All language subtitles for Law and Order SVU s23e02 Never Turn Your Back on Them.eng

.

- 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.

- Is this even real?
- It seems like it is.

- The trafficking case is now
focused on Congressman Howard.

We picked up the aide,
Ruben Ortiz.

- He asked me to make sure
that former interns were

in the suite.
- The girl that he drugged,

she was 16 years old.

- Let's just stop right here.

- Today we announce the arrest
of George Justin Howard.

- Joe Velasco, I'm on the job.

Call Chief McGrath.
- Catalina's flipped.

- I was to find homeless women
who would have sex with him

in exchange
for subsidized apartments.

- You need
to make this go away.

- We can protect you.

- We need you to testify.

[dramatic music]

- Passersby claim
that they saw Catalina jump.

- Find Rosa
and find Jenna now.

- Tragedy in Harlem tonight
as Catalina Machado,

founder and CEO of Proud Life,
apparently committed suicide

after the indictment
of Congressman Howard

and the continuing
investigation

into allegations of corruption
and sex trafficking

within her organization.

- After her arrest
and then her indictment,

Catalina took her own life
here tonight,

as investigators
really closed in

on a decades-long
sex-for-housing scandal.

- Sources say Catalina's empire
began to collapse weeks ago

when several women disclosed
to SVU detectives

they'd been coerced
into sexual relationships

with city workers,
housing management,

and elected officials.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Tom, make sure to process

this sliding-glass door handle
for prints and touch DNA.

- I was home
when I got called,

got here as soon as I could.

Oh.

Do we have any idea
how this happened?

- It's unlikely
that it was an accident.

The balcony railing is
perfectly intact.

The--the M.E.'s looking
at trajectory

and force of impact.

- I know Catalina well enough;
she'd never commit suicide.

She's been fighting
her whole life.

- We're still canvassing.

But nobody on that street
or in this building heard

or saw anything.

So we're looking
at street cams,

security cams,
her phone, emails.

And there's no sign of any
foul play in this apartment.

And there's more bad news,
Chief.

Ruben Ortiz was found dead
in his bathtub an hour ago.

Slit wrists.

- What about
our other witnesses?

- Kat is on her way
to Rosa Estrada's apartment.

I've got calls in
to the warden at Rikers

about Paulie Banducci.
- And Jenna?

- Not answering her phone.
Neither are her parents.

I've alerted
the Bayonne Police Department.

I've got Rollins
and Joe Velasco

on the way to the house now.

- So Congressman Howard's
cleaning house.

- Or somebody's doing it
for him.

He still thinks that he's a
future presidential candidate.

There is no way
that his fingerprints

will be anywhere near this.

[dramatic music]

♪

[knocking at door]
- Rosa?

[sighs]

Rosa, it's Detective Tamin.

Go.

Thank God you're okay.
- I'm not okay.

- What happened?
- I get calls.

They said
if I don't keep my mouth shut,

they're gonna hurt Filipe.
I saw men outside.

- Okay, I don't see anyone
out there now.

- They left,
and I'm leaving too.

- Rosa,
where are you gonna go?

- We're taking
the dollar bus to Buffalo.

I have a cousin there.
- Please don't.

I know that this is scary.

It's not safe
if you leave the city.

Please let us
protect you, okay?

We can put you in a motel.

Officer?

This is Officer Raleigh.

He's gonna stay
with you and Filipe, okay?

Please, Rosa?
You're safer here.

- Paulie Banducci?
- You're too late.

The man didn't make it.
- What happened?

- He got jumped.

Cracked skull,
never regained consciousness.

- What, the C.O.s beat him up,

or they just look
the other way?

- You know how it goes.

C.O.s, inmates,
nobody likes a rapist.

[soft tense music]

- Jenna's parents still aren't
answering their phone.

- Neither is Jenna.
[dog barking]

I don't like this.

- I don't like any of this.

[dog continues barking]
- Come here.

