Law & Order Special Victims Unit s25e04 Episode Script
Duty to Report
1
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.
[MUFFLED THUMPING MUSIC]
♪
[SHRIEKING LAUGHTER]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Hey, man, you look lost.
I'm looking for Shea.
I haven't seen her.
Nice helmet.
You selling Mormon Bibles
or something?
No, I'm her math tutor.
[LAUGHTER]
Do you know where
I can find Shea?
Upstairs.
♪
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
So take me back
to the moment
when you first saw
Maddie Flynn.
Where's Maddie?
In the van.
Being driven away.
What are you doing
to help find my daughter?
I see her face.
And?
Mm, it's
Non-reactive.
Am I even doing this right?
Just keep
following my fingers,
and talk to me
about how it feels.
In a word, it's, um
Dizzying.
I told you,
the eye movement is
to help you process the memory.
Mm.
Sorry.
[STAMMERS]
I can't.
Or won't?
Well, can't two things
be true at once?
Okay.
You said you've been
to traditional talk therapy?
I have.
A lot.
- You're aware of vicarious trauma.
- I am.
You've been in SVU
a long time.
25 years.
Imagine you've had your
share of missing children.
Bailey Shaw.
Nate Martell.
Hector Rodriguez.
Heather Hallander.
Emma Emma Lawrence.
So, what makes
Maddie different?
I guess, um
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
Because I don't know
what happened to her.
So it's just
the question mark?
Yeah, I've had question marks
before in my career.
What about your life?
My life?
Is it possible
that it's not just
this case that's
troubling you, but,
certain other unknowns?
Like what?
Necklace you're wearing,
it's a compass.
Yeah, a friend, um
A friend gave it to me.
Interesting symbol.
[CHUCKLES]
He's an interesting friend.
[CHUCKLES]
I'm sure.
So, my question for you,
Captain,
might be the same thing
that he had in mind
when purchasing that gift.
What are you
hoping to navigate?
[ALARM RINGS]
Okay, so let's just
pick this up next week.
Okay.
So next Monday, same time?
You know, I'm gonna try,
but with my job
Ah, things come up.
We'll figure it out.
Thank you.
Uh, Captain?
I'm sorry if this is
crossing a line, but,
I'm having
an issue with a patient,
and I thought maybe
you could help.
Oh.
A young teenage girl
found herself incapacitated
this past Saturday night.
Well, what did she tell you?
She was having
trouble articulating, but,
she told me details that
sounded like a sexual assault.
If she's a minor,
you have a duty to report.
I know, I
I was gonna call Child
Protective Services, but I
I thought, well, maybe with
your expertise that maybe
Okay. I'll talk to her.
- Are you sure?
- Absolutely.
I appreciate it.
There is one more complication.
The girl's father?
You know him.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Okay.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Benson,
what are you doing here?
Yeah, Chief, I'm sorry to
show up like this on your day off,
but, um, it's important.
Oh, you you need to talk?
What's it about?
Well, actually,
I need to talk to your daughter.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Is Shea in
some kind of trouble?
For now, let's just say
I wanna make sure
she's all right.
Well, why the hell
wouldn't she be?
Captain Benson.
- Hey, nice to see you.
- You too, Katie.
What's going on?
She's got some
questions for Shea.
I don't understand.
Look, I know this is a lot,
but I'd like to ask you two
to just trust me.
Captain Benson?
Hey, Shea.
What are you doing here?
I actually just stopped by
to see if we could
have a quick chat,
alone for a minute.
Yeah, it's fine with me,
if my dad is okay with it.
Oh, yeah.
Sweetheart, we'll be
right here if you need us.
My therapist told you
what I said in private?
You're 15, honey.
She's concerned
about your safety, Shea,
and quite frankly, so am I.
What did she tell you, exactly?
That you may have
been sexually assaulted.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I knew I shouldn't
have said anything.
But you did, and there must
have been a reason for that.
If you tell my parents
I had a party,
they're gonna be super pissed.
I don't care
about your party.
That's not why I'm here.
I'm here for one reason, one,
and that's to make
sure that you're okay.
It wasn't a big deal.
Tell me anyway.
I was out of it.
I don't really remember.
Can you tell me
what you do remember, hmm?
He came in my room.
And I was on the bed.
Okay.
And then what?
We
You know, kissed,
sort of, but I just
I don't know, I guess I just
wasn't really in the mood.
Okay.
I think I hurt his pride,
'cause then,
all of a sudden, his
pants were unzipped.
And how did you
react to that?
I told him that I
I needed a beat
But, um
But he already
had a hard-on, so
I just
Kind of went with it.
Meaning what?
I need to hear you say it.
- We had sex.
- You didn't want to?
No
Not like that.
So, Shea, can you tell me
the boy's name who did this?
No, I don't wanna
get anyone in trouble.
From what you're describing,
if you didn't wanna have sex,
you had the right to say no.
Can you tell me his name?
Saagar, my math tutor.
♪
So you're taking Shea to the ER.
Why? What happened?
- What what happened?
- Dad, please.
Shea Shea, honey, did
- D id somebody hurt you?
- Stop.
Shea, did
I just I just
wanna talk to her.
Tommy, honey, she doesn't
wanna talk right now, okay?
I cannot betray her trust.
She's my daughter.
And I can't imagine how
you're feeling right now,
but I am no longer allowed
- to talk to you about this.
- Why not?
Come on, Chief.
It's an active investigation.
Tom, let's just let
Captain Benson do her job.
Kate, Katie, wait.
Wait no, I'm going
to the hospital with you.
- I can't stop you from that
- But?
I have your daughter's
trust right now,
and I don't wanna lose it,
and I don't think
that you want that either.
♪
- She's in with the nurse.
- I should go see her.
No, she actually
asked for privacy.
You know she is 15.
Tommy still thinks
of her as nine.
I know that
this is difficult.
So she was raped,
at the party on Saturday?
So you knew about the party?
We got home on Sunday.
I mean, she tried to clean up,
but there were burn marks
on my couch.
There was broken glass
in the trash.
- It was
- So the chief knew?
Well, he may be a chief now,
but he's a detective at heart.
[SOBS]
You should have seen his face
when he found
his golf clubs
in the bag upside down.
So you just convinced him
to let it go?
No, he's been rough on her.
They're very alike.
Hardheaded.
How has Shea been behaving
since you got back
from your trip?
She's been upbeat,
but I could tell
something was bothering her.
She was feeling guilty.
Were your other daughters
home that weekend?
Mia is away at Syracuse, and,
we brought Dylan with
us to the lake house.
So do you have any idea who
might have been at that party?
Shea's friends, boys?
I stopped asking her about
her life a long time ago.
That's why we got
security cameras.
So, it would be very helpful
if we could see that footage.
She put stickers
over the cameras?
All five of them.
Smarter than a lot
of perps we know.
- All right, when did she do this?
- Saturday.
Pulled the stickers off
the next morning.
After she cleaned.
Okay, well, she's
looking pretty hungover.
Did she mention
blocking the cameras?
No, but she's a teenager.
She doesn't expect
to get caught.
I don't wanna
victim blame.
- But
- But what?
But do we believe
she's being totally honest
- about this assault?
- Meaning?
It's possible that
her biggest regret
isn't that she was having sex;
it's the fact that her father
found out about it.
She told her therapist
24 hours before the father
found out.
Either way, we got a call
from McGrath's office downtown.
