Smoked (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)

Last updated
"Smoked"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode
Benson - SVUsmoked.jpg
Detective Benson (Hargitay) shocked, in the aftermath of the SVU squadroom shooting.
Episode no.Season 12
Episode 24
Directed by Helen Shaver
Written by
  • Jonathan Greene
  • Daniel Truly
Production code12024
Original air dateMay 18, 2011 (2011-05-18)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Delinquent"		Next →
"Scorched Earth"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 12)
List of episodes

"Smoked" is the twelfth-season finale of the police procedural television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the 272nd overall episode. It originally aired on NBC on May 18, 2011. In the episode, Detectives Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), and Fin Tutuola (Ice-T) investigate the murder of a rape victim who was scheduled to testify in a high-profile rape case. After the suspects are arrested, the victim's daughter opens fire in the squad room, killing several people inside before Detective Stabler fatally shoots her.

Contents

The episode was written by Jonathan Greene and Daniel Truly and was directed by Helen Shaver. It marks the final appearance of leading co-star Christopher Meloni until the season 22 episode "Return of the Prodigal Son", and is also the last episode to feature BD Wong and Tamara Tunie in the opening credits; all three actors announced their departures from the series after the end of the season. The episode also marks the final appearance of Charlayne Woodard, who had portrayed Sister Peg on a recurring basis since 2002; her character is caught in the crossfire during the shooting and dies after sustaining a gunshot wound to the chest.

"Smoked" received mixed reviews from critics. According to Nielsen ratings, the episode's original broadcast was watched by 8.98 million viewers, making it the most watched program on NBC of the night and the most watched program in the 10:00 p.m. time slot.

Plot

Days before the trial of accused rapist Luke Ronson (Andrew Howard), the prosecution's primary witness Annette Fox (Alice Barrett) is murdered while shopping with her daughter, Jenna (Hayley McFarland). Detectives Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) are called in to investigate the correlation between the murder and rape case and assure Jenna they will catch her mother's killer.

Ronson, now a volunteer barber at a homeless shelter run by Sister Peg (Charlayne Woodard), says the sex was consensual. The detectives search his house and find a gun and black hoodie similar to the one Fox's killer wore. However, owning an unloaded gun without a permit is a misdemeanor, not enough to keep Ronson in holding, and the gun does not match the murder weapon.

Stabler and Fin Tutuola (Ice-T) follow Luke to the shelter and watch him argue with a man, Eddie Skinner (Michael Raymond-James), who earlier said he saw Luke with a gun the night of the murder. When Skinner sees the detectives, he tries to run, but they arrest him. Ronson says he hired Skinner to scare Annette, not kill her, but Skinner says he and Ronson never agreed to that. Benson believes Ronson, but with no murder weapon, SVU has no case. ADA Sherri West (Francie Swift) charges Ronson with witness tampering and Skinner with assaulting a police officer. Later, ATF Agent Greer (Pedro Pascal) takes custody of Skinner because he is the key to busting a cigarette smuggling ring. Stabler goes undercover to bust the smuggling ring using Skinner as bait, but the paranoid smugglers suspect Stabler of being a cop and open fire on him; Skinner escapes during the chaos.

The detectives track Skinner to Ronson's apartment, where he holds Ronson at gunpoint demanding money. Stabler convinces Skinner to put the gun down and arrests both men. Skinner admits to killing Annette in exchange for a lesser murder charge, and tells detectives that he got the murder weapon from Greer. Greer is arrested as an accessory to murder and put in holding with Ronson and Skinner. Sister Peg visits the station to drop off a picture of Jenna and Annette with an address written in Skinner's handwriting.

The detectives call Jenna into the squad room so she can see the three men behind bars. She leaves, but surprises everyone by returning with a handgun and firing wildly into the holding cell, killing Ronson and Greer. As Benson pleads with Jenna to put the gun down, Stabler takes cover behind his desk and reaches for his weapon. Jenna fires two shots at them, hitting and killing Sister Peg with the first and taking out a window with the second. Shocked, she stops, but a provoking comment by Skinner infuriates her again. As she aims her gun at him, Stabler shoots her. As she lies on the floor, Jenna says she bought the gun off the street and it was easy before dying in Stabler's arms.

