Conversion (Season 18, Episode 19)
Premise: A young woman on a church trip is raped by a friend who says he did it to cure her of being gay, and the case leads SVU to the pastor who taught him.
- Air date
- Season/Episode
- Season 18, Episode 19
- Starring
- Lt. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Det. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola (Ice-T), Det. Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish), Det. Dominick “Sonny” Carisi Jr. (Peter Scanavino), ADA Rafael Barba (Raúl Esparza), Judge D. Serani (Michael Mastro)
- Guest stars
- Casey Cott as Lucas Hull, Kip Pardue as Reverend Gary Langham, Jessie Carter as Ann Davenport, Sarah Nicole Deaver as Lydia Banks, Michael Kostroff as Evan Braun
- Director
- Alex Chapple
- Writers
- Story: Brianna Yellen & Robert Brooks Cohen & Céline C. Robinson; Written by: Kevin Fox & Brendan Feeney
Summary
“Conversion” follows a church youth group from Hunter, Indiana, on a volunteer trip to New York. At the hotel bar, 18-year-old Ann Davenport reunites with her childhood friend Lydia Banks, while their friend Lucas Hull scolds a bartender. After the chaperone, Charlotte, sends Lydia away at lights out, Ann slips her a key; Lydia comes back to find Ann in tears and calls 911. Lydia tells Benson and Fin that Ann is a lesbian whose church calls that a sin. Ann, who is saving herself for marriage and says she will never act on her feelings for Lydia, says a young man she will not name came to her room and had sex with her as she refused and fought him.
The group’s pastor, Reverend Gary Langham, steers the detectives to two drunk young men from the bar, but they spent the night at a Billy Joel concert. A room charge for a smoothie leads to Lucas, who freely admits it, calling it curative intercourse meant to free Ann from homosexuality and save her soul. Ann echoes him and does not want him punished. Her parents, Cheryl and Paul, blame Lydia, and Langham hires Evan Braun, who claims First Amendment protection. Benson tells Ann that, whatever her faith, what Lucas did was wrong. Lucas pleads not guilty to first-degree rape, and the church starts a collection for his $100,000 bail.
Braun moves to dismiss, arguing tacit consent based on church teaching, but the judge denies the motion. Barba drops Lydia as a witness. Ann testifies that Lucas pushed her down and ignored her refusal, but Braun plays a video of Langham counseling her after the assault, in which she agrees she was confused and he calls it a blessed event. Langham testifies that God mandates curative intercourse, and Barba gets him to admit that forgiveness implies a wrong. Lucas tells the jury he loves Ann and that it was her demons resisting. Fearing the jury believes him, the squad learns he left school to live with Langham for a year, one of several special students. In a proffer, Lucas reveals that Langham caught him with a boy and meant the act to cure them both.
Spoiler, the ending: Church records show $200 monthly payments to about half a dozen other young people over several years. Threatened with a federal sex trafficking case that could strip the church of its assets, Langham pleads guilty to facilitation to shield his congregation, and Lucas takes third-degree rape with one to four years. Ann tells Lucas she forgives him but that people cannot be changed that way. She leaves to stay with cousins in Denver, saying her parents are not ready to accept her.
Why it stands out
- Casey Cott, known for playing Kevin Keller on Riverdale, plays Lucas Hull; his brother, Corey Cott, played Ellis Griffin earlier in the season in “Rape Interrupted” and joined the cast as Det. Jake Griffin in Season 27.
- Michael Kostroff returns as defense attorney Evan Braun, and Kip Pardue plays Reverend Gary Langham.