Shippers we got bamboozled. Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic, but let me explain. It would seem that a few things are swirling together to create a must-watch event next week during the Law & Order crossover event. The crossover will be between the flagship Law & Order and its spin-off Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Two promos were released after this week’s respective episodes of the shows and, while the promo initially seemed to be very similar, SVU’s takes an unstable turn, with the return of Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). Fans have speculated about the possible return of Elliot Stabler after Meloni and Mariska Hargitaybroke the internet taking a stroll in NYC during the filming of the crossover. It would appear their reunion is happening at least a full episode earlier than expected after the sneak peek released confirming Hargitay’s appearance on Meloni’s spin-off Law & Order: Organized Crime.
As the promo begins to diverge, it’s clear just how personal this case becomes for Olivia. The girl, Maria Recinos, who she once rescued in the standout SVU episode “911”, has now been murdered. And while the series has desperately needed a dose of nostalgia, this was definitely a shock to the system. Olivia and Maria briefly reunited in SVU’s 25th season, but there’s been no mention since. It would seem that the case gets so personal that Hugh Dancy
‘s ADA Nolan Price calls Olivia out, saying that she’s not the only one that wants justice. But maybe there’s a disagreement about how justice should be served in this situation.
Cue Detective Elliot Stabler.
“Sometimes You Have To Ask For Forgiveness Instead of Permission”
The intense end to the promo includes shots of Meloni’s Elliot Stabler in a quite frankly, shocking guest appearance. The crossover event airs ahead of the Season 5 premiere of Organized Crime, but there had been no indication that the events would be linked (ie. a triple crossover). It would appear that this author’s hunch about a surprise triple crossover was a… task failed successfully situation in that it was no coincidence that Hargitay’s appearance on Organized Crime premieres on the same night as the big crossover between L&O and SVU.
It’s instead, however, the shocker that Meloni is involved in at least the SVU crossover. The OG crashout, the reason for “we were both referred,” might be rubbing off a bit on Captain Olivia Benson once again (please in all the ways we hope!) He’s seen getting rough with a suspect and there appears to be a fire fight in a cathedral between the suspect, Elliot, and Olivia (“Fault” 2.0?). With Elliot around, Olivia might want to take matters into her own hands to get justice for Maria
. This means Stabler’s expert ability to blur those lines is exactly why he gets brought in. Olivia is, after all, quoting a line almost verbatim that Elliot has said in the past. “Sometimes you have to ask for forgiveness instead of permission.” Where this leaves the timeline between the guest appearance and Organized Crime is unclear, but this shipper will take the EO crumbs where she can get them.
