All language subtitles for Law and order SVU S23E02

- 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.

♪

we're losing her ,
I'm gonna get press her chest

[machine emitting long beep]

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

♪

Clear!

[siren wailing]

Let's go again

Again, clear.

- Kat! Kat!

[machine drones]

Let's go again

[solemn music]

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

- Take care of her!
Please stay back

♪

- 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]