.
- 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.
- Is this even real? - It seems like it is.
- The trafficking case is now focused on Congressman Howard.
We picked up the aide, Ruben Ortiz.
- He asked me to make sure that former interns were
in the suite. - The girl that he drugged,
she was 16 years old.
- Let's just stop right here.
- Today we announce the arrest of George Justin Howard.
- Joe Velasco, I'm on the job.
Call Chief McGrath. - Catalina's flipped.
- I was to find homeless women who would have sex with him
in exchange for subsidized apartments.
- You need to make this go away.
- We can protect you.
- We need you to testify.
[dramatic music]
- Passersby claim that they saw Catalina jump.
- Find Rosa and find Jenna now.
- Tragedy in Harlem tonight as Catalina Machado,
founder and CEO of Proud Life, apparently committed suicide
after the indictment of Congressman Howard
and the continuing investigation
into allegations of corruption and sex trafficking
within her organization.
- After her arrest and then her indictment,
Catalina took her own life here tonight,
as investigators really closed in
on a decades-long sex-for-housing scandal.
- Sources say Catalina's empire began to collapse weeks ago
when several women disclosed to SVU detectives
they'd been coerced into sexual relationships
with city workers, housing management,
and elected officials.
[dramatic music]
♪
- Tom, make sure to process
this sliding-glass door handle for prints and touch DNA.
- I was home when I got called,
got here as soon as I could.
Oh.
Do we have any idea how this happened?
- It's unlikely that it was an accident.
The balcony railing is perfectly intact.
The--the M.E.'s looking at trajectory
and force of impact.
- I know Catalina well enough; she'd never commit suicide.
She's been fighting her whole life.
- We're still canvassing.
But nobody on that street or in this building heard
or saw anything.
So we're looking at street cams,
security cams, her phone, emails.
And there's no sign of any foul play in this apartment.
And there's more bad news, Chief.
Ruben Ortiz was found dead in his bathtub an hour ago.
Slit wrists.
- What about our other witnesses?
- Kat is on her way to Rosa Estrada's apartment.
I've got calls in to the warden at Rikers
about Paulie Banducci. - And Jenna?
- Not answering her phone. Neither are her parents.
I've alerted the Bayonne Police Department.
I've got Rollins and Joe Velasco
on the way to the house now.
- So Congressman Howard's cleaning house.
- Or somebody's doing it for him.
He still thinks that he's a future presidential candidate.
There is no way that his fingerprints
will be anywhere near this.
[dramatic music]
♪
[knocking at door] - Rosa?
[sighs]
Rosa, it's Detective Tamin.
Go.
Thank God you're okay. - I'm not okay.
- What happened? - I get calls.
They said if I don't keep my mouth shut,
they're gonna hurt Filipe. I saw men outside.
- Okay, I don't see anyone out there now.
- They left, and I'm leaving too.
- Rosa, where are you gonna go?
- We're taking the dollar bus to Buffalo.
I have a cousin there. - Please don't.
I know that this is scary.
It's not safe if you leave the city.
Please let us protect you, okay?
We can put you in a motel.
Officer?
This is Officer Raleigh.
He's gonna stay with you and Filipe, okay?
Please, Rosa? You're safer here.
- Paulie Banducci? - You're too late.
The man didn't make it. - What happened?
- He got jumped.
Cracked skull, never regained consciousness.
- What, the C.O.s beat him up,
or they just look the other way?
- You know how it goes.
C.O.s, inmates, nobody likes a rapist.
[soft tense music]
- Jenna's parents still aren't answering their phone.
- Neither is Jenna. [dog barking]
I don't like this.
- I don't like any of this.
[dog continues barking] - Come here.
- What the hell are you doing? Easy, Maverick.
- NYPD.
- Ray, this is Detective Rollins.
We met at the hospital. Why are you here?
- Where's Jenna right now, Mrs. Evans?
- Up--upstairs, asleep.
We--we just--we went to dinner.
- We've been trying to call you.
- Yeah, we were watching the game.
Jenna! - Honey?
- What's going on? - Jenna?
- All right, guys, calm down. - All right, all right.
Her room's at the end of the hall.
- Okay. - Jenna!
Jenna!
- I got blood here. - Jesus Christ!
- Guys, I need you to stay back.
