Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – The Grid Plan

By starrymag | March 6, 2025

By: Kaylyn Bell

 

 

Captain Benson (Mariska Hargitay) speaks at the NYC Commission Against Sexual Violence. She explains the effects sexual violence has on survivors and highlights one aspect that is often forgotten about, unpredictability. She explains that a sudden crime can make victims question everything, including their choices, instincts, and memories.

Megan Wallace (Donna Lynne Champlin), a tourist from Iowa, enters a bar after leaving the theatre and calls her husband to update him on her trip.

Benson meets Velasco (Octavio Pisano) and Fin (Ice-T) in Times Square, where a rape was reported. Bruno (Kevin Kane) and Silva (Juliana Aidén Martinez) report that a theatre usher found Megan dazed and called it in. Benson instructs them to keep canvassing while she gets her statement.

Benson gets into the ambulance with Megan and introduces herself. Megan tells her she’s going home tomorrow, and Benson asks if she’s able to stay a little longer for the investigation. Megan is very spacy and distant, so Benson offers to ride to the hospital with her.

At the hospital, the SANE nurse (Stephen Wallem) informs Benson that the rape kit is complete, and that Megan is very organized with all the details written in her planner. He says he was able to collect a lot of DNA evidence, and mentions that Megan was recently diagnosed with something, and she should ask her about it.

Benson checks in on Megan, who is still crying, and asks if she can read her notes. Megan has a description of the man as white, 30s, well-dressed, with brown hair. Benson asks clarifying questions about the timeline. Megan explains that after getting a drink, she walked past an alcove when she was dragged into it. She adds that the man had a black suitcase with him, and when he left, he doubled back to grab a bottle before walking away again. After relaying this information, Megan outbursts that she doesn’t understand because she didn’t do anything to try and attract attention. Benson assures her that what she was wearing, or how she was walking, had nothing to do with it. Benson asks if her underlying health condition is something she should know about, and Megan says she was just diagnosed with MS, but she hasn’t told her husband yet.

Benson arrives at the precinct the next day, and Fin updates her on the investigation. She relays the information Megan provided her to the squad. She directs them to focus on figuring out why he went back for the bottle and to try and locate it. A woman walks in saying she might have seen something, and Fin takes her statement. She says she saw an older woman with a younger guy in an alcove and, from a photo, identifies the woman as Megan. She says that she didn’t think it was a rape because the woman wasn’t screaming.

Bruno and Silva find a man matching the description on a traffic camera tossing a bottle into a marquee, so they arrive at the location and call CSU to bring them a ladder. Silva grabs the bottle, which turns out to be an expensive Australian shiraz wine. She puts the bottle into an evidence bag, and Bruno suggests they check all upscale liquor stores in Times Square to see who carries this wine.

Benson speaks at a One Police Plaza press conference, reassuring the public they’re doing everything possible to safeguard the streets.

Bruno and Silva check all the liquor stores but come up empty, so Bruno suggests they check fancy bars next. One bartender (Iván Carlo) says their bar doesn’t carry that wine, but a liquor rep was in yesterday trying to sell it to them. He says he never got the man’s name but describes him exactly as Megan described her rapist. They ask to see the security footage. Silva summarizes that they’re looking for a wine rep with a suitcase full of shiraz, and Bruno says they can contact the label to get a list of their reps. As they’re walking through Times Square, they spot Megan frantically handing out flyers. When they ask what she’s doing, she replies, “Trying to find the man who assaulted me.”

Silva and Bruno inform the rest of the squad that they’ve narrowed the list of liquor reps down to seven, and they found a security still of one of them in the area. Benson instructs them to continue canvassing bars to find him.

Benson shows the security photo to Megan, and she confirms that it’s him. Megan says she’s going to go to that bar. Benson tells her to slow down and suggests that she’s exercising displacement, trying to focus on something she can control to escape something she can’t, like her diagnosis. Megan replies that she will deal with her illness on her own time, but she wants to do this. Benson asks her to let her do her job and makes it clear that interfering with an investigation is a crime.

