Barba quotes from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Sonny

[to Barba] Am I right, Counselor?

Seldom.

Doctor, could Miss Decotis' injuries have been caused by her prostitution?

Dr. Warner

It's unlikely. She was savaged.

Savaged, you say? How so?

Dr. Warner

In addition to the blunt trauma and strangulation, there were cuts on her nipples and external genitalia.

And her anal sphincter, was that torn?

Dr. Warner

Yes, it was.

And these injuries, though not fatal, they would've been painful?

Dr. Warner

Very. She died a slow death.

How long did she survive after the first attack started?

Dr. Warner

30 minutes. Maybe longer.

And she would've been in agony all through it?

Mr. Barba, not to put words in your mouth, but I'm willing to entertain an objection if you have one.

I'm fine, your honor.

Doctor, was she in a lot of pain?

Dr. Warner

Yes. I'm sure she was.

Were there signs of struggle?

Dr. Warner

Yes. The skin was torn around the ligature marks.

What goes through a victim's head in their final moments?

Your honor, may I please speak with my client?

No, I'm not done here.

Short recess.

Sit down!

[to Dr. Warner] Back to Nadia. Would the terror, the fear, have flooded her with adrenaline?

Dr. Warner

I can't answer that.

Would she have awareness of what was going on? Would she understand that these were the final moments of her life?

Come on! Doctor, we are both medical people! Use your knowledge!

[nervously] Or... Or don't.

Rollins, all due respect...

Don't start a sentence that way.

Yates wants to touch his fiancee Susie Frain? Hasn't he "touched" enough women already?

Benson

Look, they've been together 20 years. He's never hurt Susie.

And she's okay with conjugal visits?

Benson

She called about it twice.

Every pot has a lid.

Benson

Lovely.

Are you the most incompetent manager in the world who can't tell the difference between a false report and a legitimate one? Or did you instruct case workers to falsify reports to meet productivity goals?

Objection! Badgering!

I'll allow. The witness will answer.

So which is it, Miss Grayson?

I didn't want any of this to happen.

You didn't want to advance your career by ignoring innocent children's pain and death, or you didn't wanna get caught?

Objection!

I'm asked to do what the courts can't do. What the cops can't do.

You are asked to do your job!

Oh! GOD himself could not do this job!

We need a recess, your honor.

You wanna judge me? You wouldn't last an hour in my world. And if I go, who's gonna be on the front lines? [points at Barba] You?! [points at the judge] You?!

Your honor!

I mean, you dump the most hapless cases in the world on us every day! More and more! We get the dregs of humanity, children raised by WOLVES! And you see them come in this court in and out, week in and week out. They come to you as criminals. Do ya ever stop to think: "Gee, what happened before that?"?

Miss Grayson, do you need a break?

Oh! Now you wanna gimme a break? After 25 years of "Make your quota, Janette!" "Push that paper!" "Hit those numbers!" Right, Matt? Right? It's impossible! And everybody knows it. You all know it. But you wanna scapegoat me. You wanna make me feel bad. You wanna take me down so you can feel better about yourselves. See? 'Cause you pretended like you don't know that there are poor people out there in the city. Broken people. You don't turn away from the homeless guy on the subway? 'Course you do. Everybody does, 'cause it's too much. You wanna put me in jail for this? Look in the mirror, my friend. Look in the damn mirror.

I have to convene a grand jury. The DA says it's my last chance to work my way back into the good graces of City Hall.

Benson

So they're hanging you out to dry.

Politicians want an indictment, DA wants an indictment. If I fail to get it, it's on me.

Benson

So you'll push for one, even though those officers were just doing their jobs?

Their jobs? They fired at an unarmed college student 35 times.

Benson

We were in hot pursuit of a dangerous rapist. Terrence matched the BOLO down to his jersey, he ran...

A black man in a basketball jersey runs when he gets stopped by the police? You're right, he deserves the death penalty.

Benson

That's not what I'm saying.

It's not?

The grand jury starts tomorrow. My advice: Make sure your guys, and your guys especially, tell the truth in their own words. If they sound coached or too legalistic...

They'll do fine. It's a tragedy...

Benson

... but it was a good shoot.

Tom Wolfe was right - sooner or later, all cops become Irish.

Sonny

Lisa Hassler. Wow. Her old man is a legend.

Yeah. She's still trying to impress him. He's been dead for 11 years.

[to Benson] Lewis Hodda may walk if Hassler can make it look like your emotions are getting in the way of your police work, which is what they're doing right now. I need you to sit your ass down and work with me.

Benson

Fine. Start working.

You need my client's testimony. According to the Daily News, no one in the victim's apartment saw anything.

Okay, so which is it: He was there but didn't participate, or he wasn't there? What about his friends? Won't they have sob stories too?

I gave you an opportunity to wrap this up, but if the guilty need to walk for my client to walk, so be it.

[about Doug] I'm not even sure that putting this guy on the stand is a great idea.

Sonny

What, you got a better one?

He's worse than all the others, and that's no easy task.

Benson

Barba...

Benson

At least they admitted that they were there.

Sonny

Okay, look, we're here now. He was there that night. He's the only person close enough to see their faces, to see what they did to her.

And the jury believes him because...?

Sonny

Because I went over his story, backwards and forwards, alright? He never varied. He had a spot-on description of each suspect. Now, maybe he's a coward, yeah. But he's credible.

So, good memory, no morality. Fantastic.

[about Rudnick and Yates] How bad are these guys?

Think Robert Durst and Ted Bundy on the run together.

Benson

An attaboy from Hank Abraham?

Cue the apocalypse.

Sonny

Hey, counselor, you got a second?

Not really. I've got 15 minutes before I have to face a firing squad.

Monsignor Mulregan's visit was not a social call. He has made some very serious allegations.

Benson

Yeah. Against Father Eugene.

No. Against Tucker.

Benson

Allegations against Tucker? What did the monsignor say, exactly?

He said that he and Father Eugene went to Tucker a year ago. That they had information that Vice was running some of their students. Father Eugene even violated the seal of the confessional to provide evidence.

Benson

He claims that?

They also named Russo and Jefferson. And Tucker buried it.

Benson

And he's telling you this now? This is about protecting Father Eugene. I was there, at that church, when Tucker confronted him. I thought he was gonna rip his head off.

I don't know. I don't know. I mean, maybe... maybe... maybe that's what he wanted you to think.

Benson

No, Ed is not capable of that.

Since when? I thought SVU hated this guy. He's gone after each and every one of you.

Benson

That's his job. He has to be relentless. You're wrong about him. Trust me.

Wait... are you involved with him?

Benson

Don't ask me that.

When were you gonna tell me? I am informing you that a captain at IAB may be involved in a sex trafficking ring, and you don't mention that the two of you are sleeping together?

Benson

You're wrong about him. Bring him in here, ask him yourself.

You and I are done talking.