- What the hell? - It's locked.
Go.
- Jenna!
Jenna? Jesus Christ.
- Jenna? - Jenna--Jenna!
- It's not that far down. She could have jumped.
- Guys, I need you to stay out. - Where's my girl?
- Just stay out.
- I'll call the Captain, you call backup.
♪
[dramatic music]
♪
Anybody breaks in, my boy knows what to do.
- Well, he did good.
We're running the bloodstains from the hallway.
- So you think someone tried to break in and kidnap her?
Why?
- Okay, so we--we don't know exactly what happened yet,
but you--you know that her window was open,
and you said that she had a bike.
- We shouldn't have gone out. We missed their calls.
- Okay, Laura, don't lecture me.
- I checked the shed. No bike.
Is this her cell phone? - Yes, yes.
So she got away.
- Is there anywhere your daughter might go?
A boyfriend, a friend's house?
- She's not allowed to date.
Besides this escapade she had in the city,
she's always been a good girl.
- Okay, we're gonna need access to her phone,
her computer, social media accounts.
Do you have her passwords? - Yeah, of course I have them.
I wanted to put a GPS tracker on the phone,
but someone thought that was too much.
I'll go get the passwords. All right, here, hold him.
- So they have no idea that Jenna was
more than Howard's intern. - No, we soft-pedaled that part
when her mother came to pick her up.
She was petrified that her dad would find out.
- They also have no idea that whoever broke in
might be connected to Howard.
- We just need to find this girl.
- The mom might know more than she's saying.
Damn, I must have left my cell phone in there.
- Oh, I-I-I should get Ray.
He's in the office, making calls.
His brother's a Jersey state trooper.
- No need, I'm just so stupid, I can't find my phone.
Could you call it for me?
- Oh, okay, I'll-- - Here, I'll put in my number.
- Sorry, he's a rookie.
[tense music]
[phone rings]
- Here it is.
- Thanks, you're a lifesaver.
- Just promise me you'll find my daughter.
- We will, Mrs. Evans.
♪
- Smooth. - Now she has my number.
- She had mine.
- Well, you called her four times; she didn't pick up.
I'm just giving her options.
- Okay, by the way, at SVU, we don't make promises
we're not sure we can keep, especially to parents.
- Congressman, do you have a comment on the deaths
of Catalina Machado and Ruben Ortiz?
- Is it true they were set to testify against you?
- Their suicides were a tragedy.
No other comment at this time.
- I mourn the loss of my aide and friend, Ruben Ortiz,
and of Catalina Machado.
They were caught in their own web of corruption,
and I'm heartbroken that they chose this tragic way out.
I blame the DA's office and the NYPD
who pressured them to frame me on these ludicrous charges.
Now, make no mistake, we believe this was an attempt
by my political rivals to knock me off the ballot
in 2024, but this is still America.
And we're gonna let the people decide who gets to lead.
- Is the DA going to drop the charges?
- We're expecting a call any minute.
Thank you, everyone, thank you.
- Shameless. - That's the new playbook.
The best defense is a gaslighting offense.
- Two suicides, a jail beatdown,
right before the grand jury.
That's not an offense. They're going to war.
- Our entire case just gets obliterated?
What the hell is going on?
- We're trying to figure that out.
- And the press is just feeding us into a woodchipper.
- Of course they are.
This is what I feared would happen
when we rushed the case.
- Excuse me? - Chief.
Chief, there has been a lot of pressure to get a win fast.
People died.
- Yeah, they trusted us, and now they're gone.
- Yeah, you've made your point. Now let me make mine.
Jenna Evans is still out there.
So, for her sake and ours, find her.
[phone buzzes]
McGrath.
Okay, okay.
No, no, no, that is-- that is good work.
Good work.
That was Joe Velasco.
He just saved our asses.
[dramatic music]
♪
- So I made a connection with Jenna at the party.
I gave her Q's contact, and it paid off.
She DMed me from an app on a burner cell--
- Just tell us what she said, Detective.
- Not much. "Q, I need to see you."
I DMed back, "Where are you? I'll come get you."
And then she ghosted me.
- Or someone grabbed the phone from her.
- She reached out to you from a burner?
- We need to track incoming and outgoing calls
from that number. - Already had TARU run them.
