Changes: Weak

"Weak"
←	SVU, Episode 6.09	→
Production number: E5213 First aired (US): 30 November 2004 First aired (UK): 6 June 2005 First aired (CAN): 30 November 2004 First aired (AUS): 20 April 2005
	th of 502 produced in SVU
←	th of 502 released in SVU	→
	th of 1271 released in all
Written By Tara Butters & Michele Fazekas Directed By David Platt

Summary

Olivia enlists the help of a fellow police officer turned psychiatrist, Rebecca Hendrix in finding a rapist who is responsible for assaulting disabled women.

Plot

A rapist attacks several disabled women from the same apartment building, and each woman confirms that they were attacked from behind, the rapist ordered them to tell him how good he was (after which he still failed to perform), and that he smelled like an ashtray. The third victim still works with a sketch artist; meanwhile, a local pedicurist remembers doing a man's nails and that they were dirty but she also didn't get a good look at his face. Later, a schizophrenic woman named Miranda Cole comes into the precinct with a picture of the sketch and then has a psychotic episode before falling asleep on the floor. At the hospital, Benson and Stabler get help from cop-turned-psychiatrist Rebecca Hendrix, who tells them that Miranda hasn't been taking her medication, and that right then would be a bad time to attempt a rape kit because of her uncontrolled musings about terrorists recording her thoughts and her reliving of the rape in her mind.

Benson and Stabler then find a fourth victim, who is dead. They go back to the hospital to convince Hendrix to process the kit only to learn that she has already done so. The detectives then begin to interview Miranda, but when she gets into detail about the rape, she starts to have convulsions, so Hendrix ends the interview. Cragen then reports that the DNA from the rape kit matches Raymond Ettinger, who is also schizophrenic; because of this, Hendrix is convinced that the sex between him and Miranda was consensual, but she also still believes that Miranda was raped by someone else. All three of them return to the hospital to discover that Miranda has checked herself out.

Benson, Stabler and Hendrix track down Miranda's sister Margo, who tells them that she bought Miranda a house that she hardly lives in. The three of them then go to the house anyway and find no lights (because Miranda believes terrorists are communicating via light sources). They then find Miranda cowering in a closet behind a wall made of tin foil while rambling; evidence shows that she was raped there. Miranda then mentions the same rape details that the first three victims said, but she also says that the rapist's name is Thomas. The suspect is narrowed down to Thomas Mathers and he takes a DNA test, but Stabler doesn't believe he did it because he is a closeted gay person. While Thomas' partner says that he was asleep in bed at the time of the rapes, Benson and Munch discover that Thomas was also at his mother's house.

Munch and Tutuola go to see Mrs. Mathers' house (which smells like an ashtray because of her chain smoking), and she says that Thomas came over and tried to fix her furnace. Munch goes to inspect it himself as Thomas shows up; then Munch comes back with dirty fingers and nails before he and Fin arrest Thomas. Hendrix notices that Thomas is bleeding from his neck (which Thomas says is because he cut himself shaving), and Novak is ready to process him until Cragen reports that Thomas' DNA doesn't match the blood from any of the crime scenes. Stabler and Hendrix still believe Thomas is the rapist, but Benson disagrees (and insults Hendrix, causing her to leave); Stabler thinks Benson is upset at Hendrix because she stopped being a cop. He then runs into Hendrix, and they learn that Thomas' blood didn't clot from the neck cut due to a low blood cell platelet count, which possibly was derived from a disease.

Stabler contacts Mathers' college to get his medical records to explain why his blood isn't clotting; meanwhile, Benson goes back to visit Miranda, who mentions that she saw the rapist in the library. At the library, she rambles about terrorists recording her thoughts again, and Benson interprets this as the library's surveillance camera.

At the station, Benson and Stabler share what they've learned with each other: Stabler learned that Thomas had leukemia and had a bone marrow transplant which means that his blood has different DNA then the rest of his body, which is why the cheek swab wouldn't have matched the DNA from the crime scene. Benson reveals that she has a copy of the security tape which clearly shows Thomas stalking Miranda. With this evidence they are able to get a warrant for a blood sample and Judge Petrovsky remands him without bail at a hearing. Presumably Thomas is convicted, but Hendrix tells Benson that Miranda Cole committed suicide.

Cast

Main cast

• Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler
• Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
• Richard Belzer as Detective John Munch
• Diane Neal as A.D.A. Casey Novak
• Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
• B.D. Wong as Dr. George Huang (credit only)
• Dann Florek as Captain Donald Cragen

Recurring cast

• Mary Stuart Masterson as Dr. Rebecca Hendrix
• Mike Doyle as C.S.U. Technician Ryan O'Halloran
• Caren Browning as C.S.U. Technician Judith Siper
• Joanna Merlin as Judge Lena Petrovsky
• Tamara Tunie as M.E. Melinda Warner
• Paul Borghese as Officer Tanner
• Greg Vaccarello as Officer Galloway
• Joselin Reyes as Paramedic Martinez
• Natalie Carter as Nurse Cathy
• Angel Desai as CSU Technician

