Law & Order SVU “Vanity’s Bonfire” was what I call a “bait and switch” episode; it starts as one case and ends with another. I usually don’t like this type of episode as one half of the story always feels unfinished.
The case begins as a standard child abduction – the old “I looked away for a minute and my child was gone” scenario with the standard questioning by detectives. It seemed boilerplate and I lost interest quickly. As the child was finally located and questions were raised about the child’s paternity, I felt again that I was entering familiar territory and was getting ready for the usual “who’s the daddy” type episode. I did have high hopes when it appeared that a Dean at a law school - who also had a judge for a father - was the “baby daddy” and that legal documents for adoption were falsified to help cover up his indiscretion. But, I was quickly disappointed when the story took a turn to murder, and the detectives seemed to lose interest in the illegal adoption and focused on the murder. I was more interested in the detectives tracking down the fraudulent adoption, hoping there would be some other SVU-type scandal with the judge or the dean. Maybe they can bring Scott Bakula back to reprise his role as the sleazy dean and get him for something else so I can have some closure?
There were some scenes that dragged. This was most obvious near the end of the episode in the hospital room where Benson and Amaro paused for a very long time thinking about Gillian’s request to take the fall for her daughter for the murder. And while I am on that subject, it was disappointing that Benson and Amaro let the daughter slide for the murder. No matter how sorry they felt for the family’s situation, the detectives have no right to be judge and jury.
This episode plodded along, and everyone - except the guest cast - seemed to go through the motions. Like me. maybe this episode was too dull to keep their interest?
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:
Tamara Tunie – Dr. Melinda Warner
Scott Bakula – Kent Webster
Jessica Hecht – Gillian Webster
Abby Quinn Jackman – Hannah Webster
Bijou Phillips – Dia Nobile
Luke Kirby – Braydon Leddy
Liza J. Bennett – Josie Leddy
Priscilla Lopez - Judge Suarez
Ami Brabson – Judge Blake
David Pittu – Attorney Linus Tate
John Patrick Driscoll – Allen Clyde
Rosal Colon – Carmen Silva
Laurine Towler - Melissa Braxton
Kelly Kirklyn - Lawyer
Dina Drew Duva – Helicopter Mom
Mackenzie Shivers - Assistant
Josie and Braydon Leddy play with Tessa at the local playground. Braydon takes photos and then asks Tessa is she wants to play as Josie says she is behind on her emails. Braydon quickly becomes distracted, making a phone call, and Tessa walks off. When Braydon returns to Josie he does not have Tessa with him and they quickly realize she is gone.
Later, Benson and Amaro are on the scene along with many police. Benson and Amaro try to get details from Josie and Braydon, Braydon having photos from earlier in the morning. Amaro spots a man in one of the photos looking towards them. Fin and Rollins later show the photos to other parents in the park in an attempt to identify the man. One woman identifies the man as someone who is not a parent and is “on the list” - she takes a picture and calls the precinct when she sees him.
Afterwards, Fin and Benson arrive at the man’s house – Allen Clyde. They press him about the missing girl and he says he didn’t do anything. Rollins reminds him he is a sex offender and was at the playground. He says he works the night shift as a janitor and was cutting through the park. Fin shows him Tessa’s photo and he says he was just trying to help her down, she was scared. He says her mother took her. As Rollins cuffs him he insists Tessa left with her mom. He says her mother had straight blonde hair with a see through dress with a black pattern. As Rollins takes him out, she reminds him he was not supposed to be in that playground.
At SVU with Clyde sleeping at the table in interrogation, Cragen, Benson and Fin discuss him. Fin explains Tessa was not in Clyde’s apartment and they checked the surrounding area. Cragen tells them to wake Clyde up and make him go over his morning and to get every detail on the mother he saw that morning.
In the squad room, Rollins and Amaro watch the video Braydon took of Tessa while he put sunscreen on her. They see a blonde woman carrying the same diaper bag and baby carrier that Tessa’s parent’s had. Rollins leaves to tell Cragen and suggests they get the surveillance video from the area.
At Josie and Braydon’s home, Josie looks at the photos on Benson’s phone and comments that it is Tessa, and then asks who is that woman. Benson explains they are trying to figure that out, they got this from a security camera on Murray Street. Benson asks if she is sure she has never seen her before and Josie says no, she is not one of the moms and wonders why she would do this. Benson tells her that sometimes when a woman takes a baby it is because she has fantasized a relationship with the child, and oftentimes they have watched the family. Josie says she would have noticed her hanging around. Benson asks if her job ever takes her out of town and does she ever leave Tessa there with her husband?
