Law & Order SVU “Facing Demons” Recap & Review (450th Episode)

The last time we saw Brian Cassidy was in the SVU episode “Chasing Demons” (which aired on February 28, 2018). In that episode, Cassidy admits to Stone he was molested when he was playing on a little league team .The title of the current episode – “Facing Demons” – made it obvious on how this story would play out; Cassidy would eventually reveal his secret to Benson and tell his story on that stand.  This was Law & Order SVU's 450th aired episode.

This didn’t make the story any less compelling, with Dean Winters aptly depicting how this abuse has affected Cassidy over the decades. Benson moans that she lived with Cassidy and thought about having his children but he never told her his dark secret, yet Cassidy told Stone, someone he barely knew. But dealing with victims for as many years as she has, she still doesn’t get why Cassidy didn’t confide in her, and it takes Rollins - of all people – to offer an explanation. Benson’s “spider senses” should have kicked in to overdrive when she saw Cassidy in a youth league team photo in the home of someone they suspected was a pedophile. She knew something was off but didn’t press the issue firmly enough with Cassidy.  She may have been stunned by seeing another woman freely enter his apartment, but that was no excuse to not pursue the matter with him at a later time.  Benson was not smart to go off alone to arrest Gary, at least for her own safety.  I suppose we are to believe that Benson did this with the purpose of roughing him up, which was another stupid move on her part.  Why risk creating problems for a case that was already hard to make with the slim evidence they had?

It was interesting to see Stone take a deeper, personal interest in the case and become more passionate about the prosecution once he realized that Cassidy was one of the suspect's victims. Thankfully he stopped Cassidy by doing something he’d regret.  In the end, it’s Benson who is able to connect with Cassidy to help him find the courage to testify, and hopefully this will be very healing for him. It’s a fitting close to this story line, and maybe the next time we see Brian Cassidy he’ll be much happier with his life. Maybe something is brewing with him and his female neighbor friend who is doing his laundry?

Parts of this episode also takes place on the same day as the previous episode “Brothel”. It’s not impossible that they could be working both cases simultaneously. But a cursory glance at the time cards and related scenes for both episodes, the clothing that Fin and Carisi are wearing on February 11 doesn’t seem to match between both episodes. It’s a nitpick I know, but it’s just a pet peeve with me. If they use these time cards, then they should make sure there are no inconsistencies.

Update February 25, 2019 – a deleted scene with Kelli Giddish and Dean Winters has been added after the recap.

Here is the recap:

At a bookstore, Micah Fuller leads a group of kids discussing a book. Later, he drops off his dog with a friend as he will be gone 2-3 days. At a later time, when the friend tries to walk the dog, the dog pulls her to Micah’s apartment, and the door is open. She finds him on the sofa, suffocated to death.

Later, Benson and Carisi are at the scene; Rollins is not there as Jesse has the flu. The officer on the scene explains how the body was found. No sign of a struggle and there were a few sleeping pulls from an almost empty bottle on the nearby table. It looks like a suicide but SVU was called as there were pictures on the floor of young children and one photo is marked “I’m sorry.” Carisi thinks being a pedo caught up with him, and Benson says Micah may be dead but his victims aren’t.

At SVU, Rollins tells Benson TARU is doing a sweep of Micah’s devices and he took Polaroids and so far the kids are not identified. Rollins uploaded them to NCMEC and sent the originals to the lab. The neighbors say he was quiet and polite and had a girlfriend briefly; his parents are at the morgue. He worked at Alistair Bookstore downtown. Benson tells Rollins to stay with the photos and she will have Carisi hit the bookstore.

At Alistair Bookstore at 154 Duane Street on Monday, February 11, Carisi speaks with a co-worker who says Micah ran their YA reading group on Saturday. Micah did not want the parents there, feeling more comfortable with teenagers. The kids were aged 11-15 and 2 boys were Caucasian. Carisi asks for their names.

Meanwhile, at SVU in the interview room, Rollins speaks with one of the kid’s parents – the Fullers - and explain the situation. The photos are not of their son Jason. Benson speaks with another parent – Mr. Meyers - who says the same but says Tommy spoke of Micah all the time. Micah’s parents arrive and Mr. Meyers confronts them and Benson and Rollins separate them.

Benson and Rollins speak with Micah’s parents who explain Micah broke up with this girlfriend Helen a week ago. Benson explains the Polariods and Mr. Fuller wants to see them, saying her son is also a victim. They show them the photos and Mrs. Fuller recognizes Micah in one of the photos – then in all of them. She recognizes their rooms in their home. Benson urges them not to jump to conclusions and asks for Helen’s last name.

