- In the nation's largest city,
the vicious and violent members of the underworld
are hunted by the detectives
of the Organized Crime Control Bureau.
These are their stories.
- I know Wheatley killed my wife.
- You had nothing to do
with the murder of Kathy Stabler.
- Not at all!
- Angela Wheatley is up next.
Any reason I shouldn't be there?
- Why would you ask me that?
- I was in love with him.
- Are you still in love with him?
- I wish I could trust you, Elliot.
How you doing with all this?
- I wish people would stop asking that.
- Where's Eli?
- Mama, I'm on my way. Son of a bitch.
He emptied out her medicine cabinet.
- I'm declaring a mistrial.
- What does that mean? - Means we lost.
I have to find my son.
[apprehensive music]
♪
Eli! - I told you he's not here.
- Get her down from there.
[line trilling]
[phone buzzing]
[indistinct chatter]
[person vomiting]
[laughter]
- Don't you just love Christmas?
You think Mrs. Claus has sex with all those guys?
I mean, polygamy aside.
The libido on that woman, after all these years.
I mean, pfft.
I'm not slut-shaming her either.
I just--you know, more power to the lady.
It's just, like, where does she find the time?
- Not to mention all the elves she's probably banging.
- Whoa.
- I'm sorry. I-- - No, no, no. It's cool.
Just wasn't expecting that.
Dark.
I'm Mia.
- Eli.
- So what are you doing out here, sitting in the dark,
all by yourself, Eli?
You meeting your dealer?
- What? No. - Relax, I'm kidding.
So seriously, what are you doing
sitting out here,
staring at the water?
- It's kind of personal.
- Everything's personal.
- This is.
- I'm listening.
- My mother was killed.
- Killed?
- Murdered.
- Jesus. I'm so sorry.
Did they catch the person?
- The trial was this week.
Today, they were supposed to come back with a verdict.
- And? - I don't know.
I didn't go.
I couldn't.
- I don't blame you.
[phone buzzing]
You want to get out of here?
[line trilling]
- Okay, Dickie, you try. Maybe he'll pick up your call.
- I shouldn't have let him go. I'm sorry. It's my fault.
- It's not your fault, Mama. - Yeah, it is.
- He's probably fine.
- So Fort Lee.
- What's wrong with Fort Lee?
What, are you one of those Manhattan snobs?
- I live in Long Island City.
- So you're one of the Five Boroughs snobs.
- I got nothing against Jersey.
- Springsteen. Bon Jovi.
Sinatra. Queen Latifah. All Jersey-born, baby.
[chuckles]
[phone buzzing]
Your phone's been blowing up.
You sure you don't need to get that?
- No, I'm good.
- So Eli, what should we drink to?
To new friends?
- Sounds good.
- [chuckles]
- Ugh. [coughs]
- Was that your first shot of tequila?
- No. - [chuckles]
- My second maybe. - Mm-hmm.
Well, you ready for number three, Mr. Big Partier?
- Hey, I party.
See? I'm just not, you know...
- You are just full of surprises, aren't you?
Okay.
Thank you. - Yeah.
- Uh, to new friends with prescription benefits.
[soft music]
♪
- Ooh. - Oh.
- Mia?
Mia?
Hey, I gotta go, it's, like--
it's, like, 4:00 in the morning.
Hey.
Mia.
[tense music]
♪
Mia.
[breathing heavily]
[grunts]
♪
- Where you headed? - Long Island City.
[tense music]
♪
- I put out a citywide alert.
- I tried Brett. He hasn't seen Eli.
I made him put his mom on the phone.
She confirmed. We're gonna find him, Dad.
- Yeah, I just hope we don't find him dead.
- Grandma!
- I'm sorry. You startled me.
- It's okay. - It's okay. Here.
- Be careful. - All right, go ahead.
Say it. - Say what?
- It's my fault. They were my pills.
- It's not your fault. It doesn't matter that--
- I know what you're thinking!
- You don't know what I'm-- - You're sorry...
- Mom, you don't know-- - That you took me in.
If you hadn't taken-- - I'm glad you're here, Mama.
[phone ringing] I'm glad you're here.
Shh. I'm the parent. He's my kid.
Just hold on a second.
Eli? Eli? Hello?
- Dad?
