S18.E14: Net Worth

[WendyCR72]

A top-level investment banker accuses her billionaire client of rape.

[shapeshifter]

I hadn't seen the show in several weeks. I'm not sure if this episode was a particularly dissatisfying one, or if they're all like this, and I'm just realizing it now. I've fought off my share of assailants and never came close to seeing anyone prosecuted, and maybe if I was a Wall Street yuppie I would have had the credibility to take a case to court, but I'd rather have even 500K to retire with now than any damned satisfaction of having just one of 'em locked up. I know that's selfish, but having the victim turn down $20 mil was unfathomable to me. I mean, after the 4 years were over, couldn't she just retire and write a tell-all book and then paint pictures, make pottery, and play music to soothe her soul? Or maybe fund a women's shelter?

[wknt3]

The Good:
The writing and acting for the perp. They got all the little things right like the standing desk and they didn't go over the top even though they could have and did in a lot of other places.
Carisi undercover - it was a fun scene and there were a lot of nice touches in how he pretended to be a hedge fund d-bag and got the drug dealer to let down his guard.
Barba. It's nice to see him playing the role of practical advocate wanting to nail the perp and end the acceptance of sexual assault but also get the conviction. It's desperately needed when other people are too busy empathizing with the victims and raging at the injustices of the world.

The Bad:
Yet another "Rich People He Said She Said Rape Culture Enablers" case? Really??? How many do we need in a season? What I wouldn't give for a good old fashioned serial rapist or prostitute murderer.
After a week of no Fin we get a week of underused Fin. I liked the scene at the beginning with Carisi, but other than that they really didn't give him much. And this was an episode that really could have used some snark (the line about rich white guys eating dinner just doesn't cut it!)
The victim. I'm not sure if the performance was flat or the writing or if it was just so overdone, but I didn't feel anything for her. I didn't even dislike her. Just total indifference.
They've done a lot of work on rehabilitating Rollins and making her a sympathetic character, but I still find it a little off putting when she gets judgemental about other people making bad choices or sleeping with people for stupid reasons.
It guess it's nice to see them attempt some continuity, but how did the white shoe corporate law firm from the mothership's "Tombstone" become some sort of generic investment bank? Come on. Especially since if she was a lawyer it would have been more interesting.
Are they just trolling us at this point? They really seemed to be attempting to pile on the St. Benson cliches in this one. She feels the victim's pain. She just happens to be there when the victim wanders in (they really need a receptionist) and takes over everything personally. The endless conversations with the victim about pressing charges and testifying. The closeups on her concerned face. The earnest whispered affirmations. Ugh!

Overall this was generally competently executed, but it's just such an overdone premise that it has to be spectacular to justify doing it yet again. And it wasn't even close. It's just a forgettable non-entity, not even bad enough to be memorable. They should have cut Barba and added some scenes with Liv whining about her personal life (and maybe a hostage situation) and at least they would have a single episode to screen for future writers to show everything that they need to avoid going forward so someone could get something useful out of it.

 

Edited March 30, 2017 by wknt3
cleaned up a couple things

[Snookums]

I liked this one because it underlined the very important fact that money or power or whatever your assailant offers you for your silence will never be yours. Everything you buy, every trip you take, every accomplishment you make, will be tainted by his touch, his smell, his entitlement to your life and body.  They made this point in two ways: One, with the first victim, alone in her fancy apartment with her memories and victimization, and also, with the (very for this show) subtle pointing out that the Dbag billionaire got that bribe set up by taking his business to the second firm. They weren't doing it out of the goodness of their hearts--they wanted that enormous payoff of being his banker.

And that means that he is still her client. She would be working with him in the same capacity, but this time with the ugly, leering, constant knowledge that he bought her, that he owns her career and her voice.  And you KNOW he'd make a point of requesting her because of her "exceptional professionalism" or whatever disgusting dog whistle term he'd use, smiling into her face, enjoying himself.  He didn't just assume that his mere existence implies blanket consent from every man and woman in his vicinity to do whatever he wants. He didn't just try to buy her silence. He was trying to control her, to make her his kind of victim. Pragmatic, forward thinking. And totally under his control.

