| "The Undiscovered Country" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 19.13 | → |
| Production number: 19013 First aired: 7 February 2018 | ||
 | ||
| Written By Michael S. Chernuchin Directed By Alex Chapple | ||
Summary[]
When an infant goes missing, the SVU finds themselves taking sides in a family's right-to-die court case. Meanwhile, Barba's interference in the case puts the entire D.A.'s office in jeopardy.
Plot[]
plot
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[]
- Philip Winchester as Special Counsel Peter Stone
- Peter Jacobson as Defense Attorney Randy Dworkin
- Ami Brabson as Judge Karyn Blake
- Sam Waterston as District Attorney Jack McCoy
Guest cast[]
- Abigail Hawk as Maggie Householder
- Joe Tapper as Aaron Householder
- Damien Brett as Mel Cooke
- Lindsay Becker as Sandy Burnside
- Precious Cruz-Dyson as Foreperson
- Sprague Theobald as Priest
- David Adams as Sniper
References[]
- Benjamin Stone
- Mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome
- Mark Jefferies
- Noah Porter-Benson
- Ben McAdoo
- Eli Manning
- Chicago Cubs
Quotes[]
- [During Benjamin Stone's funeral]
- Jack McCoy: In my younger and more vulnerable years, when I was knee-deep in my very first trial, opposing counsel unwittingly sabotaged his own case by including an inculpatory document in with his discovery request. I didn't know what to do. So I did what any young ADA did when he was utterly lost. I went to Mr. Stone's cubicle, where he was writing a closing. Ben listened patiently. "I can either ignore the document," I said, "or..." and he cut me off before I could finish the sentence. "A man shouldn't do what he can," he said. "He should do what he must, without regard for consequence or repercussion. That's what makes us moral," Ben added. "And God help us if we lose that." So, like that, the world is a sadder place. The noblest of hearts has cracked. Goodbye, Ben Stone. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.
- Benson: I spoke with with Maggie.
- Aaron Householder: How is she?
- Benson: Well, I gotta be honest with you, Aaron. She's not doing great.
- Aaron Householder: I didn't wanna hurt her.
- Benson: Aaron, you took her baby.
- Aaron Householder: I just wanna be alone with my son.
- Benson: Yeah, well, you know, some days that's all I wanna do too, but unfortunately, the world just... it just doesn't work like that.
- Benson: Yeah? Well, what are you gonna do?
- Aaron Householder: I'll shoot!
- Benson: I'm a cop, Aaron. I know you're not a killer. And I know a paintball gun when I see it.
- Aaron Householder: You don't know what you're doing. She wants to kill Drew.
- Benson: Nobody's forcing you to prosecute.
- Barba: If I don't, I'm telling the world that baby Drew has no rights.
- Rollins: What about his right to die?
- Carisi: Unfortunately, that's not in the Constitution.
- Benson: [to Barba as he's getting coffee] Rafa, what the hell?
- Barba: Latte, right?
- Benson: I don't want coffee. You killed the baby?
- Barba: I expedited his passing.
- Benson: That's gonna be a tough hair to split in a courtroom.
- Barba: The courtroom's the last thing I was thinking of when I was in that hospital room.
- Benson: You could go to prison.
- Barba: You don't think I know that? Sometimes you have to act without concern for the consequences.
- Benson: Not you. You wear suspenders and a belt.
- Barba: I had no option.
- Benson: [sighs] I gotta fix this. [walks off]
- Barba: Liv. Liv! Liv, you can't help me.
- Barba: You know, when we first started working together, what was it, five years ago?
- Benson: Six.
- Barba: The world was an old movie. It was all black and white and it was high noon. I was Gary Cooper. [chuckles] I was absolutely sure absolutely who were the good guys, who were the bad guys. And then you... you started to weasel your way into my world, and the black and white became different shades of gray. Don't say it. Before I knew it, there were blues and greens and yellows and reds. I'm you now, Liv. You opened my heart. and I thank you for it.
- Benson: And?
- Barba: I've got to move on.
Background Information and Notes[]
- The title of the episode is a reference to a line from the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Specifically, it is a line in the "To be, or not to be" soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1. "The undiscovered country" is generally interpreted as meaning death, as it is a place everyone goes and no one comes back from.
- This episode marks Philip Winchester's first appearance before joining as a regular cast member.
- This also marks Raúl Esparza's final appearance as a series regular.
- Benson mentions that her son, Noah Porter-Benson, was kidnapped and he was recovered, which happened in a few episodes earlier in the season in the episode "Gone Baby Gone".
- Jack McCoy asks Peter Stone why Benjamin Stone's relatives didn't speak at his funeral and Peter replies he's the only family member he has left. However, Ben has a schizophrenic daughter, Pamela Stone, who appears later in the season starting in the episode "Send In The Clowns".
- Barba mentions when he and Benson started working together which was in the Season 14 episode "Twenty-Five Acts".
- A deleted scene has Benson calling Barba's defense attorney, Randy Dworkin, a clown.[1]
- Another episode that deals with the right to die of an infant is the episode "Mercy".
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Apartment of |
Cattano Surgical Supplies |
201 East 6th Street |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|
|
Law Office of |
Supreme Court |
Supreme Court |
Footnotes[]
| Previous episode: "Info Wars" |
"The Undiscovered Country" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 19 |
Next episode: "Chasing Demons" |