Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

Blackout (2019)

Mariska Hargitay: Lieutenant Olivia Benson

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Quotes 

• Deputy Chief Dodds : [to Olivia]  I heard about the traffic stop. I'm as upset as you are. I have a phone call to the superintendent of the State Police to find out what happened.

  Olivia Benson : My son, Dodds. They did this to me in front of my son. Noah was hysterical. He didn't sleep all night.

  Deputy Chief Dodds : We'll get to the bottom of this.

  Olivia Benson : We're already at the bottom of it. This is about your friend, Rob Miller.

  Deputy Chief Dodds : Why do you think Miller is involved?

  Olivia Benson : I think that Rob Miller raped Nikki Staines.

  Deputy Chief Dodds : Well, I find that hard to believe.

  Olivia Benson : Well, he admitted to having a sexual encounter with her. He claimed that it was consensual, and when I threatened to arrest him, the next thing I know is I'm being pulled over by State Police.

  Deputy Chief Dodds : Okay, let's just slow all this down.

  Olivia Benson : Slow this down? Please don't tell me that he's got something on you.

  Deputy Chief Dodds : What are you talking about?

  Olivia Benson : Well, that's how it works, doesn't it? Rob Miller finds your vulnerability, and then he exploits it. He puts a marker on you and owns you for life.

  Deputy Chief Dodds : No one owns me, Lieutenant.

  Olivia Benson : Well, then what? You introduced me to our target. You directed me to speak with him about the investigation. For all I know, you could be the one leaking details about this case.

  Deputy Chief Dodds : Okay, Liv, stop. You're upset?

  Olivia Benson : Understandable. Yes.

  Deputy Chief Dodds : So I'm going to put aside for a moment what you just accused me of.

  Olivia Benson : Well, you're not denying it. Help me understand. Tell me that I'm wrong. Miller deliberately misled me. He manipulated a judge and he intimidated our victim.

  Deputy Chief Dodds : Olivia, I'm not saying you're wrong.

  Olivia Benson : Then what are you saying? Hm?

  Deputy Chief Dodds : That if we strike at the king and miss, it will be both our heads on the chopping block.

  Olivia Benson : So let's make sure we don't miss.

• Deputy Chief Dodds : [to Olivia and Amanda]  Lieutenant, Detective, am I allowed to say you both look lovely tonight?

  Olivia Benson : Only if you say the same thing to Fin and Carisi.

  Deputy Chief Dodds : [laughs]  Oh, yeah, I'll get right on that.

• Amanda Rollins : You meeting somebody?

  Olivia Benson : Rob Miller.

  Amanda Rollins : Really?

  Olivia Benson : What's wrong?

  Amanda Rollins : It... uh... how much do we about that guy?

  Olivia Benson : Aside from the fact that he's defending the NYPD in a case brought on by Nikki Staines?

  Amanda Rollins : And just happens to provide us negative info on her? I did some digging, and some of the intel on her came from Judge Leonard, the-the judge who dismissed the charges in the Wally Stevens sex party case.

  Olivia Benson : Yeah.

  Amanda Rollins : It turns out that Leonard had committed plagiarism back in law school.

  Olivia Benson : But that didn't stop him from getting on the bench.

  Amanda Rollins : Exactly.

  Olivia Benson : Rob Miller had to have something to do with this.

  Amanda Rollins : Okay, yeah, so you're getting the same bad feelings about Miller.

  Olivia Benson : Oh, yeah. From the second he handed me that thick file on Nikki. Why do you think I agreed to have a drink with him?

• Olivia Benson : Two hours of glad-handing the brass. I am so ready to be on my couch with my feet up.

  Amanda Rollins : Or in bed.

  Olivia Benson : Or that. One more time around the room and we're out of here.

  Amanda Rollins : I was ready to go when we got here.

• Rob Miller : [to Olivia]  You know, if you want my DNA, you can just ask for it.

  Olivia Benson : What are you talking about?

  Rob Miller : The busboy who took my glass, I've never seen him here before and I saw how he was holding it. He's crime scene unit, isn't he?

  Olivia Benson : Very good.

  Rob Miller : You wanna tell me what's going on?

  Olivia Benson : Well, it appears that there are some things about you and Nikki Staines that that you forgot to mention.

  Rob Miller : For instance?

  Olivia Benson : For instance, if we run your DNA against what we found in Nikki's rape kit, will there be a match?

  Rob Miller : Very likely it will.

  Olivia Benson : Wow. That was easy.

  Rob Miller : So was she.

• Olivia Benson : Hey, Nikki. Come in. How are you holding up?

  Nikki Staines : Um, aside from the panic attacks and trouble sleeping?

  Olivia Benson : Yeah, I get it. Believe me. Well, if it's any relief, Rob is being held without bail in the federal system. He can't get to the judge this time.

  Nikki Staines : That's good. That means we have a shot.

  Olivia Benson : Yes, we do.

  Nikki Staines : [starts crying]  My God.

  Olivia Benson : Hey, It's okay.

  Nikki Staines : I can't believe it.

  Olivia Benson : It's okay. It's okay, Nikki. It's over. It's over and he can't hurt you again.

  Nikki Staines : No. That's not it. Um, It's me.

  Olivia Benson : What do you mean?

  Nikki Staines : All the cases that I've done. And all the... all the victims that I've put on the stand. The way that I have have torn them apart.

  Olivia Benson : You were just doing your job.

  Nikki Staines : I know. I know what I did to them now. And I don't know if I will ever be the same again. And I... I don't even know if I'll be able to do my job again.

  Olivia Benson : You will because you have to. And because, Nikki, because you're damn good at it.

  Nikki Staines : I don't I feel like I don't know anything anymore.

• Olivia Benson : This memo that Dodds wrote. You knew about it, didn't you?