- What the hell are you doing?
Easy, Maverick.

- NYPD.

- Ray,
this is Detective Rollins.

We met at the hospital.
Why are you here?

- Where's Jenna right now,
Mrs. Evans?

- Up--upstairs, asleep.

We--we just--we went to dinner.

- We've been trying
to call you.

- Yeah,
we were watching the game.

Jenna!
- Honey?

- What's going on?
- Jenna?

- All right, guys, calm down.
- All right, all right.

Her room's
at the end of the hall.

- Okay.
- Jenna!

Jenna!

- I got blood here.
- Jesus Christ!

- Guys,
I need you to stay back.

- What the hell?
- It's locked.

Go.

- Jenna!

Jenna?
Jesus Christ.

- Jenna?
- Jenna--Jenna!

- It's not that far down.
She could have jumped.

- Guys, I need you to stay out.
- Where's my girl?

- Just stay out.

- I'll call the Captain,
you call backup.

♪

[dramatic music]

♪

Anybody breaks in,
my boy knows what to do.

- Well, he did good.

We're running the bloodstains
from the hallway.

- So you think someone tried
to break in and kidnap her?

Why?

- Okay, so we--we don't know
exactly what happened yet,

but you--you know
that her window was open,

and you said
that she had a bike.

- We shouldn't have gone out.
We missed their calls.

- Okay, Laura,
don't lecture me.

- I checked the shed.
No bike.

Is this her cell phone?
- Yes, yes.

So she got away.

- Is there anywhere
your daughter might go?

A boyfriend, a friend's house?

- She's not allowed to date.

Besides this escapade
she had in the city,

she's always been a good girl.

- Okay, we're gonna need
access to her phone,

her computer,
social media accounts.

Do you have her passwords?
- Yeah, of course I have them.

I wanted to put
a GPS tracker on the phone,

but someone thought
that was too much.

I'll go get the passwords.
All right, here, hold him.

- So they have no idea
that Jenna was

more than Howard's intern.
- No, we soft-pedaled that part

when her mother came
to pick her up.

She was petrified that
her dad would find out.

- They also have no idea
that whoever broke in

might be connected to Howard.

- We just need to find
this girl.

- The mom might know
more than she's saying.

Damn, I must have
left my cell phone in there.

- Oh, I-I-I should get Ray.

He's in the office,
making calls.

His brother's
a Jersey state trooper.

- No need, I'm just so stupid,
I can't find my phone.

Could you call it for me?

- Oh, okay, I'll--
- Here, I'll put in my number.

- Sorry, he's a rookie.

[tense music]

[phone rings]

- Here it is.

- Thanks, you're a lifesaver.

- Just promise me
you'll find my daughter.

- We will, Mrs. Evans.

♪

- Smooth.
- Now she has my number.

- She had mine.

- Well, you called her four
times; she didn't pick up.

I'm just giving her options.

- Okay, by the way, at SVU,
we don't make promises

we're not sure we can keep,
especially to parents.

- Congressman, do you have
a comment on the deaths

of Catalina Machado
and Ruben Ortiz?

- Is it true they were set
to testify against you?

- Their suicides
were a tragedy.

No other comment at this time.

- I mourn the loss of my aide
and friend, Ruben Ortiz,

and of Catalina Machado.

They were caught
in their own web of corruption,

and I'm heartbroken that
they chose this tragic way out.

I blame the DA's office
and the NYPD

who pressured them to frame me
on these ludicrous charges.

Now, make no mistake,
we believe this was an attempt

by my political rivals
to knock me off the ballot

in 2024,
but this is still America.

And we're gonna let the people
decide who gets to lead.

- Is the DA going
to drop the charges?

- We're expecting
a call any minute.

Thank you, everyone,
thank you.

- Shameless.
- That's the new playbook.

The best defense is
a gaslighting offense.

- Two suicides,
a jail beatdown,

right before the grand jury.

That's not an offense.
They're going to war.

