Devastating repressed memories come back to a woman when she finds an old notebook in her family home. Bringing charges in a decades-old crime proves even more difficult for Carisi when a powerful judge stalls the case.
Maggie lived with repressed trauma in her body for over twenty years. That was at the root of all the troubled behavior she exhibited later on. She could never understand why. She loved her family. She also dreaded returning home. Part of that was complicated by her stepfather cutting her off financially. It was also informed by the sexual abuse she suffered in that place by a person who is still involved in her life. She doesn't remember her childhood as fondly as her two step-siblings do. Peyton pulls things out of the basement and can immediately detail the story of their importance. Maggie doesn't have that same personal attachment. Everything clicks into place once she discovers her stepfather's journal. That makes her realize she was abused. She goes to SVU. She mostly wants to talk through her options. As she remembers more though, it causes a great deal of agony and pain. She can't keep this a secret any longer. She has to speak the truth. That's a daunting prospect especially given how long ago the crime was committed. It has informed her entire life. As such, her voice deserves to be heard.
Now, Carisi complains about how difficult it will be to navigate the statute of limitations concerns with this case. However, those are mostly just empty words. The narrative doesn't delve into the legal complexities of this particular story. It presents a simplistic view of courtroom drama. Everything is determined by what is said on the stand. He is going up against an incredibly powerful and influential figure. Maggie's stepfather is a retired federal judge. He has immense resources to tear her story apart. He does so while still trying to present as a good and noble man. He allowed himself to believe that fantasy. He only made one mistake. That's not true. He terrorized one victim repeatedly and left her emotionally scarred for life. It's now on the squad and Carisi to prove it. Carisi moves to make this a case where the jury has to decide whose story to believe based on their testimony. He believes he made a mistake by allowing Judge Andrews' wife Lillian to corroborate his story. And yet, that breakdown reveals how much she is willing to accept in order to present a happy and cohesive family. The legal concerns are interesting though. As such, the show does a disservice to the story by largely ignoring them in favor of what has always been delivered in this environment.
Olivia believes Maggie. She provides comfort and guidance every step of the way. Peyton is supportive as well. She believes her stepsister even though she doesn't have any memories of the abuse. She doesn't recall ever seeing Judge Andrews coming out of Maggie's room in the middle of the night. She believes she was too young to notice anything off like that. And yet, the youngest sibling did. Charles knew something was wrong and told Lillian. She confronted her husband. She made him stop. She did so to continue living with what she believed was a perfect happy family. She made that choice. She destroyed her daughter in the process. Instead, she blamed Maggie and assigned personality defects to explain the situation. To her mother, Maggie was nothing more than a hysterical woman struggling to manage her big emotions. It was reaffirmed with her inability to keep a job or a relationship. All of that came out of the abuse. Maggie forget about it. It was easier not to remember the fear. Her body could never recover. That matters. It can't be dismissed out of hand by the defense attorneys. That's a legitimate response. One that Olivia offers plenty of reassurance on.
The three siblings are now adults. Their bond remains intact despite the choices of their parents. Lillian supported Judge Andrews for all of these years. She does so even when it means admitting to her own crimes in this matter. Carisi again mentions how difficult it would be to charge her with a crime. That's not the punishment delivered to her. Instead, everyone has to settle for her losing her medical license. She saw signs of abuse and failed to report it. The situation was more complicated because family was involved. She couldn't be impartial. She had a vested interest in the outcome of this story. She covered it up. She believed the journal could be leverage to use against the judge if he acted inappropriately again. The previous times weren't enough. She could still be married to him. Olivia and Carisi are horrified by the ways these people try to justify their actions. They are in the wrong. They have to reckon with that. The only peace comes from the judge changing his plea to guilty. He was going to lose because of what the investigation uncovered. The family isn't destroyed by these revelations. It brings the siblings closer together. Yet Maggie still faces a hard road to recovery. She has the tools to make it happen. That's the power that comes from speaking out. That confidence is powerful within the narrative's overall ambitions. It allows the show to produce solid and sturdy episodes even if they don't particularly challenge the norms of this format too much.