Production

"Smoked" served as the final full-time appearance of Christopher Meloni (pictured) with the show, and his final appearance overall until the season 22 episode "Return of the Prodigal Son". Christopher Meloni (larger crop).jpg
"Smoked" served as the final full-time appearance of Christopher Meloni (pictured) with the show, and his final appearance overall until the season 22 episode "Return of the Prodigal Son".

"Smoked" was written by Jonathan Grenee and Daniel Truly and was directed by Helen Shaver. It is the last episode produced under the direction of Neal Baer, who had been the showrunner since season two. [1] Baer, who signed a three-year deal with CBS Television Studios in November 2011, was replaced by former Law & Order: Criminal Intent executive producer-showrunner Warren Leight. [2]

Ten days after the episode's broadcast, Meloni left the show after his contract negotiations failed. [3] BD Wong, who was absent from this episode, departed the cast as well to star on the NBC drama Awake . [4] Wong later reprised his role in one episode each for the 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th seasons. A plan to have Hargitay only appear in 13 episodes of the next season was discussed [5] but later retracted, as Hargitay then extended her contract through the 14th season. [6] [7] [8]

Neal Baer told Michael Ausiello about the twelfth season finale, "We go out with a bang. It's my last episode for SVU— I'm leaving after 11 years to go to CBS — and it leaves us with a death; it leaves us with one of our beloved characters doing something that will change the way they see being a cop; and since I'm a [doctor], I get to rag on cigarettes, so that's terrific!" [9] The month before, Ausiello hinted that there would be a fatality on the show. [10] At the start of 2011 when SVU's future was unknown, Baer said of Hargitay and Meloni's status on returning with the show, "They're the longest running drama duo in TV history," Baer continues, "and I think [they'll be around] as long as they can keep playing new angles within the parameters of the show." And as the credits showed that Baer did not write "Smoked", he commented, "I don't have plans to write some farewell show,” he laughed. "It will just be a really good, twisty, turny and hopefully memorable episode." [11]

Until "Smoked", actress Charlayne Woodard had not portrayed the Sister Peg character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since the eighth-season episode "Underbelly".

Reception

Ratings

In its original broadcast on May 18, 2011, "Smoked" was viewed by 8.98 million viewers and acquired a 2.9 rating/7% share in the 18–49 demographic, meaning that it was seen by 2.9% of all 18- to 49-year-olds and 7% of 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was the highest rated program on NBC that night and the highest rated program in the 10:00 p.m. time slot, beating both Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior on CBS and Happy Endings on ABC. [12]

Critical response

Lucy Tonic of Yahoo said: "'Smoked' ends with chaos in the precinct, resulting from a literal smoking gun, yet it's unfortunate that writers tried to introduce the issue of America's gun problem within the last ten minutes of the episode. Sadly, the conclusion of Law & Order: SVU Season 12 was predictable and more dramatized than needed." [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> American police procedural crime drama television series (1999–present)

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Dick Wolf for NBC. The first spin-off of Law & Order, it stars Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson, now the commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit after originally having been Stabler's partner in a fictionalized version of the New York City Police Department, and Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit follows the detectives of the Special Victims Unit as they investigate and prosecute sexually based crimes. Some of the episodes are loosely based on real crimes that have received media attention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariska Hargitay</span> American actress and producer (born 1964)

Mariska Magdolna Hargitay is an American actress, producer, and philanthropist. Hargitay has played Olivia Benson on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since 1999, which is the longest-running character in the longest-running American primetime drama. Since 2013, she is among the highest-paid actresses on television. Her accolades include two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award, and in 2013, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is also known for her philanthropic work and activism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elliot Stabler</span> Fictional character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Elliot Stabler Sr. is a fictional character, played by Christopher Meloni and one of the lead characters on the NBC police procedural series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Organized Crime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Benson</span> Fictional character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Olivia "Liv" Margaret Benson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the NBC police procedural drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Mariska Hargitay. Benson holds the rank and pay-grade of Captain and is the Commanding Officer of the Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department, which operates out of the 16th Precinct. She investigates sexual offenses such as rape and child sexual abuse.

