| "Confession" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 10.02 | → |
| Production number: 10003 First aired (US): 30 September 2008 First aired (AUS): 12 February 2009 | ||
 | ||
| Written By Judith McCreary Directed By Arthur W. Forney | ||
A teenage boy's confession ignites the rage of his stepfather and unveils a twisted pedophilic website.
Summary[]
A teen named Eric admits to looking at a web site run by a self-proclaimed "look but don't touch" pedophile, in an attempt to curb a pedophilic urge towards his stepbrother; when Eric goes missing, the stepfather is questioned.
Plot[]
Stabler recognizes the picture of a little girl and tells the others to handle the case while he goes to take care of something.
Benson and Fin visit Eric's stepfather, asking why his semen was on his Eric's shirt but he gives a reason.
Meanwhile, Stabler barges into Jake's apartment for a little meeting. At the same time, Munch tells Cragen that he realized the little girl in the picture is Stabler's daughter Elizabeth Stabler and that Stabler is likely doing something drastic.
Cragen and detectives rush to the apartment, where they find Berlin in a bloody mess and Elliot on Berlin's computer trying to access it. Elliot refuses to leave until he gets what he came for. Munch and Fin grab Berlin before ordering him to delete the picture of Elizabeth. Begrudgingly, Berlin activates the computer and deletes the picture. Elliot leaves the apartment while Berlin tells Benson and the others that he wants to press charges and have Elliot arrested.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler
- Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
- Richard Belzer as Sergeant John Munch
- Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
- Michaela McManus as A.D.A. Kim Greylek
- B.D. Wong as Dr. George Huang (credit only)
- Tamara Tunie as M.E. Melinda Warner
- Dann Florek as Captain Donald Cragen
Recurring cast[]
- Stephen Schnetzer as Dr. Engels
- Ned Eisenberg as Defense Attorney Roger Kressler
- Anne James as Dr. Jane Larom
- Caren Browning as C.S.U. Captain Judith Siper
- Edelen McWilliams as CSU Tech Martin
Guest cast[]
- Teri Polo as Dana Kelley
- Marshall Allman as Eric Byers
- Tom Noonan as Jake Berlin
- Josh Charles as Sean Kelley
- Kristen Rozanski as Lisa Deering
- Gabe Doran as Frank Deering
- Aaron Mayer as Cory Kelley
- Liam Joseph Wright as Boy
- Kent Cassella as Uniform Cop
- Joseph Conti as Frat Boy #1
- Jay Devore as Frat Boy #2
- Abraham Amkpa as Frat Boy #3
- Tom Hatton as Frat Boy #4
- Jason Etter as Frat Boy #5
- Paul Jude Letersky as Squad Room Detective (uncredited)
References[]
- Pediaphax
- Casey Novak
- Elizabeth Stabler
- Ken Randall
Quotes[]
- Benson: I've never had a pedophile turn himself in before.
- Cragen: His mother just remarried. Could he be making it up to get some attention?
- Benson: Who would invent something like that? I mean, the drinking and the way he caressed that photo says he's a pedophile.
- Cragen: But he's also a minor, Olivia.
- Benson: Who's over 16 and we don't need a parent present to question him.
- Cragen: The kid has only admitted to thinking bad thoughts and that's not a crime.
- Benson: It is if he acted on it.
- Cragen: What if he hasn't?
- Benson: Then I will stop him if I can.
- Benson: Can't we get him help now? He clearly doesn't want to do anything.
- Cragen: The only programs are for registered sex offenders.
- Benson: So he comes to us for help and we can't do anything until he rapes a kid?
- Jake Berlin: I'm into little girls.
- Stabler: You're a steaming bag of crap that I would love to shove down a hole.
- Jake Berlin: [to Stabler] You have kids, I can tell. Can I see some family photos? (pause) I promise not to drool.
- Benson: [to Sean Kelley while holding up a t-shirt] Recognize this?
- Sean Kelley: Yeah, it's my son's shirt.
- Benson: See that purple stain? That's a chemical reaction to semen.
- Sean Kelley: I'll kill him.