- Our entire case
just gets obliterated?

What the hell is going on?

- We're trying
to figure that out.

- And the press is just
feeding us into a woodchipper.

- Of course they are.

This is
what I feared would happen

when we rushed the case.

- Excuse me?
- Chief.

Chief, there has been a lot
of pressure to get a win fast.

People died.

- Yeah, they trusted us,
and now they're gone.

- Yeah, you've made your point.
Now let me make mine.

Jenna Evans is still out there.

So, for her sake and ours,
find her.

[phone buzzes]

McGrath.

Okay, okay.

No, no, no, that is--
that is good work.

Good work.

That was Joe Velasco.

He just saved our asses.

[dramatic music]

♪

- So I made a connection
with Jenna at the party.

I gave her Q's contact,
and it paid off.

She DMed me from an app
on a burner cell--

- Just tell us what she said,
Detective.

- Not much.
"Q, I need to see you."

I DMed back, "Where are you?
I'll come get you."

And then she ghosted me.

- Or someone grabbed
the phone from her.

- She reached out to you
from a burner?

- We need to track
incoming and outgoing calls

from that number.
- Already had TARU run them.

What do you OGs call it?
The LUDS and MUDS?

- All right,
did you get anything?

- He did.

- The same number checks in
every Tuesday and Friday

at exactly 4:20.
- 4:20?

Maybe it's a weed dealer.

- Check that number,
see if we can get an address.

- Actually,
I already did that too.

- Good.

- Another noise complaint?

I just spent five grand
soundproofing the place.

- Not about the music.

Look, is this your number?
- Yeah.

- Yeah.
- Who were you calling?

- I don't think I want
to tell you guys that.

- You want to be implicated
in the possible abduction

of a 16-year-old girl?

- Oh, okay, look,
the guy just sells me bud.

That's it.
I know him as Chris.

- You call for pickup
or delivery?

- On Tuesdays, he delivers.

On Fridays,
I go over there to party.

- Call your boy, say you want
to come over and party now.

Put him on speaker.

Where's his spot?

- Look, man, my take, this guy
wouldn't kidnap anyone.

I'm just saying.
- Would he hide someone out?

- Okay, well, you're gonna
need to tell us

the set up over there.

Is he armed?
Does he have a crew?

What are we walking into?

- [sighs]

[dramatic music]

- Okay, we'll take the back.
- Let's go.

[hip-hop music playing
inside house]

♪

- Hey, Jenna, you in there?
It's Q.

You sent me a message
and I came.

You good?

Hey, can you open the door?

I just want to see you.

[music stops]

[tense music]

Down!
Get down.

- Police, get down.
Keep your hands up.

♪

- Ugh!

- Shots fired,
side of the house.

- Fin, Kat, anyone hit?

- Yeah, the vest caught it.

- [groans]

- Second shot.
- Snuck under.

- Damn.

1013, we have officer down
at 559 Degraw.

I need a bus now.

.

[tense music]

♪

- Hey!
Drop it.

Drop it before I drop you.

- I didn't know you were cops.
Jenna said

someone was trying to kill her.
- Where is she?

Where's Jenna?
- Damn, man,

you didn't identify yourselves!
- Where is she?

Down.

- Got him.

Fin, how's Kat?
- She's hanging in.

EMTs are on the way.

♪

- [shaky breathing]

Oh, my God, I heard shots.

- Hayden, where's Jenna?
- Q?

- Where is she?
- I don't know.

- She's gut-shot
with a .45 slug.

I've been putting pressure
on it.

She's bleeding pretty bad.

- We got it from here,
Sergeant.

- I'm not leaving her.

♪

- Jenna!
Jenna, hey.

Jenna--Je--hey, hey, hey,
hey, hey, Jenna.

It's okay.
Come back inside.

Everything's fine.
Everything's safe, come on.

- I messed everything up!

- No, you didn't do
anything wrong, Jenna.

Come back inside.

