Law & Order SVU “Missing” Recap & Review

I must admit I wasn’t expecting much with Law & Order SVU “Missing”. It didn’t have any significant guest stars, and previews and photos didn’t grab me. But I was surprised that, at least for most of the episode, that I was pulled in to the story. It starts with a child being found in the trunk of a car, the victim of a kidnapping. When the kidnapper is identified quickly, I knew a twist was coming, which was easy to spot in this episode. (It took the detectives a little longer to figure out that the kidnapper was not who he seemed.) The pacing of the episode slowed down considerably during the last scenes with the kidnapper’s mom and then with the kidnapper/kidnap victim.

Benson was in a “take no prisoners” mode when she single-handedly ends a hostage situation, using Oreos and aspirin as distractions to the hapless perp. Going in to this hostage situation alone wasn’t the smartest thing as she didn’t have any clue as to what she was walking into. I suspect that Benson is still trying to make amends for Mike Dodds’ death in a hostage situation by now taking matters into her own hands. She is fortunate that the perp was so easily fooled.

I’ve been enjoying the writing and pacing more with each episode. In “Missing”, the lead characters interact with each other in a comfortable, realistic manner. Fin’s witty quips and comebacks get better each week. We learn that Fin doesn’t like puppets, but Carisi finds puppets funny.  (For me, it depends on the puppet and/or the "puppet master.")

Of course this show is fiction but seriously, what are the chances of the police arriving on the scene of a fight within seconds after it started? I know New York City is a big place and has a huge police force, but the light-speed arrival arrival of the police made me laugh.  It was also very fortunate that the stalker surrogate managed to grab a photo of the kidnapper. Too bad she didn't see the actual kidnapping!

Here is the recap:

A man is in traffic and is irate, waiting for a parking space. Someone else driving a Saturn pulls in the spot he’s been waiting for and the first man gets out of the car and starts a fight. Police arrive immediately and the man who took the parking spot runs off. A woman captures this on video. The man who was waiting for the spot explains the situation to the officers and the woman shows the video to the police. The guy tries to explain his actions and one of the officers look in the car of the man who ran off. She hears a noise from the trunk and opens it to find a little girl who calls out for her daddy. The officers call for a bus and SVU.

Benson and Rollins arrive at the hospital and Rollins explains the girl’s name is Bailey Shaw, she is 6. Her parents are Griffin Shaw and Jamie Johnston. Jamie took Bailey ice skating in Central Park and he went to the bathroom and when he came back she was gone. They speak with the doctor who says Bailey is on fluids and she is cold and hungry, she was in the trunk for a while. Her pants were on inside-out. The rape kit showed no sign of penetration for foreign fluids. She is scared.

Benson and Rollins walk into the room to speak with Bailey, her father Griffin is with her. Benson makes the introductions. Bailey explains that her father told her to wait for him, but she walked away with the man. She did not know him. He gave her a candy apple and said he was a friend of her father. He was nice to her and let her wear his scarf to get warm. She said it was yellow like Big Bird. He said they could wait for her father in his car which was better than standing in the cold. Then they drove off and the man said her father would meet them. She thinks they went to his house; they took their clothes off and took a nap. Her father is stunned. The man did not tell her his name, only saying she could call him Big Bird but she thought that was silly. They just snuggled under the blankets. Another man walks in the room and introduces himself as Griffin’s husband Jamie. He kisses her and she says she is sorry, but he assures her she did nothing wrong.

At SVU, Benson speaks with Fin, who says CSU pulled prints of the Saturn, no hits. The cell phone video is with TARU and hopes to get a hit with facial recognition. He called in an arrest-for in all 5 boroughs, saying the guy can run but he can’t hide. Carisi enters and said the registered owner of the Saturn died 2 weeks ago and his son sold it in an estate sale last week. The new owner is a mystery man who paid cash and never registered the title. Benson thinks someone must have seen something, and Carisi explains they already canvassed. Frustrated, she tells them to canvas again.

