Most-quoted character in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: in 637 of its 1,740 quotes Most scenes with: Elliot Stabler (116), Fin (81), Barba (48)
Scenes with Olivia Benson 589
Benson
Martha, I am not a fan of yours and I think that your views on sexual assault are reprehensible, but you are a survivor and I really want to help you get justice.
CCobb
Always effective. The inspirational mission statement.
Benson
[sighs] If you're pulling your punches for ideological reasons because you don't have the integrity to be honest...
CCobb
Do not question my integrity.
Benson
Then how about you drop the armor? How about you start talking to me like a human being, not a media personality? Can we do that? Can we... can we just talk? Please?
The world was an old movie. It was all black and white. And it was high noon. I was Gary Cooper. I was absolutely sure, absolutely, who were the good guys, who were the bad guys. And then you, you started to weasel your way into my world, and the black and white became different shades of gray. Don't. Don't say it. Before I knew it, there were blues and greens and yellows and reds. I'm you now, Liv. You opened my heart. And I thank you for it.
Look, what you do working full-time as a lieutenant and being a single mother that must take more energy than I can imagine. And you... what I mean is, you make it look effortless.
Welcome to Sex Crimes. Look, Stone, there are no perfect witnesses. They leave out part of the story. They can't remember. They feel guilty, change their minds. They blame themselves. They think it's their fault, but that's why we're here. To fight for them. And the less perfect they are, the harder we fight. Look, nobody asks a robbery or a homicide victim if she wanted it. Nobody says, Hey, why was she walking down the dark alley? Why was she wearing the dark skirt? Nobody implies that the crime was somehow her fault.
I'm just used to having more evidence before I go to trial.
Benson
You have the victim's word. We go to trial so the victim, the survivor can look her rapist in the eye and tell the world, her truth. We go to trial so she can be heard. The truth, that's what heals. If you're going to trial because because you want to win, you're in the wrong place.
When I first came to New York, I spent all my time at the hospital with my father. And every afternoon, I'd go down to the cafeteria, grab a cup of coffee. My father died while I was asking one of the servers down there for some half-and-half.
We wanna be realistic. We ask you to hope for the best, but prepare...
CChris
No, I'm not preparing for anything, all right? Haley needs me. She needs me to keep believing that she's alive. I'm the one keeping her alive. The only one.
I've always felt this connection. We both love music and art. We're alike. I played the Hammerklavier when I was 12. I knew my father couldn't be a garbage man. I just knew it.
Betty Bluestone. It was a case I had about five years ago. Her husband, Mitch, used her face like a leg of lamb in a "Rocky" movie. I filed charges, and Betty fell apart on the stand.
So the happy couple goes home, and he blows her brains out on the bathroom tile. I did my job, and in the end, all I did for Betty was delay the inevitable.
Benson
So you decided to take matters into your own hands.
It is a fiction, Olivia. This entire tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth is a load of crap that we tell people so that they think the criminal justice system gives a damn about them. Who did what, who did what to whom.
I opened my eyes. I opened them wide, and I saw that for twelve years, I was a cog in a holier-than-thou wheel, and the wheel just keeps spinning and tossing off bodies as it goes. Some remain standing, some fall. Nobody cares. Nobody gives a damn as long as the wheel keeps turning.
Yeah. It's all on the restaurant video, so we're checking phone records, e-mails, financials, but I'm not hopeful. This guy might actually get away with it.
And receive a lovely parting gift of $50 million. Well, the good news, the civil courts aren't what you'd call quick, and the city's attorneys know how to delay. Still sucks. I know.
Oh, yeah, this goes way past the Sunday school indoctrination my mom made me sit through. This is a form of control. It's a way to discourage analytical thinking.
Or scare you into thinking you're gonna burn in hell if you- you wear a skirt above your knee. I mean, somebody's doing this to keep her in line and she's still protecting them.
You fired the bullet that killed Esther Labott. [horrified, Rollins starts crying] You know the drill. You'll talk to the preliminary investigators, you'll talk to IAB. And I'm confident you'll be back on the job in a few days. [Rollins keeps crying, inconsolable] I'm sorry.
Bobby drove Tiana to all her appointments. He also kept his eyes on the road when she had to handle business in the back seat. He has names, dates, and cash amounts.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit · 1,740 quotes
Benson
