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| “ | She was going to take the Moon from me. | „ |
| ~ Finley rationalizing murdering Janssen. |
Colonel Richard "Dick" Finley is the main antagonist of the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Lunacy". He is an astronaut who murders a younger colleague for taking his place on a lunar mission.
He was portrayed by James Brolin, who also voiced Zurg in Lightyear.
Biography[]
Past[]
In his youth, he went to the same high school as a teenage Elliot Stabler who idolized him. After graduating, he became a colonel in the U.S. Marines, Finley befriended Stabler as part of a mentor program at the latter's school. He pulled strings to get Stabler into the Marines and, later on, flight school, although Stabler had to give up the latter to get a job as a police officer that would support his pregnant wife, Kathy. Stabler remained friends with Finley, thinking of him as a big brother figure, and eventually named his son Dickie after him.
A notorious ladies' man, Finley was married four times, with each union ending in divorce after he got caught cheating with a different woman. After his career in the Marines ended, Finley became an astronaut, earning a great reputation and was selected for a lunar mission, which would have made him the youngest astronaut to ever walk on the Moon in the 70's. Finley was excited for this goal, looking at the moon while hoping to achieve his dream. The mission was repeatedly delayed, however, so Finley's career stalled; he spent the next 20 years languishing as a mid-level functionary. By the time of his debut, he would have been the oldest astronaut to walk on the moon.
In "Lunacy"[]
Finley murdered his colleague Marga Janssen after she was chosen over him to join the newly revived lunar mission. He initially tried to charm her into giving up the mission, but his advances fell short, as she was a lesbian. He then strangled her in a fit of rage, initially grabbing her necklace and leaving a print. After realizing what he had done, he cut her hands off to prevent any of his DNA from being found on her and dumped her body into a nearby river. He also discarded her purse in a dumpster, though was spotted by Vincent Beckwith, a drug addict who saw him that night but could only make out Finley as a running man wearing a baseball cap.
Finley later discovers that Stabler, now a detective with the NYPD's Special Victims Unit, is investigating Janssen's murder. He feigns sadness upon learning of Janssen's death and helps the police with the investigation in order to divert attention away from himself by giving random suspects. He also manipulates the detectives by befriending them to earn their trust. He later meets Stabler's son Dickie and gives him a toy replica of the rocket that he was supposed to have rode to the Moon.
After Beckwith is found, Finley orchestrates his death by manipulating Anton Thibodeaux, a mentally ill "astronaut groupie" who had been stalking Janssen, into thinking Beckwith killed her. Thibodeaux shoots Beckwith dead in the SVU precinct, which gives Finley the opportunity to silence Thibodeaux by tackling and shooting him dead under the pretense of defending the SVU detectives. Afterwards, he signs Munch's poster and charms Stabler's partner, Detective Olivia Benson, into accepting a date with him that night.
However, Stabler eventually realizes that Finley is the murderer after realizing his strong desire for the lunar mission and comparing the fingerprints on Janssen's necklace to ones on the toy rocket Finley had given Dickie. That night, he confronts Finley, who denies killing Janssen until presented with irrefutable evidence of his guilt by finding the baseball cap, noting how Finley orchestrated Beckwith and Thibodeaux's murder, and his jealously. Infuriated, Finley grabs Stabler, while justifying his actions by saying that Janssen was going to take away his last chance to fulfill his lifelong dream of going to the Moon. A fierce brawl between the two former friends ensues, ending with Stabler subduing Finley, who begs him to let him go. However, an angry and disillusioned Stabler condemns him for having the audacity to shake his son's hand after killing a woman and punches him out. He then takes Finley into custody; Finley takes one last look at the Moon before Stabler loads him into the police car. As the car leaves, Benson arrives for their date, while confused on what happened.
Finley is then imprisoned for the murders of Janssen and Thibodeaux, as well as facilitating the murder of Beckwith and is serving the maximum sentence.
Trivia[]
- There were subtle hints to Finley's nature before his reveal.
- He was quick to volunteer help to SVU, to direct attention from himself, and repeatedly pointed them towards other leads which turned out to be false.
- Finley was the last to leave, during Thibodeaux's interrogation and was thinking of how to use him.
- He walked with Thibodeaux and talked to him, most likely lying about who killed Marga,
- After Thibodeaux shot Beckwith, he specifically told Finley he got him and the latter tackled him quick to silence him.
- Dickie Stabler commenting anyone would do anything to get to space, gave Stabler the clue because of Finley's desires to go to space.
External links[]
- Richard Finley on the Law & Order Wiki
