Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)
Down Low in Hell's Kitchen (2019)
Mariska Hargitay: Captain Olivia Benson
Photos
Quotes
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Deputy Chief Christian Garland : [about Mathis] What the hell is this kid thinking?
Amanda Rollins : He was gonna be outed. He was getting in front of it.
Odafin Tutuola : He figured he could get more sympathy as a victim.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : Not from me. I want him in cuffs.
Olivia Benson : But Chief, our other actual victims are afraid. So we go after Mathis, then nobody comes forward.
Vanessa Hadid : It's too late for that. If your other victims had been willing to testify in the first place, we wouldn't be here.
Olivia Benson : Okay, Ms. Hadid, you're new to SVU. We don't blame victims here. Human sexuality and criminal behavior are a hell of a lot different than securities fraud.
Vanessa Hadid : Thank you, Captain. What I do know, the longer this stays in the news cycle, the longer we're standing here with our junk in our hands.
Olivia Benson : Excuse me?
Vanessa Hadid : Oh, I'm sorry. Egg on our faces?
Olivia Benson : Ms. Hadid, you're the one who pushed Carisi in the first place.
Dominick Carisi : Listen, all due respect, but this feels like a circular firing squad. All Captain Benson is saying is that we have an obligation to make this case, and Ms. Hadid is just reminding us that the clock is ticking, quickly and loudly.
Vanessa Hadid : The clock isn't ticking, Counselor. It's blown up.
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Odafin Tutuola : [to Olivia] So what's this new chief's deal?
Olivia Benson : Well, he's methodical, he's thoughtful and he's Ivy League educated.
Odafin Tutuola : So why is he a cop?
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Olivia Benson : [to Garland] You want me to shame a celebrity into coming out of the closet so you can publicize the case?
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : I wouldn't say shame. Motivate.
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Amanda Rollins : Gay bars, straight bars, pickup lines are always so sad.
Olivia Benson : If you say so.
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Deputy Chief Christian Garland : So, what do you need?
Olivia Benson : Manpower for a wider canvass, security cam checks. I would like to augment with detectives from Hate Crimes.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : They're spread thinner than SVU. And if they'd heard about this, they'd have looped me in.
Odafin Tutuola : So what do we do, just wait on him to strike again?
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : [hearing Benson's phone buzz] No, we can be proactive. Increase uniform patrols, work your contacts. Everything okay, Captain?
Olivia Benson : Detective Rollins says that there's another vic at Mercy Hospital.
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Olivia Benson : [to Garland] With all due respect, Chief, she is not my boss. You are.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : I am, but she calls her boss, and he calls my boss, and the two of us are out doing traffic stops in Staten Island with Dodds.
Olivia Benson : I don't care about her exploding clock. So talk to our other victims, find more. I'm not letting this go.
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Vanessa Hadid : What do we have?
Amanda Rollins : Well, four victims, all assaulted after leaving bars in Hell's Kitchen. The perp knows the neighborhood. He surprises all his vics in isolated, scaffolded areas.
Odafin Tutuola : All tased and assaulted with a bottle.
Vanessa Hadid : And this hasn't gone to the grand jury why?
Olivia Benson : Because these victims won't testify.
Vanessa Hadid : They'll testify if we subpoena them.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : Uh, counselor, these men lead double lives that we ought not force them to reveal. They are helping us to find the pattern.
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Olivia Benson : Someone is out there, preying on gay men. Gay men who are afraid to come forward, to... to file a police report.
Odafin Tutuola : Mathis, your music means a lot to people of all types. If you were to come forward...
Robert Fischer : If you did that, everyone would think he was gay.
Mathis Brooks : Look, hold up, Fisch. So you think that if I made a public statement, that... that it would matter?
Odafin Tutuola : No doubt.
Olivia Benson : More than you can imagine.
Robert Fischer : Come on, man.
Mathis Brooks : Look, who cares if some people choose to think that I'm gay? This is bigger than Mathis now.