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> season 8 Season of television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The eighth season of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 19, 2006 and ended May 22, 2007 on NBC. The series remained in its 10pm/9c Tuesday timeslot. With the introduction of a new partner for Detective Stabler, early episodes of season 8 took on a significantly different focus when compared to those of previous seasons.

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> season 3 Season of television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The third season of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered Friday, September 28, 2001 and ended Friday, May 17, 2002 on NBC. It occupied the Friday 10pm/9c timeslot once again.

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> season 7 Season of television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The seventh season of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 20, 2005 and ended May 16, 2006 on NBC. It aired on Tuesday nights at 10pm/9c. Critically the show's most successful season, both lead actors received nominations at the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards with a win by Mariska Hargitay.

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> season 1 Season of television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The first season of the crime drama television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, premiered on September 20, 1999 on NBC and concluded on May 19, 2000. Created by Dick Wolf, it is the first spin-off of Law & Order and follows the detectives of a fictionalized version of the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit, which investigates sexually based offenses. SVU originally aired on Monday nights at 9pm/8c EST, but it was moved to Friday nights at 10pm/9c after the ninth episode. Showrunner Robert Palm felt too disturbed by the subject matter and left after the season's conclusion.

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> season 4 Season of television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The fourth season of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 27, 2002 and ended May 16, 2003 on NBC. This was the last season of the series to air on Friday nights at 10pm/9c.

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> season 9 Season of television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The ninth season of the police procedural/legal drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered September 25, 2007 and ended May 13, 2008 on NBC. It aired on Tuesday nights at 10pm/9c. Mariska Hargitay, having won a Golden Globe Award in 2005, received her second Golden Globe nomination for her work in the ninth season.

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> season 2 Season of television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The second season of the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered October 20, 2000, and ended May 11, 2001, on NBC. The show remained in its time slot, Friday nights at 10pm/9c. As Neal Baer's first year producing the show, the second season was accompanied by drastic changes in tone. Additionally, the series began to increase its focus on trial scenes with the addition of an Assistant District Attorney for sex crimes to the cast.

"Cold" is the nineteenth episode and season finale of the ninth season of the police procedural television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the 202nd episode overall. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 13, 2008. In the episode, Detective Chester Lake refuses to cooperate after fatally shooting a police officer during a gunfight, causing the Special Victims Unit squad to investigate what he is hiding. The investigation and subsequent trial lead to Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak facing censure and Detective Tutuola (Ice-T) requesting a transfer out of the Special Victims Unit.

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> season 11 Season of television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The eleventh season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered on September 23, 2009 and concluded on May 19, 2010. It was moved from Tuesdays to Wednesdays at 9 pm/8c ET for the NBC broadcast. On March 3, 2010, SVU returned to its previous time slot of 10pm/9c ET. On January 22, 2010, in the wake of the conflict between Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien, NBC announced that they would order two additional episodes to fill in the gaps of the departing The Jay Leno Show.

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> season 12 Season of television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The twelfth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered in the United States on NBC on September 22, 2010, and concluded on May 18, 2011. This was the first season that the show did not air alongside the original Law & Order. Episodes initially aired on Wednesdays between 9pm/8c and 10pm/9c Eastern, except for the season premiere, which aired from 9pm/8c to 11pm/10c. After the winter hiatus, SVU returned with another two-hour showing on January 5, 2011, before the broadcast time switched to the 10pm/9c time slot the following week.

<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i> season 13 Season of television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The thirteenth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit debuted on NBC on September 21, 2011, and concluded on May 23, 2012. With Law & Order: LA and Law & Order: Criminal Intent having ended in July 2011 and June 2011 respectively, this season of Law & Order: SVU was the first to be broadcast without any other running American Law & Order series, a position the series has held until the nineteenth season, when Law & Order True Crime premiered.

"Scorched Earth" is the thirteenth season premiere of the police procedural television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the 273rd episode overall. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 21, 2011. In the episode, which was inspired by the Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault case, an Italian diplomat is arrested when a hotel maid accuses him of rape. The District Attorney's office then brings the case to trial, which becomes increasingly complicated as the defense questions the maid's credibility. Meanwhile, Detective Olivia Benson struggles to cope with the aftermath of the squad room shooting.

