| "Wednesday's Child" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 15.14 | → |
| Production number: 15014 First aired (US): 5 February 2014 First aired (UK): 30 March 2014 First aired (CAN): 5 February 2014 First aired (AUS): 27 March 2014 | ||
 | ||
| Teleplay By Peter Blauner Story By Peter Blauner & Warren Leight Directed By Laura Belsey | ||
A missing boy leads to a shocking confession and a race to save his life.
Summary[]
Tom Moore arrives home from a business trip to find his young son, Nicky, missing from his bed. With a history of behavioral problems, the cops suspect he wandered off alone, and the search becomes more urgent as the diabetic boy's insulin pump runs out. But the investigation leads to something more dangerous when a criminal couple, known for child endangerment and pornography, is spotted with Nicky. With a child's life on the line, the cops try to turn one suspect against the other before it's too late. Meanwhile, a personal issue derails Sergeant Benson's current course.
Plot[]
While at an airport in Helsinki, Finland (diverted from the initial departure point of Bangkok), Tom Moore speaks to his wife Lisa on the phone and says he cannot wait to see her and their adopted son Nicky, hoping Nicky has been alright, while Lisa confirms this. That night, Tom comes home and realizes Nicky is gone, but Lisa says he has just disappeared and she didn't notice. Upon further investigation and interrogation, Lisa cracks and admits she lied about what she has done. She reveals her son Nicky, a young child from the former Soviet Georgia with severe behavioral problems. Nicky's problems include slamming his head against walls, opening car doors on the highway, and biting and scratching his mother. The father, Tom, is often away on business trips. On one of these trips, Lisa decided she cannot handle Nicky anymore and "re-homed" the boy with a child broker, a woman she has met online. The broker then places the child with a couple.
Fin and Rollins go to interrogate the child broker about the couple. The broker reveals the file about the couple she gave Nicky too. Rollins reads the address, but Fin reveals to her and the broker that the address is actually that of Yankee Stadium, meaning it was bogus info. Worried, the broker agrees to give them more information.
The couple turns out to be Roger and Alexa Pearson, two registered sex offenders. The pair had filmed child pornography years ago as part of a "Just Became Legal" video series, where most of the stars turned out to be not legal at all. They had posted many times on "re-homing" forums, trolling for children. The broker had said that they can't get a normal adoption license because Roger is in a wheelchair.
The detectives find the home of the couple, hastily abandoned, with plenty of children's clothing, sleeping bags, and many homemade DVDs featuring child porn with two other young girls, and a recent one with Nicky. While conducting an investigation, Nicky's parents arrive and after being horrified by the fate of their son, reveal that Nicky's blood sugar levels are low and he could go into a coma.
Putting out pictures of the fugitives, the Detectives manage to corner Alexa at a pharmacy with the van used to take away Nicky. Alexa had previously lost a child to fetal alcohol syndrome, leading to her obsession with children. She tearfully gives away her husband's location after further pressure from the police.
The detectives go to the hotel room described by Alexa, and discover the two young girls, along with an older girl and a baby. Nicky has been taken by "Uncle" Roger to "get a treat". It is revealed the baby was brought home as a Christmas present, like a puppy, for Alexa. A tip leads the officers to the airport, where it is discovered that Roger is not actually wheelchair-bound, and he has just been pretending. However, he manages to escape the police, hiding Nicky in the process, and the police lose both of them. Showing a shocked Alexa this evidence, she reveals Roger would likely go to celebrate his escape.
The detectives find Roger at a Chinese restaurant, stuffing his face full of food. When questioned about the boy, his only remarks are to wonder if he can get his food to go. At the station, he refuses to comply or confirm involvement, but is dismayed when shown pictures of him and Nicky seen together, and that his wife now knows that he can walk. Wanting to avoid being placed in general population and potentially targeted by fellow inmates, Roger then reveals that Nicky was a pain, so he abandoned the boy at a donut shop in the airport. Surely enough, Nicky is discovered by Benson and Rollins hiding on an airplane (bound for Atlanta, as Nicky saw "Georgia" on the departure board and assumed it was headed to his former country), unconscious due to his diabetes and lack of insulin. Benson immediately asked for medical attention on the lost child.