- Eli, where are you? What happened?
Something happened. Are you hurt?
- What's happening? - No.
- Is he all right?
- Are you hurt? - No.
- Are you with someone, or are you alone?
[apprehensive music]
- I am alone. - Okay.
Whatever's going on, it's gonna be okay.
I just need to know where you are.
- Uh, Fort Lee. - New Jersey.
- I don't understand. I--I--I--
- What's he doing in New Jersey?
- I don't know what happened. I--I need help.
- Well, I'm here for you. I'm gonna help you,
but I need to know exactly where you are.
- A payphone.
Bridge Plaza North and Lemoine Ave.
- Stay put. You hear me?
- Dad, I--I'm sorry.
- Don't move. I'm coming to get you.
There's something wrong. He didn't sound right.
- Elliot, he's okay. We know that he's alive.
He had the sense to call you.
- Yeah. He just--he said, "I'm sorry,"
as if he disappointed me or something.
It just sounded like he was in trouble.
- And whatever happened, we're gonna go,
and we're gonna bring him home.
We're gonna find out what is going on here
and take it one step at a time.
♪
- Thanks for coming, Liv.
Where's the phone? Do you see it?
- Yeah. Right there.
♪
- Eli!
[tense music]
♪
[apprehensive music]
♪
- Hey, man. What's going on?
What's your name?
My name's Lucas. Luke. You can call me Luke.
You don't want to tell me your name.
That's okay. You don't have to.
- Eli.
- Okay. Eli.
You scared, Eli?
Yeah, of course you're scared. Me too.
You know, this is only my third day on the job?
Lucky you, huh?
Out of all the police officers in New Jersey, you get me.
- I screwed up.
- [sighs]
Yeah. We all screw up, man.
You know how many times in the last couple days
I screwed up? I lost count.
I almost turned in my badge after the first day.
You know what my grandmother said to me?
She said,
"You quit, your partner's gonna have to arrest me for murder."
Dude, I swear that's what she said.
I don't think she was kidding, either.
- Sounds like your grandma and my grandma would hit it off.
- Oh, yeah? - Maybe, I don't know.
My dad's gonna kill me.
- No, no, no. No, he's not.
Look, I don't know your father,
but I'm sure he loves you very much.
I'm sure your grandmother does too.
Eli, come on, man.
Just think about your family right now.
I can tell you love them.
Just think about them,
and come down.
Take my hand.
Take my hand, Eli.
I got you.
Good. Come on, I got you.
I got you.
♪
- Eli Stabler. Where is he?
- Detective Stabler? - Yeah.
- Officer Lucas Buono. I'm the one who called you.
Are you Eli's mother?
- I'm a friend of the family. Captain Olivia Benson.
Are you the one who talked him down?
- Thank you. Where is he?
- So what happens now?
Where are you taking him?
- Bergen General. Psych eval. You know the drill.
- Can I go in? Can I talk to him?
- Of course.
- Liv.
Please.
- Thank you.
- Hey. Hey.
Hey. Okay. Okay.
- I'm sorry. - There's no need to be sorry.
I'm sorry that you're hurting so bad.
We're gonna work it out, me and you, right?
We'll get help, right?
We'll get help. We'll figure it out. All right.
- What's she doing here? - She was concerned for you.
- It's okay, Elliot. - She's just concerned.
- I'm just glad you're okay, Eli.
You gave us all quite a scare.
- I'm not okay.
[apprehensive music]
- Okay, what do you mean? What's going on?
- Um, I, uh-- - Yeah?
- Eli, whatever it is, it's gonna be okay.
Why don't you just--
why don't you tell us where you were last night?
- I met this girl. - Okay.
- We--we were drinking.
- All right. - Uh, a lot.
And, you know, I went back to her place, and--
- And what?
- I--I--I had a couple pills.
Um, four. We took them, and--
- You both took two pills?
Okay, and then what happened?
- I--I don't--I don't know.
- What do you mean you don't know?
- I don't know!
I swear, I woke up on the floor,
and it was, like, 4:00 in the morning, and--
- And?
- I--I went into the bedroom.
- You went into the bedroom, and what?
Eli, what happened to the girl?
- She's dead.
I didn't know what to do.
My phone was dead. They were my drugs.
I--I--I ran out, and I-- - Look at me.
