"He's somebody else's husband.". 1, Donnelly says while walking away. How come you never told me about your mother? Stabler deflects and says, Never came up.. Hows that for an admission?, Then take our hand, Benson says. Stabler holds Benson back as Calvin is taken away and reminds her that the situation was always temporary., This episode gifted Benson and Stabler fans with the duos second hug in the series, commonly referred to among the stans as the Pursuit hug.. He tells her he was asked to speak at her award ceremony, but instead opted to write his thoughts in a letter he planned to give to her that night. Stabler tells her shes great with kids and adds, Maybe you should start thinking about having kids, and any way you want to do it, Ill support you., Elliot, do me a favor? Benson replies. After the conversation, Bernie asks Benson not to tell Stabler she visited his daughter. In later seasons, Rollins ends up in a romantic relationship with her former partner and ADA Dominick Sonny Carisi (Peter Scanavino). In the words of Stabler, Benson continues playing mom for a boy named Calvin (Charlie Tahan) whom she found during a case and took in after his mom disappeared. The real-world explanation for Meloni leaving SVU was reportedly a contract dispute when Season 12 ended. ", Benson explains by saying she broke one of her personal rules by getting involved with a co-worker. You have not asked me one question about what has happened to me since you left, she says. Season Eight is an especially memorable if not the most memorable season for Benson and Stabler fans. Come on now, you know thats not true, Benson responds. Cragen throws her out of interrogation and says that a 5-year-old couldve done a better job, to which Benson responds, Then go hire one.. Back at her apartment, Benson thanks Stabler for safely bringing Noah back. Benson delivers an unforgettable howdy after Stabler says, Hey partner. She offers to get hydrogen peroxide to clean a cut on Stablers face, and she runs into Eli as hes exiting the bathroom. I can't be looking over my shoulder making sure you're OK," he says after Benson points out she couldn't shoot Gitano since he was using the child as shield. Stuckey turns to shoot Stabler, but Benson grabs him and says, I want him to watch. Then, to further the ruse, Benson kisses Stuckey. Stablers away at Quantico while Benson continues working as normal with SVU. Im not your type, Cragen cracks. Kathleen informs her dad that this is an intervention, and Benson chimes in that the intervention is related to what the two of them recently discussed in the car. Rook abducts Benson. Will Hart / NBCU Photo Bank / Getty Images. Swing shows Bensons undying loyalty and concern, both professionally and personally, for her partner after Stablers daughter Kathleen (Allison Siko) gets arrested. And as for why Stabler abruptly left without telling Benson himself? Stablers loyalty to his partner is quite literally put to the test in Authority after an engineer named Merritt Rook (played by the legendary Robin Williams) abducts Benson. SVU helps investigate, and there are a few scenes laced with tension between Benson and Stabler, including Benson subduing a heated Stabler in the interrogation room and an argument between the two on the roof about it. Benson, clearly affected by her partner's words, nods and turns to face him before heading out and whispering, "Good night.". Nice meeting you, Stabler tells Moss as he brushes past Olivia. "Her words can put him in prison for 10 years," Stabler says, after claiming the grad student "hasn't told a consistent story yet.". During a moment of reflection at home before the meeting, Stabler sits outside in the back garden and leaves Benson a voicemail. Stabler, however, was too late getting to Ryan. I can hear it in your voice. I didnt ask you to, Benson responds. Cinema is Benson and Stabler having an entire conversation with their eyes. They both turn around to face the water, and Stablers already holding out his glass before Benson lifts hers to toast to partners.. Leonetti reminded many fans of Benson from her long, dark hair to her fitted blazers. - April 2, 2021 08:33 am EDT. It felt good to hear that, Stabler tells her, clearly relieved to know that after disappearing for a decade, Benson still cares about him. ", "It's so nice to allow myself," Rollins responds. He turns back and walks up to Benson and responds, "Kathy left me.". At the end of the episode, Benson waits for Stabler in his building and says she wants to talk about the letter. Even though Benson isn't "ready" yet, she established she does "want" more with Stabler in the pair's most intimate scene yet and that she trusts Stabler more than anyone else to keep her son safe. I just feel loss," he adds. They both glance down at their watches at the same time and choose to enter a facility they believe holds the missing girl before backup arrives. Stabler tells Benson to say hes in the field. Bensons home sick, and when she opens the door, Stabler says, You look terrible. She responds, Stop with the sweet talk. In this case I can because I do know what it means to love someone unconditionally, Barba says. "You're family," Stabler responds, while searching her kitchen for sugar. (Shes not wrong! Stabler first gave Benson the letter during his big return to the franchise on April 1, shortly after his wife had