"Undercover" | ||
---|---|---|
← | SVU, Episode 9.15 | → |
Production number: 9015 First aired: 15 April 2008 | ||
Written By Mark Goffman Directed By David Platt |
Summary[]
Detective Olivia Benson puts herself in great danger as she goes undercover in a prison.
Plot[]
After a teenage girl is found raped in a community garden, Benson and Stabler realize the girl Ashley Tyler has a mother, Risa Tyler, who is in a female correctional facility.
They track the uncle Ricky who supposedly raped her but he and the niece deny the accusation. However, after a prodding from Stabler does Ricky reveal that its a prison guard who happens to work at the prison that Ashley's mother is incarcerated in and promises to hurt her.
After the rape kit on the girl goes missing, the detectives realize one of the corrections officers at the facility is raping and brutalizing women. Without the rape kit, Benson and Stabler have no proof so Benson goes in undercover at the same facility to catch the officer. Huang helps fabricate her story for her role, so that she can easily infiltrate.
Ashley's mother dies and Warner finds it was not suicide as reported but murder and the guard is cleaning up loose ends. At the prison, Benson suffers from the pain of life behind bars but discovers that Fin, being undercover himself, was sent to the prison to keep an eye on her.
Warner soon reports that Ashley has multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, which is deadly and she likely got it from the guard who raped her. She also warns Stabler that he and Benson need to be tested because they were close proximity of Ashley. Realizing his partner is danger of being raped by the infected guard, Stabler calls Fin.
Benson continues to adjust but is bullied by the guards, before the guard captain Lowell Harris takes her away. Benson nearly finds herself almost raped in the basement of the facility, after she is overpowered but Fin manages to stop the attack just in time. Harris is arrested for his attempted rape.
Later, during interrogation, the prison issued an attorney for him and got the charges dropped, since he was unaware that Benson was a cop.
Benson then gets a call that Ashley is recovering and visits her, asking for a description of the rapist. However, Ashley says she did not see his face but identifies a mole on his penis, which she couldn't have possibly known unless he showed her.
Harris continues his job as a guard, before Stabler and Benson arrive along with the Warden. Harris tries to send them off but the pair arrest him because of Ashley's description. He makes a plea to the warden who requests the detectives take him away, which they comply and cuff him. Seeing this, the inmates are pleased to watch Harris be taken away.
Harris' mole is identified by Warner and he is booked. Warner then asks Benson how she knew about the mole, before realizing Benson was aware of it from her own near-rape. She gives her comfort on this event.
Cast[]
Main cast[]
- Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler
- Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
- Richard Belzer as Sergeant John Munch
- Diane Neal as A.D.A. Casey Novak (credit only)
- Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
- Adam Beach as Detective Chester Lake
- B.D. Wong as Dr. George Huang
- Tamara Tunie as M.E. Melinda Warner
- Dann Florek as Captain Donald Cragen
Recurring cast[]
- Linda Powell as Lauren White
- Austin Lysy as Attorney Russell Hunter
- Elizabeth Flax as Nurse Carey Hutchins
- Nathanael Albright as Paramedic Jones
Guest cast[]
- Johnny Messner as Lowell Harris
- Shareeka Epps as Ashley Tyler
- Todd Stashwick as Matthew Parker
- LaChanze as Amber
- Hassan Johnson as Rick Tyler
- Dinah Lenney as Prison Warden
- Matthew Cowles as Cyrus Wert
- Karen Ludwig as Prison Nurse
- Melanie Nicholls-King as Jill Botas
- Eric L. Abrams as Henry Botas
- Tawny Cypress as Shauna
- Daria Hardeman as Risa Tyler
- James Holloway as Officer Duncan
- Jennifer McCabe as C.O. Leslie
- Elizabeth Rouse as C.O. #1
- Karen Christie-Ward as C.O. #2
- Gerry Pinzon as C.O. #3
- Paul Amodeo as ND Doctor
- Kelly Diegnan as Inmate #1
- Bridget Boatwright as Inmate #2
References[]
- Katrina Rae Lewis
- Sealview Women's Correctional Facility
- Mercy General Hospital
- Elliot Stabler, Jr.
Quotes[]
- Benson: Who's the bitch now?
- Harris: I got nothing to say to you. Talk to my lawyer.
- Stabler: You first. You're going to need him.
- Harris: Warden?
- Warden: Get him outta my prison.
- Benson: Lowell Harris, you are under arrest for rape. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you.
- Detective Elliot Stabler: Captain, huh? You look more like a private to me.
- Dr. Melinda Warner: We'll have to enlarge it for the jury, but it's right where Ashley said it was.
- Benson: See you in twenty years, Captain!
Background information and notes[]
- This is the first episode to air following the SGA Writers Strike.
- Matthew Cowles was "Lemonhead" in the Law & Order episode "Asylum".
- Benson mentions she's been undercover before, though Cragen counters that it was with "treehuggers", referring back to the undercover assignment in an environmental group she was on from the season 8 episodes "Informed" until "Infiltrated".
- Because of her near attack, Benson would suffer trauma for a while.
- Goof: An inmate makes a remark to Fin Tutuola about the position of a doorstop on a closed door. When Fin opens the door and pulls it towards himself, it indicates the doorstop is on the wrong side of the door.
Episode scene cards[]
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Apartment of Rick Tyler |
Sealview |
Sealview |
Mercy General Hospital |
Mercy General Hospital |
Previous episode: "Inconceivable" |
"Undercover" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 9 |
Next episode: "Closet" |