You reached out to me,
remember?

- That was a mistake.

Did you send that guy
to my house?

Are you a part of this?
- No!

I'm a cop, Jenna.
I'm here to help you.

- Fin, I'll meet you
at Kings County.

How's she doing?
- She's fighting.

Say hi, Kat.

- Hi, Kat.

- That's funny.
Hang in there, Detective.

[siren wails]

- Look, it's all good.
Just get here, okay?

- [sighs]

♪

- My father's
gonna know everything!

- What?
That you partied a little?

Come on, that's on Howard,
not on you.

You dad just wants you safe.

- No, he's gonna kill me.
- Why?

- You don't know anything.

♪

- Hey, hey, hey, hey.

♪

- What are you doing?

- You see this belt?

My dad used to whip me with it.

Used to whip
my mother even more

when he was drunk.

I used to be afraid of

breathing wrong
in front of him.

I get it.
I know how it is, Jenna.

♪

- Yeah.
So what'd you do?

- One day, I had enough.

I tried to stop him.
He put me in the hospital.

Got himself arrested,
and our lives began.

♪

And you know, when he died,
everyone wanted his car,

his money, and all I wanted was
his goddamn belt.

[cicadas hissing]

And I wear it on the job
to remind me of why I do this.

I'm gonna protect you, Jenna.

And you're gonna learn
how to protect yourself.

But you gotta trust me.

♪

Now come on.

♪

Come on.
Got you, got you.

Okay, you're safe now.

[machine beeping]
- What's happening?

What's going on?
- Blood pressure's plunging.

I'll give her something
to raise it,

but you gotta keep her awake.

- Kat, Kat, Kat, wake up.

Wake up.
I'm about to tell you a joke,

but you gotta stay awake
for the punchline, okay?

All right, it's a good one.

How many cops does it take
to screw in a lightbulb?

Li--Kat, wake up!
Wake up.

You're gonna be mad
if you miss this punchline.

All right, how many?

None.

They bust the bulb
for being broke

and the room for being black.

O-okay, it was a bad joke.
But listen, listen.

Listen, I got you.
All right?

I'm not going anywhere,
and you aren't either.

[tense music]

- Hey, just talked to Fin.

They're getting
to the hospital.

Kat's stable.
- Thank God.

- Yeah.
You okay?

- Could use a beer.

- At least.

Guess we, uh, we all have
our reasons for doing this job.

- What, the story?

Come on, I made my old man
sound worse than he was.

He was okay.

- Ah.
Yeah.

♪

[machine emitting long beep]

- What's going on?
- Move back, Sergeant.

♪

Clear!

[siren wailing]

Again, clear.

- Kat! Kat!

[machine drones]

.

[solemn music]

- Doc, she's on the job.
- We know, Sergeant.

- Take care of her!

♪

- Fin!

How is she?
- I don't know, Liv.

Her heart stopped
in the ambulance.

- What the hell happened?
- We got ambushed.

We had vests, backup--
- Jesus.

- I should have been
in the front.

- Knowing Kat, you probably
didn't have a choice.

- Sorry.
- No, Fin, stop.

Stop, this is not on you.
I mean it.

♪

- I was asleep.
I heard Maverick barking.

Then the alarm went off.
I freaked out.

Someone must have broken
into the house.

- Did you see or hear anyone?
- No.

I climbed out the window,
jumped off the roof,

took off on my bike.

- What about strange calls,
texts?

Anyone threatening you?

- I don't like the way
you're grilling my daughter.

She should be at home.
- Ray, please.

- I don't even know
why we're here.

- Mr. Evans, we think
whoever broke into your house

might have been an associate
of Congressman Howard,

trying to intimidate Jenna
into not testifying.

- My God.

- I don't understand
what she's testifying to.

Jenna told me
that nothing happened

at the fundraiser, that
she was there as his guest.

- That's right, Daddy.

- Jenna did nothing wrong,
but she's still 16.

