Written By Robin Veith
Directed by Courtney Hunt
The seemingly easy case of a music student (Sofia Vassilieva) raped at gunpoint in her own apartment begins to unravel when the suspect hires a powerful defense attorney intent on tearing down their case on basis of potentially racist undertones.
Tropes
- Actor Allusion: When Munch introduces himself, Ellis asks "Have we met?"
- Amoral Attorney: The episode attempts to subvert this with Bayard Ellis. Unfortunately, as the prologue to the episode showed the rape occurring, it rings incredibly hollow.
- Downer Ending: Michael is acquitted.
- Flush the Evidence: The perpetrator in the rape trial flushed part of the DNA evidence along with a condom.
- Karma Houdini: In the end, Sarah's rapist is acquitted thanks to Ellis accusing the SVU of racial bias and creating reasonable doubt.
- Out of Focus: For some reason, Cragen isn't in this episode and Munch is the one in charge. This isn't commented on. Alex Cabot's also out but the judge comments on her not being the ADA in charge of the case, and the public defender seen in the first court scene disappears once Cutter shows up.
- Protagonist-Centered Morality: The episode tries to avert this and fails completely. Though it tries to depict Bayard Elis as a professional who's trying to do right by his client and get him acquitted, he ultimately becomes another strawman defense attorney due to the rape occurring on camera, thereby eliminating any chance of the audience sympathizing with him or his client while the SVU and DA are depicted as innocent victims having their name smeared by an Amoral Attorney, with Ellis falsely accusing Amaro of having planted the gun Michael had.
- SkewedPriorities: Sarah showers after her rape then goes to her important piano recital instead of calling it in. It's emphasized how stressed she was about the recital.
- Sarah: I was raped. Tuesday in my apartment.Paul: Oh my god.Sarah: At least I'm playing better, right?
- When Olivia confronts him, Bayard Ellis more or less confirms his intentions are to use this case to make an example of the NYPD and their targeting of young black men, which is why he deliberately hones in SVU's actions during the arrest.
- Teacher/Student Romance: Sarah is dating her music teacher, who is significantly older than her.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Sarah ends up screwing over the SVU by hiding her one-night stand that occurred the night before the rape, claiming that she "just wanted to be a normal college girl" after feeling so isolated from her focus on music that she ended up dating her teacher. The young man she picked up at the bar is black and has an identical haircut as her rapist. This gives Ellis the opening he needs to cast reasonable doubt and dismiss the case completely.
