Benson and Stabler: Will They or Won’t They?

The best romances start off as friendships. Regardless of how long the relationship lasts, it is that core friendship that will hopefully ground it.

For more than twenty years, Law and Order: SVU fans have been asking one question: When will Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Chris Meloni) get together? When the series started, Stabler was happily married to his late wife and Benson was single. Over the years, she had a number of boyfriends, but no one stuck around for very long.

When Meloni and Stabler left the show in 2011, both the fans and Benson were shocked and heartbroken. It took us a while, but we go used to the newer members of the squad. Then he came back in Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021) and the question became even more prevalent.

Over the past year or so, both Benson and Stabler have become aware of something more between them.

The trailer for the new episode (which will air on Thursday) promises to answer the question. To be truthful, I have mixed feelings. Obviously, both the actors and the characters have tremendous chemistry and know each other inside and out. The next step (if there is one) is to become more than friends.

The issue that I have a problem with is narratives in which a female is given a potential romantic partner simply because of her gender. It has no bearing on the tale. I am fully aware that the show’s creative team respects their female characters. However, I am still a little wary of this storyline.

If this kiss happens, it may be the longest-awaited kiss in television history. Regardless of what happens, I eagerly await the release of this episode.

New episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit air on Thursday at 9PM on NBC.

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Best New TV Shows of 2021

*I apologize for the delay in posting. I should have written this before New Year’s Eve.

1. Loki: Tom Hiddleston shines once more as Loki, the complicated immortal who has become much more than the standard antagonist. Forced into new circumstances, he goes on a journey that forever changes him.
2. The Wonder Years: This reboot of the beloved 1980’s/1990’s series is just as poignant as its predecessor. The choice of making the main character and his family African-American only adds to its relevancy.
3. Law & Order: Organized Crime: This spinoff of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit starring Chris Meloni as returning Detective Elliot Stabler is a thrilling and spine tingling hour of television.
4. Ordinary Joe: This new NBC series is the story of one man and three distinct life paths before him. Told concurrently and using different colors for each decision, is is a reminder of how one choice can affect the rest of our lives.
5. Impeachment: American Crime Story: The latest chapter of this long running F/X series focuses on the affair between Monica Lewinsky (Beanie Feldstein) and former President Clinton (Clive Owen) and the impeachment trial that followed. Instead of focusing on Clinton, the story is about the women who were directly affected by his less than honorable actions.
6. WandaVision: This first foray by the MCU via DisneyPlus is everything it promised to be. Wanda Maxmioff and Vision (Elisabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany) are living in family sitcom wedded bliss. But it not what it seems to be. With a star making turn by Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness, this series is a must see.
7. All Creatures Great and Small: Ths unexpectedly Masterpeice/PBS series is adorable and charming. A rookie vetenarian starts his career in rural Yorkshire in the 1930’s and grows in unexpected ways. The new season starts tonight at 9PM ET/ 8PM CT.
8. Atlantic Crossing: This second Masterpeice/PBS series tells the story of the friendship/supposed affair between Franklin Delanor Roosevelt and Crown Princess Martha of Sweden during World War II. Forgotten for nearly a century, this tale of one woman’s drive to save her nation is truly worth watching.
9. The Book of Boba Fett: This latest entry into the Star Wars universe from DisneyPlus just premiered on December 29th. Though only two episodes have been released, it is already asking questions that are begging for answers.
10. Behind Her Eyes: Based on the book by Sarah Pinborough, this six part Netflix series about a married man’s affair with his secretary has a delicious ending that is jaw dropping and completely out of left field. Few endings have wowed me as this did.

Stabler Told Benson He Loved Her: The Jaw Drop Ensues

For the last twenty two years, the partnership of Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Chris Meloni) on Law & Order: SVU (and it’s off shoot, Law & Order: Organized Crime) has been the favorite of fans across the world. Somewhere between being pseudo-siblings and besties, their relationship was reason we came back week after week.

