"Street Revenge"

Guest Star Michael Rispoli

This week on Law & Order SVU, the show opens on the cops fending off a mike from an in the face sensationalist news reporter demanding justice from the ‘West Soho Rapist’.  Turns out the criminal has been terrorizing the entire neighborhood.  Captain Cragen has to hold a community conference.  He tells the crowd, “Exercise caution, and avoid going out alone.”  The camera shows increased police presence on the streets, flyers on every lamp post; numbers are painted on roof tops in large type for easier identification.  It’s an all out coordinated effort.  Yet, another girl is attacked while walking alone in a dark alley.  But wait, what’s this?  A vigilante superhero stops the rapist in his tracks.  Cue the theme music.

Meanwhile Detective Nick Amaro (Danny Pino) and Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) are interviewing the victim.  “His voice sounded white.  The rescuer is wearing a crazy get-up, like some superhero.  Whoever he is, he really is a hero.  He saved me.” Interjected into each scene is shots of the sensationalist news reporter inciting the public and blaming the police for the continued crimes (6 incidents so far).  He actually gets communication from the perp and reads it on air.

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.  A spit fire city employee stonewalls Amaro and Rollin’s investigation of the metro card used by the perp.  Rollins tells her its police business, so she has to help them.  She snaps back, “Excuse me, but all I have to do is stay black and die.”  Priceless and to the point.  That is until Amaro charms her into jelly.  She proceeds to look up the info and comments on his suggested Indian heritage.  She’s obviously bitten.

#4 Best Moment of the Show.    The metro card leads Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Oadafin Tutuola (Ice-T) to a young man with a black eye and broken nose.  He’s obviously the perp.  He tries to take down Benson, who slaps him down like a little girl.

#3 Best Moment of the Show.    Amaro is tailing his wife who he sees having a glass of wine at an outdoor café with Jason, her buddy from Afghanistan.  The next time Amaro sits down with his wife he tries to get her to spill the beans, but she evades and tells him lies.  It’s confirmed.  He knows she has something to hide.  The next day Amaro waits for Jason at his place in Philly.  He knocks out Jason with one punch, and tells him, “Stay away from my wife.”

#2 Best Moment of the Show.   Rollins goes undercover with other female police officers trying to lure the perp to attack.  Turns out two vigilantes were laying a trap for the perp, but was taken down in the attempt.  The female was attacked.  The perp had big fat scissors as weapon.  One keeps calling the other, “Fantastica”.

Why won’t these amateurs leave the crime fighting to the professionals?

Finally, the #1 Best Moment of the Show.   Speaking of cheating - Henry, the guy the cops like for the crime has been fooling around with every women that works for him at the restaurant he owns.  Meanwhile, Amaro’s wife, who Amaro thinks has been cheating on him, marches into the squad room to confront him over punching out her friend Jason.  She finally fesses up and says she’s been seeing a psychiatrist.  She’s been hiding the ‘shrink’ from him because she thinks he only wants things to be perfect and can’t handle her not being perfect.  Turns out she’s not having an affair after all.  That’s a stunning reversal.  Now Amaro feels like the schmuck that he is.  He was wrong.

In the end, it turns out Stuart, the guy who works at the comic book store and moonlights as The Justice League, has a double life, ala Walter Mitty.  Turns out it was him preying on the women all the time.  As the cops take him away, he verbalizes everything Amaro is feeling.  “All I wanted was for her to see me as a hero.”

Next week on Law & Order SVU, a sperm donor preys on his biological daughter.