Original subtitles

When the marriage isn't working, what do you do? At a seminar.

As a couples therapist, I've seen all kinds of responses.

Some people fight.

Everything becomes an excuse to voice their resentment.

You don't load the dishwasher the right way. You forgot to pick up milk. You

never listen.

You never hear me.

Some people retreat into their own lives.

Until the partners wind up like two ships in the night passing each other in

the hall with a wave. Hi, honey. Bye, honey.

Couples listen.

And some people stray. A bald man holds his wife's hand.

So how do you keep it together?

I can help you improve your marriage just like I've helped so many couples in

my private practice.

Some of their stories are featured in my book.

And a few of those happy couples...

The speaker shows a photo.

In a loft

apartment, the dark-haired seminar speaker cheats on her husband with a

bearded man.

They kiss passionately.

They drop to the floor and kiss.

She crawls onto the bed.

You have to come and get me.

Chase me.

Chase me!

Human desire is a fire that needs to be stoked.

It needs air and agitation.

Graham and I work hard to keep our love life playful.

As the bearded man plays a video game, the dark-haired woman tries to get his

attention with a seductive dance.

He ignores her.

We're both generous with our words.

We never wonder what the other one is feeling. We're not afraid to get

sentimental. As she sobs, the bearded man casually plays guitar with

headphones on.

I love it. Later, she shows off a puka shell bracelet.

Remember this? You gave it to me after your trip to Costa Rica.

You told me to never take it off.

Costa Rica? That was like 20 years ago. You still have that thing? Of course I

do, silly.

She climbs onto his lap.

I might not see you for a bit.

And the most important thing, we never, ever give up on one another.

You're listening to audio description on the SAP channel.

To return to regular program audio, turn off the SAP feature on your TV.

In bed, she rolls off of the bearded man.

I need to focus on work.

And I think Graham is starting to catch on. When are you going back to

California?

Huh. I meant to tell you the good news.

I got a gig playing my own songs at this pub in Queens.

So I think I'm gonna stick around.

Music scene's dead in L.A. anyway.

What do you mean, stick around?

You don't even have an apartment.

You're house-sitting.

Yeah. She gets dressed.

It's a pretty sweet setup.

He's gonna let me stay through November.

No, no, no, no, no.

You need to go home, Casey.

I can't keep doing this. I can't function with you in my city. If you

want to call it quits, just say the word, babe.

I'm probably gonna be pretty busy with my music anyway.

That's it? You're not gonna fight for me?

Easy, tiger.

Casey pulls her back into bed.

They wrap their arms around each other and kiss.

Why would I fight for you?

You always come back.

Her smile fades as he kisses her neck.

Text appears.

One more illicit rendezvous later.

Wearing a skimpy maid outfit, the dark-haired woman cleans up around the

apartment.

Wearing gloves, she scrubs a countertop, then uses cleaner on the door handles

and locks.

Casey walks out with a towel around his waist.

You found my hacky sack.

Right.

As he plays with the hacky sack, she grabs it out of the air.

Cleaning the bedroom, she opens a sock drawer to reveal a handgun inside.

The dark-haired woman pockets the gun.

She deletes a messaging app from Casey's phone.

She searches her name, Serena, in his contacts, and nothing comes up.

Serena glances around, then creates a new message on his phone.

In a cafe, the bald man from the seminar gets a text.

Hey man, I'm hooking up with your wife.

it's time we hash this out come see me at 167 norhaven place casey carrying two

drinks the bald man's slender wife approaches he shows the message what is

this you can't keep doing this to me luke wait where are you going

casey opens his door and luke punches him in the face he shoves casey inside

you think you can just send me a text and everything's cool huh

Lauren's not going anywhere, bro. Who's Lauren?

What tax? You want to hash this out? Let's hash this out right now.

Come on.

They hit each other. Across the street, Serena wears black leather gloves and a

dark hooded jacket.

She looks up at the apartment window as the men fight.

Luke gets on top of Casey and punches him.

Serena watches Luke move away.

She starts across the street.

Why can't you just leave me alone?

A hacky sack.

Oh, is the victim a college student?

Hardly. He's a 48-year-old musician named Casey Arthurs.

The address on his ID is in Van Nuys, California.

Hey, what was he doing here?

A house sitting. The woman who lives upstairs says he's been in town about

two months. He was watching the apartment for the guy who lives here.

Apparently, that guy is walking the Camino? Yeah, I'm gonna need more

detail. It's a pilgrimage journey through Europe.

