Law & Order: Organized Crime’s best chance of saving itself is to make up for its earlier mistakes with Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler’s (Christopher Meloni) relationship. The two were originally partners who solved some of Law & Order: SVU’s creepiest cases; however, Stabler left after season 12 and Benson did not hear from him again for another decade. Soon after he returned during a backdoor pilot for his own show, Stabler’s wife, Kathy (Isabel Gillies), was killed, leading to widespread speculation that Stabler and Benson would finally have a romantic relationship.
During the early seasons of Law & Order: Organized Crime, Benson and Stabler’s relationship progressed in that direction, only for it to be dropped altogether during season 4. Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5 will eventually premiere on Peacock, though no release date has been set yet. The new season must do several things to attract a larger audience and remain viable, and one of the strongest changes it can make is to pick up the dropped relationship storyline between Benson and Stabler.
Law & Order Has Ignored Benson & Stabler’s Relationship This Year
Up until the end of Law & Order: Organized Crime season 3, Benson and Stabler crossed paths often, and there were several signs that their feelings for each other were more than platonic. Stabler let it slip that he loved Benson when she and his family performed an intervention to try to stop his obsessive investigation into his wife’s death, and later, he and Benson almost kissed. The relationship seemed set for season 4 after the Law & Order crossover finale, in which Stabler gave Benson a compass necklace. Inexplicably, this was the last time the two ever shared scenes.
While Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5 has not yet premiered, there was some hope that Law & Order: SVU season 26 would reverse this annoying trend. Unfortunately, that did not materialize. Stabler has not been mentioned once during the season, despite the fact that Rollins is now working for the Intelligence Unit and the one case she worked with SVU on could have used some help from the Organized Crime Bureau. This makes it clear that Law & Order: SVU intends to continue pretending that Stabler and Benson do not have either a personal or professional relationship.
Benson & Stabler’s Reunion Needs To Happen In Law & Order: Organized Crime
Law & Order: Organized Crime season 5 will allow Benson and Stabler to share scenes, but there are no details. This is an improvement over the radio silence of the last two seasons, but it’s important that their scenes include a real reunion. It would be a disappointment of Benson and Stabler only cross paths briefly, or if Benson merely provides Stabler with information related to a case. Audiences crave Stabler and Benson actually talking about the status of their relationship or why they haven’t been in touch for so long.
It is difficult to trust that the series will handle their reunion properly after all the false starts and disappointments, but it needs to happen. Law & Order: Organized Crime will already struggle to attract a suitably large audience after transitioning to being a streaming-only service and being off the air for nearly a year. Benson and Stabler’s renewed relationship, if done correctly, would be a big draw that could help win audiences back. However, if it is not taken seriously, that will be so disappointing that it could turn off the viewers the show needs to survive.
How The Law & Order Franchise Can Continue Benson & Stabler’s Burgeoning Romance Without Overdoing It
Law & Order: Organized Crime should remain primarily about the Organized Crime Unit closing in on mob bosses, gang leaders, and terrorists, but that does not mean it can’t find room for personal storylines as well. The best episodes of Law & Order: Organized Crime combined family and crime stories. This is also what made Stabler such an interesting character when he was on Law & Order: SVU, and there is little reason that can’t continue in season 5.
There is no reason that the Stabler spinoff can’t make Benson and Stabler’s romance a compelling subplot.
Law & Order: Organized Crime also needs to be careful to not make Benson and Stabler’s relationship the main storyline throughout season 5. However, there is little danger of this happening, considering how little movement there has been in the past. If Benson becomes a recurring character like she was in the first three seasons, and their relationship is intertwined with cases they are collaborating on, there is no reason that the Stabler spinoff can’t make Benson and Stabler’s romance a compelling subplot that complements fascinating and dramatic investigations into the criminal underworld.
