Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni are giving “Law & Order” fans more insight into the ongoing bond between their beloved characters of Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler.
More than a month since the last episodes of "SVU" and "Organzied Crime" – and nearly two months since the last time Stabler and Benson were seen together on screen – fans have been feverishly guessing how far the two will go with their simmering relationship, one that has been notoriously chemistry-filled, but action-averse.
In November, a one quick hand-hold between the two characters threw fans into a speculative frenzy that has only heated up since.
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With “SVU,” “Organzied Crime” and a reboot of the orginal “Law & Order” returning next week, the stars of the franchise gathered at a press junket to sort out there the shows might go.
Needless to say, the Stabler-Benson story arc ruled the day.
As Today reported, in a recent interview with Drew Barrymore, Hargitay exclaimed that the Benson was “in love" with Stabler, consequently making fans wonder when that feeling began.
During the presser, Meloni painted a more complex picture of Stabler's true feelings for Benson.
"I think he's in the middle of realizing," Meloni said. "Yeah, I think it's more difficult for him. I think he's carrying a lot of — stuff."
That “stuff” being still dealing with the death of his wife, the fact her killer got off via a mistrial, and just being thrust back into working relationship with Benson after a 10-year absence.
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Hargitay too tried to divert fan suspicions, claiming that her “in love” comment was a “frivolous” talk show moment, and that her character is going through a lot of emotions too.
"Olivia, being a product of a rape and not being – raised by a single mother, hasn't had a lot of stability in her life in terms of a male figure," Hargitay said. "And Elliot Stabler was the first person that really came in her life that really had her back."
Swaying fan expectations off the romantic scent again, Hargitay got fairly deep about how Stabler represented a kind of father figure of security for a long time for Benson.
"And so there was such a deep safety in that," she added, "knowing that these two people, each other's safety was almost the most important thing."
"So,” she concluded, “I think that spending that much time with somebody, but then knowing that it could never be — but the chemistry has been undeniable.”
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Other fun teases were released during the presser, such as the fact that Hargitay’s real life love, husband Peter Hermann, will reprise his recurring "SVU" character, attorney Trevor Langan.
Ok, that’s nice, but back to Stabler and Benson.
When asked if the duo’s interactions are pretty tight to the scripts, or if they improvise off their own feelings, Meloni responded definitively, "No that's, you know, that's our thing. There's nobody who knows these characters better than she and I. With all due respect to the writers, whatever you see is really she and I figuring it out — figuring out what the exact words are or the exact emotions are."
Hargitay explained the more emotional end of their character decisions with a candor that once again should whet fans appetites further for the upcoming season. "He and I, we go there, and we drop into a place and then sort of don't know what's going to happen."
"Law & Order: SVU" and "Law & Order: Organized Crime" return Thursday, Feb. 24, on NBC, after the premiere episode of the new rebooted "Law & Order" at 8 p.m. ET.
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