Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 17, Episode 21 - Assaulting Reality - full transcript
SVU is made part of a reality show when they investigate a contestant's rape claims.
_
In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses
are considered
especially heinous.
In New York City,
the dedicated detectives
who investigate
these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad
known as
the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
Welcome back to
"Heart's Desire" live in NYC.
I'm your host, John Valentine.
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
It is week six,
and we are down
to three men and four women,
which means that one of these
lovely young ladies
will be going home at the end
of tonight's broadcast.
Over the last few days,
Melanie and Gigi have been
competing for one man's heart,
Ryan,
our tennis pro from San Diego.
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
Tonight,
the journey to true love
comes to a dramatic climax
when Ryan chooses
his heart's desire.
Melanie, how are you feeling?
Really great.
Our date was magical.
Maybe for you, but I know
Ryan is falling for me.
I'm sorry,
can you turn this off?
Or just throw the TV out?
John, but Gigi doesn't...
Who actually watches this show?
I just want to spend
all of my time with him.
[audience reacts]
God, you're sounding
very needy.
Maybe that's why
he's not into you.
Ooh, look at that brunette
throwing shade.
Yeah, Gigi is a total witch.
Me and Frannie are Team Melanie,
aren't we?
I know it's only been
six weeks,
but Ryan is the guy
of my dreams.
[cheers and applause]
- And Gigi...
- Yeah.
How was your date
with Ryan this week?
Well,
we went on a helicopter ride.
[sentimental music]
♪ ♪
It was steamy!
[light applause]
Yeah.
The skyline was beautiful,
but the windows got so fogged
we could only see each other.
[laughs]
That does sound steamy.
And what about your date,
Melanie?
Quiet, but Ryan and I
truly connected.
You did?
♪ ♪
We went on a carriage ride.
Being in the most romantic city
in the arms
of the sweetest guy,
I just felt like
a real-life Disney princess.
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
Oh, no.
No, no guy wants to hear that.
Rollins?
Are you crying?
- No, I'm not.
- Oh, you are so busted.
And what happened when you
got back to the triplex?
Let's take a look.
Hey.
Look who's back.
Oh, hey.
Oh, yeah.
[laughter]
Hey!
You guys look happy.
Graham made mojitos.
You want one?
Uh, we... we're good, thanks.
Yeah.
Hey.
So John slipped me
the Dream Suite key.
[dance music plays]
It's ours if we want it.
I'm dizzy and...
[giggles]
♪ ♪
[warm music]
Oh.
♪ ♪
I'm not sure about this.
♪ ♪
- You're a good guy.
- Yeah?
And a sexy guy.
[cheers and applause]
Wow, I... that's a beg step
for you, Melanie.
Oh, it wasn't
that big of a step.
Are you sure?
Let's see what happened
a little later in the evening.
[audience gasps, cheers]
[dramatic music]
- Oh, whoa.
- Wow.
Wait, I-I don't remember
any of this.
Well, you... you do remember
going to the Dream Suite
with Ryan, don't you?
Yes, but I'm a virgin.
I would never
have slept with him.
Cut.
Cut.
John, commercial now.
Go.
Did Ryan rape me?
And, uh, we'll be back.
♪ ♪
Did you see what I just saw?
And she wasn't acting.
Did they just air a rape?
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪BREAK♪
I'm a virgin.
I-I would never have
slept with him.
Did Ryan rape me?
And, uh, we'll be back.
So this mating game aired
last night live?
In front of 10 million people.
Yeah, lock 20-year-olds up
together.
Liquor them up.
I mean, I'm surprised this
hasn't happened before.
Carisi, don't tell me
you watch this show.
Uh, no.
Actually, last night
was my first time.
I was making dinner.
Rollins put it on.
Oh, you were making dinner?
Maybe you guys were distracted,
but uh,
reality shows are all fake.
- You know that, right?
- Not last night.
They want drama.
They want fairytales.
They don't want rape,
and you saw,
they cut away as soon as Melanie
started to freak out.
Did she report it?
Who knows if the producers
let her make a call?
They don't allow access
to the outside world.
Yeah,
it's like Stockholm Syndrome.
I mean,
with all these headlines,
plus the amount of calls we're
getting from concerned viewers,
including the Chief of D's
wife...
We should at least just go
and ask a few questions.
Okay, so go talk to Melanie,
but I'm interested
in our reality, not theirs.
_
[dance music playing]
♪ ♪
Whoa, there's the hot tub that
Ashley B slapped Graham in
in the second episode.
- Did you see that?
- Huh?
Hi there.
Lizzie Bauer,
co-producer.
How can I help the NYPD?
Well, we're following up on
the accusation Melanie made
on the air last night.
Of course.
We've been getting calls
about it too,
but you know nothing happened,
right?
Our show is heavily scripted.
Okay, well, we still need
to speak to Melanie.
Um, our executive producers
are talking to the network.
Can I ask you to wait
until they get here?
No.
Melanie's close
to the final round.
I-I talked to her last night.
If she'd wanted
the police involved,
we definitely would
have made that happen.
We need to hear that from her.
Uhhuh.
♪ ♪
Hey, Melanie?
These detectives are from SVU.
They're concerned
about what you said last night.
I told them that it was
just part of the show,
that you're fine.
Let her tell us that.
Melanie, can we ask you
a few questions?
Um, I guess so.
Give us the room, please?
Oh.
Okay.
I will be right outside
when you're done.
[door closes]
Hey.
We were watching last night.
That looked... tough.
- How you doing?
- I don't know.
Um, it's hard to know
what you're thinking
with everybody always
watching and filming.
Okay, you all have privacy
in the bathroom?
Come here.
All I know is,
I don't remember having sex.
I would never have
agreed to that.
But you think you did have sex?
Well, after seeing the video,
it kind of made sense.
Morning after my date,
I was sore down there.
My panties were on the floor.
I felt... different.
Did you tell anybody?
I didn't remember it,
so I didn't say anything.
Okay, well, Melanie,
um... if you were...
if you were unable to consent,
yeah, that could be rape.
Well, they said that it wasn't.
Who's they?
Lizzie.
And the Princes,
Jeffrey and Regina Prince,
the executive producers.
They said that
since I told Ryan
that I wanted to lose my
virginity to him eventually,
that I must have wanted it.
No. No.
They were wrong, all right?
It doesn't matter what you did
or what you said before.
[dramatic music]
Then I don't...
I don't understand.
I thought that Ryan and I were
in love with each other.
Why...
why would he rape me?
We can investigate.
We can talk to Ryan
and collect evidence.
Do you have any clothing
from that night?
They take care of
our laundry here.
They take care of everything.
Could I borrow your cell?
We're not allowed phones,
and I want to call my mom.
Of course.
♪ ♪
So sorry you had
to waste a trip.
No, not really.
Detective Rollins is going to
take Melanie to the hospital
to get a rape kit done.
No, wait, Melanie can't go.
She has a shoot.
- The ladies dine and dish.
- Does she?
That mean that the guys aren't
working then, right?
That's good, because I need
to talk to Ryan.
Hang on.
This is a closed set.
No, not anymore, it's not.
Lizzie, they want you to stir
things up before we shoot.
Wait, so it's true?
- There are cops here?
- John Valentine.
You were with Melanie
last night
when she watched that video?
To me it looked like she was
genuinely surprised.
Let me give you
lesson number one
from the John Valentine
school of reality hosting:
you stand on your mark,
you say the words,
you get paid, that's it.
Thank you, John.
The detectives are here
on official police business.
Come on, Lizzie.
About Melanie crying rape?
Please, she signed a waiver.
[huffs]
Lesson number two:
if it's a reality show,
there is no reality.
All right, so do we just start?
This isn't part
of the show, Ryan.
Right, sorry.
We're in a bubble here.
Listen, we want to talk to you
about your date with Melanie,
your time in the Dream Suite.
I don't like to kiss and tell.
10 million people
saw that video.
Okay.
She gave me her virginity.
All right,
so you had sex with her.
You want to give us
any specifics?
It was magical.
Our hearts' desire.
That's not what she's saying.
Wait, is this about Melanie's
freak-out on the live show?
'Cause whatever she said,
that... it was part of the script.
No, it wasn't.
We just spoke to her.
She doesn't remember
having sex.
She said she was unconscious.
I...
look, look, you need to talk
to the producers
'cause they must have told her
to say that, too.
We don't say anything
unless we've cleared it
with them first.
[dramatic music]
So Melanie agreed to a rape kit
but she has no memory
of consenting to
or even having sex?
No, no, but Ryan does.
- He claims it was consensual.
- And magical.
Okay, are you sure that
this isn't part of the show?
Yeah, look,
something happened to this girl
that she did not want
to have happen.