While Fin and Carisi go back to the park, Rollins speaks with Griffin and Jamie. They explain they used a surrogate and Griffin’s sperm, and Jamie adopted her. They said Paige, the surrogate, would not change her mind…but then wonder…

At the apartment of Paige Black at 469 East 9th Street on Wednesday, February 26, Benson and Rollins question her. Paige states that once Bailey was born she relinquished all her rights to the birth father, Griffin Shaw. When Benson asks if she was never curious, Paige replies she was, adding she carried her for 9 months but a deal’s was deal. The agency prepared her with counselors and shrinks. She asks if something happened to Bailey. Rollins explains Bailey is fine – now – asking if her boyfriend home. Paige questions what does he have to do with anything, then worries that she doesn’t like the way this is going. She gets a message on her phone and she grabs it and walks away from them. Benson asks if Paige minds if she takes a look at that, and Paige replies she does. Benson doesn’t back down, saying, “Okay Paige, so let me tell you where we stand. I can take you down to the squad room where you’re going to sit and you’re going to wait until Detective Rollins gets you a search warrant.” Rollins adds “And we’ll be in the exact same position we are now except I will be extremely pissed off you ‘cause you would have wasted two hours of my life.” Benson asks Paige to unlock her phone and open the photo app. Paige complies and hands Benson her phone. Benson scrolls through many photos of Bailey, and Benson then tells Paige she is under arrest. Paige is shocked, asking why. Rollins explains it is for stalking for starters, and thinks they will tack on kidnapping. As Rollins cuffs her, Paige questions that it is a crime to take pictures of my daughter. While this is happening, Benson has received a call from Fin, and she asks him where. Rollins explains to Paige that this is the part where she has the right to remain silent. Benson tells Fin she is on her way. After she hangs up, she explains they got a hit on the driver of the Saturn, telling Rollins she will get this and instructs Rollins to take Paige down to the squad room.

Benson arrives at the Village Gourmet Grocery where Fin and Carisi are already waiting. Fin explains an off-duty cop on the way home spotted the guy at a bodega. He was not armed so he stepped outside and called it in. When the officer went back in to confront him, he pulled a switchblade on him and he is now holding the bodega owner hostage. Carisi says ESU on the way. Benson asks if there is a back door, and Carisi states odds are, there is. Benson looks around.

Soon, Benson is inside the store and picks up something from a shelf. The man asks Benson who is she, and she asks if he is writing a book. He tells her to get out of there, and she says not without her Oreos. He tells her to go someplace else. She walks up to the counter where the owner is being held hostage. She says, “Sweetheart, I’ve had a very bad day, okay?” She looks for money but the man says it is on the house. She asks the owner is that is okay with him, and he says he is good. The hostage taker tells her to get out of there, but she asks for some aspirin. When he reaches for it and turns back, Benson has a gun on him. She tells him to drop the knife. He throws the aspirin at her and runs and Benson chases him. He tries to hit her and she blocks him and punches him, then quickly gets the knife out of his hand and gets him into a kneeling position. She pulls her gun back on him and says, “Looks like we’re both having a bad day, huh?.”

Back at SVU in interrogation, the man moans why did he take a car with a baby in the trunk. Fin doesn’t believe him. He explains where he stole the car from, saying he is a moron and too stupid to kidnap someone. Fin chides him for not being a good thief as he stole a 2003 Saturn. He said he was with his girt Leanne and she was late for a job interview and he dropped her to stop for a pack of smokes and that’s when that maniac slugged him. Fin says that might have been the best thing that happened to him.



Meanwhile, Rollins speaks with Paige who insists she did not take Bailey. Rollins goes over the photos Paige took the day she was kidnapped. Paige says she just likes looking at her. She says she needed money for tuition and thought it would be no big deal, she has plenty of eggs and wanted to make someone happy. She carried her for 9 months and sang to her when she kicked. She adds Bailey’s blood is her blood and that will always be there. Rollins looks closely at the photos.

Benson, who is observing, switches off the intercom and Carisi tells her that they are wasting their time, Bailey could not ID either of them. The car thief, Soren West, has two outstanding warrants for possession. Benson tells him tack on auto theft, assaulting a police officer and get him in Rikers. Rollins approaches and says Paige may have given them something, showing them a photo of Bailey from Central Park with man wearing a yellow scarf. Paige does not know who he is. Benson asks them to see how CSU is doing with the Saturn.

