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"Lunacy"
SVU, Episode 10.04
Production number: 10001
First aired (US): 21 October 2008
First aired (AUS): 26 February 2009
  th of 502 produced in SVU  
th of 502 released in SVU
  th of 1271 released in all  
Stabler Finley Lunacy
Written By
Daniel Truly

Directed By
Peter Leto

Summary[]

A famous astronaut is found dead and Detective Stabler's old mentor assists the investigation.

Plot[]

A couple is discussing their date before having a small argument. The boyfriend soon stops and tries to propose to his girlfriend who notices something horrible and points to her boyfriend to look behind him and they discover a woman's corpse in the ocean water. It is revealed her hands were cut off for the killer to avoid detection. It is later determined that she was killed on Friday night. Stabler and Benson see Rick, Darren, and Rosie, who were filming an anti-Muslim porn movie during the time-frame of the murder. Rick's tape shows that a taxi, numbered 2X89, which almost them ran over near the murder scene on Saturday.

The police find out that Taxi 2X89 belongs to a man named Edward "Eddie" De Pablo, who clarified during interrogation that he wasn't driving his taxi during Friday or Saturday. They then compare a photo of Eddie's taxi to the one on Rick's video, finding that the videotaped one is a fake cab. Stabler and Benson then find out that a group of women in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx were raped by the cab driver. Cragen orders Fin and Munch to look for DNA near the murder scene. Benson and Stabler talk to the last surviving rape victim Leslie Schuster, who is able to recognize her rapist's voice. When Fin and Munch reach the murder scene, Fin finds urine that matches the DNA of Orlando McTeer. Orlando was previously imprisoned for aggravated rape, but was released from prison prior to the rapes. Stabler and Benson locate Orlando, who admits to driving the fake taxi and committing the rapes, though he provides an alibi that is later positively verified: he had raped a woman in Pennsylvania during the Jane Doe's murder. This is soon confirmed in calls to Pennsylvania.

Melinda later identifies the victim as Marga Jansen, an astronaut.

Stabler and Benson go to Marga's workplace at NASA, where they find Dick Finley, an old friend of Stabler's who was acquainted with Marga. According to him, before Marga died, she went to a hotel, where she was witnessed arguing with another woman. The woman is identified as Andrea Patwin, Marga's lover, but she is found innocent and then says that Marga also had a necklace, which wasn't found on her body. She explains the last time she saw Marga and how she was spooked by an old colleague. This leads to the second suspect former astronaut Lance Corliss, but his innocence is also proven by being at a bar all night at the time of the murder.

While the detectives are eating and drinking with Finley at the precinct, Fin informs Benson that somebody was using Marga's ATM card at a gas station three blocks away from the police station. When they go to the gas station, they see an agitated young man who using the card. The man tries to flee, but is attacked by Finley and knocked out.

At the station, the man is identified as Vincent Beckwith, who is a troubled youth. He claims to have found Marga's ATM card in the street and that he never met Marga. Vincent's lawyer then shows up and it turns out that he hails from a wealthy family. Fin later finds Marga's necklace at a store. Benson sends Vincent's picture to Fin's phone, and Fin shows Vince's picture to the store owner, who identifies him. As a result, they suspect that Vincent killed Marga, but it turns out he was innocent and found the ATM card in a purse discarded by a mysterious man wearing a baseball cap. They find out that Marga has an obsessed fan named Anton Thibodeaux, who wears a baseball cap. Anton also saw Marga at the hotel before she died, but he didn't see anyone suspicious at the hotel. Vince looks at a lineup, but Vincent doesn't identify Anton, clearing him. Afterwards, Anton expresses his desire to help the police look for Marga's killer, so Finley decides to give advice to Anton. Stabler's son Dickie later shows up at the police station because he wants to meet Finley. When Finley is done talking to Anton, he sees Dickie and talks to him. Meanwhile, when Anton sees Vincent, he flies into a rage and accuses him of killing Marga, as he grabs a gun from a police officer, and kills Vincent. Benson tells Anton to drop the gun, but when he doesn't, Finley attacks Anton. A gunshot rings out, and Finley falls off from Anton, who is dead.

Stabler takes Dickie back to their house, while Finley asks Benson out to dinner. Before leaving, Finley signs an autograph for Munch while Fin is surprised with him.

At the Stabler home, while talking about Finley, Dickie says that anyone would do anything to go to the Moon, a comment that leaves Stabler becoming suspicious of Finley, who had wanted to go to the Moon for years but was unable to.

