| "Ritual" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 5.14 | → |
| Production number: E4406 First aired: 3 February 2004 | ||
 | ||
| Written By Christos N. Gage & Ruth Fletcher Gage Directed By Ed Bianchi | ||
Plot[]
When a 7-year-old boy is found murdered in what appears to be a Santeria-like ritual, the SVU squad discovers that the boy was smuggled to New York from Nigeria. Fin & Munch soon discover that the boy's sister is a slave at a white elderly rich woman's home, it is also discovered that the kids were part of a Nigerian smuggling ring. Its eventually discovered that the boy was a sex slave and the man who was using him, murdered him and covered it up as his wife had no idea about his habit. The police manage to hunt down the rest of the shipment of slaves and rescue them, but they have been abandoned by the smugglers to die. The boy's killer is later arrested and in exchange for not being given the death penalty, he gives the police the name of Martin Bosa, the smuggler responsible. With the help of a Nigerian diplomat, Fin tries to catch him in the act, but he catches on and flees. Fin captures Martin, beating him in the process. After threatening to have him sent back to Nigeria for his execution by firing squad, Martin reveals the location of his final slave shipment and the police intercept it and rescue the children.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler
- Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
- Richard Belzer as Detective John Munch
- Diane Neal as A.D.A. Casey Novak
- Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
- B.D. Wong as Dr. George Huang (credit only)
- Dann Florek as Captain Donald Cragen
Recurring cast[]
- Mike Doyle as C.S.U Technician Ryan O'Halloran
- Peter Hermann as Defense Attorney Trevor Langan
- Tamara Tunie as M.E. Melinda Warner
Guest cast[]
- Michael Emerson as Allan Shaye
- Barry Shabaka Henley as Asante Odufemi
- Trini Alvarado as Maggie Shaye
- Sullivan Walker as Martin Bosa
- Malika Samuel as Na'imah Haruna
- Susan Blommaert as Judge Rebecca Steinman
- Erika Alexander as Kema Mabuda
- Diane Kagan as Marion Laymon
- Abraham Alvarez as Roberto Martinez
- Bill Cohen as Agent Bruce Bigelow
- Susan Willis as Rose Kern
- Stan Carp as Warehouse Site Manager
- Guy Whitlock as Jimmy
- Wayne Kasserman as Hal
- Martha Hawley as Laymon Housekeeper
- Jeanne Simpson as Katie
- George Bass as Ramon
- Jane Nichols as Mrs. Martinson
- Kayte Grace as Kayte
- Cole Hawkins as Kwasi
- Nia Soyemi as Girl #1
References[]
- England
- Ajani Haruna (victim)
- Benin City
- ICE
- Abraham Lincoln
- Martinez Imports
- Morocco
- Nepal
- Nigeria
- Kirikiri Prison
- Paul Sandig
- Monica Johnson
Quotes[]
- Novak: A 7-year-old boy is dead. Someone cut his throat, hung him up, and bled him like a pig.
- Bruce Bigelow: All the kids are safe...
- Benson: So our kid's gotta be illegal.
- Bigelow: Huh, not surprising - the third largest moneymaker for organized crime in the US, after drugs and guns, is the sale of human beings...
- Stabler: You mean worldwide...
- Bigelow: I mean the United States.
- Stabler: Police, please come with us.
- Marion Laymon: I'll do no such thing!
- Tutuola: Sure you will, or we'll haul your ass out of here.
- Trevor Langan: My client wants to clear up this misunderstanding...
- Stabler: This is no "misunderstanding" - your client had a slave!
- Tutuola: [to Mrs. Laymon] Look, lady, I don't give a damn what you and your damn friends do. Slavery is a federal crime. Now you're gonna be spending the next ten years in lock down. That's not the Junior League. Cooperate with us, we'll put in a good word for you with the feds. If you don't, I guarantee you're not gonna like the dress code in the joint.
- Tutuola: Ajani's sister kept her doll in a beaded pouch. Where's the pouch to this one?
- Benson: That's why God invented search warrants.
- [when Shaye denies being the killer, despite the strong evidence against him]
- Stabler: So this is all just one crazy cosmic coincidence. You just happen to buy a tribal artifact just like the one worn by the dead boy's sister; your wife buys a candle like the one that was right next to his body? [pause] Professor, I'm not that bright - you're the educated guy here - would *you* buy that coincidence?
- Allan Shaye: [very sarcastically] Yes. Because... *that's what happened.*
- Shaye: My wife was coming home - you think I wanted her to find the place looking like a bachelor pad?
- Stabler: I'll tell you what I think, pervert: I think your wife surprised you by coming home early, so you had to get rid of Ajani fast, but you couldn't risk just dropping him off somewhere, because he might be able to finger you. So you murdered him, and you made it look like a religious ritual...You can't hide from me behind your fancy education. I smell you...you're nothing but a skell who gets his rocks off screwin' little boys.
- [finding a large crate at a murder scene]
- Munch: I hope this isn't what I think it is.
- Tutuola: [pries it open] It's a box.
[lifts the lid, they both turn their heads in disgust]
Call the medical examiner.
- Shaye: How much longer are you gonna hold me?
- Cragen: You'll be leaving soon - for Death Row.
- Novak: [to Alan Shaye] You have two choices, cooperate, and face life in prison, or don't, and you get a lethal injection.
- Tutuola: Take good care of them. They're a long way from home.
Background information and notes[]
- "Elgin Marbles" is mispronounced. The G is not pronounced as in Gin but as in Glasgow.
- Asante Odufemi refers to the orisha Yamaja as "Yamaya", which suggests that he is originally from Cuba.
- Allan Shaye's statement that "nobody's been executed in New York State in 40 years" is curious in light of the central event of the Law & Order episode "Aftershock", as well as the events surrounding the episodes "Savages" and "Bad Girl", where the characters of Paul Sandig and Monica Johnson were executed for shooting of a detective and a police officer. (The statement was accurate in real life - New York State's last execution took place in 1963.)
- When Marion Laymon is at the charity event, the names mentioned by Mrs. Martinson are all SVU crew members: Nancy Forner (an editor), Karen Stern (another editor), Sheyna Smith (one of the producers), and Allison Intrieri (one of the researchers).
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Martinez Imports |
Kern Street Apartments |
Office of |
Immigration and Customs |
Administration for |
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
ACS Children's Center |
Maggie Shaye Gallery |
Shaye Residence |
Freddy's Diner |
| Previous episode: "Hate" |
"Ritual" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 5 |
Next episode: "Families" |