Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

Motherly Love (2017)

Mariska Hargitay: Lieutenant Olivia Benson

Photos 

Quotes 

• Olivia Benson : Dr. Keller, the night of the shooting, you were upstairs here in your bedroom, in your nightgown. Trey was downstairs in the family room and nobody else was in the house?

  Dr. Nicole Keller : That's correct.

  Amanda Rollins : And he didn't try and sneak up here into your room?

  Dr. Nicole Keller : I'm sorry, lieutenant. I... I think it's best if you and your colleague here leave. I'm sensing some underlying hostility and it's making me very uncomfortable.

  Olivia Benson : Yeah? And the naked selfies of you and Trey are making me very uncomfortable.

• Odafin Tutuola : We need to talk to you down at the station.

  Dr. Nicole Keller : I already told you everything I know.

  Odafin Tutuola : Yeah? Well, we talked to Ethan Miller. You know him, right?

  Dr. Nicole Keller : Sure. He's a friend of Luke's.

  Olivia Benson : He said that you sexually assaulted him ten times. Maybe eleven.

  Dr. Nicole Keller : That's preposterous.

  Olivia Benson : Then you moved on to Trey. Ethan got upset, punched him. They both got suspended from school.

  Dr. Nicole Keller : They're kids. They fantasize about older women. It's a natural, healthy fantasy.

  Olivia Benson : Nope. There's nothing natural or healthy about statutory rape. Let's go. You're coming with us.

• Dr. Nicole Keller : Congratulations, Lieutenant. You've convinced my son I'm the devil.

  Olivia Benson : No, Nicole. You did that all by yourself.

• Olivia Benson : Imagine our surprise.

  Dr. Nicole Keller : Imagine my surprise. I had a sense Trey was stalking me, but now I know.

  Olivia Benson : You had a sense Trey was stalking you? Well, that's very different from having a bad feeling.

  Dr. Nicole Keller : I wasn't sure, but I am now.

  Olivia Benson : That's you in the photo, correct?

  Dr. Nicole Keller : Yes! Eyes closed. Asleep. Unaware this adult teenager was taking pictures.

  Olivia Benson : You mind if we take a look around?

  Dr. Nicole Keller : Of course not.

  Olivia Benson : [heading upstairs]  So, just to be clear, you're saying that Trey walked up these stairs, he hopped onto your bed while you were sleeping, and he took these photos.

  Dr. Nicole Keller : Well, that's the only thing that makes sense.

  Amanda Rollins : No, there are other plausible explanations.

• Dr. Nicole Keller : My understanding of the law is unless I'm under arrest, I'm free to go. I'll be calling my lawyer.

  Olivia Benson : That's your right. We'll be in touch. I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about.

  Odafin Tutuola : [Nicole leaves]  She's a stone cold liar.

  Olivia Benson : A psychiatrist who's abusing teenage boys, emotionally damaging her own son. That is deeper than lying, man. That is pathological.

• Olivia Benson : I don't think that Luke intentionally shot Trey. He truly believes that his mother was being assaulted.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : I agree. Counselor, look. Luke had no clue that his mother was using his friends sexually. He just happened to walk in. I mean, if he hadn't gotten into an argument with his father that night, he never would've been there in the first place. Nicole is the one who's lying, not Luke.

  Amanda Rollins : [looking at her phone]  And this proves it. Lab results are back. Traces of fresh semen were found on a towel in Nicole's bedroom upstairs. DNA matches Trey's.

  Rafael Barba : She said Trey was upstairs that night?

  Olivia Benson : We asked her point blank and she denied it.

  Rafael Barba : Arrest her.

  Olivia Benson : Statutory rape?

  Rafael Barba : Oh, I'm thinking a lot more than that.

• Rafael Barba : Poor kid doesn't know whether to hate her or love her.

  Olivia Benson : It's hard to give up on your mother, no matter how sick she may be.

• Olivia Benson : Do you always sleep naked?

  Dr. Nicole Keller : Sometimes. Sometimes I sleep in a nightgown. Sometimes I sleep in a Rolling Stones t-shirt. Are you suggesting I had sex with that boy?

