Law & Order SVU “Dreams Deferred” had a very intense opening, with a man going on a shooting rampage and leaving many dead bodies in his wake. The shock value of the killings may have been even more intense had it not been done with James Blunt’s “I’ll Take Everything” playing in the background, which sometimes overpowered the dialog. I wish I could see the open without music; in my mind, I think it would have had even more impact.
The 4 minute opening was daring and powerful, but clearly this was no SVU crime. I felt like I was watching an open for a Law & Order or Criminal Intent episode. I haven’t decided if this is a good or bad thing. With those shows now canceled, it does give a broader palate of crimes from which SVU writers can chose. The question remains whether SVU can make a credible connection between non-SVU crimes to tell an SVU story. In this case, the excuse to bring SVU into the story was flimsy at best. I’m clearly not an expert in handling cases of a one-man killing spree, but I think an SVU squad working the case would be the last place I would go. If Benson was the only one that had a tie to Jeannie, I would think that Benson alone would be added to an NYPD task force (maybe with Vice, seeing that Jeannie clearly was arrested for prostitution many times) in order to work her to flush out the killer. FBI Agent Cantwell took the words right out of my mouth when he said Jeannie was not a victim.
Patricia Arquette was an excellent choice to play Jeannie and it was hard to take my eyes off her when she was on the screen. Her ample cleavage had nothing to do with it, although I wonder if that is why my husband was glued to the screen. Sadly, the last 10 minutes of the episode sucked most of the energy out of the shocking opening. While I did care that Jeannie would come out of all this OK, the last 10 minutes seemed like a rehash of all that we already learned from Jeannie, and the outcome predictable.
Don’t get me wrong, I really liked this episode and applaud the writers for such a risky and attention-grabbing opening.
Here is the recap:
Cast:
Mariska Hargitay – Detective Olivia Benson
Ice-T – Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Richard Belzer – Sergeant John Munch
Dann Florek – Captain Don Cragen
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Danny Pino - Detective Nick Amaro
Guest stars:
Patricia Arquette – Jeannie Kerns
Jason Gedrick – FBI Agent Cantwell
Anne Meara – Jeannie’s mom Irene
PJ Brown - Craig Rasmussen
Amanda Quaid - Angela Kerns
Gbenga Akinnagbe - Priest
Bridget Barkan - Prostitute
Kenneth Franklin - Johnny
Jasmine Carmichael – Yvette Jimenez
Tyson Hall – Clarence
Kendrick Reinsch – Twenty-Something Guy @1
Ben Martin – Manuel
Wendy Eaton – Beth Rasmussen
Patricia Norris – Ramona Clegg
Michael Mazzeo – Al
Darren Lipari – Uni
Ngo Okafor – Swat
Anthony Mazza – ESU
Marc Raco – Insurance Boss
Rebecka Ray – Female Employee
Jeannie is in church and as she leaves she dips her hand into the holy water. Meanwhile, Craig is in a bar drinking and he gets a call from his wife Beth and he tells her he did not forget and to tell her mother he is on his way. Jeannie is now on the bus and works on her eye makeup. Craig leave his car, arrives at his mother-in-law’s home and quickly shoots her twice in the head and then, as she lay dead on the floor, once in the chest. He pushes her feet inside the house and shuts the door. Jeannie exits the bus, and Craig is at his wife’s office and he quickly shoots her and her co-workers.
Jeannie exits a diner rest room and she is in full hooker attire, and Craig is dumping a body out of the trunk of a car. Jeannie starts walking the streets, and Craig arrives, Jeannie noticing he is in a different car than his usual. He tells her to get in and she asks if he is alright. He says he is and she does get in.