At Nish Nush at 88 Reade Street on Monday, February 11, Rollins speaks with Helen. Helen says Micah took things slow and did not kiss her until the fourth date. They never had sex, Micah wanted to wait. She thought it was her. They finally decided to sleep together and he couldn’t and he explained he was molested as a kid. He never said who, he did say the guy asked him to take pictures of himself. She felt like a jerk about breaking up with him but at 20 years old she wanted a normal relationship. When Rollins asks if Helen would know anyone who would know, she mentions a guy named Billy Ryan who used to be his best friend.

Fin and Carisi are at Billy Ryan’s place as he plays a video game. He asks how did he… then says sorry, don’t tell him. Carisi explains that Micah’s girlfriend told them that they were pretty close in middle school, and Billy says yes, they grew up down the street from each other. Fin asks when was the last time he saw Micah, and Billy states not for a while. He recalls that Micah emailed him 2 days ago and he hadn’t opened the email yet. He gets his phone and says the message was from Saturday night. He reads the message where Micah says sorry for being out of touch and that he might be hearing some things about him in the near future that will be hard for him to understand and that if he wants to know why, ask Gary. He doesn’t know who is Gary. He comments if he read this, maybe he could have…Fin asks him to go back to the beginning, asking what he and Micah were in to when they were 12 or 11 years old. Billy replies playing video games at their apartments, went to movies, the park. Fin asks if Micah was in to anything else, and Billy remembers Micah used to do magic tricks. He made nerdy YouTube videos with a costume and props and Gary was the guy who taught him magic. One day, Micah threw away all of his magic stuff; he remembers that being super weird to be so into something and..,game over.

Back at SVU, the group watches videos of Micah as a young boy doing magic tricks. Fin spoke with the Fullers who have no idea who Gary is. Micah made 9 videos and the last one was June 20, 2009, the same age as he was in the Polariods. Benson sees a poster on the wall for the Gray Rabbit Magic Shop. She tells the guys to go.

At Gray Rabbit Magic Shop at 198 East 39th Street on Tuesday, February 12, Fin an Carisi speak with Gary, who says he’s worked there 15 years. Fin shows him Micah’s photo and he says he does not recognize him. He walks off. The detectives notice “customer appreciation” Polariods and when Carisi asks to see the camera, Gary said it broke a long time ago. He still does not recall Micah. The detectives leave.

Back at SVU, Benson and Rollins, with Stone, discuss Gary Dolan, age 63, and that Fin says Gary looked like he had seen a ghost. Polaroids at the shop looked like the ones at the crime scene. Rollins says that is the perfect set up to groom his victims, and Stone says it would be great if there was any proof of that. Rollins comments they will try to track down the kids from the magic shop. Benson tells Stone it would be great if they could get them a warrant for Dolan’s apartment. Stone counters he needs to allege a specific crime to apply for a warrant and Benson states Micah’s Polariods. Stone states those were in Micah’s possession, not Dolan’s. He adds he’d love to go after this guy but he needs something to hang his hat on. He exits

At the home of Amy and Nathan Fuller at 98 East 36th Street on Tuesday, February 12, Benson speaks with Micah’s parents who are struggling with Micah’s death. Benson asks about any behavior back then that seemed highly sexualized, they are trying to pinpoint a time when something happened. Nathan says there was one time when Amy was in Boulder at a college reunion and he had to take Micah to the doctor as he spilled drain cleaner on his genitals. Amy is shocked. Benson asked for the exact date of her college reunion.

Later, Rollins is at Gary’s apartment while it is being searched. He says they are wasting their time but Rollins says she is enjoying trashing his place. Benson comments there is nothing in the bedroom. Rollins sees magic themed posters but also notices that Gary was a coach for a youth league in the 80s and wonders about how many of those kids. Benson looks closely at one of the photos from the 1985 Astros for the Hudson Youth League. Benson looks closely and seems stunned, but then tells Rollins it’s nothing, one of the kids looks like somebody she used to know.

