Law & Order: SVU - Barba Calls a Hostile Witness (Episode Highlight)

Barba's witness doesn't want to testify because it means admitting something too painful to accept.
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In season 18, NBC’s Law & Order SVU follows the life and crimes of the Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department, an elite squad of detectives who investigate sexually based crimes.
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As acting Commander of the SVU, Sergeant Olivia Benson is a seasoned veteran of the unit who has seen it all. She leads with empathy and professionalism, all the while dealing with her difficult past - as a product of rape and a witness to her mother's grief, she can personally relate to each victim she tries to help.
Law & Order: SVU - Barba Calls a Hostile Witness (Episode Highlight)
• Law & Order: SVU - Bar...
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[@SabotSender]

Barba's stone face after requesting permission to treat the witness as hostile sells the point that he is cold and damn good at his job. You gotta love his character.

[@dorandesir8309]

This is so stupid why would you rape and kill the innocent girl

[@ThePapino134]

@@dorandesir8309 to punish the mother. anyone would be pretty resentful after 16 years of hell

[@ThePapino134]

@UThink UCan the jurors are anonymous. only 3-4 person would be identifyable in the process (judge, prosecutor, maybe witnesses) i never said it was logical but in his mind if she didn't make the false accusation to begin with, none of it would have happened.

[@brianrunyon266]

*sips blackberry tea.* I do. One of the best ADA's on this show, and am also a fan of his actor.

[@ab17364]

can we just give barba his own spin off...the world needs his spicy sass and unapologetic wit

[@SuperSoldier26]

Wow

[@jmiller7901]

The world would not be entirely ready

[@amielawson8344]

Yes! I love his character!

[@catmaxwell6691]

Raúl Esparza broadway clips are even better than his role on svu. There’s a few here, on KZbin. He’s an amazing talent.

[@sniz7792]

Raul Esparza does such an amazing job in this scene! I love him! He's an amazing actor. Rafael Barba is my favorite character and Raul Esparza is the reason I started watching this show

[@Harrisonfan239]

Sniz 77 me too

[@carolinelockwood8433]

Sniz 77 he would've been an awesome attorney

[@NightridewithNikki]

Sniz 77 Um is it bad I think Raul Esparza is not only a good actor but also really sexy just saying

[@TheHasheart]

I agree that he look so hot in a 3 piece suit. However, I like it better, when he has a solid shirt and a patterned tie, or a patterned shirt and a solid shirt . A patterned shirt and a patterned tie together yuck.

[@TennantJunkie1993]

I wore floral patterns together before.

[@LordyT34]

Barba is the best ADA ever

[@lamb9770]

Lord Drakkon 7367 novak says hi

[@lisaconnelly5443]

OG Cabot says what’s good?

[@mp4455]

Agreed better than the lady on the first few seasons

[@lilyflower8991]

I never thought anyone would be better than Cabot, but then along came Barba!!! ♥️♥️

[@jaxcoss5790]

I loved Stone.

[@Desiree7528]

Rafael Barba Alexandra Cabot and Casey Novak are the ADA Holy Trinity of SVU change my mind

[@smc349]

truth!

[@deedeelarson8149]

Yep

[@jkm52399]

Can't. Facts!

[@McD5791]

agreed. we shall see if Carisi can stick around long enough to make it a quadrilogy...

[@Desiree7528]

@@McD5791 god I hope so

[@JDM_Miggy]

Barba: “Permission to treat the witness as hostile your honor?” Me: 👀👀

[@neoborta]

😂😂😂 YES

[@nikkis9670]

It was brutal, but that's Barba's way to get justice.

[@SarahRabbit97]

God, Barba gets so intimate with the emotions of all of the people on the stand. Its fascinating to watch him get her to accept the truth. His court scenes always get so intense, and I love it!

[@ikrammunye6723]

Barba is so emotional yet so political and that's what makes him the best ADA eva

[@SuperSoldier26]

Oh yeah!!!!