  Olivia Benson : Oh, I'm not suggesting anything. I'm simply asking why you and Trey were in bed together naked.

• Olivia Benson : Were you having a sexual relationship with Trey Franklin prior to the night he was shot and killed?

  Dr. Nicole Keller : Like I've been trying to tell you, he was obsessed with me.

  Odafin Tutuola : That's a yes?

  Dr. Nicole Keller : It's an absolute, unequivocal no.

  Odafin Tutuola : What about Ethan? That's an absolute, unequivocal no, too?

  Dr. Nicole Keller : Correct.

  Olivia Benson : So Ethan was lying?

  Dr. Nicole Keller : Of course he's lying!

  Olivia Benson : Okay. Well, when he told me what happened, he started to cry. And then he turned to his father and he begged him not to hate him. We have a believable fifteen year old boy in there who is claiming that you sexually assaulted him and Trey Franklin.

  Odafin Tutuola : Making things worse, Trey is dead.

  Olivia Benson : Because you told your son that he was raping you, when, in fact, you were raping him.

  Dr. Nicole Keller : You're making this up.

  Olivia Benson : The sooner you tell us the truth, the better this is gonna be for you. And more importantly, Luke.

  Dr. Nicole Keller : Don't you presume to tell me what's best for my son.

  Olivia Benson : I'm not presuming anything. I'm just stating facts.

• Olivia Benson : Dr. Keller, is there anything in Nicole's past or your relationship that might help explain this... this type of behavior?

  Dr. Daniel Keller : She is a malignant narcissist, probably borderline.

  [seeing Benson's surprise] 

  Dr. Daniel Keller : I'm a psychiatrist, as well.

  Olivia Benson : So this lying, manipulating, abusive pattern of behavior's been going on for a long time?

  Dr. Daniel Keller : Since the day I met her. Nicole is like the best and worst woman you've ever met wrapped in one.

  Amanda Rollins : Yeah, we've been getting that.

  Dr. Daniel Keller : Well, when we first met, she's... she's charming. She's brilliant. But gradually, her sickness began to reveal itself.

  Olivia Benson : How do you mean?

  Dr. Daniel Keller : Look, with Nicole... this woman truly believes that she's special. That she deserves this unique and constant admiration. She lacks compassion, empathy. Yet at the same time, she is remarkably fragile. She has no true sense of self, and I... I just... I couldn't take it.

  Olivia Benson : So you left her.

  Dr. Daniel Keller : Yes. Yes. Look, but I tried to make it work. I... I couldn't.

  Amanda Rollins : You just let Luke stay there, live with her, knowing Nicole has all these issues?

  Dr. Daniel Keller : No. Look, I fought like hell for custody, but the judge sided with her, because, I'm telling you, this woman, she is incredibly charming and persuasive. I never thought she'd destroy her own son. Just tell me you're not gonna charge Luke with a crime.

  Olivia Benson : Your ex-wife is the criminal here. We're gonna speak with the ADA.

• Dr. Nicole Keller : First you lie to my son. Now you harass me in my place of business?

  Olivia Benson : Stop talking. You're under arrest.

  Dr. Nicole Keller : On what charges?

  Olivia Benson : Third degree rape of a minor.

  Dr. Nicole Keller : I'm the victim here.

  Olivia Benson : And murder.

  Dr. Nicole Keller : Murder? I didn't murder anyone.

  Odafin Tutuola : [handcuffing her]  Look, lady. Turn around. Come on.

  Olivia Benson : Get her out of here.

• Olivia Benson : So, Luke, I know that you want to help your mother, but you can't plead guilty.

  Luke Keller : Why? I'm the one who shot Trey.

  Olivia Benson : Because she begged for your help. You told that to me and Detective Carisi a dozen times, Luke. You were trying to save her life.

  Luke Keller : Yeah, I know, but I knew she liked Trey, and she was always real talkative when he was around.

  Olivia Benson : Did you ever see the two of them together, physically?

  Luke Keller : No.

  Olivia Benson : Okay.

  Luke Keller : What my mother said about me - you know, watching - that's a lie.

  Olivia Benson : I know that.

  Luke Keller : But I did hear her say that Trey was really handsome once, so maybe I did know, and I just didn't know that I knew.

