Written By Julie Martin and Ed Zuckerman
Directed By Alex Chapple
Reports of sexual abuse surfacing at an elite private school expose a decades-long culture of sexual abuse kept quiet by administration since all of the victims were just barely legal enough to consent.
Tropes
- All Gays Are Pedophiles: Tompkins invokes this trope, painting it as a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, since he said he had "consensual sex" with male classmates when they were only just 17 and 18 because nobody was out.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Nathan Forrester, who first appears as among the many in Curt's support group, only to suddenly leave without explanation. He's actually Brett Forrester's son, and is one of the many students sexually abused by their teachers, and him Calling the Old Man Out lead to the Headmaster to publicly shame the abusers while finally giving the victims' closure by giving a formal apology in that same speech.
- Creepy Gym Coach: Downplayed. The gym teacher is mentioned to have raped his pupils, but it occurred as part of a culture of sexual abuse at the school, which also included an English teacher.
- Ironic Echo: "People often live disappointing lives," first said by the head of Manor Hill to deter Benson's investigation. Later on, Benson discovers the context behind that line, in response to finding out that Brett's own son had denied taking up the family business in running Manor Hill to instead become a garage band musician.
- Moral Myopia: The head of Manor Hill's board doesn't seem to care that multiple teachers were rapists...until he finds out his own son was one of the victims.
- Off on a Technicality: Several ways: since the statute of limitations has run out on all rape charges, there's no way for the victims to get justice. Also, Tompkins made a point of waiting until his students are just legal.
- Questionable Consent: Tompkins paints his "seduction" of his barely-legal male students as this.
- There Should Be a Law: Technically there is — statutory rape considers power dynamics such as that between teachers and students. As the crimes are historical, that isn't much use.
- Villainous Parental Instinct: The headmaster of Manor Hill thought nothing of causing decades of suffering by covering up the huge amount of sexual abuse that happened there. Upon finding out that his son Nathan was one of the victims, though, he immediately changed his tune and committed himself to discovering the extent of the abuse.