- And?
- As far as they're concerned,
it's Brooklyn SVU jurisdiction,
and it's their case
from here on.
Oh, my God, you guys
wanna punt the case?
Are you serious?
What are you afraid of?
Well, Moneybags here is all set,
but me, I have a
pension to look out for.
It's a little late for you
to be worried about
pissing off McGrath,
isn't it, Fin?
You know, I forgot,
I gotta go brainstorm names
for my yacht in the other room.
Okay, you guys flip a coin,
to see who would
talk sense into me?
I volunteer.
- Look, I know you, Liv.
- Something happened to Shea.
Or maybe you're trying
to save the wrong girl again.
Bring in the math tutor,
and get his side of the story.
We both go to Sacred Heart.
- I'm her math tutor.
- That's it? Nothing more?
How often do you see her?
- Three times a week.
- That's a lot, isn't it?
She's pretty bad at algebra.
- Is she okay?
- We'll ask the questions.
When was the last time
you saw her?
Saturday night.
At the party?
Only for a few minutes.
But you weren't invited.
It was a party
for sophomores.
And you're a senior.
So, what were you doing there?
I told you,
I was there to tutor.
On a Saturday night?
And she just
neglected to mention
she was throwing one of the
biggest ragers of the year?
I guess she forgot to cancel?
You had to hear the chatter.
- In the halls of your school?
- Look, she's cool, I'm not.
And anyway, like I said,
they were younger kids there.
Sophomores mostly.
When you saw her,
where was she?
In her room,
looking kind of
- Kind of what?
- Out of it, out of it.
Did you go in the room?
Only for a second
to check on her.
- That's it?
- She seemed pretty upset.
For what reason
would she be upset?
I don't know, but her skirt
was kind of pulled up.
Then what?
- She yelled at me to leave.
- Did you?
I hopped on my bike,
and I rode home.
At about what time?
10:00.
Why?
Did something happen to her?
- You're a tutor.
- Do the math.
She's 15, you're 18.
Chief.
I heard on the radio
you guys picked up a suspect.
I think I should
call my dad.
Him?
That kid.
The math tutor?
Hey, Chief,
you shouldn't be here.
Yeah, well, what would you do
if it were Noah?
I'll tell you
what I wouldn't do is,
I wouldn't go anywhere
near the investigation.
- That kid raped my daughter.
- We don't know that.
- Hey. Chief.
- You.
- Mr. McGrath?
- I trusted you.
- Shea trusted you.
- Chief!
We let you into our home.
- Please, wait. I can explain.
- Settle down.
If I find out that
you did this
I'll kill you.
Get out of my squad room now.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Don't make her tell you again.
♪
- Warned you.
- And you were right.
It's past us now.
Where are you going?
IAB.
Captain Curry.
Sorry I didn't
get back to you.
Well, brought you a coffee.
Bribing an IAB captain?
Are you trying
to get suspended?
You'd be doing me a favor.
Misconduct allegations
against the chief?
Not for the faint of heart.
So, of all the IAB officers
in this department,
- why'd you call me?
- Because I knew I could trust you.
I mean, you investigated
me, didn't you?
Welcome to Group 1.
So you're investigating
some kind of rape allegation
- made by his daughter?
- Shea McGrath.
She said that the
assault happened
in their family
home in Bay Ridge.
Brooklyn SVU should
handle the case.
Well, I see you've been
talking to Sergeant Tutuola.
I would have tried, but,
we both know he wouldn't
have even called me back.
Everything has a place in life.
You would have a stroke
if you saw my desk.
[CHUCKLES] So what can you
tell me about this assault?
Last night, picked up
a suspect, 18 years old.
He's Shea's math tutor.
And?
And I don't know
how else to tell you this,
but Chief McGrath
walked into my squad room,
and he threatened to kill him.
For my records, the chief
made this verbal threat
within earshot of your suspect?
Yes.
Okay, my recommendation,
I'm in the room
for all interviews
with the McGrath
family from here on in.
And what about
the math tutor?
Did he invoke counsel?
He did.
So what's your next step?
Waiting on the DNA.
Gonna check out his alibi.
I'd be more comfortable if
that happened
in the DA's office,
in the presence of his lawyer.
We wanna make sure
there's not a hint
of impropriety, favoritism.
I'll call ADA Carisi
and let him know.
And, uh, you know,
I'm sure this goes
without saying, but, um,
Chief McGrath doesn't know
that I'm here.
He'll have to deal with it.
If he didn't want
IAB getting involved,
he shouldn't have threatened
to kill a suspect.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Ms. Andrews, we appreciate
you meeting with us.
My client is not guilty
of assaulting anyone.
Well, that's what
we're here to discuss.
He's a victim as well,
and I expect him
to be treated as such.
I'm not sure I follow.
He was verbally assaulted
by Chief McGrath.
You were there, weren't you?
I was also there
when your client
recounted entering an
underage girl's room,
while she was passed out
drunk in a state of undress.
I told you I was
only there to tutor.
And it's your contention
that you went straight
home after the party?
I told the detectives
I left the party at 10:00.
- And was that the truth?
- Yes, and no.
Saagar, let me do the talking.
The problem is,
your client's parents
said that he didn't get home
until midnight.
Yeah, I know, they told
me you talked to them.
I can explain.
We're all ears.
Tell them, Saagar.
I had a date.
- With who?
- Claire Oswalt.
She's in my AP chem class.
I went to her house
to study for an exam.
- I thought you said it was a date?
- It was to me.
What matters is,
Ms. Oswalt will verify.
Why not just tell the truth
from the beginning?
It's hard enough for me
with girls at school
without some police
showing up at their doors
painting me as a perv
with a sophomore I tutor.
Are we done here?
Well, once we verify
this version of events,
it'll be the last see of us.
At least one of you.
When you do verify his story,
my client and his family
will be pursuing legal action
against the NYPD.
So Saagar's
alibi checked out?
And no match
to the DNA on Shea's kit.
Kid's off the hook.
But I'd like to go
on record saying
he was only telling
half the truth.
How sure are we Shea McGrath
isn't doing the same?
Everything in its place
she's a kid, Captain Curry.
She's not a desk.
Thank you so much
for coming in, Mrs. McGrath.
I wanted to introduce you
to Captain Curry from IAB.
IAB?
I'm well aware
of my department's
reputation, Mrs. McGrath.
But I wanna assure you,
that all of us want
the same thing,
which is the truth.
Good luck with that.
Shea finally admitted to
covering the security cameras
hours after Tommy found
a sheet of smiley stickers
- in her drawer.
- Okay.
The prefrontal cortex
is one of the last parts
of the brain to mature.
It's the area responsible
for planning,
prioritizing, and making
good decisions, so.
I have a teenager at home.
Okay, I think what
Captain Curry is trying to say
is that this may not be
entirely Shea's fault.
You know, kids her age
are not fully equipped
to deal with certain
aspects of reality.
After what her math tutor
did, can you blame her?
Fortunately for the math tutor,
he's no longer a suspect.
Why would she lie?
I'm sure that there's
a reason, which is why,
Captain Curry and I would
like to speak with her again.
With IAB?
You can forget it.
Do you want justice or not?
Because this is how you get it.
Not for the department
or your husband,
for your little girl.
So, Shea,
this is Captain Curry.
She's gonna be listening in.
Is this because I lied?
There may have
been a reason for that.
