Savant

In a cab, Aidan Quinn is being rude to a talkative cab driver, while also throwing hundred dollar bills at him to keep him circling the block -- until Quinn's young daughter runs out into the middle of the street, in a white nightie covered in blood, with a phone, trying to call 911. Quinn finishes the call and finds his wife in their bloody bedroom, unconscious on the floor.

Fin is all surly with the crime scene detectives. You know, like when Elliot or Olivia ask, "Why call SVU?" Look, they'll get to it, guys. They always do. In this case, it's that the woman was raped.

Elliot and Olivia show up at the hospital, where a very chipper Katie (Quinn's daughter) doesn't seem to understand what's going on. Seeing Elliot look all grouchy, she gives him a hug. Kid, he always looks like that. You should see Cragen, for god's sake.

Back at the station, Katie's unnatural friendliness is completely wasted on Sgt. Munch, who growls at her and tells her she's not supposed to talk to strangers. Nice job teaching her that police officers aren't her friends but angry jerks, Munch. He's probably just crabby because he hasn't been on the show in a while. Little Katie has Williams syndrome, a rare form of mental retardation. Is that a real thing? Yep. Her elfin appearance is part of it, as is her over-comfort with strangers. As far as her witnessing the attack, it's hard to tell, with her limited attention span. Cragen suggests letting Aidan Quinn (whose name is Ben Nicholson here) help the police question her.

Katie says "They were yelling," and then she covers her ears as she remembers that it was too loud, and says she hid under the bed. "Then it was quiet. I heard footsteps. I went to find Mom. She was bleeding, so I took the phone, even though I'm not allowed to, because it was an emergency. Then Dad came home. He was gone a long time. The end." As for Dad, he's a project manager for a biochem company and is on the road a lot; he'd been gone for a couple of days, and was avoiding the usual spousal fights. By throwing hundreds at an annoying cabbie? That could have bought many drinks and/or records. Damn. The detectives also learn that he and his wife Corinne aren't too popular down at the group therapy session for parents of special needs children, since they have a wrongful birth suit against a popular high-risk obstetrician, who'd lose his insurance and close his practice if they win.

At the group therapy session, Tina Parven has a brief argument with her teenage son Alex at the outset. Elliot and Olivia should know by now that there are very few wasted scenes in this show, so maybe they should just arrest Alex now and save a lot of time. The detectives talk to couples, including Tina and her husband Joel, who have another son with Williams syndrome (and more), which is stressful enough that they've separated a couple of times. Ben and Corinne also recently separated and got back together. Meanwhile, one couple thinks the lawsuit is frivolous, while another woman, who had a daughter with a brain-damaging disease is more sympathetic.

So things aren't adding up: the Nicholsons just reconciled, but he won't go home in order to avoid a fight, points out Olivia. Elliot looks similarly discombobulated, but that may be because of Olivia's shape-shifting hairstyle. Or he's concerned about his wife having a baby when she's over 40. Olivia makes the apparently ridiculous suggestion that they see a doctor, as if they haven't already, and Elliot jokes that they're Catholic, so it's better not to know.

Meanwhile, over at the offices of the doctor being sued by the Nicholsons, Chester and Fin are being mistaken for a gay couple by a pregnant woman who is staunchly pro-homosexual adoption. Chester responds by smirkingly putting his hand on Fin's knee, while Fin is too grossed out to even attempt to speak. Anyway, the doctor indignantly denies raping and trying to kill Corinne Nicholson. Also, the lawsuit has no merit, because when Corinne had the amniocentesis down, it was too late for a legal abortion. The detectives want a DNA sample, and I was half-expecting the doctor to reach down his pants and pluck a pube. He does agree to provide a sample, by a more traditional method, I suppose.

Back at the squad room, Elliot and Fin (Chester and Olivia are away doing "trial prep") find out the DNA test came back negative, but Elliot likes Ben for it anyway, pointing to the couple's financial woes: they don't have enough money to cover Katie's medical costs. Munch drops by to tell them about a $500,000 insurance policy on Corinne, and there's this: Ben never actually got on the plane for his last trip. Thank you, facial recognition software coupled with cameras in every nook and cranny in public spaces! How does Munch feel about being Big Brother, anyway?

So Fin and Elliot interrogate Ben, who's not saying where he was for the few days when he was supposedly out of town. Elliot wants to know why, if Ben didn't assault his wife, he's not co-operating with them. "I am trying to, as much as I'm able!" he insists.

But the interview is interrupted by a suit from, of all things, the FBI. This interview is over, says the recurring Dean Porter, saying it's a Homeland Security issue; he orders them not to talk to Nicholson without clearing it with him first. "The Patriot Act trumps rape and attempted murder every time," says Cragen, all cynical and tough after the FBI guy is gone.