Other bits I liked:

Carisi's sniffly coked-out-water-spider performance as the "friend" who needs a "big eight" from the dealer. He's so adorably gangly. And how even the coke dealer has big plans and ideas, that this is just a temporary gig: Gyms and diet pills in China! Huge! 

Finn's endless little brooklet of sarcasm about the enormous apartment; "Oh, yeah, grew up in a place just like this, all right." Excellent little jab at the one percenters without being too preachy for once. (Ditto for the escort who was paid to be Eli's date snickering about how he wasn't terrible looking "unlike most billionaires" but relieved that she didn't have to do him. Delightful stabbing of the snark dirk into certain billionaires we might be thinking of.)

The former associate of the victim who says that she's not lying, and you can see Amanda and Carisi tense up for some kind of "rape accusation for big bucks" crap but he totally goes the other way--makes it clear that this woman is smart, professional, and absolutely not the type of person to see this kind of thing as a lucrative deal opportunity. It was genuinely weird to not hear casual trashing of a woman by a day player.

The absolute icy casualness with which the CEO of the banking firm chucked the mentor/cleanup ass Peter under the bus. Didn't even blink, just said hey, we'll send over the tapes that we make of EVERYONE DOING EVERYTHING and Pete's outta there. Liv's taken-abackness was well done. I just wish there was one scene of Peter "Rhymes with Mist Mistie" realizing that his powerful "friends" are anything but friends. They're just powerful. 

Not enough Barba (AGAIN) but what there was was gold. "Of course I don't believe it. Let's go find another way to bury this prick." Purrrrrr.

Edited March 30, 2017 by Snookums

[Xeliou66]

This didn't even feel like a new episode, it seemed like I had seen it before. The premise is the most overdone on SVU, a he said/she said rape case involving super wealthy attractive white people. It happens all the time now, I think it just shows that the writers are phoning it in and aren't that invested and that it is clear the show is just a vehicle for MH. I hate how many endings now involve St Benson preaching and convincing someone to testify, and then looking on from the courtroom with an overdramatic expression while they testify. The last 3 episodes have ended that way! That just shows that the writers are lazy and that the show is all about Olivia and it is just a vehicle for MH to stroke her huge ego. I don't know who enjoys these scenes besides the die hard Benson fans, they are unoriginal, heavy handed and atrociously acted. 

I didn't like the victim in this one, she was totally flat, bland and just unlikable. Neither the victim nor the rapist were memorable at all and didn't get any reaction from me, and I found myself not caring whether the guy got put away or not, but just wanting the episode to end. That is a bad sign. 

It was nice to have Fin back and his scene in the penthouse was especially good, and the Carisi undercover scene was good as well. I like that they gave all the detectives screen time and didn't have any personal crap, but having a preachy Benson ending hurt the episode. 

Barba didn't even appear until past the 40 minute mark, and didn't do much. Some Barba is better than no Barba, but I'm sick of how underused he is. This episode could've used trial scenes, and I wish the lawyer had been Buchanan or Calhoun or someone we know instead of some random woman, and Barba should've been used more, he is the most interesting character and he is underused. 

Overall, a bland weak episode with a lot of St Olivia crap and in a season that has been bland and weak with a lot of St Olivia crap. I have no faith in the show to get better and I honestly don't care if it gets renewed. 

[WendyCR72]

Less Finn...not to defend the show, but I wonder if Ice T having a new record out has something to do with it? Maybe he wanted more time to focus on his music.

[Sarah D. Bunting]

^ I assumed it was the new baby but then my husband pointed out that the child is, like, in seventh grade already. Hee.

Write-up in an hour or two.

