The letter was obviously written when Kathy was still alive, and that last, one line Stabler wrote himself speaks volumes and basically confirms that Bensons always been it for him the circumstances just havent allowed it. Hes like a son to me. Then Stabler confesses to Benson something thats been on his mind: His father staged a shooting while he was on the job years ago. Benson teams up with Cragen for most of this episode to work the case of a boy whos been missing since 1980. And as for why Stabler abruptly left without telling Benson himself? But now after the death of Kathy, that can, for the first time in over 20 years of them knowing each other, change. The final episode of the unofficial holy trinity titled Web leads Stabler to visit Benson in Computer Crimes for her help on a case, and sets the stage for these two to eventually find their way back to each other. ), While driving with FBI agent Dean Porter (Vincent Spano), Porter asks if her partner in New York finds her as annoying as he does. Benson sighs, "I know this sounds crazy, but sometimes I think it would almost be easier ", "If Kathy hadn't died," Rollins interjects about Stabler's wife. And this letter, Benson continues. This moment was 10 years in the making Stabler finally returning to Bensons life! It will always be you and I, Stabler finishes and looks up and locks eyes with Benson before adding he slipped it in there before sealing the envelope.. Benson adds she also misses Barba as he walks away. At night, Kathy thinks her husbands finally home, but its actually Benson at the door, telling her that Stabler is undercover. What ensues is a truly unforgettable standoff where she has to decide if she wants to risk shooting Gitano to end this once and for all, or run the risk of hitting Stabler and killing him by mistake. She also loves the USWNT and is a "Real Housewives" stan. He says, What was I gonna do let you get shivved in Rikers?. Stabler holds Benson back as Calvin is taken away and reminds her that the situation was always temporary., This episode gifted Benson and Stabler fans with the duos second hug in the series, commonly referred to among the stans as the Pursuit hug.. Benson and Stabler, also known colloquially as "Bensler," have become the new schematic for well-written police partnerships. After 12 seasons of SVU, Meloni took a step away from Law & Order, which saddened many Benson and Stabler fans. Stabler tells Benson he didnt ask her to be here. Do you have any idea how much I worried he preferred spending time with you than with me and the kids? Kathy says. Later, Stabler and Benson prove that after over 20 years, 10 of those being apart from one another, they are still in sync. Did he ever do you? "You're just going to sit here all night until I do, aren't you? The current case takes an especially dark turn after the teams ADA Sonya Paxton is brutally attacked and dies in a shaken Bensons arms. When Stabler expresses his disbelief, Benson explains, Im single. Viewers know this was not the case, as he only touched her to prevent her from falling down the stairs. Benson, clearly caught off guard, emotionally says she needs to think it over and asks if she can get back to him. Stuckey answers Stabler's phone when Benson calls, and explains that her partner went out for sushi (a crucial detail) and left his phone behind. The detectives initially investigate Rook as a person of interest after a restaurant manager strip-searches an employee and claims he did so because a detective called him saying the employee was stealing. Liv, Im being careful, Stabler assures her. Even on her deathbed, Valerie says Miles is the one who raped her. Benson follows up by asking if he liked working with her. Well, some people arent as blessed as you are, she responds. (And so the foreshadowing begins). Stabler approaches the hostess and says, This is my wife, Olivia.. Cut to Stabler in the car with Benson, who reassures him. Ral Esparza, who portrays Barba, spoke to TVLine about the ending and said the dialogue can be can be taken in a number of ways., There are fans that have always wanted to kind of spin off that story, Esparza told the outlet about Barba and Benson. A case involving missing fertilized embryos from a cryobank causes Benson to think about her own fertility and eventually leads to Stabler expressing hed support Benson if she wanted to have a child. It's a little more general," Stabler responds. In this episode, the lives of the women Stabler loves the most end up on the line when Benson and a very pregnant Kathy end up in a car accident after Benson offers to take Kathy to a doctors appointment. "It's like the ending of my family.". Later on at the airport, the suspect, Manuel Rojas (Jose Yenque), realizes Benson is a cop and tells her to come with him or else hell start shooting people. Your call. Benson chooses to take Calvins mom in for questioning. What about your kids?" Stablers daughter Kathleen meets up with Benson and says the family needs her help getting through to their dad. Stabler watches from afar and calls for backup. Back at her apartment, Benson thanks Stabler for safely bringing Noah back. Later in the episode, Benson attends a service for Kathy in the cemetery with Stabler and all his children, whom Benson has known since they were young. I like that shirt, she says and explains shes there since she heard about the