died. "Law & Order: SVU" fans got to hear three critical words that some have been waiting decades to hear said between former detective partners Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson. "I love you." The whole family was on hand for the intervention, including Benson (Mariska Hargitay). @lawandordertv / Twitter Stabler then wishes Benson a happy Mothers Day and tells her she looks great. Then she hears Liv and turns and locks eyes across the scene with Stabler. Turns out, Valerie was having an affair with an investigator for her lawyer, and hes the one who grabbed her from behind that first night. "I'm sorry," Benson whispers, before a sniper takes out Gitano, effectively ending the standoff. Benson asks Stabler why he was so jumpy the other night when she went to his building to talk about the letter. Still haven't recovered from this scene, it's true. (Kathy ended up getting pregnant during a one-night hookup with her husband while they were estranged. Stabler does not yet realize that it was Ed Tucker yes, that Ed Tucker from IAB but Benson does tell him Ed is dead. What was that about? she asks. As ADA Gillian Hardwicke (Melissa Sagemiller) points out, Stabler has had Bensons back for over 10 years. #SVU #OrganizedCrime #SVUxOC pic.twitter.com/hUR1MlLgt9, Amid all this, Stabler and Benson hashed out some of the unresolved personal issues between them. Stabler asks what she means as she walks away, and Benson finally unleashes months of pent-up frustration. Afterward, the two sit awkwardly at a caf until Benson finally breaks the silence and says, Why couldnt Dani cut it? Stabler says Beck couldnt deal with the victims." Down bad since day one, according to many fans. The eighth episode of the inaugural season of "SVU," "Stalked," really put "Protelliot" a nickname given by fans to Stabler when hes acting especially protective on the map. Benson goes to introduce Noah to Stabler, but Noah jumps in that he already knows whom Detective Stabler is, his moms former partner. And like Season Sixs Doubt, this Season Eight episode is a he said/she said case. "It's not all about the genes, Liv," Stabler adds as he turns around to face her. Before the raid, Benson again picks up on Stabler wilting mental state after he chats with their informant, whos also SVUs current suspect in a rape case. Did Stabler Well, some people arent as blessed as you are, she responds. She starts talking to Lewis about the things she could do to him after everything he did to her. Youve never been gun-shy before, Benson says, to which Stabler replies, Things change., Well like you said, youre the longest relationship that Ive ever had with a man, Benson says. When the woman asks Benson who this Elliot is, she drops her head back on the pillow and whispers, Nobody., It doesnt sound like nobody, the woman responds before mimicking how Benson mumbled Elliot., Back in New York, the ADA needs Benson to take the stand in a rape trial and tries to track her down. Then the head of the Internal Affairs Bureau, Ed Tucker (Robert John Burke), who dates Benson in a much later season, interviews Benson and informs her they pulled her phone records and found that she talked multiple times to a reporter named Kurt Moss (Bill Pullman). Buckle up, because "Fault" starts the unofficial holy trinity of Stabler and Benson episodes, as the events impact both detectives so heavily that spoiler alert Benson ends up asking for a new partner by the end. When Rollins questions Stablers recent actions, Benson defends him. Bernie had previously noticed her pills were missing and picks up on her sons conversation with Benson. Stabler returns to making his breakfast and Leonetti reaches out and holds his arm while saying, "Love shouldnt be complicated. Caught off guard, Stabler at first seemed a bit conciliatory, then got twitchy, then hid behind the "talk to my superior officer" mode when Benson stepped up to let Thats what I thought, he replies. What was her name again, Elliot? Richard adds as Stabler just glares at him and exits the room. I work here, she says before dropping her bag and taking a seat. The cop wonders if Benson is Elis mother, and Benson quickly clarifies that shes a family friend. After each of these lines, Stabler confirms Kathy actually wrote those words not him. Kathleen defies advice to seek psychiatric help and is instead detained. And you know what, Eli turned out perfect, Benson says. When love warps into hate, theres nothing you wont do, Stabler responds, before telling her he signed the divorce papers. Then, Stabler fires and hits Jenna, who ends up bleeding out and dying in front of him. At the end of the eleventh episode of season 8, Benson shows up on Stablers doorstep because she couldnt sleep. Well, youre the one who traded in your suits for jeans, she replies. Olivia has a picture of you two in her living room., Moss wont name his source and says, You two have worked together for a long time. Kathy calls Bensons phone at one point since Stabler wont pick up and wants to know when hell be home. Each always mentioned Stabler's marriage as the answer which wasn't a "no." I just couldnt get that boy out of my head, Stabler responds. The two agree to go get some food, and Stabler asks whos buying. Still, they haven't shared a kiss (yet). Elliot, Benson begins as she steps closer to him. To this day, fans are still waiting for a