Written By Warren Leight and Julie Martin
Directed By Steve Shill
While undercover to destroy a sex trafficking ring, Carisi encounters Martha Thornhill (Lili Taylor), who explains she has been disguising herself as a Madame for three years in the organization in order to try to find and save her daughter, Ariel, who had been kidnapped while the two of them were vacationing in Canada. She eventually gives up working alone and asks SVU to help her try to break down the pimp and his cohorts, while Ariel remains missing, and discover they may have some help on the inside from an old friend. Meanwhile, Dr. Warner discovers that the pimp is Noah's biological father and alerts Benson.
Tropes
- Badass Normal: Martha is just a civilian, but Benson calls her the best undercover agent that she's ever seen for how brave and meticulous she is. It's through her information that SVU can take down Johnny D.
- Child by Rape: Noah Benson is the child of a pimp and a woman he trafficked.
- Les Collaborateurs: Tracy, a lower-level madam, is forced to work with SVU in order to avoid charges. She actually does a good job with it - until Declan shows up as an unexpected UC.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Murphy left SVU before Carisi arrived, so he was unaware he was pistol-whipping one of Benson's people.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Johnny Drake is revealed to be Noah's father.
- Mama Bear: Martha Thornhill had been working undercover on her own as a madam for three years straight in hopes of finding her trafficked daughter.
- Sex Slave: Johnny Drake forces women into prostitution.
