“The Good Girl” is one of those episodes that made me angry as it progressed.
A woman calls the police to report an apparent violent argument in the apartment next door. This fight is what tipped the first domino, causing the others to fall. The police take the couple to the hospital, which uncovers that a 13 year old girl, Mackenzie, who is living with her stepfather, Garrett, is pregnant. Too conveniently, she gives information that would eventually point the finger at a teacher, with whom she already confided that she was pregnant. The detectives question the teacher, who apparently is not very bright, allowing the detectives to get him into the SVU interrogation room before he offers blood samples and/or DNA to prove he is not the father. I don’t understand why he wouldn’t have offered this immediately in his first contact with the detectives at the school. It would have saved him the embarrassing trip to the SVU. I can understand him not wanting to admit he was gay, but he knew he was not the father, so offering DNA right away should have been a no-brainer. We hear that Mackenzie has told her stepfather that the teacher is the father, and one didn’t need a drama degree to see that stepdad would murder the teacher. Later, we find that Garrett killed the teacher as he was afraid the teacher would spill their secret.
During the murder trial, the secret is revealed: Mackenzie is not only Garrett's step daughter, she is his wife. Carisi gives us the low down on the number of states with no minimum age for marriage, with blood relative consent. Stone tries hard in family court to get the consent from Mackenzie's biological junkie dad thrown out, calling the payment Garrett made to him a bribe. Stone loses. He also loses the argument to bring up the marriage in regular court. Stone is having a bad time of it, until BENSON SAVES THE DAY with an alternative way to approach the case. This is one reason why I think Stone never resonated with fans; it seems Benson - or sometimes Carisi - must give Stone creative advice so he can win a case.
When Stone and Benson move to charge Mackenzie instead of Garrett, Garrett folds like it is laundry day, exposes his creepiness, and takes a deal.
I found myself getting angry at strange places in this episode. I got annoyed with the teacher when he didn’t offer his DNA when the detectives first questioned him at the school when the pregnancy was mentioned. Then he offered it quick when he was in SVU. It felt like the writers had to fill in some time in the episode so they decided to draw out the scene with the teacher.
My anger grew during the scene where Rollins brings up something Benson said to her in the
SVU season 20 premiere “Man Up/Man Down”. During the premiere, Rollins was struggling with going through with her pregnancy, and Benson gave her advice, telling her that regret is an awful thing to live with. At that time, I felt that Rollins had assumed Benson had an abortion, and Benson did not confirm or deny. We now know Rollins interpreted Benson's comment to mean Benson DID have an abortion. Based on what Benson said in “The Good Girl”, either Benson was never pregnant, did or didn’t have an abortion, she was pregnant and had the baby and gave it up for adoption, she was pregnant and lost a baby, nothing ever happened, or Benson is still being purposely vague about the issue because it's a "complicated story." We don’t know, it could be anything or nothing, but we know its "complicated!" I wish the writers would just pick something and move on. Considering the context in which Benson first raised the regret issue with Rollins, I can understand why Rollins would have assumed Benson was speaking from experience. It’s possible that *somebody* with the show didn’t like the idea that most viewers thought Benson had an abortion, so they decided to backtrack and make it ambiguous. Maybe THEY had regrets they couldn’t live with.
I also thought it was highly inappropriate for Benson to question a victim in a grocery store, especially if she knew that the victim was covering up for someone and she planned on challenging her.
I also found my blood boiling at the end when Benson continues to insert herself into Mackenzie’s life and lecture her on her pregnancy, not to mention Benson addressing Mackenzie in condescending terms like honey and sweetheart. She should also not be touching her baby bump. (Just imagine if Fin or Carisi had this discussion and was touching her.) Benson is not a social worker and she has no business in continuing to contact Mackenzie regarding her pregnancy. I get agitated when people talk like having a baby will solve all problems. Benson said earlier in the episode to that she didn’t know a baby ruined anyone’s life, and I find that way of thinking very naïve. Having a baby is not all rainbows and unicorns for everyone; there are no guarantees that a child will bring happiness.
I enjoyed repeat offender Steven Tobolowsky, who appeared previously in SVU “Bullseye” and Criminal Intent “Malignant”.
Ice-T did not appear in this episode.
Update April 13, 2019
I’ve received a few emails asking about the original dialog that Benson and Rollins had about regret. Here’s what Benson and Amanda said in “Man Down” that is referenced in this current episode. Benson’s failure to verbally answer is why Rollins believed Benson had an abortion.
Benson: Amanda, you're you're not thinking of…
Rollins: I don't know if I need another baby. I don't know if I want another baby. All I know is, if I was back home, the choice would be a lot easier. There'd BE no choice.
Benson: Give me your phone.
Rollins: What?
Benson: Just unlock it and give it to me.
Rollins unlocks and hands Benson her phone. Benson brings up a video of Jesse.
Rollins: That's playing dirty.
Benson: I distinctly remember when you showed that to me. You told me that was THE best moment of your life. This is your decision to make alone, and I will defend to the death your right to make it.
But regret is …(whispering) an awful thing to live with.
Rollins: You had one? You had an abortion?
Benson says nothing, pauses, puts her hand on Rollins’ shoulder, giving Rollins a somber look, and walks away.
Update April 14, 2019
To add to Benson’s “complicated” issue regarding pregnancy, all we know from previous episodes are as follows:
1. In the episode “Mercy” (season 4, episode 14), she makes a comment to Alex Cabot:
Cabot: Olivia, would you want somebody digging through your medical records?
Benson: Look, I had a pregnancy scare in college, that was bad enough. I can't imagine the police knocking at my door, but this is our best lead.