Last week, a bomb was dropped that no one saw coming.

I have no idea where the story is going for the rest of the season, but that moment was one for the books.

Throwback Thursday: Runaway Bride (1999)

When we pictures our wedding day, we picture a happily married couple, ready to spend their lives together. The image that does not come to mind is the bride leaving her groom at the altar.

In the 1999 film, Runaway Bride, Maggie Carpenter (Julia Roberts) is engaged for the 4th time. Having dumped her previous fiancés on the day they were supposed to say “I do”, she is now engaged to local high school coach Bob Kelly (Chris Meloni). Ike Graham (Richard Gere) is a reporter from New York who has heard about this supposed “runaway bride” from a colleague. Smelling a potential story, Ike decides to visit the small town in Maryland that Maggie calls home.

Using charm and writers intuition, Ike is able to get the scoop on his latest subject before she can convince her friends and family to keep their mouths shut. Along the way, Ike falls for Maggie and she begins to develop feelings for him. The impending question is, will she go through with the wedding and if she does not, how does Ike play a role in her 4th avoidance of the big day?

As romantic comedies go, this movie is pretty standard. But what makes it stand out is the re-pairing of Gere and Roberts. Almost a decade after Pretty Woman was released, it is their chemistry and on screen compatibility that slightly elevates it above others in the genre.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Law & Order: Organized Crime Review

Warning: I highly recommend that you watch the episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode that aired just before Law & Order: Organized Crime before reading this review.

Someone once said that you can’t go home. While this rule is not set in stone, it doesn’t mean that the reunion will be all sunshine and roses.

Law & Order: Organized Crime premiered Thursday on NBC. An off shoot of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, it focuses on former SVU detective Elliot Stabler (Chris Meloni). Ten years after leaving the force and his long time partner, Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Stabler has returned to New York. His new job is going after organized crime. Roped back in by personal loss, Stabler has to do his job while dealing with the repercussions of his past actions.

Stabler is back. Though it has been ten years since fans have seen him in the Law and Order universe, nothing has changed with the character. This show feels like a natural extension of where we left off in 2011. There is just enough to tie him to his professional past while allowing for more than enough room for him to grow as a police officer and a human being.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

Law & Order: Organized Crime airs on Thursday Night at 10 PM.

Law & Order: SVU Character Review: Dani Beck

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.

Sometimes, we have to be reminded of what and who we have to appreciate them. On Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Dani Beck (Connie Nielsen) was Olivia Benson’s (Mariska Hargitay) temporary replacement while she was undercover.

A widow of a police officer and a cop in her own right, Beck has a different perspective on the cases they are investigating than Benson’s longtime partner, Elliot Stabler (Chris Meloni). Depending on the case, Beck either becomes too involved or becoming traumatized. It goes without saying that her inexperience in the SVU does not help her do her job.

Adding to the tension is the romantic chemistry between her and Stabler. They share a kiss, but the romance does not go beyond the kiss. After taking in an abused child who nearly burns Beck’s house down, she decides that returning to her previous position within the NYPD is best thing for her.

Note: there is usually a video in this spot, but I could not find a video that works for this post.

To sum it up: In our busy daily lives, it’s easy to take certain things and certain people for granted. It’s harder to just be grateful and appreciate who we have and what we have. Though Dani Beck is not on SVU for very long, her presence reminded fans why we loved and still love Benson and Stabler as a duo.

Law & Order: SVU Character Review: Nick Amaro

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.

In an ideal world, our past would stay in the past. We learn from our mistakes, but we don’t let those mistakes guide us in the present. But we don’t live in an ideal world. On Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Detective Nick Amaro’s (Danny Pino) past is complicated, to say the least.

As a boy, he and his mother escaped to Miami to get away from his abusive father. Though they had a tentative reconciliation later in life, the relationship between father and son was never ideal. Neither was the marriage to his ex-wife, Maria (Laura Benanti). The marriage ultimately failed due to lack of communication and mistrust. After things cooled, Maria asked if Nick would follow her to California, for their daughter’s sake. But Nick declined. Outside of his marriage, Nick also has a son from an ex-girlfriend.

