A Final Call at Forlini's Bar (Season 23, Episode 22)
Premise: A battered wife stabs her abusive husband in the back, and Barba defends her against Carisi as Benson weighs her feelings about him and Stabler.
- Air date
- Season/Episode
- Season 23, Episode 22
- Starring
- Capt. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Sgt. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola (Ice-T), Det. Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish), Det. Joe Velasco (Octavio Pisano), ADA Dominick “Sonny” Carisi Jr. (Peter Scanavino), Trial Division Chief Lorraine Maxwell (Betty Buckley), ME Dr. Abel Truman (Frank Wood), Dr. Peter Lindstrom (Bill Irwin), Defense Attorney Rafael Barba (Raúl Esparza)
- Guest stars
- Jordana Spiro as Delia Hackman, Derek Phillips as Ty Hackman, Linda Emond as Dr. Emily Sopher
- Director
- Juan J. Campanella
- Writers
- Story: Denis Hamill & Monet Hurst-Mendoza & Kathy Dobie & Micharne Cloughley; Written by: Warren Leight & Julie Martin
Summary
“A Final Call at Forlini’s Bar” finds Benson telling her therapist, Dr. Peter Lindstrom, that she wakes up anxious and unhappy even though life is going well; he suggests that she and Elliot Stabler either find out whether there is more between them or move on, and tells her she deserves happiness. Rollins checks on Delia Hackman, whose husband, Ty, once broke her wrist and is under an order of protection. Soon after, Delia smashes a patrol car with a bat and begs officers to kill her until Rollins talks her down. With a decade of abuse behind her, Delia says Ty raped her that day. He is picked up for violating the order and released, and Carisi waits to bring a rape charge until Delia is steady. When she calls Rollins that night asking to change the order, Ty is in her apartment; he is arrested and charged with rape, but a judge sets bail with an ankle monitor.
Later, Delia calls Rollins from Ty’s apartment. She went for her phone charger, he demanded sex, and she took a knife from his kitchen counter and stabbed him from behind, then waited about half an hour for her phone to charge before calling as he bled to death. Her public defender seeks a manslaughter plea, and Carisi gives it 24 hours. Benson’s calls to other defense lawyers go nowhere, and Rollins brings in Barba, whom Benson has not forgiven for defending Richard Wheatley. Benson thanks him at Forlini’s, which is about to close, and he tells her he misses her.
At trial Dr. Truman testifies that Ty was stabbed from behind and bled internally. Barba gets Benson to agree that a battered woman can fear for her life even when her abuser’s back is turned, and Carisi is angry to learn that Rollins recruited Barba. Under Carisi’s cross-examination Delia admits that Ty was not threatening her at that moment, says she was happy he was dead and she was alive, and collapses. Barba calls Dr. Emily Sopher, who finds signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and Barba puts Delia’s blows to the head at more than 50. The prosecution offers criminally negligent homicide, then a misdemeanor, but Barba sends the case to the jury.
Spoiler, the ending: The prosecution loses. Delia’s social worker arranges therapy and rehabilitation, and a settlement Ty had won now goes to her. Rollins and Carisi say “I love you.” At last call at Forlini’s, Benson tells Barba he betrayed her; he answers that she is angrier at him than she has ever let herself be at Stabler and that he will be there when she is ready, and she tells him she misses him too.
Why it stands out
- The Season 23 finale, written by Warren Leight and Julie Martin; the season was the last of Leight’s second stint as showrunner.
- Raúl Esparza returns as Rafael Barba for the first time since he defended Richard Wheatley in “People vs. Richard Wheatley.”
- Linda Emond returns as Dr. Emily Sopher, a role she first played in Season 5’s “Hate.”