Afterwards, Benson knocks on the door and Brian Cassidy opens it, smiles, and says. “Hey Liv”. Inside, she shows him a photo of himself as a young boy on a little league team. Cassidy comments he is flattered she recognized him, asking where he got the photo. She replies that it came up on a case they are working on. He asks if it was a deep dive into the Hudson Youth League. She states that it’s a pedophile named Gary Dolan. Cassidy calls him “Coach Gary” as Benson explains they found the picture in his apartment. Cassidy, acting unsettled, comments that is a coincidence for you, and she explains they believe he molested a kid in 2009. He asks if she wants a cup of coffee, and she says no she is good. She continues that Dolan worked in a magic shop, where he met the victim. Three days ago the kid committed suicide. Cassidy says, “Jesus.” Benson adds she knows it is a long shot but if he remembers any instance where he was inappropriate with any of the kids… Cassidy quickly says no, it was a long time ago and played for him for one season. His apartment door opens and a woman enters, and says “Hey” and then sees Benson and says “Hey” to which Benson, surprised, also says “Hey.” The woman says she forgot the laundry room key card. Cassidy introduces her to Benson, and explains this is Madison, his neighbor. Benson smiles and then moves make a quick exit, saying she is going to go. Cassidy apologizes that he couldn’t help her, and Benson says no worries, telling Madison it was nice meeting her. Cassidy and Madison are silent.

Walking to Stone’s office, Benson discusses with Stone who says now he can allege a specific act of sexual abuse – the day Micah saw the doctor. She asks what else he needs, and Stone says preferably a victim that is still alive and willing to press charges. Benson says they are working on that, adding that Dolan has probably been abusing boys since the 80s because he coached youth baseball back then. Stone states that is fertile ground for a predator. She mentions another weird thing – Brian Cassidy was on one of Dolan’s teams. He pauses and then asks if she asked Cassidy about Dolan, and she replies she did and he doesn’t remember anything. There is a pregnant pause and then Benson states she will check with the Youth League office and will let him know if they find out anything. When she leaves, Stone immediately gets on his phone and calls Cassidy and leaves a message for him to call back, saying it is important.

Gary Dolan walks to his apartment and Stone watches from afar. He sees Cassidy arrive and as he sees Cassidy run to Gary’s building, Stone says “dammit.’ He races to stop Cassidy as Cassidy tries to pick the lock to get in. Cassidy asks what he is doing there and Stone sees Cassidy has a Colt and that his service weapon is a Glock. Cassidy tells Stone he does not want to mess with him. Stone tensely states that he hopes he is ready to shoot him too because that is what it will take. Cassidy yells, “Really? Whose side are you on, huh? Yeah, whose side? After what he did to that kid? What he did to me?” Stone shouts back that he is not going to let Cassidy ruin his life. Cassidy says he is too late for that, and when he turns back to get in the door, Stone pulls him back and Cassidy screams for him to get his hands off him. But Stone does not comply, instead telling Cassidy to stop. Cassidy calms and Stone tells him to think about what he is doing, it is not going to happen like this.  Cassidy nods.

Afterwards, at a bar, Stone and Cassidy discuss this over beer. Cassidy comments that the last time he checked, Dolan moved down to Jacksonville in the 90s and he did not know he was back up here hurting kids, asking if he’s the one who’s supposed to stop him. Stone mentions Benson coming to his door with this, saying this must have been tough. Cassidy says he has no idea. Stone mentions his testimony but Cassidy says he is crazy, he is not testifying in open court saying what that sick son of a bitch did to him. Stone says this isn’t his fault, but Cassidy tells him to save his breath. Stone says he’s done the hard part, the rest is downhill from here. Stone laughs, saying “The hard part? Are you crazy? I’m damaged goods, Stone. I see it every time I look in the mirror.” Stone suggests he talk to Benson but Cassidy shakes his head, saying no, she can’t know anything about this and he has to promise him that. He adds she is the only person who has even seen any good in him and he can’t not have that. He needs that. He tells Stone he has to find another way. Cassidy leaves and Stone rubs his forehead in frustration.

At the Office of the District Attorney at 1 Hogan Place on Thursday, February 14, as Stone lays out photos in evidence, he tells Gary and his lawyer that he is offering sexual abuse in the first degree, 3-9 years. Rollins, who is also there, reminds Gary that Micah committed suicide because of him. Stone adds Gary is damn lucky he can’t prosecute him for homicide. Gary says he is just a scapegoat and his lawyer says there is a thin connection between Micah and Gary. Rollins brings up the email that named Gary, and Gary says there must be a million guys in the country named Gary. The lawyer says Micah wrote that when he was high, and Gary says Micah was troubled and he tried to foster his love of magic 10 years ago and he gives a troubled boy a little attention…Stone cuts him off and gets irate, saying he is going to bury him, calling him a serial predator who have been preying on boys since he coached youth league baseball. This gets Rollins’ attention. The lawyer says his victim is dead and his case is smoke and mirrors, telling Gary they should go. After they storm out, Rollins questions the youth league comment, and Stone says he was bluffing. She mentions that Benson told her Cassidy was in one of Dolan’s team photos, and Stone counters Benson told him it was a coincidence. She asks if he recalls how Cassidy lost it on the stand last year testifying against that pedophile doctor and he replies yes, what is she saying? Rollins, giving Stone a hard look, says she is not sure.

