Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)
Unstable (2009)
Mariska Hargitay: Detective Olivia Benson
Quotes
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Detective Nate Kendall : I don't like victims. They cling.
Olivia Benson : Not after you bag the trash that assaulted them.
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Detective Nate Kendall : [after Mark Foster dies from falling out of the bathroom window at the precinct] I didn't touch the hump. I'll wait upstairs for lAB.
[walks off]
Olivia Benson : He did it.
Elliot Stabler : Who gives a damn? At least Foster won't be able to rape again.
Executive A.D.A. Sonya Paxton : Stabler, he also can't testify in court now which leaves Victor Tate stuck in prison.
Elliot Stabler : What are you talking about? We've got new evidence.
Executive A.D.A. Sonya Paxton : No, it's hearsay.
Elliot Stabler : We have Foster's confession on tape.
Executive A.D.A. Sonya Paxton : A dead man's confession doesn't meet the rules of evidence or allow cross in front of a jury. It's inadmissible.
Olivia Benson : What about early parole? We can appear on Tate's behalf.
Executive A.D.A. Sonya Paxton : No, an inmate has to admit guilt before a parole board will let him go.
Elliot Stabler : I just told an innocent man he's getting released.
Executive A.D.A. Sonya Paxton : Yeah, you jumped the gun.
Elliot Stabler : I'm getting him out of there if I have to hire a lawyer myself.
Executive A.D.A. Sonya Paxton : You can do that, but it's not gonna change anything. He's still gonna end up serving the whole bid.
Olivia Benson : That's another 15 years, Sonya.
Executive A.D.A. Sonya Paxton : Look, I don't know what to say. I'm sorry.
[starts to walk off, but Elliot pulls her back]
Elliot Stabler : Tell me what to do.
Executive A.D.A. Sonya Paxton : Unless you know the governor, there's not a single thing you can do.
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Executive A.D.A. Sonya Paxton : [When Olivia and Elliot are interrogating Mark Foster] The suspect asked for his lawyer and you kept questioning him for 93 seconds. That's a violation of his right to counsel.
Olivia Benson : We'll leave you to your client, Counselor.
Executive A.D.A. Sonya Paxton : No, no, no, no. I may be wearing couture, but I don't represent scumbags.
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Beverly Neal : I'm a court reporter now. I've seen what goes on in rape trials.
Olivia Benson : There are laws to shield victims.
Beverly Neal : And tactics to get around them.
Detective Nate Kendall : You just don't want anyone to know what you used to be.
[Olivia and Beverly look shocked]
Beverly Neal : You've got balls. I dropped that baggage long ago and now you expect me to pick it back up.
Olivia Benson : What you used to be shouldn't have mattered. The way you were treated was wrong.
Beverly Neal : And because you say so, I'm supposed to bend over. That's how pimps talk.
Detective Nate Kendall : Women are being raped. Don't make me subpoena you.
Beverly Neal : Fat chance.
Detective Nate Kendall : You don't know cops if you think that's an empty threat.
Beverly Neal : I am not a whore or a victim, Detective and I sure as hell won't let you treat me like one.
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Olivia Benson : [When Mark Foster is released on bail] So he throws five grand at a bondsman and he's free to murder.
Executive A.D.A. Sonya Paxton : You know what? Blame the Constitution, okay? You want to be a prosecutor? Go to law school. Or better yet, just do your jobs, guys.
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Olivia Benson : [to Kendall after he gets rough with a pimp] Hey, you don't get to knock heads even when it's about a kid.
Detective Nate Kendall : It's no surprise we don't see eye to eye.
Olivia Benson : It's more than that. You slapped a mother over her six-year-old. Now, you're threatening him over a girl recruit. What's the matter with you?
Detective Nate Kendall : She reminded me of my daughter, Kelly.
Olivia Benson : How old is she?
Detective Nate Kendall : Ten. Only got to see her two weeks out of the year. Never enough time, but we always had a blast.
Olivia Benson : She live out of state?
Detective Nate Kendall : My ex ran to Seattle to get away and my kid ends up dead because... because I wasn't there.
Olivia Benson : I'm sorry.
Detective Nate Kendall : My ex, too. Got herself involved with a meth dealer. Blew them up cooking it.
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Rena West : I knew he was gonna kill me. So when he went in the other room, I just got up, and I was out the door, running for blocks.
Detective Nate Kendall : First smart thing you did.
Olivia Benson : It's not your fault.
Detective Nate Kendall : The hell it's not. Her gut was churning the second he approached her on the street.
Elliot Stabler : You're in the way. Leave.
Rena West : No, no. Nate's right. He--the--the guy was wearing a nice suit, and he was polite, but I knew--I knew that something was off.
Detective Nate Kendall : Only a racist acts afraid of a black guy. That's what you told yourself. And he read you.
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Tom Conlon : Spencer? These are Detectives Benson and Stabler. They want to see your footage from yesterday.
Spencer Conlon : I know you. You were in the store.
Olivia Benson : Yes, I was. We just came from there.
Spencer Conlon : Two years ago.
Olivia Benson : Uh, it's possible, but I think I would remember.
Tom Conlon : No, trust me, my brother never forgets a face.
Elliot Stabler : You have an awful lot of surveillance equipment in here.
Tom Conlon : Spencer's autistic, detective. Uh, loud noises and human contact unnerve him. This is his way of being social.
Spencer Conlon : April 12, 2007, 5:28 a.m.
Elliot Stabler : [looking at Olivia] Late night?
Spencer Conlon : I did good, Tommy?
Tom Conlon : You did great, buddy.
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Olivia Benson : Spencer, I, uh, I'd like to show you a sketch. Maybe you can help us find the man we're looking for.
Spencer Conlon : It was 7:54 p.m. He was pretending to read the paper.
[Spencer taps at his keyboard and zooms in to show the face of Mark Foster]
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Olivia Benson : Excessive force with a car. Are you out of your mind?
Detective Nate Kendall : You I.D.'d yourself, he ran, period.
Elliot Stabler : Your stunt could have damaged our case.
Detective Nate Kendall : You don't have a case yet.
Olivia Benson : Rena West picked Foster out of a photo array.
Detective Nate Kendall : And it took her 15 minutes to do it. Memory recall is immediate.
Elliot Stabler : Are you saying she's lying?
Detective Nate Kendall : I'm saying Rena thinks it's true, so this whole mess will be over.
Olivia Benson : Badly enough to pick out the wrong perp?
Detective Nate Kendall : She's white. He's black. Cross-race identification isn't reliable.
Elliot Stabler : You know, not all black people look alike.
Odafin Tutuola : Thanks, but you're not a victim. Mistaken I.D.s happen all the time.
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[Benson and Stabler find Kendall berating and manhandling Mrs. Foster in her home]
Elliot Stabler : What the hell are you doing here?
Detective Nate Kendall : I came to get Foster's alibi. Stupid bitch is useless. She was sucking on that pipe when I got here. The kid's filthy. There's no food in the fridge.
Elliot Stabler : That doesn't give you the right to rough her up.
Detective Nate Kendall : She's lucky I didn't shoot her.
Olivia Benson : If you need something to do, why don't you take the little girl to Social Services? Now.
Detective Nate Kendall : [approaching and speaking softly to the girl] My little girl likes cheeseburgers. How about you?