Guest cast

• Dallas Roberts as Thomas Mathers
• Geneva Carr as Margo Sanders
• Angela Pietropinto as Mrs. Mathers
• Amanda Plummer as Miranda Cole
• Becki Newton as Colleen Heaton
• Casey Spindler as Raymond Ettinger
• Ward Horton as Alan Richter
• Justine E. Boyriven as Samantha Traber
• Adara Almonte as Gina Kownacki
• Hettienne Park as Annie
• Molly Noe as Veronica
• Nilaja Sun as Triage Nurse
• Archie MacGregor as Elderly Man
• Matt Wells as Uniform Officer
• Alice Niedermair as Nurse (uncredited)

References

• Unabomber
• Scratch and sniff
• Julie Andrews
• Laurie Switzer (victim)
• Saint Catherine's Hospital
• French Tip Nail Salon
• Broadway Souvenirs
• Osama Bin Laden
• World Trade Center
• USS Cole bombing
• van der Waals force

Quotes

Benson: You think you got a good enough look at him to work with a sketch artist?

Gina Kownacki: He was behind me most of the time. White guy, hood of his sweatshirt pulled over his head, big sunglasses. Smelled like an ashtray. Guess that's not gonna help you for your sketch unless it's a scratch-and-sniff, right?

Munch: [seeing the suspect sketch] Great. Our suspect's the Unabomber.

Stabler: [to Veronica of the French Tip Nail Salon] Any male clients that day?

Veronica: [to co-worker] Annie, you did a guy's nails the other day, didn't you?

Annie: Yeah. What a mess.

Benson: How so?

Annie: They were filthy. He chewed 'em half off. Not much I could do for 'em. [looks at Stabler's hands] Like you. I got some bitter nail polish if you want.

Stabler: Uh, thanks, no. Can you describe him?

Annie: Uh, white. Average.

Stabler: Hair color? Eye color?

Annie: Sorry, I was looking at his hands, not his face. Besides, he was wearing shades.

Benson: Kinda like that?

Annie: Maybe. Isn't that the Unabomber?

[after a mentally ill woman causes a scene in the squad room]

Cragen: What the hell's going on?

Benson: Could be victim number four.

Stabler: [to Olivia about Miranda Cole] What'd she say?

Benson: As far as I can figure, she was raped by terrorists.

Dr. Rebecca Hendrix: She's schizophrenic. She's probably been off her meds for a while. We're gonna try some anti-psychotics, hopefully, she'll be able to tell you more later. It was great to see you, Olivia. [begins to leave]

Benson: What about the rape kit?

Dr. Hendrix: You saw her. It's too traumatic. It'll have to wait.

Stabler: Well, do you think she was raped?

Hendrix: Schizophrenics rarely false report sexual assaults and stress often precipitates a psychotic break.

Benson: Rebecca, I'm sure that you can appreciate the importance of getting this done fast. Our guy attacked three women in one night and if Miranda is the fourth, then any forensic evidence we have is degrading as we speak.

Hendrix: I get it, but my priority now isn't the case. It's the patient.

Benson: Who thinks that you're implanting listening devices into her body. That's not gonna change in 24 hours. She's still gonna be mentally ill and by then, we could have more victims on our hands.

Benson: This is ridiculous. We have a living victim in the hospital who may have seen this guy and we can't talk to her.

Stabler: The doc says it's too traumatic.

Benson: It's always traumatic. We need access to the victims to prevent future ones.

Stabler: So why don't you ask Hendrix to cut us some slack? She's your friend. She's a cop.

Benson: She's a former cop. We went to the academy together and then two years later, she decides that her time is better spent shrinking heads, so I seriously doubt that she remembers what we're up against.

Stabler: Then we should remind her.

Raymond Ettinger: Don't be a werewolf! Don't be a werewolf!

[after Benson and Stabler interrogate a mentally ill man as a suspect in Miranda's rape]

Hendrix: No. Ray-Ray.

Benson: Who's Ray-Ray?

Hendrix: He's a frequent flyer at Bellevue. He and Miranda must have had sex in the ward. He was discharged this morning.

Stabler: You sure the sex was consensual?

Hendrix: Unfortunately, it happens all the time at the hospital. And Ray-Ray is not a rapist. His DNA is in the system for filing hundreds of false reports about his neighbor trying to murder his cat. I don't believe this.

Benson: Well, look, as far as Miranda's concerned, this is good news. She wasn't raped.

Hendrix: I talked to her, Olivia. I think she was.

Benson: The rape kit didn't find any evidence of spermicide which was present in the other two victims that were raped. And the only semen belonged to Ray-Ray.

Hendrix: Which only means she wasn't raped last night. Schizophrenics often lose perception of time. Something that happened a week ago, they'll say happened yesterday.

Stabler: And she does fit the perp's criteria. You find a victim who has a disability and exploit it. A schizo off her meds. Seems like the perfect target.

Hendrix: Schizophrenics are twice as likely as the general population to be sexually assaulted.

Benson: Statistics aren't gonna tell me when she was raped.

