All language subtitles for Law.and.Order.SVU.S22E16.WEBRip.x264-ION10

.

- In the criminal justice
system,

sexually based offenses

are considered
especially heinous.

In New York City,
the dedicated detectives

who investigate
these vicious felonies

are members of an elite squad

known as
the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

- We're gonna get it
out of the way.

- Memorial Day weekend.

Friday.
- Congrats.

That's not a lot
of time to plan a wedding.

I'm assuming I'm invited.

- No, I guess we'll have
a few people,

but we're keeping it small.

- Fin, give my love
to Phoebe.

Franny, how about that?

Fin's getting hitched?
Yes.

- Hey, buddy, aww.
Looking good.

Got diamonds on your collar
and everything.

What's your name, buddy?

- Champ, like "champion."

- You're going on vacation?
Moving?

- We're going to a shelter.
We're orphans now, right, Mama?

- Come on, Felipe, we gotta go.

- If I had a dog, I would
name him Chomp, not Champ.

Can I get one?

- There's no place
to keep a dog, mijo.

[somber music]

♪

- This looks like a jail.

- No, baby, it's a shelter.

- How will my friends find me?
How will I get to my school?

- It's just for a little while.

Unpack your bags;
put on your pajamas.

♪

- Make sure you stay on top
of that homework, champ.

- That's a dog's name.

- There's no Wi-Fi inside
so we had to come out here.

- Are you guys are on
the waiting list for housing?

- Not yet.
I know I have to go online

and there's a lot of paperwork.

- Yeah, well,
the city's got apartments.

Do you at least have
a social worker?

- No.

- Well, now you do.

♪

Give him a call.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

- Mama!
- Whoa.

Slow down, mijo.

- There's a TV.
And there's a table!

- The building has Wi-Fi,
laundry in the basement.

- Mama, the oven
has a little light.

- Check out your bedroom,
Felipe, back down the hall.

- [laughs]
It's beautiful.

- My room has a door!
[laughter]

- God bless you, Mr. Banducci.

- It's Paulie.
Glad to help.

It's hard raising a kid
on your own.

[warm music]

- Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you.

♪

- A lot
of post-pandemic weddings--

it's gonna be hard
to find you a venue.

- We don't need a venue.

- And you're gonna need
somebody to marry you.

- Hey, Fin.
[speaking Hebrew]

- Look, Carisi, you still have
your minister's license, right?

When you officiated
your cousin's wedding?

- They don't expire, but, Fin,
you don't need me to--

- Yeah, he does.
Fin?

- 6:00 p.m., Friday the 28th.

I don't know where,
but be there.

- That's what
I'm talking about.

- Happy to clean your pipes
any time.

[dark music]

- Go.

I don't want
Felipe to wake up.

♪

[knock at door]

- Whatever it is
you think you're doing,

this isn't
that kind of building.

- Shh, my son is sleeping.

Please, please, go.
- You--

- Mama...

♪

- Go back to bed.
It's all okay.

- I love it here.

Can we stay forever?

♪

[dramatic music]

♪

- Mrs. Swanson,
who told you to come to SVU?

- The local precinct sent me
to Vice

who did less than
your average vice-president.

I know what I know.

- 'cause we don't handle
alleged prostitution.

- There's a little boy
living there

who can't be more
than nine years old.

Watching his mother
turn tricks.

- You can call Child
Protective Services.

- I wanna talk
to someone in charge.

- How about
I let our captain know?

- Ms Swanson,
I'm Captain Benson.

My sergeant told me
you're head of

the Subsidized
Tenants' Council at Holt Tower.

- Did he also tell you there's
sex for sale at apartment 3D?

- Why don't you explain that
to our captain?

- Look, I have nothing
against Mexicans,

but this new tenant
in 3D, Rosa Estrada,

she's only been here two weeks
but there's all these men.

I mean, suits, blue-collar,

every color,
going in and out all night.

- Okay, so you're thinking that
Ms. Estrada is a prostitute.

- It's something illegal.
I thought maybe drugs,

but it's all men slithering
through the poor door.

