Twists and turns lead to a surprise ending in “American Disgrace”

SVU writers returned to their classic script writing this week for Season 16’s second episode, “American Disgrace.” Following season trends, the detectives investigate a “ripped-from-the-headlines” case, this time involving basketball phenom, Shakir Wilkins.

At first, everything seems cut and dry: several young women accuse Wilkins of rape, the company he represents–Orion Bay–fires him, and the trial begins. Orion Bauer, owner of the Orion Bay company, expresses his sadness and surprise in Wilkins’s foul play. Soon though, the tables turn as one of the victims admits to Rollins and Barba that she was paid off to say that Wilkins raped her. Slowly, the other women come clean, too.

Initial fight that opens the case

My favorite moment of the episode…”Oh, hello white girl.” 🙂

As it turns out, Bauer, a staunch racist, found out about his daughter’s relationship with Wilkins weeks earlier and did not approve. In retaliation, he set out to ruin Wilkins’s reputation with his “girl-who-cried-rape” scheme.

The biggest surprise of all comes when Bauer confronts his daughter about being pregnant with Wilkins’s child. She seems confident that Wilkins will be a good father, someone she can depend on, but after further conversation with her own dad, changes her mind.

Father and daughter, the faces of Orion Bay

In the final scene between Cordelia and Wilkins in the courthouse, Cordelia reveals that she has aborted the child. The camera pans away from the pair to the detectives and ends on Benson’s grief-stricken face.

Cordelia reveals what she’s done to Shakir

Benson’s tearful eyes at the end of the episode

The whole time, Bauer’s relationship with his daughter seemed suspicious to me and my SVU-watching buddies. We guessed from the start that Cordelia would be the main focus of the episode, either as a victim, or the criminal behind Wilkins’s initial accusations. Fortunately, SVU script writers were crafty enough to throw us a little off base and give us just the twist we were looking for at the end.

What were your predictions at the start of this episode? Did you like “American Disgrace” better than the premiere?