Olivia Benson quotes from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Benson

Grace, I’m Lieutenant Olivia Benson. This is Detective Dominick Carisi. How are you feeling?

Sophie

Like a herd of elephants did the Texas 2-Step on my head.

Benson

You killed them, didn't you, Anna? You did this.

[pause] Of course I did this. I had to.

Benson

You had to kill your children?

[crying] Don't you see? They're so much better off now.

Benson

[about the flowers from Rollins' boyfriend] Those are pretty.

I said, not at the office. And he said they're not for me.

Benson

Who are they for? [Rollins gestures to her pregnant belly] Ah. Smooth.

How was court?

Benson

How do you think?

I don't care if she is crazy. That woman needs to be taken from the Earth.

Benson

You know, last night, I put Noah to bed, I kissed him goodnight, I turned out the light... and I just stood there watching him sleep for 2 hours.

I did the same thing.

Benson

Sometimes life just sucks. [pause] Amanda, you should keep those flowers.

Why?

Benson

Because... because sometimes we just need a little pretty.

To have any chance at trial, I'm going to have to convince Kayla to testify.

Benson

No arm-twisting, Peter.

[smiles] Don't worry. I've been watching someone who's pretty damn good at this.

My feet haven't hurt this bad since I waited tables.

Benson

I had no idea. When did you wait tables?

I was 16. Aunt Betty's Cabin. Best chicken-fried steak you have ever had. [pause] You know, truth be told, none of this culinary grab-ass surprises me.

Benson

You were assaulted.

One of my regulars wanted a little extra sugar with his coffee. Instead he ended up with a raw steak in his eye.

Benson

Peter, I'm sorry for everything you went through, and I'm sorry if it seemed like I doubted you.

Don't be. That's why I work with you. The thing is, when all the noise was going on, there was a moment where I doubted myself.

Benson

If you haven't left the house since 1973, how is it that you got a computer to write on?

What, you got a computer?

Benjamin

[sarcastic] No, I drew hieroglyphics on the crapper wall!

Benson

You know, we've heard this sex-games-gone-wrong story a hundred times before. You buying it?

Well, Botox and cupcakes? Sounds tempting.

Benson

[about Heath and Sadie] They got an answer for everything.

Sonny

So did Ted Bundy, until he didn't.

Benson

Maybe he didn't mean to kill her, but whatever it was, when he got bored with her, you became his fantasy girl. And then when he got bored with you, he molded you into what he saw as perfection.

No, no! He loves me.

Benson

No, he loves the idea of you. The perfect beauty. But beauty fades, Ceci. Even the perfect beauty that he created. That's why he brings other women home to your bed. Because he's searching for something that can never, ever really exist.

What happens now?

Benson

We wait for the DNA to come back, and then we arrest you for 23 rapes.

I'm not Infinity.

Fin

Let's agree to disagree.

As a boy, Infinity was forced to listen while his father raped his mother.

Benson

That explains the pathology, but I don't think any of that was in the books.

Ben Stone knew that?

My father was obsessed. He kept everything, letter after letter. Look, Infinity even sent him a Father's Day card.

Benson

[reading] "Dear Ben, a happy Father's Day. Signed, the Infinity symbol". Take a look.

[moved] Ben Stone kept this?

Yeah, he did. He kept it in an evidence file so it wouldn't smudged or torn. Of course, the idiot sent a card with golf clubs. My father never played a game of gangry]olf in his life.

Infinity couldn't have known...

Right, because he knew nothing about my father.

They had a relationship!

Benson

There was no relationship.

All those hours Ben Stone spent on the case. He spent more time with Infinity than with his own family.

Benson

Ben Stone cared about the women who were raped. He cared about getting justice for them. You're confused.

If you thought this was about you, then you're more insane than I thought.

No! That's not true! I know!

Benson

You know what?

[pause] I would wait outside the D.A.'s office until the light in his office went out. Some nights, he wouldn't even get in his car until after midnight. It was me he cared about, not you! Me! It was me he loved!

Why are you home early?

Benson

I thought we'd spend a little time together.

[angry] I want Lucy!

Benson

[hurt but controlled] Okay, so, Noah, we get in bad moods sometimes, and that's okay. And sometimes it's not about Lucy, or olives, or homework. It means that we're upset about something else. What's wrong, honey? You can tell me. [Noah says nothing] Noah...?

It's Jeremy. He keeps asking where my dad is. I told him he's in heaven.

Benson

[wary] That's right, Noah. He is.

Did he love me?

Benson

Oh, sweetheart... of course he did. Very, very, very much. And someday, when you're older, I promise I'm gonna tell you all about him. But for right now, it's just team you and me. And I feel so very lucky to be on that team.

[smiles] Me, too.

Benson

Greg didn't care about Susan. He was after your sister. He manipulated her. He convinced her that she was in love with him. He even went so far as to propose to her.

He asked her to marry him?

Benson

Yes.

It's that stupid ring. That's why she's been so happy.

Benson

What did she say? What... what did she tell you?

That, um, that me and her and Greg, we were gonna all live together, you know, and everything was gonna be okay. And then she'd just been been babbling on about, like, this "Romeo and Juliet" stuff, which I... oh, my God. What did she do? What did I do?

Benson

This isn't your fault or Laura's. This is one person's fault and that's Greg, and we will make sure that he never hurts you or your sister again.

Sonny

Lieu, I'm sorry. I'm not feeling okay about this case, okay? Maybe I feel like SOBs like Tommy Pearl get exactly what they deserve.

When a cop gets killed, it's an itch I can't scratch.

Sonny

He's a cop who abused his wife!

With his words. Annabeth didn't have to listen.

Benson

Look, guys, stop. Stop. And law without empathy doesn't help anyone, Rollins.

I... I'm all about empathy. Come on, it's... it's coming out of my ears. For eight years, I'm drowning in it.