Later, back at SVU, Cragen addresses the team, telling them there is a task force, which consists of the SVU squad, NYPD, State Police, and the FBI. FBI Agent Cantwell explains Craig, a bus driver laid off earlier this year, shot his mother –in-law, wife and her co-workers, and left the scene in a stolen car and then fatally shot a gas station attendant. Rollins asks how SVU can help, and Cragen informs then that after Craig’s cell phone went dead, he made two calls to Jeannie Kerns, a prostitute working Hunt’s Point. He asks Benson if he remembers her, and refreshes her memory that in 1992, she intervened is a dispute between Jeannie and one of her johns – and that john is the shooter. Benson reads that Jeannie has been on the streets since the late ‘80s with 79 arrests in the last 25 years. Cantwell also explains a long history of calls from Craig to her. They do not know if she is still alive; she is not at home and not answering her phone. He asks SVU to flood the Hunt’s Point zone and to find her. Amaro notices ballistics shows 3 different weapons used, and Cantwell notes that Craig’s cell phone records show he was at a gun show 3 days ago. Fin thinks Cantwell is putting the NYPD in the line of fire, and he says the FBI is handling this, adding that SVU will have an ESU team and FBI Swat team on site. Cragen adds when they find her to take her into custody and secure her phone, and if they find him, not to take independent action and call for backup. He says he does not need to tell them to wear their vests. Fin questions against and AK-47, and Cragen tells them to wear them anyway. He tells them to remember time, distance, and cover are their friends.
At East Bay Avenue and Faile Street, the detectives question the others who work the street and one woman recalls that Jeannie got into a car with someone and took off about 2 hours ago. She says Jeannie can take care of herself and will be alright. While they are talking, a car drives up and Jeannie is a passenger. Benson radios this information and the team stops the car and the police drive in to circle the area, Jeannie steps out of the car as the detectives order the driver out. But the driver is not Craig. Jeannie tells Benson the man was just giving her a ride. She asks what is all this, and Benson tells her they need her to come down to the station to ask a few questions. Jeannie says if they have the money she has the time.
At SVU, Jeannie thinks Benson arrested her before, and Benson admits it was 20 years ago, a john was getting rough with her in the car and she would not press charges. The shooter is the same guy. Benson asks her if she saw Craig tonight and Jeannie is evasive. Amaro mentions all the calls Craig has made to her over the years. She says they know everything so why are they asking her questions and asks what he did. As Benson explains Craig is a person of interest, Jeannie admires Benson’s necklace. Amaro says Craig is on a killing spree, and Benson shows her the photo of the 5 people shot. Amaro adds that Craig lost his job and started drinking and went down the hole. Benson said he was laid off 9 months ago and Jeannie questions it as she has been seeing him every Thursday at payday. Amaro thinks he was keeping up appearances until he couldn’t. Jeannie explains he is a lousy drunk and he was in a bad mood and she could smell it on his breath. She scans the photo and picks out the one of his wife. She does not know where he is, but she did see him, he picked her up in a different car than his regular, a Honda. Cragen and Cantwell are observing and Cantwell calls in the info on the car. Jeannie explains Craig wanted to go to a motel, the Yankee Motor Inn off the cross Bronx. He went to get the room and came back saying it was $20 and he wanted a “round the world” and he will pay her later. She said it doesn’t work that way, $20 gets him a jack because they are friends. He got pissed and he was in a mood and she just walked out. She thinks he stayed in the room and got himself off. Amaro thinks he may still be up there.
Fin and Rollins, along with ESU support, arrive at the Yankee Motor Inn. Craig is not in the room and Rollins notices a blood trail. They move to the next room and find a dead hooker in the bed, another man dead on the floor, and a third man in the bathroom, shot but still alive. The man explains that “he” banged on the door saying they were too loud and then started shooting. Fin tells him not to try to talk, and the man asks Fin not to tell his mom.
Afterwards, Rollins chastises the motel clerk for not hearing the gunshots and calling the police. Rollins says they will need to see his security footage. An officer explains another car was stolen, and Fin gets in his face, asking for the make, model, and license number, asking if the officer asked. He does not answer.
Back at SVU, Cantwell tells Cragen, Benson and Amaro that Craig left the motel in a stolen Subaru, last seen heading south towards Hunt’s Point. They suspect he is looking for Jeannie and there were three bodies with no money in the wallets to Craig is flush. Benson notes that Craig has known Jeannie for a long time through his marriage and he let her go, Amaro noting Craig took out his anger on the strangers next door. When Cantwell mentions having the FBI interrogate her, Benson objects, saying she would be more comfortable talking with SVU as they handle sex victims every day. Cantwell reminds them she is not a victim, she is a prostitute. Benson asks if he is kidding her, and he says it is FBI protocol, SVU has their and the FBI has their own. Benson counters if he takes that attitude in there he will shut her down. Amaro adds Jeannie wants out as it is and they can’t hold her. Cantwell suggest they arrest her and Benson objects again, saying they can forget about her cooperation. Cragen explains to Cantwell that SVU has a rapport with Jeannie and Cantwell will get what he needs.