[@alexandraanderson3988]

He so emotional 😢😮 then why did he blame 😠😭 her on the stand insinuating it's her fault when it's actually not in reality even though she thinks it is 😡 if Benson did what barba just did y'all all would be giving her a rip a run for her money tbh on why did she do that blah blah blah 😤 which I know she would never just saying!!!

[@SunGawdRa]

@@alexandraanderson3988 I think I understand what you're writing, but even if Benson would never, Barba most definitely would call her out to get her to realize the truth. He's been the same since day one, unapologetically. That's why no one bats an eye, and understand the necessity of it.

[@Rob-ExMachina]

I always hated that defense attorney more than any of the others for some reason lol.

[@darkwriter_xx94]

Rob Maddox same but if I ever needed a lawyer I wouldn’t mind having him on my team 😂😂😂

[@Rob-ExMachina]

@@darkwriter_xx94 Ha same!

[@curlytalks25]

That man pisses me off. But damn he's a worthy defense attorney. He was able to get 2 boys a not guilty verdict in a rape case with a college student/adult star.

[@evilclown019]

Curly Talks I hated that episode so goddamn much. The ending was so painful, where she just allows herself to fall further into this world that’s only comforting to her because of a semblance of control. Not that I’m judging anyone in that industry, work is work as they say, but she wanted more, and gave up on trying to have it because she felt defeated. Any person, lawyer or not who can cause that and feel good about it is a monster. This lawyer, IS a monster.

[@curlytalks25]

@@evilclown019 couldn't have said it better myself. The character is a demon but we have to give props to the actor for making us feel these raw emotions.

[@spdcrzy]

That cross was BRUTAL. And incredibly well crafted.

[@Opps_I_said_it_again]

Barba and cabot will forever be my favorite ADA'S barba more 😂💯

[@zinmomo7192]

I agree!

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I've seen this episode countless times, and I've wondered what would've happened had she *refused* to answer Rafael Barba's questions after he had declared her as "hostile".

[@stephaniegittinger7980]

Contempt of court probably

[@genevievemarie9427]

It's really hard for me to feel compassion for her since she sent an innocent man to prison for 16 years where he was raped and beaten repeatedly!

[@untapdtreasure]

@@genevievemarie9427 she didn't know he was innocent. She really thought he had raped her. So it's not as if she had any malice or ill intent in her heart when she accused him. That makes all the difference.

[@laytonpro8655]

Do you know what episode this is?

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Yes, I did.

[@charlottesmythee]

Barba is UNMATCHED! Best SVU ADA ever!

[@chesirez00]

I swear. I had waited all season for barba to show up

[@jacobhobbs1328]

sad barba isn’t on the show anymore

[@jrstoxic7304]

Raul if you here this comment please get back on the show .😥😓

[@amilcarhernandez8189]

philip winchester

[@queenheart6167]

@@amilcarhernandez8189 He is gone too.

[@amilcarhernandez8189]

dama de copas :(

[@melodyconte]

Yeah but he trained Carisi well. I think Carisi is gonna be top 3. McCoy, Barba, Carisi

[@bettyboo8214]

Raul Esparza was brilliant as Barba. Very handsome, great actor and have you heard him sing??? The show just wasn't the same when he left.

[@aasiyahwadee8479]

Barba is my fave character on sci. He's great at his role. No other actor can match his skill or dynamic

[@devworlddaily]

Barba should get his own show Id never miss an episode

[@evekurocieru]

Barba is so hot

[@beckyboo1146]

evekurocieru yes! Thank god someone agrees with me!

[@Alexandra-rs3rr]

HARD SMASH !!

[@nurshazrinanadhirahbintizu7219]

and dont forget his deeepppp voice

[@jessshoe1577]

Omg I’ve had a crush on him since I was like 10

[@StarryBowz]

IKR IM IN LOVE

[@Sunny105121]

Henry Thomas is the actor who plays Sean Roberts in this scene. Many years ago, he was the child actor who played Elliott in the movie "E.T.".