[wknt3]

It's also possible that all the shuffling of episodes has played a role so what was supposed to be alternating episodes off or reduced air time has ended up with a couple in a row. I don't think it would be such a problem if they gave him better lines. 2 or 3 more snarky comments would have gone a long way. Plus he's been conspicuously underused in a couple episodes where he deserved a bigger part like the 400th or what was promoted as his featured episode. It also goes to what we've been saying about the need to add another character. It's much more glaring when Ice or Kelli or Raul are missing since there's nobody else to fill in.

[sockii]

For me this episode started bad (oh look another white rich she-said-he-said), got a bit more interesting in the middle, and then completely blew it with the obligatory St. Benson-pushes-a-woman-to-testify ending. Yawn. There could have been an intriguing episode about accepting or not accepting the pay-off, but not as it played out. In fact, if this had been a twisty-turny SVU 1.0-era episode I could have seen that happening. What if she had taken the payoff and used it to, say, support rape survivor/awareness organizations? Would such groups be comfortable accepting such money (if they knew where it was coming from)? Some friends and I were saying last night how, also, if this had been a 1.0 episode, we would have heard the squad members debating the ethics of taking the money or not (Munch, this is where I miss you so badly!)

But no, everything has to be wrapped up in a neat little morality-lesson-bow where Benson saves not just the day but the victim's self-worth and soul. I'm so sick of this character she's become. At least we got some more Fin this time and Carisi had some endearing (to me) moments.

Edited March 30, 2017 by sockii

[angel1008]

What this episode showed, and what has been happening for a while now, is that Benson is basically a bully.  She wants to get her "collar" so bad that she practically shames the victim.  I know that the guy was scum and deserved prosecution.  But Benson seems to think it is about HER and not the victim.  And if I hear her say one more time when a victim says she was raped "oh, i'm so sorry to hear that", I am going to scream!    If it were not for Barba, I would not watch.

On the other hand, I am glad the victim did change her mind.  Taking that deal would be like someone was paying her for being raped.  Whether he was in contact with her or not, he still owned her.  I would not want my career to be defined by that.

[Primetimer]

View the full article

[SunnyBeBe]

OMG, am I sick of Olivia being this WISE soothsayer.  So, she has this ability to know what is REALLY the right thing to do for any rape victim she comes across. lol  What's her response to those she preaches to who jump off buildings or can't get another job in NYC due to her high pressure routine?  She is so prone to telling them that ANY sacrifice they have to make as a victim will set them free.  Well, I wonder what would happen if Olivia had to choose between prosecuting a rapist and giving up her job as a detective.  If it was laid on the line that way, what would she do?  Her job is WHO SHE IS, right?  So, would she let a rapist off the hook, to save her job?( I know that she was attacked that time when she went undercover in jail/prison, but, it didn't come down to her losing her job in the prosecution.)   It's like she can't sit down and think what is REASONABLE at all.  She's on a one track mind mission.  And then to add insult, she brow beats Barba to seeing things her way.  Can't he see that she's a little messed up?  I don't get  it.   

[Sarah D. Bunting]

I tried to tell myself that he just agreed with her in this ep to get her out of his office, but...that's not the reality. As I say every week, I know the show means well. I'm just not here for a social-hygiene film on a concept, closure, that I don't even believe in.

[Xeliou66]

Yeah I know, I'm so sick of how every episode has been ending with St Olivia pushing the victim into doing what she wants her to and then looking on approvingly from the courtroom. It just shows that the writers have no originality and that it is all about Mariska and this is what she wants. I'm so sick of those endings where everything is wrapped up so neat all because of St Olivia and her heavy handed preaching to the victims. It is so stale and just frustrating to watch. I'm ready for different endings, but that would mean less time for Mariska to preach and be portrayed as an all knowing Saint who saves the souls of women every week

[SunnyBeBe]

19 minutes ago, Xeliou66 said:

Yeah I know, I'm so sick of how every episode has been ending with St Olivia pushing the victim into doing what she wants her to and then looking on approvingly from the courtroom. It just shows that the writers have no originality and that it is all about Mariska and this is what she wants. I'm so sick of those endings where everything is wrapped up so neat all because of St Olivia and her heavy handed preaching to the victims. It is so stale and just frustrating to watch. I'm ready for different endings, but that would mean less time for Mariska to preach and be portrayed as an all knowing Saint who saves the souls of women every week