Nick’s past also has a way of intruding into his job. He was the first partner that Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) had after the departure of her longtime partner, Elliot Stabler (Chris Meloni). The initial stages of their relationship were not easy, but they worked through it eventually.

At work, Nick had some uneven patches. He is known to act rashly, put his foot in his mouth and shoot first (and ask questions later). This lack of professionalism led to a brief demotion before returning to the squad. At the end of his narrative, he was studying for the Sergeant’s exam and hoping to move up the corporate ladder. But when he is told that his past is the barrier to the promotion, he has a breakdown which leads to his retirement and eventual move to California.

To sum it up: Our pasts do not dictate our present. But, if we are not careful to learn from our mistakes, we will continue to make them. Nick Amaro never quite learns from his mistakes. His continual mishaps forever alter his life, both in the personal sense and the professional sense.

As a character, the fans remember Nick because of these mistakes and his attempts to make up for those mistakes. It is that human characteristic that makes us love him, in spite of his flaws. That is why we remember Nick Amaro.

Law & Order: SVU Character Review: Olivia Benson

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.

I know that it is sounds cliche, but what does not kill you makes you stronger. On Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, this concept is personified by Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay). Conceived by rape, Benson was raised by an alcoholic single mother who abused her. As a police officer, she is sympathetic to the victims and hard as nails on the accused because of her past. She is also the yin to Elliot Stabler’s (Chris Meloni) yang, her first partner. Their good cop, bad cop chemistry was one of the keys to their success in catching the perpertrators.

But Benson has also had a few lumps along the way. William Lewis (Pablo Schreiber) is obsessed with her. He kidnaps her, tortures and nearly rapes her, but Benson is able to undo her bonds and defend herself. She also again nearly raped while undercover and was the unofficial foster mother of several children before adopting her son.

Like many women, Benson is delicately balancing motherhood and work. In her position as Lieutenant, she is often akin to a mother bear. She has to ensure that her squad does their jobs while occasionally dolling out tough love.

To sum it up: Olivia Benson has been through the ringer several times. While others might have crumbled under the emotional weight of the same experiences, Benson came out harder and stronger. Though she still bears the scars, she does not let them stop her.

As a character, Benson is an inspiration. In spite of what she has gone through, she continues to be strong for herself, her son and her squad. It is that strength had kept the SVU fanbase in raptures for twenty years and hopefully for many years to come.

Law & Order: SVU Character Review: Elliot Stabler

The new characters I will be reviewing are…the characters from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.

When we arrive home after a long day of work, we want to be able to relax and leave work at the office. But for some, work sometimes bleeds into their home and personal life. On Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Elliot Stabler (Chris Meloni) is a New York City police officer who is assigned to the Special Victims Unit. Stabler is a husband, father and former Marine whose late father was also a police officer.

Though he has done well in his chosen profession, he has his moments. Particularly when he is in a mood, which can hinder what is considered to be the lawful method of receiving a confession from a suspect. This is where his partner, Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), comes in. She is able to calm him down so they can proceed with the case and not create a hindrance when the accused is put on trial.

He has long simmering anger issues, which complicate both his home and work life. These anger issues eventually lead him to the decision to retire and focus on himself and his family.

To sum it up: We all have light and dark in us. We all have those moments when all of our emotions bleed together and we say and or do something that will later on require some sort of act of contrition. It takes a mature person to realize this and take the necessary steps to work on themselves.

As a character, Stable is fascinating. He is a devoted husband, father and police officer. But he also has a temper and unresolved emotional issues that sometimes complicate his life. It is the light and the dark, which from my perspective as both a fan and a writer, that is absolutely fascinating dichotomy to explore.

Though he stepped off the SVU stage nearly a decade ago, the fan base is drawn to this dichotomy that is Elliot Stabler.