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Noah Porter Benson : Mom, I don't want to go to practice.
Olivia Benson : Why not, honey? You feeling okay?
Noah Porter Benson : I mean ever. I don't like baseball.
Olivia Benson : You don't like baseball? Since when? You love playing with Peter. You love being on the team.
Noah Porter Benson : But now it's boring.
[pointing to a dance studio nearby]
Noah Porter Benson : That looks like fun.
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Olivia Benson : Fin, I just heard from a nurse at Mercy. There's another attack in Hell's Kitchen. Black male, tased.
Odafin Tutuola : He filing a complaint?
Olivia Benson : No.
Odafin Tutuola : Then what are we supposed to do?
Olivia Benson : Your son still works at the gay men's crisis center, right?
Odafin Tutuola : LGBTQ, as Ken reminds me.
Olivia Benson : So talk to him, right? If we're hearing about this, you know he is.
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Olivia Benson : So, Mathis is the only one who saw his assailants come forward. The other three only remember a tense interaction with a big, red-haired man at their bars.
Amanda Rollins : And this is who they saw. That's Mathis' sketch.
Vanessa Hadid : You've noticed the sketches diverge?
Odafin Tutuola : The M.O. is different, too. Mathis saw the guy. He also heard him say gay and racist slurs.
Amanda Rollins : Which could be our perp escalating or devolving...
Olivia Benson : Or both.
Amanda Rollins : Right.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : Yeah, we can't have another assault. Today's Tuesday. We flood the zone tonight.
Olivia Benson : Chief, I don't have the manpower.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : Well, you will now. I'll borrow UCs from from Street Crimes for every bar on the list.
Dominick Carisi : Black UCs that read as upper middle class, late 30s, sophisticated?
Olivia Benson : Not a lot of these in Street Crime.
Odafin Tutuola : You know what, Chief? Don't take this the wrong way, but you're his type.
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Jeffrey Moran : Some guys can't take a hint.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : Haven't seen you around here.
Jeffrey Moran : You haven't been around here. Buy you a drink?
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : Thanks. It's late. Wish you'd come in earlier.
Olivia Benson : [watching the surveillance feed] White guy, red hair.
Amanda Rollins : Fits the profile.
Olivia Benson : Yeah, it does.
Jeffrey Moran : Gotta get home to the wife?
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : Am I that obvious?
Jeffrey Moran : Maybe not to her.
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Odafin Tutuola : [Mathis' brother was caught on security cameras buying a stun gun the day of Mathis' assault] Dumbass used his corporate credit card.
Olivia Benson : D'Angelo must've known to go looking for this. Did somebody tip him off?
Amanda Rollins : Moran told him that he didn't do Mathis, and he would know.
Dominick Carisi : Moran's alibi check out?
Odafin Tutuola : Yeah, his ex took a selfie of them and their kids on the upper deck at Citi Field.
Amanda Rollins : [on her phone] It's already all over Twitter. #MathisMadeItUp.
Olivia Benson : So even if Moran is good for the other three assaults...
Odafin Tutuola : Which he is.
Olivia Benson : Mathis poisoned the well.
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Deputy Chief Christian Garland : I have good news and better news. I heard you about being short-handed. I'm getting SVU a white shield.
Olivia Benson : A white shield?
Odafin Tutuola : You mean somebody that's not a detective.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : Yeah, you'll both be great mentors. Also, Ms. Hadid just called to thank me. Jeffrey Moran took a plea. He'll do seven years for sexual abuse 1.
Olivia Benson : So nobody has to testify. That... that is great news.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : Any thoughts on what changed his mind?
Odafin Tutuola : Um... it's kind of a "don't ask, don't tell."
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : All right. I'll take the win. But next, we need to pursue charges against Mathis. We have to send a message.
Olivia Benson : And what message is that? False reporting is extremely rare. We keep this in the news, and survivors are going to be afraid that they won't be believed.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : So Mathis never pays for the damage he's caused?
