LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT {LAW AND ORDER: SVU}: LOWDOWN (TV)
Summary
One in this series of police dramas—a spin-off of "Law & Order"—about the sexual crimes investigated by the elite Special Victims Unit of the New York Police Department. In this episode, a man is found near a known prostitute area strangled with a pair of women's gym leggings, and Olivia is shocked to realize that it is Jeffrey York, a Bronx A.D.A. whom she briefly dated. She voices her doubt that he would pay for sex, and though a transvestite sex worker's fingerprints are found on his car, the prostitute swears that he was already dead with his wallet missing. O'Halloran finds a duffel bag with matching gym clothes inside and discovers that it belongs to Jeff's co-worker, but she states that they were just friends and that she left it with him accidentally after handball. The other Bronx A.D.A., Andy Abbott, explains that a criminal named Alvarez recently threatened York's life after being convicted, guessing that he ordered a hit on him from prison. Olivia and Elliot interview Alvarez, who claims credit, but they find that he has made no outgoing phone calls and could not have done it. Munch says that the M.O. does not match any known crimes, and D.A. Martinez provides Cragen with York's bank statements, which show that he was extremely low on money. Warner then explains that York did not, in fact, have sex before he died, revealing that the condom found in the car contains another man's DNA, and Olivia is shocked to realize that York was likely gay.
Wondering what motive there could be for staging a phony prostitute robbery, Olivia and Elliot search York's apartment and find HIV medication, and Elliot tells her to get tested. They also learn that York had drinks with Andy the night he died, which Andy did not mention, and he explains that he left York behind at the bar and headed to his poker game, which the waitress confirms. They also learn that York was spotted talking to DuShawn McGovern, a famous former pro football player-turned-real estate agent, and McGovern tells the detectives that York merely wanted to sell his apartment. Munch and Fin then reveal that the faked details of York's murder scene reflect several separate cases all tried by Andy, suggesting that he is the true killer. Having only circumstantial evidence, however, they decide to question him again under the guise of needing his assistance. Warner tells Olivia about York's HIV status and performs the test herself, and Huang reassures Olivia that human sexuality is "complicated." Andy's wife Mary Ellen stops by for an update and Olivia is upset to realize that she cannot legally warn her about Andy's possible HIV status. Andy quickly realizes that he himself is a suspect and firmly denies being York's lover, refusing to give his DNA and reiterating that he was at his poker game at the time. His friends confirm his story, but when they learn that DuShawn was at the game as well and did not tell them so, Fin guesses that all of the men are "on the down low," explaining to the others about secretive homosexuality in the black male community.
Fin confronts DuShawn, who admits that the poker games are really fronts for unprotected sex between the attendees, and states that Andy accidentally killed York, who was in love with him. Andy continues denying everything when he is arrested, claiming that he did not share York's feelings and that they picked up a prostitute after drinks. DuShawn refuses to testify, and Warner proves that Andy has the same strain of HIV as York did, meaning that they were definitely lovers, also telling Olivia that she is negative. Mary Ellen furiously confronts the detectives, and Casey breaks the rules by telling her to get tested. Zierko threatens to have her suspended, and Judge Clark agrees that she is in trouble, despite her good intentions. When Casey apologizes to Mary Ellen, she reveals that she too is now positive, and she goes to visit Andy in jail, emotionally telling him that she forgives him and will always love him. She tells him that he must confess and take a deal, however, to save their family the strain of a trial, and Andy finally admits that he and Jeff were indeed in a relationship and that he killed him after an argument, and accepts a charge of manslaughter, prompting Zierko to drop his charges against Casey. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: April 6, 2004 Tuesday 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:42:13
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:85016
- GENRE: Drama, police/detective
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, police/detective; Drama, legal; HIV/AIDS; African-American Collection - Drama; LGBT Collection - Drama; Asian American Pacific Islanders Collection
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1999-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Peter Jankowski … Executive Producer
- Neal Baer … Executive Producer
- Ted Kotcheff … Executive Producer
- Dick Wolf … Executive Producer, Created by
- Jonathan Greene … Co-Executive Producer
- Roz Weinman … Co-Executive Producer
- Dawn DeNoon … Co-Executive Producer
- Lisa Marie Petersen … Co-Executive Producer
- Arthur R. Forney … Co-Executive Producer
- Patrick Harbinson … Co-Executive Producer
- Robert Nathan … Co-Executive Producer, Writer
- Randy Roberts … Supervising Producer
- Michele Fazekas … Supervising Producer
- Tara Butters … Supervising Producer
- Peter Leto … Producer
- David DeClerque … Producer
- Sheyna Kathleen Smith … Associate Producer
- Jud Taylor … Director
- Mike Post … Music by
- Christopher Meloni … Cast, Detective Elliot Stabler
- Mariska Hargitay … Cast, Detective Olivia Benson
- Richard Belzer … Cast, Detective John Munch
- Diane Neal … Cast, A.D.A. Casey Novak
- Ice-T … Cast, Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola
- B.D. Wong … Cast, Dr. George Huang
- Dann Florek … Cast, Captain Donald Cragen
- Marlo Thomas … Cast, Judge Mary Clark
- Michael Beach … Cast, Andy Abbott
- Peter Riegert … Cast, Chauncey Zeirko
- Bethany Butler … Cast, Mary Ellen Abbott
- David Aron Damane … Cast, DuShawn McGovern
- Mike Doyle … Cast, Forensics Tech Ryan O'Halloran
- Robert Jason Jackson … Cast, Jerome Adams
- Caren Browning … Cast, CSU Captain Judith Siper
- Tamara Tunie … Cast, Dr. Melinda Warner
- Romi Dias … Cast, Tina Gardner
- Roger Pretto … Cast, Francisco Martinez
- Harmonica Sunbeam … Cast, Hooker Keisha
- Benton Greene … Cast, Terrence Baker
- Richard G. Lyntton … Cast, Desk Clerk Jerry
- Curt Karibalis … Cast, Charlie Horner
- Carlos Pizarro … Cast, Hector Alvarez
- Leyna Juliet Weber … Cast, Bartender Molly
- Ian Bedford … Cast, Officer Bamford
- William H. Burns … Cast, Officer Robbins
- Dean Strange … Cast, Jeff York
- Moet Meira … Cast, Hooker Belinda
- Antonia Marrero … Cast, Hooker Janine
- Amari Rose Leigh … Cast, Ally Abbott