These kinds of cases,
they're complicated.
We believe that something
happened to you,
and it's difficult to talk about.
I never wanted to talk about
any of this in the first place.
But we all know now
that you weren't talking
about Saagar at that time.
No.
So whoever this boy is
that raped you,
you were protecting him.
So you were raped?
I told him no.
He didn't listen,
but, Mom, I don't think
- he was trying to hurt me.
- Who?
I know this can all
be very confusing.
You don't understand, our
families live across the street.
What?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
You know who she's talking about?
If this is who I think it is
His dad and Tommy
are good friends.
So, Shea,
I need you to listen to me.
Your father is a big boy,
and he can take care
of himself.
He just wants you safe.
And when you
love someone,
that, is the most
important thing.
♪
- Is our son under arrest?
- No, he's not.
Then why the hell
should he go with you?
We just have some questions
for Liam.
- About what?
- Saturday night.
Oh, that party Shea threw.
Oh, so you knew about it?
Half of Bay Ridge heard the music.
Kids were drinking
hard seltzer
they stole from my basement.
- Is that what this is about?
- Not exactly.
So there was an incident
at the party.
We think Liam
may have witnessed it.
What incident?
I'm calling Tommy.
Call Tommy McGrath.
He's your boss, right?
Ours, maybe, not hers.
Tommy, it's Mickey.
Call me.
Mr. Dowling, like I said,
your son is not under arrest.
We just wanna talk to him.
Down at the station.
Why not just do it here?
No.
Dad, I'll just go talk to them.
No, you're 15.
You're not going anywhere
without me and your mother.
Okay, let's go.
Liam, come ride with us.
I'll drive, Mickey.
My husband fell off a ladder.
He does HVAC in the city.
Broke his wrist.
Okay, you can follow me.
What the hell is going on?
- Chief, let us handle this.
- Tommy
Mickey,
I got a call from you.
- What's this about?
- You tell me.
- I don't know anything.
- Mr. Dowling,
please get in the car.
- Thank you.
- Please.
You brought her here?
I didn't have a choice.
Tommy. Tommy.
Come on. Tommy. Tommy.
Hey.
God!
Sorry you took this case yet?
No.
I'm not.
You think I need a lawyer?
No, I'm just trying to
inform you of your rights
and your son's too.
I just want this over with.
Liam, you want a lawyer?
No.
For what?
They both waived Miranda.
We good to go?
I'm good if Mr. Carisi is.
The kid is 15,
but his father is in the room.
No one's under arrest?
No, not custodial.
We made that perfectly clear
they're free to go at any time.
I'll sit in.
That'd be even more helpful.
Well, so much for McGrath
not knowing that I came to you.
With all the yentas
in this department?
Surprised it took this long.
Yeah, look,
we've had our differences,
but he's a good cop,
- and I respect him.
- So do I.
Just trying to keep it that way.
There's been an allegation
that Shea may have
been sexually assaulted.
Yeah, not by my son.
They grew up together.
They're like cousins.
No, we just wanna find
out if Liam saw anything.
Maybe he saw Shea upset.
I don't wanna get her in trouble.
We're a little past that.
If that girl did
something wrong, Liam,
that is not on you.
Shea has always been
a bit of a wild kid.
Was she drinking?
I was too.
Oh, we don't care about that.
What you should know is,
she was examined at a hospital,
and we searched her room.
So, if there's anything else
that you wanna tell us,
Liam, now's the time.
[SOFT SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- Liam, what happened?
- Nothing.
I swear.
Hey
I raised you.
I know you're not gonna lie to cops.
So you just
tell them the truth.
♪
We had sex, okay?
- She was the one who wanted it.
- Stop.
She was afraid after that
her dad would find out.
- That's not my fault.
- It's not your fault, okay?
But just stop talking right now.
No more questions.
Stop.
Not without a lawyer.
Not exactly a confession.
No, but the Venn diagram
of their Saturday night
seems like it's starting
to have
a nice lemon-shaped wedge.
That's all
we're getting for now.
Should I cut him loose?
- Carisi?
- I don't have enough to arrest.
- This all sucks.
- Yeah.
No matter how
you slice that lemon
The McGraths and the Dowlings
are longtime family friends.
At least they were.
Hard for a friendship to get
past whatever we're looking at.
Either, Shea made this up or,
she didn't consent.
Either way, Liam is not gonna
tell us the whole truth
in front of his father.
Okay, Counselor,
so what do you need?
I need a more than
a he said, she said,
especially considering
Shea has already
made one false accusation.
CSU found DNA on Shea's kit.
He didn't deny having sex.
An outcry witness
would be helpful here.
Plenty of other kids
at that party.
Let's get some statements
on the record.
Check cell phones.
Maybe somebody took selfies.
Or better yet, video.
At this point, I'll take anything
that will corroborate.
On it, Counselor.
[SIGHS]
[LAUGHS]
You having a stroke yet?
No, but you were right
to warn me about your desk.
[CHUCKLES]
Some kind of metaphor,
isn't it?
Welcome to SVU.
Everybody at school
was drinking at Shea's party.
Why, am I in trouble?
We just have a few questions.
You see Shea
with a boy that night?
You mean Liam Dowling?
Yeah, they were
all over each other.
You see them
together in her room?
Yeah, then Shea closed
the door behind them.
Is Shea okay?
She hasn't been to class.
You talk to her?
Not since the party.
She was pretty wasted.
Did you see her with Liam?
I saw him coming downstairs
from her room, being all bro.
Bro?
You know,
fist dapping with his buds.
Here, I have it in the picture.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Can you drop that to me?
[SCHOOL BELL RINGS]
I gotta get to class.
Go ahead.
It doesn't prove anything.
Maybe this will.
Kid wore a helmet
to the party?
With a camera attached.
Yeah, I wear it in case
I have an accident.
Why wouldn't
you just tell us that
when we were accusing you
of assault?
You could have
helped yourself out.
'Cause I did nothing wrong.
Oh, about that, we're sorry.
But we're gonna have
to confiscate that camera.
The kid had a camera?
He's a suspect in a rape case.
How does he not give that up?
Until the age of 25,
the male brain
is as useful as an
electrified meatball.
What does it prove?
We know that
he's not the rapist.
And unless he's got footage
of the actual assault
Nah, but he got
something else.
♪
There's Shea.
Clearly something's off.
Whoever that girl is.
That looks an awful lot
like an outcry witness to me.
So, Shea,
do you know this girl?
I don't know her name.
She's my friend
Cooper's cousin.
Do you remember going
into the bathroom with her,
what you said?
I was pretty out of it.
Why does any of this matter?
She already told you
Liam raped her.
Because Liam
has a different story.
- I am not surprised.
- Wait, what did he say?
That you initiated it,
and that you both
consented to the sex.
That's not true.
I didn't do
You believe my daughter,
don't you?
We do.
But before we can move forward,
we need to ask
a few more questions.
Okay, and, Shea, listen,
if you agreed to it
and then you changed your mind
and decided, no, that's okay.
I wanted to make out.
Okay.
And then after that?
We were on my bed,
kissing.
[SOFT APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]
He took my shirt off.
Okay, and how'd you feel
about that?
I mean, it felt good,
but I didn't want it
to go more than that.
And then he started
pulling up my skirt.
All right, and did you
tell him to slow down,
or stop or anything like that?
Mm-hmm.
You did?
We need to hear you say it.
