If there was ever a vaccine to protect oneself from wasting an hour watching a lackluster episode of any television show, this episode begged for it. The problem with kids spreading photos from their “rainbow party” could have been an episode all its own and gone many different ways. Instead, it took a turn to focus on a case that really was not in the purview of the Special Victims Unit: vaccinations. In this case, it WAS personal. Had Benson’s own foster son Noah not been directly affected by the measles outbreak, I can’t image a case like this would ever be on the radar of a Special Victims Unit. If the episode was going to focus on a topic that had no special victim, it should have at least included a substantive debate of the core issue. This episode did not. Instead, it glossed over the same tired pro and con arguments or vaccinations.
Editorial comments: I can speak from personal experience that vaccines can both help and harm. I had a severe reaction to my smallpox vaccine in the 1950s, and 2 bad reactions from tetanus shots. (Clearly I lived to tell about it.) I have a nephew with severe autism and have seen many more children affected by this condition. It does make one wonder what exactly is causing what looks like an explosion of autistic boys? All that said, vaccines do work and do serve to keep many dangerous diseases at bay. I have many memories of those years when measles, chicken pox, mumps, polio, etc. spread easily and I wouldn’t want that for any child today.
If I followed the dates correctly, Noah was in the ICU for about a month. I know he has a compromised immune system, but that seemed like a awfully long time to be in pediatric ICU. We didn’t really see Benson at the office at any time during that month so we can only guess how she was juggling her job and Noah’s hospitalization at the same time. It also wasn’t until near the end of the trial that Benson told Barba that Noah’s fever was spiking and he may need a spinal tap, sounding as if after all that time in the ICU, Noah was not improving. We don’t know exactly how long it was after that that she told Fin and Amaro that Noah may be home soon. Bottom line is that Noah’s health will likely continue to be a problem area and will continue to put stress on Benson. Can she handle it long term?
Barba erred when, rather than call the actual CDC or medical expert to confirm that epidemiological testing shows that Noah’s virus came for patient zero, he had Benson relay that information, which was quickly thrown out. Clearly, Carisi is getting on Barba’s nerves and I enjoy Barba’s sassiness in response. On the subject of Carisi, we can only wonder if he is a bit of a hypochondriac or germaphobe as he seemed concerned he had caught something plus his obvious use of hand sanitizer.
We can only wonder what further angst awaits Amaro with Gil and his mother possibly leaving for San Diego. With Zara already in California, are we being led to think if Amaro will make a change in jobs and head there in order to be close to both children? Also, he didn’t tell Rollins about it until weeks after he heard about the possible move from Gil, and that seems like a long time to not share information like this with a close co-worker.
And what’s going on with Fin? His character seems like nothing more than window dressing lately. This episode felt like a waste of the use of the rare time the whole main cast is present.
Note: the information on this form indicates that Noah was born sometime in December of 2013.
The form is dated 3/30/15 and Benson lists his age as 15 months.
The form is dated 3/30/15 and Benson lists his age as 15 months.
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
Peter Scanavino - Detective Dominick “Sonny” Carisi, Jr.
Guest stars:
Missi Pyle - Trudy Malko
Hari Dhillon – Counselor Varma
Jefferson Mays - ME Rudnick
Aida Turturro - Judge Felicia Catano
Julie Lauren - Mia Biel
Marla Sucharetza –
David Margulies - Dr. Eric Setrakian
Christine Toy Johnson - Dr. Celia Lee
Bronwyn Reed - Lucy Huston
Susie Essman - Arlene Heller
Emily Dorsch - Principal Schwartz
Tony Campisi – Counselor Steve Roth
Stephen Bradbury – Judge Colin McNamara
Jaden Matthew Rodriguez - Gil Mancheno
Jack Garrity - Michael Boylan
Kate MacCluggage – Gabriel Dole
Savannah Biel - Hayden Tweedie
Lois Robbins – Jillian McAdams
Dante Palminteri – Leo McAdams
Jackson Stenborg – Jaden Boylan
Joy Lynn Pringle – Chloe Harrington
Dante Bruzzese – Larry Heller
Cliff Samara - Jury Foreperson
Getting ready for school, Gabriel showers. When he sees his step mom with her other son Aidan, he coughs and says his temperature is 99 but says his day says he should go to school.
At her home, Benson readies Noah to see Dr. Lee and later is at the pediatrician’s office filling out a consent form for the MMR vaccine. Aidan and his mother are also there in the waiting room.
In school, Gabriel shows another boy that he has a bag full of vodka bottles, and Principal Hannah Schwarz walks by and tells them to get to class. Later, the kids use the booze during a “rainbow” party at someone’s home. There are many videos and pictures taken on cell phones.
Later, Leo is in class and views some of the photos and decides to forward them along. Afterwards in the school hall, Principal Schwartz catches a group of kids looking at something and takes one of the phones and sees the photos and looks shocked.
At SVU, Benson tells the detectives about the group of kids from a Tribeca going off campus for lunch and having a “rainbow party.” She explains explicit photos were taken and then they went viral at the schools and they have a lot of kids and panicking parents. As they walk to the elevator, Rollins has to explain to Amaro what is a rainbow party and comments she is never having kids.
At Tribeca Academy, 157 Franklin Street on Monday, March 9, Benson confers with Schwartz who has the 9 kids from the party – 9th and 10th graders - involved and their parents waiting in a separate area. Schwartz explains to the upset parents that the police are there to take their statements and there will be time to discuss policy going forward but they need to address the situation at hand. Benson explains that they realize kids are kids and they want to keep this in proportion but they need to determine if any crimes were committed. She says they can be present when they talk to the child and any pictures from the party should not be posted or shared.
