Fans Afraid Bensler Just Won't Work on SVU as a Couple
Will the time apart break or save the Benson/Stabler relationship?
What is one thing that all SVU fans have in common? It's definitely a memory set for Thursday, January 26, when episode 12 of the popular crime drama airs on NBC. Ever since the trailer for the upcoming episode was released, the loyal SVU fanbase has been on pins and needles to see what could be next for SVU's oldest pairing, Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler, aka Bensler.
In the trailer, Benson and Stabler are shown sharing an extended hug that possibly turns into a kiss.
Whether or not anything more than a hug happens remains to be seen next Thursday, but fans are already anticipating the beginning of the longest-awaited on-screen romance and have begun to worry that it won't live up to the expectations that have only grown over the pairing's 24 years of existence.
"Is anyone else on Team Bensler a little worried that after all this time, their chemistry might not work?" asked one longtime SVU fan on Reddit, starting a discussion.
The fan is concerned that the dynamic between Benson and Stable might feel off after 10 years apart. Christopher Meloni, who played Elliot Stabler, left SVU in 2011 after season 12 and returned in 2021 for his own Law & Order spinoff, Organized Crime. His exit was not smooth and left both Olivia and viewers heartbroken. What's more, the actor took the possibility of the love arc with him, and his resurrected version may now feel weaker than it originally was.
"[Since Stabler's return] they've barely interacted, so the only tension is with us fans holding onto it," the Redditor explained.
Because the characters are the leads in different shows, they can only interact in crossover episodes, which drastically reduces their time together. This has many fans worried that Bensler's famous chemistry from the early episodes won't return and that the long-awaited romance just won't work.
But then again, the long hiatus may be exactly what saves this relationship.
"Their relationship is still in that weird phase, so if the chemistry isn't there, it will feel natural for their characters at this stage," wrote one commenter.
The majority of fans in the discussion agreed that it was perfectly normal for things to be awkward for the characters at first. They've been around for decades in a very different capacity. And now it's time to see what comes next.