"Selfish" | ||
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← | SVU, Episode 10.19 | → |
Production number: First aired: 28 April 2009 | ||
Written By Mick Betancourt Directed By David Platt |
Summary[]
When Ashlee Walker's daughter Sierra goes missing, detectives initially believe the irresponsible mother Ashlee is at fault, but the discovery of Sierra's remains sends the case in a new direction, with another mother on trial because of her choice not to vaccinate her son, leading to Sierra's death. The trial and its aftermath leaves both families changed.
Plot[]
When it is reported by Ruth Walker that her eleven-month-old granddaughter, Sierra Walker, hasn't been seen for four days, and her daughter Ashlee's car smells like death. Detectives Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler investigate. They visit Sierra's daughter Ashlee, who claims that the baby was at the babysitter's. She claims the smell of death in her car is from spoiled food in a cooler. When they visit the babysitter's apartment, there is no sign of the baby or the babysitter.
An Amber Alert is issued, and a young girl is found in a car matching the description Ashlee gave of the babysitters car, but the baby is not Sierra. The detectives go to Tompkin's Square Park to canvas the area that Ashlee claims to have left Sierra with Maria. Munch and Fin find Maria with a doll in a stroller and bring her in for questioning. She insists the baby is real. They provide her evidence she purchased a tarp and shovel, but the video from the store shows Ashlee Walker, not Maria. They continue to question Ashlee and Ruth. Ruth claims that Ashlee has always been a problem, and evidence suggests Ashlee is an irresponsible partyer. When pushed further, Ashlee admits she stole Maria's credit card to buy the shovel as a present for her dad. She starts to walk out, so Stabler arrests her for credit card fraud, and Ashlee gets a lawyer.
Stabler goes to visit Ashlee's father Ralph, who regrets being drunk and a bad parent for her whole childhood. He got sober for Sierra. He has the shovel that Ashlee had bought at the home goods store. The shovel has no DNA from Sierra on the shovel, but there are high levels of chemicals matching gas, Stabler and O'Halloran speculate that Sierra may have been buried near a gas station.
Stabler goes back to visit Ralph, who is drinking again. He asks him for which gas stations Ashlee might have gone to. They search at the gas station Ralph suggested. Cadaver dogs indicate on an area and Stabler and CSU Tech Dale uncover a doll and a baby girl's remains wrapped in a tarp.
In court, Alex Cabot learns that Sierra's body was found and requests to add a murder charge to Ashlee's credit card fraud charges. However, the case takes a surprising turn when it is discovered that Sierra wasn't murdered, but actually died of measles because she was unvaccinated. Ashlee knew her daughter was sick and was crying. She had spanked her, which quieted her but when Ashlee woke up the next morning, Sierra was dead. Ashlee claims she panicked and buried her because she felt responsible.
Warner reveals that there are several measles cases in the area, so someone is spreading it and putting other kids in danger. Stabler goes to an Amish community to interview Dennis Faber, who reported to a hospital two weeks ago with a rash - the measles - which for religious reasons he was not vaccinated against. He says he had hung out at Tompkins Park, and the woman at the park explains that a boy in their play group didn't show up recently because he was sick with the measles recently from Monica Stewart's son, who was also unvaccinated because of Monica's personal convictions against vaccination.
Ashlee sues the city of New York for the lack of safety at the park, and for political reasons Cabot tells the detectives to arrest Stewart for being responsible for Sierra's death. In court Langan argues that it was Stewart's personal choice and she could not be forced to immunize her son, while Cabot argues that Stewart's lack of expertise and choice to not vaccinate her son, who then infected Sierra, makes her responsible for Sierra's death. Stewart is declared not guilty, which causes an uproar from Ruth Walker. Ashlee is filled with regret and commits to live a better life. Ruth says she will not let Stewart get away with killing her granddaughter.
The detectives are called to the Stewarts home, where Ruth and Ashlee have thrown a brick through the window and scream at the Stewarts. Ralph runs into the Stewart's home and a shot is heard, but when the detectives run in, Ralph has shot himself, holding a picture of Sierra.
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[]
- Stephanie March as A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot
- Noel Fisher as C.S.U. Technician Dale Stuckey
- Peter Hermann as Defense Attorney Trevor Langan
- Mike Doyle as C.S.U. Detective Ryan O'Halloran
- Tonye Patano as Judge Linda Maskin
- David Lipman as Judge Arthur Cohen
- Annie Potts as Defense Attorney Sophie Devere
- Tim Miller as Court Clerk
Guest cast[]
- Hilary Duff as Ashlee Walker
- Mike Pniewski as Ralph Walker
- Anastasia Barzee as Monica Stewart
- Marilyn Torres as Maria Gonzales
- Miriam Colon as Yolanda Gonzales
- Gail O'Grady as Ruth Walker
- Deirdre Goodwin as Nanny
- Tracy Griswold as Uriah Faber
- Ryan Rafferty as Dennis Faber
- Indio Melendez as Hispanic Male
- Amber J. Shirley as Yoga Woman
- Kent Cassella as Uni
- Lolita Brinkley as Forewoman
- Katie McGee as Female Reporter #1
- Todd Faulkner as Male Reporter #1
- April Armstrong as Female Reporter #2
- Joe Melendes as Male Reporter #2
- Tyree Simpson as Cop
References[]
- Black Plague
- Bernard Madoff
- Judge Judy
- Atlantic City, New Jersey
- Cabo, Mexico
- El Salvador
- England
- United States Department of Energy
- Venezuela
- Sierra Walker (died of measles)
Quotes[]
- Maria Gonzales: Don't wake him up!
- Munch: [holding doll] Lady, unless this is Pinocchio, he's not waking up.
- Stabler: Who called you in, Sofie?
- Sophie Devere: Ashlee's father Ralph. Apparently, he saw me on television.
- Stabler: And dialed 1-800-Weasel?
- Devere: For Heaven's sake, Alex, she coulda walked!
- Cabot: Yeah. But I'm giving her a chance to grow up.
- Benson: Are you shot?
- Monica Stewart: He pointed the gun at me. I begged him not to shoot. He said, "Now you've killed two people." And then he put the gun in his mouth and fired.
Background information and notes[]
- Another SVU episode that deals with measles is "Granting Immunity".
- Goof: During the interrogation of Maria, Tutuola accidently refers to Sierra Walker as Sarah Miller.
- Goof: Near the end of the episode, when Olivia and the Walker family are in the ladies room, all of the stalls have doors. However, a few seconds later, if you look to the right of the father (the stall next to where Ashlee was) you can see the empty hinge holes and the door is missing.
- Checking on the Sierra sighting tip, Stabler whistles at the baby in the car to get her attention to take the photo. Before the shutter clicks, the baby's photo is clearly shown as already taken, but then the shutter clicks and it shows up at the precinct a few frames later.
- Partly inspired by the death of Caylee Anthony.
Episode scene cards[]
1 | 2 | 3 |
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Tompkins Square Park |
Walker Residence |
Walker Residence |
4 | 5 | 6 |
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Rikers Island |
Faber Residence |
Supreme Court |
Previous episode: "Baggage" |
"Selfish" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 10 |
Next episode: "Crush" |