Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

No Surrender (2017)

Sarah Booth: Captain Beth Williams

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Quotes 

• [last lines] 

  Captain Beth Williams : Good afternoon. As you know, Michael Reid was just indicted for rape. I instructed the court to not refer to the victim as Jane Doe. I feel it is my duty to step forward, to tell the world the truth. My name is Captain Beth Williams. On January 8th, I was raped. This does not lessen my ability or worth as a soldier. It will not define me. It will not break me. I'm not ashamed of what happened. I stand here with one mission only: to encourage other survivors of sexual assault to do the same. There is only honor in being a survivor.

• Captain Beth Williams : What's my mission now?

  Olivia Benson : To heal.

• Odafin Tutuola : Captain Williams. I know how tough you are. I was a Ranger also.

  Captain Beth Williams : Sua sponte.

  Odafin Tutuola : Back at you. But like we both know, every soldier needs a little R&R. Why don't you stay another day? Read a book, watch TV. It can't hurt.

  Captain Beth Williams : Thank you, but my mom needs me. And with all due respect, hanging out in a hospital isn't my idea of R&R.

  Odafin Tutuola : [Beth leaves]  She's hardcore.

  Olivia Benson : Yeah, agreed. You don't think it's odd that she didn't ask us more about Cook? She didn't even ask us his name. She didn't even ask if we were going to arrest him.

  Odafin Tutuola : Well, see, if she asks about her assailant, she's admitting she let it happen.

• Captain Beth Williams : A soldier doesn't need closure, Detective, a soldier needs a mission.

• Olivia Benson : [having discovered Beth battering her rapist]  I gotta tell you, Captain, I am a loss for words. How did we get here?

  Captain Beth Williams : When I figured out it was him, I had to handle Mickey my way; make him look me in the eye, make him suffer. But it's over. I'm good now.

  Olivia Benson : Well, I'm not. It's not your decision whether or not we prosecute. So you wanna tell me what really happened?

  Captain Beth Williams : He was so drunk; angry. I tried to calm him down. He started getting physical, and I turned to walk away.

  Olivia Benson : And he hit you?

  Captain Beth Williams : Yeah. Mickey and I, we've been going in different directions for years. His world kept getting smaller and my world kept getting bigger.

  Olivia Benson : He obviously has a lot of pent-up anger. Look, I gotta tell you. You've put me in a very difficult position. You've lost all credibility as a witness, and not to mention what you just did in there is a crime.

  Captain Beth Williams : He deserved it.

  Olivia Benson : I understand that. But the D.A.'s office, not a big fan of vigilante justice.

  Captain Beth Williams : Are you gonna charge me with a crime?

  Olivia Benson : I don't know. If you start to cooperate and help us convict Mickey, I will talk to the D.A. and see if we can help you out. We're arraigning Mickey tomorrow morning. I would like you to be there.

• Olivia Benson : I know that you feel like you've made your peace with this, but like I said, you need to tell the jury what Mickey did to you.

  Captain Beth Williams : What I let him do to me.

  Olivia Benson : None of this is on you. None of it.

  Captain Beth Williams : I was supposed to be a courageous leader. A role model for all the little girls out there. I feel like a fraud.

  Olivia Benson : Look, something like this changes you. But it doesn't reduce you. You can still be that role model. You are courageous. And if you testify, I am confident that we can put Mickey behind bars for a very long time.

  Captain Beth Williams : If I testify... will my name get out there?

  Olivia Benson : Yes, it's possible. But in my work over the years with survivors, there is this amazing power - this freedom - in coming forward.

• Captain Beth Williams : I can't believe this happened. The timing is terrible.

  Olivia Benson : What do you mean?

  Captain Beth Williams : I'm supposed to start a press tour for the Army. Talking about courage, valor, bravery. I can't be here saying I got raped.

• Olivia Benson : [to Beth]  You didn't do anything wrong.

  Captain Beth Williams : I respectfully disagree, ma'am. As a Ranger, I'm taught to be strong and never do anything that is an embarrassment to my country.

  Olivia Benson : You were raped and assaulted. Embarrassment doesn't even begin to come into the conversation.

  Captain Beth Williams : I guess we just see it differently.