With Law & Order: Organized Crime’s first season coming to a close, fans are already getting prepared for Season 2. The SVU spin-off following Christopher Meloni’s Elliot Stabler became an instant hit. However, with Stabler heading the Organized Crime unit, that gives him more time with his new colleagues and friends, and less with his old partner, Olivia Benson. While many fans don’t mind Stabler’s new pairing with Tamara Taylor’s Angela Wheatley, the actress shares the fan anger she has experienced in regard to the love triangle.
Law & Order: SVU has been on the air 22 seasons, and Stabler was Olivia’s partner for the first 12. Now that Stabler is back in the Law & Order franchise with Organized Crime, he's naturally getting closer to other characters, including Professor Angela Wheatley, who was a suspect in the hit ordered on Stabler’s wife, Kathy. The pair's relationship, which is only growing as the season progresses, is not something some fans (especially those who ship “Bensler”) like to see. Tamara Taylor shared with TheWrap what fans apparently think about her character due to her relationship with Stabler:
I’ve got to tell you, Law & Order fans are some of the most passionate fans I’ve ever come in contact with. And they’re lovely. So I felt very, very welcomed into the Law & Order universe. They seem to be very, very angry at Angela, many of them. But they’ve made a clear distinction that they’re not angry at me, the actor. They’re just a little pissed with Angela because she’s getting in the way of a relationship that they’ve been rooting for for 22 years.
The fact that Tamara Taylor understands the anger that fans are experiencing show that she is respectful of their passion and the relationship the franchise has been building up over the years. You have to applaud the actress for being able to roll with the punches when entering into such a storied franchise.
Law & Order: Organized Crime has already done a few crossovers with its predecessor, and there will likely be more in the upcoming seasons. It’s unclear what Stabler and Angela’s relationship will be like in the new seasons, or how Stabler’s relationship with his former partner will continue. However, the Stabler/Angela bond will be an interesting dynamic to look forward to. Even after 10 years, fans are just as passionate about Bensler as they were before. But now with the new show, Stabler is getting closer to other people, who may or may not have an impact on his life in the future.
The relationship between Stabler and Angela has been a complicated one throughout the season, and it will be interesting to see how it develops as time goes on. Some fans may not enjoy the growing closeness between the two of them, but rest assured that the relationship between Stabler and Olivia will forever be an iconic one, especially if the crossovers continue in the upcoming seasons of both Law & Order shows.
All eight episodes of Law & Order: Organized Crime are streaming now on Peacock.