- So the building
has separate entrances?

- Developers can
add extra floors

if they provide
some subsidized housing,

but they don't want them
mixing with the other tenants.

- So have you spoken
to Rosa directly?

- She told me
to mind my business,

but then there's
the matter of the child.

- Rosa has a nine-year-old son.

- I don't want him going back
into a shelter.

The lady who lived there before
had a parade of horn dogs too.

I complained to the building.

She and her poor child

just left in the middle
of the night.

- So how about if we do
a little bit of investigating

before you make
another complaint?

- See it right
around the corner.

- Thank you.
Doorman says

the other entrance
is around the corner.

- Rosa Estrada, single mom,
moves in the building

two weeks ago, no record.

My guess,
Mrs. Swanson's a busybody.

- Maybe but we still
gotta follow up.

This must be the poor door.

[knock at door]

- Ms. Estrada,
I'm Detective Tamin.

This is Sergeant Tutuola.

- We're just following up
on a report, ma'am.

Can we come in?

- Thanks.

- I didn't do anything wrong.

No one's here illegally.
No drugs.

We don't have any pets
or make any noise.

- That's good,

but we have to ask you...

do you ever have company over?

- Wait, the old lady
down the hall,

Betty, did she call you?

Betty Swanson
has the wrong idea.

The maintenance guys
do repairs.

I get UPS deliveries, takeout.

- Okay, we just wanna make sure
that you and your son are safe.

- Oh, we're fine.
Felipe's fine.

- And we're sure he is.

We'd like to talk to him.

He's home, right?

- I love living here.

I thank God
and Mama every night.

I was scared in the shelter.

- You're not scared here?

- No, people are always
coming to help us.

- I'm still looking for work.

Now that Felipe's
back in school,

I go out every day
and I put in applications.

- That must be tough,

money-wise, being a single mom.

Boys have big appetites.

- We have SNAP benefits,

and the rich people
in this building,

you wouldn't believe
what they throw out.

Furniture, dishes, clothing.

The maintenance guys
save it all for me.

- People--what kind of people?
- Men come to help.

You know, fix stuff.

- When the men come here,
you ever talk to them?

- Just you.
- Me.

What are you
talking about, Felipe?

- If you were to go
in my mom's bedroom,

I would just
throw on my headphones.

- That's what you do when men
go in your mother's bedroom?

- Yeah.
She says I can't hear anything.

Just be good and quiet.
No trouble.

Trouble means back
to the shelter.

- No sign of drug use.

- Rosa wasn't high, no bruises,

no track marks,
apartment was clean.

- Any evidence
of extra income?

- No, she is living close
to the bone.

- She's not turning tricks.

- Betty's not wrong.

Rosa's son told me there are

men coming to that apartment.

- Okay, so what the hell
is going on here?

- She's not a sex worker,
but she may not have qualified

for that apartment
through the lottery.

My guess...

- She's being trafficked.

[dramatic music]

♪

.

- Be good, okay?
I love you.

Mm...
[bell ringing]

- Rosa.

[tense music]

- Now you're coming
to my son's school?

Please, I did nothing wrong.

- We believe you, Rosa.
That is not why we're here.

- Rosa, I'm Captain Benson.

Detective Tamin and I,
we just wanna make sure

that you're not in any trouble.

- No.
No trouble, like I said.

- How about you tell us
what's going on at home?

- Nothing.

I can't go back to the shelter.

- And that will happen
if you don't have sex

with these men who are coming
into your apartment?

Is somebody threatening
to evict you if you refuse?

- No, nothing like that.

I can't go back to the shelter.

I cannot do that to Felipe.

- You won't have to.
I promise you,

but you need
to tell us who these men are.

Who's forcing you to do this?

- We know that you're in
a difficult position

but we can help you.

- [sighs]

You wanna help me?
Then leave me alone.

Please, my son is happy.

We have a nice home.

I am close
to finding a new job.

This is the last thing
that we need.

♪

- Two tracks: find out how Rosa
got into Holt Tower

and ID the men that are coming
in and out of her apartment.

