Detective Olivia Benson officially became Sergeant Olivia Benson in “Betrayal’s Climax”. She gets into “take charge” mode quickly when the SVU gets a case of a missing teenager, coupled with a possible robbery. The case leads them to a rape victim whose boyfriend is getting in deep with the BX9 gang. As a result of the investigation, they uncover a old gang murder and cause a new gang murder. This was a very well written story with excellent acting by Fiona Robert, probably one of the most convincing victims on the show in a long time.
Before SVU even starts working the case, there’s a subtle signal that something is up with Rollins. At Benson’s swearing in, Fin notices she’s jumpy and asks how much caffeine she has in her. I thought back to the late SVU ADA Sonya Paxton and her beverage of choice that we later found wasn’t always coffee. Maybe Rollins is developing a similar problem? Will Rollins suffer from any after effects from not being able to talk Avery down from the ledge? Lucky for Rollins, she stalled for enough time for police to prepare for Avery’s fall. Will Benson have as much confidence in Rollins the next time someone needs to be talked down from suicide? In the future, maybe Benson will use the experts if the experts are available. Upon reflection, Benson may have asked herself “WWCD” (What Would Cragen Do)?
Amaro’s reputation of killing a 14 your old in the police involved shooting is following him, but he doesn’t seem to let it affect his work. But is he covering something regarding his status with Maria? We never do find out what the phone call between Benson and Maria was about (from the previous week’s episode). One of the title cards in this episode was marked as February 4th, and I believe the last title card noted in the previous episode was January 24. Does the length of time between these stories/cases mean that the phone call between Benson and Maria was nothing of significance as nothing obvious resulted from it? I find it annoying when something (such as the one sided phone call we heard with Benson) is thrown out there in one episode to stir interest and then dropped in the next. This is a pitfall with personal story lines.
Fin just works the case and does his job, seemingly having no issues to distract him from the task at hand. The SVU needs someone who has no obvious baggage to keep everyone else in line, and Fin serves that purpose well.
Barba must be slipping. When Manny is murdered in protective custody, Barba's first reaction is that Manny’s taped confession is inadmissible. Benson had to be the one to suggest a way to get the tape admitted. This seems very unlike Barba, who should be the first one to look for a legal angle to use the tape, not the other way around. As far as protective custody, it goes without saying that NO ONE should even goes into protective custody on Law & Order SVU. They should just stamp the person’s head “Marked for Death” and immediately put the person six feet under. (Protective custody in crime shows is the equivalent of a person wearing a red shirt in the original Star Trek series.)
Benson should be cautious that her new found power as Sergeant doesn’t translate to overconfidence. A gang member makes a direct threat against her and she taunts him right back. When Barba seems concerned for her safety, she refuses a suggestion of protection, not wanting to live like that. Benson should have learned a lesson from her own past with another ADA, Alex Cabot – who was nearly killed by a gang in the episode “Loss” and was forced into protective custody. I suspect Benson wouldn’t like to live like that, either.
Here is the recap:
Cast:
Mariska Hargitay – Sergeant Olivia Benson
Ice-T – Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Danny Pino - Detective Nick Amaro
Raúl Esparza - ADA Rafael Barba
Guest stars:
Fiona Robert - Avery Capshaw
Juan Castano - as Manny Montero
Armand Schultz - John Capshaw
Cadden Jones – Lydia Capshaw
Alex Hernandez - Carlos "O.G." Hernandez
Justin McCarthy –
Dashiell Eaves - Officer
Teresa Yenque - Rosa Montero
Olivia Ford - Marisol Pavel
Teresa Yenque - Rosa Montero
Joshua Rivera – Wilfredo Diaz
Olivia Ford - Marisol Pavel
Johnny Rivera – Rigo Heredio
Fernando Mateo, Jr. – Miguel “Sandman” Castillo
Edwin Lee Gibson – Counselor Orton Freeman
Lisa Zhang – Katelynn
Lucas Sainter – Leo
Brett Smith - ESU Officer Dooley
Tim Hardiman - Inspector Hardiman
At an official ceremony, Benson is sworn in as Sergeant. Amaro, Fin, and Rollins are in the audience and Rollins sips a drink, and Fin asks, as she’s jumping around so much, how much caffeine she has in her. Rollins smiles then asks Amaro how was D.C. with Maria and he replies one day at a time, and then comments Cassidy is a no show. Fin comments Cassidy is undercover, adding that’s his story. Amaro gets a message that they have a call, the parents of a teenage girl came home and their house was ransacked. Rollins decides she and Fin will take it and tells Amaro to stay for Benson. Benson’s name is called and she goes to the stage and salutes, and then is handed her certificate and is photographed.
