Sin (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
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| “Sin” | |||||||
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| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode | |||||||
| Episode no. | Season 8 Episode 178 |
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| Written by | Patrick Harbinson | ||||||
| Directed by | George Pattison | ||||||
| Guest stars | See Guest stars section below | ||||||
| Production no. | 08021[1] | ||||||
| Original airdate | March 27, 2007 | ||||||
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| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 8) | |||||||
Sin is an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. It originally aired on March 27, 2007.[1]
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[edit] Episode recap
A man is found dead in a church cemetery after crows ate his eyes. Warner diagnoses the cause of death as asphyxiation due to a bag of crystal meth shoved down his throat; the detectives thus think he was a drug dealer. Because the killer did not leave any DNA, Cragen has the photo of the man Photoshopped so that he looks alive before asking the public for help. The man’s mother comes to the hospital and says that the man’s name is Richard Antrim; then she gives Benson and Stabler Richard’s home address.
Richard’s killer had thoroughly cleaned Richard’s apartment, but Stabler learns Richard’s alias (Nick Benchley) while Benson finds his cell phone by stepping on it. The only data Morales can extract is the last text message, which seems to describe a pickup location for the drugs. The detectives then go to the location to find Satan’s House, a hell house production intended to lead people back to God through New Souls Church. Munch’s discovery that Richard was a gay escort proves that Richard was using the drugs himself for his sexual encounters rather than being a dealer; then Fin reports that Richard had been making several phone calls to someone from New Souls Church, which is presided over by Reverend Jeb Curtis, an outspoken anti-gay advocate.
New Souls’ financial director (Trent Labette) declines to divulge information about Reverend Curtis until learning that Richard is dead; then Trent tells the detectives that Curtis is preparing funeral arrangements for his oldest son (who was killed in Afghanistan). Benson and Stabler recognize two of Curtis’ children (Paul and Lucy) from Satan’s House; the next day, they question Curtis at his house about the murder. Curtis then goes back to the precinct with them, and he insists that he neither had a relationship with Richard nor killed him. Forensics then shows that Richard was actually suffocated with a pillow, and the DNA is a partial match to Curtis. Curtis still denies killing him, so Stabler takes him to New Souls to say the same thing in front of God. Curtis then says that he killed him.
Curtis’ confession is thrown out because Stabler’s having taken him to the church to obtain it is considered coercion. Novak then suggests that the text message on Richard’s phone was referring to a monetary pickup for blackmail. Benson and Stabler then go back to the church and searches the church’s financial records and learn that Curtis had been making payments on Richard’s apartment building. Curtis’ wife Hannah then catches them as they are leaving and plays them a tape recording of Richard asking Curtis for drug money (which Curtis refuses); then Hannah complains that the subject matter of Curtis’ sermons changed from homophobia to gay acceptance. After Curtis hears the tape recording, he states that he is responsible for Richard’s death but not that he actually killed him. Father Denis then suggests that Curtis is covering for someone before Stabler receives news that Curtis has been shot.
Curtis’ blood is found on a page of the Bible that is open to Song of Solomon 4:9, which entails a love poem from husband to wife. Benson and Stabler then arrest Hannah, who confesses to shooting Curtis out of anger. Stabler then suggests that the person Curtis is covering for is one of his sons due to a partial DNA match; they then interview Lucy, who admits that Paul is gay. Paul admits that he had a relationship with Richard, and he says that he didn’t kill him; his father did. All three of them then go to the hospital, where Paul begins to apologize to Curtis before he stops him and assures him that he has accepted him. Then Curtis thinks that Paul killed Richard, which confuses both of them until Curtis says that Trent also knew about the relationship, and that he’d insisted that Curtis put a stop to it. Trent initially denies killing Richard but then he says that he did it because he was doing God’s will, and that he let Curtis take the blame because his faith was weak. Hannah is then brought to the hospital where she asks for forgiveness, and Curtis says that he has already forgiven her.
[edit] Guest stars
[edit] Primary
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[edit] Secondary
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[edit] Quotes
Paul: This coffin over here? It’s for an AIDS victim. Satan dances around it, singing, “I tricked him into thinking he was born gay.”
Lucy: We’re not afraid to use humor.
Stabler: You think AIDS is funny, huh?
Paul: [Hesitantly] No.
Stabler: How can a man of God confess to murder and think God’s not gonna have a problem with it?
Father Denis: A man of God is no different from anyone else. God forgives us, if we repent.
Stabler: So the reverend Curtis can commit a murder; then say a prayer: “Hallelujah”; his sins are forgiven, huh? Father: Don’t be a wiseass, Elliot.
Paul: How can [homosexuality] be a sin if God made me this way?
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Sin – TV.com. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
- ^ “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” Sin (2007). Retrieved July 21, 2007.
[edit] External links
- "Sin" at the Internet Movie Database
- "Sin" at TV.com
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