- We went through
the past month

of side door elevator footage,

men getting off
on the third floor,

making the left
towards Rosa's apartment.

- Eliminating residents,
deliveries,

ex-husbands, boyfriends.

We narrowed down
the most consistent regulars

to these five.

- Okay, this guy
in the gray shirt.

He works in the building?

- This is head of maintenance,
Paulie Banducci,

and according to Betty Swanson,
he helped Rosa move in.

- What about
the other four guys?

- Betty didn't know
who they were.

And doorman
don't have a record

and they don't show up
on lobby security.

- Yeah, that's 'cause they go
through the poor door.

Betty Swanson said that there
was a prior resident in 3D.

See if we can track her down.

- I moved out of Holt Tower

and Betty Swanson still
found a way to harass me?

[sighs]
Tell her to get a life.

- Well, this isn't about Betty.

We need your help
in IDing some men

we suspect of criminal activity
in the building.

- That building's fancy.
No criminals there.

- Okay, then maybe you can

tell us why these guys
came by so often.

- No idea.

Nope.

Look, I don't know
any of these guys.

- All right.
How about this guy?

- Nope.

- Denise, he works
in the building.

- Right, that's Paulie,
but he doesn't do anything.

- Then why'd he come
by your apartment

two times a week?

- Look, nothing was going on

between me
and any of these guys.

- You're not
in any trouble here.

If you are being forced
to have sex

in order to not get evicted--

- It wasn't like that.
- Then why'd you leave?

- I started seeing someone.

Said he'd take care of me
and my daughter,

moved us up in here.

- Who?

- Anton.
He works for Paulie.

- Well, he doesn't even need
to know why we're here.

- Yeah, and I don't need
to revisit the past.

- Because, Denise,
there's a new woman

living in your old apartment.

Whatever was happening to you

is happening to her right now.

She's got a kid younger
than yours.

- Yeah, well, if she's like me,

I'm sure
she's doing what she has to.

[somber music]

♪

- So single mothers
in subsidized housing

are being trafficked
in exchange for apartments.

- So two women, Rosa Estrada
and Denise Campbell,

both somehow jumped the line
into Holt Tower.

- The neighbor and Rosa's son
confirmed men

coming by for short visits.

- But neither woman
is willing to cooperate?

- No.

One doesn't want
her boyfriend to find out

and the other one is afraid
of going back to shelters.

- Winning a subsidized
apartment in Holt Tower

is tougher than
getting your kid into Harvard.

- And we don't know how either
one of these women managed it.

I mean, neither one of them

had an account
on the lottery website.

- Any way to ID the men?
- Paulie Banducci.

He was hired by an outside
janitorial company

under the umbrella
of a different nonprofit.

- You need to talk to someone
who knows this world.

You've heard of
a Dr. Catalina Machado?

- Yeah, the--the founder
of Proud Life.

I just read her profile
in "The Times."

She went from homeless to
a doctorate in social justice.

- Yeah, she'll be able
to impact

the alphabet soup of agencies.

She's hands-on with tenants,
especially women and children.

If there's any kind
of corruption in this,

she'll know the weak links.

- Chief, if you're walking
to deposition,

you need to give yourself
a half hour.

No time to go back
to the office.

- Thank you, Celia.
- Deposition?

Jayvon Brown case?
- My third one.

I'm just trying
to do what's right here,

but there's gotta be a price.

- We all deserve a place
where we can thrive,

and homeless kids especially--

I was one so I know--
need safe spaces to learn,

to grow, to flourish.

So today we celebrate

Proud Life breaking ground
on our seventh daycare center.

Just another place
where we can all be...

all: Proud!

[applause]

- Pleasure to meet you.
- Dr. Machado.

Hi.

Captain Benson.
This is Detective Rollins.

- Oh yes, Christian Garland
told me you needed to speak.

- Perhaps in private
might be better.

- Yeah.
Can you give us a moment?

So you have reason to believe

that women at Holt Tower
are being sexually exploited?

- We do and the women
are unwilling to talk to us--

who these men are,
who's forcing them to do this.

- Do they have children?

