S16.E22: Parent's Nightmare

[WendyCR72]

8 year-old Owen Farhidi (guest star Kaeden Ruparel) disappears from school and his mother Dana (guest star Brooke Bloom) receives a ransom request. When surveillance footage shows that Owen recognized his abductor, Detective Amaro (Danny Pino) works with Dana and her ex-husband Sam (guest star Navid Negahban) to find and arrest the suspect, but tensions between the estranged couple obstructs the investigation. Meanwhile, Sgt. Benson (Mariska Hargitay) is asked to take the Lieutenant's exam to formally take the lead over her squad. Also starring Ice T (Det. Odafin Tutuola) and Peter Scanavino (Det. Sonny Carisi).

[Sarah D. Bunting]

 

Meanwhile, Sgt. Benson (Mariska Hargitay) is asked to take the Lieutenant's exam to formally take the lead over her squad.

 

Ew.

[RafaelBarbas]

Ew.

Not only ew, but not possible since a sergeant must have been in that position for three years before taking the lieutenant's test. But why have reality when you can have Saint Oliska?

Edited May 9, 2015 by RafaelBarbas

[MrsRafaelBarba]

For Reals, da fuq these writers are smoking?

Benson has been a Sgt for like, five minutes?

On that pure struggle, like a three legged dog at the race track.

[Hero]

That dad's a piece of shit. Why would hire someone to traumatize your own son?

And the mom? She wants the dad out of jail so she doesn't have to work. What an idiot.

I totally want Fin as Sargeant, I think he would make a great one.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Suzy123

[Spartan Girl]

Did anyone else go WTF at Liv's "A mother wouldn't do this to her own son" speech? Um, Liv you have been on this show for 16 years, and you have seen tons of mothers so terrible things to their children. In a perfect world, this wouldn't happen, but still...

Chalk it up to the writers getting sloppier.

Carisi playing dinosaurs with the boy was entertaining. But I swear if Noah goes back to his scumbag father next week, I will be done with this show.

[Malbec]

Well that wasn't as awful as the headline it was (I think) ripped from, which was that case where the whole family was in on the boy's kidnapping.  Still pretty bad though.  I foolishly thought they might subvert the fairly obvious "evil Middle Eastern guy" trope, but alas.

 

I'm not fully on the Carisi train but the yoga class scene was hilarious.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Did anyone else go WTF at Liv's "A mother wouldn't do this to her own son" speech? Um, Liv you have been on this show for 16 years, and you have seen tons of mothers so terrible things to their children. In a perfect world, this wouldn't happen, but still...

Chalk it up to the writers getting sloppier.

Carisi playing dinosaurs with the boy was entertaining. But I swear if Noah goes back to his scumbag father next week, I will be done with this show.

 

I did. I'm tired of this 'Olivia' thing. I wanted to bash my head against a pillow.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Halfway through this episode, I mentally checked out.

Joining Barba in St. Barts, we're relaxing on the beach inside my head.

[LeGrandElephant]

What was the real life case where the family was in on the kidnapping?

There was a mothership episode where the mother paid someone to kidnap her kid after a divorce, to scare the father. But it turned out the guy she hired was a sex offender, and I think the kid died, right? And then the mom shot the kidnapper? So really, this episode wasn't nearly as dark as it could have been.

[william0102]

Wasn't there an SVU episode where the parents had divorced and the mom had custody, where she wanted to leave the country, and the dad paid someone to kidnap the son because she wasn't coming back and he would never see the kid? The kid died in that one.

Edited cuz I looked it up: It's back in season 11, the finale, called Shattered. The mom hired the kidnapper because she was an anthropologist, dad had full custody. The child died in a car accident with the kidnapper, and Warner got shot.

Edited May 14, 2015 by william0102

[kitkat343]

This was the real life case of the family that kidnapped their child to teach him a lesson:

 

http://time.com/3699146/fake-kidnapping-boy-troy-missouri/

[Primetimer]

A second-grader gets kidnapped -- but by whom? And why? And when did they have time to film a Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific ad?

Read the story

[abbottrabbit]

 

Wasn't there an SVU episode where the parents had divorced and the mom had custody, where she wanted to leave the country, and the dad paid someone to kidnap the son because she wasn't coming back and he would never see the kid? The kid died in that one.

