All language subtitles for Law and Order SVU s26e09 First Light.eng

- 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.

- A-N-H-E-D-O-N-I-A.

- Mm.

Anhedonia.

- Ah. It's the pangram.

Did you get it yet, sweetie?

- I did not,
I'm embarrassed to say.

- Well, if you really
wanna see me happy,

you will tell me the words
that you found,

because I am two away
from Queen Bee.

- All I got is "dodo."

- [chuckles]
Some English professor you are.

- A pity kiss.

That's all I get?
- [laughs] I gotta go.

I got a 10:00
with a new writer.

- Yeah? Young?

Handsome? Upcoming? Brilliant?

- Well, he thinks so.

- Please try not
to fall in love with him.

- [laughs]

- Why don't I take you?

I'll take you.

Let's fire up the MG.
- Mm.

- And my first class
isn't until noon.

So what do you say?

- Sounds good to me.

- If I had a dime
for every leering spouse

who corralled you at a party-

- Honey, you always think that,
but-

- There wouldn't be a dime
left in New York.

[ominous music]

- Harris.

- What is this?

- Call the police.

- No.

Let me get the painters
over here right away.

- Who would do this?

Do you think it's one
of the neighborhood kids?

Well, in the meantime,
leave the door up.

? ?

[bell ringing]

- Can I help you, sir?

- Uh, yeah, can I get a-

I'll get a coffee
and a buttered bagel, please.

- Get away from the door.
Over here!

- It's your turn, sweetheart.

[gunshot]
- [screams]

- Why did you do that?

- What kind of bagel
do you want?

- Everything.

And a coffee,
light and sweet, please.

What's this?

- Coffee's self-serve.

- Self-serve, huh?

Keep your cup.

I'm gonna find someplace else.

- It's not a total rewrite,
Emily.

Please look at it.

Thank you.

- Sorry to interrupt.

- Oh, I'm glad you did.

- This came
in the mail for you.

- What, unsolicited?
No return address?

- Want me to send it to Legal?

- Eh, it's probably Ethan.

It's well past deadline.

The man is a Luddite.

- I could print it out.

- No, uh, thank you, Monique.
I have it.

? ?

[phone buzzing]

- Hello?

- Honey.
I-I need to talk to you.

- That's a woeful
understatement.

- I just got
this, um, thumb drive.

- So did I.

- You mean-

- What's going on here,
Katharine?

Who is this guy?

Who is this guy in our house?

- [crying]
I don't know.

I swear, I don't know.

[dramatic music]

? ?

- Hey.
You wanted to see me?

- Carisi. Yeah.

How you doing?

- I'm good.

- Okay, am I supposed to
pretend like that's true, or...

- Could you?

- Uh, no.

So Amanda told me what happened
with the kid at the bodega,

that he got himself
some sort of pro bono lawyer?

- A white shoe attorney
with a case

of Christmas spirit, apparently.

- And he changed his plea
to not guilty.

- Two months
of pushing this case,

being a thorn in Baxter's side
the entire holiday season,

all for what?

- Justice?

- Deonte took part
in a robbery,

a rape, and a double murder.

Does a plea deal
sound like justice to you?

I'm sorry.

- Captain.

I got a couple here,
and they seem pretty shaken up.

The woman's crying,
so I put them in your office.

- Okay, great.

Thank you.

Hi. Captain Benson.

This is ADA Carisi.

What can we help you with?

- We think
that Katharine was raped.

- Okay, and what makes you
think that?

- This morning,
we found the word "whore"

painted on our garage.

And then Harris and I were both
sent these videos at work.

- Videos of the assault?

- Yeah.
A man she's never met before.

- Somehow,
he was inside my bedroom.

- You have separate bedrooms?
- We do.

I'm a light sleeper.
- Okay.

Um, do you have any idea how-

how he got in?

- In the video, he just walked
in the front door.

- I must not have been home.

- Okay, Mr. Vernon, I'm gonna
have you speak with my sergeant

and Mr. Carisi.

- Mr. Vernon, come with me.

- Will you have Curry
come in here, please?

