Law & Order: SVU hints at Elliot Stabler's real feelings towards Olivia Benson. After a series of delays, Christopher Meloni's much-awaited return to the long-running police procedural is almost here. The actor was part of the show's original cast of characters alongside Mariska Hargitay and for 12 seasons, Benson and Stabler's professional and personal relationship was the backbone of the show. This was why when the actor left the show in 2011, many were dumbstruck and disappointed.
That said, avid viewers of Law & Order: SVU still held out hope that one day, Stabler would be back. Due to the nature of his exit, it was challenging to come up with a believable reason for his absence, especially without properly saying goodbye to Benson. Fortunately, the writers were able to find a way to back up his decision to leave without permanently closing the door on Stabler's potential return. It turns out, the detective opted to resign rather than be subjected to an internal investigation following a shooting at the precinct where his actions were justified. Between that and Meloni keeping a close personal relationship with Hargitay long after they stopped working together on the NBC show, it was only a matter of time before he found himself back on the small screen with her.
Among the many things to be excited about Meloni's return to Law & Order: SVU, Stabler's reunion with Benson is arguably the most anticipated. Marketing for the hyped episode titled "Return of the Prodigal Son" has highlighted the pair's history, and a clip from the Law & Order: SVU outing hints that Stabler was way more invested in her partner's personal life than he initially led on. In the aforementioned clip, he sits down with Fin, most likely for the first time since he left the force 10 years ago. After Stabler explains why it took him so long to return, Fin goes on to catch him up on what Benson has been up to, and interestingly, he focuses on her personal life rather than her professional one. This might be an indication that Fin has had an inkling about Stabler's real feelings for his partner, which makes sense considering that he's been with them for the most part of their time as partners. Stabler, on his end, is engrossed with the recap, and further backing up the idea is him specifically zeroing in on Benson having a potential boyfriend.
Law & Order: SVU has floated the idea that there might be more to Stabler and Benson's relationship. The fact that they're both very immersed in their job meant that they spent a lot of time together. As partners, trusting each other implicitly was necessary and was part of the reason why they were collectively effective. However, unlike the typical will-they/won't-they trope seen in sitcoms, things were more complicated for Stabler and Benson because the former is married. There were even times where his relationship with his work, and byway, Benson put a strain on his marriage. Based on what's known about Stabler's life now thus far, he's still married, so safe to say that this upcoming reunion won't lead to the detectives getting together.
Stabler's return to Law & Order: SVU doesn't mean, however, that he'll be back in the force with Benson and Fin. Instead, he's leading his own division through the spin-off Law & Order: Organized Crimes which will premiere after the original show's midseason 22 premiere. That said, expect that there will still be more interactions between them down the road.