Fin and Carisi speak with CSU who shows them all the trash inside the car. Carisi spills the contents of a coffee cup and finds a parking lot ticket with a location, time stamped two days ago.

At Chariot Park Fast at 310 East 11th Street on Thursday, February 27, and speak to an attendant. He shows them a green validation stamp on the back for Patsy’s Puppets down the block. Fin and Carisi arrive there and speak with a puppet guy, Marv. He explains the man in the photo applied for a job and he was kind of “off.” He goes to get his application that has his name and address.

Fin and Carisi arrive at the residence of Rowan and Emerson Mauer at 47-51 39th Place in Sunnyside, Queens on Thursday, February 27. Fin comments that he hates puppets, and Carisi thinks they are funny. Fin says they are arrogant bastards. Carisi asks a woman who opens the door if Emerson Mauer lives there and she says it is her son. She says he should be here any minute and invites them in and offers them tea. Emerson works at the paint store, and says his car was stolen. He was not at work Wednesday. He arrives, wearing a yellow scarf. When Carisi says they want to talk to him about Bailey, he runs. Carisi quickly nabs him and cuffs him, saying he forgot to tell him he is under arrest for kidnapping. Emerson looks back and calls to him mom, who is stunned.

At SVU in interrogation, Emerson is questioned by Carisi. He says he goes to Central Park on his days off and explains the history of the park. He does not know Bailey, saying his car was stolen from the mini-mart parking lot. Carisi states Emerson never reported the car stolen and wonders why that is. Emerson says nothing.

Stone tells Benson he can get an indictment but a conviction is a whole other ball game. Benson asks how does it look for a search warrant, and Stone asks if they have DNA or a hair sample and Benson says this is why they need a search warrant. She shows him Bailey and her parents who are at SVU, and Stone tells her to get him one thing that is not circumstantial and she will get her a warrant. He walks over and speaks with Bailey and tells her he will do her best to put the bad man in jail. Benson tells the parents they think they have him. She asks Bailey if she likes puzzles, and points her to a room where there are a whole bunch of them. She goes off to play. Stone says she seems to be doing well, and Jamie says if you ignore the night screams. Griffin asks for the man’s name, and Stone tells him. They don’t know him.

Meanwhile, Benson speaks with Bailey who explains how the man treated her. Benson uses dolls to have Bailey show her what the man did. She takes off most of the clothes and then shows them getting close. She says he squeezed her tight but she said it hurt and he stopped. Benson says she wants to play one more game, She shows he some photos and she identifies Emerson as Big Bird.

Afterward, Benson tells Stone and the parents that Bailey identified Emerson. Griffin says they are not going to let her testify and Jamie agrees. Stone explains without her testimony, they don’t have a case. They are still reluctant and Stone suggests testifying by video conference but Griffin worries his lawyer will question her. Benson says she is sure they don’t want Emerson doing this to another little girl, but Jamie says they will not subject her to more trauma, thinking it is best she forget the whole thing. Benson says the next little girl may not be as lucky as Bailey. Griffin mentions their issue of being two men married and the problems that creates and that kids can be mean. As far as they are concerned, this is over, and they leave. Benson says she can still swear on an affidavit that Bailey identified Emerson to get the warrant to search his house.

Later, Fin and Carisi and officers are searching the house, Emerson’s mother is irate. A child’s t-shirt was found, and Carisi asks about the garage in the back. She has no key. Fin gets a bolt cutter and they cut the lock. Carisi moves to get CSU. Carisi then notices a patch of fescue grass amid Kentucky bluegrass and Carisi wonders why they seeded a 3x5 foot patch. Quickly, CSU digs in the spot and finds a kid’s skull.

With Emerson’s mother Rowan in interrogation, she speaks about her bum of a husband. Carisi continues to question her but she denies any involvement with the skull. She thinks her son takes after his father. Carisi questions that she just threw her son under the bus, and she says it was hypothetical.

Benson, who is watching this with Stone, and s he says the body was fully decomposed and unless Emerson did this when he was 10, it had to be somebody much older. She explains the husband, Zachary Mauer, has an open warrant on an assault charge in New York State since 1998 and they are still working on trying to locate him. Stone wonders if this is the reason he skipped town. Rollins walks in and says the lab ran the DNA in NCMEC on the t-shirt and they got a hit – Kevin Brown, who went missing from Forest Park in 2002 when he was 6. It is too soon to tell if t he DNA matches the bones in the back yard. He is survived by his sister, Diane. Benson says she hates this.