Later and outside, Stone is getting a green juice from a street vendor as Cassidy approaches. He gets Cassidy a black coffee. Cassidy tells him he has been going through the social media pages of some of the kids he played youth league with. There are a few boys there Dolan may have targeted and asks if something happened then, it is too late to prosecute now. Stone explains he can still use them as prior bad acts witnesses in Micah’s case. Stone asks if they can reach out to them, and Cassidy says that is not something you want to approach over a telephone. He adds one of the guys lives in Connecticut, one guy lives in Providence, and asks Stone if he feels like taking a road trip with him?

At the home of Rob Dennison on 11 North Main Street in Beacon Falls, Connecticut on Monday, February 18, Stone and Cassidy speak with Rob and they explain about Micah and Gary’s involvement. Rob says there is nothing he can do about it now but Rob’s partner gives him a touch of reassurance. Cassidy continues to explain but Rob seems to point the discussion back to Cassidy’s experience. Stone brings up Rob testifying and he says not a chance, then tells them to take their snapshots and get out. When his partner tries to convince him, he tells him to shut up and says he doesn’t have to listen to this.

At RK Shipping at 79 Fricker Street in Providence, Rhode Island on Monday, February 18, Stone and Cassidy speak with Leo about Coach Gary. He says he never had anything weird with him. Cassidy mentions one situation where Leo disappeared but he says he has to go back to work. Cassidy sees a photo of Leo’s son and also brings up Leo’s rap sheet. He thinks there is also booze in Leo’s thermos. Leo is angry and Cassidy wonders what Gary did to him. He tells Leo they are staying at the Sheraton if he wants to stop by for a drink, and they leave.

Later, while they wait at the bar, Cassidy asks Stone if he thinks he is a hypocrite asking these guys to testify when he won’t. Stone doesn’t but Cassidy does. Stone asks what is he afraid of, and Cassidy says he told one person before him, a kid in high school who was a friend of his. He didn’t tell him the whole story, he just told him Gary grabbed his junk and he won’t forget the look in his eyes. Stone reminds him that friend was a kid, and Cassidy says he saw the same look in Stone’s eyes, thinking Stone is uncomfortable. Stone admits he is, commenting he was new to SVU and he didn’t know how to handle it. Cassidy adds it is like all the guys he works with, and who he hangs out with. He says Rob and Leo go to New York and testify and then they go back home, with all their secrets intact. Cassidy sees Leo arrive, who says when he got off work he saw his son’s drawing on the fridge and it got him thinking if it was his son Connor who killed himself and someone knew they truth, he want that person to come forward. He admits Gary molested him and that he will testify to it.

Back at SVU, Stone brings Leo into SVU and explains the situation to Benson and Rollins. Stone tells them he made a lot of phone calls and now with Leo’s testimony on Gary’s prior bad acts, they will have a shot. As Stone walks off, Benson and Rollins walk into her office and Benson comments to Rollins she called the youth league office and was told that the rosters were not computerized then and the paper files were long gone. Rollins asks if she should pick up Gary, and Benson, getting her coat, says, no she wants her to talk to Leo. Benson leaves.

Benson approaches Gary who is closing the magic store and confronts him about preying on boys for 30 years. When he tells her to talk to his lawyer, she brings up Cassidy, saying it takes balls to molest a cop’s son. He plays dumb but she says maybe he was so sick he couldn’t help himself. She grabs him and tells him to turn around and, as she cuffs him, says he is under arrest for sexual assault of Micah and he will pay for what he did to Brian Cassidy. He says she is not making any of that stick, and she says he doesn’t know her very well, but she doesn’t give up – ever – especially when he hurts someone she cares about.

