Law & Order SVU finished season 20, breaking Law & Order’s record number of episodes along the way, and heading for a record breaking season 21. The series is strong and has a lot going for it. So why I am I so agitated after seeing the season 20 finale, “End Game”? While watching, I had to keep repeating to myself, “It’s just a fictional TV show. It’s just a fictional TV show.” This episode hit me in all the wrong places. It turned Benson’s detectives into “dirty” cops, but made sure that Olivia Benson remained unblemished along the way. She's not directly a part of a frame-up, but she did push everyone's buttons which helped start it.
Not only does Peter Stone bring all of Benson’s detectives (and attorney Nikki Staines) into his plan to frame Rob Miller, he also manages to get a murder conviction despite having ZERO EVIDENCE. I’m perplexed as to how this even got to trial. Rob Miller is initially released as a Federal judge ruled that Rob's statement “No Nikki, no case” didn’t rise to the legal standard, yet later, Stone manages to get an arrest warrant for Rob on nothing but circumstantial evidence. I have a hard time believing that Rob’s defense attorney wouldn’t dispute the evidence before the trial. Clearly he knew how a large sum of money was deposited in a young woman's bank account. Why wait for the trial to call Nikki Staines to testify that she was the one that did it, not Rob Miller? Wouldn’t this matter be brought before a judge in advance of the trial, throwing the rest of the evidence in doubt? Something about the way this got to trial didn’t feel right. I’m also surprised that the defense didn’t make a move to throw out the verdict as I don’t think Stone met the burden of proof.
I’ve come to the conclusion that Olivia Benson should come with a warning label that states she is hazardous to the career of an ADA, and she may incite you to compromise your ethics. (This would have helped Rafael Barba.) I cringed at the end when Peter Stone seems to profess his feelings for Benson when he says the she became more important to him than the case he is trying. This is the same Peter Stone, who, just a few months ago in the SVU episode “Part 33”, told Benson to keep her “bleeding heart” out of the courtroom. Even in the early stages of this episode he was reluctant to proceed as they had no proof. He seemed firm on that issue. But the minute he hears that Olivia and Noah are under threat, he decides to risk his entire career for her? Sorry, this was so contrived it almost made me laugh. I’m sorry to see Peter Stone go; my disappointment with the character is that we were force-fed a back story early on, before we could really get to see his legal expertise. And when we did see his legal expertise, it was - like in this episode - not consistent. I would have enjoyed it if he had been the one person to keep Benson in check. Instead, he seemed to have backbone in one episode and not in another, or, like in this episode, his backbone disappeared mid-episode. I can only hope that in season 21 we will get an ADA that is their own person and that can resist the pull of Olivia Benson.
While Benson didn’t participate in the frame-up, she does what she always does best: gets indignant that Stone won’t prosecute someone based on her opinion, with no evidence. She goes so far as to insult Stone by wondering whose side he’s on. Later, she’s shocked that he can move ahead with a trial, saying that the case is basically a “bunch of arrows on a corkboard, signifying a whole lot of nothing.” First she wants him to go full throttle on Rob Miller, then she gets cold feet when Stone delivers. Benson’s flip-flop here is head-scratching and whiplash inducing.
At the end, Stone tells her that she’s the one person who could make it on her own. Then why did he feel the need to frame Rob Miller for her? We keep hearing that Olivia Benson is such a strong woman, yet it seems like everyone always needs to protect her and save her from all the bad in the world. It’s a variation on the old “damsel in distress” trope and I think Law & Order SVU has used this far too many times with Benson. Her bias and inability to cope with Rob Miller has incited her whole team to frame him for a murder that they can’t prove he committed. Frankly, Rob Miller looks like the victim here. He may have very well committed the murder, but as the SVU didn’t really get any hard proof to that effect; all we know is the SVU/Stone had to do something illegal to get a conviction. It looks like the “arrow on the wheel of justice” was fixed in one direction, and now that the SVU has participated in a frame-up, what’s stopping them from doing it again to protect their own interests?
The brightest spot in this episode was Titus Welliver, who was excellent in playing Rob Miller, a deliciously nasty human being with a lot of power and influence, none of it used for any good. I can only hope that something happens where he can appeal and get out of prison, if anything so he can commit a crime that lands him back in jail without the frame-up. Callie Thorne also helped to round things out with her emotional, believable performance. I did like how they tied this story back to the Italian exchange students in the SVU episode “Exchange”. Otherwise, this story annoyed me and agitated me more than anything else. I could probably write for a few more hours on how much it bothered me, but I think I’ll cut my losses. “End Game” didn’t leave me with a great feeling about the Special Victims Unit going into season 21.
Update May 23, 2019: A viewer noticed a continuity error, occurring between the previous SVU episode, “Assumptions” and the SVU finale, “End Game”. “Assumptions” ends with the date May 7, when Rob Miller approaches Benson and Noah in the restaurant. Benson seems shocked to find he’s out. But “End Game” begins on May 5 – two days earlier – and it seems Benson had already found out Rob Miller is out and we are told police are already watching her and Noah – two days earlier than the end of “Assumptions”!
