Law & Order SVU “Exile” Recap & Review

Law & Order SVU “Exile” was one of those episodes that annoyed me most of the way through.  I almost didn't want to waste my time to recap it.

What first set me off was the way they shoehorned in Peter Stone's issues with the death of his sister.  Carisi made an insensitive comment to Stone, complaining about his own sister, Gina, which makes Stone get in a "mood."  Stone, who seems to need sex to drown his sorrows, has a momentary struggle with having sex with a woman he just picked up at a bar. I admit I laughed when the woman commented that he was old and would only have to climb two flights of stairs – OUCH! Later, Stone tells Benson his sister was also homeless at one time, and soon after that, Stone gets agitated at the victim’s parents, blaming them for the victim being homeless. We also hear that his sister went missing before being institutionalized, and she was living on the street with a junkie doing meth. I wonder what other problems they will dump on this dead woman in order to advance a backstory for Peter Stone?  Why must we continually have Peter Stone’s struggle with his sister’s death thrown in our faces? Don’t get me wrong, I really like Philip Winchester and am glad he’s on SVU. If these tidbits made for an interesting backstory I would buy into them but frankly, the way his struggle is being presented is like poorly written fanfic. (Full disclosure: I dislike fanfic and rarely read it.)  The dialog was cringe-worthy at times (example: “I’m just using you…to forget”).

Along that line, we hear about Benson’s college life and college boyfriend in her attempt to help the victim recover her memories. I know fans love to hear tidbits about Benson but again, they were shoehorned in under the guise of making a connection with the victim.  It felt forced.  A side note: Benson calls the cereal she ate in college Captain Crunch (the captioning also listed it as that) but any cereal connoisseur, or anyone who ever ate that stuff, knows it is Cap’n Crunch (wink).

The pacing of the episode was good when Fin and Carisi worked the investigation. Fin’s reaction to his shoes getting soiled was classic Fin. But as Benson became increasingly involved, the episode dragged. Which brings me to my biggest issue: the doctor’s evaluation and Benson’s ensuing involvement with the victim’s recovery of memory. My first issue is with the quick examination of Sophie in the SVU interview room. We’re not talking about a doctor observing an interrogation of a perp to get a general take on a perp’s mental state, we’re talking about a doctor examining a victim who they suspect has been traumatized. Wouldn’t a doctor’s office environment have been a better, more calming place for the evaluation? Then, after Dr. Abernathy confirms a diagnosis that Benson had already suspected, shouldn’t the doctor have taken the lead to help Sophie recover those memories, not Benson? I can’t see where an NYPD lieutenant would be the proper person, or have the time, to facilitate the recovery of a victim in such a fragile mental state, regardless of her job experience. We see how that went for Benson: things went sideways and we got an enraged and even more traumatized victim.  I was thrilled to see Sophie call out Benson on her hollow platitudes.  I did not agree with Benson encouraging an already enraged Sophie to throw something and break it to make things all better.  I think this method works only on TV.  Luckily for Benson, Carisi’s almost inappropriate comment gave her a brainstorm to help Sophie recover from her trauma. It gave the victim a chance for closure, and again, Benson saves the day. I would have found it more interesting had Carisi, who seemed to be making a connection with the victim early on, been the one to help her through her recovery.

On the plus side, Aimee Spring Fortier was very convincing as Grace Walker/Sophie.

Here is the recap:

Grace walks the street in the rain and looks into a bar window and then enters. Meanwhile, Carisi is at a bar with Stone and explains he has to get going otherwise he will get an earful from his sister, Gina. He’s only had his truck for a month and she thinks it’s her personal U-Haul. Carisi says he loves his sister but sometimes he wishes she would just go away, a comment which hits Stone the wrong way because of his own sister’s recent death. Carisi apologizes. Carisi pays the tab and leaves. Stone stays and makes eye contact with a woman nearby.