Yes.
And then how did he respond?
Kept saying, like,
"Come on, it's no big deal."
"Just a little bit.
Just"
"Just a little bit."
And then he just
He just did it.
Okay.
♪
Can I talk to you,
Captain Benson?
- Of course.
- Alone.
I just wanted you to know
that I've spoken to Tommy,
and he understands
that he overstepped.
You have my assurances
it won't happen again.
- I really appreciate
- So you can call off IAB.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Okay, I'm I'm sorry.
I can't do that.
You know, I've been an
NYPD wife for 20 years, so
So you should know that
Captain Curry is here
to protect your husband
as much as she is here
to protect this case.
- And maybe you.
- That too.
I'm familiar with Group 1,
and they are not about
protecting anyone from anything
- except litigation.
- Katie, listen to me
Are you gunning
for Tommy's job?
I'm sorry?
Are you gunning
for Tommy's job?
You know, chiefs are
political cannon fodder.
You know what happened
to Garland, so
Yeah, so why don't
you listen to me,
and let me be
very clear with you.
Mm-hmm.
That is not what's
going on here.
I understand
that you're very upset, okay?
But let's focus
on your daughter
and what's important right now.
Look, I appreciate everything
you've done for my daughter,
but, I just don't think
you and I should talk anymore.
And there's no way in hell
that Shea is testifying.
- Katie.
- Having my family upended
by whatever scumbag lawyer
the Dowlings hire?
- No, thank you.
- I don't think you're thinking
- clearly right now.
- Tommy
will not stand for it,
and neither will I.
♪
Yeah, that's me.
Shea was so upset.
How well do you know
each other?
We never met before;
I just
tagged along to the
party with my cousin.
Okay, but you and Shea went
into the bathroom together.
Why?
I had something
similar happen to me.
Most of my girlfriends have.
So Shea told you
why she was crying?
She said Liam raped her.
Well, there's your
outcry statement, Carisi.
Okay, let's pick
the little prick up.
Full disclosure, Katie
McGrath made it very clear
that Shea will not
be testifying.
Well, I make it a point
to not jump off a bridge
I haven't even crossed yet.
Make the arrest.
You need backup?
Maybe sit this one out?
Your little conversation
with the chief's wife earlier.
Ah, how'd you guess?
I'm used to being hated.
You know what the problem
with the truth is?
People can't handle it.
Liam, my baby.
How can you do this?
We wouldn't be doing this
if we didn't have evidence.
McGrath put you up to this?
Oh, there he is now.
Some friend, Tommy. Huh?
Some friend.
- What kind of a kid are you raising?
- Your daughter's a liar.
Yeah, and your son's
a rapist.
Huh? How does that feel?
She's always been a mess.
Why do you think your wife's
had her in therapy
- for the last three years?
- All right.
That is none
of your business.
- How dare you, man?
- Stop.
- Chief, take it easy.
- No, he needs to hear this.
Two kids got drunk that night,
Tommy, and only one of them's
getting their life ruined
because of what?
- Becau
- He's a boy!
What are you saying, Mickey?
Let's not make this worse
than it already is, Chief.
- Your daughter's a slut.
- Settle down, all right?
She seduced my son.
She's a slut.
- Now she's the one
- Hey!
- Yo, yo, yo, yo!
- Chief! Chief! Look at me!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
You wanna go to jail?
- Say it again, Mickey.
- Chief. Chief. Look at me.
- Say it again.
- Put the gun down.
Put the gun down!
- Now.
- Honey, please. Please.
Please. Please, stop.
Please. Hey.
Please, just
Please, just walk away.
- Away, please.
- I'm sorry.
Tommy, just walk away.
- Walk away. Walk away.
- I'm sorry.
My client is willing
to make a full confession,
as long as his age
gets taken into account.
We're not looking
to prosecute him as an adult.
So what are we talking about?
Given a family court judge's
sign off,
he'll do three years
in juvie, max.
Liam?
You have a deal.
Okay.
What you did was very brave,
Liam,
as far as fessing up,
but not what you did to Shea.
My dad said the first time
he kissed my mom,
she slapped him.
It's not the '80s anymore.
I'd find better role models, son.
- So Liam was arraigned?
- He pled guilty.
Got ROR till his
sentencing in April.
What do you wanna do
about the chief?
He pulled his weapon
on an unarmed civilian.
Good thing Curry
wasn't there.
What are you talking about?
It would have made things
a lot easier.
You planning on reporting him?
Like I have a choice.
Like I keep saying,
- I tried to warn you.
- I know. I know.
Captain, Sarge,
911 got a call from
Brooklyn, a domestic.
- McGrath?
- No, the Dowling house.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Captain Benson, SVU.
- What's going on?
- Responding to a 911 call.
We showed up,
place was a wreck.
What happened?
Father and son
going after each other.
- You arrested both of them?
- Probable cause on both.
Captain Benson.
Mrs. Dowling,
are you all right?
I I know
what you're thinking,
but he's never
pushed me before.
And what about Liam?
I tried to get
between them this time.
Okay, so your husband
didn't break his wrist
falling off a ladder.
Mrs. Dowling?
He
he just gets so angry sometimes.
He didn't want to hurt me.
He punched a hole
in our bedroom wall.
Mrs. Dowling,
none of this is your fault.
I should have
told someone years ago.
You're telling someone now.
All right,
let's get that looked at.
♪
Is Janice gonna be all right?
She has to have 16 stitches
in her hand.
She fell into glass
when he pushed her.
Um
You know,
Mickey and I have been friends.
I I should have seen it.
But I guess I didn't
see it in myself, either.
I let
I let Katie down.
I let you down.
Don't worry about me, Chief.
Worry about your daughter.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
I miss when she was a kid.
[LAUGHS] I I
I walked on water.
- But now
- Just be her father.
Love her.
That's more than I got.
You turned out good.
♪
Um
Listen, um,
about the other night,
I'm not gonna ask you
to cover for me.
You know, I gotta
I gotta take my lumps.
With Curry.
Or somebody else at IAB.
Curry's been gunning
for a transfer for some time.
Good luck.
- Well, thanks.
- I mean it.
Thank you
for everything, Captain.
You too, Chief.
♪
I'll have what she's having.
Any word on the chief?
- He'll be on modified duty.
- For how long?
From what I hear, 1PP's already
vetting candidates for his position.
- That's gotta be rough.
- Yeah.
Well, let me guess,
you're on the short list.
Me?
No. No.
Don't get me wrong,
IAB is soul-grinding.
"The Rat Squad."
I can't imagine that,
'cause you are anything but.
I appreciate that.
I got into IAB hoping
to make a difference.
I know. I mean,
based on my history with you.
I'm glad I didn't find you guilty.
Oh, you and me both.
SVU, what you do,
that makes a difference.
Well, that would be
a lateral move at best,
and there's already a captain.
A damn good one.
Wow, Captain Curry,
are you kissing my ass?
Life's about more
than just career goals.
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
♪
Well, I am short-staffed.
You know, I did happen
to notice the plethora
of Y chromosomes in
your particular squad room.
And with SVU not having
a chief looking over our shoulder,
but an acting chief
Let's face it,
it's the police equivalent
- of a substitute teacher.
- We could get a lot done.
♪
Maybe even break
some rules for a change.
I like the way you think,
- Good.
- Captain.
[CHUCKLES]
I'll pull some strings.
Just tell me when to report.