Here is the recap:
A private party goes on with many young girls in attendance. One man questions a girl’s age.
Benson, arriving at the SVU, speaks with Fin, saying she barely closed her eyes since Rob Miller got out of prison. She adds he is targeting her and wants her to know he has all the power. Fin explains they have an unmarked car on her block and in front of Noah’s school, there’s no way he can he can get at her. Benson snaps back that he walked right into that restaurant and introduced himself to Noah, adding she should have shot the son of a bitch. Fin tries to calm her, suggesting not so loud, Stone is in her office, Fin called him in.
As they walk into her office, Stone comments he wishes he had better news. Benson asks him to tell her it’s not worse than Rob Miller making bail. Stone replies that the Feds dropped the charges. Fin says “Damn!” and Benson looks stunned. She comments that he blackmailed a judge and threatened witnesses, adding he threatened Nikki Staines, they have him on tape saying “No Nikki, no case.” Stone counters that a Federal judge ruled that statement didn’t rise to the legal standard. Fin asks what now, Benson also asking what about Nikki’s rape. Stone replies there’s nothing there; Nikki is scared and is claiming it was consensual. Benson pauses, looking at Fin, and whispers she will talk to her.
At the apartment of Nikki Staines, at 1239 West 47th Street on Sunday, May 5, Nikki tells her daughter it is going to be okay, suggesting she go to her room and lie down. As her daughter races off, she cries and asks “What kind of person?” Nikki tells Benson that Miller killed her daughter’s dog. When Benson asks if she is sure, Nikki emphatically says yes, she’s sure. She points to the dog Penny’s ashes, saying the vet said it was rat poison. Getting upset, she explains the landlord didn’t put down any rat poison and she didn’t either. Benson asks how, and Nikki says her daughter said that a woman offered Penny a treat on their walk last night and she thought it was okay and this morning the dog was…Benson says she is so sorry. Nikki goes on to say the woman said to say hello to her mom. Nikki asks why, saying Rob Miller knows she was not going to testify. Benson replies that is whys he is here, they need her to testify. She adds that the Feds dropped the charges. Nikki is shocked, saying “no no no no!” When Benson asks Nikki to hear her out, Nikki shouts NO! Benson asks her to talk to her about the Wally Stevens case, the underage girls, saying Miller thought he’d be implicated and that is why he stole her phone. Nikki emphatically says there is nothing on that phone that connects him to that case. Benson asks why, what was he afraid of, can Wally put him at those sex parties. Nikki pauses and when Benson presses her to tell her more, Nikki shouts she can’t, citing attorney/client privilege, asking with sarcasm if Benson ever heard of it, adding she is not about to risk getting disbarred. She says she is appreciative for what Benson has done for her but orders Benson to go now, and Nikki storms off. Benson leaves.
Back at SVU, Benson tells the detectives there has to be a way to tie Rob Miller to Wally Stevens and the sex parties. Benson comments he blackmailed a judge (Judge Brian Leonard) and stole Nikki’s phone, saying it has to be connected, asking what are they missing. Rollins explains they have gone over the case forwards and backwards, it is falling apart. Carisi says the girls at the party are all backing off the story. Benson thinks Miller got to them or their parents. She suggests they check their bank accounts. Fin comments Miller doesn’t leave a fingerprint on the knife, and Benson reminds him they have half a dozen witnesses. Fin counters they HAD witnesses, they all lawyered up. Benson, getting increasingly agitated, shouts, “Exactly! That’s my point!” Fin comments since Leonard retired to the Maldives. Wally Steven is untouchable – double jeopardy. Benson retorts she knows, she was there. Fin sighs. Carisi gets a message and tells Benson he hears her on all of this but they have something from the harbor unit they have to deal with right now. A young female washed up on a pier on the Hudson river. Benson says, “Let’s go.”
At Pier 66 on the Hudson River on Sunday, May 5, Benson and Carisi meet with Sgt. Matthews. He explains that the victim was 15-16, naked, with no ID, he guesses she was in the water a couple of hours or a day at the most. Carisi asks if she fell off a boat, and Matthews states every bone in her body is broken and her organs liquefied. Benson pulls back the blanket covering the body, and Matthews comments this girl fell out of the sky.
Benson, back at SVU and on the phone, explains she just wanted to let them know that a uniformed officer will be with the sitter when she picks Noah up from school today. She ends the call and Rollins approaches and asks how is Noah going. Benson replies he is thrilled; he gets to ride to and from school in a squad car but the school administration, not so much. Rollins comments that Miller is a bad guy but asks if she really think he would go after a lieutenant’s kids? Benson, sounding agitated, says she doesn’t know what he’s capable of. Rollins explains the preliminary report from the ME on their Jane Doe says there was no water in her lungs and she was dead before she hit the river. Benson asks for the cause of death, and Rollins states it was an OD, China White, highly concentrated Fentanyl, adding this girl was not an addict. There was no trace in her hair or needle marks. Benson thinks she got a hot shot, and Rollins explains the ME is ruling undetermined for now, but they also found the presence of semen from two different men, no DNA hits. No matches with missing persons yet. Benson brings up the girl is healthy with expensive dental work, she had parents and they have to be looking for her. Rollins comments it has only been 24 hours and they will keep checking. Carisi enters and says the ME finished the autopsy. Benson tells them to go.
