"Complicated" | ||
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← | SVU, Episode 19.05 | → |
Production number: 19005 First aired (US): 25 October 2017 First aired (UK): 5 November 2017 First aired (CAN): 25 October 2017 First aired (AUS): 2 November 2017 | ||
Written By Céline C. Robinson Directed By Tricia Brock |
Summary[]
The Special Victims Unit reopen a 10-year-old kidnapping case when a young woman is found wandering Central Park alone.
Plot[]
Benson is sitting in a hearing where her fitness as a parent is in question and Noah's maternal grandmother, Sheila Porter, is there demanding that she at least be a part of Noah's life. Meanwhile, we see as a young woman is running through Central Park looking for help. She is brought into the hospital to get looked at and when Rollins and Carisi get there, they are told that there are clear signs of abuse, but the young woman doesn't know her name, where she is from or even how old she is. When they go in to talk to her, she cowers.
When Benson gets to the station, Fin fills her in on what's going on and how they have no DNA or anything because she refused medical treatment and the rape kit. Meanwhile, Rollins and Carisi are talking to the young woman and they are trying to get information from her about where she was, but she doesn't remember much. The last thing she remembers was her first day of kindergarten and playing with her brother after school.
Carisi, Rollins and Benson are talking about some of the details that the young woman has given them, matches the details from a 10 year old kidnapping case. Carisi and Rollins go to talk to Emma's parents and brother. They tell them that they believe that they have found her daughter. They bring the parents and her brother Glenn to the precinct to see her and talk to her. Her mother, Karen, bring a picture with them of her last Christmas at home. After talking for a little while, Emma starts to remember some things.
Meanwhile, Fin brings Benson video footage from the area where Emma was found and they see her get off the subway, but she told them that she escaped from a white van. She also doesn't seem so hysterical when she gets off the subway. Benson calls Barba into her office to tell him that the surveillance video doesn't match her story, but there is obviously signs of abuse and she knows there is something going on there.
Benson breaks down in her talk with Barba and tells him about what's going on with Noah and his grandmother showing up. She tells him that the adoption can't be vacated, but she filed for visitation. Meanwhile, Emma and her family are doing a press conference with Isaiah Thomas as a guest speaker. Carisi and Rollins go to talk to Emma about why she was seen getting on the subway in the Bronx and then getting off near Central Park. She seems to be making the story up as she goes.
Back at the station, Carisi thinks he found grounds to reopen the Emma Lawrence case. The young woman who they found is wanted in Florida for credit card fraud and her name is Brittany. Benson says this could just be someone who looks like Emma, but Carisi said he called the arresting officer and he was able to describe the chemical burns and cigarette burns on her arm.
While watching an interview with the Lawrence family on television, Carisi tells them that the story the brother is telling is off. He claimed back then that he heard his sister scream and then found her underwear. Now he is saying he didn't hear anything. He is tailoring his story to match hers. Rollins goes in to a bar where Glenn is sitting and she starts talking to him and he starts to sound like he knows more about the real Emma than he is leading on.
The father comes over and tells Glenn it's time to go and Rollins has a bad feeling and they go to get "Emma" out of the Lawrence's house. They bring "Emma" in and talk to her, she is still trying to convince them that she is Emma. They took a DNA swab from her and tell her that they are going to find she isn't Emma. She then gives up the charade and tells them the truth. She is from Florida, she is 21 and she ran away from her home because her mother was a meth addict and used to put cigarettes out on her arm.
She then tells them that Glenn knows she isn't Emma, he told her that. She then tells them that the only other thing he told her was that Emma wasn't coming back. Benson, Carisi and Rollins decide to use Brittany to get Glenn to confess to knowing what happened to Emma. She is able to get him to admit that what happened to Emma was an accident and that he didn't mean it. He confesses to killing Emma.
Rollins and Fin bring him in and question him and he tells them that Emma knew not to dance in front of the TV and he asked her twice to get out of the way, but she wouldn't. He then tells them that he used a couch cushion and smothered her. Rollins asks him what he did with Emma's body? He was just a kid and couldn't have done that alone. She asks him who helped him, and it is revealed to be Bill Lawrence, Glenn and Emma's father.