Grace dries up in the rest room and puts on makeup. Meanwhile, two guys talk about a “peegasm”. One of the guys strikes up a conversation with Grace.

Elsewhere, Stone is in a cab with the woman from the bar and they are kissing. He says he can’t, and she says she knows he is old but he’d only have to climb two flights [ouch!]. He explains he is just using her to forget. She counters she is using him for sex, no biggie. She opens the door and asks if he is coming.

The next day, Carisi and Benson are on the scene of an alley by a bar where a girl who has been injured is being removed by EMTs. She has no cell or personal ID. It is not just a mugging, the perp took her panties. But – he left her Prada.

Later, Benson and Carisi hear about the victim’s injuries from the doctor at the hospital. The rape kit tested positive. Her name is Grace Walker and she has no family. She had a high BAC and THC was in her system so the doctor doubts there was consent. Benson and Carisi speak with Grace. She doesn’t remember the attack. She remembers it was raining and she was on her way home. She ducked into a bar to wait it out. Guys brought her a few drinks and she woke up here. She can’t quite recall their names. Benson explains she may have been sexually assaulted and this upsets Grace. Benson says she will be okay and will get through this and asks if there is anyone they can call. She mentions Tommy but she doesn’t want them to call him, she will tell him. Benson suggests Carisi drive her home. Carisi says he will wait for her outside.

At the Black Bunny Bar on Wednesday, October 17, Fin speaks with the bartender who says Grace seemed to have no intention of paying for a drink. She flirted with him and he gave her a shot on the house as girls like her are good for business. She found two suckers, one is a regular, he thinks his name is Drew, who brings him medical marijuana. He usually parks his truck on 52nd between 1st and 2nd.

Fin locates Drew at his truck and speaks with him about Grace. He denies doing anything to Grace, the last he left her she was with his buddy, Silas. Fin says his experience is somebody who throws their friend under the bus are lying. Drew shows Fin he took an Uber home, alone, at 11 and he can ask the driver. Fin says he will and picks an item off the guys counter and says he will need Silas’s name and address.

As Carisi drives her home, Grace says she appreciates this, and Carisi jokes to wait until she gets his bill. She points out where to drop her off, telling her to pull past Freddie, the nosey doorman. Carisi complies. She asks if he’s seen a lot of girls that have been…she pauses and Carisi says way too many. She asks how did their boyfriends take it, and Carisi asks if she is worried about telling Tommy. She admits she is the one who got drunk, suggesting they not tell him about the other stuff. Carisi tries to convince her to get support of a loved one, or a therapist, and asks if she doesn’t want to go to work he can call her boss. She explains she is between jobs, she does medical research, and Tommy doesn’t care that she is not contributing financially. Tommy is a thoracic surgeon. Carisi comments that is impressive. She says she should let him catch the bad guys, and he gives her his business card, saying if she remembers anything or just wants to talk to not hesitate. She exits the car and walks to the entrance of the building. She passes the doorman who glances in Carisi’s direction. Carisi gets a call and says he will be right there.

At Sharp Data, Inc. on Wednesday, October 17, Fin and Carisi enter Silas’ office. He dismisses the rape accusation, countering that she attacked him. Carisi says Grace is 90 pounds soaking wet. Silas says when she came at him with that steel rod she was like Wonder Woman on bath salts. He admits he “whacked” her in self defense as she went after his money clip. Fin questions if that was before or after he took her wallet. He states Grace didn’t have two nickels to rub together. Fin asks about her panties, and Silas states like any good slut, she wasn’t wearing any when he got there. Carisi asks if they do a DNA test on the semen on her body it won’t match his, and Silas admits they had sex and it was consensual. He then says if they don’t mind, he has work to do, to which Fin states if he doesn’t mind, to stand up and turn his ass around. Silas says Harvey can go to friggin’ hell, and when Fin asks “Harvey who?”. Silas rants about “Me too this, times up that”, adding you can’t even pick up a broad in a bar these days. Fin moves Silas to the door, sarcastically commenting “What is this world coming to.”