They're afraid
of being evicted.

My God.
Whatever I can do to help.

What agency facilitated

these women
getting into the apartments?

- The women won't tell us
and the management company says

that they don't choose
the tenants.

They house them.

- Well, technically correct.

You can only get in
through the lottery.

650 applicants per spot.

- Yeah.
So who runs the lottery?

- I can make some calls,
find that out.

I'll get back to you
right away.

- Yeah, we'd appreciate that.

- Catalina!
- Oh, excuse me.

That's Congressman Howard's
chief of staff.

I'll be in touch
as soon as I learn more.

Thank you for bringing this
to my attention.

- Look at this.

You thinking
what I'm thinking?

[dramatic music]

- Why is the Congressmen's
chief of staff

going in through the poor door?

♪

.

- Nicole, can we talk
about this later?

I gotta go.

- Everything okay?

- Nicole's in lawyer mode.

We both are,
negotiating Fin's wedding.

- Look, I know that Fin
and Phoebe are trying

to keep the guest list tight,
but you're the minister.

You can bring a plus one.

- Oh, that's not the problem.

Nicole thinks weddings
are a patriarchal institution

designed to transfer ownership
of the woman

from the father to the husband.

- I can see her saying that.

- Well, she did say that

right after I told her that

I always thought that,
at my age, I'd be married.

I'd have kids.

It all went downhill
from there.

- What the hell is wrong
with you, huh?

You all woke now?

[tense music]

- Hey, everything okay?
- Chief McGrath.

It might be a few minutes.
Please, have a seat.

- Okay.

- We are under siege.

They are at the gates
howling for our blood,

and you go
on record apologizing

for systemic racism?

Saying we need bias training?

What--put an end
to qualified immunity?

♪

You just threw every cop in
this department under the bus.

- Chief, I was under oath.

- What, you forgot how to say,

"Oh, it's above
my pay grade, counselor?"

♪

We all know that you think
you're better

than the rest of us.

♪

[scoffs]

Loyalty's a two-way street.

♪

- Chief McGrath.

- Did you hear any of that?
- No, we just got here.

- Yeah, my deposition
in the Jayvon case

is making the rounds
of 1PP.

- Yeah, I'm sorry.

- Jayvon and his lawyers
aren't interested

in being conciliatory
with MIP dates.

It's gonna get
more turbulent way.

- You have a good lawyer,
chief?

- I certainly hope so,
but let's not waste your time.

Was Catalina Machado helpful?

She called me,

said she was very disturbed
about the allegation.

- She was and she said
that she'd look into it,

but unfortunately,
we might have a bigger issue.

Ruben Ortiz,

Congressman Howard's
chief of staff was there.

- A photo op's a photo op.

- How about this?

Ortiz paid a visit to
the third floor of Holt Tower.

- It doesn't matter if they're
wearing suits or boots.

Abuse of women,
the great equalizer.

- Congressman Howard's office

has been a long-time supporter
of Proud Life.

Any chance Ortiz was there
on legitimate business?

- Four times in one month
to the same floor where

two women are being trafficked?
Come on.

- Chief, I know that
you're in the hot seat,

but I'd like to bring them in
for questioning.

- Ortiz is not a broom pusher.
We need a lot more

than suspicions
before I take it upstairs.

- We have cops
questioning the tenants,

then we risk
driving away the players.

- Now, I can subpoena
lottery application lists,

tenant income statements,

but that is gonna set off
alarm bells too.

- I agree.
- Hold on.

All of these women are mothers,

and moms talk to other moms.

There might be
a shortcut to this.

- You mind if I use this?
- Yeah.

- Okay, the machine in
my apartment broke down.

- I knew you were
from the other side.

Over here we don't get machines
in our apartments

and I have three kids.

- I can barely manage two.

Do you need a hand with that?

- Yeah, sure.
Thanks.

- How big of a place
do you have?

- Just a one-bedroom.
- With three kids?

- And a husband on the foldout.

- Oh, my God.
- We're on the waiting list,

but not like that matters.

- What--five people
in a one-bedroom?