We arrested Howard because
we thought she was in danger.

- I taught my daughter
how to take care of herself.

If she said
he didn't do anything,

then he didn't do anything.

- You've heard
Congressman Howard's a bad guy.

- Yes,
that housing scandal was--

- What's the matter with you?

Jenna had nothing
to do with that.

- It would help our case
if Jenna were to tell

the grand jury what happened
at the fundraiser.

- How many times
do we have to tell you people

that nothing happened?

- Your daughter ended up
in the hospital.

That's not nothing.

[tense music]

- Don't you talk to me
about my family.

- Dad, stop.
He saved me.

- That's his job.

- We meant no disrespect.

- I think he did.

♪

I'm grateful to you.
You brought my girl home safe.

Now I'm gonna do the same.
The two of you, up.

♪

- I just heard.
How's Kat doing?

- She's in surgery,
but Fin is there.

He'll keep us updated.

- Tough day.
Kat's been shot.

And two dead witnesses
with no leads

on who killed them.
- And I'm swimming upstream.

Howard's lawyer, Myron Gold,

he just filed
a motion to dismiss.

We getting anywhere with Jenna?

- She still claims
that nothing happened sexually

between her and Howard.

- Even though she was
in his bed, semiconscious,

half-dressed, while Howard was
unbuckling his pants?

- I could compel her
to testify,

but she'd probably just lie
on the stand.

- She will.
She's scared of her dad.

He's a piece of work.
- What about the mother?

Mothers usually know
what's going on.

- I hate to admit this,

but Velasco's got
a pretty good rapport with her.

- Really?
[phone buzzes]

Well, have him
reach out to her.

Good news.

Kat's out of surgery.

- They told me I died
in the ambulance.

Death is overrated,
if you ask me.

I mean, wasn't I supposed
to see some white light

or feel some eternal serenity
or peace?

- Wasn't your time.

- Maybe just
a little floating over my body,

you know,
just a taste of the afterlife?

- That would be nice, right?

- You know what was weird?

[dramatic music]

When I came
out of the anesthesia,

my mind was racing.
- About what?

- I was thinking about Carisi.
- Carisi?

- Not like that.
Come on.

Something he said.

I remember when I asked him
if he ever missed being a cop

or had any regrets,

he didn't.

Said he was where
he was supposed to be now.

He knew it.

- So what?
You want to be a DA now?

- No.

It's just...

I don't know.

Am I where I'm supposed to be?

- From what I've seen,
you're cut for it.

- I know that.

It's--

with SVU, it's just like
we're always there too late.

By the time we get there,

the victim is
already traumatized,

and then they just get
traumatized more.

It's like, what are we doing,
you know?

- For me, it's always been
about getting

the bad guys off the street.

- I hear that.

It's just--I mean,
half the time, they plead out.

Or, if they're rich,
they just get off.

It's like,
there's gotta be a way to--

to be more proactive,
you know?

- Kat, listen,

you just came out of surgery,
all right?

So it's no time for you
to be making any big decisions.

Just lay back
and get some good rest, okay?

[knock at door]

- Céline, flowers and balloons?

- I didn't know
which was better.

- Both.

- Oh, my God.
- Hey.

I'm fine, babe.
- [shaky breaths]

- I'm okay.

- I blame the DA's office
and the NYPD

who pressured them to frame me
on these ludicrous charges.

Now, make no mistake--
[phone rings]

- Oh, it's Fin.

How is she?

- Well, the surgery went well.
She's stable.

A little loopy,
but she'll be okay.

- Thank God.

- Okay,
when do we get her back?

Even just for desk duty.

- I'm not sure
she's looking to come back.

- Come on, just tell her
the more time she takes,

the worse it gets.

It's better to just get
back on the horse.

- I don't think
that's what this is all about.

- Oh, you're both here.
Good.

We finally got something
on Howard.

- Fin, keep us posted.
- Will do.

