"Anchor" | ||
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← | SVU, Episode 11.10 | → |
Production number: 11010 First aired (US): 2 December 2009 First aired (UK): 18 December 2009 First aired (CAN): 4 December 2009 First aired (AUS): 29 April 2010 | ||
Written By Amanda Green & Daniel Truly Directed By Jonathan Kaplan |
Summary[]
Fin races to find a racist who's been targeting the children of local immigrants and clashes with a local celebrity over the matter.
Plot[]
Detective Odafin Tutuola is called to the scene when a girl is found dead. Fin suspects that she may have been working as a prostitute due to her body being found on a street where prostitutes hang out, however Dr. Melinda Warner says that she has not had sex and was not raped. Fin informs her mother of her death and swears to find the killer, however back at the station Captain Donald Cragen says that the case is outside their jurisdiction as she was not raped. Fin tries in vain to convince Cragen to let him pursue the case, but he insists it's not a special victims case. However, Dr. Warner shows up and informs them of another girl who was murdered in the same manner the previous month. Cragen says he's going to call 1PP to explain that there's a pattern and to request that they take over the investigation.
Fin and Sergeant John Munch try to get witnesses to the murder to step forward, asking people who were in the area that night, while they pass out missing fliers for the girl. Cragen approaches Fin and says that despite him ignoring his orders they have been put on the case. Patrolling Fin takes in a convenience store worker who he sees giving candy to a young girl, with chains that resemble the ones that would have been used to kill the other girls nearby, however another body turns up while he is interrogating him.
The detectives realize that all of the victims' families were clients at a local immigration assistance charity. At the charity they see an anti-immigrant talk show called Flashpoint hosted by Gordon Garrison, where Randall Carver, a local who stands up for immigrants, is guest starring. Carver claims that SVU is to blame for not paying attention to the deaths and when they return to the charity Fin and Munch find two protests: one against immigrants and the other led by Carver defending them. Fin is confronted by Randall who continues to say that SVU has been ignoring the case and Fin pushes him when he loses his cool and is scrutinized on the news. Fin goes to see Randall at his office and arrests a man who causes a scene in Randall's office accusing him of defending immigrants who are destroying America. However Randall says that he will not be pressing charges and Fin is forced to let him go.
Fin is troubled by his inability to find the children's killer, but redoubles his efforts after talking to Detective Benson and while sorting through hate mail being sent to the families who go to the charity, him and Munch trace one sent to one of the victims families. They realize that the sender was the man who works the paper shredder at the charity, Joseph "Joe" Thagard and the same man that Fin let go from Randall's office. Police raid his apartment and find a study where he has taped together all the immigrant families information and a line of children's pictures with the three victims crossed out. Fin rushes to the home of the next child on the list and finds him in the act. Having killed the child's father and trapped his mother, Fin saves the child and arrests Joe.
While Fin is interrogating Joe, the latter is uncooperative and insults him while an observing Cragen tells Cabot that Fin won't be baited. Indeed, Fin is unmoved and Munch calls him to inform him that they've found the chains he used to kill the children. Fin taunts Joe with this knowledge, as he confesses that he did it to save his country, though Fin calls him out on his bigotry. However, Cabot and Carver walk in, with Carver informing them that he will be defending Thagard for free, saying that Thagard has been brainwashed by Gordon Garrison's anti-immigrant propaganda.
In court Judge Preston allows Carver's brainwashing defense. Alexandra questions Joe who says that he believes himself to be a patriot from listening to Gordon Garrison, claiming that there's a war going on between America and illegal immigrants. Saying that they come to America for the benefits but don't contribute and have "anchor babies" to make themselves U.S. citizens.
Fin confronts Randall outside the trial, accusing him of defending Joe for publicity. Carver denies the accusation and tells Fin that his father was a very racist man who was member of the KKK and used to tell him about killings, which led to his hatred of racism. Fin calls him out on his "daddy issues" and Carver explains that he feels good people can be tricked into doing the wrong things, racism is the real problem, Joe is merely a symptom. However, Fin is still unconvinced and walks away.
At the trial, Gordon Garrison is called to the stand and causes a scene when one of his supporters jumps from his seat and threatens to kill Alexandra, and gets in a fight with one of Randall's pro-immigration supporters. The scene is enough to convince the jury and they find Joe not guilty on all charges. As Fin and Alexandra look on in disbelief, Joe whispers something in Carver's ear, which greatly disturbs him.
Fin drinks in a bar disgusted that Joe got away and is visited by Nicole who clearly has an interest in him. As he speaks to her, he gets a call from Carver who says he wants to see him. Although Fin announces he does not wish to see him again, Carver insists that it is important while Fin tells Nicole that he will speak to her later, something she looks forward to.
