Law & Order SVU “Plastic” is a “ripped from the headlines” story based on an Orange County, California reality TV surgeon and his girlfriend who were charged with drugging and sexually assaulted women. But this episode features a twist: this fictional story has a missing girl and a dead body. The episode features guest star Mark Feuerstein, who can now call himself a “repeat offender”, having previously appeared in the Law & Order episode “Bible Story” (season 16, episode 11). He has a long way to go before he can match other guest star Kevin O’Rourke’s record as a repeat offender, Kevin having several Law & Order and SVU appearances.
When a fictional story closely matches a real story, I usually find myself losing interest quickly, and it didn’t take too long for me to become bored with this episode. Knowing that Doctor Heath Barron was a plastic surgeon, when the story moved to a missing girl and a dead body that didn’t match this missing girl, the outcome was predictable.
I understand that time frames are compressed or accelerated for the purpose of telling the story within an hour, we didn’t see or hear that they did any verification of Sadie’s identity. As both Heath and Sadie seem to be accomplished liars, and seeing it was Benson who suggested who Sadie really was, I would have assumed they would have checked Sadie’s DNA before calling Ceci’s father. Hopefully they will do that before Peter Stone cuts any deal with Sadie. Hopefully Sadie won’t get too much of a break – she still participated in a rape.
Here is the recap:
Heath and Sadie arrive at a party and decide to mingle. Ava and her friend Trina discuss the people who are at the party, and Ava approaches a good-looking man, who says he is broke, but fun, Heath approaches Trina and helps her carry the drinks and gives her a bottle of wine. Soon afterward, Ava gets sick in the bathroom and turns to see Sadie, who offers to help her, saying her boyfriend is a doctor. Sadie goes to get him.
Later, Trina tells everyone to get out of her bedroom, saying it is off limits. She sees the good-looking guy that Ava had been talking to, who told her Ava got wasted and she left. But Ava is staggering as she walks down the street, and stops a few times to ring doorbells and asks for help. One person answers and says she has the wrong house, but when he sees on his doorbell camera that Ava has collapsed, he and his partner race to help. When he opens the door, she says she has been raped. They call 911.
At Mercy Hospital at 3665 West 32nd Street on Sunday, December 6, Benson and Carisi arrive; he brought her coffee with almond milk and no sugar. Benson says he is the best. They discuss the victim, Ava Parcells, who had drugs in her system and high blood alcohol. They did a rape kit. Benson worries with that level of intoxication Ava won’t know what planet she is on.
When they speak with Ava, she denies doing drugs, ever. Benson suggests he may have slipped her something, and when asks if they mean in her drink, Carisi suggests maybe. Carisi asks if she recalls where she was last night, and Ava states that her new boss, Trina, had a party at her loft. She had a few Moscow mules. Benson questions if she was with anyone, and Ava says that she was dancing with this guy. Lee, and her body started to feel heavy and hot. She went to the bathroom as she thought she was going to throw up. After that, everything got fuzzy. Benson asks if she has any idea where or when she was assaulted, if it was at the loft party. Ava is not sure. She woke up in a strange bed, her ankles were tied. She untied them and then she just ran. Benson asks if she can remember any other details, like a noise a sound, or a specific smell. Ava replies he smelled sweet, like Gucci Rush, it made her think of high school. Benson thinks this is helpful, and asks if there was a woman. Ava realizes the scent was a woman’s; Ava’s hands were pinned down and she couldn’t move, and they were taking turns. Carisi questions, “they?” and she cries and says it was a couple – a man and a woman – they both raped her.
Afterward, Fin and Carisi speak with Trina at her loft. She found Ava’s purse and phone under a table, She did not see Ava leave, and says Lee didn’t assault Ava, he was with her all night, showing him sleeping in her bed. When the detectives seem to suspect Trina and Lee, she mentions another couple at the party. One of the guys said he was a doctor and he brought an expensive bottle of wine, which Trina hands to Carisi.
Back at SVU, Fin and Carisi explains to Benson it was not Lee, his DNA did not match. Rollins tracks the expensive wine purchase to Dr. Heath Barron, a celebrity plastic surgeon, Mr. Mommy Makeover. His girlfriend is Sadie Parker, who owns Sadie’s Sugar Shack, designer cupcakes. Benson tells them to see if Ava can make an ID.
With Rollins and Carisi, Ava looks at a photo array and Ava identifies Heath as the guy from the party, saying he looks so familiar. Carisi asks if she’s seen him on TV, and Ava explains she doesn’t watch TV, adding he was definitely there. She says Trina said he brought an expensive bottle of red wine. Rollins brings up photos of women, and Ava spots Sadie and says she was so nice, the woman took her outside when she was feeling sick. Carisi asks if she remembers getting in a car with them, and Ava thinks maybe, she doesn’t know. Rollins asks what does she remember about them, and Ava replies that the woman gave her a drink from her water bottle and after that, she went into a dark hole. Before she blacked out, the woman said she was going to get her boyfriend, he was a doctor.
At the townhouse of Dr. Heath Barron at 99 Grove Street on Sunday, December 16, Benson speaks with Heath, who says sex can become complicated. He seems cooperative. He denies drugging her, saying Ava offered him and Sadie drugs. He took nothing but Sadie took a pill.
Meanwhile, Carisi speaks with Sadie who says Ava was into it. She implies Ava was coming on to her. She mentions running into her in the bathroom and took her outside for air and went outside for air. She took the drugs Ava offered and they got handsy and kissed and then Heath arrived.
Benson mentions to Heath that Ava had klonopin in her system, and Heath denies giving it to her. He said Ava suggested taking the party home, and he and Sadie like to have fun on the off hours. Sadie also states to Carisi it was Ava’s idea to come home with them. She says Ava told Heath to tie her up, and when they woke up she was gone. Sadie denies raping her, saying Ava was obviously on drugs and acting out a sexual fantasy and was using them.
Benson comments this is a regular thing, picking up women. Heath laughs and says Sadie and he have been together forever and ever, like an old married couple. He says she jokes to add sugar to maintain freshness, saying she is a baker. Benson suggests Ava was the sweetener. Heath gets a serious look and states he has a public profile and doesn’t know anything about this woman and her agenda. He question if that is on him, and he admits yes, but denies he or Sadie assaulted her. He adds that if she keeps this up, he will have to call his lawyer.
Back at SVU, Benson and Rollins discuss the case, that they’ve heard this story a hundred times before. Rollins quips that Botox and cupcakes sounds tempting, saying she could dream. Both people were attractive and maybe Ava, with vodka and ecstasy in the mix…Benson and Rollins see Ava has arrived at SVU. They lead her into Benson’s office. She asks what are Heath and Ava saying, and Benson explains they are claiming it was consensual and that Ava gave them the drugs. She did nothing of the sort. They explain that Sadie said Ava did a three way in college and wanted to try again, and Ava testily counters she did not want this. She is upset they don’t believe her, shouting she did not want this. She gets angry and Benson says they will build a case and they will start by getting a search warrant for their apartment. Ava leaves.
