Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler were the best crime-fighting duo on television during their 12 years together on Law & Order: SVU. Fans would’ve loved to see their relationship go beyond being just police partners. There were some teases here and there, but it wasn’t pursued more seriously until Christopher Meloni’s Stabler returned for his own spinoff show, Organized Crime, years later.
However, even after four seasons of SVU and three seasons of Organized Crime, the relationship is in a frustrating limbo. Now, I would’ve loved to see the romance blossom between the two, but I think the show must move on from their relationship for the sake of both shows. Here’s why I think Meloni should take a step back from SVU.
1. Christopher Meloni has become too integral to the world of Law & Order: Organized Crime
When Christopher Meloni returned to the Law & Order franchise in Season 22 of SVU, he needed the help of Mariska Hargitay‘s Olivia Benson to get back into this world. It served as a backdoor pilot to the new show, Organized Crime. Hargitay kept appearing in the first season in a recurring role, probably to ensure the smooth integration of Stabler into the universe.
A few seasons later, Organized Crime is standing on its own, completely separated from the SVU. Stabler’s unit deals with crimes that are very different from what Benson deals with at the SVU. It came to a point where crossovers made little sense, even if it was for establishing Benson and Stabler’s relationship.
When Organized Crime launched its Season 5 on Peacock, the focus on Stabler and his unit has taken prime importance. He is in charge of the unit in the absence of Sergeant Ayanna Bell. The high-stakes crimes in each episode leave little room for Stabler’s romance. However, there’s one aspect of the show, other than the cases themselves, that has become far more interesting than the Benson-Stabler romance.
2. The relationship between Stabler and his family has been more interesting to watch
After her Emmy-winning guest role in Law & Order: SVU, Ellen Burstyn returned to Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 as Stabler’s mother, Bernadette Stabler. We already learned that she had bipolar disorder, which made Stabler distant from her for years. In Organized Crime, it is shown that both Burstyn’s character and Dean Norris’ Randall, Stabler’s brother, are now a major part of his life.
Stabler has to deal with conflicts with his family, including Randall’s constant interference with his personal life. In Season 5, the family fears for Bernadette’s health when she says that she has been talking to Stabler’s missing brother, Joe. She is later admitted to a hospital with a heart condition, which he has to deal with while investigating a terrorist group.
However, it is the recently released ninth episode of the show that brings the most devastating news for the Stabler family. It shows the death of his brother Joe, who got entangled in some serious crimes. Joe’s death also served as his redemption arc, which meant that Stabler might take a long time to get over this grief.
While Olivia earlier interacted with the family, the current situation is too delicate for her to get involved. Dick Wolf cannot probably deal with these kind of issues on SVU, especially since the focus of the show is more on the victims.
3. Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler don’t seem to have a future together
After Elliot Stabler left the SVU unit, Olivia Benson pursued different romantic relationships, but none of them had a happy ending for our female protagonist. We were all disappointed when Dick Wolf decided to keep her a single mom rather than giving her a happy romantic life.
When Kathy Stabler was killed off immediately upon Stabler’s return, we guessed that the romance storyline would take at least a few more seasons to develop. However, the slow-burn romance is frustrating. Moreover, the career paths of Benson and Stabler would probably not allow them to have a happy, healthy relationship.
At this point, I would rather not have them get together. It is not likely to go well unless one or both of them decides to retire from their jobs.
4. It is logistically difficult to portray the romance now
While SVU and Organized Crime tried to build up the potential romance, they eventually had to focus on their main storylines. Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni leading two different shows is a major hindrance to pursuing their romance. It brings up logistical difficulties, as seen in previous seasons when Organized Crime had to go into a development limbo.
Interestingly, Meloni’s show has now moved to the streaming service Peacock, which makes it even more difficult for crossovers. I’m not really complaining about the move to Peacock, since Organized Crime could tell its stories better without the restrictions of network television.
My final thoughts: Benson and Stabler should stick to their own respective shows and focus on them. Stabler shouldn’t take time off from Organized Crime to appear on SVU, as it might kill the momentum. The only way a romance would happen is when either of the shows comes to an end.
The episodes of both Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime are now available for streaming on Peacock.
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