Behave (<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i>) 3rd episode of the 12th season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

"Behave" is the third episode of the twelfth season of the police procedural Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the 251st episode overall. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 29, 2010. The episode, which was inspired by rape kit backlogs, follows Detective Olivia Benson helping a repeat rape victim stand up to her attacker, and finding the evidence to put him away. Meanwhile, the rapist could possibly walk because the evidence against him has been misplaced, poorly stored and even accidentally destroyed.

"Authority" is the seventeenth episode of the ninth season of the American police procedural Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and the 200th overall. "Authority" first aired on April 29, 2008, on NBC in the United States. The episode's plot sees Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson investigating a caller who impersonates a police officer and asks people to perform criminal acts. The detectives learn that the caller is audio engineer Merritt Rook, a man who opposes authority due to a tragic event in his past. After Rook seizes an opportunity to kidnap Benson, he asks Stabler to inflict pain on her or watch him do it.

Law & Order: Organized Crime is an American crime drama television series that premiered on April 1, 2021, on NBC. The seventh series in the Law & Order franchise and a spin-off of Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the series stars Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler, reprising his role from SVU. The show features a "single-arc" storyline that takes multiple episodes to resolve.

"Return of the Prodigal Son" is the ninth episode of the 22nd season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The episode aired on April 1, 2021 on NBC. It features the reintroduction of the character Elliot Stabler, who had been written out of the series in the premiere episode of its 13th season, 10 years previously. The episode served as a precursor to the new series Law & Order: Organized Crime, of which Stabler is the main character. The episode was a two-part crossover event, which concluded with the Law & Order: Organized Crime premiere episode, "What Happens in Puglia".

References

  1. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (November 23, 2010). "'Law & Order: SVU' Showrunner Neal Baer Signs Big Overall Deal With CBS TV Studios". Deadline Hollywood . Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation.
  2. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (April 11, 2011). "Scoop: NBC Taps New Law & Order: SVU Boss". TVLine News . Los Angeles, California: Mail.com Media.
  3. ↑ Webb Mitovich, Matt; Ausiello (May 24, 2011). "Exclusive: Chris Meloni Exits Law & Order: SVU". TVLine . Los Angeles, California: Mail.com Media . Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  4. ↑ Mitovich, Matt (July 17, 2011). "Fall TV Scoop: B.D. Wong Reveals His SVU Fate". TVLine . Los Angeles, California: Mail.com Media . Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  5. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (May 14, 2011). "Law & Order: SVU Scoop: Hargitay Inks New Deal, Jennifer Love Hewitt May Succeed Her". TVLine . Los Angeles, California: Mail.com Media . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  6. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (August 1, 2011). "NBC on Chris Meloni's Law & Order: SVU Exit: We're Not Killing Him Off". TVLine . Los Angeles, California: Mail.com Media . Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  7. ↑ Martin, Denise (January 6, 2012). "NBC Scoop! Hargitay Signs Up for Another Season of SVU, Community to Return in Spring". TV Guide . Los Angeles, California: NTVB Media. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  8. ↑ Seidman, Robert (May 9, 2012). "NBC Renews 'Law & Order: SVU'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  9. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (May 3, 2011). "Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on Grey's, Chuck, Psych, Community, Private Practice and More!". TVLine . Los Angeles, California: Mail.com Media . Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  10. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (April 11, 2011). "May Sweeps Scorecard: Deaths, Weddings, Pregnancies, Sex, Reunions and More!". TVLine . Los Angeles, California: Mail.com Media . Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  11. ↑ Masters, Meg (February 9, 2011). "SVU Boss Optimistic That Meloni and Hargitay (and The Show!) Will Return For Season 13". TVLine . Los Angeles, California: Mail.com Media . Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  12. ↑ Seidman, Robert (May 19, 2011). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'American Idol,' 'Modern Family,' 'Law & Order: SVU' Adjusted Up; 'Happy Endings' Adj. Down". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  13. ↑ Tonic, Lucy (May 19, 2011). "Michael Raymond James, Formerly of 'True Blood,' Stars in 'Law & Order: SVU' Season Finale". Yahoo . Retrieved July 8, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.