| "Motherly Love" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 18.10 | → |
| Production number: 18011 First aired (US): 1 February 2017 First aired (UK): 12 March 2017 First aired (CAN): 1 February 2017 First aired (AUS): 8 April 2017 | ||
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| Written By Rick Eid & Julie Martin Directed By Mariska Hargitay | ||
Summary[]
When a teenage boy uses excessive force to stop someone from attacking his mother, the team realizes that the target was someone close to him.
Plot[]
A young man Luke went with his father for the weekend, but they fought and Luke decided to go back home with his mother. On the way back, Luke attempts to talk to his mother by calling her many times, but she never answered. When Luke arrived home he heard noises in the kitchen and got scared, so he called 911 and grab a rifle that his father gave him. Luke went down to the kitchen and saw his mother in a nightgown and a black man behind her. Until that moment, his mother realized that Luke was back and when she saw him, she began to yell "Help! He's raping me!" Luke reacted without looking at the man who supposedly was raping his mother and pulled the trigger, impacting directly to the man's head.
After that, Luke called the police realized that the rapist was his best friend Trey Franklin. Thereafter the SVU arrived, Olivia Benson, Fin Tutuola, Dominick Carisi and Amanda Rollins and began the investigation, questioning Luke's mother, Nicole.
The detectives go to the Franklin home, where the parents are distraught by their son's death and want justice. In contrast to what they were told, Trey was a good kid who made straight A's and was adjusted. However, they discover nude selfies exchanged between Nicole and Trey, that causes them to believe it was consensual relationship between the pair and they investigate more. It also turns out that Nicole may have been involved with another teenage friend of her son Ethan Miller, especially when he begs his father not to hate him after he gives his story. Nicole is brought in, but she denies all the claims and the detectives surmise she is lying.
Talking with Luke, it becomes apparent that he had no idea about either relationship. The detectives confer with Luke's father who is also a psychiatrist and he brings up Nicole's issues that caused their marriage to fail. He reveals how he failed to gain custody of his son, because Nicole manipulated the judge in her favor and how he never would have guessed that she would destroy her own son.
The detectives go to Barba with the evidence and after it is confirmed that Nicole previously slept with Trey upstairs, Barba orders for her arrest of statutory rape and murder. Nicole is arrested at her job and is taken to trial.
Outside the courthouse, Barba tells the gathered media that Nicole cried rape to cover her sexual deviance and he will ensure that she is charged for her role in Trey Franklin's death. This earns praise from the parents, who declare they desire justice for their son.
On the stand, Nicole continues to claim she was raped but Barba proceeds to poke holes in her story with evidence and contradictions to her words about Trey. When Nicole senses that the jury does not believe her, she requests to change her defense, to the shock of her lawyer, Barba, and the jury. She creates reasonable doubt by saying that Luke killed Trey because he had sexual feelings for her.
Eventually, Barba brings in Luke who testifies against his mother one last time, contradicting Nicole's story by saying she saw the gun and cried rape. As a result, Nicole is found guilty of murder in the second degree and rape of a minor in the third degree, and is sent to prison for life. Nicole makes one last plea to her son by voicing her love of him, but he turns away from her and is escorted out by his father. Nicole gives Benson a sarcastic congrats on turning her son against her. Benson tells Nicole that she did that herself and Nicole is taken away.
Barba consoles Benson, offering to get her a drink but she turns him down and states she just wants to be with her son at the moment to forget the case.
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[]
- Delaney Williams as Defense Attorney John Buchanan
- Jenna Stern as Judge Elana Barth
- Jason Bowen as Detective Marcus Perry
- Lauren Noble as Carmen
Guest cast[]
- Sarah Wynter as Dr. Nicole Keller
- Aaron Sanders as Luke Keller
- Gage Polchlopek as Ethan Miller
- Benton Greene as Charles Franklin
- Daniel Cosgrove as Dr. Daniel Keller
- Chantal Jean-Pierre as Regina Franklin
- Olivia Cassidy as Alexandra Handley
- Donald Dash as Trey Franklin
- Deirdre Madigan as Allison Avery
- Marc LeVasseur as Attorney Alan Schwartz
- Salma Shaw as Jury Foreperson
- Tim Pettolina as Male Patient
- Barbara Danicka as Stenographer
- Scott Mena as Courthouse Pedestrian
References[]
Quotes[]
- Benson: Detective Perry, Homicide?