Raymond Ettinger: Hello? I can't find my head.

[after it's revealed that Miranda has been discharged from the hospital]

Benson: She should've been kept in the hospital.

Hendrix: We can't force her. She's allowed to check herself out unless a court compels her to stay.

Benson: This is exactly the problem with the mental health profession. You medicate them just enough so you can cut them loose and then nobody monitors them. They go off their meds and the next thing you know, they either become a victim of a crime or they commit one. Either way, we have to clean up your mess.

Hendrix: So what, we lock them up to make your life easier? Is that your solution, Olivia?

Benson: If it keeps them safe, yes.

Hendrix: I left the job because I got sick of locking them up. I'd rather treat the criminals and help the victims.

Benson: You think Miranda's being helped right now on the street?

Cragen: I think we all can agree the answer to that is no.

Stabler: [to Dr. Hendrix] Where are you going?

Hendrix: To work.

Stabler: We're gonna need a shrink if we find Miranda. She trusts you.

Hendrix: I already have a job.

Stabler: So what are you doing here? You may not be a cop anymore, but I know you want to find this guy as badly as we do.

[about Miranda Cole]

Hendrix: She fixates on molecules and terrorism. Others fixate on the devil or Jesus or aliens or the FBI.

Stabler: God, what a way to live.

[After realizing there's only one bed in the apartment and seeing a loving picture of Thomas Mathers and Alan Richter]

Tutuola: Hey, Elliot. Check this out. Roommates, but one bedroom?

Stabler: This guy's gay?

Dr. Warner: Mmm, mmm, mmm. It's a damn shame.

Munch: [about Thomas Mathers' alibi] A visit with Mom, an evening of rape. What would Freud say?

Cragen: I'd rather ask Mrs. Mathers. Find out how long Tommy Boy visited.

Stabler: [to Dr. Hendrix] Why don't you sit in on the interrogation? Wouldn't be a bad idea to have a shrink in there, help us figure this guy out.

Benson: Since when are you such a champion of the mental health profession?

Benson: So, Thomas, why are you so hung up about being gay? I mean, from what I hear from the M.E., this Alan is quite a catch.

Thomas Mathers: I'm not gay, all right? I'm just... I'm going through a thing.

Dr. Hendrix: Have you ever had a girlfriend?

Thomas Mathers: Lots of guys don't find the right girl.

Benson: That's true. I mean, being single's not easy.

Thomas Mathers: [to Olivia] You would not look at me twice if I asked you out. You would not give me the time of day. So don't pretend you understand what I'm going through. I don't need your pity.

Stabler: You're just looking for the right girl. And one day you'll rape her and live happily ever after.

Dr. Hendrix: Dr. Rebecca Hendrix: I don't know what to tell you, but this is wrong. Thomas Mathers is your rapist.

Benson: We just got proof that he's not.

Stabler: Maybe he worked with an accomplice.

Benson: Elliot, every victim told us the same story. One rapist.

Stabler: Everything else fits. The car, the smell of cigarettes, the dirty nails, Rebecca's profile...

Benson: Which was wrong.

Stabler: I don't believe it was.

Benson: And I can't believe you're taking a shrink's opinion over actual facts.

Dr. Hendrix: Bye. [leaves]

Benson: We don't even know that the perp's name is really Thomas.

Stabler: What's your problem?

Benson: If Miranda is taking her meds now, then she's gonna be more lucid and maybe she remembers something. I want to talk to her without Rebecca.

Stabler: What's your problem? She's a cop. That's all I need to know.

Benson: No, Elliot. She didn't think being a cop was good enough, so she quit.

Stabler: Is that what this is about? Some sort of inferiority complex?

Benson: You know, I get that you're on the rebound and everything, but if you could keep it out of work, that'd be great.

Stabler: You want to call Michigan State to find out why his blood isn't clotting?

Dr. Hendrix: I can't. I'd lose my license.

Stabler: [pausing] But Dr. Elliot can.

Dr. Hendrix: Miranda Cole is dead.

Benson: What?

Dr. Hendrix: She committed suicide, Olivia. Margo found her this morning. I wanted to tell you so you didn't have to hear it from somebody else.

Benson: What is this, some sort of "I told you so" lecture?

Dr. Hendrix: Her death had nothing to do with you. The disease killed her. The voices in her head that have been telling her to do this for years. The voices that got louder after she was raped. You can't save everyone, Olivia.

Background information and notes

• Mary Stuart Masterson makes the first of three appearances as psychologist Rebecca Hendrix. She was brought in as a temporary replacement while series regular B.D. Wong (Dr. Huang) was appearing in the Broadway musical "Pacific Overtures." Huang is said to be on assignment in DC during this episode according to Fin.
• Olivia makes a comment about Elliot being on the rebound as he is seen bonding with Dr. Hendrix. His wife Kathy had left him and took the kids as revealed in the previous episode, "Doubt".
• For her performance as Miranda Cole, Amanda Plummer won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
• Dallas Roberts would go on to star in Season 16 and Season 17 as Greg Yates.

Episode scene cards