[suspenseful music]

- I'm sorry.
My-my hands are shaking.

I don't even know how to start
talking about this.

- I think the best place
is always the beginning.

? ?

- The attacker reaches
for the doorknob,

seems to know it's unlocked,

and then he goes
straight to your bedroom.

- Believe me,
I know how this looks.

- It looks like he knows
the layout of your house.

- Mrs. Vernon,
are you absolutely sure

that you don't recognize him?

- I have never seen
this man before.

I swear I have no memory
of him being in my home.

- No violence, no coercion.

The guy is acting
like he knows you.

- You think I'm crazy.

- No, I think there has to be
some kind of explanation.

- Couldn't hurt
to send it to TARU.

- You know-and I know
this is a long shot-

but while you're there,

see if they can pull
some prints

off the thumb drive.

- Okay.

- Was I raped?

- So at this stage,
it's gonna be very difficult

to prove a lack of consent.

- Because it looks
like I cooperated.

- That doesn't mean
that you weren't assaulted.

- But what do you think
this is?

- So, Mrs. Vernon,
I have to ask you.

Do you ever take medication
before you go to sleep?

- Some nights, yes. Why?

- Because with some
of these medications,

you can talk and walk and move
and even have sex

without being aware of it.

- How often
do you and Katharine

leave your door unlocked?

- In New York? Never.

- And you weren't there?

- I already told you,
I'm a light sleeper.

If I'd have been there, I would
have heard the guy come in,

and I would have protected her.

Do we have to-

can you turn this thing off?

- This looks like it was filmed

from the rooftop
across the street.

Do you have any idea
who might have done that?

- I'm assuming the same person

who spray painted
our garage door.

- Could be somebody
trying to do you a favor.

- How do you mean?

- Trying to alert you
to your wife's infidelity.

- Obviously,
the thought crossed my mind.

- How is your-

how is your marriage
in general?

- Our marriage is good.

I think.

I thought it was good.

- Well, I wouldn't call
the divorce attorneys just yet.

Why don't you go home
and get some rest?

It's been a rough day.
- Thank you.

- We'll get to the bottom
of this, one way or another.

- Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.

- [sighs]

- Okay. We'll be in touch.

Okay?

- What are we looking at here?

- Maybe your first case
back in the saddle.

- Grand juries hate a mystery.

- No mystery to me.

His wife cheated, got caught,
and now she's lying about it.

- Okay, well, let's start
with the evidence, Fin,

starting with whoever
spray-painted their garage.

- Does the paint
tell you anything?

- Semi-gloss, durable-
run-of-the-mill spray paint.

- All right,
so who are we looking for?

- Someone
with a one-word vocabulary?

- Yo, Curry.
- Yeah.

- Look what I found.
- Okay, where was it?

- In the sewer, up the block.

- Neighbors give you anything?

- Well, according to them,

the Vernons are
a perfect couple.

- Well, someone obviously
didn't think so.

- You know, we got a Ring cam
across the street.

Had to pick something up.

- Well, we found
our spray-painter.

- Yeah,
complete with a license plate.

- Annette Gallagher
from Elizabeth, New Jersey.

- And her husband, Tommy.

- Huh. Look familiar?

- The guy from the video.

- And that seems like
she was trying

to send Mrs. Vernon a message.

- Yeah, to stay away
from her husband.

- So is there any other
connection to the Vernons?

- No friends in common.

- No professional connections.

- Curry, go talk to her.

- Okay.

- Carisi, you wanna go with?

- Uh, no,
I was gonna go home.

- It might be a good idea

to just ensure
the public interest.

- She has a point.

- All we can prove
is criminal mischief,

and even that's a stretch.

- You know what's not?
Rape One.

- That's an accusation
that's gonna be

tough to substantiate.

- That's why I need it
by the book, Counselor.

- Come on.

I'll drive.

[doorbell rings]

- Can I help you?
- Annette Gallagher?

I'm Captain Renee Curry
with Manhattan SVU.

This is ADA Dominick Carisi.

- Is your husband home?

- What's this about?

- Does the word "whore"
ring a bell?