Yeah, I say next season have all the victims that she convinced to go against what they thought was their best interest to get together and get a little pay back.  She's got immunity from most civil liability, due to Sovereign Immunity, however, I'm sure they could drum up something to put her tail in a spin.  OR maybe even some criminal prosecution. (Like practicing psychiatry without a license.)  It doesn't matter what the law actually says.  According to Olivia, we should prosecute things that WE believe should be criminal.  To hell with the statutes.  What happened to this show?  It needs someone who's smarter and more professional to put her in her place. Is that possible with this franchise?

Edited March 30, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[sockii]

Looks like last night's episode saw the lowest ratings of the season so far — and it's been on pretty steady decline all season despite a small bump for the hyped 400th episode. Is anyone surprised? Is anyone at NBC actually paying attention?

[clarkbar]

I am a long-time fan of the whole franchise, although I favor the mothership and CI. I've given up on viewing the SVU episodes. I can't even watch the repeats on USA anymore. There is just too much ick factor--I can't see any of it as entertainment anymore. Just too much real world ugh.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

Looks like last night's episode saw the lowest ratings of the season so far — and it's been on pretty steady decline all season despite a small bump for the hyped 400th episode. Is anyone surprised? Is anyone at NBC actually paying attention?

Cancel Bear still has SVU as very likely to be renewed. If it is renewed I wonder which cast member they'll jettison next? I imagine at this point Ice-T has the highest salary (next to Mariska) so he might be the likeliest candidate assuming they can get new POC detective to take his place. It's been sad watching what's happened to this show. It really has become the Olivia Benson Hour. Guess none of these people paid attention when Julianna Margulies tanked The Good Wife in a similar way. (Yeah, she was "the good wife" but eventually what had been more of an ensemble show turned into two shows with her part almost completely separate from the others.) Heh, maybe some of the SVU gang can go do a spin-off show--sans Mariska--after SVU is cancelled.

Edited March 31, 2017 by Joimiaroxeu

[CleoCaesar]

Ugh what a dull episode. Remember when this show used to be a cool procedural with actual detective work and fun appearances by Dr. Warner and Dr. Huang? REMEMBER?? The past few seasons it just seems like the rapist/perp isn't even a mystery and the episode ends up being just some excuse to do a PSA or push an agenda.

This episode could have ended on a thoughtful, morally gray note of the victim taking the $20 million (!!) and not testifying. She made a compelling case for why she shouldn't and didn't want to. It was HER way of dealing with the trauma, her way of making lemonade from a truly shitty lemon. But noooooo....St. Benson had to badger her and inform the victim of her best interests. Ugh I hate her.

[JyDanzig]

The cast & (non-writer) crew really earned their paychecks this week... this episode was so well executed and performed, it almost concealed what a tired and mediocre retread the script was.

It did look gorgeous: so well directed, and what fabulous locations!  Those offices and apartments with the incredible views.  Hell, there was that one scene on the street that managed to get the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, AND Times Square in the background of the various angles -- that's an impressive amount of production value for one street walk-and-talk.  They even shot the squadroom sets in an interesting way.

If you could just ignore the lousy writing of an overdone story, it would have been great!  Seriously guys, it's time for a moratorium on the rich-white-men-abusing-their-power setup.  It's a good story, but you've just done it sooooooo many times at this point.  There are other kinds of sex crimes to tackle.  As someone upthread said, I would love a simple prostitute murder right now.

There was a little continuity detail I liked: Fin's reference to how the rapist's balcony was just like the rooftop terrace he grew up with.  Season 3 has an episode called "Rooftop" that has a whole thing with Fin reminiscing about how that was his outdoor space as a kid.