What do you OGs call it? The LUDS and MUDS?
- All right, did you get anything?
- He did.
- The same number checks in every Tuesday and Friday
at exactly 4:20. - 4:20?
Maybe it's a weed dealer.
- Check that number, see if we can get an address.
- Actually, I already did that too.
- Good.
- Another noise complaint?
I just spent five grand soundproofing the place.
- Not about the music.
Look, is this your number? - Yeah.
- Who were you calling?
- I don't think I want to tell you guys that.
- You want to be implicated in the possible abduction
of a 16-year-old girl?
- Oh, okay, look, the guy just sells me bud.
That's it. I know him as Chris.
- You call for pickup or delivery?
- On Tuesdays, he delivers.
On Fridays, I go over there to party.
- Call your boy, say you want to come over and party now.
Put him on speaker.
Where's his spot?
- Look, man, my take, this guy wouldn't kidnap anyone.
I'm just saying. - Would he hide someone out?
- Okay, well, you're gonna need to tell us
the set up over there.
Is he armed? Does he have a crew?
What are we walking into?
- [sighs]
[dramatic music]
- Okay, we'll take the back. - Let's go.
[hip-hop music playing inside house]
♪
- Hey, Jenna, you in there? It's Q.
You sent me a message and I came.
You good?
Hey, can you open the door?
I just want to see you.
[music stops]
[tense music]
Down! Get down.
- Police, get down. Keep your hands up.
♪
- Ugh!
- Shots fired, side of the house.
- Fin, Kat, anyone hit?
- Yeah, the vest caught it.
- [groans]
- Second shot. - Snuck under.
- Damn.
1013, we have officer down at 559 Degraw.
I need a bus now.
.
[tense music]
♪
- Hey! Drop it.
Drop it before I drop you.
- I didn't know you were cops. Jenna said
someone was trying to kill her. - Where is she?
Where's Jenna? - Damn, man,
you didn't identify yourselves! - Where is she?
Down.
- Got him.
Fin, how's Kat? - She's hanging in.
EMTs are on the way.
♪
- [shaky breathing]
Oh, my God, I heard shots.
- Hayden, where's Jenna? - Q?
- Where is she? - I don't know.
- She's gut-shot with a .45 slug.
I've been putting pressure on it.
She's bleeding pretty bad.
- We got it from here, Sergeant.
- I'm not leaving her.
♪
- Jenna! Jenna, hey.
Jenna--Je--hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, Jenna.
It's okay. Come back inside.
Everything's fine. Everything's safe, come on.
- I messed everything up!
- No, you didn't do anything wrong, Jenna.
Come back inside.
You reached out to me, remember?
- That was a mistake.
Did you send that guy to my house?
Are you a part of this? - No!
I'm a cop, Jenna. I'm here to help you.
- Fin, I'll meet you at Kings County.
How's she doing? - She's fighting.
Say hi, Kat.
- Hi, Kat.
- That's funny. Hang in there, Detective.
[siren wails]
- Look, it's all good. Just get here, okay?
- [sighs]
♪
- My father's gonna know everything!
- What? That you partied a little?
Come on, that's on Howard, not on you.
You dad just wants you safe.
- No, he's gonna kill me. - Why?
- You don't know anything.
♪
- Hey, hey, hey, hey.
♪
- What are you doing?
- You see this belt?
My dad used to whip me with it.
Used to whip my mother even more
when he was drunk.
I used to be afraid of
breathing wrong in front of him.
I get it. I know how it is, Jenna.
♪
- Yeah. So what'd you do?
- One day, I had enough.
I tried to stop him. He put me in the hospital.
Got himself arrested, and our lives began.
♪
And you know, when he died, everyone wanted his car,
his money, and all I wanted was his goddamn belt.
[cicadas hissing]
And I wear it on the job to remind me of why I do this.
I'm gonna protect you, Jenna.
And you're gonna learn how to protect yourself.
But you gotta trust me.
♪
Now come on.
♪
Come on. Got you, got you.
Okay, you're safe now.
[machine beeping] - What's happening?
What's going on? - Blood pressure's plunging.
I'll give her something to raise it,
but you gotta keep her awake.
- Kat, Kat, Kat, wake up.
Wake up. I'm about to tell you a joke,
but you gotta stay awake for the punchline, okay?