Surely, you'll get the next one
that opens up.

- You really don't know
how this works, do you?

They do have apartments
available.

They just don't give them
to married women.

There's this crack whore
on my floor.

Got a two-bedroom
all to herself.

Her daughter is still
in foster care.

- Really?

- Yeah, and she
thinks she famous.

Lulu Davis.
You remember that vet

in a wheelchair who shot a guy
outside the courthouse?

That's her ex-husband.

- Lulu knows we're coming?

- She thinks we're here
to talk about Mickey

and help her get custody
of her daughter.

- Sergeant Tutuola,

Mickey told me you've been
to visit him in prison.

- A few times.
He's doing good.

- I know you two had
that Army Ranger thing,

but what he did for Nydia,
that was him

finally being a father.

Mickey usually
watches out for Mickey.

- Hmm, looks like you've been
looking out for yourself too.

Good for you.
It's a jungle out there.

- Sitting pretty, right?
All of these windows.

I can breathe up here.

- Away from the hustle
and grind.

- I'm clean now living
in this castle,

but they still won't
give me my daughter.

Mickey said you could help?

- Lulu, you know
how this works.

You got to help us too.

- Like I'm surprised.
What?

- You recognize this man?

- Paulie Banducci.
He works in the building.

What he do?

- We're hoping you can tell us.

- He's a good maintenance man.

I don't know
what else you mean.

- Okay.

You recognize
any of these other men?

- Nope, sorry.

- All right,
how about this guy?

Anything you can tell us.

Let me give you a hint.

This is Ruben Ortiz, chief of
staff for Congressman Howard.

Here he is coming off
the elevator on your floor.

Here he is again
and again and again.

Six times in two months.

- You moved into this apartment
about two months ago.

Right, Lulu?

- So what?
I won the lottery.

- Problem is we don't have
a record of your application.

- Screw you.

I know Dr Machado.
I can call her.

- Catalina Machado.
Where'd you meet her?

- I was at intake, getting on
the waitlist for a shelter.

- What intake?

- Camino Family Center,
out by Yankee Stadium.

Dr Machado got me
a social worker.

I got this apartment legit.

- Okay, how are you keeping it?

Lulu, who's telling you
that you have to do guys

like Paulie Banducci
and Ruben Ortiz?

- Look, we wanna help
you get Nydia back,

but you gotta start
telling us the truth.

- Okay.

Ruben's my boyfriend.
He said I make him feel alive,

that his wife
doesn't understand him.

He's gonna help me
get Nydia back.

- And you get to keep
staying here?

- You know what?

I'm not even allowed
to talk to you.

I couldn't rat anybody out
even if I wanted to.

I signed an NDA.

- For who?

- Get out.

This is my apartment.

I can stay
for the rest of my life.

That's part of the NDA too.

- What now?

- Well, she admitted to having
sex with Ruben Ortiz.

That's enough to bring him.

My guess,
he'll sing to save his ass.

.

- Can we talk about this later?

Okay.
Bye.

- You want a donut
or something?

- Nah.
- Thank you.

What's wrong?

- Me and Phoebe,
we've been going at it.

She keeps inviting people.
Her sister wants a caterer.

Now a photographer.

I'm trying to tell them
COVID's not over.

- Yeah, well, like,
my dad always says,

the last 48 hours before
a wedding are the toughest.

That's why we go on honeymoons:

to recover from the wedding.

- You're giving Ortiz
Queen for a Day.

You think he'd be on time.

- They'll be here.

Let me ask you something.
What's better?

The--the enduring bond of love

or the enduring power of love?

- What about just love?

- Make it shorter?

- It's always better.

- Mr. Carisi.
Captain Benson.

Good to see you again.

My client is ready to tell you
everything he knows

about the subsidized apartments
in Holt Tower.

- And he understands that
if he lies or he holds back

in any way,
the deal is off the table?

He gets charged
with trafficking.

- He does.
- Great.

Let's start
with Lulu Davis.

- My client was in a consensual
relationship with Ms. Davis.

Okay.
- There was no quid pro quo.