[@miranda13c]

The woman on the stand also played an unsub (unknown subject aka a suspect) on the show Criminal Minds. She was a spree killer who basically just couldn’t take the grief of the death of her son anymore and went on a killing spree and wanted to go after her now ex husband. There’s more to it but I suggest y’all watch the episode if you haven’t (watch the whole series in fact, it’s my favorite along with SVU) because the actress does SUCH a great job as portraying someone who is just completely empty and dead inside. There was nothing there behind her eyes. So eerie. This is from season 6, episode 20 of Criminal Minds and the ep is titled “Hanley Waters.” The ep is also sad because the side storyline involves the profiler team trying to grieve over losing someone. If you’ve seen the show and remember season 6, y’all will know what I’m referring to. I instantly recognized her when I watched this episode of SVU. *And of course I also recognized the legendary Henry Thomas in this ep as well, one of the best!

[@chelsea_yigan]

yes! i know which episode you're talking about. she and her son get into a car accident, the boy kept asking for his dad because he was a firefighter or EMT and could've saved him. then on the son's birthday, she goes on spree that was triggered by the birthday and seeing kids around. I noticed that the first person she shot was the mall cop, and I'm thinking she probably shot him out of resentment because on the day of the accident, first responders and the police weren't listening to her to take care of her son first.

[@zoe5977]

I knew I recognised her from somewhere!!

[@stevemeredith9022]

She was first widely known from The Practice.

[@tarasigidi1733]

Three words: Bring Back Barba!!!!

[@bellerain381]

Alex, Barba and Stone are all very good prosecutors! They filled their roles very well! I miss Alex and Barba, but Stone is doing a good job! I applaud all of them!

[@alexandraanderson3988]

Casey 😢😮 don't forget Casey her too

[@shannunlikeskittens]

BEST ADA EVERRRR

[@af7447]

savagelyloved 💯💯💯

[@skypeters3034]

savagelyloved nooo Alex Cabot all the freaking way

[@lamb9770]

casey novak says hi

[@veryqueenle]

sky peters she’s 2nd

[@takeitoutsidecausethatsson7621]

Alex Cabot would like to know your location

[@RobertAlvarezThePsychicWitch]

I think it is safe to say every character on "Law & Order: SVU" has earned the title "Badass!" Badass Benson, Badass Barba, Badass Finn, Badass Stabler, etc.

[@kimberlyolson99]

he is my favorite ada. raúl brought something special to this character.

[@-cloudsaboveuscrying-6805]

OMG HOW I LOVE HIM!! ♥ he's amazing, loved this scene

[@hardwirecars]

doesn't that speak way louder of our prison system than what the women did. for god sake we know if your not an animal going in your gonna be one coming out.

[@christinaluna2055]

W

[@anthonymcfadden9628]

Yesss preach

[@brigidvanparys2062]

That's exactly what I told the parole board hearing for my best friend's killer 🤬😢

[@Clorgisclorg]

Not really. We try to send the worst to prison, but sometimes we're wrong. Law is not perfect because humans are not perfect. But you can't throw out the entire system because mistakes happen. We try to mend it; we are meant to do all we can to stop innocent people from being sent there. As for prisons, unless you're going to chain them all to a wall, the scum we send to prisons will continue to be scum. They'll bleed that onto one another, and that's their punishment. There are many that are sent there and try to rehabilitate themselves, and that is the ideal. But it is not the whole reality.

[@gannicusfinch7068]

*you're

[@lunagare8161]

Barba is the absolute best!

[@diamondjoemazing]

So weird seeing him here after Hannibal. He's pretty damned good.

[@quacasualwomen]

Thank you! I couldn’t remember where I’d seen him

[@AngelRodriguez-tj7xt]

He was in Hannibal?

