This episode was a combination of ripped from the headlines news stories about young, spoiled brat celebrity “starlets” (channeling Lindsay Lohan and her mother as prime examples) and good old Hollywood sex party stories, similar to the recent allegations against director Bryan Singer. Sometimes episodes that mirror real life news stories tend to feel predictable and devoid of drama or suspense. This was the case with “Producer’s Backend” which made me feel as if I were watching a rerun. Even Amaro getting accused of inappropriate behavior didn’t grab me much, as the same situation happened with Det. Elliot Stabler years ago. It must be a rite of passage for male detectives.
Thanks to Benson’s pushing the issue with SVU-hating Lt. Tucker, Amaro is back with the squad. It’s evident that Amaro and Rollins still have something going on, but what exactly that something is we don’t really know. I still can’t help but feel zero chemistry with those two.
Stevie Lynn Jones was well cast as the problematic young actress, conveying her character’s immature behavior and having to live in an environment where she was abused sexually to help open doors for better acting jobs. I continue to enjoy Peter Scanavino; his character’s different approach to working cases is refreshing, although clearly he annoys the others. This week, Ice-T was missing from the episode and I don’t recall any explanation as to why Fin was not there.
Early in the episode, a scene where we hear Noah seems under the weather is a set up for the ending scene where Benson hears Noah is in the ER. This turn of events made me groan in dismay as I don’t want this baby to be an every-few-weeks crisis for Benson. (Regular readers of my blog know how I feel about the baby story line so my groaning at the end of this episode should not be a shock.)
This is one of those episodes where I can’t think of much to say about it. It wasn’t a bad episode, it simply left me with nothing.
Here is the recap:
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
Guest stars:
Ron Rifkin - Marvin Exley
Peter Scanavino - Detective Dominick Carisi, Jr.
Kaitlyn Bausch - Maude Peterson
Brian d'Arcy James - Adam Brubeck
Stevie Jones - Tensley Evans
Dana Wheeler- Nicholson - Donna Evans
Robert John Burke – Lt. Tucker
Dennis Boutsikaris – Jim Durant
Aida Turturro – Judge Felecia Catano
Tabitha Holbert – ADA Rose Caliay
Gary Milner - Dennis George
Drigan Lee - Brody Clark
Bronwyn Reed – Lucy Huston
Linda Emond – Dr. Emily Sopher
Hoda Kotb - Herself
Josh Saviano – Counselor Don Taft
Kaitlyn Bausch – Maude Peterson
John Marballi – Officer Tommy Ryan
Mark Boyett – Tom Miller
Tommy Nelson - Gregory Miller
Jazmyn Richardson - Janae
At night, two women are outside their crashed cars, arguing, as the police arrive. One of the women recognizes the other as being someone from TV as Amaro and his partner get out of the squad car to break up the fight. When Amaro asks one of the girls who she is, she appears loopy and cops an attitude and says she is Tensley Evans, former teen movie star and current favorite celebrity hot mess. Amaro asks for her license and registration and asks if she has been drinking. She calls him an idiot and says she is sober. Meanwhile, the other officer calls out to Amaro for help as the other woman seems to be fainting. Amaro tells Tensley not to move as he goes to assist. He decides to call a bus and Tensley speeds off in her car. The officers tells Amaro to go, he has the other woman.
Tensley hits a dead end and she tries to turn around but Amaro’s car blocks her exit. He yells for her to get out of the car but she tells him to come get her. She gets out and says she knows she has been bad but she can be good, and Amaro orders her to get her hands on the car hood. He tells her to stand back and he will call his supervisor. She says she will do him too, she loves threesomes. She appears drunk or stoned and she laughs as he cuffs her.
Later, on the Hoda! Show, Hoda reports the story about the out-of-control Tensley, showing her on the way to the courthouse from her DUI arrest. At SVU, Rollins and Sonny watch the story and Rollins explains that Amaro caught the case. When Sonny calls Amaro a disaster magnet, Rollins comments to a cleanly shaven Sonny that she liked him better with the ‘stache.