Edited March 31, 2017 by JyDanzig

[Xeliou66]

I honestly don't think anyone at NBC has cared about this franchise for a long time. The mothership got canceled after season 20 because NBC didn't care despite the show having a terrific season and a huge fanbase, but the morons at NBC wanted to try the LA spinoff which bombed. At least the show went out on top. Same with CI, they switched it over to USA network and the shows quality dropped dramatically and then in the final season when it had returned to greatness they didn't bother trying to get a season 11. SVU would be dead now if Warren Leight hadn't switched the show from its insane fanfic like episodes to realistic sex crimes and made it more of an ensemble, that gave the show new life. Now it has just become the Mariska hour, and it's clear she is the only one who is running the show. Dick Wolf is far too busy with his Chicago franchise to care about SVU and NBC doesn't care either. 

This episode showed how lazy the writers are. They just threw in a he said/she said rape involving rich and attractive white people, threw in predictable twists, with a preachy and predictable ending with the all knowing St Olivia locking up another rapist and saving another woman's soul. 

An episode about a Wall Street rapist could've been interesting, seeing that there is a lot of slime on Wall Street and the culture is very macho and frat boy like. But the writers instead just did a lazy, half assed job and threw in every predictable cliche in the book. It just felt like a filler episode, which unfortunately several have felt that way this year and that isn't a good sign when we've only had 14 episodes. 

[sockii]

8 hours ago, CleoCaesar said:

Ugh what a dull episode. Remember when this show used to be a cool procedural with actual detective work and fun appearances by Dr. Warner and Dr. Huang? REMEMBER?? The past few seasons it just seems like the rapist/perp isn't even a mystery and the episode ends up being just some excuse to do a PSA or push an agenda.

THANK YOU. You managed to summarize and pin-point the crux of my problem with what this show has become. There's no real mystery or suspense any longer. We almost always know who committed the crime (99% of the time these days, rape) right from the start, there's very little suspense or real drama beyond Benson either bullying a victim to testify or bullying Barba to prosecute. Gone are the days where the show would start with a murder or attack that had genuine puzzling elements and we would "work along" with the detectives to figure out what happened, what greater crime or crimes might be afoot. It's why I can re-watch those older episodes over and over again, and nowadays I can barely make it through a single viewing.

[gesundheit]

Ugh what a dull episode. Remember when this show used to be a cool procedural with actual detective work and fun appearances by Dr. Warner and Dr. Huang? REMEMBER?? The past few seasons it just seems like the rapist/perp isn't even a mystery and the episode ends up being just some excuse to do a PSA or push an agenda.

This episode could have ended on a thoughtful, morally gray note of the victim taking the $20 million (!!) and not testifying. She made a compelling case for why she shouldn't and didn't want to. It was HER way of dealing with the trauma, her way of making lemonade from a truly shitty lemon. But noooooo....St. Benson had to badger her and inform the victim of her best interests. Ugh I hate her.

Oh my lord, I didn't even realize until just now how desperately I miss Dr Huang. I realize the actor has moved on to bigger and better things, but they need to hire a newbie to fill that role. It's sorely missing.

[Gigglepuff]

Yeah, Benson is just a bully who pushes her personal agenda onto whatever victim she comes across. Every victim is different, there are different "answers" for all of them. They shouldn't be painted with the same brush. For one, seeking justice through the court system may be the right thing to do, another person may feel differently and is within their right to seek a different path to resolution. 

There is a thing out there called "survivor/victim led justice." This show knows nothing about that obviously. It's all St. Benson pushing her desires onto the survivors, which is the WORST way to treat a person. They should be the ones coming to their own conclusions with guidance from advocates. Not to stray too off topic, but I deal with victims of work-place accidents. Sometimes, I help their families if their loved one lost their life. It is not my job to tell a 21 year old what to do after he lost both of his legs in a workplace tragedy. I can guide him by explaining his options and weighing the pros and cons of each but ultimately it is what he wants that is important. I'd lose my position if I pushed my agenda or personal beliefs onto the people I help and advocate for. And believe me, some of these companies are guilty as sin when it comes to skimping on ensuring the safety of their employees. Upon investigation, it isn't uncommon to find that many companies have long histories of cutting costs and knowingly create unsafe workplaces.  So, tell that to a grieving family or a victim whose life has just been drastically changed. 