[@RedxMoonxRose]

@@AngelRodriguez-tj7xt He's Frederick Chilton, the general administrator for Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane

[@AngelRodriguez-tj7xt]

@@RedxMoonxRose thank you.

[@scottmatheson3346]

does he get eaten?

[@andyroon3931]

Barba should be the DA and not the ADA

[@SomethinAboutACarrot]

I'm a ADA like barba,I actually saw them filming while Olivia and barba were outside the courthouse in New york,cuz I am a real ada in nyc

[@bs4e]

@@SomethinAboutACarrot what's it like? Like svu?? Im so interested!

[@atf5275]

@@SomethinAboutACarrot Yeah totally your an ada

[@bernanditadevera4375]

@@SomethinAboutACarrot 🤣🤣🤣

[@1995robin]

@@SomethinAboutACarrot sure

[@b2kzangelalwayz]

Such a good actress. I remember her from Lie to Me.

[@wdwgirl9206]

She also played a lawyer in The Practice. You should check it out if you haven’t seen it yet.

[@BB-sn9zk]

I need a barba in my life!!! He is the best I love his character!!!

[@lcamp6708]

I miss Barba/Raul Esparza 💜 I always thought it would be interesting to see Benson and Barba together.

[@claudinefaure9090]

Maybe this is going to happen. Season 23 finale ending on Benson speaking out how she feels... Just take a seat and stop breathing. ;))-

[@instafruit5121]

He is my favorite character with Amaro. I imagine after this scene the others are like: Dude, that was harsh. P.S. I didn't get to see this episode yet.

[@skypeters3034]

Alex Cabot and Casey Novak were badass. Barba is good but stone needs to go

[@lloydflower7698]

Stabler master Race

[@ceryse622]

amaro and barba are probably the two sexiest characters lmao

[@hollywoodshopaholic]

Amaro and Barba were my SUV crushes, I was so disappointed when they left. Thank god for Carisi though

[@alexandraanderson3988]

​​@@skypeters3034I liked stone tbh 😢😮

[@xenianino6851]

I miss a lot,he is a good actor and I love him like a person

[@MMuraseofSandvich]

Defense: Is there a question here? (He's right, Barba can not make arguments like this during witness examination) Judge: Get to the point. Barba: _fails to ask questions_ That's so getting thrown out on appeal.

[@lordhawkeye]

Yup. TV has corrupted our view of how the courts actually work.

[@Liamon96]

Because this is a drama and not an accurate portrayal of how courts truly work.

[@thewalkingdeadlover1390]

I love Barba

[@giorgiolarriva4814]

What is a hostile witness, I’m like confused because the first time I heard that term was in the Dark Knight , and right as Dent said that the witness pulled a gun on him being a literal hostile

[@JayAshBranAudioScripts]

Giorgio Larriva a witness who doesn’t want to cooperate. Usually a witness called on by one of the sides and they end up working against them.

[@thomasb7347]

More specifically the designation allows a lawyer to ask leading questions

[@aceclover758]

An attorney cannot ask the witness leading question unless they are treated as a “hostile” witness. In technical terms, it means your own witness is not cooperating or doesn’t want to reveal evidence they are withholding

[@John231984]

The actress is "Kelli Williams" she was on the Practice

[@iamergoproxy3476]

I love when he goes for the jugular

[@VSaber365]

Man... even for this show, that is heavy on so many levels.

[@hannahortiz3153]

Barba is the best part of this whole show.

[@dmdm528]

I absolutely adore this actress. I saw her on a adifferent show as a guest star . Criminal Minds . And I still remeber her. Her acting is so emotional . So truthful. So haunting. Why can't amazing actresses have equally amazing careers? At least in the US? Is it too much to ask? Am I reaching for the stars here? I don''t think so...

