Snatched (Season 10, Episode 13)
Premise: When a girl is snatched from her bed, suspicion moves from her paroled father to her grandfather, a legendary thief whose memory is failing.
- Air date
- Season/Episode
- Season 10, Episode 13
- Starring
- Det. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), Det. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola (Ice-T), Capt. Donald Cragen (Dann Florek), Dr. George Huang (BD Wong)
- Guest stars
- Dabney Coleman as Frank Hager, Ron Eldard as Geno Parnell, Michelle Ray Smith as Liz Rinaldi, Wallace Shawn as Professor Roy Batters, Burt Young as Eddy Mack
- Director
- David Platt
- Writers
- Mick Betancourt
Summary
“Snatched” opens with a man in a ski mask and a fake police badge forcing his way into an apartment, beating the babysitter, Amy, and her boyfriend, Greg, and carrying young Rosie Rinaldi out a window. Her mother, Liz, and stepfather, Pete, blame Rosie’s biological father, Geno Parnell, recently paroled after a home invasion and earlier convicted of raping and kidnapping a 15-year-old, which he calls a misunderstanding. His parole officer, Craig Lennon, counting the days to his pension, helps the detectives into Geno’s room, where they find dozens of long-distance photos of Rosie. Geno is caught mopping at a sex shop with Rosie’s barrette, but he was at work all night and points them toward Liz’s father, Frank Hager.
Frank was one of the city’s great thieves for decades. His apartment above a pawn shop has been torn apart, and the detectives find him hiding in a trapdoor room with $100,000. He believes he is a sailor on shore leave during the Korean War, and Huang concludes he has Alzheimer’s disease. Geno, who served prison time for a job with Frank, draws out a clear moment: Frank lost a man’s jewels, and the man is threatening Rosie. The squad matches it to a $750,000 jewel theft. Liz then brings in a demand for $100,000, and Frank hands over his cash. At the drop in Central Park, Liz escapes through a storm drain with the money, telling Benson by radio that she found the jewels in her father’s cereal box and used them to cover Pete’s gambling debts.
The kidnapping is real, though: the thief has taken Rosie as security. Retired thief Eddy Mack, who earns a cut for tipping off younger crooks, drops a coded hint pointing to a modified Moseley safe. Professor Roy Batters, an engineering teacher and hobby safecracker, says only three people could open it: himself, his late mentor and the mentor’s son, Jake. A raid on Jake’s home finds Rosie safe, and she is reunited with Geno and her grandfather. Frank moves into care, Geno’s parole violation is waived, and Stabler sends father and daughter to a hotel.
Spoiler, the ending: That night Geno tries to rob the hotel with an empty gun and is arrested, and Rosie goes to a foster home; Connecticut troopers pick up Liz and Pete. Eddy Mack arrives with about $200,000 he owed Geno, which Geno asked him to give to the police for Rosie. Eddy says Geno committed the robbery on purpose so his daughter would be better off without him.
Why it stands out
- The guest cast includes Dabney Coleman as aging master thief Frank Hager, Wallace Shawn as safecracking professor Roy Batters and Burt Young as retired thief Eddy Mack.
- Huang helps the squad work with a suspect whose memory is failing, diagnosing Frank Hager with Alzheimer’s disease.