Uh, these are
our executive producers.
- Jeff Prince.
- Hey.
My wife, Regina.
We rushed in from Wainscott
as soon as Lizzie told us
you were here.
Okay, and, Lieutenant Benson,
now you're aware that we're
investigating a rape allegation?
Aware and appalled.
Our show is about love,
romance.
This accusation
is deeply disturbing.
We tell the bachelors
to treat every young lady
as if she's our daughter.
- You have a daughter?
- No, we don't have children.
The point is, these girls need
to be respected and protected.
Okay, well, Melanie
doesn't feel like she was.
Believe me,
if there was any indication
that something had happened
against her will,
we wouldn't have gone with it.
So you're saying
it was consensual?
Well...
Melanie has been trying
to connect with Ryan
for weeks, you know.
Maybe having the audience
find out
that she had lost
her virginity...
Was so mortifying
that she tried to project her
self-loathing onto Ryan.
Look, Melanie's so...
Melanie's mercurial.
- Sensitive.
- Sensitive.
Makes for good drama, but...
Yeah, but until
she veers off-script.
- Yeah.
- But she told my detectives
that she has no memory
of consenting.
Well, she never mentioned that
when Lizzie talked to her
the morning after.
Like I said,
she's a small-town girl.
Her parents were watching.
She panicked.
Oh, no, maybe she got wind
of the fact
that Ryan was... Ryan was
going to pick Gigi.
Girl cries rape,
game clock is on hold.
Is somebody writing this down?
- Lizzie.
- Wait, wait, wait, stop.
All right, you're saying that
Melanie cried rape
because she didn't want Ryan
to go with Gigi?
Jeffrey, we have to show them.
[sighs]
The network lawyers told us
to give you nothing
without a warrant,
but you should see
her morning-after interview.
Come on.
We're stepping in.
Hey, come on.
We call it an OTF.
- On the fly.
- On the fly.
You know, to get
their immediate reactions.
This one didn't make it to air
because, well,
frankly, it's boring.
How are you feeling
this morning, Melanie?
Oh, I woke up
on top of the world.
So happy.
So last night
was a dream come true?
Yeah.
I mean, dates like last night
are what makes
fighting for Ryan
and this whole
"Heart's Desire" process
worth it.
Uh-huh.
Gigi looked pretty upset
when you went off with him,
but talk to me about that.
Ah, Lizzie.
I mean, come on.
I-I don't kiss and tell.
Melanie,
you know I have to ask.
Okay, well, um...
Ryan was a complete gentleman
the whole night.
That's what made it so special.
He could be the one.
I think we're falling in love.
Her own words.
If we can help you
with anything else...
Anything at all, just ask.
[tense music]
Okay.
Thank you.
♪ ♪
♪BREAK♪
I said Ryan was
a perfect gentleman
before I realized
that he had sex with me,
but I'm not making this up.
We believe you.
The rape kit found traces
of condom lubricant, so...
Oh, my God.
So I'm...
I'm not a virgin anymore.
I can't go back to that house.
Okay, well, we need you
to stay in the city
until we finish
this investigation,
but we're happy to
put you up in a hotel.
The Princes are already
taking care of that.
You saw them at the hospital.
They're being
really understanding
about all of this.
Yes, they are.
This girl didn't
realize she was raped
until she saw it on live TV?
I know, I know.
I get the she said.
What's the he said?
Ryan Ledder claims
that it was consensual.
And the footage shows what?
Can you tell
if she's conscious or not?
Not really.
All we have
is what was broadcast.
There's, you know,
night camera movement,
no audio,
and the lawyers
are dragging their feet
about the raw footage.
I'll get you a warrant
to clone the servers
and a grand jury subpoena for
all the audio and video records
from over the weekend.
My mother watches the show.
She says they film
every minute.
So there's got to be
continuous recording
of what led up to the sex.
That should tell us something.
Or not.
Ryan is here.
We didn't ask to talk to him.
He wants to talk to us.
So does his mother.
She's a divorce lawyer.
How noble.
I'll get you those warrants.
I called the show
the second I saw
what had happened.
Now, the producers assured me
there was nothing
to worry about.
They didn't even tell me
that she called.
Then I see the headlines
accusing my son of rape?
I got on the first plane
and I yanked him
the hell out of there.
Okay, Mrs. Ledder,
I appreciate your concern,
but your son is being
investigated for sexual assault.
Well, that's why we're here.
Tell them, Ryan.
Tell them what you told me.
Okay, I lied to you
this morning.
Mel and I, we didn't have sex.
So that wasn't you
in the Dream Suite?
It was me, at first.
We had a lot of champagne,
she kissed me,
then she whispered
in my ear that...
[sighs]
Once we were married,
she would give me
her most precious gift.
It... it freaked me out.
It was too much pressure.
I got out of there.
So why didn't you
just say that?
Come on, I was trying
to stay on the show.
The producers told me
that Melanie and I,
we had a real shot
at the finale.
That would be huge
for both of us.
I told him not to do
this ridiculous show.
I mean, come on.
They will do anything
for ratings.
The thing is, Ryan,
is Melanie's rape kit
confirmed sexual activity.
There were abrasions,
condom lubricant residue.
- That's impossible.
- Whoa, whoa, lubricant?
- Can you tell the brand?
- Mom!
Uh, yes, actually,
it was, uh, Sultan Ecstasy.
- Use those, Ryan?
- Yeah, but we all do.
There's bowls of them
all over the house.
Look, someone else must have
come in after I left, all right?
There's a lot
that they leave out.
Bottom line,
whoever deflowered
Sleeping Beauty,
it wasn't my son.
[tense music]
We've been in crisis mode
all day.
Network lawyers, the studio,
Ryan's mother,
now this warrant from your DA.
Did you manipulate
the footage last night?
You mean, did we edit it?
Yes.
Well,
did Ryan happen to tell you
that he freaked out and left
Melanie in the Dream Suite?
Well, yes,
but when we went through
the nighttime
motion-activated footage,
somebody was in bed with her.
So you let the audience
and Melanie believe it was Ryan?
We thought maybe
he changed his mind.
He had a drink.
He came back in.
It happens all the time.
Well, did you ask him
about that?
Do you have any idea
what reality TV is like?
Non-union crew
working 19-hour days
with a cast
of rum-drunk 20-somethings
who've all been locked in
together for weeks.
It is a miracle we get
a show on every Mond...
Okay, we need to see
that footage, please.
Yes.
Visitors here.
Officers, I, uh...
I wish you were here
under better circumstances.
We're here with a warrant.
Um, yeah, we were informed.
We've just been going over all
of the footage from that night.
We did miss something.
Did you miss something
or were you covering it up?
Explain, Lizzie.
After the crew is sent home,
everything is shot
from security cameras.
They're motion-activated,
and sometimes it takes them
a while to wake up.
Uh, here's what we've,
uh, reconstructed.
- You're a good guy.
- Yeah?
And a sexy guy.
That's what actually aired.
Stan, fast forward.
Okay, hit play.
You do know that I'm a virgin.
Yeah.
But if you want
to spend the night,
we can cuddle.
I know that
you're the one for me,
and when we're married,
I'll give you
my most precious gift.
I, um...
I think we should
call it a night.
It's been great, though.
I love you, Ryan.
Fast forward.
[suspenseful music]
You can see why
we didn't air any of that.
It wasn't good
for the narrative.
Hold on.
So the nightcam footage
that shows them having sex,
what was that?
- I don't know.
- You don't know?
I assumed it was Ryan.
I didn't see it.
We realize now after talking
with Ryan and his mother
and double-checking
the time code,
that it wasn't him.
Whoever it was,
you've got footage of them
going into the Dream Suite
and getting into Melanie's bed.
No, we're still going
through all the raw footage.
Our techs will handle that,
thank you.
Uh, in the meantime,
we'll need to speak
with everyone
who was working Saturday night,
off camera.
Absolutely, absolutely.
Okay, everybody please,
listen up.
The NYPD are here to investigate
the heinous accusation
that Melanie made on air
last night.
Oh, my God, so this is real?
We don't know,
but the show is now on hold.
Production's shut down.
Wait, wait, what?
So it's true.
Melanie was raped.
Don't look at me.
I was with Ashley S
all night long.
Girl almost killed me.
- Emmett, not now.
- Everyone is presumed innocent.
- Where are Ryan and Melanie?
- Are they off the show?
They're fine.
Uh, we have them staying
in separate hotels for now.
But for your safety,
the house security cams
will remain on at all times.
And in the meantime,
no one leaves the house.
As soon as this is resolved,
we'll resume filming.
We're only two episodes away
from our finale, people.
We've come this far together.
How long do we
just sit around for?
Until our investigation
is over.
