<\/p>\n
Mariska Hargitay<\/a> needs a mere five words to sum up the relationship at the heart of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit<\/a><\/em>. \u201cStabler\u2019s in love with Benson.\u201d<\/p>\n The actor discussed the dynamic between her Capt. Olivia Benson and Christopher Meloni<\/a>\u2019s Det. Elliot Stabler in an interview on Saturday Today<\/a><\/em> on Saturday, October 11. And she confirmed that Meloni ad-libbed the \u201cLove you\u201d<\/a> in SVU<\/em>\u2019s Season 27 premiere.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just threw that in. Oh, yes he did,\u201d Hargitay said. \u201cIt was true, and we do love each other. Originally, it was scripted that I said it. And so what we did was, we did it both ways \u2026 we did it with and without. This is the line that we\u2019re always trying to navigate and keep it nuanced. So on the take that I didn\u2019t do it, Chris did it.\u201d<\/p>\n Hargitay observed that Meloni felt that Stabler expressing love as he did was the \u201ctruth\u201d of the scene as the characters were mourning the death of retired Capt. Don Cragen (Dann Florek<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, we lost our captain who was our north star for us, that we both came up under. It\u2019s a deeply emotional scene. It\u2019s also the beginning of a new era and end of an old one. So it was a very emotional scene. And as we know, when those things happen, when we lose somebody we love, we renew our connection, right? We plug in that way emotionally. So I felt like he just needed to say it.\u201d<\/p>\n Then, with a laugh, Hargitay said, \u201cBesides, Stabler\u2019s in love with Benson. Hello?\u201d<\/p>\n (Aptly, Saturday Today<\/em> cohost Peter Alexander said, \u201cThat\u2019s the headline that comes out of this conversation. Let\u2019s be very clear.\u201d)<\/p>\n <\/a> Does ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Promo Reveal How Benson Brings Rollins Back to Squad?<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Related<\/p>\nDoes ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Promo Reveal How Benson Brings Rollins Back to Squad?<\/a><\/h3>\n