squabble between Stabler and Blaine. Stabler later apologized to As he gets on, he tells Benson, You have my number. Then Stabler crashes the scene and says, Yeah, we all do. (Jelliot!). Stabler mentions the risks of Kathy having their most recent child since she was over the age of 40. In what was a reunion for the ages, a lot was going on in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit [], By Daniel S. Levine Benson later pulls more info to help Stabler and the SVU team with their current case, and Stabler invites Benson to take a crack at their suspect in interrogation. They share a longing look before Benson turns and leaves. Benson realizes Millfields sister was molested as a child, which helps explain her jumpy behavior with Simon on the night of the dance much to her older sisters surprise at realizing the truth. Somebody needs to take him out, Benson tells Stuckey about Stabler. She didnt hear enough after Angelas testimony? In later episodes, Lewis again puts Benson through even more horrific things, like a game of Russian Roulette, which results in his death. Distance makes the brain dream about your (former) partner. Trusting me, she responds. SVU helps investigate, and there are a few scenes laced with tension between Benson and Stabler, including Benson subduing a heated Stabler in the interrogation room and an argument between the two on the roof about it. Stabler also shields Benson from gunfire and takes down the shooter as they eventually rescue the missing girl. ", Later in the episode, before returning to Italy, Leonetti tells Stabler: "Whoever it is youre in love with, shes a lucky woman.". Stablers confused mother, Bernie, unexpectedly returns and ends up at the OC office. Women keep leaving me, Stabler responds. As Stabler gets out of the car, the smuggler shoots him twice. Stabler confronts Rojas in the parking lot, and Rojas holds a gun to Bensons head. Liv, lets not go into that, Stabler replies before Sgt. A young tech named Dale Stuckey (Noel Fisher) is with Benson and Stabler at various crime scenes throughout the episode, and at one point, even makes a careless mistake that ends up setting the suspect free. "You walked away," Benson told him, revealing that Cragan was the one to tell her about Stabler's decision. But he left me Amanda, and I'm not over it.". Well, guess what else changed for Benson in the past year? Stabler and Benson share a moment with Calvin shortly before he's taken away. And then he delivers a line that continues to haunt fans until this day: I think if I talked to you about how Sadly, Benson cuts him off at this point, so viewers still dont know how Stabler was about to finish that thought. It isn't until he's talking with George Huang (B.D. The cop wonders if Benson is Elis mother, and Benson quickly clarifies that shes a family friend. Look, we both chose each other over the job. She clocks Stabler for not answering her questions, and he responds, Thats none of your business. However I dont know, I know what I was thinking when I said the words that I said onscreen I like that it can be read in number of ways, he said. And, for really the first time, Stabler outwardly acknowledges the reasons for his strained relationship with Benson. They confirmed they didn't speak for 10 years after Stabler's exit, but Kathy said she initially didn't believe Elliot when he told her that. I want to find balance here in this whatever this is, Stabler says. I lied and said that it wasnt, she says. Stabler tells Benson to go hide while he answers the door. While Benson stares at her squad happily celebrating the event with their partners, Stabler approaches with her coat and drapes it over her shoulders while she hands him a glass of wine that she got for him. Stabler refuses to press the button when Rook asks him to, so Rook presses the button again, eliciting more screams. And the jabs just keep coming from Benson, who clocks Stabler again after he suggests Valerie could have had sex with someone else and mentions his dying marriage and a history of violence in front of everyone in the room. Nice meeting you, Stabler tells Moss as he brushes past Olivia. Never romantically involved Benson dated off and on, while Stabler was married with multiple children the two were extraordinarily close friends, as well as Benson says she doesnt need help from them. You must be Elliot, Moss says. "All you can do is love your kids." When Stabler tells Benson he found the swab, she calls him out for snooping and says she forgot to send in the swab and will send it in. Benson denies it before caving and asking, "Is it that obvious? "Elliot I want to," she says, "I want to, but I can't.". A doctor tells Stabler and Kathy he believes Kathleen has bipolar disorder and suggests medication after hearing about her recent erratic behavior. Girl, you are a hot mess, Richard says. Despite now knowing Kathy wrote the letter, Benson still shows up in the cemetery to meet the rest of the Stabler family at Kathys grave. Whats going on? (Laughs) Which is hysterical, because it really isnt how we play it., He added that he and Hargitay play it as best friends and almost brother and sister sometimes.. Juries see how close partners get, Hardwicke tells Stabler. After Benson tells him to freeze, Gitano quickly slashes her neck with a knife, and she falls to the ground. The real-world explanation for Meloni leaving