- So you're not denying
it's you.

- No. It's me. So what?

- Why'd you do it?

- Because that whore was
sleeping with my husband.

- Okay, so you followed him,

and then filmed the video
from across the street?

- No, I hired a PI.

- There.

Does that look
like rape to you?

She's touching me.

Her eyes are open.

- Well, here's the problem,
Mr. Gallagher.

Katharine Vernon says
she doesn't recall any of this.

- Then I'm grateful
Annette hired

a private eye to follow me,

because if this crazy bitch
is accusing me of rape,

it proves I didn't do it.

- Look, I understand
that you were hurt, okay?

You thought that your husband
had cheated on you.

- He did cheat.
You saw the video.

- Well, actually,
Mrs. Gallagher,

he may have done
a lot worse than that.

- I don't understand.

- The woman
that you went after?

She might have been
incapacitated.

- On what?

- On a popular sleep aid.

- [laughs]
Is that what she's claiming?

Is Tommy in trouble?

- He could be.

Do you wanna help your husband?

Then tell me
what led to your suspicion

of him and Mrs. Vernon.

- I woke up a few months back,

and Tommy wasn't in bed.

So the next couple days,
I check his phone

while he's in the shower,
and I find messages

between him and this skank.

- Okay.

And what did you do
after you found them?

- I hired
a private investigator.

- When was this?

- A few weeks ago.

- How did you
and Katharine meet?

- On a forum for dead bedrooms.

It's for married couples
who don't have sex no more.

- So you and Annette,
you're not-

- We got two young kids.
What do you think?

- Keep going.
I'm listening.

- Me and Katharine
started talking.

She says she wants to be taken,

like some kind
of Sleeping Beauty fantasy.

- So you didn't
break into her house?

- You wanna know
how I got in?

How I knew
the door would be unlocked?

She invited me.

[sighs]

- So Rollins says
it was a late night for you.

- Yeah, I had a lot
of reading to do.

- Banana nut muffin?

- Uh, not-not now.

- All right, Carisi,
so what are we looking at?

- Okay, we're looking
at the world's saddest book

on how to keep
a marriage together.

- "Roommate Syndrome"?

- An online forum
for married couples

who've stopped having sex.

- You got a judge
to expedite a warrant

for Tommy Gallagher's
electronics?

- I didn't need to.
This guy offered 'em up to me.

Now, Tommy Gallagher claims
that he and Katharine Vernon

met on this forum.

- And you believe him?

- Based on what I see, yeah.

- Well, I believe Katharine.

- Thought you might say that,
which is why

I invited your friend here.

- Sorry I'm late.

- Amanda.
- Yeah.

Carisi asked if I could use
some of my contacts

to see who has been writing
back and forth

with this Gallagher guy
on the forum.

- Carisi asked you that, huh?

- Handles on the forum
are all anonymous.

- The only thing is,
we need to find

a sample to compare it with.

- Well, that shouldn't be
a problem.

I mean, Katharine Vernon
has been cooperative

since the beginning.

- But if she's lying-

and I did say "if"
for your benefit-

you might find her
slightly less so.

- And if she isn't,
then you might be trying

your first case in months,
Counselor.

- Well, let's not all get
too excited just yet.

Just get me that sample
of Katharine Vernon's writing.

- Okay.

- These look amazing,
by the way.

- I appreciate
what y'all are doing for him.

- Well, you're the one that
had to be up with him all night

reading an adultery forum.

- [sighs] At least
he's excited about something.

- He did come dangerously close
to a smile

on our drive back from Jersey.

- You have something for us?
- Yeah.

We've been looking into that IP
address that you asked about.

- The one you pulled
from Roommate Syndrome?

- Turns out all the posts
came from the same address.

- Do they come from
Katharine Vernon's computer?

- No, that's the thing.

They came from the Vernons'
shared home computer.

- So they could have been
written by Katharine.

- No way to tell.

- What time of day
were they sent?

- Mostly between
10:00 in the morning

and 3:00 in the afternoon.

- Not at night?

- Never.

- Any other pattern?