  Odafin Tutuola : I didn't wanna upset you, Liv. It was right after Noah got kidnapped.

  Olivia Benson : Should I be worried about my job?

  Odafin Tutuola : Not for a minute. Trust me, Liv, I've got your back now, then, and always.

• Olivia Benson : [to Miller]  So Dodds said that you might be able to provide some insight on what happened to Nikki.

  Rob Miller : Well, I've learned a thing or two from being her opposing counsel on this surveillance case.

  Olivia Benson : Like what?

  Rob Miller : The power of technology.

  [hands Olivia a list] 

  Rob Miller : It's a list of suspects from the sex crimes databases who happened to be in the area where Nikki says she was assaulted.

  Olivia Benson : Wow. Where did you get this?

  Rob Miller : A private company that aggregates location data from cell phones and owes me a favor or two. The irony is, Nikki would be appalled by the civil liberties issues if the police did this, but I'm not the police.

  Olivia Benson : [smiles]  Well, thank you.

  Rob Miller : You're welcome. There's also something else we should discuss, and I am sorry to say that it involves the credibility of your victim.

  [hands Olivia a large file] 

  Rob Miller : This is a file on Nikki. I think you should know what you're getting yourself into before you put any more eggs in this basket.

  Olivia Benson : And what am I getting into?

  Rob Miller : Did you know that Nikki's been cited for contempt four times, and that at least one judge has threatened to have her sanctioned for suborning perjury and submitting false statements?

  Olivia Benson : Are you saying that Nikki is a liar?

  Rob Miller : Absolutely not. I like Nikki personally, but I want you to be able to go into this with your eyes open.

  Olivia Benson : Well, we're still gonna pursue the case.

  Rob Miller : As you should. I wanted you to have a chance to get ahead of a potential problem with someone making accusations about the NYPD. Should I not have shared this?

  Olivia Benson : No, of course it's better to know.

  Rob Miller : I...

  [sighs] 

  Rob Miller : I feel like I've offended you.

  Olivia Benson : No, not at all. We're we're all professionals here.

  Rob Miller : [chuckles]  I was afraid you'd say that as well.

  Olivia Benson : Why?

  Rob Miller : Because I wanted to ask you out for a drink tomorrow night before the Governor's dinner.

  Olivia Benson : Didn't see that one coming.

• Rob Miller : Ms. Staines asked me for a ride home. We had a somewhat drunken, but completely consensual encounter in my limo.

  Olivia Benson : Was that before or after you drugged her and took her phone?

  Rob Miller : I don't know what happened to her phone, and if she took drugs, she got them from someone else. Not me. She'd obviously had a few drinks.

  Olivia Benson : So you just dumped her out of your limo and onto the street?

  Rob Miller : She insisted I stop the car. She wanted to walk home. I did what she asked me to. Talk to my driver, he'll back me up.

  Olivia Benson : I was in your office yesterday and you handed me a file on Nikki Staines. You knew that we were investigating sexual assault and somehow you left all of this out.

  Rob Miller : Because I'm a gentleman. I didn't want to embarrass her about our encounter when she's opposing counsel in a lawsuit.

  Olivia Benson : You know that I can call the DA and get a warrant for your arrest now, right?

  Rob Miller : Oh, really? For what? A drunken hookup in a limo? Give me a break. I'm late for dinner and you don't want to be late for picking up your son. Have a good night.

• Olivia Benson : I know my left hook needs work.

  Trainer Wyatt : You're looking really good, though. I tell you what. The next time we box, I'm hitting back.

  Olivia Benson : Oh, well, now you're scaring me.

• Olivia Benson : Look, was she suing any of these cops individually?

  Amanda Rollins : She could be planning to.

  Olivia Benson : The only way we're gonna rule this out is to subpoena every single cop at that party. So which one of you wants to go to talk to Dodds with me?

• Rob Miller : You don't like the wine? California Red. A little fruit forward. Jammy.

  Olivia Benson : No, I... I love the wine. It's just that I have to pick up my son from his play date.

  Rob Miller : So no chance of you joining me for the Governor's dinner?

  Olivia Benson : Not tonight, anyway.

  Rob Miller : I'll take that to mean I can keep trying.

• Rob Miller : What's this?

  Olivia Benson : You're under arrest.

  Rob Miller : Anything I said is inadmissible. Attorney/client privilege.

  Dominic Carisi : Huh. Well, Chief Dodds waived that privilege when he put on that wire. Plus, and you should know this, that does not apply when there's a crime fraud exception or discussion of further crime.

  Rob Miller : What crime? I was making a bad joke. Nikki Staines got into my car of her own accord. She dropped her phone. The sex was consensual.

  Olivia Benson : Consensual? She was unconscious. Why? You already had the phone.

• Rob Miller : I'll be out of these cuffs in an hour.

  Olivia Benson : I wouldn't be so sure. Once word gets out that you've been arrested, your friends are gonna turn on you. And nobody helps the wolf when he's bleeding.

• Deputy Chief Dodds : Let me get this straight. You want me to allow a fishing expedition on the personnel records of 50 police officers?

  Olivia Benson : They were all at this party. We need to eliminate them as suspects.

  Deputy Chief Dodds : And create a record that'll be a treasure trove for a defense lawyer already suing our department? No.

  Olivia Benson : We don't want it to look like we're circling the wagons.

  Deputy Chief Dodds : I got news. We are circling the wagons. Staines is the enemy.

  Olivia Benson : No, not this time. Staines is the victim here, Dodds.

• Olivia Benson : You have a problem, Carisi?

  Dominic Carisi : No, I... I understand that she's a victim here. I just I guess I'd rather be working on behalf of somebody who's not suing our department for $15 mill.

  Olivia Benson : Okay, well, that doesn't matter now.