Law & Order SVU “Post-Graduate Psychopath” Recap, Review, Discussion

“Post-Graduate Psychopath” is a follow up to the Law & Order SVU episode “Born Psychopath” from season 14. In that episode, Henry Mesner is a monster of a child, whose psycho tendencies lands him in a juvenile facility where he can get help. Or so they think!

This follow up was predictable, but it was no funhouse by any means.  Even though it was a foregone conclusion Henry would be apprehended,  it provided many tense moments getting to that point.  The Funhouse scene – inspired by the Orson Welles “The Lady from Shanghai” playbook – wasn’t all that suspenseful,  yet it was visually enjoyable.  I liked that this episode gave Rollins some much needed focus that didn’t involve her family drama.   I was a little worried when Jesse was out of sight for those few minutes;  I was in no mood for a kidnapped child episode.  (I am never in the mood for those episodes.)

For the last several years in a psychiatric facility, Henry has been working on The Big Bamboozle: learning what to do and how to act so he appears sane, allowing for his release.  Once released, he exacts revenge on all of those who he perceived have harmed him.   It’s like the long con, but with “shrinks”.  Sadly, it’s the doctors and therapists themselves who have been giving Henry the playbook on how to behave so he can act normal and get released.   I find myself wondering how often something like this happens, and suspect it happens more than we'd like to know.  People do this all the time with their parents, their bosses; one learns what gets them in good graces and what gets them in the dog house. For psychopath who is highly motivated to get out, it’s probably easy.   Who knows - Henry's could just repeat the cycle. 

Here is the recap:

The episode opens with a flashback to March 2013 with Henry’s parents hearing he will have to go into a juvenile facility for treatment. 

In Family Court on December 17, 2020, Henry goes through a review process and is able to fool everyone into allowing his release.  

Several months later, Henry wastes no time in killing his father, step-mother, and half brother.  He also takes the time to stalk Rollins in order to present her daughter Jesse with a stuffed dog named Snowball that Rollins traced back to Libby Blandon, a recent victim of a vicious attack.  (In Born Psychopath, Henry drowned a dog named Snowball.)   Libby’s mother was the doctor who treated Henry when he was first admitted to the Hesland Juvenile Psychiatric Facility.  

When the SVU arrives at the Mesner home, they find that his father,  stepmother, and half-brother have been murdered.  But his sister Ruby is alive as she was staying at a friend’s house.  They later break the news to Ruby. She explains her dad was on Henry to get a job.  He was spending all day on video games and talking to somebody.  She thinks they never should have let him out. 

They quickly realize that Henry has bamboozled them all.  He basically spend the 8 years at the facility learning how to appear sane.  

Speaking with another person at Hesland, they find Henry was staying with that person's sister, Cora. When they enter her apartment she is not there but arrives soon after and is detained,  and they take some of Henry’s belongings.  Cora has been bamboozled too.   They question her and find Henry went to Morningside Park to take pictures on his phone and upload them to the cloud.  They use Cora’s phone to access the cloud photos and find photos of Jesse and Libby.   There is also a photo of Ruby taken that morning at the house where she was staying.

They race to the house and find that there is only one squad car outside but no one around. The rest of the police were called out to a bomb scare at the mall.  They quickly find one officer in the trunk of his squad car.   Inside they find the other occupants injured but alive and Ruby has been taken.  Henry said he wanted to go on a ride and Rollins quickly concludes he went to a nearby amusement park, Bayville Park. 

At the park, they check all the rides and Rollins locates Henry and Ruby in the mirrored Funhouse.  Henry is holding Ruby at gunpoint.   Rollins manages to get Henry to release Ruby.  She takes the time to talk Henry down and get him out of the Funhouse, saying she will protect him.   As he’s been led out of the Funhouse, he says he couldn’t help himself and is not of sound mind. 

Later, Henry has a session with Dr. Lindstrom, and says he was told he is not a danger to others and asks Dr. Lindstrom if he thinks they made the right decision. After that session Dr. Lindstrom tells Benson, Carisi, and Rollins that whoever let Henry out should have their license revoked.  Carisi comments that hindsight is 20/20 and presses if Henry is competent to stand trial. With some discussion, Lindstrom says a psychopath’s brain is different, probably from birth and the defense may say his personality disorder affects his sanity.  Rollins insists he knew what he was doing was wrong and he didn’t care and it’s all on him.   Lindstrom says sending him home to the family Henry thinks imprisoned him…Benson equates it to pouring gasoline and lighting a match. Rollins and Lindstrom continue to discuss this but Carisi just wants Lindstrom's assertion Henry can stand trial. Lindstrom says he is, but the question itself is the problem.  Rollins says she needs fresh air and she leaves, and Carisi leaves as well.  Lindstrom asks Benson how she is doing as it’s been a tough year. She says it has been and she is lucky, Noah is okay and the squad is healthy.  Lindstrom asks about Stabler and she says it is a lot to process, He understands why she wants an appointment and looks forward to it. 

At the competency hearing, Lindstrom testifies Henry is competent to stand trial.  The judge rules that Henry is capable of participating in his own defense and competent to stand trial. His lawyer says that they will  be changing their plea to not guilty by reason of insanity.  She mentions 4 months ago he was deemed no longer a danger and that was not true. The judge shuts her down and tells her to save it to the jury.  Henry comments she is being rude to her lawyer and he becomes enraged and moves to attack her.  When he refuses to sit down and continues to approach the judge, Carisi steps in and Henry grabs a pencil and stabs Carisi in the ear.  As Henry is restrained, he yells he wants his daddy. 

Later, Rollins visits with Carisi in the hospital – he is going to be okay.  Henry just missed puncturing his ear drum.   He explains that Henry is being remanded and medicated and will be until he is competent. Rollins thinks Henry is just getting what he wants and stabbed Carisi to prove he was crazy.  Carisi explains either way, Henry will stand trial and whether he meets the legal definition of insanity, he killed his father, his stepmother and 5 year brother and if he is not crazy, then no one is. 

At the facility, Rollins meets with Henry, who is restrained.  She knows he is drugged and pretending he can’t hear but she knows he  can hear her. She says when she told him she didn’t want him to die, she lied.  She says if he ever gets out of there, if she goes after Carisi or anyone in her family again, it will be his last day on earth…she will kill Henry herself.  She leaves and Henry smiles.