Law & Order SVU “Alta Kockers” was a solid episode, mostly due to two fantastic guest stars, “repeat offenders” Judd Hirsch and Wallace Shawn, who played the two curmudgeonly and reclusive old men. (The episode title is a Yiddish word for the same, but I’ve sanitized it from the literal translation.) What starts out as the average, every-day SVU murder and possible hate crime, turns into a story of two brothers who both appear to hate each other but are also both sharing a horrible secret of being sexually abused at a young age. The brothers are full of other secrets; besides the abuse, Ben, the younger brother, has written a book about sexual abuse under another name, making plenty of money. The elder brother, Joe, seems clueless to all of this and to their pending financial ruin. Also, their mother is dead and in the freezer in the basement.
When the SVU investigates the murder of a person who they believe to be the author of the book, it takes a predictable turn. Once the publisher admitted he had never met the author before that night, it was obvious that the murder victim was only a stand in for the real author. Assuming that one of the two guest stars would be one of the authors, I hoped that the episode wouldn’t be dull. But these two characters were written well, and performed brilliantly. It was like watching real brothers argue. They disliked each other so intensely that their only interaction was in the form of constant disagreement. Yet they still loved each other, keeping their horrible secrets to themselves and one brother taking the blame for the murder of their mother.
While in SVU interrogation, Carisi is still working to investigate their home and he discovers their mother’s body in a freezer. It appears that they smothered her. While in Rikers, both brothers individually tell Benson and Rollins about being sexually abused when they were young. It was hard not to feel the anguish that both men still felt, and Hirsch and Shawn played these roles perfectly. Finally, at the trial for the murder of their mother, Joe takes the blame and quickly collapses. The final scenes with Joe on his deathbed and Ben finally telling this brother what happened was heart-wrenching.
Some of the dialog in this episode may have been upsetting to some. Early on, when Benson says of the victim “she is not a she, physically”, this was considered to be an insensitive comment to someone who is transgender. It was later explained that Bobbi was not transgender, just a boy posing as a young girl for the book signing. I’m not sure that makes the line okay. I would have expected for Benson - of all people - to be more sensitive to the dead body. I’m not sure what the right words would be, maybe saying something like “we could be dealing with a victim who is transgender.” Also, I am not sure that using Yiddish words like “shvartza/shvartze” in the context it was used is proper for network TV. It’s just as bad as the “N” word. Also the term fegulah (or feygele) is equally derogatory. I assume that these words were interjected to heighten the sense that these two men had isolated themselves for decades and had no idea that words like these are not acceptable any longer.
This was also SVU’s fall finale; the show returns with a new episode on January 10, 2019.
Here is the recap:
Author Bobbi O’Rourke is reading an excerpt of her book at a store book signing, describing her hard life, which receives much applause. Later, Bobbi interacts with fans and her publisher, Walter, is also there, and he is fielding questions. Bobbi seems uncomfortable and, using an excuse to get a refill on her wine, makes an exit.
Later, Fin and Carisi are on the scene outside the book signing. An officer explains that Bobbi was outside with a glass of Chablis and a smoke and was hit in the head with a brick. Benson is already on the scene. Benson says Bobbi was not raped and Carisi questions what are they doing here? Benson says she is not a she, physically; they may be looking at a hate crime.
Back at SVU, Carisi explains to Benson that they pulled prints from the brick but they are not in any database. Bobbi has a learner’s permit from North Carolina, he’s 16, but the address is not real. Rollins adds that if his book is true, he ran away at 13 years old and turned tricks at truck stops until he reached New York. Bobbi is not transgender, Robbi figured he’s make more money being a teenage girl. It is how he paid his rent, she assumes until the book. Fin shows a video from the store after party where it seems a man follows him out back. Benson tells them to check with the bookstore to see if they can get a name.
At the bookstore, Fin and Carisi speak with someone who works there who says Bobbi could have been one of the greats. He does not know the man in the video. There was a short guest list for the reading and the rest were first come, first serve. Fin asks for the list and the guy refers them to the publisher, Pitch Dark Press.
At Pitch Dark Press on Monday, November 19, Fin and Carisi speak with Walter about Bobbi, who was living two lives. Bobbi would not let him put his photo on the book jacket. He shows them a draft of the book which showed up unsolicited. The author left out his name, address, and phone number but he got a call a few days later from a timid voice. Walter was amazed at what Bobbi lived through. They show him the photo of the man on the video and he does not know him. He goes to get the guest list the detectives need but does not have Bobbi’s address. They direct deposited his checks into his account.
Back at SVU, Fin comments to Benson that the kid is a ghost, nobody ever saw him but his publisher. Carisi adds that the address he gave is the 92nd Street Y, Fin saying none of them recognized Bobbi or the kid in the video. Benson asks why somebody would want Bobbi dead, and Fin wonders if it is money, he has over a half million in his bank account. When Benson comments that is a lot of books, Fin informs her he sold his rights to Hollywood. Carisi wonders if it is jealousy, that one writer was jealous of his success, but Fin suspects it is sex; the kid’s fame and fortune all came from it. Rollins races in with her laptop and says somebody posted a video from the reading showing the guy with a copy of the book “Absalom Absalom!” which he bought with a credit card. His name is William Glover and he lives in Forest Hills.
At the home of William Glover in Forest Hills, Queens on Monday, November 19, Fin and Carisi arrive as he is playing with his kids in the yard. He asks if they have to do this here. Carisi suggests they go back to the station. William’s wife comes out the front door and calls them in for dinner. His wife says she has a whole leg of lamb if his friends want to stay. William suggests they eat without him. He kisses her and says he loves her as he leaves with Fin and Carisi.
At SVU, Benson and Rollins have William in interrogation. He quickly admits he killed Bobbi. He says he took a brick and hit him and hit him. He denies he is gay, saying he has a wife. He said she told him her name was Tammy, the first time he met her three weeks ago. He picked her up in a parking lot a block from his office. He describes her, and says she only wanted $50, $25 goes to her boss. He didn’t know she wrote a book until he saw the leaflet on the C train, upset that she lied to him. When Benson asks if that is why he killed her, he pounds the table and says he is not gay.
Later, still at SVU, Carisi ponders over a batch of donuts as Benson approaches, telling him to pick one. He ask what is the point, and she suggest because he is hungry. He asks if Glover got a lawyer, and Benson says Stone is with him now, assuming they will work out a deal for man one, without the hate crime. Carisi wonders why Bobbi made a lot of money from the book, why would he go back on the street? Benson thinks that is all he knows and does not know how to stop. Carisi wonders if somebody was forcing him, thinking about the publisher who drove up 12th Avenue looking for Bobbi but never saw him, but Glover found him there several times in the last few weeks. Benson thinks Carisi suspects the publisher is lying, and Carisi thinks he was pimping him out.
At The Honey Well on Tuesday, November 20, Carisi speaks with Walter about Bobbi and explains the guy who killed him found him on 12th Avenue. Walter admits he lied, he never actually met Bobbi. Tammy – or whatever he called himself that week – did the reading. Bobbi is real, the whole secrecy is real but once they sold the rights, the Hollywood producers wanted to see his face. Walter explains how they found him on the street and he bought a forced license and had him read a couple pages. He paid him $500 to keep him in Oxy and didn’t think anyone would get hurt. He asks if he is under arrest and Carisi says he will get back to him on that.