My squad and I will interview
each and every one of you.
And we expect you
to cooperate fully.
We're taking this
very seriously.
If you saw something...
- Say something.
- Say something.
How did Melanie seem
to you Saturday night?
She was def drunk,
but she was into Ryan,
so I don't know
why she's crying rape now.
- So you think she's lying?
- I don't know.
Maybe the producers
set her up or something.
♪ ♪
I saw Ryan leading Melanie
to the Dream Suite.
He was all over her.
I thought if those two hook up,
I better hook up
with somebody fast,
so I made my move on Ashley B.
How'd that work out?
Friendzoned.
She said she liked me,
but not like that,
so I finished a pitcher
of mojitos and passed out.
So Graham,
remember what time it was?
Uh, after midnight?
The crew was gone,
and if Ryan left the suite
it must have been after that.
Whoever raped her was not Ryan.
I know because him and I
spent the night together.
He came to your room?
No, I went to his
after Lizzie told me him
and Melanie hadn't worked out.
♪ ♪
- Lizzie told you that?
- Yeah, I was in the hot tub.
Ashley S and Emmett
had already hooked up.
There was no way
I was about to do Graham.
I thought I was off the show.
And that's when Lizzie
came to you?
Mmhmm, she told me
that Melanie just wanted
to cuddle with Ryan,
that he left the Dream Suite
unsatisfied.
She told me to take my shot.
Okay... did they film
any of this?
No, they don't film
what the producers tell us.
They wind us up and then
they turn the cameras on.
All right, okay,
so she wound you up.
What did you do?
I took my shot.
I toweled off,
I found Ryan at the bar,
and we went straight
to his room.
I told him I would do
anything he wanted,
and I did.
It wasn't the Dream Suite,
but I blew his...
mind.
They didn't put that
on the show?
They told us
they were going to.
They'd interviewed me
and Ryan about it.
It was gonna be
the big surprise twist.
Maybe they told Melanie that,
and that's why she cried rape,
so it could be all about her.
Gigi's a liar.
It's a major plot line.
Nobody likes her.
Well, she says Ryan does.
She told me that
they hooked up last night.
- Oh, please.
- Oh, please.
She's hooked up with
everybody, including Ashley B.
Did she tell you that?
Well, she said that
this was all on film,
that she and Ryan were
supposed to be the big reveal
at the end of the live show.
Okay, okay, we may have
let her think that.
We keep as many balls in the air
as we can,
but the whole point is to
surprise them live on camera.
Uh, we... we have a situation.
Yeah,
that's gonna have to wait.
Melanie's here,
she's looking for Ryan.
I didn't know what to tell her.
- Where is she?
- The lounge.
Cue cameras
six, seven, and eight.
Where is he?
Where the hell is Ryan?
- Melanie, what's wrong?
- Got an STD from my rapist.
- Oh, geez.
- Oh.
- I should go in there.
- Absolutely not.
- John, you go.
- No, everybody stays here.
Fin, Carisi, to the lounge now.
- Hey, hey, whoa!
- Stop!
[all yelling at once]
Stop! Hey!
♪BREAK♪
- He raped me!
- Oh, he raped you?
You're all just going to do
what they say after that?
- Don't you ever in your life...
- Go to hell!
[all bickering]
Hey, hey, break it up.
- Stop! Now.
- Stop!
She started it.
Shut up, you did.
You start everything.
Hey,
I don't care who started it.
It's over. Now.
Okay, Graham.
Emmett.
You two, come with me.
- I didn't do anything.
- Okay, be quiet, sit down.
All three of you, come on.
Melanie, why don't you
come with us, please?
So we saw
on the security footage.
You got an STD?
From Ryan.
Chlamydia.
Where is he?
His mother took him
out of the house,
but Melanie, you should know
that he may not be the one
who assaulted you.
- What?
- Well, the timeline is off.
There's footage of him
leaving the Dream Suite
before the nightcam video
that aired.
[footsteps approaching]
Okay, folks,
everybody calm down.
We're on the same team.
Let's stick together.
Okay, your show is over.
This is a police investigation.
We're all on the same page.
Everything's kosh.
I want the cameras off now.
Uh, Lizzie, you heard her.
Kill cameras
six, seven, and eight.
- All of them.
- Kill all of them.
Thank you.
Now, do you test
your contestants for STDs
before they're allowed
on the show?
Of course we do.
We do psych profiles,
background checks.
We carefully vet every
potential cast member,
the crew included.
Great, I'm gonna need to see
all those records.
- Of course.
- Lizzie, come on.
Thank you.
So there were nine men
in the house that night?
Yes, but the crew left
at midnight,
and from the time code,
Melanie's assault happened
after that.
Yeah, and all the crew guys
had alibis.
We confirmed
that they were drinking
at a nearby hotel bar
until last call.
Test them all for STDs anyway.
Yeah, we did.
Along with all three bachelors.
The lab results
aren't back yet.
So everybody's still sequestered
in this triplex?
We got unis posted out front.
I don't trust these producers.
Oh, speaking of which,
where are we
with the TARU raw footage?
They cloned
their entire server.
So far
after Ryan leaves at midnight,
we have no video of anyone
going in or out
of that Dream Suite.
But there is video of someone
in bed with Melanie
at 2:00 a.m.?
Right, so either
we're dealing with a ghost here,
or we don't have
all the footage.
You don't.
We feel awful about this.
Jeffrey and Regina Prince,
this is ADA Rafael Barba.
- Hey.
- How do you do? Hello.
What don't we have?
We were just so devastated
by what happened to Melanie
that we had the tech team
come in and scour everything.
Yeah, TARU took
your entire server.
Lizzie?
It's complicated.
We have footage
from over two dozen cameras
in different file formats,
most of it mislabeled.
The nighttime security got
stored on another hard drive.
Who knows how or why?
If I understood tech,
I wouldn't be in this business.
I'd be in a mega yacht
off the cost of Capri right now.
Okay, so just show us
what you have.
[tense music]
Melanie.
You okay?
♪ ♪
Are you awake?
See, it was Graham.
- Yeah, we were shocked.
- You sure this isn't doctored?
- I wish it were.
- And this just turned up, too?
We watched this footage
together.
- Lizzie.
- It's motion-activated.
When it finally woke up
it created a new file
which also got mislabeled.
♪ ♪
So you magically just had
this one part
that was for the live show?
There's not a jury in the world
that would believe any
of the stories you just told.
A jury?
Yeah, you've gone
past obstruction.
You're looking at tampering
with physical evidence,
a felony.
Believe me, it's all true.
I already fired the editor.
Uhhuh, and we believe you.
Don't we have enough
to arrest Graham?
House of mirrors.
Get Graham aside,
talk to Melanie.
It was Graham?
He was always so nice.
You don't remember him
coming into the Dream Suite?
You didn't consent
to having sex with him?
No. No!
Are you sure that it was him?
The producers have footage
of him in the hallway,
coming into the Dream Suite,
the whole thing.
It's him.
♪ ♪
Lizzie must have known.
Why didn't she say something?
Why did Graham do that to me?
I went into the Dream Suite
because I was worried about her.
You had sex with her
while she was unconscious.
No, you've got it all wrong.
I-I was helping
the both of us.
Really?
How was that?
I saw Ryan leave,
I saw Gigi go into Ryan's room.
I knew they'd make
the next round.
I figured the only way for the
two of us to stay in the game
was to join forces.
Ah, so that's why
you raped her.
It wasn't rape.
- Let's go.
- She didn't say no.
She didn't tell me to stop.
Tell them, Lizzie.
I told you about it
the next day.
Graham, it's over.
You interviewed me
the next morning.
You said that you went
to Melanie as a friend
and then it turned
into something more.
And you said
everything would be fine.
Because I didn't know
that you had raped her!
Lizzie, let it go.
You can take him
out of here, officers.
Hold on, are you filming this?
Get this camera out of here.
Legally, we're within our
rights to film the police.
Okay, Detective Tutuola,
not our concern.
Unless you're arresting me,
I'm not going anywhere.
Fine.
Turn around.
Graham Turco,
you're under arrest.
You have the right
to remain silent.
Anything you say can
and will be used against you
in a court of law.
You have the right
to an attorney.
If you cannot afford one,
one will be appointed to you.
♪ ♪
♪BREAK♪
So you're claiming the sex
was consensual, right?
Yes.
Then why didn't you say
anything before, Graham?
The producers told me not to.
They like the Ryan storyline
better.
If the producers told him
to kill his friend
for the storyline, would he?
Hold on.
For what it's worth,
Graham tested positive
for Chlamydia.
Same bacterial strain
as Melanie.
The producers gave him up
'cause we were about
to find out he was the rapist.
It's moot.
Got him now.