- 99% of the messages were sent
on Mondays and Wednesdays.

- So most messages were sent
on Mondays and Wednesdays.

- Yup, middle of Harris's day.

- What is this?

- His class schedule.

- So he's had
Mondays and Wednesdays off

for the past two semesters?

- Mm-hmm,
and Katharine's assistant says

that she's at her office
every day from 9:00 to 7:00.

You thinking what I'm thinking?

- That the real perp might be
a lot closer than she thinks?

- Yeah.

- Did you and Harris
have a fight?

- Last night,
after Harris found out

the handyman can't paint
the garage until Tuesday.

- We just passed it,
and it was painted over.

- Well,
because he did it himself.

[scoffs]
An exercise in forgetting.

But there is not
a coat of paint thick enough

to erase what he saw
in that video.

- And what's all this?

- My sleeping pills,
all of them.

- Katharine, you didn't take
any of these, did you?

- No.
- You're throwing them away?

- I don't want them
around anymore.

They've caused me
enough damage.

- You mind
if we take these with us?

- Yeah, couldn't hurt
to get them tested.

- Suit yourself.

So I assume you got the writing
samples that I emailed you?

- Yes, I did.

Um, I'm hoping that maybe
you can save us some time.

- What is that?

- Well, this is part
of the reason we're here,

is I wanted to ask you if you-

if you remember writing that.

- "I wanna be taken
by a man with big hands.

I wanna be dominated by him"?

No, I didn't write that.

Where is it from?

- An online forum
called Roommate Syndrome.

- You recognize this site?

- No, I've never seen this.

- Well, someone created
a handle for you on it,

complete with an avatar,
and used your email account

to set it up.

- What?
[laughs nervously]

That doesn't make any sense.

- Well, so there are
two possibilities here, right?

One is that you created
this account on a site

that you've never even heard of
under the influence

of sleeping pills.

- And shared messages
with dozens of men

looking to cheat
on their wives.

- Or-or somebody else
set up the account.

So, Katherine, does your-

does your husband have access
to your emails?

- Yes, of course.
- Okay.

Katharine, is it possible

that he may have sent
those messages

and invited Tommy Gallagher
into your house?

- To-to-to sexually assault
me while I was sleeping?

That's-that's insane.

That's insane.

- You know, Katharine,
if you think about it,

it's more likely
than the alternative, right?

Of you setting up this account?

- [scoffs]

- We just need to prove it.

- Just get out.
Get out. Get out.

- Katharine,
will you listen to us-

- Harris loves me.

He would not give me away
to-to some stranger.

He would not let me be hurt.

I want both of you out of here!

Just-now!

- Katharine, I'm so sorry.

We already have enough evidence
to get a search warrant.

- Then get one.

Because from now on, we are
only speaking through a lawyer.

- Okay.

[tense music]

? ?

She'd rather believe
a palatable lie

than a truth so devastating

that it would rip
her life apart.

- Tommy Gallagher
can't be the first guy

that this sick bastard arranged
to have sex with his wife.

- Scour the forum.

Find out who else was invited
into Katharine's bedroom.

I'll call Carisi for a warrant.

I'm not letting Harris Vernon
cover up anything else.

- So you want me
to pursue a case

where the alleged victim
blames herself

for her own sexual assault?

- Carisi, Katharine is being
gaslit by her husband.

- That may be true,
but as of right now,

she's blaming
her sleep meds, correct?

- Because she's confused.

- If I had enough
to arrest Harris

and I put her on the stand,
in order to maintain

this illusion
of a happy marriage,

her story is gonna be

that she left the door open
for Tommy Gallagher.

- Maybe not.

So my authorship
attribution specialist, right?

He compared the grammar,
syntax, punctuation

of the messages
on the Roommate Syndrome forum

against one of Harris Vernon's
short story collections.

- And?
- Harris was faking

Katharine's writing voice
on that forum.

- Harris wrote those messages
to Tommy Gallagher.

- Yeah, that's exactly
what it's looking like.

[suspenseful music]

- We need more witnesses.

Round up all the guys
who thought that they were

communicating with Katharine.
- And tell them?