Back at the SVU where Rollins is sitting at her desk, Fin and Carisi bring Silas to Benson and she tells Fin to put him in interrogation one. Benson tells Carisi to bring Grace in for a lineup but Rollins explains that Grace’s phone number goes to a sorority house and they have never heard of her. Carisi thinks the number was written down wrong and decides to go back to the building where she was dropped off.

At 179 East 75th Street the same day, Carisi speaks with the doorman who says no one lives there by that name and never saw her. No Tommy there either. Carisi asks to look at security footage.

Fin and Rollins question Silas who says she attacked him. He didn’t call the cops as he is married. Benson and Stone are observing and Carisi tells them that Grace may not be who they thought she was. The number was fake and the doorman has no idea who she was. The security footage shows her walking into the building and turning around and walking back out. Stone says without her testimony this case isn’t going anywhere. Benson thinks she had to tell Silas something that would help them find her. Benson enters interrogation and tells Silas she believes him and she asks him question about what they talked about. He says they talked about nonsense. He wasn’t really interested. She kept going on about some diner on 155th near Broadway but he doesn’t know the name. Benson tells them to put him in the cage.

At 155th Street that same day, Fin and Carisi talk about the case and Carisi sees a building named Walker House, the same as Grace’s last name. They speak with a man inside who identifies Grace from a photo. She comes in twice a week at lunchtime. She is not a Walker, she is homeless. They explain the situation and the man says Grace is a rough sleeper, who prefers the streets to the shelter. Grace has good hygiene and does not appear homeless, When she comes for lunch she sits with Tommy, who is dressed in army camo. When he sees they are police, he throws his food at Fin's shoes and while Fin moans about it, Carisi chases Tommy. Someone trips him up and Tommy falls to the floor. Carisi catches up and cuffs him.

Later, Rollins and Carisi question Tommy in interrogation and he says Grace is crazy. They explain the situation and he asks if she is okay. He explains people like him and Grace are peripatetic. He wants to help but has no clue where she is. Rollins offers him coffee and donuts in the break room.

Benson has been observing and she and Rollins discuss the homeless. Rollins brings up the use of the word peripatetic and thinks there is a little truth in all of Grace’s lies. She brings up the sorority house phone and they think Grace went to college there.

At the Theta Pi Kappa House in Spence College in Bayside, Queens on Wednesday October 17, Carisi and Fin speak with a member who identifies Grace as Sophie Simmons and they were friends. Sophie just disappeared one day during their freshman year. There was a party and Sophie met a guy and didn’t show up after. They called her parents a week later.

Back at SVU, Stone and Benson look at a video of Sophie from that time. Stone is surprised it is the same girl. They have contacted her parents. Carisi is checking with the YMCAs in the city, and Rollins says there is an app that tracks the homeless – streetlifeNYC – to help families locate their loved ones., Rollins uploaded a photo with the hashtag “find Grace.” Carisi thinks she took the name from the building but don’t know why she chose Grace. Stone wonders if this is where she fell from. He tells Benson his sister went missing once before they institutionalized her. She was living on the street with a junkie doing meth. It was the only time he ever saw his father cry. Carisi announces that Sophie’s parents are there.

In the interview room, the parents explain Sophie’s mother’s death and that she – her father’s new wife – may have caused Sophie upset and the last time they saw her. They’ve had private detectives. Benson explains Sophie never mentioned them and her father gets irate when he finds they had her and let her go and she is back on the streets. Stone gets argumentative right back and Benson stops him and they excuse themselves from the room.

In the other room, Benson chastises Stone and he blames the father. Rollins enters and says they found Sophie via the app and she is panhandling on the corner of Henry and Grand. Benson tells Stone to take a breath and goes to update the parents. Stone looks angry.

At the location, Fin and Carisi locate Sophie and they witness Tommy approach her and punch her, making her fall to the ground. Fin and Carisi race to assist. Fin pulls Tommy off her as Carisi calls for a bus.