- What do you have?
- Not me, Jenna's mother.

She has proof that Howard had
sex with her daughter.

She saved
one of Jenna's dresses.

Howard got Jenna pregnant
when she was 15.

[dramatic music]

.

- My husband can never know
I was here.

You need to swear.

Ray will kill that man
if he finds out,

and he'll kill me
for not telling him.

- I told her
we'd keep this confidential.

- Well, we're--we're gonna do
everything we can.

Listen, Laura, I can see how
much you love your daughter.

So what can you tell us?

- Jenna met Congressman Howard
on a freshman class trip.

She came home giddy.

They exchanged numbers.

And he started texting her,
supposedly about an internship.

So my radar went up a little.

- Figured that
you could trust him

because he was a congressman?

- And she did go to work
in his office that summer.

And we were so proud of her,

and everything seemed fine
until her 15th birthday.

- You told me Howard
threw her a party

at a restaurant in New York?

- Ray and I were concerned,
but it seemed legit.

All the other interns
would be there,

and Jenna was so excited.

And he sent a limo.

[dramatic music]

So we--we let her go.

♪

You must think
I am a horrible mother.

- No, we don't think that.

So what can you tell us
about that night?

- Jenna never admitted it,

but something
definitely happened.

- So how do you know that?
What makes you think that?

- I could tell
that she'd been drinking,

and her make-up was a mess.

I tried to talk to her,

and she just yelled at me
to leave her alone.

And I don't know
what possessed me,

but, later,
I went into the laundry room,

and I found her dress,
and it was stained.

And I put it in this bag,

and I shoved it
in the back of my closet.

- Did she ever mention it,
talk to you about it?

- I tried.
I tried to get her to open up.

But she just snapped at me.

♪

And then six weeks later,

I found a positive pregnancy
test in the trash.

- And then?

- And then
a few days after that,

a car service came
and picked her up

and took her to the city.

And when she got home,
she was white as a sheet.

And she didn't get
out of bed for two days.

Ray didn't see it.
He still doesn't.

But I saw.

I saw my baby changing.

What Howard did to her,
he has to pay.

- Jenna saved the dress?
Who does that?

- Her mother saved the dress.

- So no chain of custody.

We'll be running
our own DNA test.

- Be our guest.

The lab says there's enough of
a sample to run it ten times.

- Sometimes we go
to my grandmother's estate

in Water Mill.
She has a hot tub.

- The dress could
have been contaminated

with my client's DNA
a half-dozen different ways.

- Well, we have a photo
of Jenna in that dress

sitting on your lap
at her 15th birthday part.

- And setting that aside,
there's the abortion.

We'll be going through
your campaign finances,

corporate expenses--
- Wait.

What abortion?
- Really, Congressman?

Are we gonna pretend like you
didn't know she was pregnant?

- I mean, she told me she was,
but I didn't think--

wait, hold up.

She had an abortion?
- Justin, stop talking.

- I-I know
it's a woman's decision,

but I don't believe in that.

- Well,
we have your driver's routes

on the night
of the birthday party,

and then, six weeks later,
driving her out

to Chelsea Gynecology.
- What?

You told me it was
a false positive,

that she made it up.
- Justin--

- Anyway, there is no way
that it's mine.

I always pull out.

- Okay, we're done here.
- Did you know?

- Shut up, Justin!
- The hell did you do, Myron?

- I need a moment
with my client--

- No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
- Excuse me.

I'm trying to help you.

I'm protecting you,
you half-wit.

- What are you gonna do,
hit me again?

[tense music]

Get out.

- You're even stupider
than everybody told me.

- Counselor, it's his decision.

- What would you like me

to tell your grandmother,
Justin?

- Just get out!

All of it, Jenna's abortion,
Catalina, Ruben,

it's all him.
He did it.

♪

- Whatever he tells you
is coerced, under duress,

and without the presence
of his attorney.

No way will it stand up
in a court of law.

♪

- Is that true?

