Benson and Stabler's Angsty First Meeting After Their Near-Kiss Is So Full of Longing
There were so many words left unsaid.
Although nothing comes close to the electricity of the famous almost-kiss between Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler, the first meeting between the two iconic characters after that unforgettable moment is just as dramatic.
The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 24 episode "Blood Out" saw Stabler finally lean in for a kiss, only for Benson to tell him that she's "not ready for this" — and even though the cameras and shadows teased the kiss would actually happen, fans were left yearning for that historic Bensler moment that pays off their decades-long will-they, won't-they relationship.
And, of course, fans were eager to see when the two would cross paths again — and they didn't have to wait much longer. Just a few months later in Season 24, in "Bad Things," Bensler reunited and directly addressed that steamy "almost" moment.
"You know, the last time we saw each other, that was a bad time for me," Benson confessed.
"Worse timing for me," Stabler said with a shrug and a smile.
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"I know that you were just trying to make me feel safe," Benson told him. "I think we both felt that."
"Just not the right moment," Stabler responded.
And just like that, after a moment of angsty silence, the two went back to business. Benson needed information about a case Stabler was working on leaving the two to deal with their possible unrequited feelings for another day.
The pair have gotten quite adept at bottling up their feelings — those feelings are bound to burst out of them at some point, right? At any rate, longtime viewers hope there will be a "right moment" soon.
When will Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson cross paths again?
Fans chomping at the bit for more interaction between Stabler and Benson will get their wish in an upcoming crossover episode! In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Christopher Meloni teased that an upcoming Law & Order: Organized Crime crossover episode will touch on "the confused or gray nature of Benson and Stabler's emotional connection."
However, fans clamoring for a full-on romantic moment between the two characters may need to temper their expectations. Meloni isn't guaranteeing anything in the upcoming ep!
"It's touched on. I wouldn't say teased upon, but touched," he explained. "It's touched on."
Nevertheless, Meloni confessed he's looking forward to once again sharing the screen with the iconic Mariska Hargitay.
"Every time we get together, it's really second nature, and we just pick up and operate the way we always have, always searching for the best way to dissect the scene and reassemble it and make it work," he said.
