| "Twenty-Five Acts" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 14.03 | → |
| Production number: 14004 First aired: 10 October 2012 First aired (US): 10 October 2012 First aired (UK): 30 October 2012 First aired (CAN): 11 October 2012 First aired (AUS): 18 October 2012 | ||
 | ||
| Teleplay By John P. Roche Story By Julie Martin & Warren Leight Directed By Jean de Segonzac | ||
The SVU detectives spring into action when the author of a best-selling romance novel is attacked by a popular television show host.
Plot[]
The young author of a wildly successful S&M romance novel goes home with a famous television show host, who forces himself on her. Detectives Benson and Rollins work to convince the victim to file charges, with the assistance of a brash new Manhattan District Attorney. As the SVU squad digs into her background to uncover potential trial pitfalls, Detective Amaro uncovers a secret that threatens to destroy the young woman’s career as well as her case.
Summary[]
Episode summary
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
- Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
- Dann Florek as Captain Donald Cragen (credit only)
Recurring cast[]
- Elizabeth Marvel as Defense Attorney Rita Calhoun
- Tonye Patano as Judge Linda Maskin
- Peter McRobbie as Judge Walter Bradley
- Raúl Esparza as A.D.A. Rafael Barba
- Adam Baldwin as Captain Steven Harris
- Steve Rosen as Public Defender Michael Guthrie
Guest cast[]
- Roger Bart as Adam Cain
- Anna Chlumsky as Jocelyn Paley
- Romy Rosemont as Professor Kathleen Dobson
- Rory O'Malley as Craig
- Hallie Cooper-Novack as Katie
- Lucia Spina as Sara Palermo
- Jay McInerney as Himself
- J. Elaine Marcos as Lisa Vaughan
- Jane Dashow as Holly
- Nava Namdar as Jury Foreperson
References[]
- Frank Serpico
- Fifty Shades Of Grey
- Kim Rollins
- The Walt Disney Company
- Delia Wilson
- Bill Clinton
- Monica Lewinsky
- David Letterman
- Citizen Kane
- Gilligan's Island
- Anthracite Magazine
- Maria Grazie
- Adagio in G minor
- Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
Quotes[]
- Benson: [to Rollins] Scaring someone into getting a rape kit? Sometimes it's better to build trust.
- [about Jocelyn Paley]
- Steven Harris: If she's not pressing charges, why are we wasting our time?
- Benson: Captain, you're new to SVU. Victims sometimes take time to process.
- Jocelyn Paley: I'm in the middle of a ten-city book tour. Anthracite Magazine is throwing me a party tonight. The last thing I need to do is deal with this now.
- Rollins: Okay, listen, honey, later on, if you do decide to press charges, this behavior is gonna make a jury think twice. You understand? It's screwed up, but that's the truth.
- [about Barba]
- Steven Harris: Guy's got big brass... ego.
- Barba: [to Jocelyn Paley] The one thing you decide to leave out is the one thing the defense is going to use to blow up the case. You may not like me when we're done.
- Jocelyn Paley: I don't like you now.
- Barba: Honesty. Good.
- Adam Cain: [while being arrested] This is a joke! NYPD got so jammed up with their hooker scandal, they'll do anything they can to distract from it.
- Munch: You don't know when to shut up!
- Adam Cain: Court of public opinion, baby. It's my wheelhouse.
- Tutuola: Taking down rapists: that's ours.
- Barba: How about Cain opens his mouth again, I'll move for a gag order?
- Rita Calhoun: From what I read, your witness likes those too.
- Rita Calhoun: [while addressing the press] The DA's office is desperately trying to distract from their recent scandal with a high-profile case.
- Rafael Barba: Don't give me that. Whether you're a john in the South Bronx or a $3-million-a-year talk show host, no means no.
- Rafael Barba: [to Jocelyn after it's discovered she didn't write her book] I told you the first day the one thing you decide not to tell us is the one thing the defense is gonna use to destroy you. What were you thinking?
- Benson: Barba, she gets it.
- Jocelyn Paley: You told me I wouldn't like you when this was over. You were right. What do I do now? My reputation's...
- Barba: Thing about America: this country loves a comeback.
- Amaro: [to Olivia] One thing about you, you need to have a partner you can trust.
Background information and notes[]
- The book in this episode was inspired by E. L. James erotic novel, Fifty Shades of Grey.
- Rollins mentions she got a copy of Twenty-Five Acts as a gift from her sister. The sister, Kim Rollins, is introduced three episodes later in "Friending Emily".
- This episode marks the first appearance of Raúl Esparza as A.D.A. Rafael Barba and that of Defense Attorney Rita Calhoun.
- This episode marks the final appearance of Judge Walter Bradley.
- Benson is asked if she wanted to move up the ranks, this hints at her future promotions until she becomes Captain.
- Adam Baldwin (Captain Harris) leaves at the end of the episode, as he was just the temporary commanding officer of SVU, and says he is "hopefully moving on to something better". Shortly after this episode he was cast as Commander Mike Slattery on The Last Ship (2014). Slattery is the Executive Officer of the USS Nathan James, who was taking a sabbatical from his normal job as a police detective to finish his service in the United States Naval Reserve.
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Intimate Adventures |
Arraignment Court |
Robinson Field |
Office of |
| 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|
|
Grand Jury Number 3 |
Superior Court |
Superior Court |
| Previous episode: "Above Suspicion" |
"Twenty-Five Acts" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 14 |
Next episode: "Acceptable Loss" |