All right, it's a good one.
How many cops does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Li--Kat, wake up! Wake up.
You're gonna be mad if you miss this punchline.
All right, how many?
None.
They bust the bulb for being broke
and the room for being black.
O-okay, it was a bad joke. But listen, listen.
Listen, I got you. All right?
I'm not going anywhere, and you aren't either.
[tense music]
- Hey, just talked to Fin.
They're getting to the hospital.
Kat's stable. - Thank God.
- Yeah. You okay?
- Could use a beer.
- At least.
Guess we, uh, we all have our reasons for doing this job.
- What, the story?
Come on, I made my old man sound worse than he was.
He was okay.
- Ah. Yeah.
♪
[machine emitting long beep]
- What's going on? - Move back, Sergeant.
♪
Clear!
[siren wailing]
Again, clear.
- Kat! Kat!
[machine drones]
.
[solemn music]
- Doc, she's on the job. - We know, Sergeant.
- Take care of her!
♪
- Fin!
How is she? - I don't know, Liv.
Her heart stopped in the ambulance.
- What the hell happened? - We got ambushed.
We had vests, backup-- - Jesus.
- I should have been in the front.
- Knowing Kat, you probably didn't have a choice.
- Sorry. - No, Fin, stop.
Stop, this is not on you. I mean it.
♪
- I was asleep. I heard Maverick barking.
Then the alarm went off. I freaked out.
Someone must have broken into the house.
- Did you see or hear anyone? - No.
I climbed out the window, jumped off the roof,
took off on my bike.
- What about strange calls, texts?
Anyone threatening you?
- I don't like the way you're grilling my daughter.
She should be at home. - Ray, please.
- I don't even know why we're here.
- Mr. Evans, we think whoever broke into your house
might have been an associate of Congressman Howard,
trying to intimidate Jenna into not testifying.
- My God.
- I don't understand what she's testifying to.
Jenna told me that nothing happened
at the fundraiser, that she was there as his guest.
- That's right, Daddy.
- Jenna did nothing wrong, but she's still 16.
We arrested Howard because we thought she was in danger.
- I taught my daughter how to take care of herself.
If she said he didn't do anything,
then he didn't do anything.
- You've heard Congressman Howard's a bad guy.
- Yes, that housing scandal was--
- What's the matter with you?
Jenna had nothing to do with that.
- It would help our case if Jenna were to tell
the grand jury what happened at the fundraiser.
- How many times do we have to tell you people
that nothing happened?
- Your daughter ended up in the hospital.
That's not nothing.
[tense music]
- Don't you talk to me about my family.
- Dad, stop. He saved me.
- That's his job.
- We meant no disrespect.
- I think he did.
♪
I'm grateful to you. You brought my girl home safe.
Now I'm gonna do the same. The two of you, up.
♪
- I just heard. How's Kat doing?
- She's in surgery, but Fin is there.
He'll keep us updated.
- Tough day. Kat's been shot.
And two dead witnesses with no leads
on who killed them. - And I'm swimming upstream.
Howard's lawyer, Myron Gold,
he just filed a motion to dismiss.
We getting anywhere with Jenna?
- She still claims that nothing happened sexually
between her and Howard.
- Even though she was in his bed, semiconscious,
half-dressed, while Howard was unbuckling his pants?
- I could compel her to testify,
but she'd probably just lie on the stand.
- She will. She's scared of her dad.
He's a piece of work. - What about the mother?
Mothers usually know what's going on.
- I hate to admit this,
but Velasco's got a pretty good rapport with her.
- Really? [phone buzzes]
Well, have him reach out to her.
Good news.
Kat's out of surgery.
- They told me I died in the ambulance.
Death is overrated, if you ask me.
I mean, wasn't I supposed to see some white light
or feel some eternal serenity or peace?
- Wasn't your time.
- Maybe just a little floating over my body,
you know, just a taste of the afterlife?
- That would be nice, right?
- You know what was weird?
[dramatic music]
When I came out of the anesthesia,
my mind was racing. - About what?
- I was thinking about Carisi. - Carisi?
- Not like that. Come on.
Something he said.
I remember when I asked him if he ever missed being a cop
or had any regrets,
he didn't.
Said he was where he was supposed to be now.
