Directed by Rick Rosenthal
Written by Michael R Perry
A popular teenage girl (Layla Alexander) is sexually assaulted, throwing Benson and Stabler into the harrowing world of teenage modeling. A modeling agent (Bebe Neuwirth), a photographer (Ritchie Coster), and a former model-turned businesswoman (Catherine Dent) become persons of interest.
This episode provides examples of:
- The Alibi: The detectives go to visit "the Measuring Man", a serial rapist who is their main suspect. The alibi he gives, watching football, is slim since he can't even remember the teams that were playing. Turns out he didn't watch for the game, just the halftime show, and thus got a bit "distracted."
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Nina Laszlo, the head of the modelling agency Theresa Burgess and Vanessa Wong work for, makes it very clear to Elliot and Olivia that she doesn't give any shit about anyone or anything that does not concern her.
- And Starring: "With Special Guest Appearance by Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin, and Carolyn McCormick as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet".
- Beauty Equals Goodness: Discussed by Deborah during her interrogation, explaining to Olivia that "beauty is power, until it's taken from you; then you're garbage!"
- Beneath the Mask: Deborah is always calm, cool, and collected with her sunglasses on until she's about to be convicted of murder. Then she yanks them off and breaks down as she confesses how she killed the two young models, eventually tearing up as she reveals that she's stuck by Carlo despite all he's done because "he's all I have." Once she gets it all out, she calms down, smooths her hair back, and puts her sunglasses back on as the aloof mask is put back into place.
- Bludgeoned to Death: What killed Jazmin and Vanessa. The former was first hit in the teeth then struck in the neck and head while the latter was struck in the head. Vanessa died immediately of her wounds, but Jazmin would die days later.
- Continuity Cameo: Lennie Briscoe, Ed Green, and Elizabeth Olivet from the parent series assist the main characters this episode.
- Continuity Nod: Cragen is very chummy with Lennie Briscoe due to him being transplanted from the parent series.
- Distracted by the Sexy: At one point, Cassidy is seen enjoying himself looking at two models.
- Downer Ending: The episode ends with Theresa Burgess succumbing to her wounds.
- Eye Scream: The sunglasses that Deborah always wears hide her badly damaged eye due to being attacked by the "Measuring Man", a Serial Rapist who attacked her years before and ruined her modeling career.
- Fanservice Extra: Quite a few given that the episode is centered around the modelling industry.
- Fatal Family Photo: A variation: Elliot and Olivia discover a photo album of Carlo and Deborah filled with pictures of the two of them when they were engaged and before her attack.
- Fate Worse than Death:
- Jazmin ends up in an irreversible coma after being beaten with a hammer. It becomes subverted after she ultimately dies from her injuries.
- A man suspected in the attack of Jazmin and murder of her friend was a doctor who couldn't have committed the crimes due to being left a brain-damaged quadriplegic after a motorcycle crash he had two years prior.
- Felony Misdemeanor: The lawyer representing the thirteen-year old rapist tries to downplay his crimes by making light of the fact he got the idea from "comic books." Jeffries is quick to correct her that the manga he was reading (appropriately entitled "Rapeman") are extremely graphic in nature and hardly the same as reading Spider-Man or Batman.
- Hollywood Pudgy: Discussed In-Universe. The detectives find out that the Victim of the Week was rejected for a shoot and was told she was too fat at 110 lbs. Olivia is dumbfounded.
- Hormone-Addled Teenager: Jeffries is attending a trial about a thirteen year old boy who's addicted to rape-themed manga.
- I'm Standing Right Here: When Elliot pulls Kathy to talk about Maureen's Weight Woe, Maureen snarks at her parents that she's right there and she could hear them.
- I Was Quite a Looker: Deborah, as seen in the old photographs of her. Benson even remarks on her beauty, calling her a knockout.
- Ms. Fanservice: All of the women in the modeling service and those connected to the world. Mostly.
- My Master, Right or Wrong: Implied to be the nature of Deborah's relationship with Carlo. Even as a rapist and an ephebophile, she stands by him since he was the only one who didn't shun her after her career-ending attack.
- Nepotism: Defied by Lenny Briscoe, who tells his nephew Ken to not address him as "Uncle" while they're in any police precinct.