At Venire’s Pastry at 342 East 11th Street on Monday, March 4, Benson speaks with Diane and delivers the news. Diane mentions that her mom got Hodgkin's disease and she had to look after Kevin when their dad was at work. They were in the park and the car was only a few yards away and when she turned around Kevin was gone. She cries and says he is dead, isn’t he. Benson says they are not sure. She asks if Diane knows Rowan, and Diane says no. Benson shows her a photo of her and Diane asks why would she take Kevin.

Back at SVU, Benson explains the situation with Kevin and Diane Brown. Rollins reminds them they don’t know if the bones are Kevin’s and when Carisi reminds them about the t-shirt, Benson says they are running DNA on the bones now. Rollins says she hopes it is Kevin – at least they could convict Rowan of something. Benson asks what – a public health violation? – she would pay a fine and walk, the family is Teflon. The parents are dead set against Bailey testifying and Stone says all of this adds up to nothing. Benson questions that she has to tell Diane they found her brother, they know who killed him, and there is nothing they can do about it. Again Rollins says they don’t know that skeleton is Kevin’s. Benson says YET. She asks about a grand jury, and Carisi says an indictment with no conviction will only cause Diane more pain. Benson, frustrated, says one kid is kidnapped and one is dead and they have a legal system that they can’t do anything about it, asking what the hell are they doing. She walks off. Stone follows her and says a grand jury may not be such a bad idea, but she asks investigating who? Bailey won’t testify against Emerson. Stone says Emerson’s mother may. Benson thinks she will plead the fifth and he suggests he give her immunity for being an accomplice in Bailey’s kidnapping and if she happens to implicate herself in Kevin Brown’s kidnapping, so be it. Benson questions that a mother would testify against her son, and Stone reminds her it is her son the pedophile. Benson thinks.

In the Grand Jury Part 41 on Tuesday, March 5, Rowan testifies about the day Bailey was taken and that when she went into Kevin’s room to turn off a light, she saw Emerson in bed with a little girl. She told him to take her back where he found her. He carried her down the stairs as Bailey was still sleeping and told him to put her in the trunk so if she woke up she would not know where she was at. He took off and about 40 minutes later he came back without the car and said when he stopped to get her candy, someone stole the car. He said she was still in the car. He ends the questioning.

Back at SVU, Rollins looks though photos of Emerson and his parents and notices something. She races into Benson’s office and tells Benson she has blue eyes and Al has blue eyes, and Billie has blue eyes. Benson says if she remembers her high school bio, it is called a recessive gene. Rollins shows her the photos of Emerson and his parents and Emerson has blue eyes and his parents both have brown. Benson comments that statistical speaking, Emerson may not be Rowan’s son. Benson picks up her phone and calls Stone.

Later, in the squad room, Carisi says when the world is going to crap the one thing that lifts his spirit is Mama Carisi’s famous cannolis. He puts a container on Rollins’ desk and she says she has something better. She explains that there is a 99% chance that the kid in the yard has a maternal match is Rowan Mauer’s son. There is no record Emerson had a brother. He asks if she is saying the body they dug up is Emerson, and Rollins says yeah. Carisi is confused, saying if Emerson is dead and buried, who the hell kidnapped Bailey? She stands up and looks at him and says nothing, and Carisi gets a look of realization and says, “No way.” Rollins comments that is what she said. He tells her to call Benson and he will call Stone.

