"Liberties" | ||
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← | SVU, Episode 10.21 | → |
Production number: First aired: 19 May 2009 | ||
Written By Dawn DeNoon Directed By Juan J. Campanella |
Plot[]
Pamela Galliano calls 911 and reports that a man, Owen, broke into her apartment and raped her, but she disarmed him using skills from her self-defense class, so he needs an ambulance. The man wakes up in a hospital bed behind bars and claims that he met Pamela on a fantasy site where she sent him detailed instructions on how she wanted him to rape her. Pamela says that she had never even heard of the site, and no one has access to her computer - though it is filled with pornography, but TARU finds a trojan horse on her computer that allowed someone to download the pornography onto her computer without her knowledge. The detectives wonder whether Owen can be charged with rape if he genuinely thought that Pamela had asked to be raped. They begin looking for the person that hacked her computer. Pamela suggests it is probably her ex-boyfriend, Tyler Brunsen, who was a computer genius.
The detectives figure out that Tyler is from Rhode Island, but he has followed Pamela to New York, moving into an apartment building right across the street. This causes her to panic, because it was so hard to get a restraining order because he never physically abused her. She believes he will not leave her alone until one of them is dead. She forgot to give her new address in New York for the original Rhode Island restraining order.
Cabot tries to get Judge Koehler to approve a restraining order in New York, if Cabot appears as a guest speaker for his civics class in a juvenile detention center. He instead grants a temporary order of protection for Pam. When questioned by Stabler, Brunsen acts surprised that Pamela lives right across the street. He offers them his "unclassified" computer, but says his "classified" computer can't be given to them because he has Top Secret clearance.
Benson gets a call from the veterinary hospital, where Pamela and her dog (who has broken legs and ribs) are, after Pamela says she was attacked by Tyler. Tyler claims he just "bumped" into her, and her dog attacked him. Stabler and Benson tell Tyler that the pornographic images of Pamela were shown to be photoshopped and they're looking for evidence he's responsible (though this isn't true). Tyler's counselor argues that the detectives broke his rights by not letting him get medical treatment for his dog bites, and that Stabler misled him into believing he might not be charged. A hearing is held, but Tyler tries to run out of the courtroom and Judge Koehler remands him until his trial for breaking the restraining order, resulting in an outburst from Tyler.
Judge Koehler tells Detective Elliot Stabler that 30 years ago, his 3 year old son Marshall was taken during a family outing at the park and became the victim of a convicted serial killer, who has revealed the locations of his other victims but has not revealed the location of Marshall because, as a convicted killer, he has a bias against judges. Judge Koehler hires Stabler to talk to the killer to finally get the location of Marshall's body.
Stabler eventually coerces Dotson to talk, and texts Koehler during Tyler Brunsen's trial, distracting Koehler, who calls for court to adjourn. He meets Benson and Warner at a pool house, where there is a stain from where a decomposing body was left, but the remains were not left there.
Pamela tells Benson that the trial is delayed and she believes Tyler is doing it on purpose. Cabot and Benson discover that Judge Koehler hasn't shown up yet, which is very out of character for him. They talk to Tyler, who reveals that Koehler came to talk to him, but only to ask about his life's story. Fin and Stabler find Koehler at home with blood on his shirt, and a man - Gregory Brunsen - beat up and bleeding. Tyler reveals that Koehler had asked him if he was abused, and he said he was.
Warner reveals that the DNA from the stain at the pool house was not from Koehler's son. Koehler also asked Warner to do a DNA test to compare Tyler's DNA to Marshall's DNA from his hair from a baby scrapbook.
Koehler reveals that Gregory Brunsen was actually the one that stole Tyler/Marshall from the park, he was not kidnapped and killed by Dotson. Judge Koehler's impetus for asking for Stabler's help was after Koehler suspected the truth as a result of Tyler yelling a phrase in court that Koehler had taught his son as a child. Koehler and his son reunite at the end of the episode when Koehler helps Tyler remember him.