- Okay, what about
Rosa Estrada?

- I was told that she was aware
of the arrangement,

that she was
a willing participant.

I would never assault anyone.

- Told by who?

- You're getting off to a rough
start here, Mr. Ortiz.

You do know how
Queen for a Day works, right?

- Look, we have you
on surveillance footage, texts,

financials,
and your lawyer made a proffer

that you would give names,
dates, and details.

- And he's prepared to do that.

My client has knowledge
of other men

who regularly visited
Holt Tower,

and knowledge
of complicit individuals

at nonprofits
and government agencies.

Transactional favors,
sexual and financial,

in exchange for apartments,
contracts, and grants.

- Then let's stop
wasting our time.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Ortiz gave up his boss,
Congressman Howard.

He wasn't on
the elevator security footage.

- Howard actually went through
the main lobby,

walked up the stairs.

- And heads-up: his mother
lives in the building.

He might be able to use that
to explain his frequent visits.

- And these other men?

- We knew about
Paulie Banducci.

Ortiz gave up Banducci's boss.

Paulie was getting bribed
to stay quiet

and facilitate
the transactions.

- Along with getting a taste
for himself.

- Ortiz also gave up
the homeless services

budget director,
a deputy commissioner at HPD,

and a city councilman.

- That's a lot of bad actors
taking advantage of women

to keep
the housing money flowing.

This is a big operation.
Who's running it?

- Every single man that Ortiz
named was either a governmental

or nonprofit middleman

who had a direct connection
to Proud Life.

- We tracked grants,
donations, contracts.

They are all funneled
through the Proud Life empire.

- So there's a bad actor
somewhere

in Catalina Machado's
inner circle

who's using their power
to run a massive grift.

- Chief, there's
another possibility.

I mean, this vast a conspiracy?

Either she's willfully ignorant
or...

she's involved.

- [laughs]

There's no way
she's in on it.

She's provided

tens of thousands of apartments
to the board.

If she has a fault,
it's that she's so dedicated,

she only sees
the good in others.

- Well, we would like
to send in a CI,

and if it's true that she had
no knowledge of this,

then that'll become clear.

[intense dramatic music]

♪

- Hang in there, everybody.

It will get better.
I promise.

We're gonna get you
all settled.

You and your kids.
Excuse me.

Hey, Lulu, good to see you.

What are you doing here?

- I just need to talk to you,
Dr. Machado.

- Of course.
Of course.

Just give me a sec.

Is everything all right?
How's the apartment?

- That's all good.

- How did Carisi get Lulu
to cooperate?

- Told her the D.A.'s office

swings a heavy bat
at family court.

- He promised her
she'd get Nydia back?

- He's a D.A. now.
He'll do anything for a win.

- Well, I'm always
here for you.

So how can I help you?

- It's my daughter.
- Nydia?

Is she in trouble?

- I still haven't
gotten custody.

- I see.

I'm sorry,
but we've talked about that.

These things take time.

You're still with the family
court lawyer I sent you, right?

- Yeah, and I did everything
the lawyer in the court asked.

Rehab, pee tests, no arrest,
apartment.

Still no.

- You don't give up and
I'll take care of this, okay?

I'll look into this for you.

- The thing is I need
a better lawyer.

♪

- I see.

- I hate to be like this
after all you've done for me,

but the cops,
they came to my apartment

asking about
Ruben Ortiz coming over.

Asking about other girls
in the poor floors.

- What did you say?

- That Ruben's my boyfriend,
but they didn't believe that.

I think if I tell them
what they want,

they'll help me get Nydia back.

- Lulu, they're just using you.

You don't need
to speak to them.

I will take care of this.
- How?

You said that before.

After all you've made me do
with all those guys...

- I know.

I owe you.

How about we start
with that better lawyer?

♪

And a job at one
of the maintenance companies.

- I won't have time
if I get Nydia back.

- Not that kind of job.

You sign a time card
once a week.

You get a paycheck
direct deposit.

Mm?

♪

- Lulu just screw-nailed her.

- All right,
move in for the arrest?

- Benson has to clear it
with Garland.