 

There was also a really old original L&O case where the mom set up the kidnapping to extort money from the dad, and the kid died as a result, and then the mom shoots the kidnapper in open court to keep him from ratting her out. 

 

And then a later original L&O where the mom had taken the kid out of the country, and the dad (Tony Hale, fresh out of his stint as Buster Bluth) and maternal grandparents conspired to kill the stepdad to get her to come back, and then the grandparents faked a kidnapping to prove the mom was unfit. 

 

And then a L&O UK based on the older L&O case. 

 

It's a well trodden path, is what I'm getting at. 

[Sarah D. Bunting]

I think there's also one where the kid is kidnapped to an orthodox community upstate.

[frogprof]

You know I will never get the image of Barba in vintage hibiscus-print swim trunks out of my head, right?

 

Although I would've figured him more for a Caymans type. I see him more as Action Man on vacation, not reading Bugliosi on the beach.

[abbottrabbit]

Apparently the only thing Dick Wolf loves almost as much as children victimized by the interwebs is children victimized by their own parents. 

[LeGrandElephant]

If the dad was just doing it to teach the kid a lesson and didn't expect to get the police involved, why did he go to the trouble to frame the mom by having texts sent from her phone and by telling the hired kidnapper to say it was all her idea? 

[slowpoked]

Wasn't there an SVU episode where the parents had divorced and the mom had custody, where she wanted to leave the country, and the dad paid someone to kidnap the son because she wasn't coming back and he would never see the kid? The kid died in that one.

Edited cuz I looked it up: It's back in season 11, the finale, called Shattered. The mom hired the kidnapper because she was an anthropologist, dad had full custody. The child died in a car accident with the kidnapper, and Warner got shot.

No, Stabler found out at the last minute that it was the dad that hired the kidnapper, and framed the mother. Although the entire SVU squad had the mother as the suspect for almost the entire episode, and it didn't help she held a few people hostage at the end.

[Princess Lucky]

Really solid episode. I loved that there was tension (was the kid OK, who had taken him etc) but in reality there wasn't much drama. The kid was mostly fine, the kidnapper wasn't some monster, the parents had (huge) issues but they loved their kid. I like the episodes that don't make me sick, you know?

There was also a lot of hilarity, the episode was well-paced, the guest stars were all good. It wasn't spectacular but I would totally watch it again, it's one of those lesser-impact but more palatable SVU eps that I personally always enjoy.

Also, though I dislike the whole storyline, I am not made of stone; lil' Noah crying and reaching for Benson? Awwww. What a lil' cutie. Now let's just leave him at daycare forever, k?

The ending was interesting. Fin seemed pretty certain he didn't want to become a sergeant. Amaro was clearly thinking about it. I realise that Rollins wasn't in this specific episode/scene for budget/external (to the plot) reasons but I really hope she's still a candidate. And I also hope Carisi is a candidate because that would be hilarious as shit.

I'll go over to the Carisi thread to wax poetic about how awesome he is, but for now let me just say that he is the actual best. Playing with the kid, pulling the stunt with the phone, saying little things during the interrogations that show he has legal knowledge without it being either flaunted or mocked, wearing tight pants. Great episode for him.

Also, I'm still laughing at this exchange:

Benson: "Hold down the fort."

Carisi: "ON IT!!!"

Benson: "... Not you."

That's the way to write him. Still a little too eager, still hilarious, but not buffoonish.

I totally agree with the recap; I would really hate to lose Amaro (my eyes would especially miss his hotness) but, at this point, I would 100% choose to keep Carisi over him.

[Hero]

wearing tight pants.

 

Haha! His pants fit him really well and I am never mad about that.

[wknt3]

The Good:

Carisi as a competent detective who you can understand being chosen for an elite unit. Yeah he was still the new guy who wasn't completely jaded yet and a bit too eager sometimes, but it was balanced and nuance. Also loved the interview with the kid - I hope they do more with his rapport with children.

Great job by the child actor playing the victim.

They're finally addressing the whole Sgt. running the squad thing. Unfortunately I highly doubt they'll handle it the way I'd like to see which is to either bring in a veteran willing to take a steady paycheck at a relative bargain price, or go the Sam Waterston route with Mariska Hargitay and let the younger generation really take over. Still it's nice to see them paying attention to this.

