If you grew up watching Law and Order: SVU, chances are that you, at some point (or even still now), have known the powerful lure that is Bensler, the fandom relationship between Olivia Benson and her former cop partner, Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). Mariska Hargitay, who has played Benson for 23 seasons, dropped a crumb of hope to fans about their future.
In many ways, you had to be there to truly understand the power of Benson and Stabler. The characters have been apart for almost a decade, and yet, as someone who grew up watching the USA network day-long marathons of the series, it’s like Meloni never left.
As friends in real life, and god-parents to each other’s kids, Hargitay and Meloni have intense chemistry. They are partners on the force, each other’s closest confidants, and they spend more time with each other than anyone else. Plus, they are both very, very hot. Meloni’s got his alpha male, bubble butt, blue-eyed thing going, and Hargitay’s face could be put in a museum.
In-universe, Stabler is a good Irish Catholic who married his high school sweetheart, Kathy Stabler (R.I.P), and went on to have a basketball team of children that made up some of the most exhausting storylines. When Kathy and Elliot got divorced, there seemed like hope—but they got back together in the end.
Meloni left SVU in 2011 due to contract issues, and Elliot was put on a bus.
Since then, Olivia has dated and adopted a whole son, Noah (bisexual icon), but to the fandom, the number one man in her life is still Elliot Stabler. This is why, when it was announced that Meloni would be returning for his own Law & Order spinoff, complete with a crossover, everyone was excited.
Oh, and they killed Kathy off.
During a recent appearance on Drew Barrymore’s daytime talk show, Hargitay was asked about a potential relationship between L&O‘s favorite OTP.
“He is free, and I think he’s got eyes for me,” Hargitay said. “But Olivia Benson is hurt! I mean, he left me in a lurch for 10 years. She’s frightened.” But she reassured everyone that “the energy is there.”
“Olivia’s been in love with him for many a year,” she added. “I think that we are slowly finding our way back to it, but I want to give him the amount of time he needs to grieve [his wife] Kathy Stabler.”
I mean, that’s already better writing than And Just Like That…, so I will allow this “grieving” period to happen, but the people have spoken for 23 seasons of television: Benson/Stabler forever.
Is it healthy? No. But damn it, it gets the people going. And the teenager in me who watched episodes with my mom during wash day still wants to see it happen for real.
And if they bring back Dani Beck, there will be hell to pay!
(via CNN, image:NBC)
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