| "Dissonant Voices" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 15.07 | → |
| Production number: 15007 First aired (US): 6 November 2013 First aired (UK): 1 December 2013 First aired (CAN): 6 November 2013 First aired (AUS): 14 November 2013 | ||
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| Written By John P. Roche Directed By Alex Chapple | ||
A singing coach and popular TV personality is accused of sexual abuse by his students.
Summary[]
Singing coach Jackie Walker is at the height of his career, with a featured role on television's biggest reality show, American Diva, and a steady position teaching music at a prestigious New York City school. When a four year-old student comes forward with claims of sexual abuse, Detective Rollins asks the squad to be mindful of Walker's reputation, but Benson's investigation uncovers evidence that condemns the popular personality. As the case becomes public, more and more victims come forward, but Walker refuses to come clean.
Plot[]
Singing coach Jackie Walker is at the height of his career, with a featured role as a singing coach on TV's biggest reality show, "American Diva," and a steady position as a Pre-K music teacher at the prestigious Margaret Fuller School.
American Diva has a new star: 14-year-old Grace Belsey, who is from West Orange, New Jersey. It's the show everyone is watching, including 4-year-old Jonah Allen. As Jonah watches Grace and Walker on TV after Grace performs a song, Jonah claims that Jackie makes him play "doctor." That claim takes Jonah's mother by surprise. Mrs. Allen notifies the cops.
At the precinct, Benson questions Jonah, whose wealthy parents separated three months ago. Jonah says Jackie follows him into the restroom. When Rollins tells ADA Pippa Cox that Jonah's parents separated three months ago, Cox says, "And the 4-year-old suddenly comes forward. Could be he wants attention. Could be a divorce maneuver. Get the father down here too."
Amaro and Fin talk to the Allens, who show some discord. Rollins talks to Jonah's 15-year-old sister, Brooke, who tearfully discloses that she knows the situation.
Benson is with Jonah, who has made a drawing. Benson asks what the purple egg-shaped object in the drawing is. Jonah says that it's a "magic egg" that Jackie tickles him in a certain spot with. Jonah says, "I say stop, but he doesn't." Jonah says there are bluebirds and flowers in the restroom.
Cox declares the complaint to be strong enough for probable cause and orders CSU to be brought in. Armed with a warrant, Rollins and Fin find the school restrooms matching Jonah's description of bluebirds and flowers. Fin and Rollins go to Jackie's room, where they uncover the special purple egg where Jonah described -- in Jackie's "clap and play" box of rhythm instruments.
Jackie adamantly denies that the egg, which vibrates, belongs to him. Fin and Rollins take him to SVU, where he's questioned by Benson and Amaro. Jackie, who feels that they're not paying attention to his protestations, asks for his lawyer.
The detectives are divided in their attitudes, with Rollins and Fin arguing Jackie's side and Benson and Amaro leaning against him. Cox believes Jonah was being groomed.
Rollins speaks with 4-year-old Cooper Burns (Alex Bento). Cooper also accuses Jackie of using the purple egg on him in the restroom. But Cooper describes a bluebird and pink flower stained-glass window over a bath tub. Surprised, Rollins says, "There's a bath tub?" Cooper says, "I mean, the sink."
Benson and Rollins talk to Cooper's panicking mother, Allison. Allison remembers Cooper arriving from school without underwear one day a month ago, due to an unspecified accident that Cooper wouldn't say anything about.
The detectives discuss the case, and Rollins points out that the two descriptions of the restroom were different from each other. Benson says, "Right, but I would be more concerned if their language was exactly the same." Fin calls with the news that Jonah's saliva was recovered from the egg, along with fecal bacteria. And there is a second unknown sample.
With attorney Linus Tate at his side, Jackie confesses that he was in the bathroom alone with Cooper -- but innocently, and only because Cooper fell in the toilet and soaked his underwear, hence the incident was "their little secret."
Cox decides to go public with the case. Judge Gloria Pepitone sets Jackie's bail at one million dollars, which he can't pay. Allegations mount against Jackie from both male and female 4-year-olds, but there are no fingerprints, and they tell varying stories.
To speak with Brooke again, Benson and Rollins go to the Allen residence. Brooke says that she took private vocal lessons from Jackie for ten years, but stopped taking lessons recently. Then she alleges that she, too, was touched by Jackie when she was four, and now feels guilty that she didn't protect Jonah. Brooke says she discussed the matter with her friend Rachel Burns (Kara Hayward), Cooper's older sister.
