There were several things that I liked about this episode. First and foremost was the guest cast. I was expecting not to like Charles Grodin; I never forgave him for having to waste my money on his 1972 film “Heartbreak Kid”, the only movie that I ever walked out on after 45 minutes because it was so bad. But he surprised me in this role of the school board chairman, a man whose pride and obsession for his school and his superiority complex blinded him to the trauma that his own son, and other students, experienced. Elliott Gould was well cast as the teacher who was smart enough to only enter into relationships with young men of a legal age; while his character appeared to be genuinely concerned that he may have hurt someone, he still creeped me out. But the scene stealer continues to be Raúl Esparza. As ADA Rafael Barba, he is the perfect combination of a pompous ass, smart prosecutor, and a snappy dresser. I really enjoy his character and Esparza really brings him to life. (I secretly find myself hoping that one day, the Law & Order mothership will return and Barba would be the EADA. I can dream, can’t I?)
In the very first scene, the SVU squad seemed busier than it’s been in years. In fact, for the past few seasons, the SVU bull pen area seems rather dull and boring, as if the precinct only had one case to work on at a time. This episode seemed to go in the completely opposite direction, as if the whole city of New York had exploded in sex crimes in one night. It was slightly jarring. Of course, this influx in sex crimes gave a good excuse for one man to leave the precinct in frustration (and/or depression) and hang himself afterwards. While Benson later commented that it was a zoo that night, this episode made me wonder what a typical night in a New York City SVU squad room would really be like. It seemed uncharacteristic for Benson to hit Amaro with such a low blow as to harp on him for his “nice work” when finding that Amaro had seen the dead man in SVU the night before he hanged himself. I would, however, have expected a comment like that from Munch (who, along with Cragen, was MIA in this episode).
Barba also had some great lines in the episode that made me literally laugh out loud: his channeling of Star Trek’s Dr. “Bones” McCoy (“I’m a prosecutor, not a healer”) and Barba later telling Benson and Amaro that Forrester asked like he was talking to a room of bad cheese.
This was a great episode that combined an interesting case with some nice legal maneuvering, a combination which always leaves me feeling satisfied.
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:
Elliott Gould – Walter Tompkins
Charles Grodin – Brett Forrester
Raúl Esparza - ADA Rafael Barba
Anthony Rapp – Nathan
Buck Henry – Morton
Elizabeth Marvel – Miss Calhoun
Frank Wood – Mr. Lennox
Mason Pettit – Curt
Jeremy Bobb – Vincent Moran
Alvin Epstein – Harold Lassiter
Jayce Bartok - Eli Fromson
Robert Sella – Friend of Tompkins
Marc Webster – Damon (?)
Tijuana Ricks – Principal
Marissa Matrone – Judge Maria Ana Defecco
Karen Shallo – Rose Matthews
Brooke Hoover – Toni
Brian Faherty - Frank
Apriel Starkweather – Young Woman
It is an unusually busy day in the SVU squad. Harold Lassiter, an elderly man, walks in and tells Amaro he wants to talk to a detective about a letter he received. Amaro, on the phone and clearly distracted, asks the man to take a seat. The man sees all the activity going around him as he sits there alone, and he decides to leave. Later, at home and listening to opera and having a drink, he looks at the letter.
Sometime later, Benson and Amaro are at Harold’s home, and Harold is dead – by hanging. He is a retired private school English teacher. Despite it appearing to be a suicide, Amaro tells Benson that SVU was called in as the man had his business card on him, The man came into the squad room the night before. Benson recalls it was a zoo, and when Amaro says he barely spoke to the man, Benson says “Nice work.” Amaro shows Benson the letter Harold had on him which mentions that Harold abused the writer’s trust and outlines abuse by Lassiter. It was signed by Curt with no last name. There is different handwriting on the letter which says “I am sorry.” Benson wonders if he came in to confess and then went a different way. Amaro wonders if Curt decided for him.
At SVU, Amaro explains to the other detectives that Harold Lassiter taught at Manor Hill Academy for 30 years and retired in ’02. Fin explains it is a fancy school in the city on 25 acres and a kid from his block got a scholarship there. Benson outlines the abuse that Curt mentioned in his letter. Fin wonders if Curt staged a suicide but Benson said there was no sign of a struggle and the ME is checking to see if he was killed first and then strung up. She put the time of death between 9 and midnight. Curt could be a victim and the suspect and Benson says they have to track him down. Rollins says they have no last name and no prints on the letter. Amaro suggests they get a list from Manor Hill of Lassiter’s students. Fin is skeptical someone there will want to talk about abuse, telling him to have a nice drive. Benson says they will, and orders Fin – calling him Detective Tutuola – to check on his friend with the scholarship to see if they new Lassiter or Curt.