Odafin Tutuola : He's paying. Plenty.
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Odafin Tutuola : He really believes it now.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : You mean he's doubling down.
Dominick Carisi : Yeah, you gotta give him credit for that copycat theory.
Olivia Benson : I think it's more likely that he's the one who copied the crime. He's heard about these other assaults. He piggybacked.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : So we grill him until he admits it.
Odafin Tutuola : That's not gonna happen.
Vanessa Hadid : Can we at least agree that he didn't tase himself?
Olivia Benson : That's a good point. So let's talk to Aygon. He bought the stun gun. Ask him why.
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Devonn Thompson : Ken said something I left out. Could be helpful.
Odafin Tutuola : Talk to me.
Devonn Thompson : You remember the first time I told you I met Moran? I was outside the bar, smoking. I left out a part. Uh... he followed me back into the bar... then the bathroom. He got down on his knees... unzipped my pants.
Odafin Tutuola : Was that consensual?
Devonn Thompson : Very. I know I'm repressed, but... once we started, he really let go.
Odafin Tutuola : Then what happened?
Devonn Thompson : I went back to the bar. I took a picture of us. It was like Jekyll and Hyde. He just... snapped. I got out of there. Fast.
Odafin Tutuola : Now, this wasn't the same night he assaulted you.
Devonn Thompson : No. I ran into him at the bar a month later. I got out of there, but... he must've followed me.
Amanda Rollins : [watching with Benson] That explains a lot, but unless Devonn testifies, that photo is inadmissible.
Olivia Benson : Let me call Carisi. Maybe there's a way that this gives him some leverage.
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Odafin Tutuola : Ken tried to get Devonn Thompson to come in. No dice.
Amanda Rollins : And I'm 0 for 2. Marcus, Talbot, they won't return my phone calls.
Olivia Benson : And we can't run the rape kits without their permission. Any evidence from the crime scene?
Odafin Tutuola : The only bottle CSU found was Mathis', and that's just gonna end up having his DNA and Aygon's prints on it.
Olivia Benson : Did you re-check security cams?
Amanda Rollins : Yeah, Moran grew up there, though. He skirted the cams like a guy staying dry in the rain.
Olivia Benson : Hadid gave us 'til end of day. So go back to 9th Avenue, see if any of the bartenders, any of the patrons can put Moran with the other vics.
Amanda Rollins : We can try, but after Mathis, their walls are up.
Devonn Thompson : Can you blame us? I came to you because of Mathis. And now because of him, even if I did testify... who would believe me?
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Olivia Benson : So, Mathis, you should know that we think that the man who assaulted you may be a serial predator.
Mathis Brooks : What?
Odafin Tutuola : Yeah, he's attacking black gay men in Hell's Kitchen.
Mathis Brooks : That's horrible. I mean, I-I'm not gay, but... you-you mean just because the color of my skin, and because I was walking down those streets...
Odafin Tutuola : Did you stop anywhere on your walk?
Mathis Brooks : No. No, I was... I was just getting some air. Like, that's all. I'm walking home after midnight. You know what, guys, I'm sorry, I'm getting really tired. Do-do you think that we can... we can do this later?
Olivia Benson : Of course.
Odafin Tutuola : If you remember anything else, call us.
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Rudy Syndergaard : Mathis, this is Captain Benson. I told you about her.
Olivia Benson : Hi. And my sergeant.
Odafin Tutuola : Fin Tutuola. How you doing?
Mathis Brooks : Honestly... honestly, I'm-I'm still not in my body.
Rudy Syndergaard : Mathis, I'll be right outside.
Mathis Brooks : He's good people. He said that you guys were, too.
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Deputy Chief Christian Garland : A serial rapist in Hell's Kitchen?
Olivia Benson : Yes, Chief. The victims are male. He tases them, and then he sodomizes them with a bottle.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : Well, we need to establish more of a pattern. When did he start? How many assaults?