Much later, Nicky goes to a hospital and his parents come to visit him. Benson tells them Nicky is fine, but having a hard time. After Tom goes to see him, Benson tries to leave, but Lisa states she knows what she is thinking and tries to defend her acts. Benson scolds Lisa for being a bad mother, with Lisa promising things will be different now, to which Benson airs doubt. Tom reunites with Nicky, also promising things will be different now and to be there for him more. Soon a remorseful Lisa walks in to see Nicky, who is worried at the sight of her.
Much later, Benson meets with Cox and Abraham about the case, with the latter happy that things worked out and informing the pair that the mayor wants the two of them at the next meeting. The Pearsons are charged, and the kids are placed in foster homes, though Benson discovers no one has come forward to claim them.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Mariska Hargitay as Sergeant Olivia Benson
- Danny Pino as Detective Nick Amaro
- Kelli Giddish as Detective Amanda Rollins
- Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
- Raúl Esparza as A.D.A. Rafael Barba (credit only)
Recurring Cast[]
- Jessica Phillips as Assistant Corporation Counsel Pippa Cox
- Jayne Houdyshell as Judge Ruth Linden
- Pablo Schreiber as William Lewis
- Josh Pais as Deputy Commissioner Hank Abraham
- Bill Irwin as Dr. Peter Lindstrom
- André De Shields as Keys
Guest Cast[]
- Rosanna Arquette as Alexa Pearson
- John Benjamin Hickey as Tom Moore
- Jodie Markell as Lisa Moore
- Constance Shulman as Daycare Manager
- Giselle Eisenberg as Madison
- Mark Boone Junior as Roger Pearson
- Mark Doherty as Lieutenant Frank Ryan
- Mimi Quillin as Abby Stans
- John Sousa as Lenny
- Duncan Nicholson as Nicky Moore
- Misha Seo as Caitlin
- Shania Li as Stella
- Nayab Hussain as Jhumpa
- Ashley North as Airport Passenger (uncredited)
- Assibey Blake as TSA Agent (uncredited)
References[]
- Episode references
Quotes[]
- [to Dr. Lindstrom]
- Benson: I can handle the job. It's just I wasn't prepared for the caretaking. I mean, everybody needs my attention. If I focus on one, then the other acts out.
- Hank Abraham: Yeah, some street guy? And a diabetic kid with an attachment disorder out in the freezing cold? Tell me there's a happy ending here.
- Benson: [about Lisa Moore and her son, Nicky] She dropped the kid off like a kitten on the highway. You're gonna tell me that that's not endangering the welfare of a child?
- [searching for an abducted child]
- Rollins: Okay, Alexa and Roger Smith. Address is 1 East 161st Street, Bronx, New York.
- Tutuola: Really? I didn't know anybody lived at Yankee Stadium.
- [to Tom and Lisa about Nicky]
- Benson: We're doing everything we can to find your little boy.
- Lisa Moore: Do you think those people will take care of him if his body shuts down?
- Benson: I'm gonna be honest with you, you never know what somebody will do in a crisis.
- Amaro: [to Alexa Pearson about Nicky] These are his current glucose levels. If he goes into a coma, that's gonna be on you and Roger.
- Alexa Pearson: No, that's gonna be on you. He would've had his insulin if you hadn't picked me up. Let me go and I'll make sure he gets his insulin.
- Benson: Wow. Bargaining while a kid's dying. That's... that's hardcore.
- Alexa Pearson: Lady, you have no idea. Anything these kids have had to do, I've done backwards in high heels from the time I was 6.
- Amaro: They left this disc behind. What's on the one they took with them?
- Alexa Pearson: Son of a bitch can walk?!
