SVU Fans Ask Showrunners to Stop "Pushing" Olivia & Elliot Together
With Stabler returning to Law & Order, fans are worried that the writers will mess up his storyline.
Just a couple of years ago detective Elliot Stabler finally rejoined the NYPD after a 10-year absence, reuniting with his former friends and colleagues, including Captain Olivia Benson, his ex-partner.
Stabler experienced a devastating loss, when his wife died in a car bombing, so his determination to put the perpetrators in jail was the reason he accepted the offer to lead his own special team investigating organized crime in New York City.
Fans were excited to see the return of one of their favorite characters leading the Law & Order spinoff, but one thing ruined it all – the writers of the show were actually pushing him into a romantic relationship with Olivia Benson.
While fans are generally okay with them being together, they think the way the writers are presenting it is rather unoriginal and inappropriate. In a new promo for the SVU season 24, episode 12, fans were stunned to see something that was deliberately set up like a beginning of a kiss scene between Elliot and Olivia (or, at least, a very intimate hug.)
People think the producers are using it to boost the series' ratings, as many longtime viewers will be watching this episode just to see what is going to happen between these two. Some fans even believe that Mariska Hargitay, who plays Olivia Benson, may retire after Season 24, and the writers are trying to rush the romance storyline before it's too late.
As many viewers argue, there is no need to push Elliot and Olivia into a relationship because Stabler only recently lost his wife, and having a new love interest so soon could ruin his redemption arc.
Fans prefer that these two grow closer steadily, and hope that the moment shown in the promo will be emotional rather than romantic. After all, Law & Order has never been about romance: the relationship between the characters was always overshadowed by crime solving and action.
Law & Order: SVU season 24, episode 12 will air on NBC on January 26, 2023.