How's Melanie doing?
She hasn't wavered
since she disclosed.
Good.
I want to get her in front
of a grand jury tomorrow.
Just keep her away
from those producers.
They have been one step
ahead of us the whole time.
I don't want any surprises.
Good evening, and
welcome to a special edition
of "Heart's Desire."
Monday night,
millions of you watched Melanie
make a disturbing accusation
against Ryan,
which we treated with...
Carisi, turn it on now.
We immediately shut
production down,
and our executive producers,
Jeffrey and Regina Prince,
investigated alongside
New York City's finest.
Once we learned that there
was a predator in our midst,
we made it our mission
to catch the rapist.
They played us.
We can order in,
have it ready by the time
we get to your place.
Sounds romantic.
Hey, Lu...
Sorry.
Didn't mean to interrupt,
but you got to see this.
Okay.
The morning
after the accusation,
Lieutenant Olivia Benson
and detectives from the
Special Victims Unit arrived.
My squad and I will interview
each and every one of you.
And we expect you
to cooperate fully.
We're taking this
very seriously.
If you saw something...
- Say something.
- Say something.
I told the cops I saw Graham
awake that night.
They didn't care.
This whole time, there's been
a rapist living amongst us?
♪ ♪
And Melanie has been
blaming my Ryan?
It turns out, Gigi was able
to vouch for Ryan.
The two of them spent the whole
night together in Ryan's room.
The more we investigated,
the more we realized
Melanie's story didn't add up.
And it was about
to get much worse.
I got an STD from my rapist.
There it was, cold hard proof
that Melanie was assaulted,
yet the Special Victims Unit
was no closer
to identifying the perp.
We knew we had to take
the investigation
into our own hands.
Hey.
What'd I miss?
Melanie's a liar
and NYPD screwed up.
Yeah, I can't wait to see
who the heroes are.
Jeffrey, Regina,
I found something.
Looks like it never got logged.
Less than a minute later...
and look now.
There's not enough time
for an assault
and Ryan never had
his clothes off.
She got an STD.
What... what if
we missed something?
That means that someone else
went into that room
after Ryan left.
Okay, people, we're gonna go
through every piece of footage
on every card and hard drive
in this triplex
until we find out the truth.
We did, and we made it our
responsibility to inform SVU.
We were devastated
by what happened to Melanie,
so we had the tech team come in
and scour everything.
They filmed us?
Apparently.
Son of bitches
wore hidden cameras.
No, no, two of them did.
Those shots are from Jeffrey
and Regina's point of view.
Yeah, Lizzie, their producer.
- Nothing from her POV.
- That's not an accident.
They're setting her up.
Lizzie, play it for them.
Melanie, are you awake?
It was Graham.
We were shocked.
Thanks to our due diligence,
the NYPD finally had a suspect.
She didn't say no.
She didn't tell me to stop.
Tell them, Lizzie, I told you
about it the next day,
and you said everything
would be fine.
Why didn't Lizzie say anything?
Could she have
conspired with Graham
to keep a rape quiet?
Our investigation continued.
You're under arrest.
You have the right
to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will
be used against you.
You have the right
to an attorney.
If you cannot afford one,
one will be appointed to you.
As traumatic as this was
for all of our
remaining contestants,
revealing the truth to Melanie
was even more heartbreaking.
It was Graham?
He was always so nice.
God, they rigged
her hotel room with cameras?
The producers have footage
of him in the hallway,
coming into the Dream Suite.
Lizzie must have known.
Why didn't she say something?
There was one last shot for
Jeffrey, Regina, and myself.
We were outraged when we
realized that Lizzie Bauer,
our trusted on-set producer,
knew the truth about this and
covered it up the whole time.
She was so desperate
to get a good story
that she lost sight
of what was most important,
which is the well-being
and safety of our cast members.
Even more upsetting,
Lizzie tried to erase evidence
of the rape
by hiding
and mis-filing footage.
Graham Turco was under arrest,
and we understand that tomorrow
a grand jury will be convened
to indict him on charges
of rape in the first degree.
Lizzie Bauer, I can assure you,
will never set foot
on the set of
"Heart's Desire" again.
We want to say thank you
to Melanie
for showing such bravery
and coming forward with this.
We just want you to know
that we are wishing you
the very best
on your road to recovery.
When we return,
a clinical psychologist
joins us
for an in-depth discussion...
Turn that off.
♪BREAK♪
Look, I don't care anymore.
I'll still testify
against Graham,
but what about the Princes?
They put cameras
in my hotel room.
They told everyone
that I had a disease.
Can they just get
away with that?
I hope to God they don't.
Just give me a second, okay?
She's good to testify
later today.
She just got blindsided
by the Princes.
So were we.
They ransacked my witness list,
manipulated footage,
forced the cast to lie.
Now we have to respond
to their version of reality?
They're not stupid.
They aired that last night
so that everybody in the country
would think that they're
the only ones
trying to get justice
for Melanie.
Good TV, good ratings.
Hang on.
The Princes also went
specifically out of their way
to make Lizzie look
like the only one
who was guilty
of covering this up.
Right, they put it all on her
and made her the weak link.
So let's go after her.
- Me?
- Yeah.
That was all
Jeffrey and Regina.
You know by now
how they edit this stuff.
So you didn't mislabel footage
on purpose,
tell the other girls to keep
quiet about Melanie,
hide the evidence?
- No, it wasn't like that.
- So what was it like, Lizzie?
I was asleep.
The next morning,
I saw the footage.
I called Jeffrey and Regina.
They told me
to shut up about it
and get the footage
off of the server.
So you did?
Yeah, it's their show.
They said that if we played it
like it was Ryan,
they would make sure that
Melanie went along with it.
When I spoke with her
the next day,
she didn't even bring it up.
[tense music]
I just didn't want to believe
that she was really raped.
That's your story.
And we believe you.
The thing is, if we talk
to your bosses about it,
they'll lie to our faces.
They're good at that.
♪ ♪
But so are you, Lizzie.
♪ ♪
Hey.
Where have you been?
What are we gonna do?
The cops are coming after me.
I am literally freaking out
over here.
Calm down, Lizzie.
Let's just talk.
Now you want to talk?
You sold me out
on national television.
Relax.
We'll get you the best lawyer
network money can buy.
You won't serve time.
Graham's the bad guy here.
So what am I?
Collateral damage?
Come on, Lizzie.
You're a smart girl.
This is $100 million-a-year
franchise.
We're not gonna let it get taken
down by one stupid mistake.
Mistake?
He raped her and we all knew.
All right, he put it in her
for a few seconds.
He's drunk, she's drunk,
I mean, maybe she raped him.
It's... really,
it's not our problem.
Yeah, the problem is that
you tried to cover it up.
You lied to the police.
You made Melanie think
that she was crazy.
You did the exact same thing.
You want to be an exec?
Get used to this.
What, did you think
we'd go on TV
and say you came to us
about a rape
and we told you
how to make it go away?
That's what happened.
Lizzie, how long have you been
working on this show?
It doesn't matter
what happened,
just what the audience thinks
happened.
♪ ♪
She filmed this.
Is that even legal?
You put cameras in Melanie's
hotel room without her knowledge
and then aired it
on national TV.
That's a felony.
Not to mention
your little cover-up.
That's another felony.
Aiding and abetting a rape?
That puts you on the registry.
Oh, come on.
You... you can't be serious.
We are.
What's that other show?
"Let's Make a Deal"?
♪ ♪
The Princes will plead guilty
to one count of tampering
with physical evidence.
It's a felony.
They won't do time.
Probably not, they're rich.
But they'll never work
in TV again.
And yet, I can guarantee you,
"Heart's Desire" will go on.
In a way, though,
you're lucky that they threw you
under the bus.
Got you to cooperate.
You hadn't done that,
you'd still be on the hook.
Great,
so I avoid a felony charge.
I can't wait to put it
on my resume.
Sorry.
The show brought out
the worst in me,
and I learned to bring out
the worst in those girls.
Just so you know,
I really was asleep
when she was raped.
I swear.
- We believe you.
- Melanie won't.
How does she get over this?
[sighs]
So Graham is pleading guilty?
Yes, he knows
not to take this to trial.
The good news is, Melanie,
that you don't have to testify.
Melanie!
- Oh.
- Hey.
My mom drove
from Idaho to pick me up.
Oh, nice.
I don't know what I'm gonna do
when I get home.
I feel lost.
That's normal.
It takes time, Melanie.
But you will get through this,
I promise.
Do you know
what the worst part is?
I actually thought
that Ryan and I were in love.
- Come on.
- I thought he was going to
ask me to marry him
in the finale,
and we were going to live
happily ever after.
Take care.
♪ ♪
[crying] Oh, sweetheart.