Uh, some people walk the last part on their knees.

Or I guess you'd call that crawling.

What about the victim?

Who found him?

Uh, the neighbor lady.

She said she saw blood on the door this morning, so she let herself in, and she

found Mr. Arthurs. Now, CSU says he's been dead at least 12 hours.

He has a single bullet wound to the chest. He also has a cut over his left

eye from a fistfight.

Oh, the killer used this.

We found it on the floor over here.

It's registered to the victim. No sign of force entry, so our victim lets the

guy in. They throw some punches.

Smullen dodges a punch from Alsbeth. Our victim gets his gun, but the attacker

grabs it, and things go south.

She aims a finger gun.

Why didn't anybody call this in last night?

I mean, you'd think the neighbors would hear a fight or a gunshot.

The Rangers.

We're playing last night. There's a sports bar downstairs.

Maybe it was noisy.

Maybe. What are you, a Blackhawks fan?

Oh, gosh, no.

But Teddy and Roy have been really into hockey lately.

Me too.

Excuse me. Hackett sets down the gun and steps away.

Elspeth inspects the kitchen.

Huh.

For a dirty apartment, sure is clean over here.

She opens the fridge.

Sort of.

She checks the freezer.

Ooh, looks like somebody put this in here to chill and then forgot about it.

Riesling? That looks expensive.

Huh.

Nice wine.

Cheap beer.

Cheap gun, too.

Still works, though.

Elsbeth eyes the gun.

Huh. I don't see any fingerprints.

They haven't run it yet. They're going to test it down at the lab.

But...

There are bloody fingerprints on the doorknob.

See? From when someone closed the door on the way out.

If the killer had blood on their hands, then why aren't there bloody

fingerprints on the gun? Maybe they wore gloves.

Well, why take them off?

Maybe they didn't get blood on their hands until after they shot him.

Good news, detective.

The victim's phone has two missed calls and an angry text.

Who from?

Some guy named Luke?

All right, well, let's go pay some guy named Luke a visit, shall we?

I don't mean to rush you, Serena, but they need to make the slides for your

closing talk. Do you have a theme yet?

Yes.

Eliminating temptation.

Looks like you've got a love triangle on your hands. What?

Oh. She gives him a file. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're probably right.

Right about what? About the murder. It's a classic love triangle.

Guy meets girl, girl is married, guy ends up in the morgue. Kind of makes you

glad to be single.

I'll second that.

I wouldn't know. I just got back on the dating apps. Are you on them? I don't

even like to shop online.

It's pretty bleak out there.

Nevertheless, she persists.

Hey, have Teddy and Royce had a wedding date yet?

Not yet.

I wish they would.

I can't start a mood board without a season.

How long is he going to keep us waiting? A man is dead.

Then what's the hurry? Wagner walks up behind them.

This is our prime suspect, Luke Prescott.

We held him overnight for questioning, but I need your okay before we charge

him with the murder.

Someone thinks we need more physical evidence first, as if admitting to

beating up the victim isn't enough.

Care to elaborate?

I'm not saying he didn't do it.

I am just saying there are some inconsistencies we need to account for

first. For example, Luke's bloody fingerprints were on the door of the

apartment, but the lab ran the gun and it was clean.

No evidence that Luke ever even touched it.

Doesn't that strike you as odd?

Bloody fingerprints at a crime scene are difficult to argue, even for you. But in

light of the settlement recently paid out for an unlawful arrest, I'm okay

proceeding with caution.

He may not have acted alone.

Do you have a motive?

The victim was sleeping with the suspect's wife. He even texted the guy

to brag about it. Yeah, does that make any sense to you? Go lean on the suspect

some more.

But first, talk to the wife.

Elsbeth and Smullen questioned Luke's wife.

He killed Steve?

Who's Steve? Our victim's name is Casey.

Um... Maybe you know him by another name?

Elsbeth shows a photo.

I don't recognize this man.

Think harder.

A musician visiting from L.A. He's house-sitting on the Lower East Side.

A house-sitter? That's not exactly my type.

I have been seeing someone. Please don't tell Luke. But my boyfriend's name is

Steve, not Casey.

Steve works in finance and has a third house in the Hamptons. But you are

cheating on your husband, right?

Oh, God.

What a mess.

Everyone had higher hopes for Jack and Jill.

Who are Jack and Jill?

Our pseudonyms.

Luke and I used to see a marriage counselor, and she wrote about us in her

book, Keeping It Together.