[@Subangelis]

She's a lead in an old show The Practice

[@chronicallycoxing]

She's a lead on a great show called "Lie to Me" but it got cancelled. If you like Criminal Minds, you'll like Lie to Me

[@DaniChapp1996]

Oh i do love Barba

[@whimsicallymad7580]

They really need to put the season and episode number of this clips in the description of these clips

[@HajimeNoJMo]

Barba is my favorite ADA close behind McCoy from the original series

[@michellelovesanberli]

HajimeNoJMo I love him but I really loved Cabot too...and Casey

[@johnathandouglas007]

Kinda liked how McCoy did it... McCoy: ur honor I'd like to treat the witness as hostile!? **Punches witness in the face a buncha times**

[@MARIAANDRADE-gf6wz]

O MELHOR ADA da série. É uma pena que tenha saído, ainda tinha muito o que mostrar, muito o que brilhar, do lado da Benson e de toda a equipe. Pra mim, ele foi e ainda é, o melhor.

[@SuperSoldier26]

Definitely

[@jimhills1920]

That’s the girl from “The Practice”. Love these tie-ins.

[@rhysbailey6827]

I keep reading his name as Barbra on first glance

[@chesirez00]

Same

[@astridibarra4965]

He's just so amazing!! Perfect.

[@amandavo8668]

Suwysyysbgs bysj Huhue. Syyeuyegyemueuu Uhwhtebyeusybbu your mom and dad

[@cunningsmile4166]

She took his life from him and he ended up taking her world from her. Karma balances the scales. We see this kind of crap enough and hell why can't we get a laugh out of it?

[@hanklukas]

Love this show SVU is great.

[@Teddybeardb85]

Kelli Williams best actress she did well in this episode loved her as Lindsay on The practice

[@hikaruhasama1961]

The girl actor was also in criminal minds, in cm she was a grieving mother who lost her young child in a car crash and went a murder spree cuz of it

[@a.toniboysmith7360]

I believe he has the same features of Raymond Burr who'd played Perry Mason. I'm a fan of Perry Mason.

[@coffeecrimegal5968]

I miss Barba.. He was my favorite ADA... Straight Beast Mode In The Court..

[@ayeayeronmolay3699]

She’s from Lie to Me!!!!!

[@Racellina]

AyeAyeRon Molay and the fosters

[@theblackdagger4566]

This episode was heartbreaking/Barba was the best

[@avertzzfn9409]

Barba Is The Best!! ☺️

[@PixieLady45]

Barba's great!

[@vinanathasha6652]

PixieLady45 i

[@alexandraanderson3988]

No he wasn't 😢😮 he blamed her 😞 👎 for no reason tbh

[@jerseysgod6639]

I LOVE BARBA BEST EVER:)

[@lynn8101]

I miss seeing Barbara on the show I will always keep close to my heart

[@foolslayer9416]

The Truth is not a delicate tool. It is meant to be brought down bluntly, with force enough to break someone if necessary.

[@coffeeaddictexpress5038]

I knew who you meant before i even saw actor. He was incredible at making me hate him lol!

[@ohdear1780]

Goodness gracious. Going to the court = Speaking up.

[@mjparadero7046]

I love Barba he was awesome!!!!

[@l9898_]

let's be honest the show was never the same after he left

[@me_here_now]

Victim blaming? No, he is responsible for his own actions lady.

[@FIRING_BLIND]

I really wish he'd told her it wasn't her fault what happened to him in there. What his fellow inmates did says nothing about her or her actions. It is not her fault our prison system is brutally horrific in and of itself.

[@soraceant]

It is her fault for putting him there regardless if he was raped or not.

[@alexandraanderson3988]

That's what I'm saying ❤😢 why blame her whether she wants to believe it's her fault or not which Is why I never really liked barba in the first place 😡 always blaming the victims then people have the nerve to say he's at heart what heart💜❤️ he's just like another Rollins to me victim blame 😠 they both should have teamed up ovef the years then him and Benson they both seem to have chemistry when it comes to victim blame etc.