The squad checks the bars but can’t find anyone that recognizes the man from the photo. Fin gets a call from Benson that Megan is at a bar with the suspect, and they rush over. As they enter the bar, they see Megan talking with him and having a drink. When Velasco walks over, she announces that his name is Gerard Ridley (Christian Mallen). She starts yelling at him about how he doesn’t even remember her. Velasco and Fin arrest him, and when he calls Megan crazy, she punches him. Silva and Bruno have no choice but to arrest her as well. As they take her outside, they run into Benson and explain what happened. Benson tells Megan she is just hurting her own case. She voids the arrest but warns Megan that if she interferes again, she will arrest her.

Benson updates Carisi (Peter Scanavino) on the case, including that Fin and Velasco are questioning the suspect right now. Silva adds that Gerard’s DNA was a match to Megan’s kit, and he doesn’t have a record. Carisi points out that it’s rare for this to be a first-time offense, so Benson tells them to look into his employment record and college transcripts for complaints.

In the interrogation, Gerard’s lawyer (Michelle Veintimilla) is twisting all the details and fabricating a story. She says Megan was a woman without her husband who wanted a good time in the city. She continues that Megan was drinking and even stalked her client the next day, punching him when he didn’t remember her. After hearing this story and the evidence against Megan, Carisi is concerned the jury won’t believe her. Benson assures him that Megan is telling the truth. Carisi tells her to just make sure Megan understands they’re going to portray her as a bored housewife. Benson tells him about Megan’s diagnosis, and Carisi says he won’t bring it up in court as it’s not relevant to the case.

Bruno and Silva find Celia (Elise McCann), someone who filed a complaint against Gerard during grad school, at a café. She says they were dating, but one night when she said she didn’t want to go further, he didn’t listen. She says the board opened an investigation, but Gerard blamed her, so it went nowhere.

In the courthouse, Silva and Bruno explain what they learned from Celia to Carisi and Benson, but Carisi says he can’t have her as a witness because it’s a different pattern and MO. Megan arrives and introduces them to her husband, Richard (Joe Lanza).

Gerard pleads not guilty during his arraignment. Outside the courtroom, Benson prepares Megan that Gerard’s lawyer will claim she was drunk and looking for a hookup. She tells Benson she doesn’t want to be seen as weak and is ready to fight.

Megan testifies in court. Gerard’s lawyer starts to question her about her trip, when she brings up her diagnosis. Carisi instantly objects, and the judge (Teddy Cañez) asks them to approach. Carisi asserts that the witness’s private medical history is irrelevant and a violation of privacy. His lawyer claims it’s relevant to the issue of consent. The judge allows the line of questioning within reason. Megan says the diagnosis influenced her going on this trip because Broadway was on her bucket list, and the counselor suggests that having sex with a stranger was as well. She continues to paint Megan as a liar, claiming that because she never called 911, she must have wanted it. She continues to badger Megan, and the judge cuts off the questioning. Carisi tells the judge he intends to redirect this witness, but he needs some time.

Outside the courtroom, Richard is upset with Megan for not telling him about her diagnosis and says he’s going home. Benson tells her the only way for her to win is to get back on the stand and tell her side. Megan says she’s done and storms out.

Benson meets Carisi in his office, and she tells him Megan doesn’t want to fight this anymore. Carisi says he’s so sick of this argument that a woman only cries rape to admit what really happened, but the jury will believe it unless they hear the actual truth from Megan.

Benson arrives at Megan’s hotel and hears that Richard forgave her. Megan says Richard believes her, but her alleged infidelity is already in the papers at home. Benson encourages her to correct them on the stand and fight for the truth and herself because the world could use more women like her.

The next day, Megan takes the stand.

Carisi delivers his closing statement. He asserts that Megan was taken advantage of by a predator and was violated again by Gerard’s defense attorney when she brought up her medical history against her wishes, but Megan kept fighting. He encourages the jury to fight for the truth.

The jury finds Gerard guilty.

Megan tells Benson that even with everything that happened, the city is still magical. Benson says that if she ever wants to come back, Broadway will be waiting.