Law & Order: Special Victims Unit viewers have been sent into a tizzy by the latest Benson and Stabler romance tease. The series, which follows a group of skilled people solving crimes involving sex crimes in the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit, long featured a Will They Won’t They romance between lead characters Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). The two characters were partners from 1999’s season 1 all the way through Meloni’s exit from the series in season 12. Meloni only recently returned to the Law & Order franchise in the 2021 spinoff Law & Order: Organized Crime, reuniting with Hargitay in a series of crossover events.
The most recent of these Law & Order crossovers included a scene where Stabler tried to kiss Benson after a particularly rough moment, but she pulled away at the last second in fear of ruining their friendship. Audiences who ship Bensler (the characters’ couple name) were delighted that the unnamed woman the newly single Stabler said he was in love with does in fact seem to be Benson, and took to Twitter to share their excitement while using the hashtag #EOIsEndgame. While some were overjoyed by the moment and the potential future it brings for the couple, others were frustrated by the show continuing to toy with their emotions. Read select reactions below:
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Will Benson & Stabler Ever Become A Real Couple?
Viewers are eager for the Benson and Stabler pairing to finally come to fruition, but they may end up being disappointed. Considering how many years and even decades this romantic plot line has been teased, the show’s creators may endeavor to keep that tension sizzling rather than have them get together. Considering the couple’s many close calls over the years, there’s no reason to believe that this near kiss has gotten them any closer to actually proclaiming their feelings for one another.
One matter that also needs to be considered is the question of how often the characters will be paired together onscreen in the future. So far, Benson and Stabler have reunited in a total of 21 episodes across Law & Order: Organized Crime, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and the rebooted Law & Order since Meloni’s return to the role in 2021. Presumably, they would be able to keep up a similar pace in the coming seasons of both series, which would likely be enough to satisfy viewers should the characters become romantically involved.
However, Law & Order: Organized Crime doesn’t have the same standing in the franchise as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The series, which is currently in the middle of season 3, has not yet been renewed for a season 4. Should the show be canceled, it’s not a guarantee that Meloni would be willing to return as Stabler on SVU on a permanent basis, so even if the characters do get together their relationship might be consigned to an offscreen romance sooner than later, which would likely be a disappointment to the same viewers who have been rooting for it for so long.