♪ ♪
[crying]
♪ ♪
In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses
are considered
especially heinous.
In New York City,
the dedicated detectives
who investigate
these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad
known as
the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
Welcome back to
"Heart's Desire" live in NYC.
I'm your host, John Valentine.
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
It is week six,
and we are down
to three men and four women,
which means that one of these
lovely young ladies
will be going home at the end
of tonight's broadcast.
Over the last few days,
Melanie and Gigi have been
competing for one man's heart,
Ryan,
our tennis pro from San Diego.
[cheers and applause]
♪ ♪
Tonight,
the journey to true love
comes to a dramatic climax
when Ryan chooses
his heart's desire.
Melanie, how are you feeling?
Really great.
Our date was magical.
Maybe for you, but I know
Ryan is falling for me.
I'm sorry,
can you turn this off?
Or just throw the TV out?
John, but Gigi doesn't...
Who actually watches this show?
I just want to spend
all of my time with him.
[audience reacts]
God, you're sounding
very needy.
Maybe that's why
he's not into you.
Ooh, look at that brunette
throwing shade.
Yeah, Gigi is a total witch.
Me and Frannie are Team Melanie,
aren't we?
I know it's only been
six weeks,
but Ryan is the guy
of my dreams.
[cheers and applause]
- And Gigi...
- Yeah.
How was your date
with Ryan this week?
Well,
we went on a helicopter ride.
[sentimental music]
♪ ♪
It was steamy!
[light applause]
Yeah.
The skyline was beautiful,
but the windows got so fogged
we could only see each other.
[laughs]
That does sound steamy.
And what about your date,
Melanie?
Quiet, but Ryan and I
truly connected.
You did?
♪ ♪
We went on a carriage ride.
Being in the most romantic city
in the arms
of the sweetest guy,
I just felt like
a real-life Disney princess.
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
Oh, no.
No, no guy wants to hear that.
Rollins?
Are you crying?
- No, I'm not.
- Oh, you are so busted.
And what happened when you
got back to the triplex?
Let's take a look.
Hey.
Look who's back.
Oh, hey.
Oh, yeah.
[laughter]
Hey!
You guys look happy.
Graham made mojitos.
You want one?
Uh, we... we're good, thanks.
Yeah.
Hey.
So John slipped me
the Dream Suite key.
[dance music plays]
It's ours if we want it.
I'm dizzy and...
[giggles]
♪ ♪
[warm music]
Oh.
♪ ♪
I'm not sure about this.
♪ ♪
- You're a good guy.
- Yeah?
And a sexy guy.
[cheers and applause]
Wow, I... that's a beg step
for you, Melanie.
Oh, it wasn't
that big of a step.
Are you sure?
Let's see what happened
a little later in the evening.
[audience gasps, cheers]
[dramatic music]
- Oh, whoa.
- Wow.
Wait, I-I don't remember
any of this.
Well, you... you do remember
going to the Dream Suite
with Ryan, don't you?
Yes, but I'm a virgin.
I would never
have slept with him.
Cut.
Cut.
John, commercial now.
Go.
Did Ryan rape me?
And, uh, we'll be back.
♪ ♪
Did you see what I just saw?
And she wasn't acting.
Did they just air a rape?
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪BREAK♪
I'm a virgin.
I-I would never have
slept with him.
Did Ryan rape me?
And, uh, we'll be back.
So this mating game aired
last night live?
In front of 10 million people.
Yeah, lock 20-year-olds up
together.
Liquor them up.
I mean, I'm surprised this
hasn't happened before.
Carisi, don't tell me
you watch this show.
Uh, no.
Actually, last night
was my first time.
I was making dinner.
Rollins put it on.
Oh, you were making dinner?
Maybe you guys were distracted,
but uh,
reality shows are all fake.
- You know that, right?
- Not last night.
They want drama.
They want fairytales.
They don't want rape,
and you saw,
they cut away as soon as Melanie
started to freak out.
Did she report it?
Who knows if the producers
let her make a call?
They don't allow access
to the outside world.
Yeah,
it's like Stockholm Syndrome.
I mean,
with all these headlines,
plus the amount of calls we're
getting from concerned viewers,
including the Chief of D's
wife...
We should at least just go
and ask a few questions.
Okay, so go talk to Melanie,
but I'm interested
in our reality, not theirs.
_
[dance music playing]
♪ ♪
Whoa, there's the hot tub that
Ashley B slapped Graham in
in the second episode.
- Did you see that?
- Huh?
Hi there.
Lizzie Bauer,
co-producer.
How can I help the NYPD?
Well, we're following up on
the accusation Melanie made
on the air last night.
Of course.
We've been getting calls
about it too,
but you know nothing happened,
right?
Our show is heavily scripted.
Okay, well, we still need
to speak to Melanie.
Um, our executive producers
are talking to the network.
Can I ask you to wait
until they get here?
No.
Melanie's close
to the final round.
I-I talked to her last night.
If she'd wanted
the police involved,
we definitely would
have made that happen.
We need to hear that from her.
Uhhuh.
♪ ♪
Hey, Melanie?
These detectives are from SVU.
They're concerned
about what you said last night.
I told them that it was
just part of the show,
that you're fine.
Let her tell us that.
Melanie, can we ask you
a few questions?
Um, I guess so.
Give us the room, please?
Oh.
Okay.
I will be right outside
when you're done.
[door closes]
Hey.
We were watching last night.
That looked... tough.
- How you doing?
- I don't know.
Um, it's hard to know
what you're thinking
with everybody always
watching and filming.
Okay, you all have privacy
in the bathroom?
Come here.
All I know is,
I don't remember having sex.
I would never have
agreed to that.
But you think you did have sex?
Well, after seeing the video,
it kind of made sense.
Morning after my date,
I was sore down there.
My panties were on the floor.
I felt... different.
Did you tell anybody?
I didn't remember it,
so I didn't say anything.
Okay, well, Melanie,
um... if you were...
if you were unable to consent,
yeah, that could be rape.
Well, they said that it wasn't.
Who's they?
Lizzie.
And the Princes,
Jeffrey and Regina Prince,
the executive producers.
They said that
since I told Ryan
that I wanted to lose my
virginity to him eventually,
that I must have wanted it.
No. No.
They were wrong, all right?
It doesn't matter what you did
or what you said before.
[dramatic music]
Then I don't...
I don't understand.
I thought that Ryan and I were
in love with each other.
Why...
why would he rape me?
We can investigate.
We can talk to Ryan
and collect evidence.
Do you have any clothing
from that night?
They take care of
our laundry here.
They take care of everything.
Could I borrow your cell?
We're not allowed phones,
and I want to call my mom.
Of course.
♪ ♪
So sorry you had
to waste a trip.
No, not really.
Detective Rollins is going to
take Melanie to the hospital
to get a rape kit done.
No, wait, Melanie can't go.
She has a shoot.
- The ladies dine and dish.
- Does she?
That mean that the guys aren't
working then, right?
That's good, because I need
to talk to Ryan.
Hang on.
This is a closed set.
No, not anymore, it's not.
Lizzie, they want you to stir
things up before we shoot.
Wait, so it's true?
- There are cops here?
- John Valentine.
You were with Melanie
last night
when she watched that video?
To me it looked like she was
genuinely surprised.
Let me give you
lesson number one
from the John Valentine
school of reality hosting:
you stand on your mark,
you say the words,
you get paid, that's it.
Thank you, John.
The detectives are here
on official police business.
Come on, Lizzie.
About Melanie crying rape?
Please, she signed a waiver.
[huffs]
Lesson number two:
if it's a reality show,
there is no reality.
All right, so do we just start?
This isn't part
of the show, Ryan.
Right, sorry.
We're in a bubble here.
Listen, we want to talk to you
about your date with Melanie,
your time in the Dream Suite.
I don't like to kiss and tell.
10 million people
saw that video.
Okay.
She gave me her virginity.
All right,
so you had sex with her.
You want to give us
any specifics?
It was magical.
Our hearts' desire.
That's not what she's saying.
Wait, is this about Melanie's
freak-out on the live show?
'Cause whatever she said,
that... it was part of the script.
No, it wasn't.
We just spoke to her.
She doesn't remember
having sex.
She said she was unconscious.
I...
look, look, you need to talk
to the producers
'cause they must have told her
to say that, too.
We don't say anything
unless we've cleared it
with them first.
[dramatic music]
So Melanie agreed to a rape kit
but she has no memory
of consenting to
or even having sex?
No, no, but Ryan does.
- He claims it was consensual.
- And magical.
Okay, are you sure that
this isn't part of the show?
Yeah, look,
something happened to this girl
that she did not want
to have happen.
Uh, these are
our executive producers.
- Jeff Prince.