At the ME’s, Carisi and Rollins learn she fell 2000 feet was and was in the water 15 hours before she washed ashore. Carisi suggests getting tidal info from the Coast Guard and cross reference with the FAA for aircraft. Rollins comments they still don’t know who, and the ME explains she found contacts with a very unique prescription, one in a million, asking if this narrows id down enough for her.
At the home of Hugo and Vanessa Parker, 466 Anderson Hill Road in Purchase, New York on Monday, May 6, Benson arrives and Rollins is waiting. She states the victim is Lindsay Parker and the ophthalmologist confirmed the contact prescription. She lives there with her parents. Benson asks why no missing persons report and Rollins thinks that 16 can be pretty independent and they may not realize she is missing. Rollins rings the doorbell and Benson comments this never gets easier. Hugo opens the door and as Benson introduces themselves, says he hope they found her. They enter the home and Hugo calls out to his wife, who is frantic. But they are shocked to see Rob Miller is also there. Benson asks what is he doing there, and he explains he is there to help, Hugo adding he has been their attorney for 10 years and when Lindsay didn’t come home, he was their first call. Benson, stunned, pauses, then said they need to speak with the parents about Lindsay. She glares at a stone-faced Miller.
The parents explains Lindsay was spending the weekend with friend Brooke in Sag Harbor. When she didn’t answer her phone they called the house and the parents said their daughter said they were with the Parkers. Benson says they will need their contact information. They explain what has happened and called Rob to hire a private detective if it came to that. Benson and Rollins proceed to break the bad news to the parents, who are in shock. Benson explains they are still investigating and when Rollins asks for the information they will need, Rob says he can get them that. Benson offers condolences and Rollins says they will help them make arrangements. Benson gives them her card and says they will be in touch. They move to leave and Ron says he can show them out.
Rob says if there is anything the police need he is here to help, and Benson tells Rollins she will meet her outside. Rollins asks if she is sure and Benson says she is good. Benson shakes her head, and then:
Rob: I realize this is awkward.
Benson: I don’t even know where to begin with you. Do your clients know that you’re a criminal?
Rob: They’re aware that I was falsely charged. Their daughter is dead, shouldn’t that be our priority?
Benson: That’s my top priority, believe me, But what is your role in all of this?
Rob: Excuse me?
Benson: Well, their 16 year old daughter was murdered one week after you were released from federal custody.
Rob: Do you hear yourself? This is just a tragic coincidence.
Benson: I don’t believe in coincidences.
Rob: What you’re saying right now is clear evidence of police bias. Your bias.
Benson: Okay. (She turns and moves to leave)
Rob: Are you angry because I figured out your little CSU ruse at the bar two months ago?
Benson, scoffs: Yeah I’m angry. I’m very angry but not because of that.
Rob: Uh, maybe because I declined to pursue our relationship.
Benson, walking back up to him: Don’t flatter yourself. If there weren’t two grieving parents in the next room, (whispering) I’d break your jaw.
Rob: You’d regret that, Lieutenant.
Benson: Stay away from me. Stay away from my son. Because if you don’t, I promise you (whispering) I WILL do something that we’d both regret.
Rob (smirking): Okay.
Benson leaves and Rob scoffs.
Back at SVU, Carisi and Rollins speak with Brooke about Lindsay’s death. They hear about the party in the city. They press her for details about the party and she is scared and cries. She explains the men that were there and they treated them like adults, with champagne and coke and one guy gave her a Birkin bag. Benson is observing and Fin enters, saying Lindsay’s cell phone went dead at 2:36 AM Sunday and they pinpointed the signal to a five block radius is Tribeca. He explains he is already on running every building in the zone. He is checking car services that ran from Sag Harbor to Manhattan. Benson wants them to show Brooke a picture of Wally and everyone else they have picked up at an underage sex party in the last 6 months. She thinks there is a connection and Rob Miller is at the center of it.
Rollins shows Brooke the photos and she picks out Wally who invited her to the party. She also spots Rob Miller and pauses, saying he looks familiar but thinks it might be from TV. She also picks out Alex who was at a party in the Hamptons last summer with an Italian exchange student.
At Green Haven Correctional Facility at 592 BY 216 in Stormville, NY on Tuesday, May 7, Fin and Carisi question Alex who knows Brooke. He says Lindsay looks familiar but says he didn’t have sex with either of them. They show him a photo of Rob Miller and he is hesitant to say anything, but they continue to press him to try to connect Rob to this, but all he will say is that maybe he saw him at the party but he is not testifying against Rob, saying he will take his chances inside.