Anyway, it's the same old tired storyline in this episode. Rich, white, he said/she said. I miss the days when the plot was interesting and the story was well written. These days, it's one tired trope after another with hero Benson at the helm. 

Also, since when is 26 considered a kid? Also, the actress who played Zoe looks more mid 30s than 26. They should have either done a better job with casting or else changed the victim's age. 

Edited March 31, 2017 by Gigglepuff

[Xeliou66]

Yeah, I'm so sick of Benson pushing her own agenda on victims and on Barba. It just shows how Mariska is clearly at the helm and the show is nothing more than a vehicle for her to push her personal agenda, no one else cares. The cases are so unoriginal, it's all rich white he said/she said cases with St Olivia preaching, pushing and bullying everyone involved to push her personal agenda. I really miss Huang, he added a level of psychological insight and unbiased sanity that the show could use, and he never let anyone bully him around. Warner and the CSU and TARU people are sorely missed as well, we haven't seen any of them in a long time and we don't get near as much investigation as we used to, it's all Olivia, all the time. It's so tiresome. It's a shame that they let Mariska take total control and turn it into the St Olivia hour, as the show was actually quite good in seasons 13 and 14 after being totally bizarre crap in Stabler's last few years. 

[Gigi43]

Not much to say about this episode.

 

Liv really should just be considered a motivational speaker at this point. That's all she does. Well that and pass judgement on the other side immediately as if she's never worked cases where the guy ended up falsely accused.

 

As others have said this case feels like it's already been done this season, let alone throughout the series. There are so many other kinds of cases they could do other than he said/she said, with the woman always being right. It's so lazy and tired.

Edited March 31, 2017 by Gigi43

[Xantar]

Missy Peregrym is one of those actresses I really like despite the fact that I don't actually like anything she's in. I didn't like Reaper, I couldn't stand Rookie Blue, and Heroes was already clearly not living up to its potential by the time she showed up. This SVU episode was dull, but at least Missy is getting work. 

[angel1008]

On 3/31/2017 at 8:34 AM, sockii said:

Ugh what a dull episode. Remember when this show used to be a cool procedural with actual detective work and fun appearances by Dr. Warner and Dr. Huang? REMEMBER?? The past few seasons it just seems like the rapist/perp isn't even a mystery and the episode ends up being just some excuse to do a PSA or push an agenda.

Yes!  You echoed my sentiments.  They don't need a psychiatrist anymore because Benson seems to think she is one.  And they NEVER show the ME's at work because Benson tells us what happened.  She does not even have any trust in her detectives!  Even though THEY are the ones who are on the case and interview people, SHE still has to interview them herself, because God forbid they may not have done it correctly.  Why don't they just fire everybody on the show, Raul included, and she can take all the cases and even try them?  I miss the old format so much.  It seems that Raul never gets as much screen time as Stephanie or Diane did, only for Benson to tell him which cases he should take.  I heard her say "we" the other night and I was like "she isn't the one who is prosecuting this case, HE is".  Just because she has been there longer does not mean she knows everything.  It seems the men on the show don't get a lot to do because it has to be about the women on the show, unless it is Peter with Kelli for a future romance.  This should be an ensemble show.  I don't care how long someone has been there. 

[QueenMab]

Oooh! That "we" thing. I said the same thing you did. And as far as firing everyone but her, I think that's already happened...about five years ago. There's Benson, basically the whole show, and then these "satellites" who are just there to fill up space in the camera shots. I've given up on any of the characters being anything but that, even Barba, who clearly was added to be her adoring pathetic bitch on a leash and nothing more. He's just nice to look at now. Legal/courtroom procedure? Out the window. It has long since become tiresome to have to suspend disbelief so much just to choke through an episode. MH hasn't done one minute of research on her character or how police detectives really work or interact with their colleagues in the whole 18 years of the show....because it doesn't matter. BTW...Dick Wolf's newest show is being hyped on USA network ( owned by NBC) for April 27 debut. It's called "Inside The FBI: New York". Prepare for a crossover because here comes Benson's new FBI lover Rick Eid hinted at last summer. L&O: SVU is just a fantasy show and has been for years now. 

