Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

Assaulting Reality (2016)

Peter Scanavino: Detective Dominick 'Sonny' Carisi, Jr.

Photos 

Quotes 

• Dominick Carisi, Jr. : [watching "Heart's Desire" with Rollins]  Did you see what I just saw?

  Amanda Rollins : And she wasn't acting. Did they just air a rape?

• Odafin Tutuola : Maybe you guys were distracted, but, uh, reality shows are all fake. You know that, right?

  Amanda Rollins : Not last night. They want drama. They want fairy tales. They don't want rape, and you saw they cut away as soon as Melanie started to freak out.

  Olivia Benson : Did she report it?

  Amanda Rollins : Who knows if the producers let her make a call? They don't allow access to the outside world.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : Yeah, it's like Stockholm syndrome. I mean, with all these headlines, plus the amount of calls we're getting from concerned viewers, including the Chief of D's wife...

  Amanda Rollins : We should at least just go and ask a few questions.

  Olivia Benson : Okay, so go talk to Melanie, but I'm interested in our reality, not theirs.

• Lizzie Bauer : [to Rollins and Carisi]  Hi, there. Lizzie Bauer, co-producer. How can I help the NYPD?

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : Well, we're following up on the accusation Melanie made on the air last night.

  Lizzie Bauer : Of course. We've been getting calls about it too, but you know nothing happened, right? Our show is heavily scripted.

  Amanda Rollins : Okay, well, we still need to speak to Melanie.

  Lizzie Bauer : Um, our executive producers are talking to the network. Can I ask you to wait until they get here?

  Amanda Rollins : No.

  Lizzie Bauer : Melanie's close to the final round. I... I talked to her last night. If she'd wanted the police involved, we definitely would have made that happen.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : We need to hear that from her.

• Melanie Connor : All I know is, I don't remember having sex. I would never have agreed to that.

  Amanda Rollins : But you think you did have sex?

  Melanie Connor : Well, after seeing the video, it kind of made sense. Morning after my date, I was sore down there. My panties were on the floor. I felt different.

  Amanda Rollins : Did you tell anybody?

  Melanie Connor : I didn't remember it, so I didn't say anything.

  Amanda Rollins : Okay, well, Melanie, um, if you were... if you were unable to consent, yeah, that could be rape.

  Melanie Connor : Well, they said that it wasn't.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : Who's they?

  Melanie Connor : Lizzie. And the Princes, Jeffrey and Regina Prince, the executive producers. They said that since I told Ryan that I wanted to lose my virginity to him eventually, that I must have wanted it.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : No. No. They were wrong, all right? It doesn't matter what you did or what you said before.

  Melanie Connor : Then I don't... I don't understand. I thought that Ryan and I were in love with each other. Why... why would he rape me?

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : We can investigate. We can talk to Ryan and collect evidence. Do you have any clothing from that night?

  Melanie Connor : They take care of our laundry here. They take care of everything.

  [to Rollins] 

  Melanie Connor : Could I borrow your cell? We're not allowed phones and I want to call my mom.

  Amanda Rollins : Of course.

• Lizzie Bauer : So sorry you had to waste a trip.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : No, not really. Detective Rollins is going to take Melanie to the hospital to get a rape kit done.

  Lizzie Bauer : No, wait, Melanie can't go. She has a shoot. The ladies dine and dish.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : Does she? That mean that the guys aren't working then, right? That's good, because I need to talk to Ryan.

  Lizzie Bauer : Hang on. This is a closed set.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : No, not anymore, it's not.

• Olivia Benson : So Melanie agreed to a rape kit, but she has no memory of consenting to or even having sex?

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : No, no, but Ryan does.

  Odafin Tutuola : He claims it was consensual.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : And magical.

  Olivia Benson : Okay, are you sure that this isn't part of the show?

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : Yeah, look, something happened to this girl that she did not want to have happen.

• Dominick Carisi, Jr. : The Princes will plead guilty to one count of tampering with physical evidence. It's a felony.

  Lizzie Bauer : They won't do time.

  Amanda Rollins : Probably not, they're rich.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : But they'll never work in TV again.

  Lizzie Bauer : And yet, I can guarantee you, "Heart's Desire" will go on.

  Amanda Rollins : In a way, though, you're lucky that they threw you under the bus. Got you to cooperate. You hadn't done that, you'd still be on the hook.

  Lizzie Bauer : Great, so I avoid a felony charge. I can't wait to put it on my resume. Sorry. The show brought out the worst in me and I learned to bring out the worst in those girls. Just so you know, I really was asleep when she was raped. I swear.

  Amanda Rollins : We believe you.

  Lizzie Bauer : Melanie won't. How does she get over this?

• Regina Prince : Our show is about love, romance. This accusation is deeply disturbing.

  Jeffrey Prince : We tell the bachelors to treat every young lady as if she's our daughter.

  Odafin Tutuola : You have a daughter?

  Jeffrey Prince : No, we don't have children. The point is, these girls need to be respected and protected.

  Dominick Carisi, Jr. : Okay, well, Melanie doesn't feel like she was.