At arraignment court on Wednesday, September 3, Tensley’s attorney Marvin Exley argues that the case belongs in traffic court and wants Tensley to get back to rehab to complete her probation. When the Judge Catano comments this is Tensley's fourth appearance in her court, Tensley mother stands up and shouts out her own objections that there are extenuating circumstances and prompts Exley to explain. Exley then says that Amaro may have behaved inappropriately. Tensley pipes up that he said he would let he go if she got in the back seat and then she drove off and then he said he wanted to have sex with her. The people in the gallery gasp and chatter and the judge calls for order as Amaro looks on with disbelief.
At SVU, Tensley is in the interview room with her mother Donna, Rollins and Sonny, while Benson observes from her office. Amaro enters Benson's office and give her his statement and is surprised they are interviewing Tensley. Benson explains it is just protocol and he has nothing to worry about, she saw the dash cam. He is frustrated about the delay in his return to SVU but Benson reassures him.
Meanwhile, as Rollins and Sonny press Tensley, Sonny explains the dash cam footage to a stunned Tensley who is caught in her lies. When Exley continues to argue the point, Donna chimes in and Exley tells her to stop. Tensley says she doesn’t feel well and when her mother asks for water to Tensley can take her Xanax, Sonny tries to get her to leave the room with him to get water. Donna explains she is Tensley’s court-appointed guardian. Tensley gets her to leave to get her a power bar. With Donna out for the room, Rollins comments to Tensley that on the night of the crash, she left rehab without telling anybody. Tensley explains she had to get out of there. Rollins counters that her 60 day probation is mandatory and she can’t decide to leave on her own. She says he can’t go back and says they don’t understand. Exley asks what is it they don’t understand, and she replies that no matter what she says, he will twist it around. Rollins asks who is he, and Tensley says she can’t say. Rollins explains they can’t help her if she doesn’t say, and Tensley answers it is the psych director, Jim Durant, adding he will just deny it. Rollins presses about what, and Tensley states that at first he was nice and he listened to her and he let her lay down on his couch in his office when she was overwhelmed. She should have known what he wanted. By now, she should know how all men are.
Later, Rollins walks into Benson’s office and Benson hangs up the phone, explaining that Barba said in light of Tensley’s latest accusations, the judge ordered Tensley to be released into her mother’s custody. Rollins is annoyed Tensley gets to go back to normal life, and Benson explains they have to follow up on the allegations against the psych director, Jim Durant. Rollins counters he has no record and there are no whispers there. Rollins believes Tensley is lying and will accuse anybody to get out of there. Benson thinks she is taking this personally and tells her to get a statement from Durant and to take Sonny with her. Rollins asks when they will get Amaro back, and Benson explains she does not know and when Rollins says he is taking his anger management really seriously, Benson says she is working on it. As Benson walks out of her office, she tells Rollins to keep showing Sonny the ropes as it is really helping. Rollins wisecracks it is like her mother telling her she is the only one who can mop the floors because she didn’t want to do it.
At the Internal Affairs Bureau on Wednesday, September 3, Benson discusses Amaro’s situation and shows him the footage of the incident with Tensley’s traffic stop showing Amaro handled things perfectly and by-the-book. He states he will do his due diligence and get back to her. When she explains the urgency he pushes back and says when his investigation is complete she will be the first to know.
At the Strength, Hope & Recovery Center in the Bronx on September 3, Rollins and Sonny speak with Jim Durant and they hear how the center works and Sonny is skeptical. The doctor explains Tensley’s behavior and says he behaved professionally with her and there are security cameras everywhere and the footage will exonerate him. They find she did have an encounter with a boy, her roommate’s son, who was 15. The Center informed the boy’s mother but she did not want to pursue.
Meanwhile, Amaro is at Benson’s apartment holding Noah, and Benson says Noah likes him, he doesn’t spit up on just anyone. The she adds lately he has been spitting up a lot. The nanny takes him for his bath, and Benson reminds her to dry his hair because he has been coughing. Benson explains to Amaro she showed the dash cam footage to Tucker and he should go home and put on his suit, he’s back in. She then adds that a security cam caught Tensley fellating a 15 year old boy in a closet at her rehab. She tells Amaro to talk to the boy and his father and get their side. Amaro smiles and thanks her. She tells him to take Sonny with him. Amaro cracks that he hears Sonny is a real empath. Benson smiles and asks where he heard that, and Amaro avoids answering. Benson adds Sonny is eager to learn and working with Amaro will make Sonny better.
