| "Melancholy Pursuit" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 17.08 | → |
| Production number: 17008 First aired (US): 11 November 2015 First aired (UK): 6 December 2015 First aired (CAN): 11 November 2015 First aired (AUS): 31 March 2016 | ||
 | ||
| Teleplay By Warren Leight & Julie Martin Story By Brianna Yellen & Samantha Corbin-Miller Directed By Michael Pressman | ||
SVU's search for a missing teen leads to a DNA-matching hunt with surprising results.
Summary[]
The hunt for a missing teenage girl takes an emotional toll on Sgt. Dodds, and DNA evidence becomes a crucial lead in finding the girl's abductor.
Plot[]
SVU investigates the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl named Lily. At first, Dodds believes that Lily simply ran away from home, but when they track her debit card, Lily's body is discovered.
When the DNA on Lily is tested, the detectives learn that Lily's murderer was likely a relative. SVU interviews a man named Brendan (a relative whose DNA is in the system) and they ask him for a list of male family members, but they learn that Brendan is adopted and his birth father, Ray Marino, died five years ago.
Carisi and Dodds interrogate Ray's two sons from a previous relationship, but their DNA doesn't match despite the fact that the killer is related to them. After exhuming Ray's body and his DNA is tested, the detectives learn that Ray has multiple children from affairs that his widow was unaware of.
SVU change their strategy by having most of Ray's possible children do a breathalyzer test and match the DNA. This proves successful and it is revealed his son Gary works as a delivery driver.
In the end, it's revealed that Gary is responsible for murdering Lily but he confessed to it being an accident and has shown great guilt. Once the case is solved, Dodds can't help but feel guilt over what happened.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Mariska Hargitay as Lieutenant Olivia Benson
- Kelli Giddish as Detective Amanda Rollins (credit only)
- Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
- Peter Scanavino as Detective Dominick Carisi, Jr.
- Raúl Esparza as A.D.A. Rafael Barba (credit only)
Recurring Cast[]
- Andy Karl as Sergeant Mike Dodds
- Tamara Tunie as M.E. Melinda Warner
- Bradley Dubow as Noah Porter-Benson
Guest Cast[]
- Ali Wentworth as Shari Parker
- Angelica Page as Mrs. Evans
- Ross Gibby as Patrick Evans
- Brian Avers as George Marino
- Nick Cordero as Robby Marino
- Jonathan Judge-Russo as Gary Ryan
- Joanna Bonaro as Camille Marino
- Carolee Carmello as Jeannie Miller
- Alice Barrett Mitchell as Stella Blanchard
- Pilar Witherspoon as Helen Ryan
- David Dean Bottrell as Stan the Homeless Man
- Lorenzo Pisoni as Brendan Cahill
- Alexandra Wentworth as Lady in Park
- Pedro Morillo as Diego
- Matthew Schechter as Peter Best
- Tony White as Cleon Johnson
- Sam Gedymin as Kyle
References[]
- Episode references
Quotes[]
- [Carisi shows a picture of a man on Lily Evans' iPad]
- Mrs. Evans: That's not one that Lily knows! I'm sure.
- Mike Dodds: How about we track him down and ask?
- Benson: We got the guy, Dodds. In cases like this, that's as good as it ever gets.
- Benson: Paperwork can wait.
- Dodds: Yeah. Lily's parents... they're never gonna get over this, are they?
- Benson: Losing a child? No.
- Dodds: You have a kid. That's gotta make this job harder.
- Benson: Yeah, it does. You know, Dodds, I'm gonna tell you something that I wish somebody had told me after my first tough case.
- Benson: Go home, talk to somebody you love and don’t make this job your whole life.
Background information and notes[]
- This is the last episode in which Bradley Dubow portrays Noah Benson.
- This episode appears to have been ripped from the headline of the kidnapping and murder of Yara Gambirasio. On November 26, 2010, thirteen-year-old Yara Gambirasio disappeared on her way home from the gym in Brembate di Sopra, Bergamo, Italy. Three months later, Yara's lifeless body was found in a field several miles away from Brembate, she had been bludgeoned, stabbed repeatedly, and left to die from hypothermia. DNA found on the body led authorities to bus driver Giuseppe Guerinoni, who had died in 1999. It was eventually discovered that Guerinoni had an extramarital affair that resulted in an out-of-wedlock child: Massimo Giuseppe Bossetti. Bossetti's DNA was obtained from a breathalyzer test, and was matched to the one that was retrieved from the body. Bossetti was arrested in 2014, and convicted in 2016. His conviction was confirmed by the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Cassation (the supreme court in Italy's judiciary).
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Tau Omega Fraternity House |
2347 12th Avenue |
791 West 135th Street |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|
|
Lobster Box Restaurant |
Holy Trinity Cemetery |
15 Eastchester Street |
| 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|
|
Adrien & Beau Boutique |
NYPD Checkpoint |
Hudson Beverages |
| Previous episode: "Patrimonial Burden" |
"Melancholy Pursuit" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 |
Next episode: "Depravity Standard" |