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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 3 Episode 18

Guilt

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 3/29/02

When A.D.A. Cabot is faced with a reluctant witness in a child molestation case, she goes above and beyond the normal scope of duty in her search for evidence to convict the serial abuser. But her passion supercedes her compliance with the law as she misrepresents herself to Benson and Stabler to bring them into an illegal search of the traumatised boy's home -- jeopardising not only her case, but the careers of all involved. SVU Bureau Chief Elizabeth Donnelly is faced with the frustrating task of bringing Cabot in line to preserve the integrity of the Special Victims Unit.moreless

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Fan Episode Reviews (8)

The reason why Alex Cabot made an amazing ADA.

9.6

By bigk4062, May 25, 2011

The way that Alex goes to get this information is amazing. Not only does she violate someone\'s right to privacy, she also gets it to stand up in court. Even though she gets her conviction, the only reason that she did an illegal search was so she could ease her feelings of guilt about the victim trying to kill himself. Does that not make her human? How many of us wouldn\'t go that extra mile to make ourselves feel better, and to right a wrong that we had once commited?moreless
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Alex Cabot takes centre stage, as she becomes emotionally involved in trying to convict a child molester, risking her job in the process.

10

By Cate118, Mar 22, 2011

I love Stephanie March, and this is one of her best episodes. The usually ice cool and by the book Alex Cabot is wracked by guilt after a young witness attempts suicide and end up in a coma. This leads to her bending the law to get evidence against the guilty man, and lying to Olivia and Elliot.

A really strong episode, and good to see Cabot getting more involved. Sometimes she comes across as rather cold. Its also rather nice to see Stephanie March looking a little rumpled and less than immaculate for a change! She's almost too perfect sometimes.moreless
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Alex Cabot's finest moment

10

By someone198, Oct 08, 2010

To quote A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot, the strictest follower of the letter of the law, from her first episode: "I plan to stand on your shoulders to reach a broader constituency. Why would I do anything to shorten my grasp?"

In the worst test of her heart and mind, of her intellectual strength and personal beliefs in the entire series, Alex Cabot is faced with a dilemma that has been the destruction of many a hero since the days of Antigone: the law or justice? Do what is legal or what is right? Every which way the unit turns, some legal technicality or civil liberty is protecting a serial child molester. Events hit a climax when they learn videotapes of his crimes lie hidden somewhere in the apartment of a victim who recently committed suicide, whose mother's new hatred for Cabot and her detectives has pushed her out of earshot of any more possible pleas for cooperation.

According to the law, they have no case and should accept defeat. In a truly bold, selfless act of heroism and possibly insanity, Alex sends Benson and Stabler to search the apartment. The tapes are found, the smoking gun. One problem:

Cragen: Cabot told you she had a search warrant?

The defense attorney has no say in the tapes as evidence because his client's civil rights were not violated. The verdict: GUILTY. The detectives are innocent because it was a good faith search; Alex lied to them. Alex is the only person who has to suffer, and she planned it that way.

Not only has Alex been suspended without pay, nor will she ever hear the end of this from Liz Donnelly, but she has thrown away the reputation that has mattered so much to her from Day 1 in the Special Victims Unit. In this episode, she's truly fighting for the victims, not in the least for herself. Alex has sacrificed herself in the name of justice instead of sacrificing justice in the name of the law. She is a truly genuine, selfless hero; no wonder everyone hates her.moreless
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Excellently written and wonderfully acted.

10

By svufanatic28, Oct 08, 2010

I'm starting to think that it is season three (not season two as I originally thought) that is SVU's best. This is another amazing episode. It is nice to see an episode that focuses on character development more than story and even nicer that it focused on ADA Alex Cabot. Perhaps if Wolf had thrown Stephanie March a few more episodes like this she would have stuck around longer, but, alas, he did not and SVU lost it's best ADA and a wonderful actress. I highly recommend this episode. It does an excllent job of showing just how streched to the limits these people are, dealing with the horrors they have to deal with and still working within the confines of the law. How far does one have to be pushed to finally go beyond the law? And is one ever justified to go beyond the law? These are questions that are posed in the episode but never answered. And, in my opinion (as I think I've said before), it is posing questions like that and presenting episodes such as this that make SVU a superb show.moreless
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Another great episode.

10

By Lissical, Nov 06, 2008

When Sam, a teenager becomes too stressed to deal with the sexual abuse he has had to endure for the past 4 years, he attempts suicide, making the case for ADA Cabot very hard to prosecute since there is no physical evidence...until the detectives learn that there were several other victims. One of the victims tells Stabler and Cabot that Barnett made tapes of his encounters with the young men he molested. Now all the detectives have to do is get those tapes...but how will they without a search warrant?