- Congressman,

how about you take a seat?

Tell us how we got here.

♪

- Once Howard started talking,
he wouldn't stop.

Now, this part is believable.

Howard claims
that he's just a puppet.

- And Gold pulls the strings?
- Apparently.

- Howard says that Gold
arranged Jenna's abortion,

organized the hits
on Catalina and Ortiz,

Paulie's beatdown,
the threats to Rosa.

- And do we have proof
of any of that?

- Gold is smart.

We raided his office,
and we will be digging

through encrypted files
for months.

His finances are a maze
of campaign contributions,

Howard Family Trust,
PACs with anonymous donors.

I mean, holding companies
within holding companies.

- So this could go on forever.

Any chance he'll take a plea?

- You want my client
to plead guilty?

You must be joking.
- We're not.

- [chuckles]

I know the law
better than anyone.

Not that I haven't done
things that I regret,

but you're never going to
be able to prove any of them.

- Maybe not,
but the Southern District,

we have the resources
to conduct

a full forensic investigation
of every detail of your life

for the last ten years.

- You know
what a living hell that can be.

- You can abuse your power,
that's true.

So maybe it's time
for me to offer a deal.

My line of work,

I know where
a lot of bodies are buried.

- Because you buried them.
- Let me give you two a tip.

I'm offering you something.

Change your affect.
Lean in.

Feign interest.

[dramatic music]

♪

- Who are we talking about?

- An ex-president.

An ex-president's relatives.

Hollywood royalty.

Real royalty.

Silicon Valley billionaires.

What's your pleasure?

.

- On my way,
I'll be there in five.

All right, thanks, Anya.
- Anya?

- Ah, for a U.S. attorney,
she's a good human.

So what do you got?
Talk fast.

- We still can't tie Gold to
Ortiz or Catalina's suicides.

But accounting did a deep dive
on his offshore accounts,

his holding companies.

He's telling the truth
about who he can take down.

- Well, turns out that
some of the mega-billionaires

he wants to give up, they're
already on the Fed's radar.

And Gold's on their wiretaps.

- Yeah, maybe all these guys
should go to outer space.

- So you got anything else?
I'm due up in--

- I know, in five,
in the room where it happens.

Look at you.

Yeah, give my best to Anya.

[chuckles]

- Carisi.

What?
Why?

- No, I don't understand.

Oh, I know
the attorney general's

longstanding tradition
of protecting the powerful,

but is anyone thinking about
justice for their victims?

- Sons of bitches.

The DA, the Southern District,
the--the AG,

not a set of balls
between them.

You know, if you ask me,

this could have been ten times
bigger than Gotti or Epstein.

[dramatic music]

All right, all right.

- I am so sorry, Carisi.

And Howard?

Okay, well, that's something.

Keep me posted.

So Howard is
the sacrificial predator.

He's taking a plea; he's up
for sentencing next month.

And they're not moving forward
with Gold's deal or with Gold.

- Who's they?
Doesn't matter.

Gold said he had enough
to take down an ex-president.

That was never gonna happen.

[knocking]

Kat!

- Hey.
- Hey.

- It's too soon for you
to be back.

- How are you feeling?
- Better.

Doctor said it's good
for me to move around.

You got a sec?

- It's good
to see you vertical.

Have a seat.

So?

- I don't know
how much Fin told you.

- Some.

Look, Kat,
you have been through a lot.

Do not underestimate
getting shot.

It takes its toll.

- It's not about being shot.

- Okay.
Fin told me that too.

- After last year,
I thought things would change.

Like, really change.

But they haven't.

The guys like McGrath
are holding on tight.

- I hear you.

So stay, Kat.

Fight with me.

The department needs
voices like yours.

- Does it?

[somber music]

I mean, Fin told me a while
ago, I don't have the rank

to go up against the system.

They're not gonna listen to me.

- I want to talk you
out of this

because I believe
that change is coming.

- Because you have to.