When Stabler goes to Finley's hotel room, he interrupts the latter and his date by sending the woman out and talking to Finley. Stabler soon finds a baseball cap, then asks, "Why did you kill Marga?" Finley tries defending himself, but Stabler is unconvinced and brings up how Finley has motive because Marga was a rising star and he was washed up. Stabler then reveals that the fingerprints found on Marga's necklace, which was recovered from her found purse, were compared to Finley's fingerprints on a rocket given to Dickie by him, and it was a positive match. Finley is angered at being accused and attacks Stabler, while revealing he could not let Marga take the moon from him. After a brief fight, Finley is subdued by Stabler who infuriated that a murderer shook his son's hand, punches him out. Finley is then arrested for his crimes.

As he is led out to a police car, Finley takes one last look at the Moon before being put inside the car. After he is driven away, Benson shows up dressed for dinner with Finley and witnesses the last few moments of Finley's arrest. She asks, "Is everything okay?" He says, "No."

Cast[]

Main cast[]

Recurring cast[]

Guest cast[]

References[]

Quotes[]

Dr. Warner: Hands amputated mid-ulna.
Benson: The killer doesn't want us to ID her. He's angry and he's smart.
Stabler: That's a bad combination.

Scott: I'm the director.
Darren: And I'm the actor.
Stabler: And I'm a Jamaican jet pilot.

Darren: Sex is dangerous. At its heart it's a power struggle between a man and a woman.
Stabler: Not if you do it right.

Stabler: From outer space to our morgue. It's about as hard a landing as you can get.

Colonel Richard Finley: Who's this gorgeous woman?
Stabler: This is Detective Olivia Benson. Colonel Richard Finley, Marine Corps test pilot and legendary astronaut for Apollo, Skylab, half a dozen shuttle flights...
Colonel Finley: Jeez, kid. Don't lay it on so thick, huh?

[Dick is eyeing Olivia]
Dick Finley: So? Hmm?
Stabler: Dick, I'm married.
Dick Finley: Never stopped me.
Stabler: Yeah, and you've got the four divorces to prove it.

Vincent Beckwith: Calling Calcutta!
Cragen: Where'd this guy beam down from?
Stabler: Planet Methamphetamine, along with Marga's credit card.

John Munch: Not so fast, Colonel. [holds up a picture of Finley] Autograph for a fan?
Dick Finley: You got it, John.
Munch: Thank you, appreciate it.
[sees Fin staring at him]

John Munch: In case I'm wrong.
Odafin Tutuola: I think it just started snowing in hell.

(Finley has invited Olivia to go with him to a Marine Corps function)
Olivia Benson: Shall I call Elliot, and see if he can join us?
Dick Finley: Oh, I think you and me can handle this.

Dick Finley: Okay, okay, I'm sorry about Olivia, you know, I-I should have checked with you before asking her out to dinner. I mean... if you're not gonna make a move.
Elliot Stabler: Dinner with Olivia is off.

Dick Finley: C'mon, Elliot. It doesn't have to go down this way. We can solve this together. Two marines...
Elliot Stabler: You killed that woman. You dumped her body in the river. You had the nerve to shake my boy's hand!

Background information and notes[]

  • The episode title is a popular synonym for a mental disorder, stemming from the ancient belief that a full moon caused insanity in certain people.
    • When Munch, Huang, and Finley are discussing the case, Huang mentions how the Latin root for "lunacy" comes from a literal meaning referring to being "moonsick".
  • In this episode, Detective Benson says that she has been partners with Stabler for ten years, but in the previous episode "Swing", she said they have been partners for eleven years.
  • In the previous episode, Stabler told his mother, Bernadette Stabler, that he always wanted to be a cop, although his mom said that he wanted to be an architect. However, in this episode, we learn that he initially wanted to be an astronaut.
  • Another episode in the Law & Order franchise that deals with the death of a young, female astronaut is the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Rocket Man".
  • In this episode James Brolin plays an astronaut who did go to the moon. In the movie Capricorn One, he played an astronaut who didn't go to Mars (though NASA wanted people to think he did)
  • Arthur Ashe Stadium, the main facility of the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, can be seen in the background when Benson and Stabler visit the New York Hall of Science in Queens. The USTA Center has hosted the U.S. Open, one of tennis' Grand Slam tournaments, since 1978.

Episode scene cards[]

1 2 3 4

Residence of
Edward De Pablo
1012 Lindenbrook Road
Staten Island, New York
Sunday, October 19

Apartment of
Leslie Schuster
5636 Riverdale Avenue
Bronx, New York
Sunday, October 19

West Thames Street
Battery Park
Sunday, October 19

New York
Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street
Queens, New York
Monday, October 20

5 6 7 8

Barrigan's Bar
68 Kenmare Street
Monday, October 20

Regal Gas Station
483 Tenth Avenue
Monday, October 20

New York
Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street
Queens, New York
Tuesday, October 21

Stabler Residence
72-12 Castleside Street
Glenoaks Queens, NY
Tuesday, October 21

Previous episode:
"Swing"
"Lunacy"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Season 10
Next episode:
"Retro"
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