- Det. Marcus Perry: Yeah.
- Benson: Lieutenant Benson, SVU.
- Det. Perry: Thanks for getting here so fast.
- Tutuola: So, what are we looking at?
- Det. Perry: DOA Is Trey Franklin, 15. Rifle shot to the head, close range.
- Benson: You said the shooter interrupted a rape?
- Det. Perry: Yeah. Luke Keller, also 15. Saw Franklin assaulting his mother, Nicole Keller - Dr. Nicole Keller, 45.
- Rollins: Did you keep them separated?
- Det. Perry: Yep. We secured the scene and the weapon, took the kid's initial statements. He's upstairs. The mother's in the living room.
- Benson: Okay, so we'll take the disclosure.
- Det. Perry: That's why I called you guys.
- Barba: What do we know about Trey Franklin?
- Benson: Only son of Charles and Regina Franklin. Father's an English professor. Mother is an oncology nurse. No priors. Good student. He started high school at Manor Hill in September.
- Barba: Rape kit?
- Benson: There's no semen. Jut a few minor abrasions.
- Barba: How long did the mother know Trey?
- Benson: A few months. She said she didn't mind her son being friends with Trey, but she had a bad feeling about him from the beginning. Whatever that means.
- Barba: Because he's black?
- Benson: No. I didn't get a sense that it was racial.
- Barba: And Luke. Do you believe his story?
- Carisi: I do. He's... he's taking this hard. He had no clue the alleged rapist was his friend.
- Barba: But firing the rifle was the only way to stop the assault?
- Carisi: He panicked. He was trying to scare whoever he thought it was away.
- Tutuola: Fifteen's a crazy age. Testosterone, impulses.
- Rollins: Yeah, but you don't just wake up one morning out of the blue and decide to rape your buddy's mom. I don't know. There's... there's something else going on here. I don't know. Everything here, though, looks good. There's no weed, no booze. The only thing wrong is maybe a couple of dirty socks.
- Tutuola: Check this out.
[showing her a pair of intimate pictures of Trey and Dr. Keller] - Rollins: That's the mother? Dr. Keller?
- Tutuola: Definitely more wrong here than dirty socks.
- Benson: Imagine our surprise.
- Dr. Nicole Keller: Imagine my surprise. I had a sense Trey was stalking me, but now I know.
- Benson: You had a sense Trey was stalking you? Well, that's very different from having a bad feeling.
- Nicole Keller: I wasn't sure, but I am now.
- Benson: That's you in the photo, correct?
- Nicole Keller: Yes! Eyes closed. Asleep. Unaware this adult teenager was taking pictures.
- Benson: You mind if we take a look around?
- Nicole Keller: Of course not.
- Benson: [heading upstairs] So, just to be clear, you're saying that Trey walked up these stairs, he hopped onto your bed while you were sleeping, and he took these photos.
- Nicole Keller: Well, that's the only thing that makes sense.
- Rollins: No, there are other plausible explanations.
- Benson: Do you always sleep naked?
- Dr. Nicole Keller: Sometimes. Sometimes I sleep in a nightgown. Sometimes I sleep in a Rolling Stones t-shirt. Are you suggesting I had sex with that boy?
- Benson: Oh, I'm not suggesting anything. I'm simply asking why you and Trey were in bed together naked.
- Benson: Dr. Keller, the night of the shooting, you were upstairs here in your bedroom, in your nightgown. Trey was downstairs in the family room and nobody else was in the house?
- Dr. Keller: That's correct.
- Rollins: And he didn't try and sneak up here into your room?
- Dr. Keller: I'm sorry, lieutenant. I... I think it's best if you and your colleague here leave. I'm sensing some underlying hostility and it's making me very uncomfortable.
- Benson: Yeah? And the naked selfies of you and Trey are making me very uncomfortable.
- Tutuola: We need to talk to you down at the station.
- Dr. Nicole Keller: I already told you everything I know.
- Tutuola: Yeah? Well, we talked to Ethan Miller. You know him, right?
- Dr. Keller: Sure. He's a friend of Luke's.
- Benson: He said that you sexually assaulted him ten times. Maybe eleven.
- Dr. Keller: That's preposterous.
