Law and Order
Register
Advertisement
"Pop"
SVU, Episode 12.11
Production number: 12011
First aired: 5 January 2011
  {{{nNthProducedInSeries}}}th of 502 produced in SVU  
{{{nNthReleasedInSeries}}}th of 502 released in SVU
  {{{nNthReleasedInAll}}}th of 1271 released in all  
Pop
Written By
Jonathan Greene

Directed By
Norberto Barba

Summary[]

Episode summary

Plot[]

A young boy is found on an amusement park ride, beaten to death. Surveillance camera footage shows the young boy getting out of a cab at the amusement park. Stabler questions the driver. The driver sees a photo of the boy and says it's his nephew, Ethan. The boy's mother comes in to identify the body. When Ethan's mother finds out he was beaten to death, she tells SVU that the school bully Blake did it.

Blake tells Stabler and Fin that Ethan's Uncle Joe was teaching him how to fight. Joe spent time in prison for fraud and is now $147,000 in debt. Fin and Stabler want to interview Joe. They spot him in the woods with a group of teenage boys. Some of the boys fistfight while others cheer them on. The fighters tell Stabler that they're in a club. The members compete, beating each other up.

Fin and Stabler bring the guys in for questioning. Ethan's Uncle Joe is brought in for questioning, as is the kid accused of fighting with Ethan before his death, Nicky. Nicky's stepfather Hank is also brought in, since he was cheering the fight in the park as well. Nicky's mom Sandra shows up to take her son and husband home. Meanwhile, Joe is devastated that his betting cost Ethan his life.

It pains Stabler that the DA can't find any charges that can stick. Now he has to watch Hank, Nicky and Sandra walk out of the squad room. Cragen warns Stabler that despite his suspicion that Hank is beating up both Sandra and Nicky, he needs to let the case go. Stabler breaks his promise and visits Nicky the next morning at school, finding him bruised and scared.

Stabler takes Nicky and heads to his house to confront Hank. There, he finds Sandra with IAB Lt. Tucker. She fingers Stabler as the man who attacked Hank. Back at the squad room, Hank and Sandra are interviewed about what happened while Stabler is interrogated for the assault on Hank. An altercation breaks out. Nicky tells the cops that Hank beats him and his mother and Sandra beat up Hank the night before to frame Stabler for assault. Fin arrests Hank on the spot.

Nicky tells Stabler about how his stepfather would enter him in fights and gamble on him. If Nicky didn't win the fight he'd get a beating at home, too. Nicky gets emotional when Stabler asks him what happened to Ethan. Nicky admits that despite the unfair size difference, he fought Ethan in a match. With Hank's encouragement, Nicky kept hitting Ethan until he was unconscious and later dead, something which Nicky truly regrets, as he never intended to kill Ethan. The next morning at arraignment Hank gets bail until his hearing. The judge orders him to stay away from Sandra and Nicky in the meantime. Stabler isn't so sure that Hank will abide by the rules.

Cragen and Stabler head to Sandra's house later that night to check on Nicky. They hear a gunshot. Inside, they find a bruised and battered Sandra, Hank dead from a gunshot wound, and Nicky huddled in the corner with the gun. The ambulance takes Sandra to the hospital. Her main concern is her unborn baby. Nicky tells Stabler he's happy he shot Hank in the head. Stabler shakes Nicky and tells him to not confess to anything without a lawyer present. Nicky is taken to the precinct.

The crime scene investigator tells Stabler that the crime scene tells a different story from what Nicky said. The bullet hole shows that Nicky shot Hank execution style while he was kneeling down, and not in the heat of the moment when Hank was attacking Sandra. Stabler and ADA Hardwicke interview Sandra in the hospital room. She admits she never saw Nicky shoot Hank, but knows he did it to protect her.

Hardwicke tells Sandra that they have enough evidence to prove Nicky lied about what happened. Outside Sandra's room, Stabler lashes out at Hardwicke for wanting to press murder charges against Nicky. At SVU, Hardwicke reads Nicky his rights and tells him she's charging him with second-degree murder.

Defense attorney Debbie Marsh walks in and announces she's representing Nicky for free. Debbie is sure she'll get a not-guilty verdict. The next day at the hearing Stabler is called to the stand. Hardwicke asks what Nicky told him right after the cops arrived on the scene. Stabler is forced to say that Nicky admitted he's happy Hank's dead and he's happy he put the gun to his head.

Outside the courthouse, Stabler finds Sandra and tells her she's the next witness to be called. Sandra's scared to face a jury and admit she witnessed Hank beating Nicky, but Stabler reminds her that this is the least she can do for Nicky to make things right.

Later on the stand, Sandra drops a bombshell and admits she shot Hank, not Nicky. Evidence suggests that either Nicky or Sandra could have been the shooter. Because evidence clearly indicates that both Nicky and Sandra were lying about what really happened on the night of Hank's murder, Hardwicke and Stabler want answers.

Hardwicke and Stabler bring in Nicky and Sandra, stating they are aware of their deception but state that they won't press charges against either of them, to their surprise. Hardwicke states because it won't matter who did it, they need to come clean about what happened. Both mother and son stick to their stories, so Stabler tells them they're free to go. Stabler tells Hardwicke that it doesn't matter—they'll never know who the shooter is.

Cast[]

Main cast[]

Recurring cast[]

Guest cast[]

References[]

Episode references

Quotes[]

Dr. Warner: Internal body temp's down a little more than two degrees.
Stabler: So he's been dead little over an hour.
Dr. Warner: You're getting good at this.
Stabler: Wish I weren't.

Tutuola: [to Joe Gilbert] You can't even lie like a real man.

Stabler: You really think I'm stupid enough to beat up a guy in broad daylight in front of his own home?
Tucker: You really want me to answer that?

Tutuola: How'd it go?
Stabler: Sandra's the queen of denial and Hank is a hand grenade with a loose pin.

Hardwicke: Look, after Hank went by in a body bag, Nicky said something to you.
Stabler: This isn't about what Nicky said. This is about Hank violating the protection order.
Hardwicke: Hank wasn't threatening anyone on his knees when Nicky snuck up behind him and blew his brains out.
Stabler: Hank was abusing him. Sandra looked the other way. The boy snapped.
Hardwicke: Nicky's 13. The law says I can charge the boy as an adult.
Stabler: So what are you gonna do, parade him into court? Win your brownie points with the D.A.?
Hardwicke: Just do your job. Arrest Nicky for second-degree murder.
Stabler: Do it yourself. [walks away from her]

Benson: I spend all day in court and you're the one pissing off lawyers.


Background information and notes[]

  • A 10-10 is the radio code for a crime in progress, in this case shots fired.
  • When Blake is first confronted in his room, the video game on his screen is IntenCity, the video game that 'caused' a violent murder in SVU Season 6 episode 14 Game.
  • This is the last episode in which Audrie Neenan appears as Judge Lois Preston.

Episode scene cards[]

1 2 3 4 5

Office of
The Medical Examiner
Tuesday, November 30

Central Park Cab
1733 Lexington Avenue
Wednesday, December 1

Edward I. Koch
Middle School
94 Vermilyea Avenue Thursday, December 2

Arraignment Court
Part 22
Thursday, December 2

Supreme Court
Trial Part 38 Wednesday, December 22

Previous episode:
"Rescue"
"Pop"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Season 12
Next episode:
"Possessed"
Seasons 12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
Advertisement