“Intersecting Lives” was an interesting set up episode for the season 17 finale, “Heartfelt Passages”. The episode starred Brad Garrett, an actor who has always ranked high on the creep factor for me, so his role as the disgusting corrections officer who loves to sexually assault and rape female inmates was a perfect fit. But the real story here is that ADA Barba decides to take on this corrections officer, which brings along the ire of other COs and their union, and earning Barba a death threat. I usually don’t like to speak of what happens in the episode that follows, but the promo tease airing after "Intersecting Lives" made it hard to miss that Dodds is the one who later finds himself in the line of fire. Even though it was stated early on in the episode that Dodds was headed to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, it was obvious that Dodds would not be safe after Fin seemed to imply Dodds was more at risk in his new position than working for SVU. (Nice way to jinx it, Fin!)
Even though the promo for this episode outlined the death threat to Barba and the tension between him and the COs union, this episode was filled with tension and the story was well written.
Luckily the writers front-loaded the episode with two tidbits of a personal nature, and they did not distract from the drama that would build as the story unfolded. Carisi finds out he passed the bar exam, but for now seems to be staying with SVU. Still, anything could happen later. Fin finds out that his son Ken and his partner are having a baby using a surrogate, which will make Fin a grandfather.
I have high hopes that the season finale will provide a thrilling close to this storyline!
Here is the recap:
Cast:
Mariska Hargitay - Lieutenant Olivia Benson
Ice-T - Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Raúl Esparza - ADA Rafael Barba
Peter Scanavino - Detective Dominick “Sonny” Carisi, Jr.
Guest stars:
Andy Karl – Sgt. Mike Dodds
Ernest Waddell - Ken Randall
Brad Garrett – C.O. Gary Munson
Krystal Joy Brown - Charisse McCabe
Bill Duke - Counselor Ed Pastrino
Ramón Franco - Union Rep. Tony Rodriguez
Karina Logue - Lisa Munson
Carolyn Michelle Smith - C.O. Orita Wilkins
Michael Mastro – Judge Serani
Natalie Paul –
Anthony M. Bertram - Deputy Warden Wayne Holden
Brittany Campbell – Leanne Carter
Johnny Rivera – Man
Joniece Abbott-Pratt - Latanya Banks
Phyre Hawkins – Cece Thornhill
Andre Jackson – Defense Attorney #1
Jason Abrams – Defense Attorney #3
Leah Finnie – Defense Attorney #4
Jamar Greene - CO #1
Danny Doherty – CO #2
Isabel Harper Leight – Annie Munson
Rowan Williams – Johnny Munson
Jaiden Smith – Tesso Carter
At SVU, Rollins and Fin wait with an anxious Carisi who is checking a web site to see if he passed the bar exam. He sees his ID number (732-346) and is thrilled to see he passed. As Rollins hugs him and congratulates him. Benson walks in and asks if someone won the lottery. Rollins replies “Sort of. Carisi passed the bar!” Benson congratulates him and asks if that means he is leaving her too. He says no, and Fin asks what does she mean, too? Benson explains Dodds is going to joint terrorism and this is his last week. Fin comments he just got here, and Benson says Dodds is on his own journey. Rollins suggests they celebrate for Carisi and when Benson offers to take them all out to lunch, Fin has to pass. He has to meet up with his son who says he has some news, adding he hopes HE didn’t quite his job. Dodds arrives and asks Benson if she told them, and she explains she did. Fin expresses concern over working on the task force, saying in SVU they get the bad guys and lock them up but terrorism can get him killed. Dodds says nothing and walks off as they all watch him.
Meanwhile, Rikers Corrections Officer Gary Munson leaves his wife Lisa and kids at the breakfast table, saying they want him in early again. He says they need the OT as his wife is the one who wanted to take his kids to Disney World. Lisa looks sad as he leaves.
Later, Gary Munson, in his car, calls out to Charisse, who is walking down the street, and calls her his favorite former inmate. She keeps walking and says she thought they were done with this. She is carrying something in a brown bag and he questions if that is an open container of alcohol, adding that is a violation. Without looking at him, she keeps walking and tells him to leave her alone. Following in his car, he asks about patting her down. She stops and he pulls into a parking space. She walks over to the car and tells him please, they don’t need to do that. He tells her to get in the car, now. He opens the door and gets in. He puts his hand on her knee and, as she looks uncomfortable, he drives away.
Elsewhere, Fin’s son Ken thanks Fin for meeting him at a restaurant. Fin hopes Ken is not trying to fix him up again, and Ken admits that was a bad idea but no, he has some news. Fin asks if Ken is leaving the halfway house, and Ken says no, he likes his job and social work. He is going to need the paycheck because he and Alejandro are starting a family. Fin pauses, then asks if Ken is adopting. Ken shows Fin a photo and explains they found a surrogate who is a few months pregnant and it is a boy. Fin comments “So I’m gonna be a grandfather?” Ken asks if he will be okay with that, and Fin happily says yes, explaining that everybody in his squad is having babies and showing him pictures; he will get to show some pictures himself. Ken smiles. Fin ads that this little guy will call him Fin; none of that grandpa stuff. Ken agrees. Fin congratulates him and hands Ken’s phone back to him, and it begins to ring. Ken excuses himself to take the call. Ken tells the caller – Charisse - to slow down and asks where is she and if she is alright. Elsewhere, Charisse is on the phone and running, saying that the CO from Rikers, Gary, just raped her. She sobs as Ken asks where is she? Back at the restaurant, Ken tells her to stay there, he will come get her. He hangs up the phone and tells Fin that one of his clients says her former CO just raped her and he has to go. Fin tells him to hold on, they have to be careful, asking Ken to confirm it was a corrections officer, then states he will call Benson.