- Benson: Well, then, kill yourself because DNA proves that the semen came from you.
- Sean Kelley: [to Fin] What? Don't tell me you never self-served.
- Tutuola: Not in my son's shirt.
- Munch: Captain, we have a major problem.
[shows picture of a young girl] - Cragen: This one of the kids off the site?
- Munch: Yeah, I didn't recognize her at first.
- Cragen: Who is it?
- Munch: Stabler's daughter, Elizabeth. She's 15 now.
- Cragen: He see this?
- Munch: Yeah, then he suddenly had an errand to run.
- Jake Berlin: He tried to kill me!
- Tutuola: A little plastic, a few shovels, sounds like a good idea to me.
- Cragen: [to Stabler] Three standup cops put their careers and pensions on the line for you. You might want to consider that next time you decide to be a selfish son of a bitch and go off half-cocked.
- [about Stabler]
- Tutuola: I don't know how he did it, but the man showed restraint.
- Benson: What are you talking about?
- Tutuola: You know that bastards like Berlin get off on little kids and you know exactly what they do when they're having their little fantasies. If that was my kid, I would have done him.
- Benson: Your client sodomized his stepson with his 5-year-old's homemade baseball bat and then he stabbed Eric Byers to death and left him in a pool of his own blood.
- Sean Kelley: I didn't kill anybody.
- Benson: Sure you did because he had to pay for the fact that he was a pedophile.
- Sean Kelley: He molested my son.
- Benson: Tell that to yourself while you're rotting in prison.
- Benson: Let me explain something to you. No matter what you may think, you are not a hero.
- Jake Berlin: Of course I am. I'm a shining example of how people like me have to live. I did what the Supreme Court refused to do. I made raping a child a capital offense. A life for a life.
- Benson: Tell me the victim's name.
- Jake Berlin: I don't know it.
- Benson: Tell me who he is so I can get him some help.
- Jake Berlin: He wouldn't tell me.
- Benson: Is that what set you off?
- Jake Berlin: Yeah, I was livid. He begged me to understand, and he said that he couldn't stop. He asked He told me that I should just let go and that I should do it. That I'd... that I would know the bliss. That I'd be unburdened and now there's a kid out there, somewhere, hurting and there's nothing we can do.
- Benson: Because you just murdered the one person who could lead me to him.
- [When Olivia is unable to find the child that Eric molested]
- Munch: Olivia, he'll turn up. He has to. Don't forget, Eric described the attack online in graphic detail.
- Benson: Which means some kid will have so many problems that no parent will be able to ignore.
- [Lisa Deering the Squad room wearing domestic violence bruising on eyes, cheeks, lips, arms; fighting tears]
- Lisa Deering: I love my husband, Detective.
- Munch: I know you do, Lisa.
- Lisa Deering: I don't wanna be here... I don't wanna do this, [pause] but I don't want to die!
- Munch: It's good to hear. Have a seat. [fading out] It's good that you came in, okay? It's the right thing, for you, and your husband, and your family...
Background information and notes[]
- Detective Elliot Stabler is sent home on unpaid leave for beating up Jake Berlin after he posted a photo of Stabler's daughter Elizabeth on his website Pediaphax.
- ADA Kim Greylek briefly refers to Casey Novak's downfall, which happened in the episode "Cold", after the detectives ask her for a search warrant. She says that the standards for getting one have been raised by the judges.
- Jake Berlin is probably based on Jack McClellan, a self-described pedophile who created a website where he posted pictures of little girls that he had photographed on public places.
- Teri Polo, who appears in this episode as Dana Kelly, later portrays Det. Rex Winters' wife Casey on Law & Order: LA. She returned to guest star as Cordelia Bauer in the SVU season 16 episode American Disgrace.
- Spoof: From 27:29 to 27:36, a fly lands and crawls around Olivia's jacket, near her shoulder.
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Kelley Residence |
Residence of |
Saint Catherine's Hospital |
Weehawken, New Jersey |
Office of the |
| Previous episode: "Trials" |
"Confession" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 10 |
Next episode: "Swing" |