Munch gives us the lowdown on Ben Nicholson: master's from Penn, and a PhD in biochemical engineering from Berkeley. His specialty is aerosols, and due to the security around Nicholson's workplace, likely things like anthrax and smallpox in aerosol cans with timers. Fin's all, "Here we go," but this is right in Munch's wheelhouse, as he explains Nicholson's done a lot of work on biological warfare and is an extremely high-level consultant for think-tanks and war-profiteering CEOs. "Panic sells gas masks, gentlemen," he says. So what's the FBI's interest? Nicholson's probably whistleblowing, or "he went rogue and they flipped him," says Fin. Munch promises to keep digging. Why is it that whenever Munch is on-screen I have an urge to watch Scarface? Note to people horrified that I would make fun of Munch's increasing facial pittedness: Richard Belzer was in Scarface.

Casey gives Elliot and Fin a warrant for some Nicholson DNA, along with some legal advice on what to do since they can't talk to the man himself: talk to everyone else in his life. "Treat him like a perp, maybe he'll come to you," she says. Maybe later on, Fin and Elliot can repay the favour by giving Casey some courtroom technique.

So Elliot and Fin head over to the hospital, where Tina and Joel Parven are arguing about visiting Corinne (she's in favour, he's not). God, where do I know her from? Whoever Tina Parven is, she should be playing Pam's mom on The Office. She wants Joel to visit with Ben a while, but he refuses. Well, I'm sure that has no significance.

Porter gets annoyed when Fin and Elliot bring the warrant into the hospital room, and Fin tells him where he shoves the warrant is up to him, and they take it outside to reception. Porter and Elliot argue about who gets to spend time with the Quinnster, who complies with the tongue swab. Tina, witnessing it, wants to know why they're treating Ben this way: "His wife was attacked!" "He might be the one who put her in here," says Fin.

The doctor comes out to obvious that Corinne's condition is serious. She's in a coma. Oh, and we couldn't save the baby. Sorry. We need your permission for a DNC. Ben clearly had no idea. The doctor is not NEARLY embarrassed enough for having dropped that bomb right in front of everybody. But then we wouldn't have seen Tina's reaction, caught by Finn, which doesn't have as much surprise in it. Ben signs the form and walks away. "You have something you want to tell us, Mrs. Parven?" asks Fin. She plays dumb and leaves, with Porter stepping forward to order the detectives to back off.

Back at the station, Casey tells a frustrated Elliot she's filed an obstruction complaint and the hearing's tomorrow. But so far their plan to smoke Ben out isn't working. Munch suggests talking to Katie again, which he calls Ben's Achilles heel, and doing it right this time: he's spoken to some experts (their own expert, Huang, apparently has the week off) about how kids with Williams syndrome are extremely empathetic and look closely at facial reactions. "They're sensitive, eager to please, and affectionate, and some have savant-like abilities, super-hearing and perfect pitch." Elliot remembers how distressed Katie had been by the noise, and Munch says despite that, she should still be able to tell them what was said and who said it, even though Williams kids are confused about time. "What would I be up against, using Katie as a witness, according to the pamphlet read by the writers on one of the few mental disorders that this show hasn't depicted?" asks Casey. Anxiety, ADD, and they have trouble taking criticism. Great. Now maybe I have Williams syndrome. Katie won't lie for her father, adds Munch, since these kids have no guile and don't even understand what deception is. Cragen gives the okay and Casey saddles up to ride with the detectives, since there's no way Ben'll let this happen without a fight.

Sure enough, Ben opens the door with a "Get the hell out of here," which is why the local Girl Guide chapters warn the girls not to even bother with that house anymore. He initially refuses to let them in, so Casey steps in to work some legal mumbo-jumbo, about how her daughter is the only witness to an assault for which he's a suspect, and he has to face facts. Ben lets them in, with Casey giving an "I can't believe that worked!" look at the detectives.

Inside, Katie's practicing the piano. Good for her. I know that when I was a kid, I would have used "But Mom's in a coma" excuse to get out of doing arpeggios. Katie's excited to see Elliot and Fin. Casey introduces herself, and Katie says, "Pretty!" and hugs her. Coincidentally, this is what happened when I met my wife.

Elliot gently questions Katie about the night her mother attacked, and asks what she heard. "'You're ripping our family apart!'" shouts Katie, lowering her voice. Ben looks upset. Elliot asks if she recognized the voice, and Katie says it was her dad, fighting with her mom. Fin, after glaring at Ben, asks what happened . Well, it was "I hate you!" and then smack. Ben slapped her. And after that? "Come here, baby. You smell good." But that wasn't Ben. "Daddy wasn't home. Or the man wouldn't be in their bedroom." Had she heard that voice before? She had, and she'd recognize it if she heard it again ("I have perfect pitch," she informs Elliot). Oh, and she'd told her dad about hearing this voice, but her dad told her not to worry about it: "'Everything's going to be all right. We're a family. We're going to stay together no matter what.' The end." Ben puts his head in his hands, and Katie runs over to hug him.