- Benson: Then you moved on to Trey. Ethan got upset, punched him. They both got suspended from school.
- Dr. Keller: They're kids. They fantasize about older women. It's a natural, healthy fantasy.
- Benson: Nope. There's nothing natural or healthy about statutory rape. Let's go. You're coming with us.
- Benson: Were you having a sexual relationship with Trey Franklin prior to the night he was shot and killed?
- Dr. Nicole Keller: Like I've been trying to tell you, he was obsessed with me.
- Tutuola: That's a yes?
- Dr. Keller: It's an absolute, unequivocal no.
- Tutuola: What about Ethan? That's an absolute, unequivocal no, too?
- Dr. Keller: Correct.
- Benson: So Ethan was lying?
- Dr. Keller: Of course he's lying!
- Benson: Okay. Well, when he told me what happened, he started to cry. And then he turned to his father and he begged him not to hate him. We have a believable fifteen year old boy in there who is claiming that you sexually assaulted him and Trey Franklin.
- Tutuola: Making things worse, Trey is dead.
- Benson: Because you told your son that he was raping you, when, in fact, you were raping him.
- Dr. Keller: You're making this up.
- Benson: The sooner you tell us the truth, the better this is gonna be for you. And more importantly, Luke.
- Dr. Keller: Don't you presume to tell me what's best for my son.
- Benson: I'm not presuming anything. I'm just stating facts.
- Dr. Keller: My understanding of the law is unless I'm under arrest, I'm free to go. I'll be calling my lawyer.
- Benson: That's your right. We'll be in touch. I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about.
- Tutuola: [Nicole leaves] She's a stone cold liar.
- Benson: A psychiatrist who's abusing teenage boys, emotionally damaging her own son. That is deeper than lying, man. That is pathological.
- Benson: I want to track her phone. I need to vet Ethan's story.
- Tutuola: She's smart. And a liar like that, she covers her tracks.
- Benson: That's why we need hard evidence that she cannot lie her way out of. But first we need to make absolutely sure that Luke had no prior knowledge of what was going on with his mother and Trey.
- Benson: Dr. Keller, is there anything in Nicole's past or your relationship that might help explain this... this type of behavior?
- Dr. Daniel Keller: She is a malignant narcissist, probably borderline. [seeing Benson's surprise] I'm a psychiatrist, as well.
- Benson: So this lying, manipulating, abusive pattern of behavior's been going on for a long time?
- Dr. Daniel Keller: Since the day I met her. Nicole is like the best and worst woman you've ever met wrapped in one.
- Rollins: Yeah, we've been getting that.
- Dr. Keller: Well, when we first met, she's... she's charming. She's brilliant. But gradually, her sickness began to reveal itself.
- Benson: How do you mean?
- Dr. Keller: Look, with Nicole... this woman truly believes that she's special. That she deserves this unique and constant admiration. She lacks compassion, empathy. Yet at the same time, she is remarkably fragile. She has no true sense of self, and I... I just... I couldn't take it.
- Benson: So you left her.
- Dr. Keller: Yes. Yes. Look, but I tried to make it work. I... I couldn't.
- Rollins: You just let Luke stay there, live with her, knowing Nicole has all these issues?
- Dr. Keller: No. Look, I fought like hell for custody, but the judge sided with her, because, I'm telling you, this woman, she is incredibly charming and persuasive. I never thought she'd destroy her own son. Just tell me you're not gonna charge Luke with a crime.
- Benson: Your ex-wife is the criminal here. We're gonna speak with the ADA.
- Benson: I don't think that Luke intentionally shot Trey. He truly believes that his mother was being assaulted.
- Carisi: I agree. Counselor, look. Luke had no clue that his mother was using his friends sexually. He just happened to walk in. I mean, if he hadn't gotten into an argument with his father that night, he never would've been there in the first place. Nicole is the one who's lying, not Luke.
- Rollins: [looking at her phone] And this proves it. Lab results are back. Traces of fresh semen were found on a towel in Nicole's bedroom upstairs. DNA matches Trey's.
- Barba: She said Trey was upstairs that night?
- Benson: We asked her point blank and she denied it.
- Barba: Arrest her.
- Benson: Statutory rape?
- Barba: Oh, I'm thinking a lot more than that.