In the meantime,
just let them keep talking.

- Catalina knew.

- Our gut?

She orchestrated
the whole thing.

I'm sorry, Chief.

- But why force the women
to trade sex for apartments?

Throw away the key.
- We will.

And this is just
the tip of the iceberg.

As soon as we start
digging into her financials,

we're gonna find out
that there were kickbacks.

- I'm sure you will.

I can hear myself thinking
it's not possible, but...

- Hey, Chief, you okay?

- I didn't sleep well
last night.

Got COMPSTAT tomorrow.

I'm told they're scouring
every open SVU case

to try to find something
to throw at me.

Not your problem.

I better get back
to the office.

Keep prepping.

- I've seen that look on
a man's face before.

Next thing I know,
I'm at their farewell party

or their funeral.

♪

Oh, what the hell?

- Tribe is shunning him.
Internal exile.

.

- [sighs]
What is this?

Chief Garland,
these--these numbers.

Rapes up 97 to 113
in the last 28-day period.

That's 325 to 381
so far this year.

- Chief, that's a good thing.

It means more victims
are coming forward.

Only about ten percent
of rapes are reported.

So we'd actually like
that number to continue rising.

- [laughs]

Chief Christian Garland
wants rape numbers to go up.

God, where is the press
when you need them?

- Chief...

Chief, if you look
at our closure rate--

- I'd rather look at
your substandard

investigative outcomes.

Just so many.

The SVU sergeant in the Bronx,
who is a serial rapist,

and Jayvon Brown,

wrongfully arrested
under your watch.

[tense music]

But you've talked enough
about Mr. Brown, haven't you?

- If this is about
my deposition--

- No, this is about
your overinflated sense

of self-worth.

What I see?

Lack of discipline,

lack of investigative
competence,

lack of leadership.

In a word, failure.

I see failure,

Failure written all over you.

♪

- No, no, it's fine.

Yeah, no, I'm sure
I'll officiate another wedding.

But, Nicole, you gotta do
what you got to do.

All right.
Bye.

- Hold on.
Nicole can't come?

- Something came up.

- Oh, counselor.

I'm glad we caught you
before the arraignment.

- We should talk.

- Nah, there's nothing
to talk about,

but I'll tell you
how this is gonna go.

The judge is gonna ask
your client how she pleads

to the charges
of sex trafficking,

racketeering,
extortion, and fraud.

She'll plead not guilty,
then she'll be remanded.

That's it.

- I think I'd get her bail,
but what's the rush here?

We haven't even talked.

- What? Your client's
looking for a deal now?

She's a little late.
You're the last one in.

- And she's the ringleader.

- You mean the one
who gets things done.

Gets women and children off
the streets, out of poverty.

I know the reality
of homelessness.

I lived it as a child.

Me and my mother, discarded,
sleeping on the trains,

watching your back
every second.

I'm the only one looking out
for these women.

- Yeah, by sex
trafficking them.

- I got them out of danger.

I gave them the opportunity
to have a home, to be safe.

Before I helped them,
some of these mothers

were willing to freeze
on the streets

rather than go back
to the shelter.

How much worse is that?

- I cannot listen to this.

- Catalina, if I may.

Why don't we tell them
what we've discussed?

What you know.

- Oh, we're already dismantling
her organization.

But I'm listening.

What else does
she have to offer?

- Well, how would you feel
about a deputy mayor,

a former HUD secretary,

three congressmen,
two senators...

for starters?

♪

- Let me make some calls.

This might be above
my pay grade.

♪

- So what are you saying?

- I'm saying that
it's over, Rosa.

- We're gonna lose
the apartment?

- No, no, no.
No, you can keep the apartment,

but you won't have to do what--

what they made you do
to stay here.

Paulie Banducci
is being arraigned tomorrow.

- And Ruben Ortiz?

- You will never have
to see him

or any of these men ever again.

[somber music]

- [sobbing]

- That's right.
It's over.

♪

- Okay, yeah, got it, Mr. D.

- Catalina's getting a deal?
- She's a survivor.