Olivia Benson : We don't know.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : I'll try again. How many reports have been filed?
Odafin Tutuola : None. We think he picks his vics on the down-low so he knows they don't want to report.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : So, are we divining it?
Olivia Benson : No, we're not divining it. EMS calls, advocacy groups, and the rumors are out there in gay bars.
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : I can't take rumors to CompStat.
Olivia Benson : I know, and I know that you just got here and you don't want to report a spike in assaults two weeks in, but...
Deputy Chief Christian Garland : No, that will never be my concern. If stats go up, good. It means people trust us enough to disclose.
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Amanda Rollins : Another vic called. A broker. He saw Mathis on TV, and he said I can come downtown to talk to him if I pretend to be a client.
Olivia Benson : So he's on the low, too. Ask him if he remembers anyone asking about his wife.
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Devonn Thompson : I was leaving a bar. Swank.
Odafin Tutuola : In Hell's Kitchen?
Devonn Thompson : It's low-key. Uh... I mostly keep to myself. Someone starts a conversation, okay.
Odafin Tutuola : Anybody talk to you that night?
Devonn Thompson : No. I headed home. I was going to the E train, walked down under scaffolding, and they said someone tased me. Used a bottle. I came to in the ambulance.
Odafin Tutuola : So you didn't get a look at him? They say anything?
Devonn Thompson : Not that I heard.
Olivia Benson : And how often do you go to this bar?
Devonn Thompson : Tuesdays. My family thinks I'm going out with the choir after practice.
Olivia Benson : Has anyone ever approached you on another Tuesday that seemed... odd?
Devonn Thompson : Yeah, actually, uh... about a month before, I was outside smoking. This white guy, drunk, asked for a cigarette. He saw they were menthol. He gave me a hard time.
Odafin Tutuola : How so?
Devonn Thompson : He said, uh... "your wife know you smoke those?"
Odafin Tutuola : What, like he made you?
Devonn Thompson : I got a bad vibe. Went back inside.
Olivia Benson : Is it possible that this guy was there the night you were assaulted?
Devonn Thompson : I didn't see him.
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Odafin Tutuola : What's up with the paparazzi?
Amanda Rollins : Well, it turns out the vic is a celeb. Mathis...
Olivia Benson : Mathis Brooks, the pop star?
Amanda Rollins : Yeah. Yeah.
Olivia Benson : Same pattern?
Amanda Rollins : Close enough. Tased, beer bottle.
Olivia Benson : Hold on, I thought Mathis Brooks was straight.
Amanda Rollins : Yeah, I mean, as far as we know, he is, but he was in the neighborhood, and he has a gay following.
Olivia Benson : So the perp assumed, the hospital called us. Any chance he'll report?
Amanda Rollins : I'm not sure. He's still in the ER, and his brother and manager are here. They're being... protective.
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Rudy Syndergaard : Mathis is ready to talk to you.
Olivia Benson : Great. That's good news. Uh, you do a rape kit?
Rudy Syndergaard : Mm, he's a little too traumatized for that right now.
Olivia Benson : Understood.
Rudy Syndergaard : I told him you guys were cool, that you'd respect his privacy. You will, right?
Odafin Tutuola : Absolutely.
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Dominick Carisi : Moran was released from Greenhaven four months ago after a three-year bid on assault. He's got a rap sheet going back to his childhood.
Vanessa Hadid : Sexual assaults or hate crimes?
Olivia Benson : Neither, but he fits the profile.
Dominick Carisi : And he obviously has a problem with gays and blacks. We caught him following Garland with a stun gun in his hand and a bottle in his pocket.
Vanessa Hadid : I know the attorney. He'll find the holes. Call the victims and do a lineup.
Olivia Benson : Well, the first three can only put him at the bar. They didn't see their assailant.
Vanessa Hadid : But Mathis did? Bring him in.