Law & Order SVU “Burning With Rage Forever” Recap, Review, Discussion

Law & Order SVU “Burning With Rage Forever”  was another one of those episodes with a lot of moving parts.  

Where to begin?  The best place to start is the scene that opened the episode, and the related scene that closed it, even though it didn’t have anything to do with the crime(s) the SVU later  investigates. I wonder why they would tack on Noah revealing he is bi onto an episode about child molesters? I was a little confused as to his explanation about being bi, saying he doesn’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend, but  “ it’s just not fair for anybody to  be left out.”   So let me get this straight (no pun intended), not wanting to leave people out  means a person is bi?  I’m not clear if Noah is saying he is romantically/sexually attracted to both girls and boys, or he just wants to have equal friendships/relationships with both girls and boys.  It’s the context in which this came up is what seems off to me.  It would have made more sense if he admitted that he agreed to being put in the cage with a dog collar because  he’s into being dominated! Maybe if his reveal was dropped into an episode where the context was more fitting,  it wouldn’t cause so much confusion in my head.  I felt like they wanted to make this reveal about Noah and didn’t give a thought as to what story was being told around it.   (Addendum:  I think the other issue I have with this story is we don't actually see how Benson handled Noah's friend's troubling behavior with his mother.)

Besides Noah in a dog collar in a cage, and his bisexual reveal, the case itself contained an  internet predator, child molester, stabbing, two arraignments, another child  molestation, and a suicide attempt. It was a lot to process in 41 minutes of story-telling time.  It would have worked better being told over two episodes, in my opinion.  

Here is the recap: 

Noah is at a friend’s house in a dog cage, in a dog pose, and wearing a dog collar, also being asked to bark like a dog and eat dog food by his friend, who is recording everything. He refuses to eat the food. When his friend’s mom enters the room, she sees what’s going on and looks displeased, as does Benson when she also enters the room.  Noah says they were just messing around, and one of the other friends – Annie – says that Hudson was making them play cats and dogs.  Benson and Noah make a quick exit and as they walk home, Benson tries to get Noah to open up about it.  Noah says Hudson is a jerk, explaining what Hudson did but doesn’t want to talk about it anymore.  

When a young boy – Tino -  is left home alone by his uncle Carlos, he falls prey to an on-line pedophile who lures him into his apartment.  The boy quickly realizes he is in trouble but cannot escape.   When the family realizes he is missing, the family, including his father Seby,  gets the police involved, who gets with SVU and  the search begins. When they realize Tino has Carlos’ laptop, they trace it to a building and find Tino in an apartment, tied to a radiator.  But the man who took him is gone. 

Later at a child advocacy center, Rollins tried to get Tino to open up. Meanwhile, Fin finds the super of the apartment cut a side deal with an unlicensed broker to rent the place out for short stays and Velasco poses as someone interested in a place and sets up a meet.  Velasco and Rollins meet with the super and discuss the arrangement; he caves in and gives them his phone, and his Venmo points them to Theodore Murtaugh from the Bronx.   When the detectives get to his home, they find Murtaugh has been stabbed and is tied to a pipe. 

Benson and Carisi confer and suspect Tino’s family.  

Tino eventually  points out Murtaugh from a photo array and Rollins suggests counseling for Tino. Benson speaks  with Seby who denies stabbing Murtaugh.  Velasco speaks with Carlos who explains where he was last night – at his girlfriend’s – and denies stabbing him.  Rollins speaks with Carlos’ girlfriend who confirms Carlos’ alibi. 

At SVU, Fin explains that Tino ID’d Murtaugh and the DNA matches. TARU is still working on the laptop. Rollins finds security camera footage of Carlos going in to Murtaugh’s. When they bring him in to the SVU interrogation, Fin and Velasco work Carlos until he caves and admits it, saying Tino took a receipt from Murtaugh’s car that had his address. Murtaugh also told Carlos he filmed it and was enjoying reliving it, and Carlos admitted he snapped and went into the kitchen and got a knife, closed his eyes and stabbed him.  

In the courtroom gallery, Seby has enlisted the help of Elvis, a local community "hero".   Carlos is being represented by Joe Spiro.  Bail is set for Carlos at $25,000.  Murtaugh is arraigned and he pleads not guilty – not what was previously agreed with Carisi.  This enrages  Seby who goes after Murtaugh and he gets thrown out of court.  Murtaugh’s bail is set at $250,000.