  Olivia Benson : Luke, listen to me. What your mother did to Trey and what she did to Ethan, that's a crime. It's called statutory rape.

  Luke Keller : I was trying to save her.

  Olivia Benson : I know that. And you are a good son. And you are a very brave person.

  Luke Keller : I shot Trey. That makes me a killer.

  Olivia Benson : Look at me. You didn't intend to kill Trey. You know that. I know that. And your mother knows that. Your mother told me the hunting story. That... that you had a deer right in your sights, and you couldn't pull the trigger because you couldn't kill a living, breathing animal. That's who you are. And it's not your job to sacrifice your life for hers.

• [last lines] 

  Rafael Barba : You okay? Look, he's a strong kid. He'll be fine.

  Olivia Benson : You really believe that?

  Rafael Barba : Can I buy you a drink?

  Olivia Benson : No, thanks. I, uh... I got to go home to see Noah. I got to... I just want to be with my boy.

• Rafael Barba : What do we know about Trey Franklin?

  Olivia Benson : Only son of Charles and Regina Franklin. Father's an English professor. Mother is an oncology nurse. No priors. Good student. He started high school at Manor Hill in September.

  Rafael Barba : Rape kit?

  Olivia Benson : There's no semen. Jut a few minor abrasions.

  Rafael Barba : How long did the mother know Trey?

  Olivia Benson : A few months. She said she didn't mind her son being friends with Trey, but she had a bad feeling about him from the beginning. Whatever that means.

  Rafael Barba : Because he's black?

  Olivia Benson : No. I didn't get a sense that it was racial.

  Rafael Barba : And Luke. Do you believe his story?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : I do. He's... he's taking this hard. He had no clue the alleged rapist was his friend.

  Rafael Barba : But firing the rifle was the only way to stop the assault?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : He panicked. He was trying to scare whoever he thought it was away.

• Olivia Benson : I want to track her phone. I need to vet Ethan's story.

  Odafin Tutuola : She's smart. And a liar like that, she covers her tracks.

  Olivia Benson : That's why we need hard evidence that she cannot lie her way out of. But first we need to make absolutely sure that Luke had no prior knowledge of what was going on with his mother and Trey.

• Dr. Daniel Keller : Luke wants to plead guilty.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Guilty? Guilty of what?

  Dr. Daniel Keller : Murder. But he can't even do that, right? You gave him immunity.

  Rafael Barba : Qualified immunity.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Listen, if he changes his story now, he starts lying to protect his mother, that deal, that goes away.

  Rafael Barba : The judge may very well accept his plea.

  Olivia Benson : Dr. Keller, this makes no sense. What exactly is Luke saying?

  Dr. Daniel Keller : He now believes he deliberately shot Trey, that deep down he knew his mother was screwing his friend.

  Olivia Benson : She's spinning him upside down.

  Rafael Barba : She wants him to go to prison?

  Dr. Daniel Keller : In her deluded mind, Luke is responsible for what happened, for her shame. He is the enemy, so taking him down, that's gonna make her feel whole again.

  Rafael Barba : Even if it means convincing her son he's responsible for a murder he didn't commit?

  Olivia Benson : Well, we can't let her do that, so, Mr. Keller, where is Luke now? I'd like to talk to him.

• Olivia Benson : Detective Perry, Homicide?

  Det. Marcus Perry : Yeah.

  Olivia Benson : Lieutenant Benson, SVU.

  Det. Marcus Perry : Thanks for getting here so fast.

  Odafin Tutuola : So, what are we looking at?

  Det. Marcus Perry : DOA Is Trey Franklin, 15. Rifle shot to the head, close range.

  Olivia Benson : You said the shooter interrupted a rape?

  Det. Marcus Perry : Yeah. Luke Keller, also 15. Saw Franklin assaulting his mother, Nicole Keller - Dr. Nicole Keller, 45.

  Amanda Rollins : Did you keep them separated?

  Det. Marcus Perry : Yep. We secured the scene and the weapon, took the kid's initial statements. He's upstairs. The mother's in the living room.

  Olivia Benson : Okay, so we'll take the disclosure.

  Det. Marcus Perry : That's why I called you guys.