He knew it.
- So what? You want to be a DA now?
- No.
It's just...
I don't know.
Am I where I'm supposed to be?
- From what I've seen, you're cut for it.
- I know that.
It's--
with SVU, it's just like we're always there too late.
By the time we get there,
the victim is already traumatized,
and then they just get traumatized more.
It's like, what are we doing, you know?
- For me, it's always been about getting
the bad guys off the street.
- I hear that.
It's just--I mean, half the time, they plead out.
Or, if they're rich, they just get off.
It's like, there's gotta be a way to--
to be more proactive, you know?
- Kat, listen,
you just came out of surgery, all right?
So it's no time for you to be making any big decisions.
Just lay back and get some good rest, okay?
[knock at door]
- Céline, flowers and balloons?
- I didn't know which was better.
- Both.
- Oh, my God. - Hey.
I'm fine, babe. - [shaky breaths]
- I'm okay.
- I blame the DA's office and the NYPD
who pressured them to frame me on these ludicrous charges.
Now, make no mistake-- [phone rings]
- Oh, it's Fin.
How is she?
- Well, the surgery went well. She's stable.
A little loopy, but she'll be okay.
- Thank God.
- Okay, when do we get her back?
Even just for desk duty.
- I'm not sure she's looking to come back.
- Come on, just tell her the more time she takes,
the worse it gets.
It's better to just get back on the horse.
- I don't think that's what this is all about.
- Oh, you're both here. Good.
We finally got something on Howard.
- Fin, keep us posted. - Will do.
- What do you have? - Not me, Jenna's mother.
She has proof that Howard had sex with her daughter.
She saved one of Jenna's dresses.
Howard got Jenna pregnant when she was 15.
[dramatic music]
.
- My husband can never know I was here.
You need to swear.
Ray will kill that man if he finds out,
and he'll kill me for not telling him.
- I told her we'd keep this confidential.
- Well, we're--we're gonna do everything we can.
Listen, Laura, I can see how much you love your daughter.
So what can you tell us?
- Jenna met Congressman Howard on a freshman class trip.
She came home giddy.
They exchanged numbers.
And he started texting her, supposedly about an internship.
So my radar went up a little.
- Figured that you could trust him
because he was a congressman?
- And she did go to work in his office that summer.
And we were so proud of her,
and everything seemed fine until her 15th birthday.
- You told me Howard threw her a party
at a restaurant in New York?
- Ray and I were concerned, but it seemed legit.
All the other interns would be there,
and Jenna was so excited.
And he sent a limo.
[dramatic music]
So we--we let her go.
♪
You must think I am a horrible mother.
- No, we don't think that.
So what can you tell us about that night?
- Jenna never admitted it,
but something definitely happened.
- So how do you know that? What makes you think that?
- I could tell that she'd been drinking,
and her make-up was a mess.
I tried to talk to her,
and she just yelled at me to leave her alone.
And I don't know what possessed me,
but, later, I went into the laundry room,
and I found her dress, and it was stained.
And I put it in this bag,
and I shoved it in the back of my closet.
- Did she ever mention it, talk to you about it?
- I tried. I tried to get her to open up.
But she just snapped at me.
♪
And then six weeks later,
I found a positive pregnancy test in the trash.
- And then?
- And then a few days after that,
a car service came and picked her up
and took her to the city.
And when she got home, she was white as a sheet.
And she didn't get out of bed for two days.
Ray didn't see it. He still doesn't.
But I saw.
I saw my baby changing.
What Howard did to her, he has to pay.
- Jenna saved the dress? Who does that?
- Her mother saved the dress.
- So no chain of custody.
We'll be running our own DNA test.
- Be our guest.
The lab says there's enough of a sample to run it ten times.
- Sometimes we go to my grandmother's estate
in Water Mill. She has a hot tub.
- The dress could have been contaminated
with my client's DNA a half-dozen different ways.
- Well, we have a photo of Jenna in that dress
sitting on your lap at her 15th birthday part.
- And setting that aside, there's the abortion.
We'll be going through your campaign finances,
corporate expenses-- - Wait.
What abortion? - Really, Congressman?
Are we gonna pretend like you didn't know she was pregnant?
- I mean, she told me she was, but I didn't think--
wait, hold up.