Soon afterwards, Fin and Rollins arrive at the home of Avery Capshaw and hear from an officer that the parents went to a wedding and left Avery home alone and came home to find the place trashed and robbed. Avery is missing and is not at school or answering her cell; the parents are convinced she has been kidnapped. Fin asks that the officer is not, and the officer motions skepticism, and comments there is no sign of forced entry and the place smells like weed and the neighbors heard loud music until midnight.
Inside the home, Fin and Rollins speak to Avery’s parents John and Lydia Capshaw, the inside of the home has been trashed. John says Avery would have never thrown a party without asking their permission, and Lydia says something happened to their daughter, they have to find her. Rollins asks is anyone contacted them about a ransom, and Lydia says no, but their cash and jewelry are gone. Fin comments that sometimes teenagers are unpredictable. But John counters not Avery, she has never been in trouble. Lydia says there is blood in their bedroom. The parents take Fin and Rollins into the bedroom, which is also trashed, and Lydia believes Avery has been assaulted. Fin asks if Avery has a boyfriend, and John says not any more, she was seeing Manny Montero, and they are both in the 10th grade at Hamilton Gifted and Talented. They broke up two months ago , her grades were slipping and they asked her to end it. Fin asks if there was a chance he was there last night, and Lydia says absolutely not, he’s a nice boy. John says he does not want this to sound wrong, but he lives in those Amsterdam Avenue projects and when the called the school, they said he did not come in either. Fin asks if they have contact info on Manny, and Lydia explains it is on Avery’s computer. When she goes off to get it, John states his wife is more trusting, but he always had a bad feeling about that boy. He walks off. Rollins comments to Fin they have a rebellious teenager in love, and Fin adds it’s a west side Romeo and Juliet. Rollins says they know how well that turned out.
Back at SVU, Benson, still dressed in her Sergeant’s uniform, questions Fin and Rollins that they have two missing teenagers and the parents pull strings and call SVU. Rollins replies there were possible signs of foul play: the stolen jewelry, Fin adds no hits on the family credit cards and no GPS on either of the kids’ phones. Benson says they power them down when they don’t want to be found and to check the pawn shops for the jewelry. Amaro asks what they know about the relationship, and Rollins explains that Avery’s parents don’t approve; Avery is an upper west side only child and Manny is form the projects and is Latino. Amaro questions that they both go to Hamilton, and that is the top public high school in the city. Fin adds that is a hard school to get into, even for her family and if he is from the projects he’s got to be bright. Rollins states Manny does not have a record but did have an older brother that got shot and killed two years ago, the BX9 gang drive by, no one was charged. Amaro wonders that Manny’s parents didn’t call him in as missing, and Fin says he lives with his grandmother and she is not picking up the phone. Benson tells Amaro is still good with the abuelitas, and instructs him to pay her a visit . She tells Fin and Rollins to check Avery’s social media and friends at school, they most likely will know the real story. Amaro smiles and says “We’re on it…boss” and Fin gives her a salute. Benson gives Rollins a funny look and Rollins chuckles.
At Hamilton High School, Fin and Rollins speak to two students separately about Avery and Manny and find her father did not like Manny and Avery was found sneaking off with him, and that Avery is a talented artist who would not miss a competition. Cutting class is more of Manny’s thing and he has missed a lot of school to take care of his grandmother.
Amaro is at the home of Rosa Montero who says Manny is a good boy, She does not know when he got home and thinks Avery broke his heart. Amaro looks in his room and his grandmother says he left early in the morning, he has a job before school and Manny said soon he will have enough money to buy a gravestone for his brother. His backpack is there and Amaro looks in it to find an BX9 cap, much to his grandmother’s dismay. She says after what happened to Jesus, Manny stays away from guns and police.
