| "Fashionable Crimes" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 17.20 | → |
| Production number: 17020 First aired (US): 4 May 2016 First aired (UK): 5 June 2016 First aired (CAN): 4 May 2016 First aired (AUS): 14 July 2016 | ||
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| Written By Penelope Koechl & Jill Lorie Hurst Directed By Martha Mitchell | ||
Summary[]
A young model is raped by a renowned fashion house photographer, who looks to his successful brother to make the charges disappear.
Plot[]
17-year-old Sally Landry claims that she was raped by Alvin Gilbert, who is a famous fashion photographer. Sally's boyfriend, Matt Kroger, is also her agent, and he seems a bit too controlling, and a bit on the jealous side. The SVU looks into a victim from 12 years ago, and Munch is brought into the investigation because he worked on that case. While Alvin has been on Munch and Fin's radar for some time, they've never been able to make a case against him. No model is willing to testify against Alvin, because the career of anyone who testifies against him will be ended, so the only one they have who will testify is Sally.
But Matt's behavior causes Sally to change her mind about testifying against Alvin. Carisi and Sgt. Dodds go to talk to Alvin and his successful fashion designer brother Benno, and they find that Matt went to Alvin and Benno with a gun, and threatened them. They gave Matt $50,000 in exchange for him to consult, and that means that Sally can't testify, because it would ruin the deal. Later, Alvin is killed in an alley behind a building that a fashion show was taking place in. It turns out that Benno killed Alvin, because he was tired of cleaning up Alvin's messes whenever Alvin was accused of preying on a model and fears that his arrest could ruin their business.
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[]
- Richard Belzer as DA Investigator John Munch
- Andy Karl as Sergeant Mike Dodds
- Hari Dhillon as Defense Attorney Sunil Varma
- Stephen C. Bradbury as Judge Colin McNamara
- Jack Nawada-Braunwart as Noah Porter-Benson
Guest Cast[]
- Griffin Dunne as Benno Gilbert
- Sandrine Holt as Nora Wattan
- Francesca Faridany as Claire Gilbert
- Tom Pelphrey as Matt Kroger
- Virginia Gardner as Sally Landry
- Fisher Stevens as Alvin Gilbert
- Jonathan Bock as Attorney Jason Gruber
- Erinn Ruth as Maria Carla Channing
- Sadie Newman as Eva
- Jandra Dee as Tilda
- Mick Szal as Mai
- Bethany Barber as Cintra
- Germar Terrell Gardner as Security Guard
References[]
Quotes[]
- Benson: How was the training at Quantico?
- Dodds: I can neither confirm nor deny I was there.
- Benson: Okay.
- Dodds: Sorry I left you guys in the lurch.
- Tutuola: We managed.
- [SVU interrupts a photo shoot]
- Claire Gilbert: Officers, this has to wait. We're prepping our show. We have an IPO looming. These are our investors.
- Benson: Ma'am, that's none of our concern.
- Dodds: I ran Matt Kroger through the system. Domestic violence, assault charges.
- Benson: Why am I not surprised?
- Dodds: Look, I know we're supposed to take every vic's story at face value, but what if this gets spun that Sally consented with Alvin to help her career?
- Benson: And she's claiming rape to avoid a beatdown from Matt.
- Dodds: Yeah.
- Benson: That's why we need a controlled meet.
- Dodds: With Alvin? He just assaulted her. You think she can handle that?
- Benson: No. No, I don't.
- Benson: Alvin Gilbert lawyered up en route. It's not his first time at the rodeo.
- Barba: Nope. There's stories about him all over town. The guy preys on young models, and his brother Benno's the fixer.
- Benson: Well, his assistant Nora facilitated. She took photos. TARU's going through his camera and SD cards.
- Barba: Uh-huh. I'm surprised it's gotten this far. The house of Gilbert, they're masters at image control.
- Dodds: Pictures are in.
- Dodds: [Dodds hands her a tablet] Finally.
- Barba: Ugh.
- Benson: She looks terrified.
- Barba: Or they'll say that's the campaign. "When fear becomes obsession".
- Benson: Seriously?
- Barba: I have to tell you about rape culture?
- Dodds: That's not an ad campaign. This is a girl being assaulted.
- Benson: Look, Barba's right. They're just gonna claim that this was staged. Is this enough to arrest?
- Barba: I'd like more, but if we don't indict, he hops on a jet to France and doesn't come back 'till Sally gets paid off.