Outside the courtroom, Seby and Elvis speak with Benson and Carisi while a crowd is there to support Carlos. 

Carisi speaks with Murtaugh and his lawyer at Rikers and Carisi  isn’t having any of it, his offer getting harder and harder the more Murtaugh tries to play hardball. 

In Benson’s office, Carisi explains that Murtaugh turned down 25 years and wants to go to trial.  Seby enters and says he will not allow Tino to testify.  But Benson thinks they can use Carlos, as he told them Murtaugh confessed to him. 

Later, Carisi tries to get Carlos to agree to testify and Carlos eventually agrees, saying he has a video of the confession on Murtaugh’s phone – Carlos took it as he didn’t want anyone else watching it. 

We later hear Murtaugh will spend the rest of his life in prison, but Elvis speaks to the crowd and is unhappy that Carlos can’t get a reasonable plea deal.  Shortly after Benson, Velasco and Rollins hear this, they find Carlos’s girlfriend Maya and her son Andre have arrived at the SVU.  Maya later explains to Benson and Carisi that Carlos has sexually abused Andre, just the day before, after Andre got out of the shower.  Maya discussed it with Carlos, who said it was an accident and he said it was the first time and would never  happen again.  

Later, Rollins and Benson speak with Andre who explains what happened, saying it was a bad touch and has never happened before. 

Carisi says they need to pick up Carlos now, and Benson gets a text from Elvis saying Carlos is on a roof, threatening to jump.  When SVU gets there, Elvis and Seby explains Carlos was drunk and upset, saying he is no hero, saying he did a bad thing. He has a knife.  Benson and Velasco head to the roof and after some discussion, Carlos admits the same thing happened to him and he never told anyone. Carlos drops the knife and step away from the edge.  Benson says they want to understand, and he hugs her and says he is sorry. 

Later, while  Carlos is being treated in the hospital, he tells them he saw that his teacher died in a fire (on the TV at the open of the episode) and he hadn’t thought about it in 20 years and it came coming back. He describes the assaults and how long they went on.  He says he had nothing to do with the fire but is glad he’s dead. 

Seby later explains how Carlos changed and wonders why he didn’t tell him.  Benson says he needs to be there for Carlos now, and for his son.  Afterwards,  Rollins says his teacher died, Tito gets abused and Carlos was triggered, going after Murtaugh and them everybody call him a hero and he can’t handle it.  Benson says he is devolving, self-loathing; he ends up at Maya’s with Andre, adding the cycles of abuse are so much greater than one single act and they never go away. 

Later,  Spiro and Carlos meet with Carisi, and Velasco is also there. Carisi is aware of the mitigating circumstances and  says they can charge Carlos with sex abuse 2, a misdemeanor. Because Andre was under 18, Carlos must go on the registry. Carlos agrees as he doesn’t want to make Andre testify.  Carisi still has to check on the assault on Murtaugh.  When Carisi leaves, Velasco tells Carlos he is doing the right thing, and to keep his head down and he will be okay. Carlos wishes they would have let him jump; in one way or another he has been dead since he was 9 years old. 

Later, Benson hears via phone, and tells Rollins,  that Carlos got 4 years and mandatory counseling. Benson says they  need to follow up that Tino and Andre get the help they need.  When Benson asks Rollins if she is going home to the girls, Rollins asks if Benson ever worries that they are missing something like Carlos’s mom. When Benson says she hopes not, Rollins adds that parenting, you do the best you can and you never feel like it’s enough. 

Benson and Noah are taking about another “play date” with Annie, and Benson suggested they come to their own house, and that she did tell Annie’s mom about Hudson and the dog cage.  Noah isn’t pleased that Benson did this despite his wishes she not do this.  He explains Hudson is an idiot and a bully and no one likes him anyway and it was his turn to be his target. Noah then goes on to explain that Hudson went after Corey because Corey says pronouns are “they/them” and Hudson called Corey a fairy, and then Noah told Hudson he was bi.  He adds there is no shame to being true to yourself.  Benson agrees and was happy that Noah stood up for Corey and himself, calling him incredibly brave.  Noah says it is  “his truth” and he just hadn’t told anybody before.  Benson thanks him for telling her, but he says it’s no big deal, it’s not like he has a boyfriend or girlfriend, it’s just not fair for anybody to  be left out.  Benson says she hears that, and says she is proud of him and hugs and kisses him. He asks if they can go eat now, and Benson laughs and says yes. As they walk off we fade to black.