- That they were communicating
with Harris instead.

- That's who I was
exchanging fantasies with?

Some old dude?

- He was the one pretending
to be Sleeping Beauty.

- Did you ever actually go
to her house?

- I never went over there.

- According to what we read,

it seems like
you were about to.

- There's a difference
between reality and fantasy.

- Her husband doesn't
seem to know that.

- So how was this
supposed to go down?

- She said
she'd leave the door open.

Lying asleep in bed.

- You mean "he."

- Well, I'm glad
I never went over there.

- What stopped you?

- I was on my way.

Then my wife's work trip
got canceled,

so I turned around
and drove home.

- And that's the last of them.

- A dozen of these guys,
we can't place any of them

at the Vernon townhouse?

- The neighbors' Ring cams
from the last year

confirmed that they're all
telling the truth.

- So Harris sets up
a handle for his wife

on Roommate Syndrome
a year ago,

and all he came up with
was Tommy Gallagher?

How is that possible?
- It's probably not.

But we have no proof
that there were

any other arranged meet-ups.

- So we know
this kind of behavior

doesn't just spring up
overnight.

- So maybe it started
someplace else.

- This guy does work
at a college.

- A lot of access
to a lot of young men

willing to do
just about anything for sex.

- I'll have Silva and Velasco
start canvassing.

- You're Derek Poole, right?

You work with Dean Harris?

- Yeah, I work
with Dean Harris.

What's this about?

- Well, we're investigating
a possible sexual assault

against Harris's wife.

- Katharine?
- Yeah.

From what we hear
around campus,

you and Katharine were cozy.

- What's that supposed to mean?

- Well, something about
a conference in Boston.

One of your colleagues
mentioned it.

- Am I in some kind
of legal trouble?

- You're talking
to two SVU detectives.

What do you think?

- Look, what happened
between me and Katharine,

it was all Harris's idea.

- See, that's a good start.

So why don't you tell us
exactly what happened?

And you don't mind
if I record, do you?

- [sighs]

We were at this conference
in Boston,

and Harris told me
his wife found me attractive.

- Meaning what?

- He asked me
if I wanted to hook up with her

while he watched.

It was a fantasy of his, evidently.

- Was Mrs. Vernon aware
of this fantasy?

- I thought so.

- How many times did you
have sex with Mrs. Vernon?

- Just the once.

- So Derek Poole.

Do you know him?

- He's a young professor
who works under Harris.

- You remember him?

- I met him at a faculty party.

We chatted.

- That's it?
- Yes.

I swear.

- Well, you heard
what he told my detectives.

- I'm so sorry for the way
I reacted yesterday,

throwing you out of my house.

- Katharine, please, I can
understand not wanting to face

what your husband did to you.

- How am I gonna face it now?

- You're gonna tell
your side in court.

- My marriage is over.

- But it's been over
for a while.

You're just finding out now.

[somber music]

? ?

- Anything you say
can be used against you.

If you can't afford
an attorney, one will be-

- I didn't do anything!

- I got two kids.

How the hell am I supposed
to pay the mortgage?

- I'm really sorry,
Mrs. Gallagher.

I really am.

[suspenseful music]

? ?

- How dare you embarrass me
at my place of work?

- You have the right
to remain silent.

- You almost had me fooled,
Professor,

with that pity play about
your wife cheating on you.

- She let him in.

I want my lawyer.

- Yeah, call him
on your way to booking.

- Always good to see
a scumbag in cuffs.

- Yeah, well, this guy's
sticking to his story,

and the vic doesn't remember
being assaulted.

So you got your work
cut out for you, Counselor.

- Yeah, well, most of my
evidence is about fantasy,

so why should this trial
be any different?

- Captain Benson,
how did this video

come into police evidence?

- It was sent anonymously
to Katharine Vernon

and to her husband,
Harris Vernon.

- And who shot this video?

- A private investigator
that was hired

by the wife of the man
in this video, Tommy Gallagher.

- And how did the Vernons react
to this video when they saw it?

