Law & Order: Organized Crime is going to be pushing the envelope in Season 2…literally.
In a weekend Q&A session, star Christopher Meloni says fans will finally learn the details of the letter his Elliot Stabler gave to Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) last year and promises the results will be stunning.
Will we finally see Stabler and Benson together?
For over two decades, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit fans have speculated on the possibility of a romance between the two lead detectives.
It seemed to have a major block in Stabler being married to his wife Kathy with whom he has several children. Yet even Kathy noted that Olivia had a bond with Elliot much deeper than he had with his wife.
Elliot and Kathy were separated a few times and even close to divorce before eventually coming back. Benson was deeply affected when Elliot left the unit after shooting a teenager in the Season 12 finale.
The pair reunited in the April 2021 crossover that kicked off Law & Order: Organized Crime as Kathy was fatally wounded. Stabler sunk into a depression to the point his family tried to organize an intervention with Olivia attending.
During it, Stabler blurted out “I love you,” to his partner, although unsure if he meant it as more than a friend.
Later in the season, Stabler gave Benson a letter while thanking her for always being there for him.
Now, after much speculation, it sounds like the letter will be revealed.
Meloni on the letter and Benson and Stabler together
Speaking at a TV Insider Q&A at New York’s 92nd Street Y on Sunday, Meloni revealed that the contents of the letter will be revealed and that fans will be amazed by what it says.
“The letter is addressed this season and I think [fans are] going to set [their] heads on fire when it happens,” Meloni teased. “I think there’s going to be a riot.”
Meloni added that “parts” of the mysterious missive will be “doled out to the audience,” saying, “You’re going to hear what’s in the letter. Maybe not the full and total [letter], but you’re going to get an earful.”
Meloni also shared that he has had a hand in tweaking the series’ scripts ( particularly “the Benson and Stabler” scenes) to add a layer of “specificity” that comes from playing the character since 1999. “I have an advantage because I know instinctively what Stabler would say.”
When Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 begins, romance is going to be the last thing on Stabler’s mind. Season 1’s villain, Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott) is still out there and could cause trouble.
Meanwhile, Stabler will be going undercover into a dangerous drug gang. He also has to deal with the return of his mentally infirm mother (Ellen Burstyn).
Yet, the reveal of the letter’s contents is exciting news for Law & Order fans as it might mean the long-awaited Stabler-Benson romance could become a reality.
Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 2 premieres Thursday, September 23 at 10/9c on NBC.