- I found the payphone, and-- - Look at me. Look at me.
Did you tell anybody anything?
- No. - The cop on the bridge?
- No! - No one?
- No! - You're sure?
- Eli, so what is this girl's name?
- Her name's Mia. - Mia?
Okay, what's Mia's last name? Did you know her before?
- Now, we met that-- we met last night,
on the promenade, and she invited me.
- Okay.
Hey, Eli, did you have sex with her?
- Um, no. I don't think so.
I don't--I don't think so.
I mean, when I found her, she was naked,
but I would remember that, right?
♪
- I got this, El. - They were my drugs, Dad.
- I know. I know.
- Okay.
- Captain Benson. NYPD Special Victims.
- What can I do for you?
- Well, were you up at the crime scene?
- Yeah. - Was there any bruising?
Cuts? Blood? Anything like that?
- I can't disclose that. - Okay.
You know the victim's name?
- I can't tell you that, either.
Come on, what would you do
if a uni at one of your crime scenes
talked to a captain from another jurisdiction?
- Look, can you at least tell me
who the detective in charge is?
[tense music]
♪
- [knocks on window] Eli, I'm right here.
I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here.
- Hey, come on. - You know what?
- You can't talk to him. - No one is to question him.
Am I clear about that? No one is to question him.
That's a minor. He does not waive his Miranda.
Hey. Hey.
Sit tight.
- Got a cause of death?
- Petechial hemorrhaging in the eyes,
but we'll need a full autopsy to confirm.
- Hey, what do you got?
- They found petechial hemorrhaging in the eyes.
- She was suffocated?
- They think she was murdered, Elliot.
♪
- Detective Stabler. - Yeah?
- Detective Angel Ramirez. - Hey, my son didn't do this.
- You understand we're gonna have to charge him?
- With what?
- The murder of Mia Zabatino. - No, no, no.
Look, let's just take a beat here.
- Unfortunately, no.
If your son is innocent-- - He's innocent.
- If he's innocent, we'll uncover that
in our investigation, but right now--
- My son is not going to jail. That's not happening.
- Detective, I'm pretty sure, if you stood
where I'm standing-- your son was on the railing
of the GW bridge thinking about killing himself.
Now, I'm remanding Eli to Bergen General
for a psych eval,
but this is a homicide investigation now,
so you're not gonna be allowed in to talk to him anymore.
You understand that?
- Yeah, understood.
- All right. - Thanks.
[apprehensive music]
♪
Jet, Jet, I need you to find
everything you can about that girl Mia Zabatino.
- Absolutely, but... - Friends.
- Can I ask-- - Neighbors.
Witnesses. You had a question?
- The case is outside of our jurisdiction.
Sit tight, Jet.
Elliot?
[suspenseful music]
♪
Where is Eli right now?
Are they still holding him at Fort Lee?
- Sarge, I need our team.
I want to put this to bed before they start
bouncing him around all over the place.
- You're putting Jet in a difficult position.
You know what will happen if upstairs hears about this.
- You know she's gonna get there faster
than the Fort Lee PD.
There's not another tech who's as skilled as she is,
and they're not exactly motivated
once they have a suspect in custody.
Please.
- Is it one of these men, Mr. Swofford?
- That's him. Number two.
Tall skinny kid with the long hair.
- Are you sure? - Positive.
He was waiting for the elevator.
Looked really antsy.
Then he turned and ran to the stairwell.
He was wearing, like, a school jacket
with an eagle on it.
- Yeah.
Kid was wearing that jacket when we picked him up.
- So what do you have on Mia Zabatino?
- 19 years old.
Attended Morristown Community College.
She was studying to be a physical therapist.
She worked weekends as a stripper
at the Vestal Virgin in Fort Lee.
- Anything else?
- Looks like Ms. Zabatino was listed
on a website called 4 UR Pleasure.
It's an escort service.
- Well, Eli didn't call for an escort.
They met at the promenade. He told me.
- No one's saying that. Do we know who hired her?
Any regulars? Any unusual clients?
- It'll take a minute, but I'll get there.
In the meantime, the Fort Lee apartment she brought Eli to...
- Her apartment? - Was not her apartment.
It's a "BedStayCay" hosted by one George Arbuckle.