Meanwhile, Benson goes to pick up Noah at school and when she can't find him, she hears that two uniformed officers picked him up, saying they had Benson’s approval to do so. She gave no such approval. Frantic, she calls in to Rollins to put in an all city alert and quickly finds that Noah is at SVU, that two unis from the 21st s dropped him off, saying Benson asked for a pick up. Benson says she didn’t, saying it had to be Rob Miller, and he is sending her a message that he can take her son whenever he wants. She tells Rollins not to let him out of her eyesight. Rollins agrees, assuring her Noah is alright and he is safe. Benson hangs up the phone and spots Rob Miller standing nearby, staring at her. She storms in his direction, yelling, “You son of a bitch!” He tells her to take it easy, that Noah is fine. She gets in his face and tells him to stay away from her son. He asks or what, she’ll shoot him? He tells her to take his advice and make life easier on herself and drop this case. Benson tells him to go to hell. He nods and she turns to leave.
Back at SVU, Benson recaps what they know with Stone and the detectives. She explains that with Rob Miller and Wally Stevens, Rob stole Nikki’s phone because he was afraid that Stevens would implicate him in the underage sex case. Stone says there was nothing on the phone, and Carisi comments that the charges against Stevens were dropped but that’s how they know Rob got to Judge Leonard. Stone comments they also can’t prove. He asks about the girls, and Rollins explains that Brooke Davis was with Lindsay Parker the night she was killed. Brooke ID’s Alex Kay who put Miller at a sex party last September in the Hamptons but now refuses to testify against Miller. Benson outlines her working theory: Rob Miller runs into Lindsay, who just happens to be his client’s daughter at a party Saturday night. Miller panics because he thinks Lindsay can ID him. He gives her a hot shot. She admits there are a lot of dots to connect. Stone says that is an understatement. Benson says Rob is a man, not a super-villain, he had to have made a mistake. Stone says if he did, he doesn’t see it. He glares are her and she looks at him, stunned. She asks him to come into her office. He follows her into her office and, shutting the door hard, asks him whose side is he on? Stone says not Rob Miller’s. Benson counters it doesn’t look that way. He gets angry, asking her tersely if she is accusing him of something. Rattled, she says she is just asking. He glares at her and she steps away. She states she knows Rob is guilty and when Stone asks how, she replies that he had unis pick up her son from his school and was clearly threatening her and looked her in the eye and he told her to drop the case. Stone, angry, asks when was she going to tell him this? She claims that is irrelevant to the investigation, but Stone shouts that is it completely relevant to the investigation. Rob is threatening Noah and anything Benson finds out his lawyer will claim she has a personal vendetta against him. Benson turns away and takes a breath. She says she is worried that he is going to harm her son. She sits down and says that Rob Miller is a criminal, he’s a rapist, he’s a murderer, and they’ve got nothing and he’s going to get away with all of this. Stone looks anguished.
Sometime later, Nikki Staines meets with Stone in a parking garage. She says she is only there because he swore he wouldn’t ask her to testify. He says he is not, and she asks what does he want? He explains it’s the same thing she wants – Rob Miller behind bars. She asks how the hell are they going to do that, and he explains they are going to break a couple rules.
Later, we see Nikki making a bank deposit with a lot of cash while Stone watches. Stone also watches as Fin arrests a guy for drugs. At SVU, Rollins and Carisi create a ruse to get their hands on Brooke’s cell phone. Stone watches as the man Fin arrested for drugs gains entry to a building past the doorman, carrying with him an envelope.
Back at SVU, Benson is surprised to hear Stone got a judge to sign off on an arrest warrant and when she asks what evidence, Stone says to just trust her. She asks if she has a choice. Fin enters and says the Parkers are there, with their lawyer. They quickly inform them they have a suspect in their daughter’s murder and Benson quickly announces Rob is under arrest for Lindsay’s murder. They take him away.
Sometime later, on the courthouse steps, Benson asks Stone that he is just going to keep her in the dark. He tells her not to worry about what the chef is going to do with his catch. Benson comments she loves metaphors but not so much when it involves a rapist-slash-murderer’s day in court. She says even less when the state’s case is…Stone finishes “Circumstantial.” She says ONLY circumstantial. She adds for all she knows, all they have is a bunch of arrows on a cork board signifying a whole lot of nothing. Stone asks if Benson thinks Rob raped Nikki, and Benson says of course. Stone asks if she thinks Rob murdered Lindsay, and Benson replies he knows that she does. Stone says, “Good. You caught the fish, let me cook it.” He walks up the steps and Benson lets out a heavy sigh.
In Supreme Court Part 33 on Wednesday, May 15, Brooke testifies about partying with the old guys. Stone paints it as she was being taken advantage by rich, horny old men, to which the defense objects. Stone asks her if one of the men was Rob Miller but she is not sure. He asks her that it is just a coincidence they were are the BLT Steakhouse, and she says she was never there. Stone comments that is odd, saying her phone was. He shows GPS records and she sees her phone number. It was at that location on Tuesday May 13 between 1:17 PM at 2:34 PM, the same place as Rob Miller’s phone. He asks if Rob gave her money at that time and she denies even being there. Rob leaps up and says this is nonsense. The judge tells him to sit. She denies getting money from him. Stone shows her her bank statement and she says that is impossible. Stone has her tell the jury that on May 13 at 3:40PM there was a deposit of $9,500 but she’s never had that much cash and didn’t make that deposit. Stone says it looks like she was paid off by Rob, and when the defense objects the judge sustains it. Under cross by Rob’s attorney William Biegel, Brooke says she never met Rob and he never gave her any money.