I loved this episode. We really got to see Alex kind of take center stage in this episode as she incriminates not only herself, but Benson and Stabler as well. I felt bad for Alex since the mother would not allow anyone to look for the tapes, but at the same time I got kind of mad at her for taking matters into her own hands. She could have gotten Liv and Elliot fired. Not to mention herself as well. Very well written episode. I've watched it several times and have yet to tire of it.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Christopher Meloni	Det. Elliot Stabler
Mariska Hargitay	Det. Olivia Benson
Richard Belzer	Det. John Munch
Stephanie March	A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot
Ice-T	Det. Odafin Tutuola
Dann Florek	Capt. Donald Cragen

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Beau Gravitte	Roy Barnett	Guest Star
Kay Lenz	Linda Cavanaugh	Guest Star
Bret Harrison	Sam Cavanaugh	Guest Star
Ned Eisenberg	Roger Kressler	Recurring Role
BD Wong	Dr. George Huang	Recurring Role
Joanna Merlin	Judge Lena Petrovsky	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- When Stabler and Benson were searching the victim's apartment for the tapes, they weren't wearing gloves which they are required to do so they won't contaminate potential evidence.
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QUOTES (11)
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- (In Donnelly's office)
  Alex Cabot: I take full responsibility for my actions.
  Liz Donnelly: Of course. You did it for the greater good, the safety of society. Bull. You did this for you.
  Alex Cabot: I did this for hundreds of Barnett's future victims.
  Liz Donnelly: One. One victim. Sam Cavanaugh. Did it work? Did it assuage your guilt?
  Alex Cabot: No. I don't think that's gonna happen anytime soon.
  Liz Donnelly: I've got news for you. It won't happen. Ever.
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- Elliot Stabler: You should have told us.
  Alex Cabot: I'm sorry.
  Olivia Benson: No you're not.
  Alex Cabot: I am sorry you were ever in the middle of this. But you're right, I'm not sorry about the rest.
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- (Benson and Stabler walk back into the station.)
  Elliot Stabler: Barnett's being processed, we're heading to Mulligan's to celebrate.
  Odafin Tutuola: You're probably not gonna want to do that.
  Olivia Benson: And why's that?
  Odafin Tutuola: Dad's mad.
  Donald Cragen (to Benson and Stabler): Get your asses in my office.
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- Alex Cabot (to Sam's mother): The only reason I am here is to find evidence against the man who hurt your son. I am more than willing to accept blame for what happened to Sam, but do not let Roy Barnett get away with what he did.
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- Kressler: This was a blatant 4th amendment violation; sanctioned and indeed carried out by the people. Therefore any evidence found must be suppressed.
  Cabot: Mr. Barnett's 4th amendment rights were not violated. Linda Cavanaugh's certainly were, but she isn't the defendent. Mr. Barnett is. He has no standing to contest a search of someone else's home.
  Kressler: Are you actually arguing that you can march in like the gestapo and search any private residence?
  Cabot: I am arguing; I can search any private residence that doesn't belong to your client and it will have no bearing on these proceedings.
  Petrovsky: While I deplore the assistant district attorney's actions, I am forced to agree that the illegal search of Linda Cavanaugh's residence is a civil tort. The defendent's privacy was not violated, therefor he has no legal standing to contest the search. Motion to suppress the evidence is denied.
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- Cabot: I am here to inform you that these premises are considered a crime scene and subject to search by the police.
  Cavenaugh: What crime?
  Cabot: Your son's suicide attempt was never fully investigated.
  Cavenaugh: Oh, maybe he didn't do it, maybe I forced the pills down his throat.
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- Kressler: You want to prove he tried to kill himself because he was abused so that you can prove he was abused. What kind of logic is that?
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- Benson: She did that to protect us.
  Cragen: What are you now, her lawyer?
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- Alex Cabot: He is as bad as his client, hoping the victim is too traumatized to testify. He's lucky I didn't knock his teeth down his throat!
  Don Cragen: I'd pay real money to see that.
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- (Pedophile Roy Barnett tries to leave town.)
  Elliot Stabler: Oh, he's leaving town. You know, we're sure gonna miss you.
  Roy Barnett: What now?
  Olivia Benson: We're helpin' ya pack. (takes packing box from Barnett)
  Elliot Stabler: You think all this stuff is gonna fit in his cell?
  Olivia Benson: Probably not.
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- Alex Cabot: Your sole purpose in this process is to bring me a case I can prosecute, not one I have to fix.
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