Homo Homini Lupis
Encyclopedia
"Homo Homini Lupis" is a first season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent
.
, and despite several days of frantic money raising, is unable to meet his obligation. Following a partial, inadequate payment, he returns home from a morning jog to find his family apparently kidnapped
. He denies that anything's amiss to his mother-in-law, but she goes to the Major Case Squad with her suspicions that the family was kidnapped for ransom
.
Detectives Goren
and Eames
attempt to gain Colter's cooperation, but he avoids them. As the police follow Colter, he takes a call from the kidnappers, who begin by threatening the lives of his family, and commence to rape
his older daughter, Maggie.
Following her rape, Maggie adjusts her blindfold enough to spy a tattoo on the back of her rapist.
Lucas Colter turns to his father, Melvin Colter, who wouldn't help him before but does help him now. The family is returned home, safe but traumatized
, and all of them deny any kidnapping to the police. Goren and Eames suggest to Melvin that the kidnapping was staged, but are unable to convince him. Believing that Melvin must know the loan shark, they locate one through his finances, and convince the loan shark to give up his "collector." The loan shark's contact, a drug-mob bagman gives up the kidnappers' location and the leader's unusual Bonanza
ringtone.
The police sting the kidnappers, and one of them draws a gun on Eames, who fatally shoots the man. Goren pursues the other, who disappears into a diner. Goren calls the man's phone, and finds him by his ringtone.
The police still lack evidence for holding the remaining kidnapper, whom they've identified as Simon Matic, though they've learned of his war record as a Serbian soldier in Bosnia. With time running out before they must arraign or release him, Goren and Eames talk to the family to find any means of positive identification, and learn that Maggie Colter was experiencing Stockholm Syndrome
.
After questioning her mother, Susan Colter, Eames and Goren interview Maggie in her room. Eames asks for a basic identification, and plays the comforting therapist. Goren contradicts Eames, and tells Maggie that Eames shot and killed one of the kidnappers. He produces a dossier on Matic, and the history of rape in Bosnia by Serbia
n soldiers. Maggie opens up to Goren, revealing her hatred of her own weakness, and the weakness of all victims.
Goren and Eames return to the police station, and, under the guise of confirming Matic's identity, Goren goads him about his war record. Matic displays a scar on his abdomen, incidentally revealing his tattoo. The tattoo is a match for a sketch by Maggie Colter, a positive identification, concluding the interview and guaranteeing a successful arraignment
. Eames and Captain Deakins
conclude that Matic's victimizing days are over, a mere 10 years too late.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
.
Plot summary
A broker, Lucas Colter, in deep debt to a loan sharkLoan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
, and despite several days of frantic money raising, is unable to meet his obligation. Following a partial, inadequate payment, he returns home from a morning jog to find his family apparently kidnapped
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
. He denies that anything's amiss to his mother-in-law, but she goes to the Major Case Squad with her suspicions that the family was kidnapped for ransom
Ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence...
.
Detectives Goren
Robert Goren
Det. Robert "Bobby" Goren is a fictional character featured in the NBC-USA Network police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio....
and Eames
Alexandra Eames
Det. Alexandra "Alex" Eames is a fictional police detective with the NYPD Major Case Squad featured in the NBC-USA Network Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Kathryn Erbe...
attempt to gain Colter's cooperation, but he avoids them. As the police follow Colter, he takes a call from the kidnappers, who begin by threatening the lives of his family, and commence to rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
his older daughter, Maggie.
Following her rape, Maggie adjusts her blindfold enough to spy a tattoo on the back of her rapist.
Lucas Colter turns to his father, Melvin Colter, who wouldn't help him before but does help him now. The family is returned home, safe but traumatized
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
, and all of them deny any kidnapping to the police. Goren and Eames suggest to Melvin that the kidnapping was staged, but are unable to convince him. Believing that Melvin must know the loan shark, they locate one through his finances, and convince the loan shark to give up his "collector." The loan shark's contact, a drug-mob bagman gives up the kidnappers' location and the leader's unusual Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
ringtone.
The police sting the kidnappers, and one of them draws a gun on Eames, who fatally shoots the man. Goren pursues the other, who disappears into a diner. Goren calls the man's phone, and finds him by his ringtone.
The police still lack evidence for holding the remaining kidnapper, whom they've identified as Simon Matic, though they've learned of his war record as a Serbian soldier in Bosnia. With time running out before they must arraign or release him, Goren and Eames talk to the family to find any means of positive identification, and learn that Maggie Colter was experiencing Stockholm Syndrome
Stockholm syndrome
In psychology, Stockholm Syndrome is an apparently paradoxical psychological phenomenon wherein hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them...
.
After questioning her mother, Susan Colter, Eames and Goren interview Maggie in her room. Eames asks for a basic identification, and plays the comforting therapist. Goren contradicts Eames, and tells Maggie that Eames shot and killed one of the kidnappers. He produces a dossier on Matic, and the history of rape in Bosnia by Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n soldiers. Maggie opens up to Goren, revealing her hatred of her own weakness, and the weakness of all victims.
Goren and Eames return to the police station, and, under the guise of confirming Matic's identity, Goren goads him about his war record. Matic displays a scar on his abdomen, incidentally revealing his tattoo. The tattoo is a match for a sketch by Maggie Colter, a positive identification, concluding the interview and guaranteeing a successful arraignment
Arraignment
Arraignment is a formal reading of a criminal complaint in the presence of the defendant to inform the defendant of the charges against him or her. In response to arraignment, the accused is expected to enter a plea...
. Eames and Captain Deakins
James Deakins
Captain James Deakins is a fictional character on the NBC-USA Network U.S. television series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, played by Jamey Sheridan.On the show, Deakins supervises New York City's Major Case Squad...
conclude that Matic's victimizing days are over, a mere 10 years too late.
Cast
| Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio is an American actor, director, film producer, writer, and singer. Often referred to as an actor's actor, his work as a character actor has earned him the nickname of "Human Chameleon"... |
Det. Robert Goren Robert Goren Det. Robert "Bobby" Goren is a fictional character featured in the NBC-USA Network police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio.... |
| Kathryn Erbe Kathryn Erbe Kathryn Elsbeth Erbe is an American actress known for her role as Det. Alexandra Eames in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, a spin-off of Law & Order, and death row inmate Shirley Bellinger in the HBO series Oz.-Personal life:... |
Det. Alexandra Eames Alexandra Eames Det. Alexandra "Alex" Eames is a fictional police detective with the NYPD Major Case Squad featured in the NBC-USA Network Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Kathryn Erbe... |
| Jamey Sheridan Jamey Sheridan James Patrick "Jamey" Sheridan is an American actor. He was born in Pasadena, California.He has had a prolific acting career in theater, television, and feature film productions. Born to a family of actors, he made it to Broadway and earned a Tony nomination in 1987 for his performance in the... |
Capt. James Deakins James Deakins Captain James Deakins is a fictional character on the NBC-USA Network U.S. television series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, played by Jamey Sheridan.On the show, Deakins supervises New York City's Major Case Squad... |
| Courtney B. Vance Courtney B. Vance Courtney Bernard Vance is an American actor. He was formerly a regular on the NBC/USA television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver. He was also a series regular on the ABC series FlashForward. As of 2011, he appears on the TNT series The Closer as Chief... |
A.D.A. Ron Carver Ron Carver Ron Carver is a fictional character on the NBC-USA Network series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, played by Courtney B. Vance.Carver often works in conjunction with detectives Robert Goren, Alexandra Eames, Mike Logan and Carolyn Barek of the Major Case Squad. He graduated from John Jay College of... |