[RafaelBarba35]

12 hours ago, angel1008 said:

 It seems that Raul never gets as much screen time as Stephanie or Diane did, only for Benson to tell him which cases he should take.  I heard her say "we" the other night and I was like "she isn't the one who is prosecuting this case, HE is".

 

  It seems the men on the show don't get a lot to do because it has to be about the women on the show, unless it is Peter with Kelli for a future romance.

You are not that far off. Raùl has been credited in over 90 episodes but has only been in about 70 - way less than the other two. 

Of course its about the women. They have to show that they are just as badass if not moreso than the guys. /s

Now i dont have a huge problem with that if it wasnt always Olivia saving the day.

 

Okay that episode was boring. Seriously. When Liv tells the victim that she shouldn't take 20 million dollars I was like, "why the hell not?! You could do so much good with that money. Like help other rape victims, get therapy, hell even move away and start over." Barba was right when he said that the money might help her more. I was pissed when he didn't stick to it. My guess is he said he didn't believe that to keep Liv off his back. He knows how she can get. 

Edited April 2, 2017 by RafaelBarba35

[ForeverAlone]

I think it would have been a bold and interesting choice for the victim to take the 20 million. That is not an insignificant payout, and probably could have more positive lasting effects to a person's life than the possible conviction and inevitably shortened jail sentence (if any). I would take that man's money and consider it my rightful restitution.

Edited April 2, 2017 by ForeverAlone

[CelticBlackCat]

The offer wasn't a cool $20M in one lump sum.  The rape victim/survivor was offered a new job at the other company and would have to work there for four years to earn the money.  All the while being at the beck and call of the rapist because he would be their client.  No trial = no conviction.  He would have gotten off on the charge and offended again and not have had to pay anything for the previous rape that came to light.  The bastard deserves to be in a prison cell next to Bernie Madoff.

[JeezumCrow]

When the victim was asked (on the stand) why she had changed her mind about testifying, I swear, I thought she was going to say, "Because Lieutenant Benson kept showing up at my house and refused to leave my doorstep until I agreed."

[RafaelBarba35]

1 hour ago, curlyblackeggs said:

When the victim was asked (on the stand) why she had changed her mind about testifying, I swear, I thought she was going to say, "Because Lieutenant Benson kept showing up at my house and refused to leave my doorstep until I agreed."

Exactly! 

[Kel Varnsen]

Pretty standard episode. The only thing that really bugged me was, how the hell did Carisi fit $4,000 (40 one hundred dollar bills) in his wallet?

[angel1008]

I saw a deleted scene from this episode that really ticked me off.  At the end, Fin announced to Rollins and Carisi that he was now Sargeant Fin!  Something fans have been wanting for years, and they delete it.  Of course, they also have the victim speaking to the press and there is Benson in the background.  This is out of hand.

[sockii]

48 minutes ago, angel1008 said:

I saw a deleted scene from this episode that really ticked me off.  At the end, Fin announced to Rollins and Carisi that he was now Sargeant Fin!  Something fans have been wanting for years, and they delete it.  Of course, they also have the victim speaking to the press and there is Benson in the background.  This is out of hand.

They apparently dropped that deleted scene on Twitter tonight, and I am beyond pissed off. I can't believe it. I can't believe they would disrespect the show's second longest-running character by having such a major moment tossed aside as nothing but a deleted scene.

Then again, I knew it wasn't going to matter on the show anyway. It's still just going to be the Benson hour; they won't show Fin any more respect or show him having any more responsibility. I was honestly so upset about this I couldn't watch tonight's new episode and I'm not sure I'll bother with the rest of this season unless friends tell me it's worth it and they treat Fin with some actual respect again.

