Episode Report Card Pooh: A+ | 1 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Closure
By Pooh | Season 1 | Episode 10 | Aired on 01.06.2000
At 7:01 AM, Benson and Harper arrive at the door to the boyfriend's apartment building. Benson tells her that she's on her way to meet Stabler at Harper's apartment. Harper removes the coat she's wearing, hands it to Benson, and tells Benson to thank Stabler for the coat. No freaking comment. Benson warns Harper that her apartment will be a mess when the cops are done with it, but they'll be done soon. Also, the state will pay for a locksmith to change her locks, which is standard procedure, and a counselor will be calling Harper to set up an appointment. Benson gives Harper her card, writes her pager number on it, and says she's available to talk any time, day or night. Benson then offers to come up with Harper and talk to the boyfriend, but Harper says no. Benson says okay and walks away. She stops and turns around. Harper looks up, smiles at Benson, turns her key in the lock, and opens the door. Benson smiles back and goes on her merry way. Detective and Victim have Bonded. Detective is Emotionally Involved In Case. Detective needs to adopt victim's minimalist approach to makeup.
Cut to a profile shot of Cassidy, standing in Harper's apartment. Benson comes in, putting on gloves, and slows when she sees him. She's kind of annoyed, in addition to being surprised, but sucks it up and says hey. Cassidy's not being overly friendly as he says hey back. Stabler's over by the bed with his tie tucked into his shirt, and explains that he called Cassidy in because he didn't know how long Benson would be. Benson kind of nods her assent to this and asks Stabler if they've found any prints. He and Cassidy both answer no, but Cassidy's all quiet, like he doesn't know how to talk to Benson. Poor Cassidy. Benson asks Stabler how the attacker got in, and Cassidy wearily answers, "Window off the fire escape." Stabler opens and closes the window by the bed to demonstrate that it "doesn't lock, and by the looks of things, it hasn't for a while. Afterwards, he lets himself out through the front door." Stabler starts the Crime Timeline: "Okay, so, he comes in through the window, sees her sleeping." Cassidy very rudely interrupts to ask Benson, "You said he pushed her nightgown up?" Benson doesn't make eye contact as she replies, "Yeah. And?" Cassidy wants to know how Harper saw the clock. Benson and I both say, "Before. And. After." Duh, Cassidy. Stabler walks over to the dresser and continues, "He takes her wallet, then he grabs one of her T-shirts." Cassidy takes a roach out of an ashtray sitting on the dresser and as Benson sniffs it says, "Maybe she gets high?" Stabler posits that maybe the rapist was high. Benson thinks he didn't have time, and besides, "Harper didn't mention him smoking anything." Stabler points out that she didn't mention the pot at all. Ten points to Elliot. Benson bags the roach to have it checked for saliva; maybe there are two types of DNA. Stabler's back to his reenactment: "At this point he immobilizes her, he takes her ring and rapes her." Cassidy notes that they still haven't found the underwear Harper was wearing. Who ever said she was wearing underwear? Nobody, that's who. Benson and Stabler think the rapist may have taken the underwear as a trophy. Benson continues where Stabler left off. "Then he takes her to the tub," and we go into the bathroom, where Harper's nightgown is still on the floor. Benson checks the shower curtain, and it's still wet. Cassidy checks the soap, and it's not. Benson says, "No. I know where you're going with this." Cassidy says that women who stage rapes will wet the shower curtain but forget the soap. I'm pulling my hair out because it's been, like, nine hours since the attack, so NOTHING should still be wet in that bathroom, unless it's hermetically sealed. Benson protests that Harper did not stage the rape. Cassidy bends down, picks up a curling iron that's lying on top of the nightgown, puts his arm around Benson's shoulder, holds the end of the wand to her temple, and asks, "What's this feel like to you?" Benson doesn't want to play this game and answers, "A curling iron," and walks out of the room. Cassidy says it could feel like a gun. Benson denies this. Stabler joins in the fun: "Okay, look. We have no seminal fluid, no vaginal trauma." Benson wonders if the boys think Harper made all of those bruises herself, too. Cassidy suggests that maybe Harper was high and got paranoid, or something freaked her out. Benson's in his face with, "Yeah, and this morning she said it felt like it never happened. Is that what you want to hear?" Cassidy thinks this might just be the truth. Benson shakes her head and goes back in the bathroom as Stabler just looks at her.
After the commercials, we're back in the squad room, where Cassidy is leaning on someone's desk, taking a piece of candy from a plastic jack-o-lantern basket. Benson's all, "I can't believe you!" To which Cassidy casually responds, "It's my job to question the hell out of a situation. Recreate how a crime occurred, IF a crime occurred." Cragen tells them there's not enough evidence to suggest nothing happened, which prompts Cassidy to point out that "there's not much evidence at all" as he goes and sits at his own desk. Cragen says it's still an open case, so they need to proceed with the investigation. The fact that the rapist came in the window indicates that they should be looking for a stranger, someone who doesn't have access to the building. Cassidy and Benson tell the Cap'n that there are no fingerprints and no DNA, so he asks for a profile of the guy. Benson tells him, "White, thirtysomething, sandy hair, approximately five-eight." Hold the phone. I'm five-eight. No man my height could be described as tall, or even "tallish." Average, maybe. Short, probably, especially if you're talking to my relatives. Tall, never. Anyway, Stabler says that since the rapist hit Harper on the left side of her face, he's probably right-handed. Cassidy the Skeptic says, "Narrowing our suspect pool down to, what -- eighty percent of the population?" Benson the Annoyed takes a deep breath to keep herself from strangling him and says, "She said he smelled subtle, which means expensive," so our heroes deduce that it's probably not a junkie. The guy took the best jewelry and was careful not to leave any evidence, so he's either been planning or had a lot of experience. Cragen thinks this guy would match other open MOs, unless, as Benson points out, Harper is the first victim of his to report a rape. Cassidy mentions eight robbery-rapes on the Upper West Side, but the Upper West Side guy doesn't talk to his victims. Stabler reminds them, "This guy tried to kiss her, wanted to know if she liked it, said please. I mean, in his fantasy world, he's the perfect gentleman." Hey, what a coincidence -- in my fantasy world, Stabler's my perfect husband! Back on point, Cragen notes that Harper lives at 101 Moore Street, and that there was a Halloween parade going on right under her window. Cassidy's going to check the licenses of all the vendors to see if anyone had any priors. He also mentions that if the guy went up the fire escape, there may be witnesses. Munch will check the pawnshops for the ring. Cragen tells Benson she has to ask Harper about the drugs, and Cassidy hollers from his desk, "Uh, the pot makes me nervous!" Well, dude, that happens to a lot of people. My suggestion is that you quit smoking it. Oh, wait, he means Harper's pot. Benson gets snotty again, saying they're not going to bust Harper on the drugs. Cragen tells her to "canvass the neighbors, talk to the super, and ask about recent break-ins and gentleman loiterers, but first talk to Harper. If she's lying, [Benson will] know." Is Benson psychic? Will there be a Sweeps crossover event with The Others? Then Cragen caps off this little pep talk as he reaches into his Bag O' Cliches and pulls out "gut feeling is your best guide." Whatever.
Chung-chung! At the apartment of Benjy Dowe (300 St. Marks) on November first, Harper's short, somewhat scruffy boyfriend i