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"Annihilated"
SVU, Episode 8.20
Production number: 08019
First aired: 8 May 2007
  th of 502 produced in SVU  
th of 502 released in SVU
  th of 1271 released in all  
Ryan O'Halloran Stabler Annihilated
Written By
Amanda Green

Directed By
Peter Leto

Summary[]

A woman's murder appears to be the result of a professional hit, when her fiancé receives death threats, apparently resulting from his CIA career. Elliot, investigating this, finds that the man may not be all that he seems; the case takes a shocking turn when the man's original family are all found dead. Meanwhile, Elliot continues to rebuild his relationship with his family.

Plot[]

Stabler is told by Cragen to leave, as he is about to leave, he stops and places chairs against both doors. Royce questions what he is doing and Stabler starts threatening him, before grabbing him by the neck and tells him that he could kill him right now. Cragen starts banging on the door, demanding that he stop but is ignored and Royce pleads for help. Stabler demands answers and Royce confesses that he drugged the kids to prevent himself from looking in their eyes, as he killed them. Stabler is shocked to hear that while Royce states it was because nobody would care for his family if he went away forever.

As he repeats his guilt, Stabler disgusted that Royce slaughtered his own family and trying to excuse it as mercy, walks out the room while Royce repeats he had to do it. Ignoring his greeting co-workers, he makes his way to the elevator in order to register his experience.

Cast[]

Main cast[]

Recurring cast[]

Guest cast[]

References[]

Quotes[]

Benson: Why is he listed as MIA if he's alive and well in New York City?
Munch: Because the CIA wants it that way.

Munch: Hey, I got something spooky on your spook.

Stabler: You ever try to put three kids to bed hopped up on pizza and soda?
Cragen: Well, maybe Malcolm's got the magic touch.
Stabler: Cannot be done. Trust me.

Lindsay Royce: I'm sick of Staten Island! I am sick of carpools and juice boxes and soccer games. I wanted a little glamour.
[to Stabler] I bet you're married. Did it ever cross your mind that your wife might wanna do a little bit more than just make beds and cook dinner?

[When Stabler stays the night at his home with Kathy]
Kathleen Stabler: Dad, what are you doing here?
Elliot: I came by to see you guys.
Kathleen: At 2:00 in the morning?
Elliot: I had a long day.
Kathleen: It isn't fair to Mom.
Elliot: Look, I called. She said it was okay.
Kathleen: That's not what I mean. We're your family not some booty call. Come home or don't, but there's nothing in between.

[Stabler and O'Halloran wrestles with him with a laser gun to recreate the mark left by a bullet in a supposed struggle]
Ryan O'Halloran: Try it a hundred ways but you're gonna have to break my wrist to make the trajectory line up. Try to shoot yourself in the head.

[When Stabler finds Malcolm Royce on the roof of the hospital about to commit suicide]
Malcolm Royce: Leave me alone, Detective. I should have died tonight.
Stabler: But you didn't. You're alive for a reason.
Malcolm Royce: I don't care. I don't want to live without my family.
Stabler: I can't let you do this.
Malcolm Royce: Why not? Why do you care?
Stabler: Because you're a good man, Malcolm who's been through an unimaginable ordeal.
Malcolm Royce: I've lost everyone I love.
Stabler: Look, you dying is not gonna bring them back.
Malcolm Royce: But it'll stop the pain. God, it hurts. My kids.
Stabler: Malcolm, they wouldn't want this. They'd want you to go on. Think of them. Drew, Tyler, Jennifer. They love you. They'd want you to be happy.

[about Malcolm]
Cragen: Bastard kills his family and then cries for his loss.
Novak: How sick can you get?

Background information and notes[]

  • The episode title references the term "family annihilation".
  • In the opening scenes, the housekeeper is vacuuming before making the bed. Since vacuuming is the last chore a housekeeper performs, the only reason to vacuum first would be to destroy evidence.
  • The autopsy should have shown that Malcolm slipped his children sleeping pills because even with the official cause of death being a gunshot wound, there would still have been an autopsy.
  • The Verrazano Bridge does not have a toll booth going eastbound (out of Staten Island). So the E-Z Pass records would not have shown the Royces' car going into Brooklyn. It would, however, pick up the car as it went through the tunnel into Manhattan.
  • Kathleen tells Elliot that he should work harder to move back home. He had asked Kathy to move back in during the episode "Dependent", though he had missed time to discuss this further in the episode "Sin".
  • This would not be the last time Dylan Walsh would play a character leading a double life. The second time would be in the 2009 movie The Stepfather.

Episode scene cards[]

1 2 3

Central Intelligence
Agency
New York Field Office
Thursday, March 22

6 Eleven Deli Inc.
& Grocery
Staten Island, New York
Friday, March 23

Royce Residence
1020 Westfield Drive
Staten Island, New York
Friday, March 23

4 5 6

Lefkowitz Residence
1113 Westfield Drive
Staten Island, New York
Friday, March 23

Richmond County Hospital
573 Fairview Avenue
Staten Island, New York
Friday, March 23

Royce Residence
1020 Westfield Drive
Staten Island, New York
Friday, March 23

Previous episode:
"Florida"
"Annihilated"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Season 8
Next episode:
"Pretend"
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