At the hospital, Sophie tells Benson and Carisi she just wants to be left alone; if she doesn’t care why should they? Sophie seems worried about Tommy, saying that she needs him. She says they doesn’t know what it’s like to be on the streets. She said Silas didn’t rape her, he paid her what they agreed to but she got greedy and wanted more. Benson and Carisi look frustrated and Carisi states he will call Stone. Benson asks that Tommy beat her up because she cheated on him and Sophie says they have a deal. She also says her parents are dead, and when Benson asks what are their names, Sophie says she doesn’t know. She wonders herself why she doesn’t know that. Benson shows her a picture of Sophie when she was at college and she doesn’t recognize herself. Benson asks if the name Sophie Simmons is familiar and it is not. She looks at the photo again and says nothing. Benson mentions there are people outside who want to meet her, and she brings in the parents. Mr. Simmons calls out her name and he cries as he takes her hands and says he is so sorry. She calls him dad and asks why is he crying? She asks what she is doing there, asking if there is something wrong with her. Benson consoles her and says it is okay.

At SVU in the interview room, Sophie talks to Dr. Abernathy about her childhood memories with her parents. She discusses the freshman parents weekend when her father and new wife visited. She recalls nothing after that visit.

Afterwards, Abernathy tells Benson, with Stone present, that Benson was right, it looks like dissociative fugue disorder. She explains to Stone it is a disorder where a person loses their biographical information and personal identity so they adopt a new one. Benson adds it is usually triggered by childhood abuse or sexual assault. When Stone says Sophie spent the last 3 years getting assaulted on the streets, Abernathy explains to Stone that is was Grace who was assaulted, not Sophie, that identity had been exiled from her conscious mind. He states that is a little dramatic. She adds we tend to experience identity as a thing, but it is less stable and has less unity than we’d like to believe. Sophie didn’t like the identity she had so she gave it the boot and enter Grace. Benson says it was like she committed suicide without killing herself. Stone thinks the trauma happened her freshman year at college, and Abernathy says it could be something that triggered the memory. It is possible her father abused her and Abernathy would not put her back wither parents until they find the source of the trauma. Stone comments she doesn’t have years to spend on the couch, and Benson counters somebody sexually abused Sophie and the trauma was so severe that she abandoned who she was. Stone says they catch him, he’ll cook him, but he will need a lot more than the testimony of a girl who can’t remember what happened. Benson asks Abernathy how to help Sophie, and she says every patient is different and starting with the man who assaulted her might be a good place to start. Stone, annoyed, said it is a piece of cake…if we knew who he was. Benson wonders what if they took Sophie back to the place where she became Grace.

At Spence College in Bayside, Queens on Wednesday, October 24, Benson and Sophie walk the grounds and talk. Benson says she was a Phi Delta and adds that college was an escape for her. Sophie recognizes a few places, Benson saying she lived on Captain Crunch and it wasn’t until she moved in with Billy that she upped it to a can of tuna. Billy is a thing of the past. Sophie says there was no way her father would ever let her move in with a guy, and Benson said she didn’t tell her mother. Sophie spots where she lived with the other pre-meds and Benson suggests they take a peek.

