New story details about the upcoming Law & Order: Special Victims Unit crossover with Law & Order: Organized Crime reveal Stabler asking for Benson’s help. After a long absence from the Law & Order franchise, Christopher Meloni reprised the role of Elliot Stabler for the spinoff Organized Crime. He made his return appearance as part of a crossover episode with SVU, which centered around Stabler as he dealt with the murder of his wife Kathy (Isabel Gillies). As the result of a car bomb attack, Kathy’s death serves as the driving force of the spinoff during season 1.

In another crossover installment with SVU, it was revealed that Angela Wheatley (Tamara Taylor), the ex-wife of Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott), had plotted to kill Kathy. She explains that she did it as an act of revenge, believing that Stabler shot her son Rafiq dead during an anti-drug operation. However, in actuality, it was Richard that had murdered his adoptive son. McDermott and Taylor continue to be part of Organized Crime season 2 as recurring cast members, and their story will play a big part of the latest crossover.

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The synopses for the next Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime crossover, which premieres December 9, shed light on what happens next in the Richard Wheatley saga. On the SVU side of the ledger, in an episode titled “People Vs. Richard Wheatley,” the first part of the story will take shape. The synopsis reads, “Carisi tries Richard Wheatley for the murder of Kathy Stabler. Benson finds herself at odds with a friend when Barba agrees to take the case.” Continuing on to Organized Crime, titled “The Christmas Episode,” Elliot’s family is in danger: “When Eli goes missing, Stabler asks Benson and the task force to help him find his son. Wheatley considers his future.” Law & Order: Organized Crime showrunner Ilene Chaiken painted a worrying picture of what’s to come in an exchange with TVLine, which can be read below.

CHAIKEN: “It will be a very Law & Order Christmas.”

TVLINE: “So… Claymation and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?”

CHAIKEN: “Exactly. And lots and lots of Christmas carols. I’ll just say: I hope we don’t ruin Christmas for you for all time.”

Christopher Meloni as Elliot Stabler on Law and Order SVU

The most recent episode of Law & Order: Organized Crime, which aired on November 11, marked the end of a story involving an Albanian drug lord. But even as Stabler has occupied himself with other cases, the re-centering of Richard and now the danger to his youngest son will aggravate still fresh wounds as it relates to the loss of Kathy. And while it’s true that many fans were upset when it was revealed that Kathy had written a letter while she was still alive, with the goal of keeping Elliot away from Olivia (Mariska Hargitay), these episodes point to another reason that the fan-favorite pairing may never actually get together: the job itself is too risky.

It's worth noting that Dick Wolf, the creator of the Law & Order franchise, has said that he doesn’t see Elliot and Olivia getting together. Paired with the fact that these lastest remarks tease a stressful holiday, it’s fair to say that the lead characters of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Organized Crime can’t catch a break. At the very least, however, for fans who want to see them back together again in some small capacity, the shows will continue to intersect in some very significant ways.

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Source: TVLine