SVU was reportedly a contract dispute when Season 12 ended. In the words of Stabler, Benson continues playing mom for a boy named Calvin (Charlie Tahan) whom she found during a case and took in after his mom disappeared. I guess Ill have to, she responds. This episode was a great opportunity for fans to see what Stabler and Benson would look like as a couple. And when this son of a b---- it out of the picture, Im going to need a new partner, she adds. "You're not a superhero either," Stabler says, before adding, "Blink your lights when you get inside." You have not asked me one question about what has happened to me since you left, she says. Benson, whos clearly still struggling with the unexpected return of Stabler after all this time, pulls away and leaves. "All That Glitters" ended with Leonetti on the phone at Stabler's doorstep asking if he would let her inside. "I can't do this anymore. Probably talking to Elliot the guy from her dreams, the woman from the hospital replies. Who knew a small letter could hold so much power? At that moment, Donnelly approaches and Benson says shes just playing Uber driver for her old partner. Many fans have followed Benson's life and career for nearly 25 seasons, but one thing that's always remained a mystery: Whether she's ever had romantic feelings for Stabler. Hes my brother, Benson whispers, before Stabler reminds her she doesnt even know the guy.. Throughout Benson and Stabler's first 12 years together, various people would respectively ask the two if they were ever more than partners or wanted to be. Like last time, Benson and Stabler's sympathies fall on opposite sides. Stabler confides a few personal things to Benson, including that Donnelly named his kid, whom Stabler helped bring into the world in a parallel moment to Benson bringing Stablers son into the world in Season Nine of SVU, after Stabler. Lewis torments Benson throughout the entire premiere episode of Season 15, and moves her to a remote location and cuffs her to a bed. Why didnt you tell me? Benson asks Porter. If you guessed the latter, you would be correct. Kathy admits Stabler wont sign the divorce papers. It is her death that inspires Stabler to take a new job with the NYPD that keeps him in the Big Apple. Benson dresses up and invites Porter over to her apartment, saying she wants to cook for him after he suggests they go out. "Her words can put him in prison for 10 years," Stabler says, after claiming the grad student "hasn't told a consistent story yet.". The look on Stablers face is priceless as he realizes hes getting his partner back at the Special Victims Unit. Read on for the best moments from TV'sslowest of burns. Kathy calls Bensons phone at one point since Stabler wont pick up and wants to know when hell be home. "I'm never home. You know everything about me even the parts that Id rather forget. As Stabler begins an undercover arc investigating an Albanian family involved in the drug trade, he shares a personal moment with the mother of one of the men, Reggie, working for the family. Its contents had not been revealed, so fans were Thats a step in the right direction, Elliot, Benson says. I wish I could trust you, Elliot, Benson replies. Even though these two arent that far into their partnership during "A Single Life," they do a pretty good job of acting like it. Closet is an underrated Benson and Stabler episode in which Stablers loyalty to his partner shines, and it turns out Bensons been (un)intentionally keeping something from Stabler. A letter that you didnt even write. Turns out, Kathy was injured in a car bombing, as she and Stabler were in town to see Benson receive an award. I wish you were there, he says. Meloni told TODAY in February that little moments like holding hands, which among the fans are obviously a big deal, are ones he and Hargitay add into the scenes themselves. Stabler, however, was too late getting to Ryan. I just think the older I get, Im beginning to understand that people are complicated, Stabler says. Before those laced personal episodes, Benson goes undercover for the FBI to infiltrate an environmental group (in real life, Hargitay was pregnant, and the show needed a clever way to cover her absence). Cragen wont let Stabler stake out Central Park alone as part of their newest case. While talking about living in Rome, Stabler describes his apartment and tells Benson she wouldve loved it., You know what, Elliot, she responds. She wants to limit their relationship to one night and one night only, but Cassidy wants more, making for some awkward moments. I just dont know how its going to shake out. Cragen adds Stabler would need to submit to a psychological evaluation to keep his job and go through anger management training, among other things. Gitano had killed the young boy by the time he arrived. Jelivia comes out strong at the end of the surveillance when she spots Flutura talking to a man, the buyer, after the young girls walk away. We can never let that happen again, Stabler says. In the end, while Benson watches as Stabler and Calvin play rock, paper, scissors, Child Services arrives and takes Calvin from Benson to bring him to live with his grandparents while his mom goes to rehab. While on the phone, Fin hands it off to Stabler to talk to her. They split up, and eventually Gitano grabs Stabler by the collar and holds a gun to his head as Benson enters the scene.