Original subtitles

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."

Some English professor you are.

A pity kiss.

- That's all I get? - 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

I don't know.

I swear, I don't know.

- 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?

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.

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.

- 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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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?

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

You want that last piece?

Um, no, I'm full.

No?

More for me.

Hey.

We're gonna be okay.

Yeah, we are.