"Russian Brides" is Episode 7 in Season 13 of "Law & Order: SVU." The episode aired on November 9, 2011, at 10pm ET on NBC. The episode opens with a woman in heels being chased down by men in a car. Restaurant workers discover her body by a dumpster. She was raped and had her fingertips chopped off and teeth pulled, so obviously the suspects knew what they were doing. Her face was also burnt off with acid, while detectives spot two tattoos on her- one is a butterfly and one is written in Russian.
SPOILERS!
Detectives learn the one tattoo is tied to the Russian mafia, and it reads 'Mother figure me.' Sand and glass were found on the victim, most likely from Brighton beach, which is probably where the victim was murdered.
Finn an Amaro go to the boardwalk an ask people if they recognize the butterfly tattoo. In a restaurant, Amaro discovers a photo with a woman's shoulder having the same tattoo. The restaurant's owner reveals that the woman, Lena, had her engagement party at the restaurant the week before.
At the ME's office, Benson an Amaro learn the woman was raped vaginally an anally, her death was caused by a hit over the head, and she was chopped up with power tools. The victim's husband, Daniel, works in a shelter for the homeless, and detectives go to question him. His apartment is empty, but the super calls Daniel from his cell phone. Daniel's phone can't be traced, but detectives hear amusement park music in the background.Benson an Amaro find Daniel at a nearby carousel, an Daniel reveals that he paid someone to bring Lena to the carousel alive.
At the precinct, Daniel ID's the tattoos and reveals that he meant Lena on a Russian pride website. He chatted with her online, then flew to Moscow to meet her in person. Lena was scared of her ex who was stalking her, so Daniel convinced her to move to NYC with him. Daniel was threatened to give the mob money or else Lena would die, but he gave them his money and she was still killed. From Daniel's camera-phone footage, detectives find Lena's ex in the background taking pictures of her.
Detectives bring in a man connected to the Russian bride website. The man gives up a member of the mob called 'the butcher,' who murders women and then brands them with the 'Mother figure me' tattoo so his clients know the woman's dead.
Daniel meets Olivia at a coffee shop, and finds a picture of Lena on a website, but with different hair color and features. Daniel believes that Lena is still alive- she played him and the body in the morgue is a fake. Olivia wants someone to go undercover to go on a date with one of these women, and Captain Cragen happens to be the one to go on the cyber-date.
Cragen meets Lena undercover at a restaurant, and Cragen reveals to her some of his personal life, remembering that the best way to stay focused undercover is to stick to details of your real life. He invites Lena to his hotel room, and the other detectives arrest her.
Lena reveals to police that the butcher, named Leiv, has her daughter, and he runs a prostitution front from the mail-order bride website. She meets wealthy men through the site, gets kidnapped, and Leiv takes all the money from the husband figure. She claims the women Leiv kills are random prostitutes working for him.
Because of her daughter, Lena cooperates with police and sets up the next meeting with Cragen, knowing that Leiv will be watching. Police corner Leiv and Rollins shoots him. Police go to Brighton Beach hoping to rescue Lena's daughter. A shoot-out ensues, Cragen leaves Lena in the car, and she runs away with an officer's gun before detectives arrest her. Apparently her daughter had died years previous, and Lena had been working with Leiv ever since. Due to the circumstances, Daniel agrees to testify.
In conclusion, Cragen asks Olivia to forget what he spoke about while undercover.
Overall, this was your average episode of "SVU," although it was funny to hear Benson yell, "I wanna get this (beep)" (towards Lena).
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