Later, the doorman testifies Rob was never a member and he has no idea who he is. The man that he let in said he was waiting for a member – Rob Miller. Rob says he’s never even seen this guy, and the judge tells him that is two strikes. He doorman admits the video shows the man came in with a envelope and didn’t leave with one, 17 minutes after Rob arrived. Under cross, Mr. Burton admits he never saw Rob with the man with the envelope or take the envelope.
Fin is on the stand who identifies LaMar Jackson who is a con he arrested in 2014 for narcotics. Fin busted him for selling China White. Under cross, Fin admits he doesn’t know where LaMar is and when asked if he would be surprised if Stone asks him to take the stand, Fin says nothing surprises him anymore. The defense says that would surprise him as that would mean Stone is suborning perjury. Stone objects and the Biegel withdraws. Stone rests the people’s case. Biegel calls Nikki Staines. Stone looks concerned.
Biegel questions Nikki about May 13 in the afternoon and shows that Nikki was the one who made the deposit into Brooke’s account. Nikki admits that she was trying to frame Rob Miller. Stone is silent but clearly worried. Under cross, Stone gets Nikki to explain that she did it because Rob threatened her with compromising photos and she would lose custody of her daughter. She says Rob is evil and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He asks if she is still scared of him and she doesn’t know. Stone plays back a recording of Rob Miller and Chief Dodds where Rob said “No Nikki, no case”. He asks again if she is still scared and Nikki says he killed Lindsay Parker, didn’t he? Biegel objects and the judge tells the jury to disregard that statement. Stone says she was so scared she manufactured circumstantial evidence to trick the jury to convict him. Nikki admits yes, and says she has a daughter and he would be a threat to her for the rest of her life if she didn’t do anything. She shoots Rob a look. The jury looks disgusted.
Later, Benson heads out to her car and is approached by Rob. He asks “what the hell” and Benson stops and says she shouldn’t be talking to him. He replies, “Oh, I see. Now you’re worried about ethics. Haven’t you learned by now that people that screw with me typically don’t have happy endings. Endings I want. Ending I control. It’s called power, Lieutenant.” She tells him good night and gets into her car. Rob says he’s got it but “you pissants” don’t comprehend it. He says she will see. He adds when the dust settles, she and Nikki…Fin approaches and asks if she is okay, and she tells him to get that piece of dirt away from her. Fin moves toward Rob but Rob orders Fin not to touch him. Rob comments to Benson,” A word to the wise, Lieutenant: You’re a tiny fish. Tiny fish always get eaten by the bigger fish. Like it or not, that’s how the world works.” As Rob walks away, Fin states dryly, “Somebody’s freakin’ out.” Benson asks Fin if he was at the trial, and Fin replies no, but he heard Nikki out on quite a show. Benson sits back and sighs.
At Cardoze East at 271 West 15th Street on Wednesday, May 15, Benson meets up with Nikki and asks what is she doing? Nikki tells her to stop it, what she did she didn’t just do for herself. Benson counters she would have never agreed to this, and Nikki explains this is why they didn’t say anything to her. Benson asks who is “we”, and when Nikki makes a face, Benson asks that Stone knew about this. Nikki laughs and says, “Christ Liv, it was his idea.” Benson looks at Nikki with her mouth agape, and steps away to take this in. She asks that Nikki and Stone tried to frame Rob, and Nikki admits yes, he is guilty. Benson states “You could both be disbarred for this.” But Nikki says there are things that are more important than a license to tap dance around a courtroom. She adds they’ve been doing this a long time and they don’t say it out loud or when the lights are on, but there are times in the dark when they whisper “sometimes the law’s just not good enough.” She adds a threat to her child’s safety is one of those times, saying at least she won’t have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life and neither will Benson. Benson counters, “No. No, I am not a part of this.” Nikki states, “Yeah you are.” Benson gets up and leaves.
In Supreme Court Part 33 on Thursday, May 16, the verdict is read: on the sole count of murder in the second degree, Robert Alan Miller is found guilty. Rob is stunned, and Lindsay’s parents are happy. Rob gets upset, and, yelling at Stone, calling him a son of a bitch, saying he set him up. The judge yells for order and Benson looks surprised. Rob glares back at her as they take him away in cuffs. Stone looks happy but Benson does not as she leaves the courtroom.
