Guest Star Mark Consuelos
Finally, after more than a month of reruns, a new episode returns tonight. This week on Law & Order SVU, the show opens on a flashback to 2004 when Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) elicits a confession after questioning a suspect for nine hours. Cut to today. It’s the same perp standing in front of a judge, who says the words he does not want to hear. “You have failed to meet the standard to overturn your conviction.” He has to serve the remainder of his sentence. Cut to Fleet Week in New York, and a group of sailors are partying. One of a pair of girl friends leave to hook up with a sailor. The other girl, feeling like a fifth wheel, decides to go home. She is followed. The perp pushes his way into her apartment. She ends up tied up and violated. She manages to get to the phone and help arrives. The cops are debriefed. The victim was left alone for hours, gagged. The perp used ammonia to blind the girl. The perp never said a word. Benson recognizes the mo. It belongs to the guy she put away eight years ago. Omar Pena is in Green Haven Correctional Facility serving his 310 year sentence. Maybe he got somebody on the outside to copy his mo? The Captain gives out the assignment. Detectives Tutuola Odafin (Ice-T) and Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) go to the hospital to interview today’s victim, Gina. Her eyes are covered with white gauze. She was doused with ammonia. She struggles to talk. She says the man who attacked her was Hispanic, in a white navy uniform, who never spoke. The nurse chases Rollins out, “The doctor told you to come back tomorrow.” I guess the patient needed rest.
This is not a summary of the episode; it is a recap of the five best moments of the show. Here’s the countdown to the Five Best Moments of the Show.
#5 Best Moment of the Show. Detective Benson and Nick Amaro (Danny Pino) question the same guy she put away eight years ago. “Who was it, Omar? Who did you tell to do the copycat crime; a week after your final hearing is denied.” It doesn’t look good for Omar, but he maintains his innocence. He says he recanted his confession right away. The warden tells Benson and Amaro that Omar is dedicated. He sends 20 letters a day, 7 days a week to try to get his conviction overturned. Benson is just as certain of his guilt. Who do we believe?
#4 Best Moment of the Show. The cops follow a lead to an apartment and a guy runs out the other way to the fire escape. Omar was the jailhouse lawyer who helped get him out of jail. He (Mark Consuelos) owes Omar a biggie. Benson pushes him hard in the interrogation room, so hard he was ready to confess to the recent rape. He’s confused. That’s when Amaro calls her out of the room. Benson is aggravated. “Why did you pull me out? He was just going to confess.” “We got the results back from the DNA test. It wasn’t him in the room. He wasn’t there.” Benson is shocked. She starts to question all of her cases where she got the perp to confess in interrogation. She resolves to reinvestigate Omar’s case.
#3 Best Moment of the Show. Benson gets her friend and Defense Attorney Bayard Ellis (Andre Braugher) to investigate Omar Pena’s case. Benson goes to see Executive Assistant District Attorney David Haden (Harry Connick, Jr.) in his office to go over the case. Benson gets the cold shoulder from him. She knew he had to hide their affair, but it still stings. She walked out feeling unloved.
#2 Best Moment of the Show. The Captain insists they re-interview the old case, and the possibility that we are looking at one perp here, not a copycat. Benson refuses to relent. Amaro says she has lost perspective. Benson falls back on trusting her instincts. Benson even interviews the victim from eight years ago. It’s painful to watch. She is practically blind from the attack. She has to wear awkward looking assistive lenses. “We’re asking for your help Ariole. He has a lawyer to try to reopen the case.” Ariole is shown a drawing. She recognizes the uniform. She says there was a red scarf he used to tie her down. Benson is immediately alarmed. She remembers when Omar confessed, he admitted to the scarf being green. Benson goes back to the old evidence box to see for herself. The scarf was red. She never saw the scarf. She only read the report and badgered Omar for nine hours until he confessed to a crime he didn’t do. She realizes now why Omar recanted right afterwards. She realized now that Omar was innocent after all, that she coerced him. She is rocked to her core. An innocent man got a 315 year sentence.
Turns out the officer that logged the scarf was color blind. Pena’s conviction was tainted. Benson explains to Omar there will be a retrial. Omar screams, “I’m innocent! I don’t want a retrial! I want them to overturn my conviction!” Benson confesses to her partner “The confession was all my fault. I broke him. I forced a false confession.” Sometimes the truth is ugly.
Back at the squad room, the detectives get 3 hits on the DNA on Interpol, same mo, at port cities. They know now the perp is a naval officer.
Finally, the #1 Best Moment of the Show. Haden confronts Ellis, Haden backs up Benson. “She is not a good ole boy detective, she’s got a lot of pride here.” Ellis finally catches onto the personal access Benson has with Haden and questions Haden, What exactly is the nature of your relationship with Detective Benson?” He’s trying to blackmail Haden into releasing his client prematurely. “I’ve got an innocent man in prison… I know you’ll both do the right thing here.” The next scene Haden and Benson talks privately in the car. Haden says the only way for Pena to get out is if she finds the real killer. “Can I drop you somewhere?” “I’ll get home on my own.” You can tell, the relationship is over.
Epilogue
Both rape victims ID the naval officer, Xavier. It’s heartbreaking to see the rape victims blinded by their rapist, unable to see for the rest of their lives. Cut to the judge speaking to the courtroom with Omar Pena standing as the defendant, “Given the grave miscarriage of justice, this court will not allow you to be incarcerated for one minute longer. You are a free man, sir.” Pena stands with tears coming out of his face. Given the outcome of this case, the DA is looking at possible wrongful convictions starting with sex crimes. Benson leaves the squad room to have a drink at the bar with Haden. “So where does that leave us?” asks Benson. “In conflict,” Hayden says. “Us, this, never happened.” Benson starts to tear up.
Next week on Law & Order SVU, Chloe Sevigny is the victim of a home invasion, so she says.
