Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) returns to the NYPD. It’s a bittersweet return, especially since he was just about to get a job offer that would have effectively shut down the OCCB task force.
He and Bell have a falling out over the OCCB’s failure to catch Richard Wheatley (Dylan McDermott). Meanwhile, Silas has a lawyer who wants him released from jail in exchange for turning himself in.
Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and Ayanna Bell (Mariska Hargitay) return to the NYPD.
When Elliot Stabler suddenly reappears on the NBC police drama series after a decade-long absence, fans had no idea where to start. They were enthralled with the brash, quick-to-anger detective’s return to law enforcement, but they were also worried about where the show was headed and how it would compare to their beloved original.
Season 1 was a fast-paced introduction to the SVU spin-off. It centered around Stabler’s attempt to help an abused child recover from a traumatic past. He eventually bonds with a 15-year-old girl (Rachael Bella) who regresses into a childlike state after being sexually abused by her father. During their meeting, Stabler’s recollections of his own childhood lead him to see a connection between his own demons and the abuser.
While the first season was short and centered on a single case, it quickly revealed that there’s more to Stabler than meets the eye. He’s not only a good cop but also a dedicated family man. He’s married to Kathy (Isabel Gillies) and has five children: Maureen, Kathleen, twins Elizabeth and Richard and Elliot Jr.
In addition to his family life, Stabler has a troubled past with mental illness. He has a history with a psychologist, Dr. Rebecca Hendrix (Mary Stuart Masterson), who helps him deal with his problems. He’s also had to come to terms with the fact that he may be bipolar, and he works with Benson to overcome his condition.
Despite their differences, they are a tight team. They’re able to keep each other honest and help each other succeed in the field. They’re often called on to work together on cases.
Meanwhile, Stabler’s partner-turned-friend-for-now, Bell, has been struggling to come to terms with her own past. Sergeant Bell’s wife left her when she raided Congressman Kilbride’s law offices, which caused their marriage to hit a rough patch.
She’s been working through her own trauma and trying to help Stabler, as well. “She’s still dealing with those things, and she’s trying to do everything in her power to keep him on track and not take him out of his element,” Danielle Mone Truitt told PEOPLE about Bell’s role.
Ayanna Bell (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) have a falling out.
It’s been twelve years since Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) left Special Victims Unit and went to live in Italy. Now, he’s back in the city and rebuilding his life in the aftermath of a tragedy that took the lives of both of his parents.
While Stabler is a good guy who is incredibly dedicated to his family and the NYPD, it’s also very clear that he is not completely healed from his past trauma. His PTSD is in full swing and his new partner, Ayanna Bell (Danielle Mone Truitt), is trying to make sure that doesn’t get in the way of their work.
Despite all of this, however, it’s clear that there are still issues between Elliot and Ayanna. After all, the two were once enemies and had an intense falling out involving Kathy’s death.
The fight that Elliot had with Ayanna during Season 1 was a major turning point in their relationship. It was a huge blow to their trust and gave them some insight into the way their feelings were affecting their work.
When the two had a heated confrontation, it was clear that they weren’t at all on the same page, even though they were both working hard to get their team together. That was a big step for Stabler and Bell, who had been working to pretend that their complicated relationship wasn’t all in their heads and didn’t matter as much as it did.
Another big change was the way that EO and Benson were able to discuss their feelings and put them on display. It was a real break from the 12-years-of-pretend-no-feelings cycle that they had been on and was a great way to show how far they’ve come.
That also allowed Benson to feel like a real friend again, something that she had been missing for 12 seasons of Law & Order: SVU. She was able to tell Elliot that she still cared about him, and that she wasn’t going to let his PTSD get in the way of their relationship.
It also gave us a chance to see how Benson and Stabler are still very close friends. This was especially important to us, because we’ve seen them interact and fight over little things when it wasn’t convenient for their relationship.