Outside the courthouse Stone approaches Benson. She says she doesn’t even know what to say, asking if it’s congratulations. She comments he won the case without a single piece of evidence. Stone says he proved Miller was a bad guy and the jury put him away for that alone. He adds that for once the arrow on the wheel of justice stopped at the right place. Benson counters it was with a little help. Stone comments everyone needs a little help. She says, “Even me.” Stone says she’s the one person who could make it on her own. She tells him to take it easy, they both know that’s not true. He says he does but that’s not what most people want to hear. She thanks him and he asks why, because he put his integrity and his career and everything he believes in jeopardy for a good friend? Benson replies, “Yes. Yes. And.I.Didn’t.Ask for this.” He knows she didn’t ask for this but he did it anyway. He was always going to do it. He hopes she finds someone like that again. When she asks what that means, he tells her to look at what he just did in there. He doesn’t regret any of it for a minute but he simply lost perspective. He states this is on him, admitting it is a weakness and a crack in his character. He adds the fact is, she became more important to him than the case he is trying and that is not him. He looks like he is tearing up as he put his hands on her shoulders and says she can look at a case with an open heart and he can’t do that. Benson tries to talk but he stops her, saying he has to look at a case through clear eyes. She tries to talk again but he tells her to stop and listen. He tells her he had to move on; he has to go or risk getting blinded again. She whispers for him to wait, but be removes his hands and tells her to take care of herself. They look at each other and finally he breaks her gaze and turns and walks away, leaving her there standing alone, staring ahead. She takes a few deep breaths, turns and walks away 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:
Callie Thorne - Nikki Staines
Titus Welliver - Rob Miller
Richard Kind - William Biegel
Jazzy Kae - Brooke Davis
Nahanni Johnstone - Vanessa Parker
Alex Cranmer –
Aida Turturro - Judge Catano
Marilee Talkington - Golda Simon
Mike McGowan – Alex Kay
Sherin Shetty - M.E. Carrie Stover
Travis Mitchell - Sgt. Carl Matthews
Ryan Buggle Noah Porter Benson
Michael Scott – Frank Burton
Ryan Vincent Anderson - James
Bobby James Evers - Adam Rhodes
Silas Anthony – Kevin Shea
Annie Baltic - Lindsay Parker
Ger Payawal – Jury Foreperson
Jillian Rose - Attica Staines
Quincy Giles - Lamar Jackson
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20 comments:
This was disappointing. Before I rant about the episode, I would like to say that I thought Titus Welliver was perfect. Callie Thorne was good too. Everybody else - meh.
My big problem with this episode is that Stone had no hard evidence. He knew it, which is why he told Benson early that she had no proof when she was freaking out over Rob. I will never understand the pull that Olivia has on people. When she told Stone that Rob was making trouble with her and Noah, Stone's response should have been to work with her to find EVIDENCE to nail him, not frame him. Framing was a risky move. There are too many things that could be or were captured on video, like the deposit at the bank and Fin's drug arrest (and that guy's later trip to the club). The bank deposit was the dumbest thing. The defense would have easily found that it wasn't Brooke that made the deposit. Once that it came out Nikki did that, it would be easy for everything else to fall apart. It was a shame they made Brooke out to be a liar just for Stone and the rest to further their agenda. For an SVU team that works to protect victims of sex crimes, they sure threw Brooke under the bus very quickly. I don't recall how old she was but I thought she was under age. Even if she was over 18, it's still wrong for them to take an innocent person and create false evidence to paint them as liars. I don't care how much they care for Benson, they all threw their ethics out the window.
I'm not a lawyer but I don't know why the defense didn't try to bring out Nikki's involvement before it got to trial. All it would have left were the phone records, and that's not much to prove MURDER.
The end scene with Stone and Benson made me gag. I felt the same way after watching them turn Barba into a baby killer and then have him profess his deep feelings for Benson. What is is about her that make these guys risk their careers for her? If they don't get an ADA that is immune to her powers I'm out. They can't have it both ways. Benson can't be both a strong female leader and a woman who needs other people to bail her out and fix her problems all the time. What was with the "whose side are you on" thing and then the criticism when Stone gets the okay for the arrest? He got what she wanted and then she gets on him for it. Why would anyone put their career on the line for someone that flighty?
I would also like to see Rob Miller get out on appeal. By keeping Benson out of this, she still remains her pure and saintly persona, but it could put the rest of her gang in trouble.
Best wishes to Philip Winchester and showrunner Michael Chernuchin
Staggeringly awful. Nothing in the episode made any sense, practically, legally or psychologically.
Loved the Rolivia scenes. They better continue that next season or I am out
This was the worst and dumbest L&O ever. Do they hire these writers out of First Grade? The Reality is, if it ever happened that a witness admitted on the stand she Set Up the Defendant, the Judge would immediately call a Mistrial and not allow the witness to continue to be questioned. Taking it further, any Judge would immediately throw out the Verdict as there was nothing to Support a Guilty Verdict as there was nothing connecting the Defendant to the Murder. There would be an immediate investigation by the FBI and Stone and the Law & Order Detectives who contributed to the Set Up, would be dismissed from the Police Force and Justice Dept and would be charged and convicted of Felony's. Actually this would have been a great Series Finale. Expect to see a winning appeal next Season and Rob aka Titus Welliver out and messing with Olivia again. Hope he kills Noah this time!
This was one of the worst episodes in all 20 seasons, and that is saying something, as season 20 in general has been so horrible. I don't want to say too much as all of the people above me made great points, but a few highlights.
