, sometimes with people they love, sometimes with people they don’t even know…and sometimes with people who are pains in the ass” (expected…and which one of those could be Carisi?). Barba gets one in the win column (expected), but only after Benson seemingly had to push Barba to pursue a case (expected). Fin gets to add the comic relief (expected).

Peppered within this episode is the Benson – Noah – Sheila story arc. It begins with Benson finding out from Noah that during his time with Sheila that day, Sheila mentioned Noah’s mother Ellie. This does not please Benson one bit. She later makes it clear to Sheila that Noah’s family – Sheila’s family - is complicated and Noah is 5 and when he is old enough he will hear the truth but until then, Sheila has to discuss these things with her first. Sheila agrees it will never happen again, saying this has all been wonderful and she wants it to work, and she asks for Benson’s forgiveness. Benson grants it to her, reminding Sheila they are all new at this. At the end of the episode, Sheila is in a department store with Noah as he is trying on a coat, and a mysterious figure wearing a hoodie watches nearby. As Sheila turns away briefly to select another coat, she turns back toward where Noah had been standing and he is nowhere to be found. She looks around in desperation and panic. At the end of the episode, Benson gets a call from Sheila and her face looks stunned. The promo for the next episode shows the continuation of this story. The big questions: Who took Noah, and did Sheila have anything to do with orchestrating the abduction? Has she been ingratiating herself with Benson in order to get Benson to drop her guard or did she have nothing to do with this at all? If Sheila is not complicit, will Benson ever be able to trust or forgive Sheila? Can we finally bring a close to this story line once and for all?

Now, the SVU case of the week. A social media celebrity, Katy Miller, and MMA fighter “The Monster” arrange to meet and later find themselves at The Monster’s home which has a spectacular view of the city. Things look romantic at first but quickly turns bad when The Monster forces himself on Katy, despite her pleas to stop. Afterward, Katy is walking alone in the street, and a stranger walking by asks if she is okay. She collapses, saying she was raped. Later, with Fin and Rollins at the Mercy Hospital where Katy was taken, she denies a rape occurred. Benson and Rollins also have no luck in getting Katy to spill on her attacker, but The Monster proactively contacts the SVU about the matter, later telling Carisi and Fin that Katy sent him a text demanding $10,000 or she will tell them that he raped her.

The Monster is questioned at SVU and they find that he got messages from Katy that stated she wanted him to rape her.  Benson and the detectives set up a sting to have The Monster pay the money and to see if Katy shows up, and if she doesn’t, to charge The Monster with rape 1. Surprisingly, Katy does show up but she runs when she sees him. The detectives apprehend her and arrest her. While being questioned at SVU, she denies the demands for money. They later discover that Katy was lured to that location by another mysterious text. As the detectives discuss the case and the texts, they realize a third party is involved – Fin calling it a double catfish.

While they work to unveil this third party, Benson confers with Barba and he explains that for this third person to be charged with rape, The Monster has to be found guilty (or take a guilty plea). Later,  Barba and Benson lay out the facts for The Monster; Katy also shows up during this discussion and makes it clear that she told The Monster to stop. (She also throws in the fact that she was a virgin.) He does the right thing and takes Barba’s deal, opening the door to charge the catfisher. This was almost too easy. 

The catfisher is tracked to West Virginia, and Carisi and Rollins get the assignment to go there to check it out, giving viewers a stereotypical view of West Virginia life. Along with Deputy Sheriff Chuck Howley, they catch up with Heather Parcell, who is taking care of her very ill mother. They take her computer and she is arrested.  Later, at “The Barrel” bar, Carisi and Rollins are with the Chuck, who has too much to drink. As Chuck takes a bathroom break, Rollins questions the bartender, Buck, and they get slightly flirty. Afterward, Rollins comments to Carisi she spent too many nights in places like this. She recounts her experience with the bartender at one of her old haunts, and when she returned to see her mother last year, she admits that she “took him out back and banged his brains out.” They both laugh over this. Soon after, Chuck drunkenly comes out of the men’s room and as Carisi tries to help him, they collide with a server who spills her tray of drinks all over a group at another table. As Carisi tries to defuse the situation, a fight ensues, with Carisi and Rollins quickly exiting the bar, somewhat exhilarated over the experience. They later share a near romantic moment at Rollins’ hotel room door, but Carisi isn’t laughing later when he sees Buck exiting Rollins’ hotel room in the morning.

They take Heather to New York City to face charges and she eventually is represented by the attorney who she also catfished. During her trial, Katy and The Monster testify to their parts of the story, and Heather takes the stand in her defense, playing on sympathy about caring for her sick mother. It looks like it may work, but Barba quickly brings out the anger and resentment that Heather holds towards Katy, and the jury quickly finds her guilty of rape in the first degree.

The only thing that was a big hole for me was how was it so easy for Heather to catfish Katy, The Monster, and the lawyer? I suppose with people using texts and/or dating or hook-up apps with increased frequency and speaking less via phone or in person, it may be easier that I think to bamboozle so many people.



Cast:
Mariska Hargitay - Lieutenant Olivia Benson
Ice-T - Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Raúl Esparza - ADA Rafael Barba
Peter Scanavino - Detective Dominick “Sonny” Carisi, Jr.

Guest stars:
Brooke Shields - Sheila Porter
Steve Howey – The Monster Andy McPherson
Gage Golightly - Katy Miller
James Monroe Iglehart – Shaun Tompkins
Tenea Intraigo - Heather Preston
Nick Sullivan - Deputy Sheriff Chuck Howley
Glenn Fleshler - Counselor Phillip Altshuler
Erik Anthony Martin - Marv
Ben Roberts – Buck
Barbara Kingsley – June Parcell
Gillian Glasco – Uni
Valerie Kingston – Judge Martha Whiman
Anthoula Katsimatides – Meryl Smith
Ava Demary – Debbie
Violet Knobel – Amy
Melody Bates – Waitress
Erik Martin – Marv
Jenny Hickman – Missy
Christopher Tighe – Man
Lailee Clemons – Foreperson
Ryan Buggle - Noah Porter-Benson




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