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Recap / Law & Order: Special Victims Unit S18E10 "Motherly Love"

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Written By Rick Eid and Julie Martin

Directed By Mariska Hargitay

The murder of a teenage boy by his best friend (Aaron Sanders) is complicated when the friend claims the victim was in the process of raping his mother (Sarah Wynter), who is a psychiatrist and claims that the deceased was obsessed with her. However, further investigation reveals a web of manipulation and deceit by the mother, who appears to be hiding even more secrets as the case continues on.

Tropes

  • Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: Averted. The topic is treated with the seriousness it deserves.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Subverted. When Nicole realizes her defense that her son's best friend was raping her wasn't going to work, she decides to try to have her son Luke implicated for murder to get out of the charge herself. She tried to sell Luke out to save herself.
  • Evil Matriarch: Nicole was a psychiatrist who saw adolescent patients and committed statutory rape against at least 2 of them. When her son Luke walked in on her having sex with one of them (Trey) with a rifle (because he heard a disturbance) and she saw him carrying the rifle, she cried "rape" so that Luke would then kill Trey. She then claimed that she was raped. But after photos were discovered of her sexually abusing Luke, and another boy said she also sexually abused him and she saw that her defense of rape wouldn't work, Nicole changed her story to implicate Luke for murder, though the detectives knew he had legitimately believed she was being raped. She argued that actually Luke knew about their relationship and even masturbated to it, but he had wanted his mom for himself so he murdered Trey. This seriously confused Luke, but Olivia Benson talked to him and he realized that no he didn't know that and he only shot her lover because he thought the guy was raping his mother and says that on the stand. When she is convicted, Nicole shows no remorse, attempting to still get back in Luke's good graces.
  • Femme Fatale: Dr. Nicole Keller
  • Manipulative Bastard: When she realizes her original defense isn't going to work, Nicole makes up a story about Luke being sexually attracted to her and masturbating to her and his best friend having sex to confuse him about the real reason he pulled the trigger. Fortunately, Olivia reminds Luke that he was just trying to protect his mother.
  • Never My Fault: Nicole repeatedly tries to evade responsibility for her crimes. When she's convicted and her son Luke has all but disowned her, she snaps at Olivia about how she made Luke think she was the "devil", but Olivia makes clear Nicole did that herself.
  • Would Hurt a Child: When Luke came in on her having sex with his (underaged) best friend carrying a rifle, she screamed rape so that he would kill Trey. She then tried to claim that Trey was raping her.

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