AsLaw & Order: Organized Crimewraps up its fifth season, we saw a version of Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) we haven’t seen before, at least not this close to the edge. After the death of his brother Joe (Michael Trotter) at the hands of Redcoat’s leader Julian Emery (Tom Payne),Stabler finds himself in a crisis, stuck between following the law to bring Emery to justice or taking matters into his own hands.
Throughout five seasons and multiple lines of trauma he’s experienced, we’ve seen Stabler weave back into the world of his former precinct, the Special Victims Unit, and intersect with his former partner, Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), and she’s stuck with him through it all. This most recent step into ambiguity by Stabler showshe’s willing to take way more risks than Benson ever would,and that if she continues to team with him, his risks could be her downfall.
Stabler Almost Crosses The Line In Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 Finale
Grief Can Make A Person Do Strange Things
InLaw & Order: Organized Crimeseason 5, episode 9, Stabler’s brother Joe was murdered by Julian Emery after unknowingly being planted with a tracking device that Stabler gave him in their last meeting.Stabler’sgrief quickly turned to anger, and he took many steps that could be considered outside the law in his quest to find Emery, including dousing his right-hand man, Victor, with lighter fluid and threatening to set him ablaze and debating whether he’d end Emery with his gun rather than lock him up for good.
It’s possible that, had Sgt. Bell not interjected in the standoff, Stabler could have taken it to a level he hadn’t before.
Stabler found himself in the positionto potentially take Emery’s life as the Organized Crime Control Bureau caught him on the loading dock, and for a moment, he appeared to consider taking that final step. It’s possible that, had Sergeant Bell not interjected in the standoff, Stabler could have taken it to a level he hadn’t before. Replacing Bell with Benson could have amplified the seriousness and emotionality of the moment, reinforcing Stabler’s loss of his own moral compass and making a choice that may have severed his relationship with Benson for good.
Stabler’s Actions Would Put Her Against Benson (If They Ever Team Up Again)
It’d Be Difficult To Defend His Actions, Especially If He Fully Crossed The Line
It’s not outside the realm of possibility that Stabler would potentially take the law into his own hands, aswe’ve seen multiple instances of him blurring the linesthroughout his time on bothLaw & Order: SVUandLaw & Order: Organized Crime. While some of his decisions have not directly impacted Benson, it certainly raises a morality question of whether she’ll accept his actions as reasonable or even justified, and would pit her against him should they ever work a case together in either precinct.
If we’re to assume that Stabler finds his way back to theSVUsquad, shouldOrganized Crimenot be renewed for a sixth season, he would find himself directly under her command, a different layer to their relationship as his superior officer. Stabler’s actions from season 5, specifically related to his quest for vengeance with Julian Emery,could be costly for both him and Benson, no longer in a position to take risks the way she may have once been able to.
Benson Cannot Afford To Be Associated With Rogue-Tendencies Like Stabler
Stabler Has More Leeway (Sort Of) With The Organized Crime Control Bureau
SinceStabler leftSVUin season 12, Benson’s career has taken a large step forward, ultimately taking over as Captain of the Squad in season 21, years after Captain Cragen (Dann Florek) retired. With that promotioncomes another level of responsibility and duty to her badge and the law, and whether it’s her rank or her personal ethics, she can’t allow herself to lose control in ways she may have before.
This puts her in a precarious position with Stabler, whose role in the Organized Crime Control Bureau gives him a bit more leeway and leverage to step outside the law, specifically while undercover or working a more strenuous case. Using the example of his choices from the beginning of the season 5 finale,Stabler was ready to employ torture and violence to bring Emery to justice in the wake of his brother’s death.While Benson’s no stranger to getting close to the edge, Stabler’s most recent perilous moves with Tim McKenna (Jason Patric) may not be something she’d be able to turn away from.
Can Benson & Stabler Still Have A Relationship Despite His Professional Behavior?
She Could Move Away From Him For Self-Preservation And To Protect Him
While it’s not unheard of, or even out of the realm of possibility, for either Benson or Stabler to lose their cool on cases duringLaw & Order: SVUandLaw & Order: Organized Crime, the two have taken many different paths since they were partnered together in the 16th Precinct all those years ago. If Stabler and Benson continue to collaborate and have a partnership, as we’ve seen woven through bothSVUandOrganized Crime,their relationship could be fractured due to Stabler’s overstepping into the gray areas that exist in his world.
It’s possible that they could withstand some difficult choices or decisions, but the behavior Stabler displayed throughout episodes 9 and 10 could be a red line for Benson, both professionally and personally.
Stabler and Benson have experienced multiple professional and personal tragedies together, including the death of her brother, Simon Marsden (Michael Weston), the death of Stabler’s wife, Kathy (Isabel Gillies), and other intense and difficult cases in both of their careers onLaw & Order: SVU. It’s possible they could withstand some difficult choices or decisions, but the behavior Stabler displayed throughout episodes 9 and 10 could be a red line for Benson, professionally and personally.
Benson is no longer a detective with the NYPD, and because of her position of power, she holds a professional responsibility to herself and other officers to keep them out of harm’s way, which could be a part of the reason why she’d move away from Stabler if she had to. However,it’s more likely to be a personal decision for her to sever the relationship out of self-preservation, as seeing someone she loves pushed over the edge in the interest of revenge might be both a bridge too far but also a space that could be her professional undoing.