- Hey.
My wife, Regina.
We rushed in from Wainscott
as soon as Lizzie told us
you were here.
Okay, and, Lieutenant Benson,
now you're aware that we're
investigating a rape allegation?
Aware and appalled.
Our show is about love,
romance.
This accusation
is deeply disturbing.
We tell the bachelors
to treat every young lady
as if she's our daughter.
- You have a daughter?
- No, we don't have children.
The point is, these girls need
to be respected and protected.
Okay, well, Melanie
doesn't feel like she was.
Believe me,
if there was any indication
that something had happened
against her will,
we wouldn't have gone with it.
So you're saying
it was consensual?
Well...
Melanie has been trying
to connect with Ryan
for weeks, you know.
Maybe having the audience
find out
that she had lost
her virginity...
Was so mortifying
that she tried to project her
self-loathing onto Ryan.
Look, Melanie's so...
Melanie's mercurial.
- Sensitive.
- Sensitive.
Makes for good drama, but...
Yeah, but until
she veers off-script.
- Yeah.
- But she told my detectives
that she has no memory
of consenting.
Well, she never mentioned that
when Lizzie talked to her
the morning after.
Like I said,
she's a small-town girl.
Her parents were watching.
She panicked.
Oh, no, maybe she got wind
of the fact
that Ryan was... Ryan was
going to pick Gigi.
Girl cries rape,
game clock is on hold.
Is somebody writing this down?
- Lizzie.
- Wait, wait, wait, stop.
All right, you're saying that
Melanie cried rape
because she didn't want Ryan
to go with Gigi?
Jeffrey, we have to show them.
[sighs]
The network lawyers told us
to give you nothing
without a warrant,
but you should see
her morning-after interview.
Come on.
We're stepping in.
Hey, come on.
We call it an OTF.
- On the fly.
- On the fly.
You know, to get
their immediate reactions.
This one didn't make it to air
because, well,
frankly, it's boring.
How are you feeling
this morning, Melanie?
Oh, I woke up
on top of the world.
So happy.
So last night
was a dream come true?
Yeah.
I mean, dates like last night
are what makes
fighting for Ryan
and this whole
"Heart's Desire" process
worth it.
Uh-huh.
Gigi looked pretty upset
when you went off with him,
but talk to me about that.
Ah, Lizzie.
I mean, come on.
I-I don't kiss and tell.
Melanie,
you know I have to ask.
Okay, well, um...
Ryan was a complete gentleman
the whole night.
That's what made it so special.
He could be the one.
I think we're falling in love.
Her own words.
If we can help you
with anything else...
Anything at all, just ask.
[tense music]
Okay.
Thank you.
♪ ♪
♪BREAK♪
I said Ryan was
a perfect gentleman
before I realized
that he had sex with me,
but I'm not making this up.
We believe you.
The rape kit found traces
of condom lubricant, so...
Oh, my God.
So I'm...
I'm not a virgin anymore.
I can't go back to that house.
Okay, well, we need you
to stay in the city
until we finish
this investigation,
but we're happy to
put you up in a hotel.
The Princes are already
taking care of that.
You saw them at the hospital.
They're being
really understanding
about all of this.
Yes, they are.
This girl didn't
realize she was raped
until she saw it on live TV?
I know, I know.
I get the she said.
What's the he said?
Ryan Ledder claims
that it was consensual.
And the footage shows what?
Can you tell
if she's conscious or not?
Not really.
All we have
is what was broadcast.
There's, you know,
night camera movement,
no audio,
and the lawyers
are dragging their feet
about the raw footage.
I'll get you a warrant
to clone the servers
and a grand jury subpoena for
all the audio and video records
from over the weekend.
My mother watches the show.
She says they film
every minute.
So there's got to be
continuous recording
of what led up to the sex.
That should tell us something.
Or not.
Ryan is here.
We didn't ask to talk to him.
He wants to talk to us.
So does his mother.
She's a divorce lawyer.
How noble.
I'll get you those warrants.
I called the show
the second I saw
what had happened.
Now, the producers assured me
there was nothing
to worry about.
They didn't even tell me
that she called.
Then I see the headlines
accusing my son of rape?
I got on the first plane
and I yanked him
the hell out of there.
Okay, Mrs. Ledder,
I appreciate your concern,
but your son is being
investigated for sexual assault.
Well, that's why we're here.
Tell them, Ryan.
Tell them what you told me.
Okay, I lied to you
this morning.
Mel and I, we didn't have sex.
So that wasn't you
in the Dream Suite?
It was me, at first.
We had a lot of champagne,
she kissed me,
then she whispered
in my ear that...
[sighs]
Once we were married,
she would give me
her most precious gift.
It... it freaked me out.
It was too much pressure.
I got out of there.
So why didn't you
just say that?
Come on, I was trying
to stay on the show.
The producers told me
that Melanie and I,
we had a real shot
at the finale.
That would be huge
for both of us.
I told him not to do
this ridiculous show.
I mean, come on.
They will do anything
for ratings.
The thing is, Ryan,
is Melanie's rape kit
confirmed sexual activity.
There were abrasions,
condom lubricant residue.
- That's impossible.
- Whoa, whoa, lubricant?
- Can you tell the brand?
- Mom!
Uh, yes, actually,
it was, uh, Sultan Ecstasy.
- Use those, Ryan?
- Yeah, but we all do.
There's bowls of them
all over the house.
Look, someone else must have
come in after I left, all right?
There's a lot
that they leave out.
Bottom line,
whoever deflowered
Sleeping Beauty,
it wasn't my son.
[tense music]
We've been in crisis mode
all day.
Network lawyers, the studio,
Ryan's mother,
now this warrant from your DA.
Did you manipulate
the footage last night?
You mean, did we edit it?
Yes.
Well,
did Ryan happen to tell you
that he freaked out and left
Melanie in the Dream Suite?
Well, yes,
but when we went through
the nighttime
motion-activated footage,
somebody was in bed with her.
So you let the audience
and Melanie believe it was Ryan?
We thought maybe
he changed his mind.
He had a drink.
He came back in.
It happens all the time.
Well, did you ask him
about that?
Do you have any idea
what reality TV is like?
Non-union crew
working 19-hour days
with a cast
of rum-drunk 20-somethings
who've all been locked in
together for weeks.
It is a miracle we get
a show on every Mond...
Okay, we need to see
that footage, please.
Yes.
Visitors here.
Officers, I, uh...
I wish you were here
under better circumstances.
We're here with a warrant.
Um, yeah, we were informed.
We've just been going over all
of the footage from that night.
We did miss something.
Did you miss something
or were you covering it up?
Explain, Lizzie.
After the crew is sent home,
everything is shot
from security cameras.
They're motion-activated,
and sometimes it takes them
a while to wake up.
Uh, here's what we've,
uh, reconstructed.
- You're a good guy.
- Yeah?
And a sexy guy.
That's what actually aired.
Stan, fast forward.
Okay, hit play.
You do know that I'm a virgin.
Yeah.
But if you want
to spend the night,
we can cuddle.
I know that
you're the one for me,
and when we're married,
I'll give you
my most precious gift.
I, um...
I think we should
call it a night.
It's been great, though.
I love you, Ryan.
Fast forward.
[suspenseful music]
You can see why
we didn't air any of that.
It wasn't good
for the narrative.
Hold on.
So the nightcam footage
that shows them having sex,
what was that?
- I don't know.
- You don't know?
I assumed it was Ryan.
I didn't see it.
We realize now after talking
with Ryan and his mother
and double-checking
the time code,
that it wasn't him.
Whoever it was,
you've got footage of them
going into the Dream Suite
and getting into Melanie's bed.
No, we're still going
through all the raw footage.
Our techs will handle that,
thank you.
Uh, in the meantime,
we'll need to speak
with everyone
who was working Saturday night,
off camera.
Absolutely, absolutely.
Okay, everybody please,
listen up.
The NYPD are here to investigate
the heinous accusation
that Melanie made on air
last night.
Oh, my God, so this is real?
We don't know,
but the show is now on hold.
Production's shut down.
Wait, wait, what?
So it's true.
Melanie was raped.
Don't look at me.
I was with Ashley S
all night long.
Girl almost killed me.
- Emmett, not now.
- Everyone is presumed innocent.
- Where are Ryan and Melanie?
- Are they off the show?
They're fine.
Uh, we have them staying
in separate hotels for now.
But for your safety,
the house security cams
will remain on at all times.
And in the meantime,
no one leaves the house.
As soon as this is resolved,
we'll resume filming.
We're only two episodes away
from our finale, people.
We've come this far together.
How long do we
just sit around for?
Until our investigation
is over.
My squad and I will interview
each and every one of you.
And we expect you
to cooperate fully.