In Carver's office, Fin meets Carver who informs him that after he was declared not guilty Joe thanked him, before saying that he would go kill more of the kids. Alarmed, Fin says that they need to stop him, but Carver has already done so before he turns and shows him that Joe is lying dead from a gunshot wound behind his desk. As Fin stands next to him watching the body, Carver turns himself in and hands him the gun he used to kill him. The episode ends with Fin standing stunned.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler
- Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
- Richard Belzer as Sergeant John Munch
- Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
- Stephanie March as A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot
- B.D. Wong as Dr. George Huang (credit only)
- Tamara Tunie as M.E. Melinda Warner
- Dann Florek as Captain Donald Cragen
Recurring cast[]
Guest cast[]
- John Larroquette as Randall Carver
- Thomas Sadoski as Joseph Thagard
- Megalyn Echikunwoke as Nicole Gleason
- Christine Toy Johnson as Keiko Nishimura
- Yaya DaCosta as Audrina
- Chil Kong as Chen Wu
- Karen Tsen Lee as Mrs. Wu
- Bruce McGill as Gordon Garrison
- Michael Barra as Donnie
- Michael-Leon Wooley as T-Mac
- Nneoma Nkuku as Marie Brown
- Glenn Kubota as Kwan
- Lyric Davis-Watson as Ruby Brown
- Alexandra Suarez as Hispanic Daughter
- Glory Curda as Asian Girl
- Kate Hess as Secretary
- Jerome Preston Bates as ESU Sergeant
- Diane Ordelheide as Passing Woman
- Gayle Turner as Court Clerk
- Joe Wissler as Jury Foreman
- Katherine Terrill as Supporter #1
- David Shumbris as Supporter #2
- Dared Wright as Supporter #3
- Millard Darden as Opponent #1
- Peter Macklin as Opponent #2
- Cameron Reed as Opponent #3
- Daniel R. Manning as Danny
- Joe Melendes as Reporter
- Christopher Darbassie as Tariq Al-Haziz
- Geeta Citygirl as Mrs. Al-Haziz
References[]
- Center for Immigration Services
- Carver Justice Center
- New York Ledger
- Kurt Moss
- Mr. Clean
- Elizabeth Smart
- Jim Jones
- Patty Hearst
- Rush Limbaugh
- Glenn Beck
- Bill O'Reilly
- Voltaire
Quotes[]
- Tutuola: "Jesus Loves Me." Well, someone sure don't.
- Tutuola: How does a Catholic schoolgirl end up dead on a hooker stroll?
- Dr. Warner: Isn't that a question for Homicide? It's not a sex crime, Fin.
- Tutuola: She looks like a special victim to me.
- Cragen: Ruby Brown is not our case.
- Tutuola: Captain, she was just a little kid.
- Cragen: Her death was not sexually motivated and there was no child abuse. So, type up what you've done and get the file over to Homicide.
- Tutuola: Where it will just sit. No witnesses, no leads. The case will die.
- Cragen: All the more reason to turf it. I'm getting killed on our closure rate as it is.
- Tutuola: So our stats are more important than a little girl's life?
- Tutuola: We gave out about a hundred flyers. TV news could reach thousands.
- Benson: You know, when I was dating that guy at The Ledger, I got to know this woman on the crime desk. Her name was Nicole Gleason.
- Tutuola: One PP said no press.
- Benson: She's cute. I could introduce you.
- Tutuola: I don't need help hooking up.
- Benson: No, but you are going to need an alibi if somebody sees you having a drink with a journalist.
- Cragen: When the Chief of D's gives an order, we follow it.
- Tutuola: Unless Liv or Elliot bends the rules. Then you're out on a limb with them.
- Cragen: You disobeyed a direct order from your commanding officer.
- Tutuola: Only thing I'm sorry about is I didn't get the front page. Three inches and no photos. If our victim looked like Elizabeth Smart, we'd have a task force and a million-dollar reward.
- Cragen: This isn't about race.
- Tutuola: Sure. You keep telling yourself that.
- [watching Gordon Garrison]
- Munch: Do we have to watch the collapse of western civilization?
- Randall Carver: [on TV] How many more of these children have to die before this so-called Special Victims Unit takes these murders seriously?
- Tutuola: We just took on the case, you idiot!
- Munch: See, now, you're yelling at the TV.
- [Randall Carver is staging a demonstration outside SVU]
- Tutuola: [handing Munch a stack of correspondence] Hold this. Gonna go see how far I can kick that bullhorn up his ass.
- Munch: Don't dirty your shoe, Fin.
- Chief Muldrew: "Special Violence Unit"?!
- Tutuola: Randall Carver's a leech!
- Chief Muldrew: And you're a police officer. For how much longer is up to you.
- Tutuola: I didn't rough him up.
- Cragen: You're saying the camera's lying?
- Tutuola: You know what, gimme the rip; I don't care! I'm-a find this killer before another kid dies! [starts to leave]
- Cragen: Fin!!
- Chief Muldrew: No, no! No, keep on goin', Tutuola; out the door, on to your next career. I'm sure you'll enjoy being a mall cop.