Serena changes her patients' names for privacy.

You mean Serena Collier?

I love her. I listen to her satellite radio show all the time where people

call in for marriage advice.

Oh, she is good.

Not that good.

Oh, no, no, trust me. She has a way with words.

It's a good thing Serena wasn't around 20 years ago.

Otherwise, I might still be married.

With Luke. Oh, come on, Luke. Just tell us what really went down with Casey

Arthur's... He and I had words. It got a little physical, then I left. I didn't

shoot anybody. You think I've never been lied to before?

All right, let's start from the beginning.

Casey sends you a text, right?

Then what? Why'd you go over there?

Luke hesitates.

Do I have to answer that?

Legally. No, you don't have to answer any questions you don't want to. But the

less you talk, the guiltier you look.

Your wife, Lauren, told us that your marriage counselor wrote about you in

her book, so I started reading the chapter about you.

Serena Collier calls your relationship sexually volatile, so you do seem to

have a serious issue with jealousy.

You gotta read the whole chapter.

I got better. Lauren and I were one of her success stories.

Go talk to Serena. She'll tell you everything.

I'm not a violent man.

We would love to talk to Serena, but unfortunately, therapists can't disclose

anything without your permission. You'd have to waive your right to privilege.

Whatever it takes. You'll see I'm not a killer.

They meet with Serena.

Oh, you must be the detectives.

Welcome to the sanctuary.

I'm Serena Collier.

I'm the detective.

She's, uh... So pleased to meet you. Hi, I am Elsbeth Tassioni. I am such a huge

fan. I listen to your radio show all the time. Wow, you look like you're

always... Elsbeth stumbles over pillows set up on the floor.

What goes on in here?

I'm hosting my annual relationship workshop.

We do group couples therapy in here. Sitting on pillows helps keep things

grounded. I bet it hurts a lot less when they throw them at each other, huh?

The women, I, Smullen.

Uh, so what can you tell us about Luke Prescott?

We understand that you were his marriage counselor for two years.

Yes, I was.

Uh, from what you said on the phone, it seems like Luke is hoping I'll vouch for

his transformation.

Can you?

Unfortunately,

no. Luke was always a hothead.

Something was bound to happen.

He's a jealous...

Possessive man married to a sexually compulsive woman with a fear of

commitment. Sounds like a match made in heaven.

I've seen worse.

But Luke and Lauren, they did make progress.

It's all in my book. When they stopped seeing me, they were in a good place.

But toxic behavior has a funny way of reappearing.

The work is never done, right? This all checks out, so thank you for your time.

Yes, thank you. Elizabeth stands up from the pillows.

You know what? There is something that I'm hoping you can explain.

Uh, Lauren... admitted to having an affair with some guy named Steve, but

she swears she wasn't seeing our victim, Casey.

In fact, she denies even knowing him.

Oh, she's probably feeling ashamed, so she lied.

Ashamed?

Oh, because he wasn't up to her usual standards.

I got it. How do you mean?

Oh, Lauren mentioned that she prefers men who are more financially stable,

whereas Casey was a struggling musician downtown.

That's putting it nicely. The guy was a bum.

You shouldn't judge a person on their economic status or what part of town

they're staying in. You might miss all the other traits that make them a

beautiful and creative soul.

Right.

Huh.

You said staying in.

Instead of living in.

How did you know Casey was from out of town? Have you spoken to Lauren

recently?

It's just a figure of speech.

Oh, that's our time.

Unless you want to stick around for the retreat.

Oh, yes, please.

I sense some friction here. Your micro-expressions speak volumes.

Oh, thank you. We'll get out of your hair. How much is it? $20,000 per

couple. We'll think about it. No, we won't. At the precinct, Hackett holds

her phone.

Okay, so guys can't message me unless I like their profile first.

Oh, I know him from the comedy clubs.

New.

No. She swipes through guys.

I think I arrested him last summer.

Have you tried expanding your search parameters?

I guess I could open it up to all five boroughs.

Actually, I'd better make it four.

I am not getting on a ferry.

She swipes to a new profile.

Is that Detective Smollett? I thought he was married.

He is.

Oh, good day. Top of the morning.

Morning. You wanted to show me the phone?

Yep, right.

Yeah, let me just hook up.

I mean, connect.

She mirrors her own phone to the screen. Whoa, hey! That's the wrong phone.

Hackett takes down Smalling's profile.

Okay.

He turns to the screen as she mirrors Casey's phone. I've been digging through

the victim's phone.