At Manor Hill Academy, trying to get a student list, Benson and Amaro speak with Rose and then to Andrew Lennox, the headmaster. Lennox is disturbed by the allegations in the letter and says he has been there 9 years and this is the first he’s heard of this. Amaro explains the letter was found at Lassiter’s when he was found dead. Lennox says Lassiter retired before he got there and was much admired. He says he will do all he can to help find Curt.
Meanwhile, Fin and Rollins speak with Fin’s friend Damon. They explain what has happened to Lassiter. Damon admits the man got touchy feely after drama rehearsals and that he may have looked like a target to Lassiter. He says he got a shoulder massage form him and he tried rubbing him somewhere else and Damon threatened to break his arm. He did not report it. He does not recall a student named Curt. Despite Damon being on the board and liking the school, he says he has the alumni information and adds that Curt stared with the drama club.
Benson and Amaro speak with Curt, who is walking dogs in the park. He says he wrote the letter a while ago, saying his new therapist thought it would help to get the feelings out. He says last night he was working his survivors of abuse program and Benson tells him Lassiter was found dead last night. He says he did not kill him but thought about it. What he did to him has affected his life badly. Benson asks if he knows anyone else who was targeted, and Curt says he has been talking to his former classmates at Manor Hill and admits they never filed a police report. Benson presses him for the truth and “keeping the dragon buried” will hurt a lot of people. Curt says the people he is talking to are not in recovery and they are struggling. Benson thinks that talking to them can help them get to the truth.
At the Murray Hill Community Center, Benson and Amaro explain why they are there and Curt tries to get them to speak. Benson explains that keeping the abuse secret does not make it go away. They begin to open up and talk about the “Lassiter Lasso” on how he would start the abuse. But Nathan says he doesn’t know what they are talking about. He gets agitated and leaves. Curt then explains that the “lasso” was a test and if you did not laugh or back off, the next step was the massage. If you went with that, he would then says there was another part that was tense. Amaro gets a message on his phone and excuses himself as the men continue to explain what Lassiter did. Vincent mentions that “Strepek, ” another teacher, was ten times worse, saying Strepek raped him. Strepek is now dead and he gave the man gonorrhea. Eli mentions another abusing teacher – Morton. Amaro calls Benson over and he tells her that the ME says Lassiter was a suicide, and they hear one of the man mention another teacher by the name of Mercer. More men arrive to the group session, and Benson says they have to stay.
At ADA Barba’s office, Rollins displays a chart of the teachers and students, explaining that Lassiter was not an isolated predator. The abuse went on for 3 decades and counting. Benson says at least 4 teachers were serial abusers, all under the previous headmaster. Barba somewhat sarcastically comments on the “terrific graphic work” but asks if any of the events happened in the last 5 years. Benson says no, and he asks if any of the victims are under the age of 23 now, and Rollins says no but…and Barba cuts her off, saying different states have different statutes. He asks if any of these events took place on a field trip or a sports team road trip. Rollins asks Barba if he ever thinks about going off caffeine. He replies that would be a no, and quickly asks why are they here again? Rollins asks if they could let them get a word in…and Benson smirks at him. Benson goes on to say that is it highly unlikely that anyone in the school administration knew about the systemic abuse. He says that is a long way from “beyond a reasonable doubt and asks if they have been to the school. Benson explains they have been less than forthcoming. Rollins adds they got names and yearbooks from a friend of Fin’s who went there on scholarship and is now on the board. Barba comments that Lassiter hanged himself and asks if any of the others are still working. Rollins replies that the previous headmaster and Strepek are both deceased. Mercer, the swim coach is in Thailand. Morton did teach until a few years ago and Benson thinks it is possible his abuse falls within the statute. Barba thinks if he did abuse students he wouldn’t admit it, suggesting they tell Morton that they already know and Morton may try to save himself by turning on Manor Hill. Barba says in schools like this there is an insularity and a culture of secrecy and self preservation, and if they want those fieldstone walls to tumble they will need heavy artillery.