She's been singing
all afternoon to attorneys

from our office,
but now the feds are coming.

I got us a couple hours,

but they want us
both back tonight.

Woman running a $100 million
nonprofit for decades.

She knows where a lot of bodies
are buried.

- After what she put
those women through,

I hope they don't give her
too sweet of a deal.

- Once the ceremony is over,

I'm gonna go back in there,
but...

I'm gonna--I'm gonna rehearse
one more time.

- Go, go, go, go.

- Did I miss it?

- Nope, they're not
even here yet.

- That's not good.
- That's what I thought.

Hey!
- Showtime.

[indistinct chatter]

- Hey, you guys are
cutting it kind of close.

- More like cutting it off.

- What?

- First off, Phoebe and I wanna
thank everybody for coming out,

but I'm just going to cut
to the chase.

We're not getting
married today.

[surprised chatter]
- What?

- No, but don't worry.
We're not breaking up.

No, we--we just realized,

you know, we have
a good thing going so...

- Why let the government
spoil it?

- Exactly.

So consider this our not
getting married ceremony,

but we still wanna have
a great evening

with our friends
and our family,

and why let a free bar
go to waste?

So drink up, eat up.

L'chaim!

[applause and laughter]

[indistinct chatter]
- Okay.

[dance music]

["September"
by Earth, Wind & Fire]

♪

- Oh, I'm sorry we didn't
tell anyone in advance.

- It was late-breaking news.

- Gene was the most upset.

- Aw, because he wanted
to be the ring bearer.

Look, the most important thing
is that you guys are happy.

- We're okay.
We're really okay.

- Good.

- Excuse me.

- Ah, excuse me.

Will you excuse me
for a second?

Chief.

- Hey.

Sorry, I missed
the festivities.

- Oh, you actually
didn't miss anything.

It's a long story.

How did COMPSTAT go?

- I've had better days,

but, hey, look, I wanted you
to hear this from me.

I'm gonna take
a few days off.

- Are you all right?

- Doc wants to run a few tests.
I told him it's just stress.

- Well, you got
through COMPSTAT,

so the worst is behind you.

- I'm not so sure.

I got a call from my father.

He's retired but he's still got
a few friends on the job.

They wanted him to let me know

the old guard
may be coming for me.

- What does that even mean?
- [chuckles]

They wanna dirty me up
before they force me out.

Look, whatever they try,

I'm not gonna go quietly.

[dramatic music]

- Chief, I'm sorry.

Hey, you're a little late.

- I was looking at apartments.

- In the city?

- Yeah, it's--it's time.

So did I miss the whole thing?

- Actually, they're celebrating

their last-minute decision
not to get married.

- Good for them.

- Well, you lucked out.

You were so worried
about the ceremony,

but you didn't
even have to do it.

- I spent
all night rewriting it.

You know, I was kind of
looking forward to it.

I got the whole thing down
to two minutes.

- I'd like to hear it.
- Ah, come on, you don't...

Really?

- As long as
it's under two minutes.

- Okay.

Dearly beloved...

[laughter]

We are gathered here to witness
and celebrate

the union of Phoebe Baker
and Fin Tutuola.

Fin and Phoebe were
each other's first partners

over 20 years ago,

and a partnership is a lot
like a marriage.

You fight and you make up,

but at the end of the day,

you always have
each other's backs,

and if you had to you'd take
a bullet for each other.

[sentimental music]

And a bond like that...

♪

That never goes away.

♪

- Mm.

- Wait.
- [laughs]

- Wait a second.
Are you crying?

- No, I don't cry at weddings.

If I was, it's just because
I know how they end up.

- Uh-huh.

You never cry, huh?
- [laughs]

♪

- That's better.
- Mm-hmm.

- I'll spare you the rest.
It's...

It's kinda hokey anyway.

It's, uh...
- Carisi.

- What?

♪

- Here you go.

- Thank you.

And I got this for you.

- Thank you.

They're a good-looking couple.

How'd they meet?

- She's a cop.
His first partner.

♪

To partners.

.

[dramatic music]

♪

[wolf howls]