Carisi and Rollins arrest Bill for hiding Emma's body, and he admits to helping cover up Glenn's crime to protect his son. He then watches as the CSU team finds Emma's body buried in the woods. Bill tells the court that he did it because he couldn't stand to lose both of his children. Karen leaves the courtroom and Benson goes after her. She apologizes for what she is going through and Karen tells her that she wishes that she never found her, at least she had hope before, now she has nothing.
Benson meets with Noah's grandmother, Sheila, and she tells her that she doesn't think that they should be dealing with each other in a courtroom. They have a conversation about Ellie and what happened with her and why they weren't in contact. She tells her it was her husband's idea of tough love when she started using drugs. A year later, she lost her husband. Benson tells her that she just wants what's best for her son. Sheila asks her what they should do now, and Benson agrees to have her come meet Noah.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Mariska Hargitay as Lieutenant Olivia Benson
- Kelli Giddish as Detective Amanda Rollins
- Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
- Peter Scanavino as Detective Dominick Carisi, Jr.
- Raúl Esparza as A.D.A. Rafael Barba
Recurring cast[]
- Peter Hermann as Attorney Trevor Langan
- Jayne Houdyshell as Judge Ruth Linden
- Maureen Mueller as Attorney Susan Janet
- Brooke Shields as Sheila Porter
- Ryan Buggle as Noah Porter-Benson
Guest cast[]
- Paul Schulze as Bill Lawrence
- Kellie Overbey as Karen Lawrence
- Mike Faist as Glenn Lawrence
- Ili Ray as Britney Taylor / Emma Lawrence
- Isaiah Thomas as Himself
- Lawrence Ballard as Dr. Leon Bailey
- Tanya Rivero as Host
- Kabe Park as Michael Kim
- Max Kava as Gregory Lang
References[]
Quotes[]
- Trevor Langan: Noah's all right?
- Olivia Benson: Yeah, he just has a cold. But today, of all days.
- Trevor Langan: I know that this is stressful, but you have got nothing to worry about.
- Olivia: Then why are we here?
- Trevor Langan: My best guess? Judge Linden agreed to a courtesy hearing to cover her bases. She's the one who suggested you take Noah, and the circumstances were a little bit unorthodox.
- Olivia: Just promise me I'm not going to lose my son.
- Sheila Porter: I have no intention of ripping a little boy from the only home he has ever known, but I have serious reservations about Ms. Benson's fitness to parent.
- Judge Ruth Linden: How so?
- Sheila Porter: My PI became aware of Noah's existence from an ACS investigation for suspected child abuse.
- Benson and Trevor Langan: That investigation is closed.
- Trevor Langan: Your Honor, and it has absolutely no bearing on the validity of the adoption.
- Benson: There was no findings of wrongdoing.
- Sheila Porter: I understand that there were bruises.
- Benson: There were bruises on Noah because I saved him from almost being hit by a cab. I love my son. I would never, ever do anything to hurt that boy. I want what's best for him. I always have.
- Sheila Porter: If you really cared about what's best for him, you wouldn't deny him a relationship with his grandmother, his only living blood relative. I may not be able to overturn the adoption, Your Honor, but I am determined to be a part of this little boy's life, for his sake.
- Benson: So, tell me about this teenager. Is she a runaway?
- Tutuola: It's more complicated than that. She said she doesn't know who she is or where she's from.
- Benson: Is she in the system?
- Tutuola: We don't know. She refused medical treatment; DNA swab, rape kit.
- Benson: Hold on. And Bellevue released her?
- Tutuola: On-duty shrink said she's no danger to herself or others.
- Benson: We think this girl is Emma Lawrence?
- Carisi: Well, Emma disappeared in 2007. It was her first day of kindergarten. She was six years old. Now, the age seems right. She'd be sixteen now.
- Rollins: And according to the police reports, she was playing with her older brother in Prospect Park by the arch, and this girl remembers being called "Little M", the arch, the big brother.
- Benson: No, I get it. There's a ton of details here. I just... I just wish we had something concrete.
- Tutuola: I got the age progression sketch. Emma Lawrence, age six to sixteen. [he hands a tablet to Sonny, who shows Rollins, then hands it to Benson]
- Carisi: Lieutenant, that's her.
