Per policy all spoilers in this recap are unmarked. You Have Been Warned
Written By Bryan Goluboff
Directed By Jim McKay
A home invasion leaves the parents dead and their teenage daughter in a critical condition. As SVU struggles to find a motive, a surprising revelation threatens Rollins' career.
Tropes
- Bait the Dog: The tragic murder of Joan Eckhouse, an LGBT rights activist apparently gunned down in a hate crime, turns out to be not so tragic when it's revealed that she knew her husband Sidney was raping their fourteen-year-old daughter Emmy, and let it happen.
- Bittersweet Ending: Emmy has to be arrested for plotting the murders of her rapist father and enabling mother, but at least she's finally free of them and has Rob's support. Also, Rollins starts getting treatment for her gambling addiction by going to her first meeting.
- Break the Cutie: Poor Rob Fischer loses his girlfriend when she gets arrested.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Rob would have gladly gotten the police after Emmy's parents if she'd simply told him what they were doing to her, but she didn't out of a misplaced fear that he'd abandon her.
- Defiled Forever: Emmy never wanted to tell Rob about her father's abuse for fear of this trope. Thankfully, he doesn't love her any less when the truth comes out.
- Dirty Cop: Officer Anthony Parker acts as John Murphy's muscle during the first encounter with Amanda which eventually gets him arrested for the assault alongside the bookie and other criminals including McCort by Amaro.
- Evil All Along: Joan Eckhouse, a female LGBT rights activist, and her husband Sidney are gunned down in what looks like a hate crime, complete with the word "queers" spray-painted on the house's wall. Sidney was raping their teenage daughter Emmy, and Joan knew and didn't care that it was happening. The crime was committed by the family's former housekeeper and her brother, who were trying to save Emmy.
- I Never Said It Was Poison: When Olivia and Amaro ask Carmen about her leaving not being part of the cop car showing up around the Eckhouse residence, she says she didn't steal the jewelry that went missing when it was really pawned by Sydney. Olivia tells Carmen they didn't mention the jewelry.
- The Gambling Addict: Rollins, apparently. She confesses this to Cragen and is getting help. Sidney Eckhouse was also revealed to be this in life.
- Mama Bear & Papa Wolf: Carmen and Jimmy Vasquez (the latter was more of a Cool Uncle due to being Carmen's brother) killed Sydney and Joan out of pure abhorrence for Sidney raping Emmy and Joan's apathy towards it.
- Nice Guy: Emmy's boyfriend, Rob. When he learns that her dad was raping her, he doesn't abandon her like she feared and insists he would have gladly called the police if she had told him sooner.
- Pervert Dad: Sydney Eckhouse was this.
- Shout-Out: When Rob's dad adamantly doubts that his son and Emmy were having sex, he says "He's 14 years old. He still has his Pokémon cards!"
- Useless Bystander Parent: Joan knew that her husband was raping their daughter, but she didn't care enough to stop it.
- Villain with Good Publicity: The public sees Joan as a hero and martyr because of her activism for LGBT rights. In reality, she was a terrible mother who knew her husband was raping their daughter and didn't care.Emmy: Everybody thinks that she's some kind of hero. But she was more worried about saving the world than she was about saving her own daughter.
- Wham Line: "She wasn't supposed to be there!" Jimmy says this during his interrogation after Amaro and Rollins claim Emmy died of her injuries, serving as the revelation that Emmy was the true mastermind behind her parents' murders.