He had a very busy social life with the ladies.

Um, I typed up a list.

in case you wanted to talk to any of them.

I also went through all of his messaging platforms, and unfortunately, I couldn't

find any connection between Casey and Lauren, our suspect's wife.

Well, I guess you'll have to keep looking, then. Call me when you find

something. He leaves.

Um... Elizabeth follows him.

That was rude. You didn't even let her finish her presentation.

Look, this case is open and shut. Luke's our guy with or without his wife's text

to Casey.

Well, have you read the full forensic report that just came in? They didn't

find any gunshot residue on Luke's hands or on the shirt he wore the night of the

murder. They didn't? Well, there's probably an explanation. I'll find it. I

still don't understand why Casey even sent a message to his lover's husband in

the first place. Because it's the noble thing to do.

Smullen gets on the elevator and the doors close.

Elsbeth enters her office and joins Hackett.

Boy, Smullen is extra touchy today.

Maybe he was up all night swiping.

Sorry. I shouldn't have said that.

Did you find anything?

Nothing. I mean, it's weird.

You'd think that Lauren's number would be in Casey's phone.

Hey, look at that.

She looks at a contact.

Karina. That's an odd spelling.

We just met with a Serena.

Wonder if it's the same one.

I want to empower you to release all that guilt, Martha.

You didn't know how they felt about surprise parties. Your in-laws should

have been more explicit.

But now it's time to let it go and let them rest in peace.

In Serena's office.

And that's our hour.

Let's give an extra special thank you to my dear husband, Graham, for joining us.

The pleasure was all mine, my darling.

Until next time, I'm Serena Collier, wishing you a happy home and a healthy

sex life.

Preferably with the same person.

Next time, let me have the last line.

It's my show.

I'm sorry, my love.

Any chance we could have a repeater the other night?

I have 12 people coming here in an hour, all of them desperate for my help.

now is not the time you're right i should have respected your headspace he

kisses her cheek how do we get so lucky she offers a tight smile as graham walks

away serena checks her phone to find a call from the nypd discipline

smolin and elsbeth arrive at the sanctuary are we in the right place yes

and you are just in time please follow me Welcome to the Relationship

Roundtable. Have a seat. Uh, yeah, that's not why we're here.

We need to talk to Serena.

You'll meet her soon. But first, let's all just get to know each other better.

Yeah, that ain't happening. Tassione, let's go.

Let's go!

Am I supposed to respond to that? Okay.

Looks like we're jumping right into it.

Does anyone want to share what they're hearing?

I'm hearing a lot of anger in her partner's voice. We're not partners.

How's it feel to be around that kind of hostility?

Thank you for asking.

Sometimes it feels pretty lousy.

It's not his tone as much as his resistance to seeing my point of view.

That's not true. We're here, aren't we? I practically had to drag you.

Yeah, because it's a waste of time.

He's not... Usually, this emotional, I think he's hungry.

I'm hearing you make excuses for your partner. We're not partners. Don't yell

at them. I was yelling at you.

Well, don't.

This back and forth, it's just noise.

What's driving it?

If you want to repair the relationship, you need to get at the heart of the

problem.

That thing you're too afraid to say out loud.

So let's get it out.

What's wrong?

She doesn't respect me.

Wow. What if you actually listened to one another with this truth in mind?

How would it color your response?

That's an excellent question, Bobby.

I'll have to think about it.

Now can we see Serena?

Oh,

Casey Arthurs. I couldn't place the name before, but I recognize his face. I knew

Casey in grad school.

I'm sorry to hear he's gone.

How well did you know him?

We dated.

Briefly, but we didn't keep in touch.

To be honest, I'm surprised my number was still in his phone. I didn't think

we were ever that close.

Well, he spelled your name wrong, so I guess you weren't.

Don't you think it's a strange coincidence, though, that a former

patient allegedly murdered your old boyfriend?

No.

I don't believe I asked you where you were Monday night.

I was taking one of my serenity walks.

You should try this.

I leave my devices at home, and I walk for miles, wherever my

intuition tells me to go. Where did your intuition send you that night?

Up the Hudson River Greenway.

I don't understand why you're asking me these questions.

Where you see coincidence, I see connection.

I connect.

with people for a living.

Eventually, some of those people are bound to cross paths with one another.

That's a big city.

That's a lot of connections.

New York is an atomic collider filled with eight million particles

smashing together in search of connection.

As friends, random sex partners, even soul-connected lovers.

How many connections have you two made?