[Monkeybball]

I've railed on this multiple times in other episode threads, but the YOU HAVE TO TESTIFY thing drives me nuts.  Just getting that out there from the jump.

HOWEVER - I like the answer that she didn't want to let him take her dignity.  That resonated.

As someone who is a survivor of sexual assault, I'm going to say something that's going to be pretty surprising I'm sure, but I feel it needs to be said: We need to stop acting like being raped is the worst thing in the world that could happen to a person.  It is horrible, it is violative, and it is demoralizing, but it is OVERCOMABLE.  I hate the visual of the first victim being all alone in her super fancy apartment being like "....oh well, at least I'm rich."  I'd wager that she's not sitting in that apartment every day, reliving the rape over and over again.  If you're going to make that choice, I'm sure you've already justified it in your mind of "oh well, it's not like I was dragged down into an alley and held at gunpoint and beaten half to death.  At least it was a billionaire in his giant apartment.  Sure, his entitlement is shitty, but at least he had to pay for it SOME way."  Like someone said above, why do we barely ever get to hear what the consequences might be to the person who does ruin her career or reputation by going public and testifying?  You think the victim from this week is going to have an easy time of it getting hired in the future?  You think any of her next jobs are going to pay her $5mil for 4 years?  Obviously it's better to know that you earned your money the honest way, but it's a fair question to ask yourself.  And I'm sorry, with the Army Ranger girl - no one even mentioned the fact that being a sexual assault victim, publically, could be used against her in combat.  That was the argument (as bullshit as it was) about gays in the military.  These are real world, real life things that have to be considered.  And yes, you talked about it publically and MAYBE the guy goes to jail (maybe).  Does that erase what happened to you?  Nope.  What about those of us who have been sexually assaulted who never  got the chance to even have the CHOICE whether to testify?  It's ridiculous.  Are we not able to heal because we didn't get to face the guy in court?  According to Benson, it kinda seems like that's how it would be!

It reminds me of the Ray Rice episode with Meagan Goode.  Where she says "I'm NOT a victim, and you're trying to make me one."  The way Benson (and the show on a larger scale) treat victims of sexual assault makes it seem like the trauma SHOULD BE UNBEARABLE.  And yes it IS for some, but it doesn't have to be, and you need to let people know that it is something you can move on from, regardless of what happens afterword. 

 

/End rant.

Edited April 6, 2017 by Monkeybball

[Kel Varnsen]

Oh yea and what was the deal with that past victim and the non disclosure agreement? I could have sworn that i learned from Law and Order in the past that criminals can't use NDA's to protect them from criminal investigations.

[Monkeybball]

14 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Oh yea and what was the deal with that past victim and the non disclosure agreement? I could have sworn that i learned from Law and Order in the past that criminals can't use NDA's to protect them from criminal investigations.

It's true. However, the person who signed the NDA can also be prosecuted for accepting money in exchange for not reporting the crime.  Although I'm sure a D.A. would cut a deal to have that person testify.  You'll also stop receiving the benefit you received from the contract and can't sue to enforce it, as it was based on illegal activity (assuming the payment wasn't in a lump sum or something).  I'm sure people add certain protections in these types of contracts to incentivize abiding by the NDA.

[ForeverAlone]

After having watched this episode finally, I still think it would have been an interesting storytelling choice for Zoe to take the deal, just for something different. As it was written though, this was completely framed about Olivia pushing her agenda on Zoe and making it all about herself and what she wanted. This episode was steeped in St. Olivia-ness and making all about receiving her approval and the victim doing what she wanted her to do. I get that SVU spent a fair amount of time building a case to arrest Eli, but Olivia really did make it all about her at the end. I too have grown tired of this season where only Olivia can be the one to save Rafael's cases, and the close ups of her approving nods. The deleted scene (you know the one where we find out Fin made sergeant) just furthered that, because the dialogue and framing gave all the credit to Olivia. The Olivia Benson worship by both the writers and the SVU social media accounts just makes me roll my eyes, and honestly, makes me like the character less and less these days.