Taskforce: Shadows United
Episode 3: "Mind Games"
Guest Team: The Mentalist (Patrick Jane, Teresa Lisbon)
TEASER
INT. UPSCALE HOTEL – NEW YORK – NIGHT
A charity gala is in full swing. Waiters glide through the crowd, laughter and music filling the air. Suddenly, a piercing scream cuts through the room. Guests rush to the source—a VIP suite upstairs—where a prominent philanthropist, Evelyn Grant, is found unconscious, a cryptic note pinned to her dress:
"The truth is in the mind's eye."
ACT 1: A CRYPTIC BEGINNING
INT. SVU SQUAD ROOM – MORNING
Olivia Benson stands at a whiteboard, the note projected behind her. Sylvester Dodd sits nearby, analyzing security footage. Penelope Garcia, coffee in hand, is already digging through digital records.
OLIVIA:
"Evelyn Grant is in a coma. No sign of forced entry, no drugs in her system. The only clue is this note."
SYLVESTER:
"I've reviewed the footage. No one suspicious entered her suite, but there's a five-minute gap in the hallway camera feed."
GARCIA:
"Her phone was wiped clean at 10:17 p.m. Whoever did this is a pro."
OLIVIA:
"We need someone who understands psychological games. Someone who can see what we're missing."
INT. TASKFORCE COMMAND CENTER – LATER
Patrick Jane and Teresa Lisbon arrive, greeted by Olivia and the team.
JANE:
"Lovely hotel. Shame about the attempted murder."
LISBON:
"Jane, focus."
OLIVIA:
"We're glad you're here. This case is as much about the mind as the evidence."
ACT 2: THE ART OF OBSERVATION
INT. HOTEL SUITE – DAY
Jane walks through the scene, taking in every detail. He notices a vase of fresh lilies, a book open to a page about memory, and a smudge on the bathroom mirror.
JANE:
"Whoever did this wanted to send a message, not just to Evelyn, but to everyone in this room. The lilies are a symbol of renewal. The book is about forgetting. The mirror… that's for self-reflection."
Lisbon interviews staff, while Olivia and Jane compare notes.
OLIVIA:
"You think the unsub knows Evelyn personally?"
JANE:
"Intimately. This was about control, not violence. The note is a challenge—a game."
INT. TASKFORCE TECH BAY – NIGHT
Sylvester and Garcia analyze the wiped phone. Using a recovery tool, they restore a single, encrypted message:
"You can't hide from yourself."
SYLVESTER:
"There's a pattern here. The unsub is using psychological triggers—memory, guilt, identity."
GARCIA:
"I'll run the phrase through social media, emails, everything."
ACT 3: THE MENTALIST'S PLAYBOOK
INT. TASKFORCE STRATEGY ROOM – DAY
Jane leads a brainstorming session, scribbling on a whiteboard.
JANE:
"Think like the unsub. What's their endgame? They want Evelyn to remember something, but she's in a coma. So who's the real target?"
LISBON:
"Family, maybe? Someone close?"
OLIVIA:
"Her daughter, Mia, has been avoiding us. She was at the gala but left early."
GARCIA:
"I found a string of anonymous messages sent to Mia's private account. All say the same thing: 'The mind's eye never lies.'"
SYLVESTER:
"The unsub is pushing Mia to confess—or remember—something."
INT. SVU INTERVIEW ROOM – DAY
Olivia and Lisbon speak with Mia Grant, who is visibly shaken.
MIA:
"I don't know why this is happening. My mother and I… we've had our issues, but—"
Jane enters, offering Mia a cup of tea.
JANE:
"Sometimes the truth is too painful to face. But it always finds a way out."
Mia breaks down, revealing a secret: years ago, she witnessed her mother covering up a fatal accident involving a family friend. She's been plagued by guilt ever since.
ACT 4: THE UNRAVELING
INT. TASKFORCE OFFICE – NIGHT
Garcia traces the anonymous messages to a disgraced former therapist, Dr. Alan Pierce, who once treated both Evelyn and Mia. He lost his license after unethical practices were exposed.
GARCIA:
"Pierce is obsessed with memory recovery. He's been stalking the Grants for months."
SYLVESTER:
"He's using psychological warfare—forcing Mia and Evelyn to confront their past."
OLIVIA:
"Let's bring him in."
INT. ABANDONED OFFICE – NIGHT
The team tracks Pierce to a rundown office building. Jane and Olivia lead the entry, finding Pierce surrounded by files, photos, and a wall covered in cryptic phrases.
PIERCE:
"You can't save them. The truth destroys."
JANE:
"No, Alan. The truth heals. But only if you let it."
Pierce is arrested, but not before warning that the mind's eye never forgets.
ACT 5: HEALING AND ACCEPTANCE
INT. HOSPITAL – DAY
Evelyn awakens from her coma. Mia is by her side, tears streaming down her face. Olivia and Jane watch from the doorway.
MIA:
"I'm sorry, Mom. I should have told the truth."
EVELYN:
"We'll face it together."
JANE (to Olivia):
"Sometimes the hardest cases are the ones that force us to look inward."
OLIVIA:
"We all have shadows, Jane. The trick is not letting them control us."
ACT 6: REFLECTION AND GROWTH
INT. TASKFORCE COMMAND CENTER – EVENING
The teams debrief. Lisbon thanks Olivia for her leadership; Jane compliments Sylvester's analytical skills and Garcia's intuition.
LISBON:
"You've got a good team here. If you ever need backup, you know where to find us."
SYLVESTER:
"I learned a lot from you both. Especially about trusting my instincts."
GARCIA:
"Another case closed. And another reminder that healing is as important as justice."
EPILOGUE
Olivia, Penelope, and Sylvester share a quiet moment in a rooftop garden, the city lights twinkling below.
OLIVIA:
"Every case, every team, we get a little stronger. We keep each other honest."
PENELOPE:
"And we keep each other safe."
SYLVESTER:
"Family by choice."
They watch the sunrise, ready for the next mind game the shadows might bring.
End of Episode