That's our time.

My couples need me.

Those are cute.

Oh.

Come in.

Um...

Is everything all right?

I need to tell you something in confidence.

Recently, I discovered, totally by accident, that someone here has an

online dating profile and that someone is married.

Elizabeth, that is not within my purview. It's Detective Smolin.

I know I shouldn't say anything.

His personal life is none of my business. But he's been so on edge

lately. I mean, more so than usual. And it's affecting his work.

You're right.

This isn't your business.

And Smollett is no more thorny than usual, so there's no problem there.

But I'm worried about him. Are you?

Or are you just a bit excited to have a good piece of gossip and needed somebody

to take it to?

I have no comment. I'll see myself out.

Mm-hmm.

As she leaves, Wagner grabs his phone.

He makes a call.

Claudia, are you sitting down?

Elspeth joins Hackett and Smullen. Okay, I got something.

Now, I went through all of Casey Arthur's albums, going back to, like,

the early aughts. He wasn't bad, but he also was not good.

Anyway, I found the same name on every album. A guy who goes by the name Viper

played the drums.

And I looked him up. He lives in Brooklyn.

Ooh, good thinking.

Maybe Viper can tell us more about Casey's personal life.

I'm sorry.

Are our ideas funny to you?

Not at all.

It sounds like you want to establish a stronger connection between Serena and

Casey. We do, and thank you for seeing our perspective.

I think that Serena might have used Luke as a cover for a crime she

committed. Okay, but respectfully, how would Serena know that Luke would

assault Casey? Luke only had to confront.

Casey, which Serena knew he would, based on past behavior.

The fistfight was just lucky.

But I acknowledge your concerns, respectfully.

Why are you guys talking like that? You sound like you're in a hostage

negotiation. Some days it feels that way.

Okay, well, um, Viper is free today, so who wants to question him? Oh.

You two go.

I've got an appointment.

Elspeth and Hackett meet with Viper.

Yeah, I remember Serena.

She's a dead Casey.

Man, I'm really bummed out by the news.

He was a good guy.

We're so sorry for your loss, Viper.

You can just call me Jeff.

Do you remember, Jeff, how long Casey and Serena were together?

Oh, they were on and off for years.

Yeah, it was intense.

One time, she took a six-hour Greyhound bus just so you could spend one night

with him. He used to go camping down south, and she would call me in tears

trying to get a hold of him.

Casey never had a cell phone. Why didn't he have a cell phone? He was an analog

guy. He only played acoustic.

I used to tease him for only having a landline.

He only got a cell phone in 2014.

It's the year my daughter was born.

2014?

Serena was running her private practice.

By then, she told us they only dated when she was in grad school.

So why was her number in Casey's first cell phone five years later?

Because she lied about losing touch with him.

Do you think it's possible that Serena and Casey were still seeing each other?

Well, Casey was moving back to New York, so I'd be surprised if they weren't.

But those two were toxic.

It was like they were addicted to each other. You know, it is kind of wild that

Serena's this big relationship guru now.

I mean, back then, she seemed like a total mess.

Elspeth and Hackett share a smile.

From his office doorway, Wagner watches Smullen at his desk.

Elspeth walks by.

Psst, Elspeth.

Here.

He beckons her into his office.

Claudia spoke to Sally Smullen. It's worse than I thought.

She left Bobby.

And now she's off on some kind of journey of self-discovery with her

divorced girlfriends.

So he's not cheating on her?

No. They're officially separated.

And according to Sally, he's not taking it well.

Oh. I hope you're not making him read that. Might seem insensitive.

No. I'm just doing a deep dive on Serena's work.

But now Detective Smullen's bad attitude is suddenly making more sense.

Oh, he's secretly heartbroken. And I've been dragging him to marriage

counseling. Don't beat yourself up. You didn't know.

Oh. Bobby's tough.

He'll pull through.

Luke,

what is it? I'm freaking out. What did you tell the police about me? Take a

breath. Everything is... Everything is okay.

I am so glad you called.

Serena arrives at the precinct.

Excuse me.

I need to report a threat.

Serena, what happened?

Luke Prescott called me last night in a rage, demanding to know what I told you

about him. I don't feel safe. Why haven't you arrested him for the murder

yet? I wish I could answer that question for you. Kat, if we keep dragging our

feet on this, we're going to have blood on our hands.

How comfortable are you getting Luke to talk?

I can get anyone to talk.

Why? We need your help.

Put a car outside of Luke's apartment.

