NBCLaw and Order: SVU ended its sixteenth season with a bang. Yes, there was a courtroom shootout, but the bang I'm talking about is Sgt. Olivia Benson's (Mariska Hargitay) conversation with Detective Nick Amaro (Danny Pino) about her former partner, Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). Yes, SVU went there. And it's fine. In fact, it's good the writers did.
This is the conversation that is stirring up all sorts of feelings in SVU fans:
Amaro: "I know I wasn't what your old partner was for you."
Benson: "No, you weren't. I grew more in my last four years with you than I did in the 12 years I was with him. You know, that relationship, whatever it was, didn't allow for anything else. But with you, your support, I have a family."
Amaro: "Yes, you do."
Benson: "You helped me grow."
Amaro: "I appreciate you saying that."
Benson: "Wow, so whatever happens, Nick Amaro, friends for life?"
Amaro: "Friends for life."
The conversation happened when Amaro told Benson he intended to leave the police force after being shot in the knee and getting discouraged from taking the sergeant's exam. His plans? Move across the country to start over in California and be near his kids.
Yes, it's a farewell, something fans did not get for Benson and Stabler on screen. So the saltiness, I guess, can be expected in relation to that. But when you think about it, the character has grown exponentially since Stabler retired after season 12. When new showrunner Warren Leight came in, he revitalized the show and characters, actually giving them arcs that showed growth. Sure, some of that growth came from trauma, but the effects weren't ignored when the hour ended.
Benson has been through the wringer—and then some—and she has grown for the better. The character was allowed to flourish without being tethered to Stabler. The "Whatever" about their relationship was very present. Did they love each other? Were they in love with each other? Were they too close? These are all valid questions. Without Stabler and their very safe dynamic, SVU took risks with the characters and storytelling that helped redefine the show (while keeping the key aspects that make it one of TV's most beloved dramas for 16, going on 17, seasons). Hargitay has turned in routinely great performances with the material that would probably not be available to her had Meloni remained with the show.
So, yes, Benson has changed. A lot. She has changed in the last four years more than she had during the previous 12 seasons. The dynamic between Meloni and Hargitay cannot be replicated and the show didn't try. His presence was missed—and still is missed—by many, but in a way it seemed necessary for SVU and Benson to truly spread its wings. Benson and Stabler "didn't allow for anything else," that's for sure.
The conversation wasn't meant to crap on fans of the show, it was an acknowledgement of what the writers have been able to do with the characters over the last four years. How did Amaro help Benson grow? By not being Stabler.
Law and Order: SVU returns for season 17 this fall, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)