In the beginning it seemed shocking, disheartening, and a bit callous that Wyatt’s mother would immediately say that he son wouldn’t testify. Presumably in the time since, and in this installment, they’re tied to one another by their shared experiences in the midst of coping with these horrible circumstances. In the 300 th episode, Manhattan Vigil, which set the stage for this episode, Wyatt’s mother and Hector’s mother only met in passing. Once again, while this episode was about a trial on the surface, there were a lot of other things discreetly swimming below that top layer.įirst, there was the mother /son connection between the two women featured in this case. What seemed like an open and shut case was anything but, and this, sadly, is very often what actually transpires within the confines of the legal system. The actual difficultly in determining which charges to pursue, the two-steps-forward-one-step-back pattern that befell Barba as he tried the case, and the jury questioning testimony and charges were all very real. There was no smooth sailing at any juncture as this case seemed clunky with many more stops and starts than a ‘normal’ SVU case, but in a good way. Rodriguez.Įxecutive Producer Warren Leight had said prior to airing that this episode was a different look at the legal system, that the storytelling deviated from the normal SVU pattern with a riff on the classic drama 12 Angry Men, and he was absolutely right. The thought of this measure of justice appeared to be comforting to Mrs. When the woman told Barba that her son was ready to testify against Hodda, she also assured Hector’s mother that this time Hodda wouldn’t be able to avoid getting put away. Just as things were heightening to a critical level and Hodda was about to take a plea that would require prison time, the jury announced that they were deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial.Īs Barba vacillated about whether he should take a second go at bringing murder charges against Hodda, Benson worked some magic on the Wyatt’s mother. There was plenty of speculation about what was holding the panel up in reaching a decision. Once the case finally made it to the jury, things got even more interesting as the deliberations dragged on for days. Huang, whose testimony FOR the defense drew Benson’s ire. Throughout the trial, Hodda and his defense attorney worked the angle that Benson was overzealous in her tactics to get Hodda’s confession, something that she vehemently denied to just about anyone who would listen – Barba, the jury, and even to her old friend Dr. With only the tenuous murder charge in play, Barba was all too aware that he would have a harder time securing a conviction. Ironically, the murder case, while a much more heinous crime, was a weaker pursuit since so much time had passed since the crime and due to a distinct lack of evidence in the case. The first decision that complicated Barba’s mission occurred when Wyatt’s mother refused to let her son testify, thus torpedoing the much stronger kidnapping case against Hodda. Sadly, actual guilt didn’t really seem to matter in this case, it more about reasonable doubt and there were several factors that contributed to the ultimately wavering jury. The legal proceedings featured Barba, with his shadow Carisi (yes, Carisi was a fixture at the prosecutor’s table), facing off against a crafty defense attorney over reasonable doubt.
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