- Katharine was devastated,
as she had no memory at all

of the encounter,
and Mr. Vernon

insinuated to one
of my detectives

that his wife was having
an affair.

- What did your
investigation conclude?

- That this rape was engineered
by Harris Vernon.

- Can you explain that
to the jury, please?

- So Harris sent messages
to dozens of men

on an online forum
impersonating his wife

through text
in an effort to lure them

into the Vernon family home.

- To the best
of your knowledge,

Katharine Vernon was
entirely unaware

of these encounters, correct?

- According to her statement, yes.

- Thank you, Captain.
Nothing further.

- Didn't Mrs. Vernon initially
tell you

that she may have gone
on to the forum herself

and invited Tommy Gallagher
over,

all while under the influence
of a potent cocktail

of self-administered
sleeping medications?

- Yes, but after
we presented her

with the actual evidence,

she concluded that she wasn't
complicit in any way.

- So she changed her story.

- Yes, which is not
uncommon for victims.

- As a career-long
sex crimes investigator

with a track record
of believing victims,

is it possible
that you might just be

a little bit biased
as to what story

you choose to believe, Captain?

- Objection.
- Withdrawn.

Nothing further.

- Dr. Silva, you are
a pharmaceutical psychiatrist?

- Specializing
in sleep disorders.

- And you examined
Katharine Vernon.

- Yes.

- And what did you find
when you analyzed

those medications,
the same ones

that were tested by the NYPD?

- They had been opened up
and tampered with,

overpacked with nearly twice
the prescribed dose.

- And in your
professional opinion,

on those meds at that dose,

did Katharine Vernon have
any cognitive ability?

- At those dosages, I wouldn't
expect Katharine Vernon

to have any cognitive ability
at all.

- Thank you.

- Drug manufacturers are
hardly perfect, are they?

- They are held to a certain
standard by the FDA.

- Would it surprise you
to hear that the factory

that manufactured
Mrs. Vernon's Dozexal

failed inspection twice?

- That would be surprising.

- Thank you.

Nothing further.

- I first met Katharine Vernon
two years ago

at a university staff party.

We talked a lot at that party.

- How did Harris
respond to that?

- When he pulled me aside
later that night,

I was worried I overstepped.

- What did he say to you
when he pulled you aside

once the party was over?

- He asked me if I knew what
the word "compersion" meant.

- Can you define that
for the jury?

- It's the feeling of joy
that comes from celebrating

someone else's happiness,
even if it doesn't

directly benefit you.

It's often described
as the opposite of jealousy.

- So that night at the party,

what did you take that
to mean exactly?

- That he liked seeing her
flirt with me.

- How did your relationship
with the Vernons evolve

after that?

- A few months later, we were
at a conference in Boston.

Harris and I had several drinks
at the hotel bar

while Mrs. Vernon
excused herself.

- And then?

- Harris told me his wife
wanted to have sex with me

up in the room.

- Did you?

- Yes.

- And did Mrs. Vernon
participate in this?

- She was
almost entirely passive,

but I thought
it was part of the arrangement.

Harris said she had
a Sleeping Beauty fantasy.

- Where was Harris

while you were having sex
with his wife?

- He was in the room, watching.

- You didn't find that
to be odd?

- Not at first.

But after a few minutes,
Katharine opened her eyes

in kind of a vacant stare.

- So what did you do then?

- I told Dean Vernon I couldn't
in good conscience participate.

- And you never had sex
with Katharine Vernon

ever again after that?

- No.

In fact,
I avoided her completely.

- Is it fair to say
that you felt guilty?

- Yes.

- Thank you.

- Mr. Poole,
you say that you felt guilty,

but not guilty enough
to call the police?

Not guilty enough to tell
Mrs. Vernon what was happening?

- As I've said,
Dean Vernon is my boss.

- And you were
gunning for tenure.

- That may have been
a small part of it.

- In fact, you were given
a tenure deal later that year.

Must be some kind of record
for such a young professor.

- Not sure where this is going.

- I wonder, were you given
a similar such favorable deal

by the DA's office
to testify here today?

- I'm not being charged
for the rape he made me do,

if that's what you mean.