We're taking this
very seriously.
If you saw something...
- Say something.
- Say something.
How did Melanie seem
to you Saturday night?
She was def drunk,
but she was into Ryan,
so I don't know
why she's crying rape now.
- So you think she's lying?
- I don't know.
Maybe the producers
set her up or something.
♪ ♪
I saw Ryan leading Melanie
to the Dream Suite.
He was all over her.
I thought if those two hook up,
I better hook up
with somebody fast,
so I made my move on Ashley B.
How'd that work out?
Friendzoned.
She said she liked me,
but not like that,
so I finished a pitcher
of mojitos and passed out.
So Graham,
remember what time it was?
Uh, after midnight?
The crew was gone,
and if Ryan left the suite
it must have been after that.
Whoever raped her was not Ryan.
I know because him and I
spent the night together.
He came to your room?
No, I went to his
after Lizzie told me him
and Melanie hadn't worked out.
♪ ♪
- Lizzie told you that?
- Yeah, I was in the hot tub.
Ashley S and Emmett
had already hooked up.
There was no way
I was about to do Graham.
I thought I was off the show.
And that's when Lizzie
came to you?
Mmhmm, she told me
that Melanie just wanted
to cuddle with Ryan,
that he left the Dream Suite
unsatisfied.
She told me to take my shot.
Okay... did they film
any of this?
No, they don't film
what the producers tell us.
They wind us up and then
they turn the cameras on.
All right, okay,
so she wound you up.
What did you do?
I took my shot.
I toweled off,
I found Ryan at the bar,
and we went straight
to his room.
I told him I would do
anything he wanted,
and I did.
It wasn't the Dream Suite,
but I blew his...
mind.
They didn't put that
on the show?
They told us
they were going to.
They'd interviewed me
and Ryan about it.
It was gonna be
the big surprise twist.
Maybe they told Melanie that,
and that's why she cried rape,
so it could be all about her.
Gigi's a liar.
It's a major plot line.
Nobody likes her.
Well, she says Ryan does.
She told me that
they hooked up last night.
- Oh, please.
- Oh, please.
She's hooked up with
everybody, including Ashley B.
Did she tell you that?
Well, she said that
this was all on film,
that she and Ryan were
supposed to be the big reveal
at the end of the live show.
Okay, okay, we may have
let her think that.
We keep as many balls in the air
as we can,
but the whole point is to
surprise them live on camera.
Uh, we... we have a situation.
Yeah,
that's gonna have to wait.
Melanie's here,
she's looking for Ryan.
I didn't know what to tell her.
- Where is she?
- The lounge.
Cue cameras
six, seven, and eight.
Where is he?
Where the hell is Ryan?
- Melanie, what's wrong?
- Got an STD from my rapist.
- Oh, geez.
- Oh.
- I should go in there.
- Absolutely not.
- John, you go.
- No, everybody stays here.
Fin, Carisi, to the lounge now.
- Hey, hey, whoa!
- Stop!
[all yelling at once]
Stop! Hey!
♪BREAK♪
- He raped me!
- Oh, he raped you?
You're all just going to do
what they say after that?
- Don't you ever in your life...
- Go to hell!
[all bickering]
Hey, hey, break it up.
- Stop! Now.
- Stop!
She started it.
Shut up, you did.
You start everything.
Hey,
I don't care who started it.
It's over. Now.
Okay, Graham.
Emmett.
You two, come with me.
- I didn't do anything.
- Okay, be quiet, sit down.
All three of you, come on.
Melanie, why don't you
come with us, please?
So we saw
on the security footage.
You got an STD?
From Ryan.
Chlamydia.
Where is he?
His mother took him
out of the house,
but Melanie, you should know
that he may not be the one
who assaulted you.
- What?
- Well, the timeline is off.
There's footage of him
leaving the Dream Suite
before the nightcam video
that aired.
[footsteps approaching]
Okay, folks,
everybody calm down.
We're on the same team.
Let's stick together.
Okay, your show is over.
This is a police investigation.
We're all on the same page.
Everything's kosh.
I want the cameras off now.
Uh, Lizzie, you heard her.
Kill cameras
six, seven, and eight.
- All of them.
- Kill all of them.
Thank you.
Now, do you test
your contestants for STDs
before they're allowed
on the show?
Of course we do.
We do psych profiles,
background checks.
We carefully vet every
potential cast member,
the crew included.
Great, I'm gonna need to see
all those records.
- Of course.
- Lizzie, come on.
Thank you.
So there were nine men
in the house that night?
Yes, but the crew left
at midnight,
and from the time code,
Melanie's assault happened
after that.
Yeah, and all the crew guys
had alibis.
We confirmed
that they were drinking
at a nearby hotel bar
until last call.
Test them all for STDs anyway.
Yeah, we did.
Along with all three bachelors.
The lab results
aren't back yet.
So everybody's still sequestered
in this triplex?
We got unis posted out front.
I don't trust these producers.
Oh, speaking of which,
where are we
with the TARU raw footage?
They cloned
their entire server.
So far
after Ryan leaves at midnight,
we have no video of anyone
going in or out
of that Dream Suite.
But there is video of someone
in bed with Melanie
at 2:00 a.m.?
Right, so either
we're dealing with a ghost here,
or we don't have
all the footage.
You don't.
We feel awful about this.
Jeffrey and Regina Prince,
this is ADA Rafael Barba.
- Hey.
- How do you do? Hello.
What don't we have?
We were just so devastated
by what happened to Melanie
that we had the tech team
come in and scour everything.
Yeah, TARU took
your entire server.
Lizzie?
It's complicated.
We have footage
from over two dozen cameras
in different file formats,
most of it mislabeled.
The nighttime security got
stored on another hard drive.
Who knows how or why?
If I understood tech,
I wouldn't be in this business.
I'd be in a mega yacht
off the cost of Capri right now.
Okay, so just show us
what you have.
[tense music]
Melanie.
You okay?
♪ ♪
Are you awake?
See, it was Graham.
- Yeah, we were shocked.
- You sure this isn't doctored?
- I wish it were.
- And this just turned up, too?
We watched this footage
together.
- Lizzie.
- It's motion-activated.
When it finally woke up
it created a new file
which also got mislabeled.
♪ ♪
So you magically just had
this one part
that was for the live show?
There's not a jury in the world
that would believe any
of the stories you just told.
A jury?
Yeah, you've gone
past obstruction.
You're looking at tampering
with physical evidence,
a felony.
Believe me, it's all true.
I already fired the editor.
Uhhuh, and we believe you.
Don't we have enough
to arrest Graham?
House of mirrors.
Get Graham aside,
talk to Melanie.
It was Graham?
He was always so nice.
You don't remember him
coming into the Dream Suite?
You didn't consent
to having sex with him?
No. No!
Are you sure that it was him?
The producers have footage
of him in the hallway,
coming into the Dream Suite,
the whole thing.
It's him.
♪ ♪
Lizzie must have known.
Why didn't she say something?
Why did Graham do that to me?
I went into the Dream Suite
because I was worried about her.
You had sex with her
while she was unconscious.
No, you've got it all wrong.
I-I was helping
the both of us.
Really?
How was that?
I saw Ryan leave,
I saw Gigi go into Ryan's room.
I knew they'd make
the next round.
I figured the only way for the
two of us to stay in the game
was to join forces.
Ah, so that's why
you raped her.
It wasn't rape.
- Let's go.
- She didn't say no.
She didn't tell me to stop.
Tell them, Lizzie.
I told you about it
the next day.
Graham, it's over.
You interviewed me
the next morning.
You said that you went
to Melanie as a friend
and then it turned
into something more.
And you said
everything would be fine.
Because I didn't know
that you had raped her!
Lizzie, let it go.
You can take him
out of here, officers.
Hold on, are you filming this?
Get this camera out of here.
Legally, we're within our
rights to film the police.
Okay, Detective Tutuola,
not our concern.
Unless you're arresting me,
I'm not going anywhere.
Fine.
Turn around.
Graham Turco,
you're under arrest.
You have the right
to remain silent.
Anything you say can
and will be used against you
in a court of law.
You have the right
to an attorney.
If you cannot afford one,
one will be appointed to you.
♪ ♪
♪BREAK♪
So you're claiming the sex
was consensual, right?
Yes.
Then why didn't you say
anything before, Graham?
The producers told me not to.
They like the Ryan storyline
better.
If the producers told him
to kill his friend
for the storyline, would he?
Hold on.
For what it's worth,
Graham tested positive
for Chlamydia.
Same bacterial strain
as Melanie.
The producers gave him up
'cause we were about
to find out he was the rapist.
It's moot.
Got him now.
How's Melanie doing?
She hasn't wavered
since she disclosed.
