| "Decline and Fall" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 18.09 | → |
| Production number: 18009 First aired (US): 18 January 2017 First aired (UK): 5 March 2017 First aired (CAN): 18 January 2017 First aired (AUS): 1 April 2017 | ||
 | ||
| Written By Ed Zuckerman & Robert Brooks Cohen Directed By Jean de Segonzac | ||
Summary[]
Rape accusations from a bartender threaten to tear apart an influential family.
Plot[]
At Hendricks' office, Rollins tried to collect a DNA sample from Hendricks Sr. but he refuses and instead admits to sleeping with Sarah, much to the shock of everyone present. This new evidence has Rollins question him if he slept with Sarah after Eric, but he states that he can't help it if she was drawn to him but denies drugging her after Rollins brings up the notion. However, his daughter Cynthia warns him not to say anything more to incriminate himself and tells Rollins to collect the sample.
At the precinct, Benson meets Sarah to tell her sometimes the drugs that she took have effects that wear off and gradually her memories will return so she shows Sarah pictures of the party and Eric. After a while, she remembers the talk with Eric and how he tried to impress her before recalling she did in fact have consensual sex with him, so he cannot be the rapist. Benson assures Sarah that Eric is not in any trouble if it's true but Sarah says that the second person must be the culprit because she has no memory of him and Benson shows her the picture of Eric's grandfather Lawrence Sr., as Sarah voices her disgust at the thought. She states there was no way she would have slept with him, before getting shocked when Benson mentions that Hendricks Sr. said they slept together and the DNA matches. After Sarah brings up how he must be the one who drugged her, Benson tells Sarah that the drugs may have been planted in Eric's room by his grandfather. She tells Sarah there is a way that she can help them with the case.
Sarah meets with Hendricks Sr. and his daughter at the pier, showing her anger at him not being alone but they come to offer incentives to stop her accusations but Sarah isn't interested in money. She voices her anger at raped by him while he's casual about the situation and that he only gave her a drugged beverage for her to relax. Sarah demands that he apologize for the event, but he does not budge, stating he did nothing wrong with his action and she enjoyed it. During the exchange he also calls Sarah "Monica". Because of his admission over the wire Sarah was wearing, the detectives proceed to arrest him and he tells his daughter to get his lawyer.
In his interrogation, Hendricks' lawyer shows up and is angry at SVU for initially accusing Eric and now his grandfather but is confident that they can't prove rape, despite his recorded confession.
Soon Barba finds Hendricks at a hearing, where his daughter tries to claim the company by stating her father is suffering from dementia. Barba can see through this ploy, especially when it becomes apparent that this is Hendricks' way of getting off the hook. Hendricks agrees that his daughter is trying to usurp him but his lawyer gets an idea and tells him that this might be favorable in a way.
Meeting Benson, Barba tells her of what is occurring but she calls it a family conspiracy: where the daughter gets control of the company and her father avoids rape charges. Barba states that he refuses to let Hendricks feign an ailment to get away with his crimes while Benson acknowledges his determination after he voices that he is angry. Benson remarks that it's even better fuel to help him.
After Hendricks testifies, Barba and Benson visit Eric to confront him about omitting the drink that he and Sarah shared with his grandfather.
Eric's father Lawrence Jr., becomes incensed when Eric's calls his grandfather a good person and derides mother a "party girl" and agrees to testify against his father.
During his testimony, Benson realizes that Lawrence Jr.'s ex-wife's name was Monica and confronts him about Hendricks Sr.'s past, imploring him to tell his son the truth. Lawrence Jr. reveals to Eric that when his mother was pregnant, Hendricks drugged and raped her. Neither she nor Lawrence ever got over it and it led to their subsequent divorce.
Taking the stand, Eric testifies against his grandfather, revealing that he and Sarah had drinks with his grandfather. He apologizes to Sarah while Hendricks flies into a rage and verbally abused his grandson.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Mariska Hargitay as Lieutenant Olivia Benson
- Kelli Giddish as Detective Amanda Rollins
- Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola (credit only)
- Peter Scanavino as Detective Dominick Carisi, Jr.