The detectives split up to interview the kids. One girl says she heard about the party via a text from Jaden. Another parent said he heard the girls were just as complicit as the boys. Another girl, Savannah, along with her mother Mia, states there was pressure to do all the guys but she didn’t and she doesn’t even like Jaden. She said she was mostly with Leo who is her lab partner. Leo tells Fin he doesn’t know where the lipstick came from, they were just playing a kissing game. Benson hears from Gabriel about this kissing game and his step mother, Colleen Dole, recognizes Benson from Dr. Lee’s office. Gabriel is her step son, his father is in Moscow and she’s told him what has happened. Amaro and Fin continue their interviews and when Fin senses reluctance from Leo he suggests they bring the kid in and have CSU do a body scan.
While Benson hears Gabriel whine about the matter, his mother Trudy Malko arrives and said she heard about this from his father in Moscow. Colleen explains they share custody. Trudy says she heard Savannah hosted the party and Mia is an engaged parent and is sure she did not know about this. Gabriel continues to cough.
Later, at SVU, Amaro brings Colleen Dole and Michael Boylan into Benson’s office. They want to apologize and they are upset about the party and the kids messing around. Amaro states this wasn’t just kids playing spin the bottle. Colleen replies that they know, she had Gabriel show her the photos and his father is flying back tonight. Benson states they still need to conduct their investigation. Colleen says there are rumors going around that the boys might be arrested, and Boylan adds the girls were just as complicit. Colleen stresses these are good kids but Amaro reminds them there are age of consent issues and when the kids post those images it crosses the line. When they get worried, Benson says she is glad they came in but there is no need to panic. When she explains she has two of her detectives at the DA’s office now, Boylan begs them to keep this in perspective and their boys will not do this again.
In Barba’s office, Rollins and Carisi review the issues. Carisi explains in detail and Barba quickly said he gets it, and asks that there were no teachers. Rollins confirms they were all minors from 14 to 16 and no one is claiming coercion. Carisi adds he does not see statutory and Barba, looking annoyed, states it is not Carisi’s call but then quickly says he is right. The bigger issue is the photos and he asks Carisi how explicit did they get? Carisi brings up the photos on his tablet and shows them to Barba, Barba looks at them and then asks Carisi if he realizes that Carisi just showing him the photos could constitute a Federal crime and if that is Carisi’s personal tablet he would get rid of those. When Barba asks how viral has this gone, Rollins said in the school, pretty far. Carisi says the parents have circled the wagon on the privacy issue. Barba states they have to track these images down and remove them from the Internet by contact tracing. He tells them to confiscate everybody’s phone and go from there. When Carisi gripes about it, Barba emphasizes they have to protect these kids: with facial recognition and geo-tagging and photo tagging there could be pornographers and predators honing in on them now. When Rollins asks if he wants to explain that to the parents’ Barba dryly states that is SVU’s job, and to have fun.
At the school with a lot of police, phones are being confiscated. When Schwartz tells Benson of the complaints she is getting from parents. Benson says to tell them if they don’t contain this now, there will be images of their children on the Internet for eternity.
Rollins asks Chloe what is her pass code, and Chloe asks if Rollins is going to wipe her phone, as she just got to level 386 on Candy Crush. When her mother glares at her, she then gives the code as 10971097. Carisi asks Leo for all his social media passwords and when he grips his mother orders him to write them down. Fin gets Jaden’s information. When Amaro asks where is Gabriel Dole, his mother says he is home sick and he has the cell. When Amaro says he will need his passwords, he calls her Mrs. Dole, but she counters her name is Trudy Malko and she is happily uncoupled. Amaro asks if there is a landline where her son is, and if she can call him and come back when she’s filled the form out. When she walks off with the paperwork, she walks into Principal Schwartz who is there with Benson, and Trudy says she tells her she is finding this very invasive. Hannah counters that she is sure that Trudy does not want to find sexually explicit images of Gabriel going viral on the Internet. Benson emphasizes it is for her son’s protection. Trudy thinks that should be her call, and Benson counters not if it involves child pornography charges. Trudy comments that is must be stressful to spend so much time in such a dark world, and she walks off. Schwartz comments to Benson that Trudy has a lifestyle website and she reviews holistic treatments and herbal therapies - she is the queen bee of the Tribeca moms. Benson comments there is one in every hive. Benson’s phone vibrates; it is Dr. Lee. She says Noah is home with the babysitter and asks if everything is okay. She looks stunned.
Later, in Dr. Lee’s office, Benson is shocked when she finds that Noah MAY have been exposed to measles by another patient in the waiting room. Benson states he was just vaccinated yesterday, and Dr. Lee says this is good but the vaccine takes time for it to go into full effect. The doctor says there is no fever so far, so that is a good sign. Benson asks if the patient Noah was exposed to was Aiden Dole who has an older brother Gabriel, and Dr. Lee says she can’t say, which Benson understands. Benson asks if there is anything she can do now, and the doctor says she would like Benson to quarantine him at home with no exposure to other children, but adults who have been vaccinated are fine. He has to be quarantined 8 days to start and knows with Benson’s job that will be difficult. Benson says she will do whatever they have to. She picks up Noah and repeats that they will do whatever they have to.