Casey shows up at the obstruction hearing to meet assistant U.S. attorney Marian Springer, also known as Karen Hayes from 24. She's really curt with Casey, who wants to know why the FBI is shielding him: "If you had enough evidence, you would have arrested him, and I'd be at the tombs arranging his release," says Springer. She's got you there, Casey. Springer also says Ben was with them when his wife was attacked. They go on and on like this, as if this whole scene isn't ridiculously pointless. Like the U.S. attorney is going to fold under Casey's withering barrage, without even going to a judge.

So now Chester and Olivia are back from "trial prep," in time to take a statement from Tina Parven.

"I can't believe Ben would hurt Corinne," she says, but she's not so sure anymore. Why's that? "She was cheating," says Tina. She reveals that Ben didn't want any more children, not for fear of having more with Williams syndrome -- it's a mutation, not a hereditary thing -- but because he didn't want to take any attention away from Katie. Corinne wanted more kids, though. So he had a vasectomy without his wife's knowledge. Olivia asks who Corinne was seeing, and Tina says she doesn't have a clue. "She was my closest friend, but I guess she thought I wouldn't approve. That certainly turns out to be true, but not for the reason Tina thinks. Munch interrupts to tell them Corinne has regained consciousness.

Fortunately for the detectives, the hospital staff is still restraining and sedated an upset Corinne when they arrive. She's babbling about Katie's aortic stenosis, and having to get to her ready, and then she's out. The doctor asks the detectives if Katie's due for surgery, and Olivia says Katie had it six months ago. The doctor, all casually, is all, "Well, must be retrograde amnesia!" There's damage to the temporal lobe, she says, adding that memory might never be recovered. Corrine's lost her memory back to April. God, that'd be nice. Have the whole summer in front of you. Anyway, the doctor says there's no telling what memories Corinne will recover and what she won't, but she needs family and patience, and hubby ain't returning calls.

So it's back to court for Casey, who says they just want to know Ben's whereabouts. Springer vouches for Ben, and they blah blah some more, with Casey scoffing at the idea that there's a terrorist around every corner. But it's the fact that Casey doesn't have any, what's that called, you know, evidence, being the main sticking point for the judge.

Outside chambers, Casey and Springer argue some more, with Springer revealing that Nicholson's expertise combined with his financial straits make him excellent bait for a terrorism sting operation. "There is a terrorist around every corner, Miss Novak; you just don't know about it." There's also no Jack Bauer in this universe fighting each and every one of them, either.

The detectives try to figure out how to proceed, when Munch comes in to tell them that Nicholson's DNA was negative. But there was a match from the military database: Joel Parven of the marine reserves.

Under questioning, Joel admits to being angry when he found out Corinne was pregnant (he says she did it on purpose) but that he didn't hurt her. He'd gone over to break it off with her (their affair started when they were separated from their spouses) but then apparently their clothes fell off and then they fell on each other again. Again: no evidence that he hurt her, and they can't charge him.

Elliot suggests to Cragen and Casey, who were watching the interrogation through the two-way mirror, that they get Katie to listen to a voice lineup. Casey's really worried about Katie's reliability and ability to handle courtroom proceedings, but acquiesces because it's either this or Parven walks.

Katie successfully picks out Joel Parven's voice from the lineup (Parven's lawyer can be on Sports Night and The Sopranos all he wants, but he will always, always be Boon from Animal House), and then goes on to dramatize the fight: "Too bad! You're breaking up my home, you selfish bitch!" She says. Unfortunately for the detectives, she insists that it was someone other than Parven (whose pitch is too low) who said that. And then "Bam! Bam! Bam!" Part of Katie's problem is that this guy, whoever he is, was using the wrong word. Outside, Joel's teenage son Alex is conspicuously waiting for him and speaking lines within earshot of Katie, who looks at him funny, and then gets pissed, telling him he used the wrong word. "A bitch is a female dog!" Alex gets an "Oh, shit" look on his face while Elliot asks Katie if she's sure. "My mom is not a bitch!" she yells. Yeah, she's sure. "What the hell'd you do?" asks Joel, and then Elliot takes Alex into custody, with Joel ordering his son not to say anything.

After commercials, Ben swings by Elliot's desk to find out if Alex said anything. Nope, lawyered up. Ben was hoping the kid would confess so Katie wouldn't have to testify. Elliot gently explains they can't prove Alex attacked Corinne without Katie's testimony, and he promises Ben to do his best to protect her as much as he can from the rigors of trial. Aidan thanks him, and they bond without making eye contact.