- Benson: Nora Wattan, stand up. You're under arrest.
- Nora Wattan: Me? Because I gave a girl a drink?
- Rollins: [handcuffing her] For starters. Turn around.
- Benson: And you facilitated her assault. In New York, that's rape in the first.
- Barba: I've got 120 hours to indict. Get me more for the grand jury.
- Dodds: Fin is trying to track down the model that accused Alvin twelve years ago.
- Barba: Tell Fin to hurry it up.
- Barba: If Miss Wattan will testify about Alvin's assault, we can talk about withdrawing her rape charge.
- Nora Wattan: That was not an assault. That was a creative collaboration; fear, lust, release, capturing primal emotions.
- Benson: Okay, I get it. You've been Alvin's muse.
- Jason Gruber: She's his associate.
- Benson: But you're not seeing him for who he is.
- Nora Wattan: on't patronize me. Alvin is a genius. I would never betray him, and neither will any model in this city.
- Benson: Well, I hope you're right, 'cause we're gonna be talking to all of them.
- Benson: Three days, two dozen interviews. At least half of these models admit to being pressured into sex.
- Tutuola: None of them will testify.
- Barba: What about the woman from 12 years ago?
- Munch: That story has a happy ending. She's pimping for him now.
- [Sally has chosen not to testify for the grand jury]
- Rollins: Does anyone actually believe Sally is the one making this decision? Matt's obviously pulling her strings.
- Benson: Sally is his meal ticket. The Gilberts must've made Sally an offer that Matt couldn't refuse.
- Barba: Witness tampering? That's tough to prove.
- Benson: Well, unless you have a better idea, that's all I got.
- Jason Gruber: When there's no case, there's no case.
- Beosn: Well, actually, Nora has admitted to serving Sally, a minor, drinks.
- Jason Gruber: Oh, please.
- Barba: And what should be more troubling to her legal team, Nora has admitted to taking photos of Sally having sex with Alvin.
- Jason Gruber: Consensual sex.
- Barba: She's seventeen. And while New York may not be able to press charges, according to the feds, that constitutes child pornography.
- Nora Wattan: [to Gruber] Is that true?
- Barba: He knows it is. Punishable by five years for each image.
- Benson: Alvin. It's the first time he's been arrested. The Gilberts protect their own. You're not his wife, you're not his family. You're the hired help.
- Barba: He was shot once in the chest, once in the groin?
- Benson: Well, the M.E. thought that the shot in the groin was first.
- Barba: Of course it was. Somebody wanted Alvin to have a couple seconds to think about who shot him and what his life would be like without his pecker.
- Dodds: No GSR on Matt's hand. Wrong gun. So we just let him go?
- Benson: No, not until I talk to Sally; maybe get an OOP for her.
- Barba: You're worried about what he might do?
- Benson: Oh, I know what he'll do.
- Barba: Then I'll hold him on the gun charge, make sure he does time on that.
- Benson: Thank you.
- Benson: Right there when Alvin turns around, the look on his face when he sees the shooter.
- Dodds: He knows him. He's not afraid of him.
- Tutuola: [his phone chimes] Unis found a gun on the roof, a .357 Magnum.
- Benson: .357? That's old school.
- Tutuola: Yeah, it is. Just like Alvin's.
- Barba: Wha... Alvin was shot with his own gun?
- Benson: Maybe. By someone he knew. By someone he was happy to see.
- Dodds: We got this all wrong. It's not the guy who was shaking Alvin down.
- Benson: It's the guy who's been cleaning up his messes.
- Munch: [to Olivia about Noah] I've been teaching him an important life lesson: be anti-authority.
- Benson: Oh what a surprise!
Background information and notes[]
- This marks the final appearance of Richard Belzer as Sergeant John Munch before his passing on 19 February 2023.
- The song playing during the opening photo shoot is "Do What U Want" by Lady Gaga featuring R. Kelly. Due to the accusations of sexual misconduct and assault against R. Kelly, Gaga had that version of the song removed from streaming services and digital music stores. Kelly's verse is not heard during the episode; a solo version of the song with just Gaga and a remix of the song featuring Christina Aguilera replacing Kelly are still available.
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Mercy Hospital |
Howell Hotel |
Arraignment Court |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|
|
Maria Carla |
Apartment of |
Office of |
| Previous episode: "Sheltered Outcasts" |
"Fashionable Crimes" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 |
Next episode: "Assaulting Reality" |