- Just to be clear
so the jury understands,

the DA agreed to drop
your own rape charge

in exchange
for your testimony here today.

- Objection.
- Sustained.

- Dean Harris raped her.

Not me.

- Never fails to amaze me
how the threat of prison

can warp a man's perception.

[tense music]

? ?

Nothing further.

? ?

- Mrs. Vernon,
the jury has seen the video

between you
and Tommy Gallagher,

the one left for you
on the thumb drive.

Were you surprised by that
video when you first saw it?

- I was completely shattered.

- And what about
your sexual encounter

with Derek Poole?

Do you remember any of that?

- I remember talking to him
that night, but not the rape.

- So it's fair to say

that you never gave
your husband consent.

- No.

- And you never shared with him

any kind of Sleeping Beauty
fantasy at all?

- No.

- In fact,
up until this came to light,

you believed that you were
in a happy marriage.

- Now I know
that was the real fantasy.

- Thank you, Mrs. Vernon.

- Mrs. Vernon, we can all see
that you're unhappy now.

But you didn't seem
to be unhappy

flirting with Mr. Poole
at the faculty party, were you?

- Who said I was flirting?

- By Mr. Poole's own testimony,
your husband certainly seemed

to think you were.

Did you also ever use fantasy
to liven up your marriage?

? ?

- We may have.

- A lot of sexual fantasy is up
for interpretation, isn't it?

- What?
- Objection.

- It's important
to contextualize

the couple's private life.

- I'll allow.

- Did you ever establish
strict rules, boundaries,

limitations with respect
to your fantasy life

with your husband?

- No.
- No safe words?

- Never.

- Mrs. Vernon, isn't it true

that like a lot of couples
who've been married

for as long as you
and Harris have,

that you started to behave
more like roommates

instead of lovers?

- I'm not even
gonna dignify that.

- So seeing the word "whore"
painted on your garage,

you weren't embarrassed?

- Yes, of course I was.

- Maybe even humiliated?

- Yes.

- And isn't that
the real reason

why you went to the police?

Because admitting that you
willingly participated in sex

with other men
while your husband watched

wouldn't sit so well with
your neighbors, your family.

After all, in your circles,

it isn't exactly
cocktail banter, now, is it?

- Objection. Badgering.

- I'll allow.

- I was humiliated then.

But being here right now,
up here,

I don't have the luxury of
being as modest as I once was.

The crime committed
by my husband against me,

that sought
to so thoroughly degrade me,

made sure of that.

And now I know
the degradation is not mine.

It's his.

? ?

- You hate
what your husband did.

- Yes.

- Enough to lie on the stand?

- Objection.
- Overruled.

- I don't have to lie anymore.

- Or is it you hate

what the police convinced you
that he did?

Withdrawn.

No more questions.

? ?

- Mr. Carisi?

Mr. Carisi?

- Come on, Ali!

- [crying]

- I'm sick and tired
of listening to your big mouth!

- Um, prosecution rests,
Your Honor.

- Then we're adjourned
for today.

Defense begins
at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.

- Thank you, Your Honor.

? ?

- That lawyer made me out to be
some sort of frigid WASP

bent on revenge.

- Okay, Katharine, look.

She was just doing her job.

- Oh, a damn good one she did!

Why didn't Mr. Carisi do his?

- No, I don't think
that's necessary.

- [sighs]

Officer,
would you give us a second?

Thank you.
- Understood.

- Counselor.

- That was DA Baxter
on the phone.

He heard about me
flaming out in court today,

asked if I wanted
to be taken off the case.

- Did he pose it as a question
or an order?

- Tough to read
between the silences.

I let Katharine down today.

And there is, uh-

there's no coming back
from that.

[somber music]

I can't even smile
when my kids are opening

their Christmas presents, Liv.

Maybe I don't have
any feelings left,

and the jury can sense that.

You know, you need passion
if you wanna win a case.

- You sound angry.
- You're damn right I'm angry!

- Not to state the obvious,
but that's a feeling,

isn't it, Carisi?

- Yeah, I guess it is.
- Okay.