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
- Michaela McManus as A.D.A. Kim Greylek (credit only)
- 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[]
- Alan Dale as Judge Joshua Koehler
- Jon Patrick Walker as Tyler Brunsen / Marshall Koehler
- Sprague Grayden as Pamela Galliano
- Silas Weir Mitchell as Owen Walters
- Victor Arnold as Roy Lee Dotson
- Linda Park as T.A.R.U. Technician
- Frank Page as Bailiff
- Unknown as Gregory Brunsen (uncredited)
References[]
- Louis Brandeis
- Clarence Darrow
- Department of Defense
- Mahatma Ghandi
- Thomas Jefferson
- People v. Jackson
- People v. Baldwin
- ImmerShed Enterprises
- Marshall Koehler
- Shawna Koehler
- The Wolf and the Lamb
- NAMBLA
- Rhode Island
- Alan Ridenour
Quotes[]
- Owen Walters: Ughhh... Feels like someone put my balls in a wood chipper.
- Stabler: Mm-hmm.
- Owen Walters: What happened?
- Stabler: That defenseless girl you targeted? Not so defenseless.
- [a rape victim fought off her attacker and put him in the hospital]
- Owen Walters: What do you call what she did to me?
- Stabler: For a rapist? Occupational hazard.
- Cragen: So, Owen read the "Hey, big boy, come up and rape me sometime" post and was dumb enough to believe it.
- {{{4}}}: {{{3}}}
- [about Tyler Brunsen]
- Benson: Orchestrating a rape, disseminating child pornography, stalking. This guy's an SVU trifecta.
- Stabler: [to Tyler Brunsen] I don't know what's going on here. Get yourself some counseling, hypnotism, acupuncture, something and move on. And do as the paper tells you, don't bother her again.
- Tyler Brunsen: Look at this! Pants ruined.
- Stabler: Calm down.
- Tyler Brunsen: Loot at this: bite marks! Huh? I should be in the hospital getting checked for rabies!
- Benson: I seriously doubt you gave the dog rabies.
- Tyler Brunsen: I don't lose control.
- Benson: You don't like to lose, period. Your past employer, ImmerShed Enterprises wasn't planning on renewing your contract a few years back, so you had a slip and fall. Won a fat worker's comp claim.
- Tyler Brunsen: I have persistent back pain!
- Benson: What you have is an obsessive need for payback to anyone who rejects you.
- Hashi Horowitz: Detective Stabler, do you recall Mr. Brunsen requesting medical attention while in your custody?
- Stabler: You mean for the scratch on his leg?
- Hashi Horowitz: For the vicious dog bite. Isn't it standard procedure to suspend questioning until a suspect's medical needs are attended to?
- Stabler: The skin wasn't even broken.
- Hashi Horowitz: He conveyed to you a great deal of distress over this wound.
- Stabler: He was more upset about his torn pants. I didn't run out and get him a tailor either.
- Judge Joshua Koehler: Save the jokes for open mic night, Detective.
- Judge Koehler: I'm ready to make my ruling. Given the totality of the circumstances, the court believes that it is unlikely that the defendant will return to the court of his own volition. I am therefore revoking bail and ordering him remanded.
- Tyler Brunsen: What?
- Judge Koehler: Jimmy, take him into custody.
- Tyler Brunsen: You can't do this I-I-I have rights!
- Cabot: He can have a toothbrush.
- Heshy Horowitz: It's okay, Tyler, I can appeal...
- Tyler Brunsen: You corrupt peace of garbage!
- Judge Koehler: Son, during the period of your incarceration, I sincerely urge you to do some soul searching. Consider how your conduct will appear to the jury
- Tyler Brunsen: Consider yours. A tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny.
- Stabler: I've dealt with my fair share of kiddie diddlers. You a member of NAMBLA?
- Roy Lee Dotson: I'm no homo. I like boys and girls. They're pretty much the same at that age. No grass on the field.
- Dr. Warner: Roy told this girl's parents where he buried her years ago, just not where he stored her first.
- Munch: So Roy played Elliot like a Gameboy. When did you tell judge this?
- Warner: Saturday.
- Tutuola: Why didn't you tell us?
- Warner: Aside from a tour bus massacre that kept me pretty busy, I was a little uncomfortable with what the judge asked me to do.
Background information and notes[]
- This is the last episode featuring ADA Cabot for this season.
- Four months after this episode aired, a similar incident occurred in which a man named Jebidiah James Stipe posed as his ex-girlfriend on Craigslist and arranged for her assault. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Episode scene cards[]
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
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Residence of |
Residence of |
Tribeca Emergency |
Chambers of |
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
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Supreme Court |
Bedford |
Supreme Court |
Office of the |
Previous episode: "Crush" |
"Liberties" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 10 |
Next episode: "Zebras" |