Written By Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters
Directed by Michelle MacLaren
Monica Phelps is found dead in her apartment with her son, Nathan (Malcolm David Kelley) hiding in the closet behind her body. The case leads the detectives to philanthropist Ted Carthage (Gordon Clapp), who runs a organization to help troubled women get off the streets in exchange for sexual favors.
Olivia is convinced that Carthage is responsible for Monica's death, but Nathan's shaky identification puts him back on the street. Nathan later takes action into his own hands when he shoots Carthage to death & is charged with murder. The case later turns into a legal battle over gun control when a firearms lobby files a civil suit.
Tropes:
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Ted Carthage is supposedly a philanthropist he helps out drug addicts, prostitutes, etc. He actually funnels money from his organization to extort sexual favors from the women he "helps"...even those that are not yet at the age of consent.
- Broken Bird: Poor little Nathan is reduced to this after his mother's murder, wallowing in melancholy throughout the episode. He seems to take every heartbreaking news with a sense of defeat that is hard to watch. This then contrasts when he later hits his breaking point.
- Closet Sublet: Nathan recounts how whenever his mom has "company" over, she asks him to sleep in the closet. This becomes a minor & horrifying plotpoint when he becomes a witness to his own mother's murder and gets stuck behind the closet because her corpse is keeping it shut.
- Cover Innocent Eyes and Ears: When Elliot helps Nathan out of the closet, he uses his jacket to block the boy from seeing his mother's corpse.
- Fictional Counterpart: A rather blatant one. When the National Rifle....errr....GUN Association got wind of Nathan's lawyer's defense, they got afraid that his defense may be used to introduce stricter gun legislation and supposedly curtail their constitutional rights to bear arms.
- The Lethal Connotation of Guns and Others: The episode starts off with finding the rapist and murderer of Nathan's mom and later on her aunt Gina. Then the plot switches to the discussion of this trope when Nathan kills his mother's killer and his lawyer tries to defend him by indicating that him witnessing gun violence also made him violent.
- Loophole Abuse: When Geddes tries to call Nathan to the stand during the gun study hearing, his attorney Sophie Devere objects, since Nathan's testimony could violate his right against self-incrimination. Judge Donnelly immediately realizes that this is actually what they want to do: Nathan being compelled to incriminate himself is grounds for a mistrial in his criminal case, and because a jury has been sworn in and a witness has testified, double jeopardy attaches, preventing Nathan from being retried for the same crime and rendering the entire hearing moot.
- Off on a Technicality: Invoked by Casey Novak and Elizabeth Donnelly; they play along with Geddes calling Nathan to the stand, and then use what Nathan says to get the criminal case against him dismissed.
- "Rear Window" Witness: Nathan, hiding in the closet, witnesses his mother's murder and is subsequently stuck in the closet all night because her corpse falls against the door.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Geddes tries to sling guilt on Casey Novak for getting Nathan's criminal charges dismissed; Casey immediately responds that Nathan would have gone to jail under a plea deal had Geddes not gotten involved in the first place.
- Smug Snake: NGA lawyer Mike Geddes. And it was somewhat satisfying when he was outwitted by Sophie Devere, Elizabeth Donnelly and Casey Novak using his own tactics. Even the Judge presiding over his civil case seemed to enjoy his comeuppance.
- That Was Objectionable: Subverted; when Sophie Devere moves for a mistrial during the gun study hearing, the judge presiding over the case reminds her that a mistrial can't be requested for a hearing. Sophie then clarifies that she was actually making the motion to Judge Donnelly, who's sitting next to her at the table, and said motion is both legally valid and granted.
