The advance details for this episode released by NBC stated “Fin (Ice T) revisits his military roots when a fellow Army Ranger (guest star Sarah Booth) struggles to recover from a sexual assault.” I think fans were hoping this would be an episode centered on Fin but no, he was no more than window dressing. This was the biggest flaw I saw in this episode. They had a great opportunity to use Fin’s background and understanding of the culture as an Army Ranger to lead this case and to be front and center in helping the victim, a female Army Ranger, come to grips with her sexual assault. Instead, they gave the lead to Benson, and relegated Fin’s revelation that he was Ranger to nothing more than a footnote. It also implied that a male SVU detective is incapable of providing the needed support to a female victim. I would have been very interested to seeing how Fin handled this, instead, we got the same old platitudes from Benson.
I realize that viewers should care about what happened to the victim opposed to the likeability of the victim, but I admit I have a hard time engaging in an episode where the victim does not appear sympathetic at all. In this case, it may be because the victim herself made it quite clear that she didn’t want any sympathy. By the time she realized who assaulted her, it was hard to feel anything for her. The fact that she also beat her assailant/former fiancé bloody didn’t help either. I wonder if, in her press conference, she would have also admitted that she did take matters into her own hands and lashed out with uncontrolled violence? I doubt it. A lawyer could probably argue that she beat him up as she suffered from some sort of PTSD from the assault. Regardless, there seemed to be a disconnect with her press conference which seemed to allow her to keep her status as the Army Ranger “golden girl” when clearly she used her training to administer her own form of justice.
We jumped back in episode time to January (the previous episode took place in February), and it looked like fall outside. I understand the filming schedule doesn’t always allow the scenery to fit with the dates on the episode time cards, and changes with the episode airing schedule don’t help either. Had Captain Beth Williams, the victim, not mentioned the actual date in her press conference, maybe the date in the time cards could have been altered at least to fit in with the overall episode sequence. While I really enjoy having the date cards peppered though an episode, sometimes it increases the sense of continuity errors.
Here is the recap:
Cast:
Mariska Hargitay - Lieutenant Olivia Benson
Ice-T - Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola
Kelli Giddish - Detective Amanda Rollins
Raúl Esparza - ADA Rafael Barba
Peter Scanavino - Detective Dominick “Sonny” Carisi, Jr.
Guest stars:
Sarah Booth - Captain Beth Williams
Ryan Metcalf - Mickey Reid
Joe Holt - Major Robert Dantley
Frankie G - Jose Marquez
Brian Charles Johnson - George "G-Man" Fortino
Leslie Lyles - Sylvia Williams
Betsy Aidem - Doctor
Perry Yung - Master Randy Lui
Steve Rosen – Public Defender Guthrie
Kris Eivers - Gary Cook
Stephen Bradbury – Judge Colin McNamara
Joe Hansard – Kevin Collins
Christopher LaPanta - General Fuller
Jane Fergus – Newscaster
Babs Winn - Female Party Guest
Thomas Grube – Male Party Guest
Camari Brown - Jogger
A new ad for the US Army “2.0” is unveiled in a meeting with military officials which features Captain Beth Williams. They praise her service and her abilities and they want the country will hear her story on her 3-month tour with Major Robert Dantley. She is told this is her new mission. She is pleased.
At a congratulatory party, Beth kisses her fiancé Mickey Reid who states their wedding will be next year on May 20. They ask her to make a speech and she talks about what drives her and where she finds her strength – here with her home and family. He fiancé suggest they toast with Champagne for their real friends and real pain for their sham friends. They seem happy.
Later, a man out for a jog at night sees blood on the ground and a woman also on the ground crawling away nearby. He races up to her and asks if she is okay but she strains and says she is good. It is Beth. He tells her not to move, he will help her, and he calls for an ambulance.
Benson arrives on the scene; the woman is being tended to by EMTs, Benson arrives with Fin already on scene. Fin explains that the vic’s name is Beth Williams; a jogger found her and she is in bad shape, she can barely talk. It appears she was sexually assaulted; her skirt was torn and her underwear was pulled down and she had blunt force trauma to the back of the head. The uni found a military ID; she’s a captain in the US Army. She is a Ranger, the best of the best. Fin explains this is why he called her, he thought she’d want to be early on this. Benson reads the info from Fin’s phone which says Beth Williams, born and raised in Queens, is the first woman to graduate Ranger school, 3 tours in Iraq, and earned a silver star. Benson comments that a local girl makes good and this is her welcome home present. She shakes her head.
It is now morning and Fin shows Benson a rock with blood on it used for the blunt force trauma which CSU is photographing and running for prints. Carisi approaches an announces that CSU found a backpack under a bush with $5,000 and asks when Fin was a Ranger did he ever walk around with 5 grand? Fin says it was more like $5. Carisi wonders why the perp left that behind, and Benson suggests that is not what he was after. Fin asks why she was walking around with 5 G’s cash and when Carisi says with this neighborhood, it kind of narrows it down, Benson tells him not to jump to conclusions. She tells Fin to coordinate with the Army CID and see if they know anything and tells Carisi t get with Rollins at the hospital and she will meet him there. She tells him to find out what Captain Williams was doing there.
At Columbus Memorial at 568 West 113th street on Monday, January 9, Benson meets up with Rollins and Carisi. Rollins explained Beth just got out of neuro ICU and they sutured up her head wound and it sounds like she is okay but they are keeping her there until they can rule out complications, She adds they can talk to Beth as long as they keep it short. Carisi is glad she is alright and Rollins states Beth put up a fight, there are several offensive wounds with lots of cuts and scratches on her knuckles. Benson comments a woman like her will not go down without putting up a fight. There is some blood on her leg and some may have come from the perp. Benson tells them to run it. Rollins says the family has been contacted and the mom and fiancé are in the waiting room. Benson instructs them to talk to the family and she will talk to Beth.
Rollins speaks with Beth's mom Sylvia who said they had a party to celebrate her graduation from Ranger school. She left early and Beth said she would be home later but when she didn’t show up she figured she spent the night with Mickey. Rollins asks about the cash and whys she’d be walking around with that kind of money and Sylvia does not know.
Benson enters Beth’s hospital room and introduces herself and asks if she is feeling well enough to talk. Beth looks like she is going to cry and says nothing. Benson assures her it is going to be okay, she promises. Beth, struggling to compose herself, thanks her, and says she appreciates that. Benson asks if she can ask a few questions and Beth agrees. When Benson asks if she knows who did this to her, Beth says she can’t believe this really happened. She says the timing is…then says this is the last thing she needs right now. When Benson asks what does she mean, Beth explains she is staring a press tour next week for the Army. The goal is to project strength, courage, power. She says she can’t be in here talking about getting raped. She cries. Benson explains that nothing has changed, she is the same person before this, the same strong person, and asks again if she can tell her what happened. Beth is silent and Benson asks if Beth knows who did this to her. Beth says nothing. She then says she wants to talk to Major Dantley, her superior officer. Benson says she understands but the more she can tell her the more helpful she can be. The door opens and a doctor enters and says they need to take Beth upstairs for more tests. Benson asks for two more minutes, but Beth begins to get out of the bed and the doctor explains they need to do this quick, she has already discussed this with the other detective, Benson looks surprised and Beth says she is okay, she can walk. She walks away from the bed and out of the room, and Benson follows.