At Bellevue Hospital on 462 First Avenue on Friday April 15, Benson, there with Fin, speaks with Charisse, who said until today, Munson just made her go down on him. She said she didn’t want to do that anymore, she is back with her boyfriend. Munson got mad and hit her, and then he raped her. This has happened at least once a week since she got out; she thought it was bad enough when she was inside. Fin asks if Gary assaulted her in Rikers, and Charisse said he never hurt her, but when he took her for a visit, he’d stop in the chapel. Fin comments there are no cameras there. She thinks he knows what he is doing, saying if she does him a favor he will do her one. This means she could see her kids, not get strip searched or put in solitary. She did not report this, saying the CO and gangs run the place and every female inmate in there knows that. Every time he would do her, he would tell her to cry all she wants, she is just a broke, black crack whore, asking who will believe her. When Benson says she does, Charisse laughs and says she should have never called Ken. She adds she was just messed up, and not to worry, she knows this isn’t going anywhere.
In Barba’s office, he asks Benson, Fin, and Dodds what they know about Gary Munson. Benson explains he has been a CO at Rikers for 17 years, he has never been charged or disciplined, puts in for a lot of OT, and has a wife and two kids. Dodds adds his father in law is a deputy inspector at Queens South; the second time Munson failed the police exam, strings get pulled and he makes the DOC. There are three complaints in his jacket, nothing stuck. Barba states dryly that nothing ever sticks at Rikers, adding that CO union has more power than any place he has ever seen. He adds that, putting this aside, these cases are never easy, seeing that the complainant has 12 arrests. Fin explains they are misdemeanors – drugs, prostitution – and says his son says she is turning it around. Dodds thinks Gary covers his tracks – no DNA, no witnesses, vulnerable victims. Benson interjects that they really caught a break when Charisse called Ken. Barba asks did they, stating it is still the word of a corrections officer versus a black single mother with a drug problem and a prison record. Dodds asks if he is raping her on the street, how many is he raping on the inside, wondering if there is any value having DOI look at him. Barba says don’t; Rikers is where investigations go to die. He mentions violence, rape, assaults – there are hundreds of allegations and almost no prosecutions. Dodds questions is Barba is saying to just walk away. Benson adds if a CO is having sex with an inmate, forced or not, that is rape. Barba agrees it is, but at Rikers it’s like the “Lord of the Flies” there. He adds if anyone finds they are investigating him, Munson gets tipped off and his vics pay. Benson suggests they are not investigating him, they need the guards’ help in investigating a trafficking ring with ties to gang members who are involved with female inmates. Barba agrees, telling them to put up a good front and pick another dozen women who have rotated through Charisse’s unit with similar records. Benson agrees, and Fin states that Charisse says she was raped in the chapel, suggesting they pull surveillance video from the hallway outside. Barba tells him to pull another 6 cameras, saying to add them a laundry list and with luck they won’t realize that Munson is the target.
Afterwards in the hall, Dodds says he will start the paperwork, and Fin asks if Dodds wants to spend his last week at Rikers. Dodds says he is not coasting out, he will put his time in until the end. Benson asks if he is trying to make her miss him now that he is already gone. He replies he is just doing his job.
Later, at Rikers Island Correctional Facility on Saturday April 16, Fin and Dodds speak with Deputy Warden Wayne Holden and they explain what they are looking for. Dodds asks to talk to some of the inmates and Holden says the COs know where to find them.
Carisi and Rollins speak with C.O. Orita Wilkins and find one of the inmates they want to talk to – Monique – is in the infirmary. Orita says they are all working something and says what the inmates do to the CO and thinks the complaining inmates are lying. Carisi explains what they are looking for, using the CPB gang excuse, and Rollins adds that they may be facilitating the pimping of girls on the outside. Wilkins says they would sell their own sisters for a score.
Fin and Dodds also speak with Munson about a group of girls and he says they are just trying to keep the inmates from killing each other. He adds he would not be surprised if that had family or babies with members of the CPB. Dodds asks if anyone let something slip about the gangs running girls in the South Bronx, and he says he would go to the warden about it, he doesn’t look the other way. When Fin asks if the ladies ever asked him to, Munson says they work him 24/7 with the big eyes, the crying, and the begging, saying with sarcasm that everyone here is innocent. Dodds replies of course they are, and thanks him. Munson comments that Dodds is the son of Chief Dodds, adding his father-in-law knows him. Dodds says “sure” and thanks Munson as Dodds walks off with Fin. Munson gives a suspicious look.
Back at the SVU, the team watches the Rikers surveillance video of Charisse being taken into the chapel, and also see that CO Orita Wilkins appears to be the lookout. It confirms Charisse’s story. They also found three other probable victims on the videos. They are all black women in their 20s-30s and Rollins thinks Munson has a type and she is tracking down their records. Dodds says they have much of these tapes to go through and thinks they will find more victims. Benson comments he can, but Rikers is out of their jurisdiction. As Charisse was assaulted in Manhattan, Benson says she will call Barba to let him know they have evidence backing Charisse’s story. Rollins asks if they should let Charisse know, and Fin comments that will be tough; Ken got a call that Charisse was arrested tonight.
Meanwhile, Munson is at Rikers and “welcomes” Charisse back by asking what did she do and saying she just can’t get enough of him. He leans in an whispers to her that he will see her tomorrow. She looks worried and he walks off with a smile.