Let's get Miss Collier on a controlled call.

Are you okay with that?

Legally, yes.

He already waived privilege.

Good.

Maybe he'll say something we can use.

Oh, I would love to hear that conversation.

Hackett connects Serena's phone.

So he'll see your regular number come up. He won't know we're reporting.

Detective Smollin will give you a couple questions to help steer the

conversation. Sound good? Of course. Whatever you need to put that disturbed

man behind bars.

That was about that.

Take two steps back.

Please? There's a real will-they-won't-they vibe between you

two. Have you explored it yet?

No. We're happily married.

Oh, really?

Your wife let you out of the house in that shirt?

Are we good here?

Hackett gives a thumbs up, then makes the call from Serena's phone.

Hey, Serena. Hi, Luke.

I wanted to check on you. You were so distraught last night, and I just...

I wanted to tell you how proud I am that you're handling it so well, especially

the news between Lauren and Steve.

Yeah. Wait, what about Steve?

Oh, I assume the police told you? Lauren's been having an

affair with Steve.

My business partner?

That Steve?

I'll kill him! No, no, no, no, no. Hold on. Remember the work, Luke. You can't

keep killing people.

It's a good thing that we had an officer there. Otherwise, Steve might have wound

up like Casey. And the DA says that it's good to charge her for medicine and for

Casey's murder.

And I guess that's that.

Do you mind if I have a word with him?

Uh, no.

How about it? Luke sits in a cell.

Hi, Luke.

I'm so sorry to hear about Lauren and Steve.

I think we've hit a new low.

Can I ask you a personal question?

Does Lauren always admit when she...

Steps out on you.

Eventually. Yeah. She does it on purpose, to hurt me.

I'm no prince, believe me.

But she still hasn't admitted to dating Casey.

No. Casey wouldn't admit it either.

Said he didn't know her.

Full of excuses.

He swore that his ex-girlfriend sent that text. That she was some kind of

psycho. His ex-girlfriend? Would you be willing to put that in a statement?

Sure. Kind of like it matters. I'm going down for this murder.

Which I didn't do, by the way.

I always knew Lauren and I were doomed.

Why is that?

We bring out the worst in each other.

I love my wife, but sometimes I wish I never met her.

I worked with a couple who we'll call Sam and Diane.

Their love story spanned decades and was one of the most powerful connections I

have ever observed.

During their many breaks, Diane...

would put on the one gift that Sam had given her, a piece of artisan jewelry.

She would hold it... Elsbeth and the others watch.

Like it was his touch.

Her friends called her pathetic and delusional, but Diane knew she and Sam

would find their way back to each other.

Their love bond was dysfunctional, but it was real.

Elsbeth pauses the video.

Don't you get it?

Sam and Diane...

are Casey and Serena. What does this have to do with the murder?

Casey's drummer said that Casey was planning a move back to New York, which

might explain why Serena snapped.

Their love was so toxic, his presence drove her mad.

It also sounds like Sam only ever bought Diane one gift in their time together,

which alone is reason for murder.

We already booked Luke Prescott. The case is closed.

But what if Serena's involved too? What if she pushed Luke, her former patient,

to commit the crime?

Shouldn't we know now? Before Luke's lawyer finds the same connection and

derails the prosecution's case?

All right.

You have one more chance to talk to her. That's all I need.

Where's Detective Smullen?

He had an appointment.

I didn't pry.

Take Officer Hackett. Elspeth and Hackett, high five.

Let's go.

Oh, no. Oh, I hope we're not interrupting dinner.

Not at all.

I like to have a little something ready for Serena when she gets home. So sweet.

Is that your secret?

Doing acts of kindness for each other?

And keeping things fresh.

The other night, Serena came home with a French maid's costume on under her

jacket. It wasn't even a special occasion, just an ordinary Monday night.

Oh, I won't ask what you do on weekends.

Um, just this past Monday night? Mm-hmm.

It's funny, Serena told us that she was out serenity walking on Monday night.

Would she really take a long walk while wearing lingerie?

I don't ask questions. Another secret to our happiness.

Here she is.

I'll leave you to it.

You're back.

You really are a fan.

Oh, I am.

My son is getting married.

And it would mean so much.

If you sign this for him and his fiance, their names are Teddy and Roy. Is that

all you came for?

Oh, no, no. We also wanted to thank you for helping us arrest Luke.

I think the case is officially closed.

Oh, I'll drink to that.

Anyone else? Oh, no, thank you. We're on duty.

