| "No Surrender" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 18.12 | → |
| Production number: 18010 First aired (US): 22 February 2017 First aired (UK): 26 March 2017 First aired (CAN): 22 February 2017 First aired (AUS): 20 April 2017 | ||
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| Written By Gavin Harris & Kinan Copen Directed By Stephanie A. Marquardt | ||
Summary[]
Fin revisits his former military precinct when an Army Ranger has trouble recuperating from a sexual assault.
Plot[]
Captain Beth Williams, the first female Army Ranger, leaves a friend's party early to participate in a clandestine MMA fight. After beating several male opponents she wins $5,000 prize money. After leaving the fight she is ambushed and raped in a park.
SVU's initial suspects include one of her opponents in the MMA fight, and an online troll who doesn't believe women should participate in violent sports. Both are eventually cleared. Williams also reveals the prize money was to pay for medical treatments for her mother.
Beth struggles with feelings of guilt, believing she dishonored the Rangers and her country. Her commanding officer pushes to have her identity remain a secret and tries to hurry her back onto a publicity tour, both against Benson's advice.
The squad uncovers that Beth broke up with her fiancé Mickey at the party and realize he committed the rape. They find Williams attacking Mickey, who is subsequently arrested. Benson warns Beth that she could face charges herself for taking matters into her own hands.
When Beth fails to show up for Mickey's arraignment, Benson tracks her down and finds her still suffering from the rape. Beth thinks she's no longer a role model since she was raped; Benson convinces her that the assault doesn't have to define her and that she needs to be a leader for other survivors. The episode concludes with Beth giving a press conference identifying herself and trying to move forward.
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 (credit only)
Recurring cast[]
- Steve Rosen as Public Defender Michael Guthrie
- Stephen C. Bradbury as Judge Colin McNamara
- Betsy Aidem as Dr. Sloane
Guest cast[]
- Sarah Booth as Captain Beth Williams
- Ryan Metcalf as Mickey Reid
- Brian George Johnson as George Fortino
- Kris Eivers as Gary Cook
- Joe Holt as Major Robert Dantley
- Franky G as José Marquez
- Leslie Lyles as Sylvia Williams
- Perry Yung as Master Randy Lui
- Joe Hansard as Kevin Collins
- Chris LaPanta as General Brad Fuller
- Jane Fergus as Newscaster
- Babs Winn as Female Party Guest
- Thomas Grube as Male Party Guest
- Camari Brown as Jogger
References[]
Quotes[]
- Benson: Fin, what do we got?
- Tutuola: Vic's name is Beth Williams. That jogger found her. She's in bad shape. She can barely talk.
- Benson: You said she was sexually assaulted?
- Tutuola: It looked that way. Her skirt was torn, her underwear was pulled down. She had blunt force trauma to the back of the head.
- Benson: And what else do we know about her?
- Tutuola: Uni found her military ID. She's a captain in the United States Army.
- Benson: You're kidding me.
- Tutuola: I looked her up. [handing her his phone] She's a Ranger; best of the best. That's why I called you, Liv. I thought you'd want to be early on this.
- Benson: "Captain Beth Williams, 26. Born and raised in Queens. First woman to graduate Ranger school. Three tours in Iraq. Earned a Silver Star." So a local girl makes good, and this is her welcome home present.
- Captain Beth Williams: Good afternoon. As you know, Michael Reid was just indicted for rape. I instructed the court to not refer to the victim as Jane Doe. I feel it is my duty to step forward, to tell the world the truth. My name is Captain Beth Williams. On January 8th, I was raped. This does not lessen my ability or worth as a soldier. It will not define me. It will not break me. I'm not ashamed of what happened. I stand here with one mission only: to encourage other survivors of sexual assault to do the same. There is only honor in being a survivor.
Background Information and Notes[]
- A rape suspect uses the online handle "Superman78". 1978 is the year Superman: The Movie was released.
- Benson mentions her extensive work helping rape victims, Mariska Hargitay actually is a trained rape crisis counsellor. She was inspired to pursue her certification, and founded the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004, after she began receiving mail from fans disclosing, many for the first time, that they were survivors of sexual assault and/or abuse.
- When Fin tells Captain Williams that he was also a Ranger, she says "sua sponte". Latin for "of [one's] own accord", the phrase is the Rangers' motto, and refers to their ability to accomplish tasks with little to no prompting.
- Ice-T was in the Army from October 1977 to December 1979. He was an infantry man, but he wasn't a Ranger.
- Goof: When Captain Williams is seen in the first few minutes, it's mentioned that she was awarded the "Silver Star". It is seen on her uniform in the appropriate position. She wears the Silver Star, Army Commendation, and Army Achievement ribbons in the top row. In the closing scenes, the Silver Star is gone. She is only wearing the Commendation and Aceivement ribbons in the top row.
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Columbus Memorial |
492 West 35th Steeet |
Warrior Martial Arts |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|
|
Office of Major Robert Dantley |
Arraignment Court |
Fort Hamilton Army Base |
| Previous episode: "Great Expectations" |
"No Surrender" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 18 |
Next episode: "Genes" |