Good.
I want to get her in front
of a grand jury tomorrow.
Just keep her away
from those producers.
They have been one step
ahead of us the whole time.
I don't want any surprises.
Good evening, and
welcome to a special edition
of "Heart's Desire."
Monday night,
millions of you watched Melanie
make a disturbing accusation
against Ryan,
which we treated with...
Carisi, turn it on now.
We immediately shut
production down,
and our executive producers,
Jeffrey and Regina Prince,
investigated alongside
New York City's finest.
Once we learned that there
was a predator in our midst,
we made it our mission
to catch the rapist.
They played us.
We can order in,
have it ready by the time
we get to your place.
Sounds romantic.
Hey, Lu...
Sorry.
Didn't mean to interrupt,
but you got to see this.
Okay.
The morning
after the accusation,
Lieutenant Olivia Benson
and detectives from the
Special Victims Unit arrived.
My squad and I will interview
each and every one of you.
And we expect you
to cooperate fully.
We're taking this
very seriously.
If you saw something...
- Say something.
- Say something.
I told the cops I saw Graham
awake that night.
They didn't care.
This whole time, there's been
a rapist living amongst us?
♪ ♪
And Melanie has been
blaming my Ryan?
It turns out, Gigi was able
to vouch for Ryan.
The two of them spent the whole
night together in Ryan's room.
The more we investigated,
the more we realized
Melanie's story didn't add up.
And it was about
to get much worse.
I got an STD from my rapist.
There it was, cold hard proof
that Melanie was assaulted,
yet the Special Victims Unit
was no closer
to identifying the perp.
We knew we had to take
the investigation
into our own hands.
Hey.
What'd I miss?
Melanie's a liar
and NYPD screwed up.
Yeah, I can't wait to see
who the heroes are.
Jeffrey, Regina,
I found something.
Looks like it never got logged.
Less than a minute later...
and look now.
There's not enough time
for an assault
and Ryan never had
his clothes off.
She got an STD.
What... what if
we missed something?
That means that someone else
went into that room
after Ryan left.
Okay, people, we're gonna go
through every piece of footage
on every card and hard drive
in this triplex
until we find out the truth.
We did, and we made it our
responsibility to inform SVU.
We were devastated
by what happened to Melanie,
so we had the tech team come in
and scour everything.
They filmed us?
Apparently.
Son of bitches
wore hidden cameras.
No, no, two of them did.
Those shots are from Jeffrey
and Regina's point of view.
Yeah, Lizzie, their producer.
- Nothing from her POV.
- That's not an accident.
They're setting her up.
Lizzie, play it for them.
Melanie, are you awake?
It was Graham.
We were shocked.
Thanks to our due diligence,
the NYPD finally had a suspect.
She didn't say no.
She didn't tell me to stop.
Tell them, Lizzie, I told you
about it the next day,
and you said everything
would be fine.
Why didn't Lizzie say anything?
Could she have
conspired with Graham
to keep a rape quiet?
Our investigation continued.
You're under arrest.
You have the right
to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will
be used against you.
You have the right
to an attorney.
If you cannot afford one,
one will be appointed to you.
As traumatic as this was
for all of our
remaining contestants,
revealing the truth to Melanie
was even more heartbreaking.
It was Graham?
He was always so nice.
God, they rigged
her hotel room with cameras?
The producers have footage
of him in the hallway,
coming into the Dream Suite.
Lizzie must have known.
Why didn't she say something?
There was one last shot for
Jeffrey, Regina, and myself.
We were outraged when we
realized that Lizzie Bauer,
our trusted on-set producer,
knew the truth about this and
covered it up the whole time.
She was so desperate
to get a good story
that she lost sight
of what was most important,
which is the well-being
and safety of our cast members.
Even more upsetting,
Lizzie tried to erase evidence
of the rape
by hiding
and mis-filing footage.
Graham Turco was under arrest,
and we understand that tomorrow
a grand jury will be convened
to indict him on charges
of rape in the first degree.
Lizzie Bauer, I can assure you,
will never set foot
on the set of
"Heart's Desire" again.
We want to say thank you
to Melanie
for showing such bravery
and coming forward with this.
We just want you to know
that we are wishing you
the very best
on your road to recovery.
When we return,
a clinical psychologist
joins us
for an in-depth discussion...
Turn that off.
♪BREAK♪
Look, I don't care anymore.
I'll still testify
against Graham,
but what about the Princes?
They put cameras
in my hotel room.
They told everyone
that I had a disease.
Can they just get
away with that?
I hope to God they don't.
Just give me a second, okay?
She's good to testify
later today.
She just got blindsided
by the Princes.
So were we.
They ransacked my witness list,
manipulated footage,
forced the cast to lie.
Now we have to respond
to their version of reality?
They're not stupid.
They aired that last night
so that everybody in the country
would think that they're
the only ones
trying to get justice
for Melanie.
Good TV, good ratings.
Hang on.
The Princes also went
specifically out of their way
to make Lizzie look
like the only one
who was guilty
of covering this up.
Right, they put it all on her
and made her the weak link.
So let's go after her.
- Me?
- Yeah.
That was all
Jeffrey and Regina.
You know by now
how they edit this stuff.
So you didn't mislabel footage
on purpose,
tell the other girls to keep
quiet about Melanie,
hide the evidence?
- No, it wasn't like that.
- So what was it like, Lizzie?
I was asleep.
The next morning,
I saw the footage.
I called Jeffrey and Regina.
They told me
to shut up about it
and get the footage
off of the server.
So you did?
Yeah, it's their show.
They said that if we played it
like it was Ryan,
they would make sure that
Melanie went along with it.
When I spoke with her
the next day,
she didn't even bring it up.
[tense music]
I just didn't want to believe
that she was really raped.
That's your story.
And we believe you.
The thing is, if we talk
to your bosses about it,
they'll lie to our faces.
They're good at that.
♪ ♪
But so are you, Lizzie.
♪ ♪
Hey.
Where have you been?
What are we gonna do?
The cops are coming after me.
I am literally freaking out
over here.
Calm down, Lizzie.
Let's just talk.
Now you want to talk?
You sold me out
on national television.
Relax.
We'll get you the best lawyer
network money can buy.
You won't serve time.
Graham's the bad guy here.
So what am I?
Collateral damage?
Come on, Lizzie.
You're a smart girl.
This is $100 million-a-year
franchise.
We're not gonna let it get taken
down by one stupid mistake.
Mistake?
He raped her and we all knew.
All right, he put it in her
for a few seconds.
He's drunk, she's drunk,
I mean, maybe she raped him.
It's... really,
it's not our problem.
Yeah, the problem is that
you tried to cover it up.
You lied to the police.
You made Melanie think
that she was crazy.
You did the exact same thing.
You want to be an exec?
Get used to this.
What, did you think
we'd go on TV
and say you came to us
about a rape
and we told you
how to make it go away?
That's what happened.
Lizzie, how long have you been
working on this show?
It doesn't matter
what happened,
just what the audience thinks
happened.
♪ ♪
She filmed this.
Is that even legal?
You put cameras in Melanie's
hotel room without her knowledge
and then aired it
on national TV.
That's a felony.
Not to mention
your little cover-up.
That's another felony.
Aiding and abetting a rape?
That puts you on the registry.
Oh, come on.
You... you can't be serious.
We are.
What's that other show?
"Let's Make a Deal"?
♪ ♪
The Princes will plead guilty
to one count of tampering
with physical evidence.
It's a felony.
They won't do time.
Probably not, they're rich.
But they'll never work
in TV again.
And yet, I can guarantee you,
"Heart's Desire" will go on.
In a way, though,
you're lucky that they threw you
under the bus.
Got you to cooperate.
You hadn't done that,
you'd still be on the hook.
Great,
so I avoid a felony charge.
I can't wait to put it
on my resume.
Sorry.
The show brought out
the worst in me,
and I learned to bring out
the worst in those girls.
Just so you know,
I really was asleep
when she was raped.
I swear.
- We believe you.
- Melanie won't.
How does she get over this?
[sighs]
So Graham is pleading guilty?
Yes, he knows
not to take this to trial.
The good news is, Melanie,
that you don't have to testify.
Melanie!
- Oh.
- Hey.
My mom drove
from Idaho to pick me up.
Oh, nice.
I don't know what I'm gonna do
when I get home.
I feel lost.
That's normal.
It takes time, Melanie.
But you will get through this,
I promise.
Do you know
what the worst part is?
I actually thought
that Ryan and I were in love.
- Come on.
- I thought he was going to
ask me to marry him
in the finale,
and we were going to live
happily ever after.
Take care.
♪ ♪
[crying] Oh, sweetheart.
♪ ♪
[crying]
♪ ♪