Inside, Sophie identifies her grad instructor and suggests they see the football stadium. It becomes obvious she is avoiding continuing down the hall. But Benson gets her to keep walking. Sophie brings up Professor Adams, adding she hates him. He gave her a B- on her midterm and never got below a B before. She begins to get upset and says her dad is going to kill her. Benson tries to calm her, but Sophie says it is not okay, if she got below a B, she would be sent to SUNY. Benson comments that parents say a lot of stupid things and try to scare you to stay on the right road. But parents are the one who get scared, referencing being a mom and trying to reason with a 6 year old. Sophie sees Adams’ office but she doesn’t want to go. Benson assures her that she is right by her side the whole time. They go in and Sophie holds back until Benson says there is nobody in there. Sophie says it is exactly the same - Benson adds tenure means never having to change, Sophie then points to a sofa and says it was there, she came in to try for extra credit and Adams told her that he believed in sex for grades. She thought he was joking and she laughed but he wasn’t joking. She describes how he sexually assaulted her. She had a pen in her pocket and it jabbed her in the leg until it broke, the ink stain still visible on the sofa. She still has the scar. She tried to scream and fight him off but she couldn’t. Benson tries to calm her again and Sophie asks who is going to believe her. Benson says she does, and they will find and confront the bastard who did this to her. A woman walks in and asks what they are doing in her office. Benson question that it is her office as Sophie looks confused. The woman says Logan Adams died in March from a heart attack and she took over his position in August. Sophie is stunned and she sobs.

Back at SVU, Sophie tells Benson she wants to die. Benson says she is sorry and can’t promise to take the pain away but will do all she can to help her. She touches Sophie who recoils and tells Benson not to touch her. Sophie gets more angry at Benson and flips over a coffee table. She angrily tells Benson she told her she would be better if she found out what happened to her and she would get past it. Benson says she will, and Sophie adds Benson said if she looked at the bastard that hurt her in the eye and tell him how he ruined her life, that would start the healing. Sophie screams and throws more stuff, saying he is dead goddammit and there is no healing. Benson asks to take her home, and Sophie screams she is never going home, she is better off in the street. Tommy took care of her, she says, saying look what Benson did. Benson hands her a mug and tells her to throw it on the floor as hard as she can and she does so. Sophie screams and falls to the couch and Benson consoles her, reminding her that Adams is dead but she is not. Sophie pushes Benson away and moves off, saying that is not enough. She leaves. Benson sighs.

Later, Carisi tells Benson that the 2-7 called, they found Sophie dumpster diving on the lower east side. She asks, “And?” and Carisi adds she swore to them her name was Grace Walker. An RMP is bringing her there right now. Benson asks what does she do with her – she won’t go home and she can’t lock her up. Carisi mentions a 51-50 and Benson says some shrink drugs her up 48 hours and puts her back on the street. Carisi says it is a vicious cycle and Benson says this puts us back to where they started. Benson shakes her head and says this guy was a professor and they are supposed to guide young minds and not destroy him. Carisi said if he wasn’t already dead, he’d kill the guy. When Benson asks what he just said, Carisi said he was speaking figuratively. Benson gets a look of realization and says that was genius. She walks off to a perplexed Carisi.

Later, at the grave of Logan Adams, Sophie is standing there with Benson and Sophie reads off what has happened to her over the last 3 years. He parents are with them. She gets angry as she talks about how Adams got measly sexual gratification and she lost her life. She adds she will never forgive him but hopefully she can move on with help from her family and friends, looking at Benson. She is going to survive, saying “Yes, I am.” Benson whispers, as she hugs and consoles Sophie, “Yes. You are. Yes, you are. Yes.” as we fade to black.

Cast:
Mariska Hargitay - Lieutenant Olivia Benson
Ice-T - Sergeant Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Peter Scanavino - Detective Dominick “Sonny” Carisi, Jr.
Philip Winchester – ADA Peter Stone

Guest stars:
Aimee Spring Fortier - Grace Walker/Sophie
Jake Robinson - Silas Perry
Mat Vairo - Drew Brogan
James Leo Ryan – Tommy
Betsy Aidem – Dr. Sloane
Sandrine Holt - Lisa Abernathy
Tim Bohn – Mark Simmons
Teri Hansen - Patricia Simmons
Melvin Abston- Chet
Tara Polhemus – Kirsten
Samue Encarnacion – Bartender
Sam Kazzi – Doorman
Kaci Tansey – Mandy
Elise Rovinsky – Ann Miller
Martin Pfefferkorn – Mitch
Sulekha Ebelle - Vega







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