He owns a couple places in Fort Lee,
and the reviews are iffy.
- "Iffy" how? - One calls him creepy.
Another says she thinks she found
a hidden camera in the bathroom.
She saw a blinking light
and got out of there that night.
Wait.
This one says the same thing, and she posted a picture.
- Maybe there was a camera in the Fort Lee apartment.
- If here was one in that bedroom...
[computer chimes]
- Jet, what are you doing?
- I contacted security for the app.
It's a new startup.
I suggested they might not want this kind of publicity
and told them that the NYPD would be most grateful
if said startup would consider
sharing with us that perv's password.
- Do you think they'll do it?
- If there's any decency left in the world.
[computer chimes]
And there is.
♪
Jesus.
- Jet-- - You go on.
Find the apartment.
- I found the apartment. Cameras in the shower.
Ugh. And bedroom.
- Run it.
Run it.
- Go ahead.
- That would be Mia.
I don't see Eli. Wait, here he is.
- Mia, I gotta go, it's, like--
it's, like, 4:00 in the morning.
Mia.
- She was already dead. - Yes.
- Rewind.
Rewind.
- This is 30 minutes earlier.
♪
[Mia moaning]
- It's Swofford.
- The witness is the killer.
- Send that video to Detective Ramirez at FLPD.
Tell him to pick up Swofford.
- Copy that.
- I'm here to pick up Eli Stabler.
I was told he's being released.
- You want the psych attending. That would be Dr. Stutz.
- No. Miss. Miss!
I want my son.
- Marisol, hi.
We would be so grateful
if you could call Dr. Stutz for us.
Please?
- Sure. - Thank you.
- Dr. Stutz?
I have the parent of Eli Stabler.
He wants to speak to you before you see Eli.
- Thank you.
- I want to know.
- Sorry?
- About your life.
What you've been through. The things I've missed.
Seeing anyone?
- Seriously? - Too awkward?
- Little bit.
Uh, no thanks. But no, I'm not at the moment.
- But you did?
- Well, it has been ten years, Elliot.
- About how many?
- What?
- About how many?
- Do you want to know my dating history, Detective?
- You're being evasive.
- There was one
who I thought I might actually--
But I wasn't ready.
And then--and then Ed died.
- Liv, I'm so sorry to hear that.
- Hi. Dr. Stutz. Mr. Stabler?
- Yeah. Elliot Stabler.
- And? both: Olivia Benson.
- I'm a family friend. - Can I speak freely?
- Of course.
- Well, thankfully, all charges have been dropped against Eli.
He's free to go home.
- Right, and you need to speak to me.
- Yeah, I do. - He okay?
[door buzzer blares]
- I had a chance to spend some time with your son
since he's been here.
He mentioned that both his grandmother
and his sister were bipolar.
- Eli is not bipolar.
- Well, I'm not suggesting that.
Now, the reason that I wanted to speak to you was,
while Eli may not be suicidal,
he may not even be an immediate risk,
he is manifesting real signs of severe anxiety.
- Well, yeah, he was charged with a murder
that he didn't commit, so...
- Elliot. - That would make sense that--
Okay, so severe anxiety.
- When your son was on that ledge,
he was devastated by the possibility
that he may have been, in some way,
responsible for Mia's death.
But he was just as upset,
perhaps more frightened and upset,
by the thought of how his father--you--might react.
[apprehensive music]
- Are you saying he's afraid of me?
- No. No, no.
He's afraid for you.
He told me how much you've been through,
and he's just not sure how much more you can take.
♪
- Hey, bud.
- Hey.
- Let's go home.
♪
- Hey there.
- Run it one more time for my partner,
and don't leave anything out.
He's very detail-oriented.
[tense music]
- I was hired to kill the girl and make it look
like the kid did it.
Spike the tequila.
Have some pills lying around. Let him get plenty wasted.
Then I wait for the kid to leave, and I go in,
and I suffocate the girl.
Kid's the last one to leave, so everyone thinks he did it.
Look, this kid, he's a lightweight.
He doesn't leave. He passes out.
So now I gotta go in and smother the girl
while the kid's still in the apartment.
- Who hired you? - It was all done by texting.
I never saw nobody's face.
- How did they find you?
- They said they got my name from someone over at Riker's.
I don't know who it was. They paid me in crypto.