To the future.
♪
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.
[MUFFLED THUMPING MUSIC]
♪
[SHRIEKING LAUGHTER]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Hey, man, you look lost.
I'm looking for Shea.
I haven't seen her.
Nice helmet.
You selling Mormon Bibles
or something?
No, I'm her math tutor.
[LAUGHTER]
Do you know where
I can find Shea?
Upstairs.
♪
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
So take me back
to the moment
when you first saw
Maddie Flynn.
Where's Maddie?
In the van.
Being driven away.
What are you doing
to help find my daughter?
I see her face.
And?
Mm, it's
Non-reactive.
Am I even doing this right?
Just keep
following my fingers,
and talk to me
about how it feels.
In a word, it's, um
Dizzying.
I told you,
the eye movement is
to help you process the memory.
Mm.
Sorry.
[STAMMERS]
I can't.
Or won't?
Well, can't two things
be true at once?
Okay.
You said you've been
to traditional talk therapy?
I have.
A lot.
- You're aware of vicarious trauma.
- I am.
You've been in SVU
a long time.
25 years.
Imagine you've had your
share of missing children.
Bailey Shaw.
Nate Martell.
Hector Rodriguez.
Heather Hallander.
Emma Emma Lawrence.
So, what makes
Maddie different?
I guess, um
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
Because I don't know
what happened to her.
So it's just
the question mark?
Yeah, I've had question marks
before in my career.
What about your life?
My life?
Is it possible
that it's not just
this case that's
troubling you, but,
certain other unknowns?
Like what?
Necklace you're wearing,
it's a compass.
Yeah, a friend, um
A friend gave it to me.
Interesting symbol.
[CHUCKLES]
He's an interesting friend.
[CHUCKLES]
I'm sure.
So, my question for you,
Captain,
might be the same thing
that he had in mind
when purchasing that gift.
What are you
hoping to navigate?
[ALARM RINGS]
Okay, so let's just
pick this up next week.
Okay.
So next Monday, same time?
You know, I'm gonna try,
but with my job
Ah, things come up.
We'll figure it out.
Thank you.
Uh, Captain?
I'm sorry if this is
crossing a line, but,
I'm having
an issue with a patient,
and I thought maybe
you could help.
Oh.
A young teenage girl
found herself incapacitated
this past Saturday night.
Well, what did she tell you?
She was having
trouble articulating, but,
she told me details that
sounded like a sexual assault.
If she's a minor,
you have a duty to report.
I know, I
I was gonna call Child
Protective Services, but I
I thought, well, maybe with
your expertise that maybe
Okay. I'll talk to her.
- Are you sure?
- Absolutely.
I appreciate it.
There is one more complication.
The girl's father?
You know him.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Okay.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Benson,
what are you doing here?
Yeah, Chief, I'm sorry to
show up like this on your day off,
but, um, it's important.
Oh, you you need to talk?
What's it about?
Well, actually,
I need to talk to your daughter.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Is Shea in
some kind of trouble?
For now, let's just say
I wanna make sure
she's all right.
Well, why the hell
wouldn't she be?
Captain Benson.
- Hey, nice to see you.
- You too, Katie.
What's going on?
She's got some
questions for Shea.
I don't understand.
Look, I know this is a lot,
but I'd like to ask you two
to just trust me.
Captain Benson?
Hey, Shea.
What are you doing here?
I actually just stopped by
to see if we could
have a quick chat,
alone for a minute.
Yeah, it's fine with me,
if my dad is okay with it.
Oh, yeah.
Sweetheart, we'll be
right here if you need us.
My therapist told you
what I said in private?
You're 15, honey.
She's concerned
about your safety, Shea,
and quite frankly, so am I.
What did she tell you, exactly?
That you may have
been sexually assaulted.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I knew I shouldn't
have said anything.
But you did, and there must
have been a reason for that.
If you tell my parents
I had a party,
they're gonna be super pissed.
I don't care
about your party.
That's not why I'm here.
I'm here for one reason, one,
and that's to make
sure that you're okay.
It wasn't a big deal.
Tell me anyway.
I was out of it.
I don't really remember.
Can you tell me
what you do remember, hmm?
He came in my room.
And I was on the bed.
Okay.
And then what?
We
You know, kissed,
sort of, but I just
I don't know, I guess I just
wasn't really in the mood.
Okay.
I think I hurt his pride,
'cause then,
all of a sudden, his
pants were unzipped.
And how did you
react to that?
I told him that I
I needed a beat
But, um
But he already
had a hard-on, so
I just
Kind of went with it.
Meaning what?
I need to hear you say it.
- We had sex.
- You didn't want to?
No
Not like that.
So, Shea, can you tell me
the boy's name who did this?
No, I don't wanna
get anyone in trouble.
From what you're describing,
if you didn't wanna have sex,
you had the right to say no.
Can you tell me his name?
Saagar, my math tutor.
♪
So you're taking Shea to the ER.
Why? What happened?
- What what happened?
- Dad, please.
Shea Shea, honey, did
- D id somebody hurt you?
- Stop.
Shea, did
I just I just
wanna talk to her.
Tommy, honey, she doesn't
wanna talk right now, okay?
I cannot betray her trust.
She's my daughter.
And I can't imagine how
you're feeling right now,
but I am no longer allowed
- to talk to you about this.
- Why not?
Come on, Chief.
It's an active investigation.
Tom, let's just let
Captain Benson do her job.
Kate, Katie, wait.
Wait no, I'm going
to the hospital with you.
- I can't stop you from that
- But?
I have your daughter's
trust right now,
and I don't wanna lose it,
and I don't think
that you want that either.
♪
- She's in with the nurse.
- I should go see her.
No, she actually
asked for privacy.
You know she is 15.
Tommy still thinks
of her as nine.
I know that
this is difficult.
So she was raped,
at the party on Saturday?
So you knew about the party?
We got home on Sunday.
I mean, she tried to clean up,
but there were burn marks
on my couch.
There was broken glass
in the trash.
- It was
- So the chief knew?
Well, he may be a chief now,
but he's a detective at heart.
[SOBS]
You should have seen his face
when he found
his golf clubs
in the bag upside down.
So you just convinced him
to let it go?
No, he's been rough on her.
They're very alike.
Hardheaded.
How has Shea been behaving
since you got back
from your trip?
She's been upbeat,
but I could tell
something was bothering her.
She was feeling guilty.
Were your other daughters
home that weekend?
Mia is away at Syracuse, and,
we brought Dylan with
us to the lake house.
So do you have any idea who
might have been at that party?
Shea's friends, boys?
I stopped asking her about
her life a long time ago.
That's why we got
security cameras.
So, it would be very helpful
if we could see that footage.
She put stickers
over the cameras?
All five of them.
Smarter than a lot
of perps we know.
- All right, when did she do this?
- Saturday.
Pulled the stickers off
the next morning.
After she cleaned.
Okay, well, she's
looking pretty hungover.
Did she mention
blocking the cameras?
No, but she's a teenager.
She doesn't expect
to get caught.
I don't wanna
victim blame.
- But
- But what?
But do we believe
she's being totally honest
- about this assault?
- Meaning?
It's possible that
her biggest regret
isn't that she was having sex;
it's the fact that her father
found out about it.
She told her therapist
24 hours before the father
found out.
Either way, we got a call
from McGrath's office downtown.
- And?