First up is the "swearability" hearing to determine if Katie can even be a witness. Boon calls her disabled, while Casey says she was abled enough to ID the defendant. But there's a snag, and Casey asks for a continuance, as Katie isn't there. And, um, they don't know where she and her dad are. The judge is not impressed, and says they have 24 hours, or she'll have to dismiss.

Poor Dean Porter must have thought Elliot just wanted to go out for beers. Instead, he wants to know where Ben is. "Do you care about this guy at all? Or is he just a pawn to you?" Because Elliot cares, Dean. Porter admits he doesn't know where the guy is, and he's worried. "My case is headed south. There are people he's supposed to be talking to, and instead he's protecting his kid from you." Dean wants to know what Elliot would do in Ben's place. "I'd hide in the last place anybody'd look," says Elliot thoughtfully, and then leaves, hopefully leaving Dean to pick up the tab. Dean asks for a call if Elliot finds Ben, and Ben sarcastically agrees to do so.

I guess the last place anybody would look is an apartment belonging to the sister of the wife of the guy who put a baby in your wife. Fair enough. That's where Katie is; her dad had to go meet someone.

Katie's on the stand, and Casey asks her if she knows what a lie is and if she's ever told one. Katie tells a cute story about eating a yucky grilled-cheese sandwich and pretending she liked it. The judge agrees Katie is a credible witness, and bangs her gavel, freaking Katie out. Casey explains Katie has very sensitive hearing, and the judge apologizes. Katie immediately brightens: "Can I have a hug?" The very surprised judge says, "No!" and Katie's smile fades. "Well, maybe later," says the judge. Heh.

That out of the way, Casey asks if the guy who said, "Baby, come here. You smell good," said anything. Katie then starts grunting and moaning. My god I hope my daughter doesn't have Williams syndrome. Alex turns around to look at his dad. Yeah, he tapped that. Casey asks how Katie can tell the difference between Alex's voice and his father's voice, and Katie explains the different tempo, pitch and timbre of the voices: "The end."

Outside the courtroom, male bonding time is over as Ben bitches Elliot out, saying he just wants Katie to be happy. Elliot thinks he's lying about his reasons for hiding, since Katie isn't as fragile as Ben thinks she is. "You're not afraid for her daughter, you're afraid for yourself." Ben tries pointing out that Joel's got a kid with Williams syndrome, so the attorney will know exactly what buttons to push. Elliot says Ben went into hiding so he could go to that meeting and the feds wouldn't know about it. "Not everything I do is their business," says Ben. Elliot figures it's got something to do with how a supposedly bankrupt guy is able to toss hundred-dollar bills at cab drivers. Oh, and by the way, here's the feds! Dean thanks Elliot for the heads-up. That Stabler! Doesn't hold a grudge!

Back on the stand, Boon is questioning Katie: "How does it feel to be an asshole, Neidermeyer?" He's establishing that Katie gets confused when it comes to temporal matters, by tripping her up when he asks her what she did yesterday, and then the day before that. "If she can't handle this, what will it be like at trial?" He goes on to question whether she actually knows it was Alex in the apartment, saying he just wants to please Miss Novak. Casey protests, but Boon's on a roll. "You'd have us believe she heard it under the bed, through walls and closed doors," snaps Boon. This would be a little more climactic if the phrase "super-hearing" hadn't already been used this episode, but it's kind of fun when Casey demonstrates by whispering questions to Katie while standing with her back to her, covering her mouth.

Only the question, "Did anyone tell you what to say in court?" provokes an unexpected response: "My dad said don't tell anyone about getting money from Mr. Kim so we can go away." "Who's Mr. Kim?" asks Casey, with Elliot leaning forward in the gallery. "He brings my dad money in a suitcase. The end," says Katie.

Elliot catches up with Ben at the hospital to tell him Alex is taking a deal and Katie won't have to testify. "That's a relief," says Ben. Sure, since she won't blurt any more secrets in open court, points out Elliot. Ben explains he'd already turned Mr. Kim in; he just took Kim's money and didn't tell the feds. Elliot figures it must have been a lot of money to risk it, and wants to know what Ben sold him. "Prototype for a new dispersion system. They're going to find out soon enough, it doesn't work." See, that's why the Japanese are killing the U.S. in the dispersion system market.

Anyway, how's the wife, asks Elliot. My soon-to-be ex? asks a contemptuous Ben. Elliot points out that Corinne doesn't remember anything; the affair, the pregnancy, the assault. "Isn't that convenient," snaps Ben, who collects Katie, who starts screaming and crying upon being separated from her mother, similarly wailing as Ben coldly walks Katie to the elevator.

You know, I don't need a happy ending every time, but once in a while wouldn't kill me either.

The end.