| "Spiraling Down" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 13.10 | → |
| Production number: 13010 First aired (US): 7 December 2011 First aired (UK): 13 May 2012 First aired (CAN): 7 December 2011 First aired (AUS): 22 March 2012 | ||
 | ||
| Written By John P. Roche & Warren Leight Directed By Alex Chapple | ||
When a legendary football star is arrested on prostitution charges, attorney Bayard Ellis centers the defense on his client's mental state, causing a media firestorm.
Summary[]
A military colleague of Detective Amaro's wife reports his 14-year-old daughter missing. The detectives find the girl working as a prostitute under a possessive pimp. They quickly set up a sting operation to entrap Johns on rape charges with a minor, and arrest aging pro quarterback Jake Stanton. Detective Benson and ADA Cabot seek to make an example out of the football legend, but the case is thrown into chaos with the return of defense attorney Bayard Ellis, who questions Stanton's mental capacity after years of injuries on the field.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
- Danny Pino as Detective Nick Amaro
- Kelli Giddish as Detective Amanda Rollins
- Richard Belzer as Sergeant John Munch (credit only)
- Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
- Dann Florek as Captain Donald Cragen
Recurring cast[]
- Andre Braugher as Attorney Bayard Ellis
- Stephanie March as A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot
- Dominic Fumusa as Captain Jason Harris
- Laura Benanti as Maria Grazie
- Ned Eisenberg as Attorney Roger Kressler
- Tonye Patano as Judge Linda Maskin
- Linda Emond as Dr. Emily Sopher
- David Pittu as Attorney Linus Tate
- Shannon Garland as Officer Denise LeGrange
Guest cast[]
- Kay Panabaker as Vicki Harris
- Jon Michael Hill as Tre Davis
- Robin Paul as Linda Harris
- Beth Chamberlin as Georgia Stanton
- Treat Williams as Jake Stanton
- Jerry Rice as Himself
- Warren Sapp as Himself
- Joan Rosenfels as Arraignment Judge
- David Skeist as Jay Gans
- Niyi Oni as Marcus
- Mary Lane Haskell as Hayley
- Kent Jackman as Homeless Man
- Christopher Gates as John #2
- Marvina Vinique as Reporter
- Joseph A. Halsey as Uni #1
- Shane Geraghty as Uni #2
- Amy Dickenson as Jury Foreperson
- Richard R. Corapi as TV Reporter (uncredited)
References[]
Quotes[]
Episode quotes
Background information and notes[]
- The song in the open is "Honey Dove" by Lee Fields.
- Benson says she has dealt with a football player using an insanity defense as a result of football head injuries before, which happened in the episode "Closet".
- Jake commits suicide by shooting himself in the heart rather than the head. Many athletes who, like Jake, suffer from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) have killed themselves in this manner so that their brains would be left intact and could be studied later on to find a cure or treatment for CTE.
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Ascot Hotel |
Arraignment Court |
West Bank Cafe |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|
|
Supreme Court |
Supreme Court Trial |
Supreme Court Trial |
| Previous episode: "Lost Traveler" |
"Spiraling Down" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 13 |
Next episode: "Theatre Tricks" |