At a later time, Stone leads Rowan and her lawyer, along with Benson, into his office. He reminds her the immunity deal means she had to tell the truth and Rowan insists she did. Stone says Rowan called him her son, and Benson says they know that is a lie because her son died 17 years ago. The lawyer says it’s too bad they can’t prove it, but Benson says the lab is testing the DNA of the man pretending to be Rowan’s son as they speak. Stone adds they are going to call him with the results and she has until then to make a deal. The lawyer asks for what, and Benson raises her voice and says Rowan testified she was an accomplice to Bailey’s kidnapping so when the DNA comes back and it matches Kevin Brown’s, there will be another kidnapping charge. Stone adds, “And a murder.” The lawyer asks who did she kill, and Benson explains her own son, the real Emerson, 17 years ago. Stone mimics the ticking of a clock. The lawyer asks what is in it for Rowan, and Stone thinks 20 years. Rowan looks shocked, but then says of course that is not her son, her son wouldn’t be stupid enough to grab a little girl. Stone asks what happened to the real Emerson, and Rowan explains Zach and she had a disagreement, and the lawyer tries to get her to stop. She says no, what choice does she have? She goes on to say they were at the top of the stairs and didn’t know Emerson was behind them. Zach pushed her and she bumped into her son and he fell down the stairs. He broke his neck and there was blood coming out of his ears. It was an accident. Stone asks why didn’t they call the police? She explains they were drinking and Zach was a "rager" and he had assault charges and they would have thought they killed him. They had no other choice. She buried her sweet baby in the back yard. Stone says Kevin Brown was the perfect replacement, same height and weight. Rowan says Zach left a week later. Rowan raised Kevin as her own. Benson gets up and lets Diane Brown in, and Rowan stands up, asking what is she doing here? Rowan adds she did her a favor, her parents didn’t care about either of them. Diane asks what is she talking about, and Diane replies that they let the kids run all over the city like ragamuffins and when they came into the store to get ice cream they were all alone. Diane was 10 and Kevin was 6, asking what kind of mother does that? Diane cries and explains it was one who was dying. Rowan shakes her head and says better yet, Kevin had a good life with her and she fed, clothed, and loved him. He had a mom. Diane angrily says she stole him. Rowan counters that her baby was dead, she deserved it. But Benson say no, no one deserves somebody else’s child.

Elsewhere,  in jail, Emerson/Kevin insists to Benson he is Emerson. She calls him Kevin and he tells her not to call him that. She says he has a sister Diane, but he says no, it is just him and his mom. She continues on but he says his mother took care of him and wonders why Benson is lying to him. Benson explains about Diane used to take him to the park to play and how Diane helped him through nightmares. Diane watches from another area and hears this and cries. He says if it were true he would remember, and Benson insists he does remember. He shouts NO. Benson thinks that deep down in his heart, mind, and subconscious, his sister is alive and taking care of him. He insists he does not have a sister. She whispers that he just wanted to reach out to her and have her hold him because he misses her so much. He says that is crazy. She adds this is why he took Bailey, he didn’t want to hurt her, she knows that, he wanted to take care of her, whispering like his sister took care of him. Emerson/Kevin stands up and say NO, he is Emerson Mauer and then shouts at Benson to leave him alone, she is a liar. He adds he doesn’t want to talk any more. She gets up to leave and Diane cries. As Benson stands in the doorway, Emerson/Kevin faces the wall, crying. Benson races to catch up with Diane, who is quickly walking away. Benson calls for her to wait, saying it will come back to him, and promises with counseling…Diane shouts what is the point? Benson says the DA will cut him a deal, but Diane says he is not her brother any more, he stopped being her brother 17 years ago. Benson assure her this will take time but Diane says they are people, not a broken vase one can put together with crazy glue. Diane thinks Benson thinks she is doing the right thing and maybe for someone else it would be, but she is just not that strong. Diane cries and races off, leaving Benson standing alone, sighing, 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:
Violet McGraw - Bailey Shaw
Jim Schubin - Emerson Mauer
Sean McDermott - Griffin Shaw
Ryan Castro - Jamie Johnston
Amanda Leigh Cobb - Paige Black
Roy Jackson - Officer Perry Wagner
Yvonna Kopacz-Wright - Dr. Darby Wilder
Chloe Webb - Rowan Mauer
Alison McCartan – Diane Brown
Brian Sheppard - Soren West
Michael Sirow - Adam Kuhn
Rick Lyon - Marv
Tricia Merrick – Susan Landsman
Johnny Gonzales – Orlando Perez
Edelen McWilliams - CSU Tech Martin
Jamie Effros – CSU Tecj Henry Marks
Ines del Castillo – Andie Poci
Anton Obeid - Bodega Owner
Laura Gourdine – Lookie-Loo
William C. Tate - Hank


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