Law & Order
There was plenty of action early on and the investigation moved quickly. Maybe I’ve been watching crime shows for too long, but the minute Gloria came into the picture, I knew she was the shooter. I have mixed feelings about the use of Gloria’s video message. I did like that the writers used a slightly different technique to work toward the climax. However, we already had a good idea of why she was shooting people; listening to her give her reasons in the video, while she and the others made their next moves, slowed the pace. Did the writers think that her story was too complicated to follow so they had to recap it?
There were a few minor things that bugged me. In a previous episode this season, “Deadly Ambition,” Fin and Rollins handled a training exercise poorly, which got Rollins shot in the exercise. In “Poisoned Motive,” there was something about how Benson and Fin walked into the massage room that made me think that they detectives weren’t properly watching who was around them, especially after chasing those women out of the room. Did Fin plant that gun? I assumed he did, as they made a point of showing him get a gun just like it out of his desk drawer, and then showed the gun prominently as he “discovered” it on the couch. I know that detectives can deceive when interrogating others, but are they permitted to plant evidence, even it if is to simply get someone to talk? And, since when is it OK to beat up someone in a prison holding cell and hold their head back and threaten to remove their eyes? I guess when a shooting involves “one of their own” it’s OK to throw out the rule book. Just for once, I would like law enforcement (in any crime show) not to go off the rails when “one of their own” gets hurt. It gets…old.
I also wondered why, after Gloria refused to answer the telephone in the Hamill household that suddenly, after Mr. Hamill arrives on the scene and Amaro asks him to dial again that Gloria decides to answer? If she didn’t answer his previous calls, what made her pick up this time?
All that said – I really DID like this episode. It moved, it had an interesting, “outside the box” story, it had nice location shots, and it had Kathryn Erbe!
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:
Kathryn Erbe - Alexandra Eames
Yul Vasquez – Luis Montero
Jessica Camacho Gloria Montero
Cathy Moriarty-Gentile – Lt. Howard
Jennifer Lim - Mrs. Chang
2 Chainz – Calvin "Pearlie" Jones
La La Anthony – Ana Tejada
Emilio Rivera – Escobar
Fredric Lehne – Warden Jones
Karl Kenzler – Sam Hamill
Coy DeLuca – Earl Talley
Colin Crest - Tom Hamill
Noelle P. Wilson – Giselle Hamill
Harry Chambarry - Doctor
At the SVU squad, the detectives are all busy bringing in a group of girls while Rollins attempts to fingerprint the woman who was holding them – Mrs. Chang. When Rollins tells them to take Chang to central booking, Captain Cragen says One PP wants a “show and tell” with her, adding that “Dragon Lady” sells papers so make sure that the cars are washed and the doors unlocked. When Amaro and Fin discuss wearing ties, Cragen adds that the spotlight will be on Rollins who was lead on the case. She humbly replies that it was a group effort. Benson approaches and informs them that the girls are talking and they will give statements. Fin tells her she’d better fix her lipstick.
As Rollins leads Mrs. Chang out of the precinct, and the other detectives follow with other suspects, a crowd of reporters and photographers take photos and yell out questions. But, from another view, someone is looking at the detectives through a scope. As Fin puts Chang into the car, Rollins heads over to the driver’s side. A shot is fired and Rollins is hit, falling against the car. As she slumps to the ground, everyone ducks and some bystanders scream. Fin attends to Rollins and points Benson and Amaro to a nearby rooftop where the shots originated. As Benson and Amaro race to the building, Fin calls in a 10-13, saying an officer was shot and instructs them on what they should do, all the while applying pressure to Rollins wound as she lay bleeding.
Benson and Amaro get to the rooftop yet find no one. They look down on the scene. Meanwhile, Fin carries Rollins to the back seat of a car and drives off
Later, Rollins is in a hospital room, under pain meds, and Fin walks in. She holds up the button for the pain meds and tells him it doesn’t hurt. He explains it was a shoulder wound, straight through and through. She’s loopy from the meds and smiles about it being a through and through. She asks if he got the guy that shot her, and then she falls asleep. Fin leaves the room to find Cragen and the detectives and other police waiting for word. He tells them she feels no pain; the bullet hit muscle and came out her upper back. There is no permanent damage, and ask if there are any leads. Amaro says there was nothing on the roof and there are no witnesses; he just melted away, Benson adds they are checking cameras and license plate readers. Amaro explains CSU pulled one 45 caliber full metal jacket slug from the sidewalk and it was pancaked so they won’t get much from ballistics. Fin thinks a 45 is a long range for a pistol. Amaro replies that one bullet and a rooftop sniper means this is a targeted hit. Benson wonders if they got everyone in the organization involved from Rollin’s bust. Fin replies that the Dragon Lady was mouthing off to Rollins. Cragen suggest they go and bring her back from central booking.
Back at SVU, Benson and Fin bring Chang back into the interrogation room, who complains about the disgusting conditions in the cell. Fin tells her it is 5 star compared to where she is going. She says she will post bail and be home in time for her Mets. When Benson brings up the attempted murder of a police officer, Chang looks surprised and Fin suggests her people did it and she is an accomplice. Chang counters that if one of her people did it, that pretty lady would be dead and those messages she got weren’t threats. Benson asks what were they, and Chang says her girls were happy and they wanted the detective to leave them alone.
Back at the hospital, Fin comments to Rollins that she did get threats from Chang’s people. Rollins replies it was just a few texts, to which Benson says Rollins did not report. Rollins says she did not want TARU and IAB going through her phone and when Cragen asks why is that, she explains that there were friendly reminders from people to whom she owed gambling debts. Cragen asks if there are any other surprises, and Rollins says nothing. Cragen suggests he step out of the room for a cup of coffee. After he leaves, Fin tells Rollins that they need to see her phone and have to follow this up. She says OK, and then says she heard from Earl Talley, and idiot friend of her sister’s who is mad she shot Jeff, saying it is hot air and she can take care of it herself. Benson replies – says the girl who is sitting in a hospital bed with a hole in her shoulder. Fin tells her they have this.