[@Nic-no8nf]

@@alexandraanderson3988​none of that would have happened to him if it weren’t for HER. Barba doesn’t blame victims. He makes them take accountability. Which is what we need in real life.

[@1est1]

@@alexandraanderson3988 imagine putting someone in jail for years for nothing and still being called a victim, youre f****** pathetic scum, people like you that make this society such a shitshow.

[@evawambani7992]

Who remembers the witness? From Lie To Me..

[@rosasoto6875]

Ada mr barba is great actor ever

[@Loveya226]

I swear I just saw her in a criminal minds episode

[@Loveya226]

And it was her from the season 6 episode, where she lost her son and shot a few people

[@Loveya226]

Shesaid it26 yes, they do 😂

[@wykeishacraft6820]

Barba is a great ADA ,he going to work his case out

[@axucaroso]

Barba for the people. For justice. For the TRUTH!!!

[@judycaldwell2582]

Not my yacht😎

[@kellyalves756]

Judy Caldwell “What, are you a bat?”

[@kellyalves756]

Shesaid it26 First of all, it’s Barba. Unless you’re Fin, he always messes it up. Second, I was quoting another line I liked, but evidently it was something he said while goofing around in an outtake, so don’t mind me.

[@alishanuraini9489]

2019 still watching😘😘😘

[@jasminelopez2763]

hmmmm I love me some Barrrrbaa

[@McD5791]

@ 0:31 - is that Henry "Elliott from E.T." Thomas I see there?

[@gotch09]

Yeah, I think so.

[@cfinley81]

Yes it is.

He's the Man!

[@lifewuzonceezr]

Elliott...said in my best E.T. Voice

[@kmetzz1]

I just want him to SING 😃❤️

[@caesar1651]

is barisi still a thing?

[@samali6066]

i think there will be barson lol soon not barisi

[@caesar1651]

Habone Ali mind explain it?

[@clowchan]

Yes

[@aljndravrgs]

YES!!!!

[@TennantJunkie1993]

There's a battle going on between the Barisi shippers and the Barson shippers right now on the SVU tag on Tumblr.

[@JeonJungkook-yl9ho]

when you're watching something about criminals and rape and the ad you get is about BTS being on Vlive 😂😂😂 like what the hell 😂😂😂😂

[@takijahrichardson4569]

Patrizia Guzman same!

[@Cherry-qx6rk]

Wtf

[@nevena9343]

Barba is the best 😍

[@AB-xy3mr]

the defendant is the kid from ET lol

[@joshuahjjohnston]

Yep.

[@LorrethaCain]

Love you guys ❤

[@cunningsmile4166]

If anyone feels better about bittersweet endings, the guy is sent on a minimum security loony bin for help and this woman gets to live for the rest of her life with the unending guilt that she caused the death of her daughter

[@justjuli3t]

This was a great episode

[@sethmorgan833]

Talk about "leading the witness" the defense right or wrong on the client has grounds for an automatic mistrial. Barb completely lead the witness to testifying by playing on her guilt.

[@ChrissyRox429]

He's so hot omg 😻 I need him in my life

[@quizmaster85]

When you consider Delaney Williams played a police sergeant on _The Wire,_ you could say his characters have seen both sides of the law. And as much as we dislike Buchanan, I like how Williams portrays Buchanan's right royal roughness and then some.

[@MyJbryant]

*E.T.: "Oh, El-li-ot"*

[@aasiyahwadee8479]

Miss Amarro too.

[@whatalexawants]

This defense lawyer reminds me of the defense lawyer from The Bee Movie

[@erauprcwa]

Elliot lost his way after ET left.

[@ruthrichardson9717]

Dr. Gillian Foster!! 😄

[@rafaelcaceres3152]

If he did it then he should have gone to prison regardless of how he was treated but it helps get the truth out which is very important towards the truth

[@sstanley4050]

Barba is the best!