So all those years
of night school?

You went from being a detective
to a prosecutor.

You worked your ass off.

You're gonna let
some manipulator

like Harris Vernon
take that from you?

- Liv, what the hell
do you want from me?

- I want you to wake up!

Come back.

Wake up, Carisi.

? ?

Come on.

- Thank you for agreeing
to meet me, Mrs. Gallagher.

Take a seat, please,
right here.

- Yeah, well,
I'm here at the courthouse

every day anyway.

I don't know
how you people do this.

It must be a nightmare.
- Well, sometimes it is.

I can't imagine
how you're feeling, though.

- [scoffs]

My husband's stupid,
but he's not a rapist.

- Listen, we've given him

every opportunity
to make a deal.

He just-he won't do it.

- Because he believed
that professor's line of crap.

- What line of crap?

- [sighs]

Tommy told me to keep it quiet,

but I am so angry
at what happened

to that poor woman,

all because of what I painted
on her door.

- No, you did
Katharine Vernon a favor.

Her husband's a monster.

There's no telling how long
this torment would have lasted

if you hadn't
brought it to light.

But Annette,
if you know something

that's gonna help me
take this pompous ass down,

I would be grateful.

One blue-collar kid to another.

- A few days before the trial,
the pompous ass drove

all the way out to Jersey,

met Tommy
in a mall parking lot.

- To tell him what?

- Convinced Tommy
that if they stuck together,

they'd both get off.

Turns out Mrs. Vernon has
a lot of family money.

Her husband offered
to pay off our mortgage.

[suspenseful music]

- You wanna see
Harris Vernon convicted?

Is that what you want?

- After what he did?

He watched his wife
be assaulted.

I'd like to see him
burn in hell.

- Well, how does 25 years
behind bars sound to you?

- It's a start.

What do I have to do?

- Get your husband
to take a deal.

? ?

- What kind of time
are we talking about?

- Your client's
not gonna walk free,

but I'll give him options.

- If I testify against Harris.

- It'd go a long way
with the judge.

- But just so we're clear,

I had no idea
that woman was drugged.

- I don't believe that
for a second, Mr. Gallagher,

and neither do you.

The question is, do you want me
to prove that in open court?

You want your family
to see that?

- He was there.

In the room.

He drugged her.

- You wanted to talk?

Let's talk.

- Whatever Tommy Gallagher
is willing to testify to

doesn't help your case.

- Well, as soon as the jury
hears that your client offered

a substantial bribe
to a potential witness,

all they'll see is his guilt.

- No one truly knows
what goes on inside a marriage.

- Yeah.

Sometimes not even
the people in the marriage.

- Do you honestly think
that Katharine would have come

into your precinct
if someone hadn't

spray-painted
her personal business

all over our garage door?

- See, you're still sticking
to that same story, aren't you?

- You know, your wife

took her power back
in that courtroom.

How'd that make you feel?

- Did you call us down here
just to waste our time?

- No, I called you down here

because I'm gonna give you
two choices.

Now, you can either
sit in the courtroom

while I ask about every detail

of the nauseating little
catechism of perversion

that your life has
descended into

since that night in Boston.
- Or?

- Or your client can
stop lying, admit what he did.

- To your wife.

- Why would I do that?

- To give you
that feeling of joy

that comes from
another person's happiness,

even when it doesn't
directly benefit you.

- Hold on, there's a word
for that, isn't there?

- How's that for compersion?

? ?

- Harris agreed to the deal.

He'll do 15 years.

- And Tommy?
- Seven.

- It's over?

- It's over.

- Thank you.

- Excuse me.

I'm late for dinner
with my kids.

I'll see you tomorrow, Benson.

- [sighs]

How are you doing?

- My life will never
be the same again.

- No.

Your life will not be
as it was.

But from where I'm standing,

that's a glorious thing.

[soft music]

? ?

[indistinct chatter]

- You want that last piece?

- Um, no, I'm full.

- No?

More for me.

? ?

Hey.

We're gonna be okay.

- Yeah, we are.

? ?

[dramatic music]

? ?

[wolf howls]

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