Whoa, you like your wine cold.

Oh, Graham puts it in the freezer to chill for me. Oh.

You know what? I don't think I complimented you enough on this book.

I just finished reading it, and wow.

What you achieved with some of these couples is incredible.

There's one case that really stands out.

Sam and Diane.

Like the couple from Cheers.

I don't watch television.

Oh. Well, you should.

Some of them's great.

Yeah.

But I don't quite understand this.

Sam and Diane's relationship, or whatever it was. It's more of a

situation-ship, as the kids say.

Yeah, I mean, it doesn't seem like you made any progress with them at all.

Oh, well, not every relationship can be salvaged.

Some people push each other to the brink over and over again.

That's funny.

The people we talked to described your relationship with Casey in the exact

same way. What did Jeff call it again?

Uh, toxic.

Like an addiction.

Just like Sam and Diane.

Any correlation?

I never write about myself.

The truth is, Sam and Diane are an amalgamation of several different

couples I treated. Their chemistry is not uncommon.

Really?

Gosh.

I didn't realize that so many people debased themselves like that.

Because Diane... She made a total fool of herself.

All in the name of love.

Not that I'd call what they had love.

More like sexually transmitted insanity.

Are you all right?

Went down the wrong way.

As they eye each other, Serena sips her wine and Elsbeth bites the carrot.

Daytime in Elsbeth's office.

Wow. Thank you, Mom. This is unexpected.

She gives Serena's book to Teddy.

Roy, say something about us? Of course not.

I just thought it would be nice to have on hand in case you hit a rough patch.

And, um... Since you haven't yet.

May 1st.

You happy now? May?

That is wonderful.

That is exactly in my color season.

I'm a bright spring.

Well, yeah, that was at the top of my mind when we picked it. So I got to go.

But by the way, Grandma says you haven't been returning any of her calls.

Oh, I've just been busy.

Well, maybe you could work out whatever's going on between the two of

you, preferably before the wedding stuff starts.

Nothing's going on. Don't worry.

If you say so.

Okay. Love you.

Love you.

Elvis.

Detective Smolin, I got something on Casey Arthurs. Casey Arthurs? I thought

I closed this case.

Yeah, you did. But then Elspeth had the brilliant idea to follow up on that

bottle of white wine we found in Casey's freezer. Turns out they sell it at a

specialty wine shop in Casey's neighborhood.

I got the surveillance footage, so this is from two days before the murder.

Look.

That's Serena.

Okay, I don't mean to rain on your good police work. However... All that proves

is that she was having an affair with Casey. It doesn't tie her to the murder,

unlike Luke, who's already been charged.

Wait, scroll it back a bit. Serena opens her wallet.

Maybe we can tie it to the murder.

I know, it's just a wine bottle.

That's not what I'm looking at.

I guess I just wanted to tell you in person after everything you've done.

I just did my job, and I am sorry that it wasn't enough.

No, I'm sorry.

I always thought of myself as, like, this pretty strong person, but...

I'm sitting there in the courtroom, and everybody's looking at me like I'm some

drunk whore. That's not true.

It is.

I mean, some of them thought so on the jury.

I... I just can't do it again.

And... I know I'm disappointing you. Listen to me. You're not disappointing

me.

It's actually the opposite. I'm amazed by you. You are... You are an incredibly

strong woman.

And I'm not going to sit here and lie to you and tell you that another trial

would be easier because...

Because it would probably be harder.

And you've been through something incredibly difficult.

And you're still here.

Maybe I should have just, and I passed out.

It's just, like, kind of messed up that the truth doesn't always matter.

Hi.

Gwen, what are you doing here? Oh, I had to meet a client downstairs.

Listen, I heard about the mistrial.

Oh, yeah. I thought you might want to drown your sorrows a little.

I think the stay-at-home mom was one of the holdouts.

And the old guy with the missing tooth.

He didn't like your ADA. Well, all of this information is super helpful after

the fact, so thank you so much for that.

Listen, I was rooting for you.

I've been wrong before.

You always take your losses so hard?

No, I don't.

What's so special about this one?

I've been doing this work for almost 30 years, and most of the time I convince

myself that even when a case goes south, that it's the fight that matters.

That's a nice way of thinking about it.

Yeah.

We don't stop anything. We don't prevent a crime from happening.

We just pick up the pieces afterwards.

That's always been the case, hasn't it?

You didn't pick anti-crime, you chose SVU. That is true. It is true.

So, what's changed?