- Tutuola: [dissuaded] Okay, I'm sorry. I lost my cool with Carver and I shouldn't have.
- Chief Muldrew: Now, go say it again to that asswad who's making our lives Hell!
- [as Fin is looking at the photos of the three murdered children]
- Benson: Smiles like that ought to live forever. The kids always get to me, too, Fin.
- Tutuola: If you came to give me a pep talk, save it.
- Benson: Actually, I came to give you these.
[hands him a pile of papers] - Tutuola: Seriously? Are you kidding me? Paperwork?
[throws the papers on the floor] - Benson: They're employee files. For every vendor who does business with the Center of lmmigrant Services From the company that does their payroll to the one that cleans their toilet. I figured that one of the people that goes in and out of there on a daily basis might be your bad guy.
- Tutuola: You stuck your neck out running down leads for me.
- Benson: And this is the thanks I get?
- Tutuola: I've been putting my foot in it with every woman that crossed my path today.
- Benson: Fin, you've worked cases like this before. What is it about these kids?
- Tutuola: Everything. Their skin color. The fact people just don't seem to care.
- Tutuola: Munch!
- Munch: [wakes up] What?
- Tutuola: Let's get back on this hate mail.
- Tutuola: Son of a bitch!
- Munch: Well, screw you too.
- Tutuola: I wasn't talking to you.
- Munch: What, you got an imaginary friend over there with you now?
- Tutuola: [to Joe Thagard] Better grow wings or I'm going to blow your brains all over the street down there.
- Joe Thagard: I didn't do nothing to that boy.
- Tutuola: Only 'cause I got there first.
- Joe Thagard: I drank some beers earlier. I accidentally went into the wrong apartment.
- Tutuola: Then you cold-cocked the dad, tied up the mother. What, were you going to read the kid a bedtime story?
- Cabot: You better watch out Your Honor, I hear listening to NPR will turn us all into zombies.
- Munch: Before the internet and the 24-hour news cycle, kooks could xerox pamphlets. Now any crackpot can get on television and get millions of lemmings to jump off any cliff they tell them to.
- Cabot: [to Joe Thaggard] So, you hated immigrants before you ever watched "Flashpoint". You weren't brainwashed by Garrison. You've always been a homegrown American racist.
- Tutuola: I don't get why you're defending this wacko.
- Randall Carver: Thagard's a symptom, not the disease.
- Tutuola: That symptom killed three kids.
- Randall Carver: Garrison, Limbaugh, Beck, O'Reilly, all of them. They're like a cancer spreading ignorance and hate. I mean, they've convinced folks that immigrants are the problem. Not corporations that fail to pay a living wage, or a broken health-care system-.
- Tutuola: Save the soapbox, Randy. The cameras aren't even running.
- Randall Carver: I ain't doing this for the attention. I get enough of that already.
- Tutuola: Then why are you wasting your time on this loser?
- Randall Carver: My daddy was a Klansman. Told me stories about lynchings. When I asked him why, he just said, "Son, some men need killing."
- Tutuola: Daddy issues, huh? You get Thagard off, him and all those knucklehead Kluckers will be real proud of you. Might even give you your own pointed hood.
- Randall Carver: Listen to me. I hate the Klan and everything they stand for, but they did teach me that a good man can be swept up by evil forces. The problem is bigger than Joe Thagard. Those kids would still be alive if Garrison hadn't driven him to kill.
- Randall Carver: You can't yell "fire" in a crowded theatre.
- Gordon Garrison: You can if the building is burning, and make no mistake - America is ablaze.
- Gordon Garrison: Folks, I'm just a social thermometer, taking the temperature of the people.
- Cabot: Rectally?
- Tutuola: How the hell did this happen, Alex?
- Cabot: I was hoping you could tell me.
- Tutuola: I'd like to wipe that smile off Thagard's face with a belt sander.
- Cabot: It's my fault, Fin. I underestimated Carver. He gave Thagard one hell of a makeover.
- Tutuola: From child killer to pathetic punk with a hard-knock life.
- Cabot: Juries love a weepy mea culpa.
- Tutuola: And Garrison looked like the real psycho.
- Cabot: Especially after his freaky fans went nuts.
- Randall Carver: You know what Thagard whispered to me in court after he heard the verdict?
- Tutuola: What?
- Randall Carver: He said "Thanks, now I can go kill more of those kids."
Background information and notes[]
- Benson mentions how she had dated a guy from the New York Ledger, likely alluding to Kurt Moss from the season 9 episode "Closet".
- Captain Cragen tells Fin that they got a tip on a suspect. He gives no name or description, but Fin leaves to go pick him up.
Episode scene cards[]
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
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Chusok Deli |
Lenox Lounge |
Columbia Market |
Chen Wu Cafe |
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
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Carver Justice Center |
Al-Haziz Residence |
Supreme Court |
Supreme Court |
Previous episode: "Perverted" |
"Anchor" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 11 |
Next episode: "Quickie" |