- Dr. Nicole Keller: First you lie to my son. Now you harass me in my place of business?
- Benson: Stop talking. You're under arrest.
- Dr. Keller: On what charges?
- Benson: Third degree rape of a minor.
- Dr. Keller: I'm the victim here.
- Benson: And murder.
- Dr. Keller: Murder? I didn't murder anyone.
- Tutuola: [handcuffing her] Look, lady. Turn around. Come on.
- Benson: Get her out of here.
- Barba: Poor kid doesn't know whether to hate her or love her.
- Benson: It's hard to give up on your mother, no matter how sick she may be.
- Barba: Trey showed up at your house at 9:00 at night. Your son wasn't home, but you let him in anyway?
- Dr. Keller: I felt empathy for his turbulent home life.
- Barba: You kept telling the police that - "his turbulent home life" - even though his parents are happily married and he's a straight-A student.
- Dr. Keller: Grades are not indicative of psychological or emotional problems.
- Barba: Yeah, we're not interested in your psychobabble for the moment, but thank you so much for sharing.
- Dr. Daniel Keller: Luke wants to plead guilty.
- Carisi: Guilty? Guilty of what?
- Dr. Keller: Murder. But he can't even do that, right? You gave him immunity.
- Barba: Qualified immunity.
- Carisi: Listen, if he changes his story now, he starts lying to protect his mother, that deal, that goes away.
- Barba: The judge may very well accept his plea.
- Benson: Dr. Keller, this makes no sense. What exactly is Luke saying?
- Dr. Keller: He now believes he deliberately shot Trey, that deep down he knew his mother was screwing his friend.
- Benson: She's spinning him upside down.
- Barba: She wants him to go to prison?
- Dr. Keller: In her deluded mind, Luke is responsible for what happened, for her shame. He is the enemy, so taking him down, that's gonna make her feel whole again.
- Barba: Even if it means convincing her son he's responsible for a murder he didn't commit?
- Benson: Well, we can't let her do that, so, Mr. Keller, where is Luke now? I'd like to talk to him.
- Benson: So, Luke, I know that you want to help your mother, but you can't plead guilty.
- Luke Keller: Why? I'm the one who shot Trey.
- Benson: Because she begged for your help. You told that to me and Detective Carisi a dozen times, Luke. You were trying to save her life.
- Luke Keller: Yeah, I know, but I knew she liked Trey, and she was always real talkative when he was around.
- Benson: Did you ever see the two of them together, physically?
- Luke Keller: No.
- Benson: Okay.
- Luke Keller: What my mother said about me - you know, watching - that's a lie.
- Benson: I know that.
- Luke Keller: But I did hear her say that Trey was really handsome once, so maybe I did know, and I just didn't know that I knew.
- Benson: Luke, listen to me. What your mother did to Trey and what she did to Ethan, that's a crime. It's called statutory rape.
- Luke Keller: I was trying to save her.
- Benson: I know that. And you are a good son. And you are a very brave person.
- Luke Keller: I shot Trey. That makes me a killer.
- Benson: Look at me. You didn't intend to kill Trey. You know that. I know that. And your mother knows that. Your mother told me the hunting story. That... that you had a deer right in your sights, and you couldn't pull the trigger because you couldn't kill a living, breathing animal. That's who you are. And it's not your job to sacrifice your life for hers.
- Nicole Keller: Congratulations, Lieutenant. You convinced my son I'm the devil.
- Benson: No, Nicole. You did that yourself.
- Barba: You okay? Look, he's a strong kid. He'll be fine.
- Benson: You really believe that?
- Barba: Can I buy you a drink?
- Benson: No, thanks. I, uh... I got to go home to see Noah. I got to... I just want to be with my boy.
Background Information and Notes[]
- This episode was originally intended to be the 400th episode to be aired, but it instead aired as the 399th episode due to the shelving of "Unstoppable". It is still the 400th episode to be produced. The following episode "Great Expectations" aired as the 400th episode, but the trailer still promoted this episode as the 400th episode to be aired.
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Mercy Hospital |
Office of |
Residence of |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|
|
Manor Hill Academy |
Office of |
Supreme Court |
| 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|
|
Supreme Court |
Supreme Court |
Supreme Court |
| Previous episode: "Decline and Fall" |
"Motherly Love" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 |
Next episode: "Great Expectations" |