- Benson: Where are the parents?
- Carisi: Bill and Karen Lawrence moved from Brooklyn to Queens with their son Glenn eight years ago.
- Benson: Well, unless we can find a reason to exclude that this girl is Emma Lawrence, family deserves to know.
- Benson: Emma Lawrence may not be Emma Lawrence.
- Barba: Talk to me.
- Benson: The surveillance footage that we found in the park doesn't match her story.
- Barba: But the... the family swears it's her.
- Benson: Yes, they do, and the age progression photo is convincing, but you know as well as I do age progression isn't the gold standard.
- Barba: You assumed this girl was telling you the truth. Why wouldn't you?
- Benson: And she still might be. Either way, something happened to her. There's definitely signs of abuse. I just... I just don't know what to think. About anything.
- Benson: Am I preventing this little boy from having a relationship with the only living blood relative that he has? With his only connection to Ellie? You know, I used to be so sure that I knew what was best for Noah, but now, as he gets older, I'm just doubting myself at every turn.
- Barba: Well, from what I've heard about raising kids, it never gets any easier. You can trust your instincts. You can.
- Tutuola: We've alerted the Pennsylvania State Troopers. So far, no sign of a white van with Pennsylvania plates anywhere near the Grand Concourse station or the 110th Street station.
- Rollins: Not to mention there are no orange groves in Pennsylvania, so this girl is making this story up as she goes along.
- Benson: Or, if she is Emma, she's been missing a long time. She could be confused and have gaps in her memory.
- Tutuola: Barba, can you get us a warrant for her DNA?
- Barba: I could, but I'd rather not. What if you're wrong and this girl is Emma Lawrence? That's not a call I want to get from the D.A. Not after the ledger declared the case closed. You guys are gonna have to unclose it yourselves.
- Carisi: [approaching] I think I just did. I brought a photo of our girl over to Real Time Crime. Turns out she's wanted on a bench warrant for credit card fraud in Inverness, Florida.
- Benson: Name's Britney Taylor, date of birth 7/20/96. That makes her 21.
- Barba: That could be an alias or a fake DOB or a girl who looks similar.
- Carisi: No, I tracked down the arresting officer. He described cigarette burns and a chemical burn on her arm. That's her.
- [watching an "exclusive interview" on TV]
- Carisi: Something's going on here.
- Tutuola: That kid looks a little off.
- Carisi: No, no, it's more than that.
- Benson: What do you mean, Carisi?
- Carisi: I read the DD-5 from the original missing persons file. Now, at the time, Glenn told the investigators that he heard Emma scream. Then he found the underwear, and then he ran home.
- Tutuola: Now he claims he didn't hear anything?
- Carisi: Son of a bitch. He's tailoring his version of events to match hers.
- Tutuola: In the original file, was Glenn listed as a suspect?
- Carisi: Not directly, but he was interviewed a half dozen times.
- Benson: Find out why.
Background Information and Notes[]
- Brooke Shields plays Noah's grandmother. Mariska Hargitay, who plays his adoptive mother, is 16 months older than Shields.
- Sheila Porter mentioned she found out about Noah because of bruises he suffered that triggered a child abuse investigation, which happened in the episode "Gone Fishin'".
- Three deleted scenes were posted on YouTube:
- Carisi confronts a woman he's been seeing named Ariel, who works at the New York Ledger, which ran a story about Emma Lawrence.[1]
- Carisi then tells Rollins about the article about Emma Lawrence and how he had been seeing Ariel. Rollins figures out that she was also the lady who he went on a date to the raw food restaurant with last year which was mentioned in the episode "Spellbound".[2]
- Carisi is dumped by Ariel over the phone. Rollins asks him to come over and cook for Jesse Rollins to try to make him feel better.[3]
Episode scene cards[]
1 | 2 |
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Family Court |
Lawrence Residence |
3 | 4 | 5 |
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Two Top Diner |
Supreme Court |
Trestle on Tenth |
Footnotes[]
Previous episode: "No Good Reason" |
"Complicated" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 19 |
Next episode: "Unintended Consequences" |