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Recap / Law & Order: Special Victims Unit S1 E1 "Payback"

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Directed by Jean De Segonzac

Written by Dick Wolf

Detectives Stabler and the relatively newly hired Detective Benson, while investigating the dismemberment of a taxi driver, discover that their victim was wanted by the police for a different crime and had been living under the name of another man to avoid prosecution.


Tropes

  • The Alibi: Marta's alibi for Tanzic's murder is that she was working at her office alone. Stabler dubs that "an anti-alibi". Later he and Benson are shown walking away from a different suspect (and victim), and he comments "Now seen being in Europe, that's an alibi".
  • Asshole Victim: Tanzic, the victim of the episode, was an absolutely vile war criminal and rapist and a lot of time is spent making him as much of a Hate Sink as possible.
  • Bad Liar: Anya buckles at the mention of "Marta Stevens", claiming to not know her. Olivia lampshades this.
  • Boyish Short Hair: Marta sports some, implied to have been a response to coping with the trauma of being raped by Stefan years ago.
  • But for Me, It Was Tuesday: It is theorized by Stabler that one of Tanzic's victims got into his cab and recognized him, but he did not recognize her. This is never confirmed, but is likely considering the number of Tanzic's crimes.
  • Child by Rape: Benson is established to be one.
    • Also implied with one of Tanzic's victims, who has a young son who fits the timeline and looks very similar to him.
  • Disability Alibi: One of Tanzic's victims is blind (it looks like he threw a burning liquid into her face), and as such is quickly ruled out the list of suspects.
  • Donut Mess with a Cop: Elliot and Olivia are in Cragen's office. He has a box of donuts, and Munch comes in and munches on one, noting that they come in several varieties.
  • Driven to Suicide: One of Tanzic's murderers stabs herself to death rather than be arrested. As she is dying, she whispers to Stabler, "I just want to be with my family," which elicits his sympathy.
  • Early-Installment Weirdness: This episode shows Benson and her mother with a much friendlier relationship than later episodes would imply, and it also has Stabler playing the more straight-laced partner to the overly emotionally involved Benson, a dynamic that is decidedly reversed as the show goes on.
    • As noted below, the first half of the episode is almost comical. The series really never gets that light again.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Tanzic was a rapist and war criminal, and from what we hear, sincerely loved his wife and son.
  • Foreign Cuss Word: One of the interviewees is a waitress serving food. She returns it to the line cook after the latter gets the order wrong. He subsequently says "carajo", which is "fuck" for Spanish.
  • "Get Out of Jail Free" Card: Invoked by Cragen, who is well aware that Stefan Tanzic's murderer is getting off lightly thanks to Benson's actions. He explicitly warns her that she's just used up her only card for this case. Though this turned out to be an empty threat, over the course of the series Benson would repeatedly pull the same crap with no consequences.
  • Girl Next Door: A horrifying deconstructed example. Marta was Stefan's next-door neighbor growing up, which was one of the reasons he singled her out to rape rather than kill her during the war.
  • The Illegal: Stefan was this, using marriage to stay in the States.
  • The Killer Becomes the Killed: Stefan, who murdered many people during the war in his home country, is stabbed to death by two of his former victims.
  • Know When to Fold 'Em: Abbie makes a rather lenient deal with Tanzic's murderer, pointing out that between what Tanzic did to her and her friend's suicide, the chances of getting a conviction are quite slim.
  • The Killer Was Left-Handed: Well, one of them was. Anya is left-handed and makes it a point not to use her left hand as her dominant one around the detectives. But they see through her ruse right away.
  • Let Off by the Detective: Marta doesn't get off completely free, but the detectives and ADA Carmichael go out of their way to give her the lightest sentence possible.
  • Misfortune Cookie: Cassidy reads one to Munch. "You are admirable, for you remain firm, even when troubled by personal relationships." Keep in mind this was after Munch was explaining that he's divorced.
  • Mood Whiplash: Despite the grisly nature of the crime, the first half or so of the episode is lighthearted and even comical at times. The first bit of whiplash comes when Tanzic's family is informed of his death, which is treated with the appropriate seriousness and sympathy. Then we learn who Tanzic really was, and the rest of the episode has the dead serious and depressing tone we tend to get for the series.
  • Naïve Newcomer: Benson and Cassidy are both recent transfers to SVU.
    • Played with for Munch, who while fairly new to SVU, is far too experienced to really qualify for this.
  • Naked Nutter: The flasher in court pulls out everything to show off to the jury once Elliot implies his "shortcomings." Unsurprisingly, they take no time at all to convict him.
  • Plot Threads: The C-plot involves Elliot testifying against a flasher who gets off on the exhibitionism of the act.
  • Shout-Out: Elliot gives one to the Tom Hanks movie, A League of Their Own, after visiting one of Tanzic's victims.
  • So Beautiful, It's a Curse: Played for Drama with Marta. Stefan said she was "too pretty" to be kept with the other women in the camps and made to do hard labor. Her "reward"? Being kept by him for over a month as his sex slave and raped dozens if not hundreds of times.
  • Speak in Unison: "Shut up, John," say Cragen and Stabler after Munch asks if they're missing key information.
  • Sympathetic Murderer: The two women had their lives ruined by Stefan, who brutally raped and murdered their family members during the wars in Yugoslavia. Their desire for revenge is played as being completely justified.
  • Vomiting Cop/Vomit Discretion Shot: After visiting one of Tanzic's victims, and seeing her horrible injuries, Benson throws up into some bushes.
  • Who Murdered the Asshole: The case eventually turns into this once the detectives realized a lot of people wanted Stefan dead because of his war crimes.
  • Would Hurt a Child: Anya tells the detectives that Stefan killed her husband and grandson during The Yugoslav Wars with a hatchet.

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