-Yeah, the trial was completely bogus. 1. they had no hard evidence against Miller and he should not have been convicted. Plus, the trial should not have continued with Stone and Nikki once it was proven, or at least heavily supported that they participated in a frame-up. Hopefully Miller will appeal and we can see more of him, because I did enjoy his character.
-The stone and Olivia explanation? Just plain stupid. There have been no indications at all that he holds strong feelings for her either as a close friend or love. His whole feature as the newest ADA was cold hard facts and now he let's his love for Olivia cause him to break the law? Not cool. Also I didn't like how they removed Barba either. If you're going to keep moving out ADA's at least give them plausible exits.
-I'm curious, but did Finn, Rollins, and Carisi know they were participating in the frame-up or where they being manipulated by Stone? They didn't make that completely clear.
-Here are my hopes for season 21
1. Bring back former cast members, at least in a recurring capacity. Don't get me wrong, I love Rollins and Carisi but we need some of the old blood back in the show. Perhaps they could bring back former ADAs in a recurring capacity to replace Stone like they did in season 12 and 13 with Cabot and Novak.
2. Plausible court cases. Season 20 has been a legal mess with a bunch of crazy cases and no-evidence convictions.
3. Better plots. Mainly, better endings. A lot of episodes this season started semi-promising and then ended either completely predictably or so far left field that it makes no sense. As @www.2009HDTV.com said, it feels like alot of these episodes are being written by first graders. Stupid stupid episodes. I want messed up, plot-twisting, and controversial cases.
I fear that SVU season 21 will be the last season, and a poor one at that, unless the writers can get there act together. Good luck writers. I'm happy to help if needed.
This was NOT an A+ episode...#1. The writers fell short on their legal & procedural knowledge...#2. The case was too weak to proceed with...#3. The ending was almost a total duplicate of Barba & Liv's departure scene, even some of the wording was almost identical and the setting also! Can't the writers use their supposedly creative abilities to come up with some different scenarios, plots, etc...? Also every writer should be required to know each character's back-story...PERIOD! I LOVE SVU and am a 20 year fan but it annoys me when these folks get paid BIG $$$ to write & make so many errors in the character's pasts/histories! Why do we fans have to point out the errors they make? (We're not getting paid to write/proof-read or beta so why do we do it...? Because it's annoying to us to witness...)
I'll get off my soap box but I just want to say with Warren coming back I sure hope he brings Raul/Barba back to redeem his character's pristine abilities and actions before he had to suffer through a horrible case of 'character assassination"... JMO
Oh by the way, no one has been charged the the Barba character assassination either & i find the writer's GUILTY as CHARGED! LOL
I'll say this now, since the season is over, and I really didn't want any flame bait following me while new episodes dropped.
I was absolutely convinced that Olivia would be killed off this year.
Maybe not "killed" but definitely written off, and maybe died, not necessarily in the line of duty. A squad led by Finn would throw some crazy dynamics into a series that at this point, could use them.
I have never met Mariska, but honestly, at this point, I don't get why she stays on this show. She and her character have made their impact. And she works for a producer who is known for shaking up the deck. Mariska showed some decent comedy chops on SNL; isn't she even remotely curious what parts she can play other than Benson (kind of the reverse of the Constance Wu situation)?
I think the detectives knew exactly what they were doing by their participation.
I see that there are some very objective opinions here concerning the finale and I am in complete agreement with them. I was informed by a friend that there are numerous comments on twitter that take a direct opposite view of the finale. All I can deduce from that is that there must be a highly organized "Olivia Benson Fan Club", that skews the numbers significantly. If this "Club" wasn't in existence would L & O SVU still be on the air or would it have been cancelled a few year ago?
Laurie F An excellent assessment!
This is a recycled episode essentially. ADA develops (romantic?) feelings for Olivia. Torpedoes his career to save her. You can quibble about the details, but this is what happened with Barba all over again.
@Chris, you're right. Once again Olivia is this pseudo strong woman who needs a man to save her, sometimes from herself.
While I do agree that the confession implying Stone's love for Olivia seemed to come out of nowhere (although I admit the show did establish some UST when Stone first arrived & there were a few hints of it later on) & while it's extremely frustrating that the show-runners keep portraying Olivia as "the strong woman who still needs saving", there was a part of the episode that maybe many viewers might have missed that was brilliant (I noticed it watching the court scenes again): it's the scene just after Nikki & Stone "got caught" trying to frame Miller. I put those words in quotes because I realized they were planning on getting caught from the start; they intentionally didn't cover their tracks enough to keep from getting caught.
How did I arrive at this conclusion? The look Nikki and Stone exchanged after Miller's lawyer got Nikki to confess that she tried to frame Miller said it all. At 32:25, the looks they gave each other had a hint of victory in them (Nikki raised her right eyebrow ever so slightly in a way that said, "Well? Ask me why I tried to frame him already. We planned this."; in response, Stone eyes seemed to smile back and he stood in a way that exuded confidence & victory, not panic and failure<--feelings he should have been feeling after getting caught by Miller's lawyer). This exchanged look seemed to say, "It worked. We can now let the jury can hear Miller say, 'No Nikki, no case' & show how evil he is."