That is the problem, is that nothing has changed.

We're 30 years in and a jury gets to decide that if a woman drinks too much,

then she deserves to be raped.

That is the problem.

Yeah.

That's hard.

How do you deal with that?

You know, the work used to be enough.

My old partner used violence to deal with it. He used to get physical with

the suspects, but that took a toll on him, too. I mean, maybe there is no good

way.

So, I have a personal history with the type of crimes you investigate.

It's a story for another time, but what I can say is you're right.

The world hasn't changed much in 30 years, and certainly the perps haven't.

So, what can you do about it? Quit?

No.

No, I'm not ready to quit.

Okay.

then the only other option is to fight.

Just fight different.

Late night visits gonna be a regular thing for you, Captain?

Look, I need an arrest warrant.

For whom?

Josh Berger's mother, Stephanie.

On what charge?

Tampering and obstruction of justice.

Hold on.

Berger's mother cooperated. She handed over evidence.

The charges will never stick.

And you can just arrest her yourself. You need a warrant from me.

I'd like to go through the proper channels.

You want to use her to get her son to flip.

You want to arrest someone, you know, to be innocent, to pressure their child.

And you came to the new dumb ADA because you know Carisi wouldn't go for it. I

don't need an ethics lecture from you.

I'm not lecturing.

It's a great idea. Mob tactics.

If you can't get the guy, go after the family.

You surprised me, Hawkins.

I might suggest adding a conspiracy to commit rape charge.

Want a pressure burger? That ought to do it.

By all means.

Come in.

Remember, the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

The grass is greener where you water it. In the sanctuary.

Everybody out. Police business.

Excuse me.

Come on, everyone. Let's go, folks. What is going on here?

We're here about the murder of Casey Arthurs. I thought you already made an

arrest. Well, there's new evidence.

Elsbeth? We know Sam and Diane from your book are based on you and Casey.

Just like their toxic connection, you loved Casey so much.

It hurt.

But his return to New York threatened everything you'd established in his

absence. Most of all, peace.

So you eliminated temptation.

I told you we are not Sam and Diane.

Aren't you, though? Diane dressed up for Sam, just like that French maid costume

you wore the night of the murder. Probably to clean any trace of yourself

from his apartment. You used Luke as a...

Fall guy, despite there being no connection between Lauren and Casey.

Casey even so looked that he thought his ex-girlfriend had something to do with

it. And we have surveillance video of you buying the same bottle of wine we

found in Casey's apartment.

That doesn't prove anything.

On its own, no.

But just like Diane, you have a sentimental attachment to the one gift

that Casey gave you, which you are wearing in this video.

A bracelet from Costa Rica, which your sweet, trusting husband, Graham, found

for us.

And unfortunately for you, it has traces of Casey's blood and gun residue on it.

Serena Collier, you are under arrest for the murder of Casey Arthurs.

Oh, he ruined my life.

I wish I never met him, but I still love him.

What about your husband?

He's so good to you.

He's boring.

He's boring.

There, I said it.

He's so boring, I could die.

All right, come on.

Wait, did Casey really call me his girlfriend?

Did he say, tell me what he said exactly?

Wagner stands in his office with his wife.

I'm impressed that you got reservations on such short notice.

What can I say? I know people who know people.

And it's been a while since we had a special night out.

She smiles.

Been thinking about Bobby and Sally, huh?

Yeah.

It's so strange seeing old friends break up.

Well, these things happen.

He looks into her eyes.

To other people?

Yeah.

She smiles.

Shall we? Yeah.

They head out.

Bobby.

Hi. I was hoping that I'd see you. I spoke to Sally, and I'm really sorry

about everything.

How are you holding up?

I'm doing okay.

I didn't realize that Sally was telling people already.

Well, I hope you know that it's not all your fault.

You know, sometimes people just need a fresh start.

We'll have you over for dinner soon. Oh, okay. Great. Good night, Detective.

Wagner leads Claudia away.

Smullen looks around to find Elspeth standing nearby.

Right.

Great.

Now everybody knows that my wife left me.

Oh.

If they know, they...

I haven't said anything.

Bobby, separations are hard.

I've been there.

I went to look at apartments yesterday.

That was a rude awakening.

Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here.

I might take you up on that. Seems Sally has taken most of our friends in the

separation.

My ex-husband did the same thing.

He even took some of my own family.

Smullen looks into her eyes.

He nods, then steps away.

Have a good one.

Yeah, see you tomorrow.

Elspeth stares off in thought.