- As far as they're concerned,
it's Brooklyn SVU jurisdiction,
and it's their case
from here on.
Oh, my God, you guys
wanna punt the case?
Are you serious?
What are you afraid of?
Well, Moneybags here is all set,
but me, I have a
pension to look out for.
It's a little late for you
to be worried about
pissing off McGrath,
isn't it, Fin?
You know, I forgot,
I gotta go brainstorm names
for my yacht in the other room.
Okay, you guys flip a coin,
to see who would
talk sense into me?
I volunteer.
- Look, I know you, Liv.
- Something happened to Shea.
Or maybe you're trying
to save the wrong girl again.
Bring in the math tutor,
and get his side of the story.
We both go to Sacred Heart.
- I'm her math tutor.
- That's it? Nothing more?
How often do you see her?
- Three times a week.
- That's a lot, isn't it?
She's pretty bad at algebra.
- Is she okay?
- We'll ask the questions.
When was the last time
you saw her?
Saturday night.
At the party?
Only for a few minutes.
But you weren't invited.
It was a party
for sophomores.
And you're a senior.
So, what were you doing there?
I told you,
I was there to tutor.
On a Saturday night?
And she just
neglected to mention
she was throwing one of the
biggest ragers of the year?
I guess she forgot to cancel?
You had to hear the chatter.
- In the halls of your school?
- Look, she's cool, I'm not.
And anyway, like I said,
they were younger kids there.
Sophomores mostly.
When you saw her,
where was she?
In her room,
looking kind of
- Kind of what?
- Out of it, out of it.
Did you go in the room?
Only for a second
to check on her.
- That's it?
- She seemed pretty upset.
For what reason
would she be upset?
I don't know, but her skirt
was kind of pulled up.
Then what?
- She yelled at me to leave.
- Did you?
I hopped on my bike,
and I rode home.
At about what time?
10:00.
Why?
Did something happen to her?
- You're a tutor.
- Do the math.
She's 15, you're 18.
Chief.
I heard on the radio
you guys picked up a suspect.
I think I should
call my dad.
Him?
That kid.
The math tutor?
Hey, Chief,
you shouldn't be here.
Yeah, well, what would you do
if it were Noah?
I'll tell you
what I wouldn't do is,
I wouldn't go anywhere
near the investigation.
- That kid raped my daughter.
- We don't know that.
- Hey. Chief.
- You.
- Mr. McGrath?
- I trusted you.
- Shea trusted you.
- Chief!
We let you into our home.
- Please, wait. I can explain.
- Settle down.
If I find out that
you did this
I'll kill you.
Get out of my squad room now.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Don't make her tell you again.
♪
- Warned you.
- And you were right.
It's past us now.
Where are you going?
IAB.
Captain Curry.
Sorry I didn't
get back to you.
Well, brought you a coffee.
Bribing an IAB captain?
Are you trying
to get suspended?
You'd be doing me a favor.
Misconduct allegations
against the chief?
Not for the faint of heart.
So, of all the IAB officers
in this department,
- why'd you call me?
- Because I knew I could trust you.
I mean, you investigated
me, didn't you?
Welcome to Group 1.
So you're investigating
some kind of rape allegation
- made by his daughter?
- Shea McGrath.
She said that the
assault happened
in their family
home in Bay Ridge.
Brooklyn SVU should
handle the case.
Well, I see you've been
talking to Sergeant Tutuola.
I would have tried, but,
we both know he wouldn't
have even called me back.
Everything has a place in life.
You would have a stroke
if you saw my desk.
[CHUCKLES] So what can you
tell me about this assault?
Last night, picked up
a suspect, 18 years old.
He's Shea's math tutor.
And?
And I don't know
how else to tell you this,
but Chief McGrath
walked into my squad room,
and he threatened to kill him.
For my records, the chief
made this verbal threat
within earshot of your suspect?
Yes.
Okay, my recommendation,
I'm in the room
for all interviews
with the McGrath
family from here on in.
And what about
the math tutor?
Did he invoke counsel?
He did.
So what's your next step?
Waiting on the DNA.
Gonna check out his alibi.
I'd be more comfortable if
that happened
in the DA's office,
in the presence of his lawyer.
We wanna make sure
there's not a hint
of impropriety, favoritism.
I'll call ADA Carisi
and let him know.
And, uh, you know,
I'm sure this goes
without saying, but, um,
Chief McGrath doesn't know
that I'm here.
He'll have to deal with it.
If he didn't want
IAB getting involved,
he shouldn't have threatened
to kill a suspect.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Ms. Andrews, we appreciate
you meeting with us.
My client is not guilty
of assaulting anyone.
Well, that's what
we're here to discuss.
He's a victim as well,
and I expect him
to be treated as such.
I'm not sure I follow.
He was verbally assaulted
by Chief McGrath.
You were there, weren't you?
I was also there
when your client
recounted entering an
underage girl's room,
while she was passed out
drunk in a state of undress.
I told you I was
only there to tutor.
And it's your contention
that you went straight
home after the party?
I told the detectives
I left the party at 10:00.
- And was that the truth?
- Yes, and no.
Saagar, let me do the talking.
The problem is,
your client's parents
said that he didn't get home
until midnight.
Yeah, I know, they told
me you talked to them.
I can explain.
We're all ears.
Tell them, Saagar.
I had a date.
- With who?
- Claire Oswalt.
She's in my AP chem class.
I went to her house
to study for an exam.
- I thought you said it was a date?
- It was to me.
What matters is,
Ms. Oswalt will verify.
Why not just tell the truth
from the beginning?
It's hard enough for me
with girls at school
without some police
showing up at their doors
painting me as a perv
with a sophomore I tutor.
Are we done here?
Well, once we verify
this version of events,
it'll be the last see of us.
At least one of you.
When you do verify his story,
my client and his family
will be pursuing legal action
against the NYPD.
So Saagar's
alibi checked out?
And no match
to the DNA on Shea's kit.
Kid's off the hook.
But I'd like to go
on record saying
he was only telling
half the truth.
How sure are we Shea McGrath
isn't doing the same?
Everything in its place
she's a kid, Captain Curry.
She's not a desk.
Thank you so much
for coming in, Mrs. McGrath.
I wanted to introduce you
to Captain Curry from IAB.
IAB?
I'm well aware
of my department's
reputation, Mrs. McGrath.
But I wanna assure you,
that all of us want
the same thing,
which is the truth.
Good luck with that.
Shea finally admitted to
covering the security cameras
hours after Tommy found
a sheet of smiley stickers
- in her drawer.
- Okay.
The prefrontal cortex
is one of the last parts
of the brain to mature.
It's the area responsible
for planning,
prioritizing, and making
good decisions, so.
I have a teenager at home.
Okay, I think what
Captain Curry is trying to say
is that this may not be
entirely Shea's fault.
You know, kids her age
are not fully equipped
to deal with certain
aspects of reality.
After what her math tutor
did, can you blame her?
Fortunately for the math tutor,
he's no longer a suspect.
Why would she lie?
I'm sure that there's
a reason, which is why,
Captain Curry and I would
like to speak with her again.
With IAB?
You can forget it.
Do you want justice or not?
Because this is how you get it.
Not for the department
or your husband,
for your little girl.
So, Shea,
this is Captain Curry.
She's gonna be listening in.
Is this because I lied?
There may have
been a reason for that.
These kinds of cases,
they're complicated.
We believe that something
happened to you,
and it's difficult to talk about.