- Playing Both Sides: Despite being arrested, Carlo and Deborah remain loyal to one another and neither will talk, creating a quandary for the detectives since they can't figure out which one did it. They decide to play it off as if they ratted each other out as they walk the couple past one another, angering them enough to get Deborah talking.
- Plot Threads: The C-plot involves Jeffries testifying against a thirteen-year old boy and his father who are being prosecuted for the fact the thirteen-year old got the idea to rape a girl from his father's extremely graphic rape-themed manga.
- Required Spinoff Crossover: Briscoe and Green from the Mothership just so happen to be investigating a case which ties into the crime of the week in this, the show's third episode. This also allows Jerry Orbach to share a scene with his son Chris, who plays Recurrer Det. Ken Briscoe (Lennie and Ken are uncle and nephew).
- Ripped from the Headlines: There was a real "Measuring Man", though his name was Albert DeSalvo (more commonly known as the "Boston Strangler"). He had a similar MO to Blaine in the rape cases he committed before becoming the strangler.
- Shout-Out:
- The detectives reference one of the codifiers of Stalker with a Crush, John Lennon's killer Mark David Chapman
. - Munch also compares the writer he interviews to Émile Zola, a famous 19th century French novelist, and the writer himself claims the famous journalist Joan Didion is a close friend.
- The detectives reference one of the codifiers of Stalker with a Crush, John Lennon's killer Mark David Chapman
- Sleazy Photoshoot: The episode revolves around a case involving the rape and beating of a teenage girl who worked for a "modeling agency." This leads Benson and Stabler to investigate the agency and the sleazy photographer who had fired the victim for being "too heavy." They eventually discover that the models are being supplied drugs, the photographer in question has a collection of photos of the models engaging in sexual acts with him, and the victim gave him oral in hopes that he would give her another chance at a gig.
- Small Name, Big Ego: The pompous writer that Munch and Cassidy go to interview, who seems to think he's the next great American novelist, but really comes off as more of being just your average writer who got lucky.
- Stage Mom: Inverted. It's Teresa Burgess' father who is actively pushing her modelling career.
- Stage Name:
- The main Victim of the Week's real name is Theresa Burgess, Jazmin is just her modelling name.
- Also, the pretentious and predatory photographer Carlo Parisi's real name is Carl Parsley and that he used to photograph stereos for RadioShack ads.
- Stalker with a Crush: The detectives theorize at first it was someone who saw Jazmin in an ad and fantasized a relationship with her who attacked her. Munch snarkily says after staring at her face for an hour on his lunch break, it felt like he had a relationship with her.
- Sunglasses at Night: Deborah Latrell in order to conceal her heavily scarred (and blinded) right eye. Doubles as Sinister Shades when it's revealed she killed the victims of the week.
- Teens Are Monsters: Not the models involved in the main plot, but the boy being put on trial for rape? He's thirteen years old and has a babyface that makes him look even younger.
- Too Dumb to Live: Two teenage girls stealing photos of a highly-sought after fashion photographer having sex with underage models to blackmail him purely so they could get better shoots and expose him for the pedophile he was was an extremely bad idea. But deciding to reveal this to his ex-fiancé and current business partner, who it's well-known spurned her years ago? A much worse idea.
- Villainous Breakdown: Deborah has one as she reveals that she killed the models because they wouldn't give back the photos they'd taken from Carlo as blackmail.
- Weight Woe: Maureen is very conscious on possibly gaining weight so she eats very little. This troubles Elliot.
- White-Dwarf Starlet: Deborah is one. She was the hottest model for a few years, able to book any job she wanted, and got Carlo his big break since they were engaged. After she was disfigured, she fell out of the spotlight, and now no one remembers who she is.
- Woman Scorned: Bad enough Carlo dumped his fiancé Deborah when she was disfigured and could no longer model, but once she found out he was sleeping with underage models, she lost it. Played with in that her target turned out not to be her ex but instead two of his victims.
- Would Hurt a Child: Both Carlo and Deborah: the former will rape, molest and exploit children and the latter will kill them if they threatened to destroy her life.
- You Are What You Hate: Deborah Latrell uses a hammer, the same weapon used by Ricky Blaine to disfigure her, to kill Theresa Burgess and Vanessa Wong.