2, In “Wednesday’s Child” (season 15, episode 14), Benson is shopping in Wexton Drug Store and picks up a pregnancy test. She later tells Dr. Lindstrom she thought she was pregnant and took the test that day and she was not. She said she should be relieved, and that Cassidy is. But she was thinking that door wasn’t closed and imagined this whole other life.
Here is the recap:
A woman meditates in a room full of candles, but this is disrupted by people yelling next door. She bangs on the wall. Mackenzie Tolliver and her stepfather Garrett are fighting – he has taken her cell phone - and she throws things at him and the yelling gets intense.
Later, police are on the scene, and Mackenzie and Garrett cop an attitude, Mackenzie complaining about the neighbor. There is broken glass and Garrett has been cut. Mackenzie asks for her phone back so she can call Chase.
At the hospital, with Benson and Carisi, the officer explains what happened with Garrett and Mackenzie, 13, and that he didn’t think to ask about her mother. There was evidence of a fight; she wouldn’t say she was hurt but Garrett was cut. He brought them there to be checked out. Benson states they will take it from here. Benson introduces themselves and Carisi moves Garrett away to speak with him. The doctor approaches Benson and she moves off to talk to her. The doctor explains Mackenzie refused to take something to calm her down as she was afraid it would hurt the baby. Benson is shocked as Mackenzie is 13, and the doctor confirms she is 13 and pregnant.
At SVU, Carisi speaks with Garrett about Mackenzie and her pregnancy. She didn’t say she had a boyfriend much less being pregnant, and he doesn’t know of a boyfriend. He says he was stupid to think he could replace her mother, Angela, she died two years ago and they were only married for a short period of time. Carisi implies the father of the baby is Garrett but he insists he loves Mackenzie like a daughter. He could not adopt her as she has a junkie father running around somewhere who Angela had divorced. He loves Mackenzie like she is his own and he thought he was doing the right thing.
In Benson’s office, she and Rollins speak with Mackenzie, who talks about hearing the baby’s heartbeat. She was going to tell her stepfather but Garrett is hard to talk to. The baby is only 8 weeks old. She says the baby’s father wouldn’t care, and as Benson presses, Mackenzie gets evasive and gets up to leave. But Benson continues to talk, saying they need to know the details for what happened. She ask if she was upset about how this happened and when Mackenzie get agitated. Rollins adds that they are concerned, as is her stepfather. Benson adds they just want what is best for her. Mackenzie says it was just some guy, and when Rollins asks his name, Mackenzie says she doesn’t know. She explains she was buying yogurt at Whole Foods and they started talking, it was only one time, in his car. Rollins comments he is old enough to drive, Mackenzie states she wasn’t forced, and Rollins counters if he was a grown man it is not okay. Benson asks about the car, and Mackenzie states it was blue and she thinks it was a BMW. When Benson asks what else she remembers, Mackenzie asks why, and Benson explains under the law, what he did may be rape. Mackenzie looks surprised.
Afterwards, Rollins speaks with Garrett and explains what Mackenzie told them. She thinks she is covering for someone and when Garrett wonders why she would do this, Carisi explains she is 13 and this is a lot to handle. Carisi’s phone vibrates and when he looks at the message, Rollins tells Garrett that Mackenzie will come around sometime. He asks what if she doesn’t, Rollins questions if he knows anyone that drives a blue BMW. He says no. Carisi asks Garrett to look at something, and shows him a photo on a laptop, asking if anybody rings a bell. He adds their computer geeks found it on Mackenzie’s fake Instagram account. He saw a photo of her with comments about sending nudes, saying that doesn’t sound like Mackenzie. He doesn’t recognize the others in the photo.
At Saint Matthews Middle School at 179 West 25th Street on Tuesday, March 26, Rollins and Carisi speak with Father Edwin Mayberry who says Mackenzie is bright, popular, and gets good grades, describing her as a stand-out student. No behavioral changes. He says he will ask around to see if she confided in someone but assures them whatever happened to her did not happen there. Carisi shows him the photo of the two boys in the Instagram photo and Father Mayberry says they do go to school there – Logan Larson and Chase Madera. Rollins states they will need to talk to them.
Later, Carisi speaks with Logan says they were hanging out at Chase’s and nothing sexual happened. On the photo and the nudes, she says he was just screwing around. He says Mack is one of those girls who is always touching you, she puts her hand on yours and makes you think…that she wants to be closer than you really are. He never did anything.
Logan says Mackenzie wants the boy to lean in close, close enough to smell her perfume which smells like blueberries. He likes it, saying the girls around there are not allowed to wear that kind of stuff. Most of them follow the rules. He tried to kiss her a few times but he never did. She is a tease; it makes him confused, like it is an act. Rollins wonders that she is a scared 13 year old girl, and Chase suggest Rollins tell that to Dreyfus, who teaches drama but the real drama is what goes on backstage.
At the school, Rollins and Carisi speak with Quentin Dreyfus, who says Mackenzie is a natural. He has worked alone with her, reading lines, as he does with all the students. They suggest he did it more with Mackenzie, and he asks if they are kidding, saying he would think a couple of detectives would see through student gossip. He adds hormones set teenage fantasies flying. Rollins says this may be more than fantasy, and Carisi explains she is pregnant. Quentin is surprised, saying she is only 13 and is shocked they think he is the father. He says he never touched her and anyone who says he did is a liar. Rollins asks what kind of car he drives, and he says a BMW, asking why. Rollins asks if it is blue, and he says nothing. Carisi tells him to come with them. He asks if he is under arrest, and Rollins comments that he can be if he doesn’t want to come willingly. He goes with them.
