19 Of Benson And Stabler's Best Moments From "SVU" That Make My Heart Go "Dun Dun"
Name a more iconic duo than Olivia and Elliot — I dare you.
To celebrate the premiere of Law & Order: Organized Crime — and, more importantly, the reunion of Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler, which has been a decade in the making — here's a timeline of Stabler and Benson's best moments from the OG SVU:
1. When Stabler insisted on keeping a close eye on Benson after a creepy stalker set his sights on her:
HE'S SO PROTECTIVE OF HER! AHHHHHH!
Season 1, Episode 8: "Stalked"
2. Also, in that same episode, when Stabler sipped from the same cup of OJ as Benson after driving across town in order to give her a ride to work:
There are no unshared germs between Benson and Stabler.
Season 1, Episode 8: "Stalked"
3. When Stabler made this all-too-important vow to Benson after she broke the cardinal rule of coworkers:
I wish Stabler made this vow to me. I know he's talking about cop partners, but a girl can dream.
Season 1, Episode 10: "Closure"
4. When Stabler confided in Benson about Kathy taking the kids and leaving him:
I know these two were at odds with each other during this episode — a "he said, she said" rape case — but that didn't stop Benson from checking in on her friend.
Season 6, Episode 8: "Doubt"
5. When Stabler reminded Benson of her worth after a case involving someone who's a product of rape hit too close to home:
I felt this. On several levels.
Season 6, Episode 13: "Quarry"
6. When Benson risked her job — and lost the life of a young child — to save Stabler:
"Look, we both chose each other over the job. We can never let that happen again." THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE END! Honestly, their entire exchange is entirely too much; you have to see it for yourself.
Season 7, Episode 7: "Fault"
7. When, after the fallout of "Fault" resulted in a partner reassignment, Stabler and Benson were finally reunited as partners:
IT TOOK A SEASON, BUT MOM AND DAD ARE BACK TOGETHER AGAIN!!
Season 8, Episode 9: "Choreographed"
8. When Stabler and Benson finally confirmed that their partnership and friendship were back on solid ground:
After another hard case — one that hit close to home for Stabler, since he was going through a divorce at the same time that a woman falsely accused her ex-husband of rape — Stabler and Benson finally confirmed that everything was A-OK between them over a late-night bite that Stabler, of course, agreed to pay for.
Season 8, Episode 11: "Burned"
9. When Stabler told Benson that he couldn't stay away from the job...or was he talking about HER:
Not even getting knocked out by a junkie could keep Stabler away!
Season 8, Episode 13: "Loophole"
10. When the internal affairs evaluator told Cragen that Elliot and Olivia were "too close," but splitting them up would be a mistake:
WHY MESS WITH A GOOD THING?
Season 8, Episode 16: "Philadelphia"
11. When Stabler embraced Benson in a rare hug after she saved a very pregnant Kathy after her car accident:
AND Benson helped Kathy give birth in the back of the ambulance. Ugh, this episode had me feeling every single emotion available to my synapses.
Season 9, Episode 9: "Paternity"
12. When Benson made the astute remark about Stabler that he was, in fact, a carrot:
OK, more so, it was the fact that Benson reached out to Stabler's bipolar mother because he couldn't and they needed to get Kathleen out of jail. The lengths these two have gone to help each other warm the cockles of my heart.
Season 10, Episode 3: "Swing"
13. When Benson ended up in this ~precarious~ situation with Stabler:
Like, I know that scenes before, Benson was convincing Kathy not to leave Stabler, but ya can't stop a girl from shipping!
Season 10, Episode 7: "Wildlife"
14. When Stabler cradled Benson after he thought she'd been shot/that he'd lost her:
DICK WOLF, CAN YOU STOP MESSING WITH MY EMOTIONS! ABEG!
Season 11, Episode 6: "Spooked"
15. When Stabler took care of Benson when she had the flu:
"I'm gonna make you some tea." Be still, my beating heart.
Season 11, Episode 9: "Perverted"
16. When Stabler braced Benson after child protective services took Calvin away from her/terminated her custody of him:
Like, I don't even think either of them realized what Stabler was doing, which just SHOWS how much they got each other's 6.
Season 12, Episode 10: "Rescue"
17. When Stabler and Benson shared this sweet embrace after the murder of Assistant District Attorney Sonya Paxton:
Stabler hauled ass from his work trip — which he left EARLY — to comfort Benson. If that's not love...
Season 12, Episode 17: "Pursuit"
18. When Stabler and Benson went undercover at a swingers club as a married couple in order to solve the case:
Kathy WHO??
Season 12, Episode 19: "Bombshell"
19. Last but not least, when Benson broke down in the squad room after finding out from Cragen that Stabler resigned without saying goodbye:
It's been over a decade, and I still haven't forgiven Stabler for doing this to Benson.
Season 13, Episode 1: "Scorched Earth"