♪

We're not in the same place.
I don't have 20 years invested.

I gotta get out
before I get too deep.

Look, I am so happy
for the victims' sakes

that you're here.

I just can't stay.

♪

- Okay.

Well, my door is
always open, Detective.

- I know.
Thank you.

Thank you for everything.

I hope you understand.

- Gonna miss you around here.

- I am gonna miss it.

- Take care of yourself.

- I will try.
[laughs]

♪

- They won't let Gold flip?

What genius on the eighth floor
made that decision?

- This is way above
the eighth floor.

Our guys were fighting
tooth and nail on this.

Gold's gotta have bodies
on top of bodies.

- What about
the charges against him?

- Officially, the investigation
into his actions is ongoing.

So...
- So two witnesses get murdered

and they're just gonna
let that slide?

- My guess, his offer
to give up power players,

people in DC heard
that as a warning shot.

- Wow.

How are you doing?
You put so much work into this.

- We both did.

On the bright side,
Howard's gonna take a plea.

If he had gone to trial,

then either you wouldn't have
been able to testify

or I wouldn't have been able
to prosecute.

- Did somebody rat us out?
- No, no.

But we, uh...

we do need to talk
about the implications

of whatever it is
we're doing here.

- I thought you said
we didn't need to disclose

unless it was
a serious relationship.

- I'm taking this seriously.

- So am I,

but nobody else needs
to know that.

Not right now.

- Nah, nah, they don't.
- Hmm?

- I'll try not to channel
my inner guilty Catholic.

- [chuckles]

Don't go too far.

I like that guy.

- Chief,

what's going on here?

- I'm sorry to hear
about Detective Tamin.

- Why do I feel like
we're winning some battles,

here and there, but--

but we're losing the war?

- Because we are.

I when to 1PP to try to argue
against the Gold decision.

- Yeah, I heard that McGrath
was furious about that too.

But I'm guessing that--

that he didn't back you up.

- More like he hung me
out to dry.

"Read the room," they said.

"You're taking down
a sitting congressman,

but nothing is enough for you."

They made it clear that
inside the Puzzle Palace,

no one sees me
as a team player.

- But they didn't
actually fire you.

- No, the optics
on that would be bad.

But I have decided to leave

before they can bloody me up
any more.

- Chief.

- My father got me
on the phone last night.

He spent a lifetime at NYPD.

He said, "Son,

"move on.

"Truth is, you'll be
more dangerous to them

outside the department
than in."

- Captain, a word?
- Yeah.

- No, no, no, don't get up.
Stay off that ankle.

- Actually the good news is
the doctor says

that I'm a fast healer.

- That's good.
That's good.

'Cause we're gonna need
you functioning at 200%.

Don't know if he told you,

but Chief Garland
put in his papers today.

- Yes, I, uh, I heard.

- Entirely his decision.

No one has more respect
for Chief Garland than I do.

But this, uh,
this last year at SVU,

things got too politicized.

So, moving forward, we need
to focus on the real rapes.

- Real rapes?
- Uh, oh--I'm sorry.

I'm sorry,
that is my old-school talking.

Of course we believe
all victims.

- Right.

- But these--you know,
these "he said, she said,"

Monday morning regret cases,

they just collapse
like a house of cards.

I mean, every time
we try to police the bedroom--

- Okay, Chief, I wouldn't--
I wouldn't call

acquaintance rapes
"policing the bedroom."

- You know
what I'm talking about.

- I'm not gonna turn my back
on any victim.

- Nor do I expect you to.

[tense music]

If you put your mind to it,

there's no one better
for this job.

I have absolute confidence
in you, Olivia.

Oh, um, also, we're looking at

a lot of
really excellent candidates

to fill Garland's position.

But, in the meantime, you'll
report directly to me, okay?

Is that gonna be a problem?

- No, sir.

- Okay.

[clears throat]

[soft dramatic music]

♪

.

[wolf howls]

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