discussion between Benson and Stabler about what Lewis did to her while Stabler was gone. "I know," Stabler said. One of the long-running mysteries of SVU for the past decade was why Stabler never said goodbye to Benson. Stabler extends his hand for Noah to shake and tells him he can call him Elliot. Kathleen may be sick, but youre the one with the problem, Benson tells him. Benson confirms they did find both the killer and her moms suspected rapist and walks Jenna over to see where the two are being held in a cell. She has quite the slip of the tongue during a discussion with her son. he shouts as he approaches her on the ground. Virginia Sherwood / NBCU Photo Bank / Getty Images. She wants to limit their relationship to one night and one night only, but Cassidy wants more, making for some awkward moments. Liv you mean the world to me, he says. Fin tells Elliot that Benson has a kid now, and Stabler quickly responds, A son? Benson shows up at the lab only to find Stabler tied to a chair. Stabler mentions the risks of Kathy having their most recent child since she was over the age of 40. Benson takes the step to visitsBernie in New Jersey. Stabler confronts Rojas in the parking lot, and Rojas holds a gun to Bensons head. Stabler goes to New Jersey, where viewers are introduced to his mom, Bernadette Bernie Stabler (Ellen Burstyn), for the first time. You give him stability, Kathy says. After the admission, Stabler stumbles out of the chair across the floor toward Benson, who holds Stabler up as he wraps his arms around her. Tucker believes Benson tipped off Moss, so she fesses up to talking to Moss because shes in fact been dating him. It isn't until he's talking with George Huang (B.D. Later, Benson and the SVU squad help Stablers team infiltrate a party with the young girls and the Albanians. A doctor tells Stabler and Kathy he believes Kathleen has bipolar disorder and suggests medication after hearing about her recent erratic behavior. Cragen's suspicions about Stabler and Benson's bond are right. It is her death that inspires Stabler to take a new job with the NYPD that keeps him in the Big Apple. The series premiere of Law & Order: Organized Crime introduced an item that fans became so fixated on, it became an entire social media movement: the letter. He reveals that he signed his divorce A shocked Benson stares back at him as all of his kids look on, and the Benson and Stabler love theme (yes, these two have their own music) starts to play. Similar to Fault, Burned is another iconic episode for Benson and Stabler that truly tests their partnership. Starting in 1999, Benson and Stabler were official partners at the Special Victims Unit for over 12 years, until Stabler's abrupt departure at the end of Season 12 in 2011. Season One of "SVU is laced with incredible Benson and Stabler moments that are still discussed to this day. She asks him to tell her his honest opinion, and boy, does he deliver the words many have been thinking for over two decades. At night, Kathy thinks her husbands finally home, but its actually Benson at the door, telling her that Stabler is undercover. MC Suhocki is a New York City-based senior multiplatform editor for TODAY Digital who joined the team in 2014. Its in the grounds, Reggie says. The rest of the episode is laced with tension between the partners as they work to find their footing again from Benson calling out Stabler's anger management problem to later pointing out when he calls a victim Dani instead of Danielle, to which Stabler responds, Is something bothering you?. Bensons and Kathys car gets slammed by what ends up being a drunk driver. In a parallel universe, Benson begins. The episode ends with Benson walking back to her old desk, which prompts Stabler to ask, What are you doing here?. Whatever happened between you and Angela, Wheatley knows, Benson says. Thats what Im counting on. Then Benson realizes Kathy wants her to convince Stabler to sign the divorce papers. When Stabler expresses his disbelief, Benson explains, Im single. Meloni told TODAY in February that little moments like holding hands, which among the fans are obviously a big deal, are ones he and Hargitay add into the scenes themselves. He stares longingly at her as she's putting something in the car until she turns and notices and says, "What?". Their meeting ends in an argument, and Stablers attempt at getting his mothers help is unsuccessful. Then Stabler, without breaking eye contact with Benson, emphatically declares, I love you.. Then Stabler appears behind Benson in the middle of his partners tough personal and professional decision and says, Well Liv, make a decision. In whose opinion? Stabler asks. Cragen wont let Stabler stake out Central Park alone as part of their newest case. Bu the door isn't yet closed when it comes to the loss of his former partner. Well, I got to tell you, Im a little jealous because Elliot here tells me youre the second-best partner he ever had, Benson cracks. 'Law & Order: SVU': Elliot Stabler Finally Explains Why ), While driving with FBI agent Dean Porter (Vincent Spano), Porter asks if her partner in New York finds her as annoying as he does. Cragen wants to bench Benson from their current case since she has custody of their suspects son, and he also takes Stabler off the case. Stabler tells Benson shes a good mom after she says she brings Noah to school whenever she can.