Benson and Rollins visit Rachel, and Rollins notices that in the bathroom there is a bluebird-and-pink-flower stained-glass window above the bath tub, the way Cooper described it. Rollins asks Cooper if Jackie has ever been to his house before, and Cooper says no, that he's seen Jackie only at school.
While Rollins is talking to Cooper, Rachel tells Benson that Jackie touched her as a child, too. Benson and Rollins re-interview Cooper, and eventually he admits that Brooke told him to accuse Jackie of touching him.
Later, at SVU, Barba says, "Cooper was coached to lie by Brooke?" Benson says, "And it's most likely that Jonah was too. Cooper mixed up the details. He conflated his home bathroom with that of the school's." Cox says, "What about the other eight complainants? Brooke and Rachel coached them, too?"
Rollins says, "No, we're not saying that, but you know these mothers. They text with each other 24/7. I mean, a kid gets lice, everybody knows who it is within half an hour." Barba says, "But we're not talking about lice here." Now the discussion is about whether Brooke and Rachel were molested by Jackie at the age of four.
Benson and Rollins talk to Jackie and Linus at the jail. They know he taught Brooke and Rachel up until a couple of months ago, so Rollins asks why they left him. Jackie says, "They didn't leave me. I dropped them. The season was starting, and I had to choose who I was going to coach for American Diva. I went with Grace. To make it, you have to be really special, and those girls just really aren't."
Upon realizing that Brooke and Rachel are acting out of revenge, Benson sees that Jackie has been telling the truth all along. The egg was planted in Jackie's classroom, and Rachel confesses that the frame job was Brooke's idea.
The D.A. lets the girls take a plea for misdemeanor obstruction and receive one year's probation. The charges against Jackie are dropped, but his life has been ruined.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
- Danny Pino as Detective Nick Amaro
- Kelli Giddish as Detective Amanda Rollins
- Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
- Raúl Esparza as A.D.A. Rafael Barba
- Dann Florek as Captain Donald Cragen (credit only)
Recurring cast[]
- Jessica Phillips as Assistant Corporation Counsel Pippa Cox
- David Pittu as Defense Attorney Linus Tate
- Bill Irwin as Dr. Peter Lindstrom
- Alison Fernandez as Zara Amaro
- Sonia Manzano as Judge Gloria Pepitone
Guest cast[]
- Billy Porter as Jackie Walker
- Kelly Deadmon as Mrs. Allen
- Jennifer Roszell as Allison Burns
- Kara Hayward as Rachel Burns
- Hana Hayes as Brooke Allen
- Carly Rose Sonenclar as Grace Belsey
- Ben Livingston as Principal Dan Kenner
- Kevin Collins as Steven Allen
- Ashanti as Herself
- Clay Aiken as Himself
- Taylor Hicks as Himself
- Alex Bento as Cooper Burns
- Jake Katzman as Jonah Allen
- Dawn Yanek as TV Reporter
- Kimberly Stern as Grace's Mom
- Charlie Romanelli as Grace's Dad
- Madeline Hoarle as Emma
- Isabel Harper Leight as Charlotte
- Mason Schneiderman as William
References[]
Quotes[]
- Zara Amaro: Daddy, how do I get on "American Diva"?
- Nick Amaro: The same way you get to Carnegie Hall: practice.
- Zara Amaro: What? You're weird, daddy.
- Rollins: All I'm saying... we all know that Liv is working through some things and her judgment... I just think that she's pushing this one too hard.
- Amaro: I'm going to side with my partner here.
- Rollins: Of course you are.
- [about Jackie Walker during his arrangement]
- Benson: He can't make bail, seriously?
- Rollins: He was only on that show for a year. Before that, he was a music teacher.
- Benson: This is a classic predator move. He wants everyone to feel sorry for him. Nothing's his fault.
- Dr. Lindstrom: You've spent so much of your life taking care of others, yet this last week, I found myself thinking, all these sessions, you've never mentioned your parents.
- Benson: Hmm.
- Dr. Lindstrom: I couldn't help but wonder when you were a little girl, did someone take care of you?
- Barba: Cooper was coached to lie by Brooke?
- Benson: And it's most likely that Jonah was, too.
- Rollins: Cooper mixed up the details. He conflated his home bathroom with that of the school's.
- Pippa Cox: What about the other eight complainants? Brooke and Rachel coached them, too?