Meanwhile, Amaro is with Braydon who says Josie travels for work, and then asks Amaro what he is saying. Amaro says they just want to find his daughter, Braydon replies he would never bring another woman home. Amaro asks if anyone else has access to his place. Braydon says Tessa’s nanny is with her on weekdays.
Josie says the nanny Carmen Silva, is Guatemalan, but she had been there for 10 years, and she has her address and phone number and copy of her passport.
Elsewhere, Fin and Rollins speak with Carmen. Rollins shows her a photo of the woman and Carmen says she is the one who takes pictures in the park of the babies. For mother’s day, the woman gave her a photo she took of her and Tessa. Rollins sees the web site name “lifemomentsbydia” on the back of the photograph.
At the loft of Dia Nobile, Benson and Amaro are there with police and when the door is not answered, Benson tells the super to open it.
They enter the apartment and find Dia in another room which is decorated for a baby, and she is sitting in a rocker holding Tessa and humming. She asks what they are doing there. When Benson tells her they need to get the baby back to her mom, Dia says it is OK, she is her mom. They see the name Tessa in big letters on the bedroom wall, just as in Tessa’s room at Josie and Braydon’s. Benson and Amaro tries to coax her into giving her Tessa, and imply they will help her. Dia lets Benson hold Tessa, and Amaro quickly arrests Dia despite her protests that this is her baby and she is her mother. She says he has everything in a folder on the dresser proving it. Tessa cries for her mommy as Amaro looks at the file.
Later, at the hospital, Benson tells Josie and Braydon that the doctor says Tessa is fine. When Braydon says they will be taking her home, Amaro tells him they have to clear up a few things. Benson explains that Dia has a bedroom in her loft that is similar to Tessa’s and that the nanny did not let her in. Josie said neither did they. Braydon says the apartment was up for sale last spring. Benson informs them that Dia said she gave birth to Tessa and gave her up for adoption and Amaro says she does have a birth certificate for a baby girl. Benson asks them for a copy of Tessa’s birth certificate, and when the parents hesitate, Amaro asks them if Josie is Tessa’s biological mother. Braydon explains that Tessa was born through a surrogate, and Josie adds it was with Braydon’s sperm. It was a private surrogacy and their lawyer found the birth mother whose name was Erin and she was studying to be a vet. They agreed to pay her college bills and she helped them. Braydon insists they have all the paperwork and all is in order and they can scan the papers.
Back at SVU, the detectives brief Cragen, Benson saying that Dia claims she was tricked into the adoption and that Dia did have a file waiting for them with the birth certificate and termination of her parental rights. Rollins says the hospital confirms that Dia gave birth and no father was listed. It was the same week Tessa was born. Benson reminds them that the Leddys held out on them about the surrogacy. When Cragen asks about the Leddy’s paperwork, Amaro informs them there is a New York City birth certificate for a home birth, the mother listed is Erin Murphy and the father Braydon Leddy. There is a second birth certificate listing Josie as the adoptive mother. They also had the termination paperwork of Erin Murphy’s parental rights. Rollins alerts them to a big red flag: Dia’s adoption papers and the Leddy’s surrogacy agreement were drafted by the same lawyer – Wendell Feeney. Amaro finds one with that name out of Patchogue personal injury lawyer. Benson says with what she saw in Dia’s eyes she feels Dia has a connection with this baby, but Amaro says he saw a whole lot of crazy. Cragen says they found the baby and the kidnappers are in custody and adds they are done. Rollins says it is worth tracking the guy down just to see if he is on the up and up. Cragen agrees for them to have one conversation with the lawyer and then this moves off their plate.
At the law offices of Feeney, Braxton and Goldstein, Benson and Amaro are told by one of the partners that Wendell died a month ago. They ask about the adoption and are told they don’t do family issues but sees Wendell’s signature on the document. She wonders if someone pasted his signature on it. Nobile is also not showing as a client. Benson asks her to check for Josie and Braydon Leddy and they are not listed there either. Amaro asks her to check for Erin Murphy, and says she does have her, but for a slip and fall in supermarket.
