Recap pages are Spoilers Off per policy and all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned
Written By Robert F Campbell, Jonathan Greene and Jeff Eckerle
Directed By Jud Taylor
A 67-year-old woman comes to SVU to report that her daughter—a 22-year-old woman with Down's Syndrome—was raped and impregnated. The victim's mental disability as well as her mother's overprotectiveness make the case difficult for the detectives.
Tropes:
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Mr. Cheney is very protective of Katie and seems like an all around Nice Guy. It turns out he's a Serial Rapist.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Katie is a woman with Down Syndrome who has been raped and impregnated, and the conflict of the episode revolves around whether or not she should have an abortion. On one hand, Katie wants to have her baby, is willing to learn how to take care of it (despite her mental disability), and has people in her life able and willing to help her. On the other, Katie's mental disability raises questions about whether she's actually capable of taking care of the baby, potentially putting its life in danger if she can't. The possibility of the baby also having Down Syndrome complicates things further, as Katie's mother won't be able to take care of two individuals with Down Syndrome in her old age... but forcing Katie to have an abortion that she clearly doesn't want also crosses a line. There really is no easy answer to this one.
- Break the Cutie: Katie’s mother’s lawyer, Roger Kressler, tries to convince Katie that she should have an abortion by overwhelming her with hypothetical questions about whether or not she’s capable of taking care of a baby without giving her any time to answer. She breaks down sobbing on the stand, unable to answer the questions.
- Control Freak: While it's justified due to Katie having Down Syndrome, Rebecca doesn't allow for Katie to have even a shred of independence or know any life skills because she feels like her daughter is doomed to be a perpetual child forever dependent on her. It comes back to bite her when Katie is suddenly pregnant due to her lack of sex education, leading her to be easily taken advantage of. She oversteps her boundaries by trying to force Katie to have an abortion without her consent.
- Hypocrite: Abe Cheney tells the detectives that he doesn't tolerate people abusing his mentally disabled employees and that he confronted Ray Dunsten (Katie's bus driver at the day center) when he shoved Katie. It's later revealed that Cheney was in fact Katie's rapist all along, having used her disability and lack of sexual knowledge to take advantage of her.
- Innocent Inaccurate: Deconstructed. Katie's mother refuses to allow Katie to take any classes about life skills or sex education because she believes Katie can't function in the world without her, and the result is that Katie really doesn't know how to function outside of her own home because she's never been taught how to. It also means that she doesn't even know what sex is, and thus her attacker was easily able to manipulate her into going along with it. They're finally set on the rapist's trail because one of Katie's friends did receive sex ed and tried to explain it to her.
- Ironic Echo: Bus driver Ray Dunsten claims that it "just slipped out" when he refers to Katie as a moron. Detective Stabler, who previously warned Ray not to insult the disabled in his presence again, kicks a chair right from under Ray. When the latter protests, Stabler says it "just slipped out."
- Not the First Victim: It turns out Katie wasn't the first person Cheney raped and impregnated. It turns out Cheney did that to five other women years prior, "three of whom were underage at the time" according to Cabot. This comes back to bite Cheney when Cabot tells him he will have to give up ALL his money for child support unless he takes the plea.
- Only Sane Man: Scott Lucas proves to be this when compared to the other authority figures in Katie's life. He clearly cares about her, wants to help her learn to live independently, and disapproves of how Rebecca's overprotectiveness hinders her. When Rebecca reveals she intends to force Katie to terminate her pregnancy, Scott is shocked and takes legal action to stop this from happening.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Ray Dunsten, the bus driver for the adult day center, calls the passengers "morons" and "retards". He's not Katie's rapist, however.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: When Cabot is subpoenaed to testify at Katie's competency hearing, Donnelly points out that she has perfectly valid legal standing to get the subpoena quashed.note Cabot decides to testify anyway because she feels that Katie has the right to make her own choice about whether or not to keep her child.
- Speech Impediment: Katie talks with one, as a result of having Down Syndrome.