- Rollins: No, we're not saying that, but you know these mothers. They text with each other 24/7. I mean, a kid gets lice, everybody knows who it is within half an hour.
- Barba: But we're not talking about lice here.
- Rollins: I know that, but people get themselves all worked up and it ends up taking on a life of its own.
- Benson: [about Jackie Walker] Brooke and Rachel set him up. They coached their brothers to lie. I mean, that's hardball, even for teenagers.
- Rollins: Yeah, but Brooke's seen her mother play hardball in the divorce. I mean, kids, you think they're not paying attention. They don't miss anything.
- [when Brooke is being questioned by the detectives]
- Mrs. Allen: After all my family has been through? We will sue the city!
- Rollins: With false charges? Just like you threatened your husband?
- Mrs. Allen: Oh, how dare you? Why would my daughter do this?
- Tutuola: Because Jackie dropped her as a student. [to Brooke] He told you you weren't good enough for "American Diva."
- Brooke Allen: He dropped me, so what? Okay, I know how good I am, I know I'm going to be a star. My whole life, everybody's been telling me that. Okay, it's just a matter of time.
- Rollins: They've been telling you that your whole life? So it must have really sucked when you found out everybody was lying to you.
- Brooke Allen: That's not true! Okay, and I didn't do this to Jackie. Jackie did this to me. Mom, don't let them get away with this!
- Mrs. Allen: I won't, I won't. Let's go.
[she and Brooke get up to leave the room] - Tutuola: Ms. Allen?
- Mrs. Allen: Yes, what?
- Tutuola: You must be really proud of your daughter.
- Rollins: [to Jackie Walker] I know you don't want to hear any more apologies. I'm sorry.
- Jackie Walker: You're sorry? Is that supposed to make it right?
- Benson: I can't imagine...
- Jackie Walker: No, you can't.
- Rollins: Mr. Walker, if you want us to talk with the school...
- Jackie Walker: Haven't you done enough? You all dragged me into this. I told you from the beginning that I had nothing to do with it, that I was innocent and you didn't believe me. You wouldn't even listen to my side!
- Rollins: We will work hard to clear your name.
- Jackie Walker: Clear my name? My name is ruined. It was front page news when you charged me! You see any cameras out there today? I'll never teach again. My life is over.
- Barba: Mr. Walker...
- Jackie Walker: And those two girls. When do they get charged?
- Jackie Walker: The D.A. has agreed to let them take a plea. For misdemeanor obstruction, they'll do one year's probation. [Jackie scoffs]
- Rollins: Probation? Are you kidding me?
- Barba: We can't take this to trial. The girls won't testify against each other. The only way to make a case is to put two four-year-old boys on the stand to testify against their sisters. Those boys are damaged enough as it is.
- Jackie Walker: They're damaged? Heh. I see.
- Rollins: Mr. Walker...
- Jackie Walker: [holds his hand up] No! Get away from me. Just get away.
[walks off] - Benson: I keep going over it in my head. Those kids did not sound coached.
- Amaro: We had the DNA. We were just doing our job.
- Barba: People lie, people make mistakes, people get hurt. This comes with the territory.
- Rollins: No, you guys can keep telling yourselves whatever you want. This didn't have to happen.
Background information and notes[]
- The song Grace Belsey sings on American Diva is "For Once in My Life". The most famous version of the song was sung by Stevie Wonder.
- This episode has a few behind-the-scenes references to singing competitions:
- Clay Aiken and Taylor Hicks, appearing as judges on American Diva, were both contestants on the show American Idol.
- Carly Rose Sonenclar, who played Grace Belsey, was the runner-up on the second season of the American version of The X-Factor.
- Fin mentions "everyone loved Elmo too", referring to the firing of Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash from Sesame Street.
- This episode and the previous, "October Surprise", both have guest stars who were cast members of the original Broadway run of Kinky Boots: Annaleigh Ashford in the previous episode and Billy Porter in this one.
- 4-year-old Noah Allen is played by 8-year-old actor Jake Katzman. Cooper Burns, also 4, is portrayed by 7-year-old Alex Bento.
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Margaret Fuller School |
Child Advocacy Center |
Arraignment Court |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|
|
Allen Residence |
Visiting Room |
Dismissal Hearing |
| Previous episode: "October Surprise" |
"Dissonant Voices" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 15 |
Next episode: "Military Justice" |