- Pippa Cox: You didn't know?
- Alexa Pearson: I never saw him take one step. He made me do everything!
- Benson: The boy, Alexa. What would Roger have done with Nicky?
- Alexa Pearson: I don't know. I don't know. I don't know who that man is now.
- Benson: I need you to stay focused. Listen to me. Is it possible that Roger could've had another accomplice who he could've handed Nicky off to at the airport?
- Alexa Pearson: No, I swear. It's always been Roger and me all these years. We are never apart.
- Pippa Cox: Help yourself now. Does he have friends who would protect him?
- Alexa Pearson: Are you kidding me? Roger has stepped on everyone he knew to get to the gutter!
- Benson: Okay, Alexa, if he were in trouble, where would he go? What would he do?
- Roger Pearson: No idea where he is. God's honest truth.
- Finn: Just like you being truthful about not being able to walk?
- Roger Pearson: Come on, it's all good, bro. You can park anywhere. Your woman gives you sponge baths. You should try it sometime.
- Finn: How would you like to really have a hard time walking
- Roger Pearson: Where is the crime here? Who's complaining, huh? The good folks who gave Nicky away? What do they want him back now?
- Amaro: Alexa's given you up, Roger. Identity theft, defrauding the VA, sex trafficking, webcam porn... That's virtual rape of minors.
- Roger Pearson: Okay, so what? She's not gonna turn. The one thing she's still got -- she's loyal.
- Finn: Not anymore. (shows Roger a picture of him walking) She's seen that.
- Roger Pearson: You showed her that?!
- Finn: That's the least of your problems.
- Amaro: You got one shot at staying out of gen pop with a pedophile tag. Tell us where Nicky is.
- Roger Pearson: How am I supposed to know? I gave him some juice to cool him down. Then I dumped him at one of those cinnamon donut places. Not for nothing, that kid is a pain in the ass.
- Rollins: Okay, you know what, Nicky is lost, he's... he's confused, he's been abandoned by everyone. He might just wanna go home.
- Security Guard: Where's home?
- Benson: Republic of Georgia.
- Security Guard: In Russia? Good luck to him. This terminal, domestic flights only.
- Rollins: No, no, no. Right there. 8:30 Atlanta. Georgia. It's gonna say that on the gate.
- Benson: Yeah.
- Lisa Moore: I know what you're thinking, but I was having a breakdown.
- Benson: I'm sure you were. But you call someone, you ask for help. You don't just discard a child.
- Lisa Moore: I know that now.
- Benson: Do you? Do you have any idea how lucky you are that your child came back alive, unharmed? If there were any better options for Nicky, I would recommend that you don't get him back.
- Lisa Moore: It's going to be different now.
- Benson: I hope so.
Background information and notes[]
- The title, "Wednesday's Child", is taken from a play/film of the same name.
- The title in turn is taken from the poem Monday's Child, about children's moods based on days of the week. The line for the title is read as "Wednesday's child is full of woe".
- At the beginning of the episode, Olivia buys a home pregnancy test, meaning she has started having sexual relations with Cassidy again after her abduction by William Lewis.
- Recurring characters Hank Abraham and Pippa Cox both appear in this episode. It is revealed they are married in the season 17 episode "Collateral Damages."
- In this episode, Abraham is appointed as a deputy commissioner by the new mayor. Amaro points out Abraham worked for the losing candidate, Alex Muñoz, as seen in the episode "October Surprise".
- This episode marks the first appearance of Noah Porter-Benson, though he is referred to as "Baby Boy Doe" until they find out his identity in the episode "Spring Awakening".
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
Quinnipiac Child Care Center |
1-21 Beach 96th Street |
Crossbay Pharmacy |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|
|
Cross Island Motor Lodge |
John F. Kennedy |
Family Court |
| Previous episode: "Betrayal's Climax" |
"Wednesday's Child" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 15 |
Next episode: "Comic Perversion" |