《Law & Order: SVU》(Law & Order: SVU) After 600 episodes, the creators talk about the feud between old partners

A case that was mishandled nearly 30 years ago brings Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler back together.NBC《Law & Order: Special Victims》(Law & Order: SVU) In the 600th episode broadcast on November 12, local time in the United States, Stabler, played by Christopher Meloni, returned to the police station and re-investigated the murder of a young nun with Benson, played by Mariska Hargitay, and talked about old things that the two had not really dealt with for many years.

In an interview with TVLine, showrunner Michelle Fazekas described the collaboration as an emotional release.The two had no contact for 18 months after Cregan's wake.She wanted the audience to first understand Stabler's situation: his brother had been killed, his mother suffered from dementia, and he was in terrible shape himself, having been out of work for some time.Even if you haven't watched the spin-off series Law & Order: Organized Crime, viewers can understand his emotions when he returns.

From the beginning of "We haven't spoken for 18 months" to Stabler asking Benson if he wants to go to Arizona together, Fazekas wanted the two sentences to echo.She believed that Stabler knew how Benson would respond and was not expecting her to say yes; he extended the invitation to let her know that he wished to do so.He also knew that he still had problems to deal with.

“I do think they love each other and that love goes beyond sex.”Fazekas stressed that both men cared deeply about each other, but that Stabler wasn't ready.

Fazekas wanted to recreate the feeling of working together with his old partners, and the center of the story is still Captain Benson today.The interviewer mentioned that in the kitchen scene in the past, Stabler seemed to know what he wanted, but Benson was not ready; this time the ending seemed to reverse the positions of the two.Benson is more aware of his identity and needs, but Stabler is not in the corresponding position.Fazekas agrees with this observation.

As for whether this situation will change in the future, she did not rule out the possibility or make a promise: “I have to try to follow the characters and not force them into where we want them to go.” Benson is currently in a somewhat gloomy and disappointing stage. He feels that despite his nearly 30 years of work, things still haven’t changed.Developing a relationship with Stabler wasn't even in her top five priorities right now.She had other worries and issues that she needed to figure out for herself.

Fazekas worked on the show from seasons 3 to 7 and enjoyed writing for these two.She felt that it was a bit boring to keep dwelling on whether they would be together, and what she wanted to write about was the relationship itself.When preparing for the 600th episode, she first confirmed whether Meloni would return - which was originally uncertain.After learning that she could, her second thought was to put them in a car, let them drive a long way, stay in a motel, and talk out the backlog of conflicts; at that time, she had not even determined the specific case.

In the hotel, Benson talked about how he had been tolerant for 30 years.Fazekas believes that realization truly took shape in that moment.In the opening scene, Gwen Sharp, played by J. Smith-Cameron, asks whether the two of them had been talking separately back then, which already touches an old wound in Benson: She wasn't as involved as the others at the time, and she still gets angry thinking about it now.28 or 29 years ago, she was still a new detective eager to prove herself to her partners or superiors; now, she has a firm understanding of who she is.

What Stabler said earlier about "We are not friends" is particularly hurtful.Fazekas explained that the more a person knows and loves another person, the more he knows how to say things that will hurt the other person; some words would not be said to ordinary acquaintances or ordinary friends, but will be blurted out in such a relationship.She wrote this cruel sentence precisely to show the depth of their understanding of each other.

For viewers who felt the dispute was a setback in the relationship, she had a different take: Those unresolved words had to be said, otherwise the relationship wouldn't be real.She loved how two people who clearly loved each other had their issues laid out, and felt like they ended up in a good place by the end of the episode.It's comfortable to live in harmony all the time, but it lacks drama and doesn't match real life.

However, there are no plans to bring Meloni back for Season 28.When asked directly about this, Fazekas responded: “No, not this season.”This story has been told. The task she left for Stabler is to deal with his own problems first.