Their own proprietary coin.
- Someone at Riker's?
- The video and confession,
it's pretty cut and dried.
Thank God.
- Thank you for being there, again, when I needed you.
- Elliot-- - No.
I want to find balance here, in this.
Whatever this is.
- How about we call it a friendship?
How's that for now?
- Hey, my friend, Olivia,
I'd like you and your son Noah
to come on over to my place this weekend
for a family Christmas get-together.
[sentimental music]
Please. - Wow.
- Okay. I--
I just need to think about it, okay?
But I'll let you know. Can I let you know?
- Just come.
[door buzzer blares]
- Detective Stabler.
- I know it was you.
- Again? What'd I do this time?
- Young woman. Fort Lee.
Murdered. Smothered to death.
- That's awful, but how could it have possibly been me?
You know exactly where I've been.
- Swofford. - Now you've lost me.
- You hired him. - Oh, a murder for hire.
And I did this because?
- To frame my son. - [chuckles]
I hope to get out of here, one day.
And when I do, I want to start fresh.
I don't want to be at war with you and your family.
I don't want to be your lifelong nemesis.
I don't know any Swofford.
- Well, the cryptocurrency you paid him with
is the same stuff you tried to pawn off on my undercover.
[tense music]
♪
- The only person
who has access to my proprietary coin...
Is my daughter, Dana.
[knock at door]
- May we come in?
- Of course. Be my guest.
Guests.
It's my newest fashion accessory
from my rapidly declining motor skills
and diminished cognition line.
Do you like it?
- Professor Wheatley--
- I know. I disappointed you.
I wish I could have been a better witness.
- We're not here about the trial.
It's about your daughter, Dana.
You mind if I take a look around?
- Oh, of course not. I don't think I tidied today.
Dana?
- Dana.
Your daughter.
- Where is she?
- Well, we were hoping that you could tell us.
- No, I haven't seen her.
[apprehensive music]
♪
I'm on the mend.
The next time they'd retry him, I'd--
that's what it's called. A retrial?
- Retrial? Yeah, retrial.
- Can I make you some tea? - No, thank you, I'm okay.
Good. I'm-- - No on the tea.
- Yeah, and I think we're good to go then?
- Thank you for your time, Professor Wheatley.
- Will--will you come see me again?
- I'll try.
♪
[tense music]
♪
- I opened the bottle from Orvieto.
Can I pour you a glass?
- What did they want?
- I think you need to disappear for a little while, honey.
Your father should be able to arrange something.
♪
[knock at door]
- Dad?
I'm sorry I didn't come to the verdict.
- It's okay. I understand.
It's been hard on you.
- On all of us. - On all of us.
[sighs]
[apprehensive music]
- Dickie said it was a hung jury.
- I don't want to talk about that.
- Well, is there gonna be another trial?
- His ex-wife is going to testify again.
She's getting better, so she'll be a better witness.
We now know his strategy, so hopefully...
- I want it to stop.
I don't want to have to think about it anymore.
- Me too.
- I know it won't bring Mom back.
I just want to be with you and my family.
- Me too.
- You're here now, right?
- Yeah. I have a meeting this morning.
I'll be here the rest of the day.
Week. Month.
All right?
[door buzzer blares]
[suspenseful music]
- Do we have a date for retrial?
- There's not gonna be a retrial.
DA's office decided not to move forward.
The case is weak.
They don't want to expend the resources.
Wheatley, you're a free man.
- I hope you'll reconsider my offer.
Good consiglieri are hard to find.
- I told you once I don't suffer fools for clients.
[tense music]
There will never be enough money in the world.
- I disagree.
There's plenty of money in the world, Rafael,
and I plan on getting my hands on all of it.
♪
- Grandma, is that Bernie Sanders?
- I know you share the same name,
please don't tell me you voted for him.
- It's none of your business. - She voted for him.
- Ah, Careful. - Fresh from the oven!
- Feel the burn. Hey, kid!
Oh!
- Grandpa! - Sorry about that.
Hey, they're here! They're here, guys.
[festive music playing]
- Hey, guys. He--hey.
[tense music]
- I'm sorry to interrupt.
- Um, I just heard something,
and I didn't want you to be blindsided by it.
[dramatic music]
♪
[wolf howls]