I never wanted to talk about
any of this in the first place.
But we all know now
that you weren't talking
about Saagar at that time.
No.
So whoever this boy is
that raped you,
you were protecting him.
So you were raped?
I told him no.
He didn't listen,
but, Mom, I don't think
- he was trying to hurt me.
- Who?
I know this can all
be very confusing.
You don't understand, our
families live across the street.
What?
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
You know who she's talking about?
If this is who I think it is
His dad and Tommy
are good friends.
So, Shea,
I need you to listen to me.
Your father is a big boy,
and he can take care
of himself.
He just wants you safe.
And when you
love someone,
that, is the most
important thing.
♪
- Is our son under arrest?
- No, he's not.
Then why the hell
should he go with you?
We just have some questions
for Liam.
- About what?
- Saturday night.
Oh, that party Shea threw.
Oh, so you knew about it?
Half of Bay Ridge heard the music.
Kids were drinking
hard seltzer
they stole from my basement.
- Is that what this is about?
- Not exactly.
So there was an incident
at the party.
We think Liam
may have witnessed it.
What incident?
I'm calling Tommy.
Call Tommy McGrath.
He's your boss, right?
Ours, maybe, not hers.
Tommy, it's Mickey.
Call me.
Mr. Dowling, like I said,
your son is not under arrest.
We just wanna talk to him.
Down at the station.
Why not just do it here?
No.
Dad, I'll just go talk to them.
No, you're 15.
You're not going anywhere
without me and your mother.
Okay, let's go.
Liam, come ride with us.
I'll drive, Mickey.
My husband fell off a ladder.
He does HVAC in the city.
Broke his wrist.
Okay, you can follow me.
What the hell is going on?
- Chief, let us handle this.
- Tommy
Mickey,
I got a call from you.
- What's this about?
- You tell me.
- I don't know anything.
- Mr. Dowling,
please get in the car.
- Thank you.
- Please.
You brought her here?
I didn't have a choice.
Tommy. Tommy.
Come on. Tommy. Tommy.
Hey.
God!
Sorry you took this case yet?
No.
I'm not.
You think I need a lawyer?
No, I'm just trying to
inform you of your rights
and your son's too.
I just want this over with.
Liam, you want a lawyer?
No.
For what?
They both waived Miranda.
We good to go?
I'm good if Mr. Carisi is.
The kid is 15,
but his father is in the room.
No one's under arrest?
No, not custodial.
We made that perfectly clear
they're free to go at any time.
I'll sit in.
That'd be even more helpful.
Well, so much for McGrath
not knowing that I came to you.
With all the yentas
in this department?
Surprised it took this long.
Yeah, look,
we've had our differences,
but he's a good cop,
- and I respect him.
- So do I.
Just trying to keep it that way.
There's been an allegation
that Shea may have
been sexually assaulted.
Yeah, not by my son.
They grew up together.
They're like cousins.
No, we just wanna find
out if Liam saw anything.
Maybe he saw Shea upset.
I don't wanna get her in trouble.
We're a little past that.
If that girl did
something wrong, Liam,
that is not on you.
Shea has always been
a bit of a wild kid.
Was she drinking?
I was too.
Oh, we don't care about that.
What you should know is,
she was examined at a hospital,
and we searched her room.
So, if there's anything else
that you wanna tell us,
Liam, now's the time.
[SOFT SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
- Liam, what happened?
- Nothing.
I swear.
Hey
I raised you.
I know you're not gonna lie to cops.
So you just
tell them the truth.
♪
We had sex, okay?
- She was the one who wanted it.
- Stop.
She was afraid after that
her dad would find out.
- That's not my fault.
- It's not your fault, okay?
But just stop talking right now.
No more questions.
Stop.
Not without a lawyer.
Not exactly a confession.
No, but the Venn diagram
of their Saturday night
seems like it's starting
to have
a nice lemon-shaped wedge.
That's all
we're getting for now.
Should I cut him loose?
- Carisi?
- I don't have enough to arrest.
- This all sucks.
- Yeah.
No matter how
you slice that lemon
The McGraths and the Dowlings
are longtime family friends.
At least they were.
Hard for a friendship to get
past whatever we're looking at.
Either, Shea made this up or,
she didn't consent.
Either way, Liam is not gonna
tell us the whole truth
in front of his father.
Okay, Counselor,
so what do you need?
I need a more than
a he said, she said,
especially considering
Shea has already
made one false accusation.
CSU found DNA on Shea's kit.
He didn't deny having sex.
An outcry witness
would be helpful here.
Plenty of other kids
at that party.
Let's get some statements
on the record.
Check cell phones.
Maybe somebody took selfies.
Or better yet, video.
At this point, I'll take anything
that will corroborate.
On it, Counselor.
[SIGHS]
[LAUGHS]
You having a stroke yet?
No, but you were right
to warn me about your desk.
[CHUCKLES]
Some kind of metaphor,
isn't it?
Welcome to SVU.
Everybody at school
was drinking at Shea's party.
Why, am I in trouble?
We just have a few questions.
You see Shea
with a boy that night?
You mean Liam Dowling?
Yeah, they were
all over each other.
You see them
together in her room?
Yeah, then Shea closed
the door behind them.
Is Shea okay?
She hasn't been to class.
You talk to her?
Not since the party.
She was pretty wasted.
Did you see her with Liam?
I saw him coming downstairs
from her room, being all bro.
Bro?
You know,
fist dapping with his buds.
Here, I have it in the picture.
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
Can you drop that to me?
[SCHOOL BELL RINGS]
I gotta get to class.
Go ahead.
It doesn't prove anything.
Maybe this will.
Kid wore a helmet
to the party?
With a camera attached.
Yeah, I wear it in case
I have an accident.
Why wouldn't
you just tell us that
when we were accusing you
of assault?
You could have
helped yourself out.
'Cause I did nothing wrong.
Oh, about that, we're sorry.
But we're gonna have
to confiscate that camera.
The kid had a camera?
He's a suspect in a rape case.
How does he not give that up?
Until the age of 25,
the male brain
is as useful as an
electrified meatball.
What does it prove?
We know that
he's not the rapist.
And unless he's got footage
of the actual assault
Nah, but he got
something else.
♪
There's Shea.
Clearly something's off.
Whoever that girl is.
That looks an awful lot
like an outcry witness to me.
So, Shea,
do you know this girl?
I don't know her name.
She's my friend
Cooper's cousin.
Do you remember going
into the bathroom with her,
what you said?
I was pretty out of it.
Why does any of this matter?
She already told you
Liam raped her.
Because Liam
has a different story.
- I am not surprised.
- Wait, what did he say?
That you initiated it,
and that you both
consented to the sex.
That's not true.
I didn't do
You believe my daughter,
don't you?
We do.
But before we can move forward,
we need to ask
a few more questions.
Okay, and, Shea, listen,
if you agreed to it
and then you changed your mind
and decided, no, that's okay.
I wanted to make out.
Okay.
And then after that?
We were on my bed,
kissing.
[SOFT APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]
He took my shirt off.
Okay, and how'd you feel
about that?
I mean, it felt good,
but I didn't want it
to go more than that.
And then he started
pulling up my skirt.
All right, and did you
tell him to slow down,
or stop or anything like that?
Mm-hmm.
You did?
We need to hear you say it.
Yes.
And then how did he respond?