On west 28th Street on Tuesday, February 19, Benson is waiting for Cassidy and she asks him if he is going somewhere. He says he is going out of town for a bit. As he puts his bag in the car, she comments all these years she didn’t see it, asking why didn’t he tell her? He tells her to take a wild guess. She asks if she was that hard to talk to, and he asks if she wanted to sit around and hold hands and cry together. She says he is suffering and asks him to talk to her. But he tells her to let it go, he is not one of her survivors. He's a cop, and her pep talks and support groups will not work on him. The best thing was if she never looked at that baseball picture. She says she is saying the wrong thing, she just doesn’t want him to run away from this. He says he is not getting involved in her case, and when he turns away, she states it is not about her case. She just cares about him and is scared if he doesn’t deal with this she will get a call one day that it is him with the plastic bag over his head. He shrugs and says he is dealing with it, as he walks off to get in his car. He adds, “My way” as he gets in to drive off.

Back at SVU, Benson, clearly lost in thought, speaks with Rollins about picking up Dolan. Rollins mentions central booking says he was pretty roughed up, asking if he resisted. Rollins says she knows about Cassidy and says Stone let something slip and she figured it out from there. Benson comments that she lived with him and considered having his children. Rollins suggests she not beat herself up. Benson states that he knows Stone for 5 minutes and he just opens up and tells him the whole story. Rollins explains it’s why some people go to bars; she’s told complete strangers some things she wouldn’t say out loud to the people she loves. She adds you’re a victim here, you are allowed to hurt. Benson explains she tried to talk to him and he just shut her down. Rollins says he is too raw and may be like a lot of victims and may never face it. It is not on her to take care of it. She walks away to leave Benson to think alone.

At Supreme Court Part 52 on Thursday, February 21, Leo testifies about what Gary did to him and cries while he testifies. It went on after practice for a month and then he quit the team. Gary gave him a camera and asked him to take pictures of himself in his underwear. He never told anyone, he was too ashamed. The defense brings up that a family court in Rhode Island found him unfit to parent, and Leo explains he had some problems in his past. When the attorney outlines his record, he admits those were bar fights. She asks if he drank before court today and he admits yes. The defense says Leo is intoxicated and Stone objects, saying it is just two drinks and Leo is perfectly lucid. The defense moves to strike his entire testimony and Stone asks to approach. He asks the judge if she thinks this is easy for Leo and she replies no she does not, but she is not about to keep a breathalyzer behind the bench and test every witness’ level of intoxication. The judge tells the jury to disregard his testimony and then strikes it from the record. Micah’s family is shocked and Benson is frustrated.

Outside the courtroom, Micah’s parents get upset with Benson. Benson tells them it is far from over and suggests they grab a cup of coffee and she will join them in a moment. Benson turns to Stone as she watches Gary walk off with his attorney. Stone tells her without the prior bad acts evidence, the case never goes to the jury. Benson sighs. But she sees Cassidy arrive, who runs over to Gary and confronts him, pushing him, asking if he remembers him. Benson tries to hold him off while he continues to scream at Gary. She tells him to get a hold of himself and he tells her to get her hands off him, to which she says “Stop now.” She tells him to walk away. The defense attorney asks Stone if he set up the little reunion and she takes Gary away. Benson asks Cassidy what is he doing here, and Benson explains what happened in the courtroom. She tries to convince him to get on the stand and testify to make him pay for what he did. She says this is about him, confronting Gary and facing his demons. She says it is time to forgive that little boy in the picture, the one that just wanted his dad to see him. She whispers if his father was there he would be so proud of him, like she is. Holding his face in her hands, she says he has come so far and knows he can do this. He says alright, and walks off with Stone to the courtroom.

On the stand, Cassidy explains that he was a victim – the judge tells him to raise his head and speak up – and he goes on to say that he was a victim of Gary Dolan’s.  Gary was his coach in the Hudson Youth League in 1985 and Gary sexually assaulted him when he was 12 years old.  Cassidy looks to Benson and smiles, and she smiles back and nods 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:
Dean Winters - Brian Cassidy
William Sadler - Gary Dolan
PJ Marshall - Leo Berry
Selenis Leyva – Defense Attorney
Jonathan Walker -
Justin Mark -
Jason Cottle –
Jordon Bolden - Billy Ryan
Sayra Player - Amy Foster
Jasmine Batchelor - Katie
Lydia Grace Jordan – Helen Schiller
Mary Hodges – Judge Anita Wright
Barrett Shuler – Sgt. Ryan Klypka
Sam Morales – Felicity
Billy Wheelan – Ted Dennison
Virginia Preston – Madison
Sammy Mori Voit – Young Micah
Tom Martin - Mitch Anderson
Nancy Nagrant – Tina Anderson
Harry O-Reilly – Tom Meyers
Will Coombs – Jason
Tamya Taylor - Sasha

Deleted scene - Rollins opens up to Cassidy





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