She had an abortion? - Justin, stop talking.
- I-I know it's a woman's decision,
but I don't believe in that.
- Well, we have your driver's routes
on the night of the birthday party,
and then, six weeks later, driving her out
to Chelsea Gynecology. - What?
You told me it was a false positive,
that she made it up. - Justin--
- Anyway, there is no way that it's mine.
I always pull out.
- Okay, we're done here. - Did you know?
- Shut up, Justin! - The hell did you do, Myron?
- I need a moment with my client--
- No, no, no, no, no, no, no. - Excuse me.
I'm trying to help you.
I'm protecting you, you half-wit.
- What are you gonna do, hit me again?
[tense music]
Get out.
- You're even stupider than everybody told me.
- Counselor, it's his decision.
- What would you like me
to tell your grandmother, Justin?
- Just get out!
All of it, Jenna's abortion, Catalina, Ruben,
it's all him. He did it.
♪
- Whatever he tells you is coerced, under duress,
and without the presence of his attorney.
No way will it stand up in a court of law.
♪
- Is that true?
- Congressman,
how about you take a seat?
Tell us how we got here.
♪
- Once Howard started talking, he wouldn't stop.
Now, this part is believable.
Howard claims that he's just a puppet.
- And Gold pulls the strings? - Apparently.
- Howard says that Gold arranged Jenna's abortion,
organized the hits on Catalina and Ortiz,
Paulie's beatdown, the threats to Rosa.
- And do we have proof of any of that?
- Gold is smart.
We raided his office, and we will be digging
through encrypted files for months.
His finances are a maze of campaign contributions,
Howard Family Trust, PACs with anonymous donors.
I mean, holding companies within holding companies.
- So this could go on forever.
Any chance he'll take a plea?
- You want my client to plead guilty?
You must be joking. - We're not.
- [chuckles]
I know the law better than anyone.
Not that I haven't done things that I regret,
but you're never going to be able to prove any of them.
- Maybe not, but the Southern District,
we have the resources to conduct
a full forensic investigation of every detail of your life
for the last ten years.
- You know what a living hell that can be.
- You can abuse your power, that's true.
So maybe it's time for me to offer a deal.
My line of work,
I know where a lot of bodies are buried.
- Because you buried them. - Let me give you two a tip.
I'm offering you something.
Change your affect. Lean in.
Feign interest.
[dramatic music]
♪
- Who are we talking about?
- An ex-president.
An ex-president's relatives.
Hollywood royalty.
Real royalty.
Silicon Valley billionaires.
What's your pleasure?
.
- On my way, I'll be there in five.
All right, thanks, Anya. - Anya?
- Ah, for a U.S. attorney, she's a good human.
So what do you got? Talk fast.
- We still can't tie Gold to Ortiz or Catalina's suicides.
But accounting did a deep dive on his offshore accounts,
his holding companies.
He's telling the truth about who he can take down.
- Well, turns out that some of the mega-billionaires
he wants to give up, they're already on the Fed's radar.
And Gold's on their wiretaps.
- Yeah, maybe all these guys should go to outer space.
- So you got anything else? I'm due up in--
- I know, in five, in the room where it happens.
Look at you.
Yeah, give my best to Anya.
[chuckles]
- Carisi.
What? Why?
- No, I don't understand.
Oh, I know the attorney general's
longstanding tradition of protecting the powerful,
but is anyone thinking about justice for their victims?
- Sons of bitches.
The DA, the Southern District, the--the AG,
not a set of balls between them.
You know, if you ask me,
this could have been ten times bigger than Gotti or Epstein.
[dramatic music]
All right, all right.
- I am so sorry, Carisi.
And Howard?
Okay, well, that's something.
Keep me posted.
So Howard is the sacrificial predator.
He's taking a plea; he's up for sentencing next month.
And they're not moving forward with Gold's deal or with Gold.
- Who's they? Doesn't matter.
Gold said he had enough to take down an ex-president.
That was never gonna happen.
[knocking]
Kat!
- Hey. - Hey.
- It's too soon for you to be back.
- How are you feeling? - Better.
Doctor said it's good for me to move around.
You got a sec?
- It's good to see you vertical.
Have a seat.
So?
- I don't know how much Fin told you.
- Some.
Look, Kat, you have been through a lot.