Kept saying, like,
"Come on, it's no big deal."
"Just a little bit.
Just"
"Just a little bit."
And then he just
He just did it.
Okay.
♪
Can I talk to you,
Captain Benson?
- Of course.
- Alone.
I just wanted you to know
that I've spoken to Tommy,
and he understands
that he overstepped.
You have my assurances
it won't happen again.
- I really appreciate
- So you can call off IAB.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Okay, I'm I'm sorry.
I can't do that.
You know, I've been an
NYPD wife for 20 years, so
So you should know that
Captain Curry is here
to protect your husband
as much as she is here
to protect this case.
- And maybe you.
- That too.
I'm familiar with Group 1,
and they are not about
protecting anyone from anything
- except litigation.
- Katie, listen to me
Are you gunning
for Tommy's job?
I'm sorry?
Are you gunning
for Tommy's job?
You know, chiefs are
political cannon fodder.
You know what happened
to Garland, so
Yeah, so why don't
you listen to me,
and let me be
very clear with you.
Mm-hmm.
That is not what's
going on here.
I understand
that you're very upset, okay?
But let's focus
on your daughter
and what's important right now.
Look, I appreciate everything
you've done for my daughter,
but, I just don't think
you and I should talk anymore.
And there's no way in hell
that Shea is testifying.
- Katie.
- Having my family upended
by whatever scumbag lawyer
the Dowlings hire?
- No, thank you.
- I don't think you're thinking
- clearly right now.
- Tommy
will not stand for it,
and neither will I.
♪
Yeah, that's me.
Shea was so upset.
How well do you know
each other?
We never met before;
I just
tagged along to the
party with my cousin.
Okay, but you and Shea went
into the bathroom together.
Why?
I had something
similar happen to me.
Most of my girlfriends have.
So Shea told you
why she was crying?
She said Liam raped her.
Well, there's your
outcry statement, Carisi.
Okay, let's pick
the little prick up.
Full disclosure, Katie
McGrath made it very clear
that Shea will not
be testifying.
Well, I make it a point
to not jump off a bridge
I haven't even crossed yet.
Make the arrest.
You need backup?
Maybe sit this one out?
Your little conversation
with the chief's wife earlier.
Ah, how'd you guess?
I'm used to being hated.
You know what the problem
with the truth is?
People can't handle it.
Liam, my baby.
How can you do this?
We wouldn't be doing this
if we didn't have evidence.
McGrath put you up to this?
Oh, there he is now.
Some friend, Tommy. Huh?
Some friend.
- What kind of a kid are you raising?
- Your daughter's a liar.
Yeah, and your son's
a rapist.
Huh? How does that feel?
She's always been a mess.
Why do you think your wife's
had her in therapy
- for the last three years?
- All right.
That is none
of your business.
- How dare you, man?
- Stop.
- Chief, take it easy.
- No, he needs to hear this.
Two kids got drunk that night,
Tommy, and only one of them's
getting their life ruined
because of what?
- Becau
- He's a boy!
What are you saying, Mickey?
Let's not make this worse
than it already is, Chief.
- Your daughter's a slut.
- Settle down, all right?
She seduced my son.
She's a slut.
- Now she's the one
- Hey!
- Yo, yo, yo, yo!
- Chief! Chief! Look at me!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
You wanna go to jail?
- Say it again, Mickey.
- Chief. Chief. Look at me.
- Say it again.
- Put the gun down.
Put the gun down!
- Now.
- Honey, please. Please.
Please. Please, stop.
Please. Hey.
Please, just
Please, just walk away.
- Away, please.
- I'm sorry.
Tommy, just walk away.
- Walk away. Walk away.
- I'm sorry.
My client is willing
to make a full confession,
as long as his age
gets taken into account.
We're not looking
to prosecute him as an adult.
So what are we talking about?
Given a family court judge's
sign off,
he'll do three years
in juvie, max.
Liam?
You have a deal.
Okay.
What you did was very brave,
Liam,
as far as fessing up,
but not what you did to Shea.
My dad said the first time
he kissed my mom,
she slapped him.
It's not the '80s anymore.
I'd find better role models, son.
- So Liam was arraigned?
- He pled guilty.
Got ROR till his
sentencing in April.
What do you wanna do
about the chief?
He pulled his weapon
on an unarmed civilian.
Good thing Curry
wasn't there.
What are you talking about?
It would have made things
a lot easier.
You planning on reporting him?
Like I have a choice.
Like I keep saying,
- I tried to warn you.
- I know. I know.
Captain, Sarge,
911 got a call from
Brooklyn, a domestic.
- McGrath?
- No, the Dowling house.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
Captain Benson, SVU.
- What's going on?
- Responding to a 911 call.
We showed up,
place was a wreck.
What happened?
Father and son
going after each other.
- You arrested both of them?
- Probable cause on both.
Captain Benson.
Mrs. Dowling,
are you all right?
I I know
what you're thinking,
but he's never
pushed me before.
And what about Liam?
I tried to get
between them this time.
Okay, so your husband
didn't break his wrist
falling off a ladder.
Mrs. Dowling?
He
he just gets so angry sometimes.
He didn't want to hurt me.
He punched a hole
in our bedroom wall.
Mrs. Dowling,
none of this is your fault.
I should have
told someone years ago.
You're telling someone now.
All right,
let's get that looked at.
♪
Is Janice gonna be all right?
She has to have 16 stitches
in her hand.
She fell into glass
when he pushed her.
Um
You know,
Mickey and I have been friends.
I I should have seen it.
But I guess I didn't
see it in myself, either.
I let
I let Katie down.
I let you down.
Don't worry about me, Chief.
Worry about your daughter.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
I miss when she was a kid.
[LAUGHS] I I
I walked on water.
- But now
- Just be her father.
Love her.
That's more than I got.
You turned out good.
♪
Um
Listen, um,
about the other night,
I'm not gonna ask you
to cover for me.
You know, I gotta
I gotta take my lumps.
With Curry.
Or somebody else at IAB.
Curry's been gunning
for a transfer for some time.
Good luck.
- Well, thanks.
- I mean it.
Thank you
for everything, Captain.
You too, Chief.
♪
I'll have what she's having.
Any word on the chief?
- He'll be on modified duty.
- For how long?
From what I hear, 1PP's already
vetting candidates for his position.
- That's gotta be rough.
- Yeah.
Well, let me guess,
you're on the short list.
Me?
No. No.
Don't get me wrong,
IAB is soul-grinding.
"The Rat Squad."
I can't imagine that,
'cause you are anything but.
I appreciate that.
I got into IAB hoping
to make a difference.
I know. I mean,
based on my history with you.
I'm glad I didn't find you guilty.
Oh, you and me both.
SVU, what you do,
that makes a difference.
Well, that would be
a lateral move at best,
and there's already a captain.
A damn good one.
Wow, Captain Curry,
are you kissing my ass?
Life's about more
than just career goals.
[PENSIVE MUSIC]
♪
Well, I am short-staffed.
You know, I did happen
to notice the plethora
of Y chromosomes in
your particular squad room.
And with SVU not having
a chief looking over our shoulder,
but an acting chief
Let's face it,
it's the police equivalent
- of a substitute teacher.
- We could get a lot done.
♪
Maybe even break
some rules for a change.
I like the way you think,
- Good.
- Captain.
[CHUCKLES]
I'll pull some strings.
Just tell me when to report.
To the future.
♪