Written By Brianna Yellen
Directed By Jono Oliver
The case of a fifteen-year-old girl found in a a compromising position with her 19-year-old classmate at a special needs school is soon complicated by the reveal that her mother is purposefully medicating her for a condition that she doesn't have in a twisted example of Munchausen by proxy. Meanwhile, Benson tries to help Noah cope with nightmares after the previous traumatizing events involving himself, Benson, and Sheila Porter.
Tropes
- Asshole Victim: Dawn McLaughlin.
- Bludgeoned to Death: Mariel kills her mother with a claw hammer.
- Broken Pedestal: Mariel initially thinks that her mother is her Only Friend, and is enraged when the detectives reveal what Dawn has really been doing to her.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: Mariel instantly confesses to the murder of her mother, and just keeps talking, making her case worse with every word.
- Disappeared Dad: Mariel's father had left since he couldn't handle the constant moving trying to treat her. He comes back after learning what his ex-wife was doing and takes custody of Mariel. It should also be kept in mind that he wanted to maintain contact with Mariel even after the divorce, but Dawn kept finding excuses to keep them separated.
- False Rape Accusation: An accidental one. Mariel claims Cody raped her, but further questioning shows she just didn't know the actual meaning of the word. She thought "rape" meant "sex".
- Foreshadowing: During Mariel's trial, a female juror with large glasses (who clearly sympathizes with Mariel) is frequently given focus by the camera. Barba later declares that, if convicted, Mariel could face a life sentence—in a crowded elevator, with the aforementioned juror (and two others) standing right behind him. This results in a mistrial, and Mariel is simply ordered to do community service and attend anger management classes, just as Amara had hoped.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Mariel desperately wants to have a regular life, and when she learns that her mother destroyed her childhood by pumping her with drugs to make her sick (and intends to continue doing so even after the courts tell her to stay away), Mariel takes extreme measures to stop her.
- Münchausen Syndrome: Mariel has a cocktail of drugs in her system to "treat" her muscular dystrophy by her mother to keep her sick.
- Papa Wolf: Mariel's dad initially walked away due to the stress of treating her condition. When he learns that she is perfectly healthy but is being kept sick by her mother, he swiftly takes custody of the girl and slaps his ex-wife with a restraining order.
- Parent-Induced Extended Childhood: Mariel McLaughlin was kept in a childlike state by her mother Dawn, never taught any of the natural aspects of growing up, and also kept deliberately sick through unnecessary medication. This led to her accidentally accusing a boy in her class of rape because she didn't know the difference between rape and consensual sex. She murdered Dawn when she realized the extent of her deception - and that her mother was going to try and keep her away from the boy she loved.
- Rage Breaking Point: Mariel is furious to discover that Dawn has been drugging her, but just barely manages to hold it together as her dad takes legal measures to keep Dawn away. When Dawn breaks into her hospital room and tries to drug her again, though, Mariel collects a hammer, confronts Dawn at the latter's house and, when intimidation isn't enough to get Dawn to back down, kills her.
- Ripped from the Headlines: This episode was inspired by Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blanchard
. - Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Barba intentionally torpedoes his own case by causing a mistrial, because he doesn't believe Mariel deserves severe punishment for killing her abuser. In this case, Mariel was facing a life sentence despite only being 15 years old and having no previous criminal record. As such, Barba felt as if he was further victimizing a victim.