Do not underestimate getting shot.
It takes its toll.
- It's not about being shot.
- Okay. Fin told me that too.
- After last year, I thought things would change.
Like, really change.
But they haven't.
The guys like McGrath are holding on tight.
- I hear you.
So stay, Kat.
Fight with me.
The department needs voices like yours.
- Does it?
[somber music]
I mean, Fin told me a while ago, I don't have the rank
to go up against the system.
They're not gonna listen to me.
- I want to talk you out of this
because I believe that change is coming.
- Because you have to.
♪
We're not in the same place. I don't have 20 years invested.
I gotta get out before I get too deep.
Look, I am so happy for the victims' sakes
that you're here.
I just can't stay.
♪
- Okay.
Well, my door is always open, Detective.
- I know. Thank you.
Thank you for everything.
I hope you understand.
- Gonna miss you around here.
- I am gonna miss it.
- Take care of yourself.
- I will try. [laughs]
♪
- They won't let Gold flip?
What genius on the eighth floor made that decision?
- This is way above the eighth floor.
Our guys were fighting tooth and nail on this.
Gold's gotta have bodies on top of bodies.
- What about the charges against him?
- Officially, the investigation into his actions is ongoing.
So... - So two witnesses get murdered
and they're just gonna let that slide?
- My guess, his offer to give up power players,
people in DC heard that as a warning shot.
- Wow.
How are you doing? You put so much work into this.
- We both did.
On the bright side, Howard's gonna take a plea.
If he had gone to trial,
then either you wouldn't have been able to testify
or I wouldn't have been able to prosecute.
- Did somebody rat us out? - No, no.
But we, uh...
we do need to talk about the implications
of whatever it is we're doing here.
- I thought you said we didn't need to disclose
unless it was a serious relationship.
- I'm taking this seriously.
- So am I,
but nobody else needs to know that.
Not right now.
- Nah, nah, they don't. - Hmm?
- I'll try not to channel my inner guilty Catholic.
- [chuckles]
Don't go too far.
I like that guy.
- Chief,
what's going on here?
- I'm sorry to hear about Detective Tamin.
- Why do I feel like we're winning some battles,
here and there, but--
but we're losing the war?
- Because we are.
I when to 1PP to try to argue against the Gold decision.
- Yeah, I heard that McGrath was furious about that too.
But I'm guessing that--
that he didn't back you up.
- More like he hung me out to dry.
"Read the room," they said.
"You're taking down a sitting congressman,
but nothing is enough for you."
They made it clear that inside the Puzzle Palace,
no one sees me as a team player.
- But they didn't actually fire you.
- No, the optics on that would be bad.
But I have decided to leave
before they can bloody me up any more.
- Chief.
- My father got me on the phone last night.
He spent a lifetime at NYPD.
He said, "Son,
"move on.
"Truth is, you'll be more dangerous to them
outside the department than in."
- Captain, a word? - Yeah.
- No, no, no, don't get up. Stay off that ankle.
- Actually the good news is the doctor says
that I'm a fast healer.
- That's good. That's good.
'Cause we're gonna need you functioning at 200%.
Don't know if he told you,
but Chief Garland put in his papers today.
- Yes, I, uh, I heard.
- Entirely his decision.
No one has more respect for Chief Garland than I do.
But this, uh, this last year at SVU,
things got too politicized.
So, moving forward, we need to focus on the real rapes.
- Real rapes? - Uh, oh--I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, that is my old-school talking.
Of course we believe all victims.
- Right.
- But these--you know, these "he said, she said,"
Monday morning regret cases,
they just collapse like a house of cards.
I mean, every time we try to police the bedroom--
- Okay, Chief, I wouldn't-- I wouldn't call
acquaintance rapes "policing the bedroom."
- You know what I'm talking about.
- I'm not gonna turn my back on any victim.
- Nor do I expect you to.
[tense music]
If you put your mind to it,
there's no one better for this job.
I have absolute confidence in you, Olivia.
Oh, um, also, we're looking at
a lot of really excellent candidates
to fill Garland's position.
But, in the meantime, you'll report directly to me, okay?
Is that gonna be a problem?
- No, sir.
- Okay.
[clears throat]
[soft dramatic music]
♪
.
[wolf howls]