- Raúl Esparza as A.D.A. Rafael Barba
Recurring cast[]
Guest cast[]
- Bob Gunton as Lawrence Hendricks, Sr.
- Ariane Rinehart as Sarah Morrissey
- Ian Nelson as Eric Hendricks
- Raphael Sbarge as Attorney Harold Timmons
- Sarah Clarke as Cynthia Hendricks
- Jim True-Frost as Lawrence Hendricks, Jr.
- Jackie Debatin as Sue Ann Daly
- Andrea Burns as Cynthia's Civil Attorney
- Gail Bennett as Justine
- Annika Pergament as Newscaster
- John Pallotta as Offset Coach
References[]
Quotes[]
- Benson: Hi. I'm Lieutenant Benson. Can I help you?
- Sarah Morrissey: Um, I'm not sure. I... I think I've been raped.
- Benson: I'm so sorry. Can you tell me what happened?
- Sarah Morrissey: I... I can't. I don't remember. Anything.
- Rollins: We're looking for a young guy, it's not Lawrence Hendricks. He's 75 years old.
- Carisi: Yeah, but don't you get to subtract ten years for every billion dollars you have?
- Rollins: You know, Wall Street says that Hendricks has been staying on way past his prime.
- Benson: But he still has the energy for "bunga bunga" parties with Italian models.
- Benson: Okay, so we have a probable rape at the home of a geriatric playboy billionaire and all our victim remembers is a young guy who smiled a lot.
- {{{4}}}: {{{3}}}
- Benson: Sarah, the lab results came back. and it showed two separate semen samples.
- Sarah Morrissey: Two samples? Are you saying that two men raped me? This just keeps getting worse.
- Benson: I'm so sorry, Sarah.
- Sarah Morrissey: Sorry? Really? No, why don't you find the man... the men... who did this to me?
- Benson: [whispers as Sarah leaves] We will.
- Lawrence Hendricks Jr.: You should be a detective when you grow up.
- Carisi: I'll start practicing right now. What time did you leave your father's party?
- Barba: Hendricks' daughter just filed a motion to have her father declared mentally incompetent.
- Benson: What? He doesn't have dementia. He may be revolting, but he's as smart as hell.
- Barba: That's exactly why he's pretending to be incompetent.
- [about Lawrence Hendricks]
- Benson: The daughter gets what she wanted, which is control of the company now as opposed to ten years from now. And the father gets what he wants, which is a free pass on a rape charge.
- Barba: Not gonna happen.
- Benson: You seem pretty confident.
- Barba: More like angry.
- Benson: Even better.
- Benson: Why would he call Sarah, a woman that he just raped, by your ex-wife's name?
- Lawrence Hendricks, Jr.: A mistake.
- Benson: May I ask why you and your wife got divorced? Is it Is it something that your father did?
- Lawrence Jr.: It's none of your business.
- Benson: No, but it's Sarah Morrissey's business. Your father raped her and God knows how many other women he assaulted, so I think it's all of their business. Look, I don't know if you're embarrassed or you're guilty or you're trying to protect your family name, but I'm pretty sure that Eric is trying to protect his grandfather. It's time that you told your son what kind of man your father really is and maybe that will convince him to tell the truth.
- Carisi: Fin still at home, cramming for the sergeant's exam?
- Benson: Yep
- Carisi: I should go over there later, drill him
- Rollins: No,no he says he has a sleep learning system, he plays tapes with a speaker under his pillow
- Carisi: He's kidding, right?
- Rollins: I don't know.
Background Information and Notes[]
- The episode title, "decline and fall", is a financial term defined as the failure to maintain profits from improper investments.
- Fin does not appear, as he is mentioned to be studying for the Sergeant's Exam which he jokingly complained that everyone was telling him to take in "Heartfelt Passages".
- While questioning Eric, the defendant's grandson, Barba asks whether Eric's grandfather is aware that it is the year 2016, yet the scene takes place on January 30, meaning that it is actually 2017.
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Avalon Store |
Residence of |
Hendricks Foundation |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Carl Schurz Park |
Civil Court |
Supreme Court |
Supreme Court |
| Previous episode: "Chasing Theo" |
"Decline and Fall" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 |
Next episode: "Motherly Love" |