I watched awe-struck at 32:40, as Nikki changed from a meek & embarrassed witness who whispered her "frame Rob Miller confession" the first time she said it to the confident woman we saw her as many episodes ago. Then, with that conviction and confidence, she shared everything that was supposed to be used for the federal case that had been thrown out. Stone even helped her share it. Heck, he came prepared to play the "No Nikki, no case" clip: he had a speaker in his bag (why would he need it otherwise? there was no audio collected for the current murder case) and the damning clip ready to play for the jury.
They planned the whole thing exactly as it played out: planting the circumstantial evidence, making Brooke look like a lair, getting caught trying to frame Miller, and then sharing the damning evidence they had gathered for the previous federal case. As experienced and skilled lawyers, they were gambling that the jury's impression of Rob Miller as evil and as a murderer of a teen girl would convict him more readily than any evidence they could gather that would only be discredited because of Miller's ability to make nothing stick to him. That weasely way of worming away from evidence proved to actually be his weakness, his flaw. Exposing Nikki as the attempted framer opened the door to all that followed. In fact, Stone and Nikki were betting that her confession and fear of Miller would be all the "evidence" the jury needed to see Miller as the monster he is.
The plan was doubly confirmed when Nikki looked over at Rob Miller. Her strong eye contact (again, it exuded confidence) made Miller look at the jury to see how they were reacting to what she'd just said. He didn't look too confident at what he saw in the jury's expressions of sympathy to her and disgust of him (perhaps that's why he threatened Olivia one more time? To make himself feel like he had all the power? It made him feel so powerful again he even convinced himself that he had nothing to worry about with the trial and that he could start planning his revenge on Nikki and Olivia right away).
This plan of getting caught on-purpose was triply confirmed when Miller shouted that Stone set him up and then again when Stone said at 38:52 he didn't need evidence to convict Miller, he just needed to prove to the jury to that Miller was a bad guy.
J.Perry Then Stone has a first grade education too just like the writers because in any Court in the US except for a L&O TV oCurt, The Judge would immediately call a Mistrial or Throw out the Case altogether. He certainly wouldn't continue the trial and let the witness who has admitted she framed the Defendant for the Crime continue to be questioned. Nikki Stone would be arrested for a Felony and she would lose her license to practice law. Upon a likely Investigation, half of the Law and Order crew would lose their jobs abd charged with felonies.
So, I’m going to go there and please don’t hate me, but this episode failed miserably for those of us who view the franchise as a legal drama rooted in reality. From the frame itself to the ethical implications and the recycled reasoning for the ADA’s departure - all ridiculous and none of it would hold up in a real world legal situation. That said, I think most of us need fo face the hard reality that SVU is no longer a legal drama but a soap opera. The change started when Stabler left and was completed when Cragen departed. We keep wanting it to be what it was but that was fairly unsustainable after 10 seasons and impossible beyond 15. The show had to morph in order to get Dick his historical record breaker. For the soap opera loving crowd, this was actually a great episode - it was juicy, the villain was over the top, it was salacious and it had a good guys get even plot - it hit all the JR vs. Bobby Ewing (insert whatever soap characters you like cause they’re all interchangeable) sweet spots and for those viewers, this episode was really good. Olivia is no longer a character rooted in reality but instead a cliche of the flawed but idealistic hero (another soap trope) and she is critical to the demographic that keeps this show going. We gotta stop judging it based on what it was and start accepting it for what it has become.
And to whoever thought Benson would be offed In the finale and the final season would be about the team with Fin in charge - they should hire you as a writer because that would have been so intriguing but, let’s face it, all hell would have broken loose from the Olivia diehards and NBC is no HBO to take a risk like that. Mariska would be refreshing in a comedic role. She was the best part of that failed Nancy McKeon sitcom in the mid 90’s. She has the chops and it would be nice to see her freed from the redundantly safe, self righteous and annoying shackles of Olivia Benson. To me, with the current cast of characters, Olivia is the weakest link. I wouldn’t miss her or friggin whiney Noah.
I predict that this will come back to bite the squad in a huge way, like the plot with Ken's step-brother (Ludacris) way back when. That's the only way that all of this can be redeemed. Whether SVU will survive long enough to play such a plot line out is another matter.
I have to agree with others who have said why does EVERYONE have to "fall in love" with Olivia or become obsessed??? ADA's and criminals alike (ie - William Lewis). GIVE ME A BREAK. In the case of Peter Stone - Olivia is old enough to be his MOTHER -the guy is about maybe in his mid 30's and Olivia has be at least in her mid 50's.
I agree with the person who said the whole thing was pre planned. And with the people who pointed out how dumb it is. Besides that, Nikki refused to testify against Miller because she was afraid, refused to share information because it could get her disbarred, but was comfortable doing something which would expose her to both disbarment and Miller's wrath?
On a different note, that final scene felt like a repeat from Barba. Same place. Same sort of emotions. Same "you changed me". It just upped the cringe.
William Beigel and Rob Miller deserve each other. They should be sent to Leavenworth and put in the same cell. God I hate these two characters as much as any in the history of SVU, and there are at least 174 characters I have hated on this show.
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