The suggestion of Sgt. Fin even if his denial is for real.

 

The Bad:

The teaser for next week. More Benoah. Yay!
Fin was woefully underused. No great lines about divorce?

No Barba.

Overall this was a solid episode that gave good actors some decent material and let them run with it. It really shows the different approach they've taken this season and how it's improved. If this was the last couple of years they would have beaten us over the head with Liv is taking it personally or maybe some clumsy parallel about Amaro's ex taking their kid. Or they'd have gone over the top coming up with some shocking revelation. It's not new ground by any means (even if Benson seems to have forgotten just what parents can do to kids) but it's still well done and worth watching. If the show didn't have to put Mariska's ego ahead of just about every other consideration it could do some great things.

[Kel Varnsen]

The ending was interesting. Fin seemed pretty certain he didn't want to become a sergeant. Amaro was clearly thinking about it. I realise that Rollins wasn't in this specific episode/scene for budget/external (to the plot) reasons but I really hope she's still a candidate. And I also hope Carisi is a candidate because that would be hilarious as shit.

I think Carisi would be awesome as the SVU Sergeant. Fin is of course the best choice, but if not Fin, then I think Carisi would be a better choice than Amaro or Rollins. He doesn't have any of Amaro's crazy rage, shot an unarmed suspect and beat down another guy who was found not guilty baggage. And he doesn't have Rollins's drunken bender, gambling addict, almost blew someone to get out of a huge gambling debt baggage. 

[Monkeybball]

Not only ew, but not possible since a sergeant must have been in that position for three years before taking the lieutenant's test. But why have reality when you can have Saint Oliska?

Correct me if I'm wrong (because I've actually always wondered it) but on L&O: CI didn't Eames take the Lieutenant's exam without ever having been a Sergeant first?  I know they always referred to as "the Senior Partner" with Goren but I don't remember them ever calling her Sgt. Eames.  I was wondering if you could just jump ahead and take the Lieutenant's exam if you wanted to take that one first.

[WendyCR72]

Correct me if I'm wrong (because I've actually always wondered it) but on L&O: CI didn't Eames take the Lieutenant's exam without ever having been a Sergeant first?  I know they always referred to as "the Senior Partner" with Goren but I don't remember them ever calling her Sgt. Eames.  I was wondering if you could just jump ahead and take the Lieutenant's exam if you wanted to take that one first.

 

Eames actually almost took the captain's exam (and it was just as unrealistic, yeah). It was what ushered her and Goren out in S9 for the Goldblum year. The brass ordered her to fire Goren (as one of her first unofficial duties) and after she did and they did the hug goodbye and whatever, she called the chief and resigned. It was never really explained in S10 how they both came back.

 

And then Leight had it so Goren left voluntarily to go write in Maine (per SVU) and Eames was suddenly a Lieutenant in Homeland Security or something. So, yeah, the franchise doesn't follow reality well in terms of promotions or whatever.

[Monkeybball]

Eames actually almost took the captain's exam (and it was just as unrealistic, yeah). It was what ushered her and Goren out in S9 for the Goldblum year. The brass ordered her to fire Goren (as one of her first unofficial duties) and after she did and they did the hug goodbye and whatever, she called the chief and resigned. It was never really explained in S10 how they both came back.

 

And then Leight had it so Goren left voluntarily to go write in Maine (per SVU) and Eames was suddenly a Lieutenant in Homeland Security or something. So, yeah, the franchise doesn't follow reality well in terms of promotions or whatever.

Right right. God that was a horrible year. I mean I love Goldblum and all but Saffron Burrows really did nothing for me.  Incredibly boring season.

[WendyCR72]

Right right. God that was a horrible year. I mean I love Goldblum and all but Saffron Burrows really did nothing for me.  Incredibly boring season.

 

Oh, you'll get zero argument from me there!  :-P

[AntiBeeSpray]

Couldn't stand Goldblum in it tbh. *shrug* Something about the character seemed a little off.

 

Looking forward to seeing what happens in this week's ep.

[starri]

That was the one I saw filming in my neighborhood.  There was even a shot of my building from across the street.  Now that I know the whole cast was filming, I wish I'd gotten to see Mariska and Ice-T as well.

 

This is as close to fame as I'm likely to get.