Recap / Law & Order: Special Victims Unit S11 E17 "Disabled"

Written By Judith McCreary

Directed By Paul Black

A disabled woman who cannot speak must identify her rapist in court, but must also be protected from her abusive sister (Jill Scott) who is resentful of having to take care of her and of the attention her sister gets due to her illness.

Tropes

• Always Female: Subverted in that the EADA, Garrett Blaine, is male. Given a lampshade in his first appearance in the episode:
  Cragen: You find me a replacement for Alex Cabot?
  Blaine: Still looking. Stuck with me for now.
• Black Mail: The home care worker who gives the squad the video tape they need to break the case open early in the episode makes his tapes in order to blackmail the people on them. Although he claims that he tapes said people as "proof of innocence, not blackmail".
• Cool Aunt: Cara is extremely close to her nephew Damian, to the point that he prefers Cara to his mother.
• Determinator: Despite being confined to a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis, Cara struggles to point an accusing finger at her rapist, Tony Griegs.
• Gentle Giant: Damien Woods is frequently referred to as such, including by Fin. Despite his intimidating size, he is kind and soft-spoken...until he finds out his boss was his aunt's rapist.
• It's All About Me: When it comes to Cara's paralysis, Janice can only think about how much it's ruined her life—despite having chosen to become her sister's caretaker as a means to get back at her for their parents' favoritism. When Damien agrees to become Cara's guardian and Janice voices her disapproval, it's implied that it's less about Janice not wanting her son to "give up his life" and more about Janice seeing the decision as Cara succeeding in turning Damien against her.
• It's Personal: In a positive example, Fin sticks his neck out for Damien after the latter has been arrested for assaulting Tony Griegs, his aunt's rapist. His reasons for doing so stem from having to to put his grandfather in a nursing home when he joined the academy, where his grandfather was abused. Fin didn't see the signs until it was too late and his grandfather died. The emotional fallout almost cost him his career but an instructor helped him out.
• Lack of Empathy: Janice Raleigh couldn't care less about Cara's paralysis, exploiting it to abuse her and callously dismissing the cruelty of her actions when exposed. Not even her son's outrage over her mistreatment of his aunt is enough to sway her, simply ordering him to "stay out of it" and smugly saying he's either "with her or against her."
• Never My Fault: In the end, Janice refuses to admit that her own bitter resentment is the reason she was arrested and the reason Damien ends up siding with Cara over her.
• Once for Yes, Twice for No: How Stabler and Benson communicate with Cara, who cannot speak due to her advanced MS.
• Quit Your Whining: Cara doesn't become the Determinator until Benson snaps at her in the nursing home
  Benson: I've been treating you like an invalid. Handling you with kid gloves. I won't make that mistake again. We found two more victims ... They can't testify, but you can.
  Cara: (blinks eyes twice)
  Benson: No? You are the only witness with evidence of your attack. You have to speak for them. What happened to this woman?
  (Bendon holds up picture of younger Cara)
  Benson: Talented. Fearless. Passionate about everything. You've given up. Your sister's abuse is nothing compared to what you're doing to yourself. You think I'm a bitch, don't you? You're not the first.
• The Resenter: Janice Raleigh resents the talent, attention, and love that her sister Cara seems to receive from everyone, even her own son. She relishes watching her in her paralyzed state.
• Serial Rapist: the rapist bus driver Griegs turns out to have more victims who, being mentally disabled, cannot testify - Cara is the only one who can.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: When Janice launches into another of her rants of having to take care of her sister, Benson shuts her down with the following exchange:
  Benson: You didn't have to. You wanted to. You needed to control your sister so she would suffer for your parent's choices. That stops now.
  Janice: You think you know me, bitch?
  Benson: I know your sister forgives you and trust me, someday, you're gonna want that.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Despite Cara agreeing to give Janice a lesser punishment for her abuse against her, Janice firmly refuses to be grateful, instead claiming it's her sister's fault she was arrested in the first place before continuing to rant about how Cara "ruined her life."
• Vigilante Man: Damien tries to kill his aunt's rapist
  Damien, to Tutuola: I'm doing what you can't, I'm getting her justice!
• With Us or Against Us: Janice insists that Damien choose between his mother, Janice, and his aunt, Cara
  Janice:You love her so much, go with her. But I am your mother. Either you are with me, or against me.