| "Devastating Story" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 16.18 | → |
| Production number: 16018 First aired (US): 1 April 2015 First aired (UK): 26 April 2015 First aired (CAN): 1 April 2015 First aired (AUS): 2 July 2015 | ||
 | ||
| Written By Samantha Corbin-Miller Directed By Michael Slovis | ||
A college student's rape case puts national attention on the SVU.
Plot[]
Popular television host Skip Peterson airs an interview with college student Heather Manning, who claims she was gang-raped in a fraternity house. While the tragic account of Heather's story brings national attention to the epidemic of rape on campus, the sensational details of the she-said, they-said case leaves Sgt. Benson and ADA Barba with several suspects and a rocky trial.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Mariska Hargitay as Sergeant Olivia Benson
- Danny Pino as Detective Nick Amaro (credit only)
- 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[]
- Delaney Williams as Attorney John Buchanan
- Kathleen Chalfant as President Roberts
- Sonia Manzano as Judge Gloria Pepitone
- Jenna Wolfe as Herself
Guest cast[]
- Rob Morrow as Skip Peterson
- Laura Fraser as Jessica Dillon
- Ally Ioannides as Heather Manning
- Derek Klena as Conner Howell
- Josh Caras as Lance Misconi
- Derek Goh as Brian Mackey
- David Rossmer as Attorney Ross Wolf
- Tessa Hope Slovis as Goth Girl
- Marley Ficalora as Zach Franklin
- Mark Friedman as Attorney Parnes
- Phil Eichinger as Paparazzo
- Dawn Yanek as Reporter
- Meghan Leathers as Jane
- Ruari Fay as Bill
References[]
Quotes[]
- [after hearing about a rape epidemic at Hudson University]
- Benson: Okay, Noah, just to be clear, you are not going to Hudson University.
- Carisi: All due respect, Professor, obviously we'd like to go through you, but if you're just gonna get in the way, we'll go over or around you.
- Professor Jessica Dillon: Interesting phallocentric choice of language, Detective.
- Carisi: Rape advocate. I don't even get what that is. I mean, there's no burglary advocate, there's no carjacking advocates.
- Rollins: When's the last time a carjacking victim got asked, "Are you sure you didn't want your car to get stolen?"
- Professor Dillon: [to Olivia] I hope, going forward, that we can kick apart their stories, not Heather's.
- Benson: We can, and we will. And I hope, going forward, Heather, that you'll stop talking to the press and at rallies about this so we can do our job. You understand?
- Heather Manning: There's only one problem with that.
- Benson: Which is what?
- Heather Manning: I'm supposed to go on Anderson Cooper and Rachel Maddow tonight.
- Benson: Heather, you're going to have to cancel those.
- Professor Dillon: That's impossible. It's it's too late. These issues are finally being brought to national attention. The whole country is waking up to the rape epidemic on our campuses.
- Benson: [to Heather] I thought that you said that you wanted to bring your assailants to justice.
- Heather Manning: I did say that. I do, but this is so much more than that now. I'm the face of a movement.
- [about Heather]
- Jessica Dillon: It doesn't matter what happened to her. What matters is it happens every day and these frat boys strut around like they're bulletproof. So a few of them finally have to take responsibility? Good. This isn't about you or these boys or this case. This is bigger than any of us. This is about eliminating rape culture once and for all.
- President Roberts: We had an incident last night. The first thing the accused said to campus security was, "She's lying just like Heather Manning."
- Benson: I don't blame Heather. Skip Peterson and Professor Dillon, they pressured her into coming forward. They thought this would be the case that would change rape culture and it did. It set the clock back 30 years.
Background information and notes[]
- This episode is based on the Rolling Stone article about a gang rape at the University of Virginia which later turned out to be false.
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Studio of |
Hudson University |
Office of |
Alpha Zeta Pi |
Motions Court |
| Previous episode: "Parole Violations" |
"Devastating Story" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 16 |
Next episode: "Granting Immunity" |