There were a lot of things packed into Law & Order SVU “Our Words Will Not Be Heard”. There were so many things going on that I had a hard time holding on and following some of it. The story moved with such a fast pace – almost too fast – that I found myself getting confused as to who was who in relation to the SVU case. I enjoyed having some personal news about the main characters for a change, however. The victims' story, though, would have made an excellent stand-alone "SVU/hate crime" episode.
Before the episode opens, we see a recap of the SVU’s involvement in the Jayvon Brown case, previously covered in the episode “Guardians and Gladiators.” (More on this later.) The follow up to the Jayvon issue would also have made a great stand alone episode.
Prior to the SVU getting involved in the episode's special victims case, we hear that Kat is being promoted to detective. Fin spills the beans to Kat to alert her to the “surprise” and needless to say, Kat opens her mouth right away to Benson and proves that Fin can’t keep a secret. It also shows that Kat is still too impulsive. We also see Fin’s fiancée Phoebe and the gorgeous ring Fin gave to her. Benson comments she’s never seen Fin happier. We are ALL happy for him. I worry, however, that in typical television fashion this will lead to tragedy somewhere down the road because no one is ever allowed to be happy on TV crime shows. I was also expecting a bit more screen time for Jennifer Esposito in this episode, and was disappointed.
Benson was in the hot seat with IAB regarding the Jayvon Brown case. But IAB tells her she will be cleared of all wrongdoing; One PP doesn’t want to show weakness. Later, Benson arrives for her deposition and despite that she should know better than to talk to Jayvon alone with no attorneys present, Benson does so anyway. She tells him what the NYPD needs to do to fix the culture. Yes, Benson has ALL the answers here. Deputy Chief Garland later speaks with Benson about the demands Jayvon has made and says to her that it was almost as if Jayvon’s people had someone on the inside telling them what to ask for. My guess is he knows exactly where the suggestions came from. By the way, Garland tells Benson that there is a perception that Stabler is going rogue at Organized Crime (no surprise here), and she says she doesn’t know anything about that. Garland reminds her they are all under scrutiny and Benson is well aware. He reminds her to keep her distance – he can’t afford to lose her.
A question - I don’t understand all the nuances of warrants but when Benson was trying to access a resident’s basement, I didn’t understand why she said a missing woman would mean a warrant is not needed. Can anyone shine some light on this? Was Benson simply lying in order to gain access?
Now, the case: Two girls, Sara and Alicia - who is in a wheelchair - are kidnapped, thinking that the people who offered them a ride have kind intentions. They were likely lulled into a feeling of security by the presence of a young boy with the man and woman who convinced them to accept the ride. Sadly, the young boy was just part of the couple’s ruse.
The sister of one of the girls, Nicole, a lawyer, raises the flag about Sara’s disappearance. Nicole and Carisi enter the SVU squad room to speak to Benson about it, and before they enter Benson’s office, Nicole wonders if Carisi has told Benson about them. Carisi explained he said they were “just friends”. Clearly this relationship is what Carisi wanted to tell Rollins about in the previous episode but news of her father’s illness cut that short. By the way, Rollins was not involved in the case, and while it was never stated in this episode, we assume that, based on what happened in the previous episode, that she is with her sick father.
Alicia is released by the kidnappers. In the hospital, Alicia explains the girls were videotaped being forced to perform sex acts on each other and the video would be posted on the internet. They later see the video on the web site “Crew 23/2” - this is white hate group out of New Jersey – and Sara’s fate is up for auction. with a time limit for bids. With the clock ticking – literally – the SVU works the case.
The SVU connects with someone working on a construction site who is working undercover. With clues from him, they are able to track down the woman involved – Molly Anderson. In SVU interrogation, they press Molly to give them the location where Sara is being held. She resists doing so. Making matters worse, Nicole has gone on television to make an appeal, throwing a wrench into the mix. Eventually Molly explains that her brother knows where they are – he is the other man in the video besides her husband Ricky – and says she can text him an SOS. She sends the message and we can see him on the live feed seeing the message, but soon afterward we hear a gunshot.
TARU is able to triangulate the cell phone and narrow it to a 5 block radius in Chelsea. They find that Ricky has 5 clients in that neighborhood. With SVU and other officers – including Garland – they swarm the area and ask the residents to see their basements. If the person refuses, they are instructed to get backup. One man asks to see their warrant and Benson says they don’t need one as they are tracking a missing woman. They hear from other officers that someone heard the gun shot and they converge on one location and find Molly's brother there, injured. When he won’t tell them the location, Benson cancels the bus/EMS, telling him he will bleed out. He must have caved in to Benson, as they later rescue Sara and catch up with Molly’s creepy husband Ricky, who is live streaming the arrest.
Nicole is reunited with Sara, and Nicole worries if SVU will look out for other victims in the future. Benson says they will.
The episode ends with Garland’s warnings to Benson (mentioned above). Benson’s troubles may not be over.
