Night (3 May 2005)

After a young woman is found raped and murdered near a nightclub with five hundred dollars stuffed into her mouth, Benson and Stabler follow the fingerprint trail on the money to attorney ... See full summary »

Directors:

Juan José Campanella, Arthur W. Forney

Writers:

Dick Wolf (creator), Amanda Green (teleplay),

Stars:

Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, Richard Belzer

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Meloni	...	Detective Elliot Stabler
Mariska Hargitay	...	Detective Olivia Benson
Richard Belzer	...	Detective John Munch (credit only)
Diane Neal	...	A.D.A. Casey Novak
Ice-T	...	Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola
BD Wong	...	Dr. George Huang (credit only)
Dann Florek	...	Captain Donald Cragen
Alfred Molina	...	Gabriel Duvall
Angela Lansbury	...	Eleanor Duvall
Bradley Cooper	...	Jason Whitaker
Anya Migdal	...	Nina Zergin
David Thornton	...	Lionel Granger
Stelio Savante	...	Milan Zergin
Mike Doyle	...	Forensics Tech Ryan O'Halloran
Lou Ferguson	...	Mr. Beauclaire

Storyline

After a young woman is found raped and murdered near a nightclub with five hundred dollars stuffed into her mouth, Benson and Stabler follow the fingerprint trail on the money to attorney Jason Whitaker, whose sole responsibility seems to be handling the trust for the wealthy Duvall family. Soon detectives are convinced that Gabriel Duvall is their rapist, but don't have quite enough evidence to put him away. Novak is working on both the case and a terrified former victim when she is brutally attacked in her office late at night.

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Plot Keywords:

detective john munch

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 May 2005 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolf Films, NBC Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

42 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Captain Donald Cragen: Elliot in here now.
Eleanor Duvall: Dective Stabler. Gabriel says that you entered his apartment and threatened him?
Detective Elliot Stabler: Yes. I was conducting an investigation. A colleague of mine was beaten nearly to death in her office.
Eleanor Duvall: Well, if you had investigated further you would have known that Gabriel was out having dinner.
Detective Elliot Stabler: I didn't know that at the time.
Eleanor Duvall: Tell me Detective Stabler do you like your job?
Detective Elliot Stabler: Yes I do.
Eleanor Duvall: You have 42 prior arrests that's very commendable. But I know the mayor of this town. Don't make me go to him.

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Connections

References Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005)

User Reviews

Misleading portrayal of Asperger's Syndrome

In this episode, Alfred Molina's character bases his defense on having Asperger's Syndrome, a condition on the autistic spectrum. Its major features involve intense focus on narrow areas of interest and social awkwardness, but not criminal or assaultive behavior. People with this condition appear to lack empathy, but are no different in the level of their concern for others, only difficulty in showing it. Asperger's has received a fair amount of publicity in recent years, but there is no evidence that it causes anyone to commit violent crimes. In fact, "Aspies", as they sometimes call themselves, have a strong inclination to follow rules and obey the law. Aspies have no greater propensity to commit crimes than so-called neurotypicals. After this episode aired, major autism advocacy organizations protested to NBC, and continue to demand that it be withdrawn from syndication.